Small Group Life Blog

April 30, 2009

Hi [FIRSTNAME],

Question #3 in our weekly Life Transformation Group is:

Have you prayed for each of our pre-Christian friends this week by name?

Alrighty then. I hope I gave a pretty convincing case last time that reaching those who don’t know Jesus is pretty important to God. And therefore it’s important to us. After all, “the love of Christ compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14).

And I am convinced that the starting point is praying that the Lord of the harvest send out workers into the harvest field to bring in those ripe for Jesus. Did I say “pray”? The word is beseech, beg, plead. And it starts from eyes that see people. And it flows from a heart of compassion for people. Did I say “heart”? I meant guts. As in, when you feel deeply for someone, you feel it in your guts.

So, point being, we’ll start with prayer. If I can do this in the cause of “evangelism,” I’m pretty sure anyone can.

Now, who to pray for? I mentioned that a few billion people don’t know Jesus. I’ll send a list of those people next week. You may begin praying for them. : )

Ok, who to pray for? (For real this time.) You may already have a list of people, perhaps dozens, of friends and family who don’t know Jesus. I’ll encourage you to pray for them, or continue to do so.

But let me make a recommendation for your LTG. I find it helpful for each person in the group to name only two or three people (or couples) for your Strategic Prayer Focus. I suggest those 2-3 fit these criteria:

1. They don’t know Jesus, or are separated from God’s church.
2. They live close by (within easy driving distance).
3. You see them regularly.

And if more than three fit, just pick those you are closest to personally.

Now, why? Basically, it’s because I think it will be most effective. As God answers your prayers, He will lead you and others into conversation with them. And God will lead them into your LTG or another’s. (I think this gets more difficult if the person is hundreds of miles away. I say, pray for them, yet stick to these criteria for your Strategic Prayer Focus.)

Then, start praying for them. I find it helpful to pray for them daily before my Bible reading. I lift them up by name to our gracious Lord. And then I focus on one person or couple for the ten prayers (found in the LTG pamphlet, which I cut out and use as a bookmark in my Bible).

Obviously, you’ll need to tailor this to your own personality and style. Let me know how it works for you, and what you do.

“You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:14

(That’s why we meet in a public place.)

In Christ,
Pastor Steve

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