The Position Of Prayer: The First Step In Evangelism

The Charge of Prayer

‍The discipline of prayer is so simple that even the prayer of a child is sufficient; yet, it is also so complex that the prayer of most adults is deficient. Few things in life are so critical yet so willingly deferred. Prayer is vital for spiritual vitality, a necessary position of submission. As servants of our Lord, we submit our desires, will, and being to Him by acknowledging His desires, His will, and His being through prayer. If you’re similar to me, an honest examination reveals that our lives lack prayer.

Certainly, most of us lack continuous prayer that is the charge of our lives in Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:17). If that is the case, what is our prayer's status during evangelism? Most commonly, it is lacking as well. In a time that is intimidating to most people and during a task that may require our obedience but is utterly dependent upon the Lord's work, it seems that evangelism is one of the most appropriate times to pray.

‍The Condition of Prayer

‍The reading of Paul's prayers for his fellow believers always strikes me with great conviction. From within them, we see Paul's genuine desire, conviction, and love for those that are the subject of his prayers. Each prayer is a labor of love, specifically tailored to pray for the needs of that particular church. Consider his words for the Colossians:

“ . . from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to talk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, being fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:9-10).

What a tremendous model of prayer that the Lord gives us through Paul. Such a prayer is the result of love. First, it is an expression of Paul’s love for God. These words flow from a heart that desires to please and honor God by both obeying the Lord's call and relying upon Him to fulfill that call in a believer's life. Second, it is most clearly an expression of Paul's love for the people. The intensity and specificity of his prayer mark Paul's love for the people, as noted by the desire that they fully know God. Such an attitude of care and concern for people is not only appropriate in the circumstances of evangelism but serve as an essential motivator for pray in evangelism. Because I love those I am sharing with, I don't want them to be convinced by my words (and thus be prone to loyalty for me). Instead, I want them to be convinced by God's Word and convicted by the Lord's Spirit and thus inclined to place their confidence in Him.

‍The Content of the Prayer

‍Paul’s prayer for the Colossians is uniquely special. He prays that they may be filled with the knowledge of the Lord’s will. There are three important notes about this particular text:

• First, as indicated by the phrase 'be filled,' this is a passive prayer, meaning that while He desires that they be filled with such knowledge, the filling is the result of the Lord's will.
• Yet, the acquisition of knowledge is not without effort on the part of the people. The Greek word used in this text indicates participation, suggesting that the knowledge of God’s will comes from doing God’s will.
• Finally, the will referred to here is general, not the specific call for each individual, but rather God’s general revealed will for every Christian.

If this serves as a model, then our prayer is that people would come to know God through the impartation of God's Word. The desire is that they would come to know His grace by receiving it. It's interesting to note that Paul's prayer is for them to know God through Christ, and then he spends his time explaining to them the things of God. Is this not what we do in evangelism – pray for those we are witnessing to with the gospel to know God and then teach them about God?

Indeed, we must not forget something fundamental about this text. Paul's prayer for the Colossians is a prayer for believers. We do not want to miss that context and overlook the fact that Paul’s prayer is a model for all believers, representing the manner in which we should pray for ourselves and other believers. I am comfortable in requisitioning it for evangelism because of John 17:3. As Jesus prays, He utters the words, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Salvation is the result of knowing God the Father and God the Son by the work of God the Spirit. Should we not be praying this way when we evangelize then?

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