Prayer

It involves talking to God about people we desire to see come to know Jesus, before we talk to them about God.

Care

Besides praying we are also sensitive to ways to meet and talk with those for whom we are praying. We pray and look for ways of being helpful and caring towards unbelievers.

This method of sharing the Gospel aims at the heart, and moves unbelievers to redefine in their minds what a Christian is. In our praying and serving others in practical ways without regard to response, we gain credibility.

Share

Besides praying and caring we watch for authentic opportunities the Holy Spirit gives us to share testimonies of how God has changed our lives. Imagine churches full of Christians practicing PRAYER/CARE evangelism.

Prayer/Care Evangelism

The Lord desires to see His church encouraged, built up and His people released to be living witnesses proclaiming both His marvelous grace and greatness.

God has given the leadership function in the church to see His plan become an increasing reality by focusing on equipping all believers for Christian life (intimacy with God and ministry) Ephesians 4:12

It is God’s intention that all God’s people, with all their gifting and resources, be encouraged and released into ministry.

A way of beginning to see the mobilization of God’s people is through Prayer/Care Evangelism.

Prayer/Care Evangelism involves:

Believers committed to consistently pray blessings on neighbors or others they know. This commitment can involve various forms:

• an individual commits to pray 5 minutes a day.
• 2 or 3 believers commit to gather to pray for a short time either daily or at least several times a week.
• larger groups meet regularly for prayer.

Whether the prayer is by a single believer or a group, these believers are “light-houses of prayer” in their communities or work places. They penetrate the darkness with light that saves lives.

1. Prayer

Believers begin by asking God to impress upon their hearts particular unbelievers for whom He desires them to pray. Then they pray, lifting these unbelievers up before the Lord, asking God’s blessing on them along the lines of the following:

• physical health and well being
• work vocation, or schooling
• family and friends
• salvation and spiritual growth

They might also ask the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of these unbelievers to:

• make them restless & dissatisfied with the emptiness of life
• cause them to question their reason for existence, life style, values
• make them sick of sin and convict them of their own sinfulness
• make them aware of God and His love for them
• soften hearts so they are less resistant to truth
• bring believers into their lives who would speak a word in season, share a piece of Christian literature, tract, etc.
• open the doors of their hearts so the light of the Gospel can shine in

2. Care

Besides praying, believers are also sensitive to ways to meet, to talk with and to be helpful and caring toward those for whom they are praying. They trust that God will open opportunities for them to develop relationships with those they are praying for and give authentic opportunities to share their faith.

3. Share

God may lead believers who are praying to tell the unbelievers that they are asking the Lord to bless them or to ask for prayer requests from unbelievers.

When unbelievers open themselves to being prayed for they are opening themselves up to God who, again and again, takes the opportunity to demonstrate His power and love in response to prayer.

When things begin to happen in response to prayer, these unbelievers begin to make room in their world view for a God who is living and active and powerful. They become more open to a relationship with God.

These unbelievers also open themselves up to a relationship with the persons who have offered to pray for them. All this can lead to natural times of sharing faith in Christ. So the prayer is followed up by deeds of love and words of explanation, which could include personal witness, literature or an invitation to a Bible study.

Prayer/Care Evangelism

• is not a program but a return to an authentic Christian life style.
• is a way every believer can participate in seeing the Gospel advance.
• is a way of aligning with God’s plan that those who have experienced God’s grace should be light and salt among those who are not yet saved.
• is culturally compatible to each situation, all ages and is rooted in the local church.
• is simple…doesn’t require new structures, money, or special spiritual gifting, just people willing to take a few minutes a day to talk to their Father in heaven about their neighbors and be willing to reach out to share God’s blessings.

Some of these concepts come from materials produced by Houses of Prayer Everywhere. These and other materials regarding mobilizing prayer that fuels vision, and both strengthens and expands the church are available from The Alliance Regional Resource Team.

Glenn Livingston, Prayer Movement Facilitator