Twelve Prayer Guide Points for Growth (Luke 10:1-12)
Jesus understood that prayer provides the power to enable us to help plant and grow churches as well as individuals and families in grace and knowledge of the Lord. In Luke 10 the Lord gives us guidelines for expanding His kingdom and righteousness in practical ways that are often over-looked. Consider the following elements to include in your prayers so as to bring about growth, change and expansion of God’s influence in your community.
Illustration: Tom Vreman of the Dorcas Society Mission was speaking to our church about the patience required to work on a mission field. He told about a friend and his family who had traveled to the Inner Mongolia region of China to proclaim the gospel.
For the first few years, all they did was get settled and learn the customs of the people. After almost 4 years, his friend reported with great excitement that he was discipling his first three converts. That’s slow progress.
But after another 4 years, the missionary gave this amazing report: The entire village had turned in faith to Christ. The new Christians began praying for the people in a neighboring town. They sent witnesses, and soon that whole village received Christ. Now the entire region is hearing the gospel--all because one man and his family were willing to plant the seed and trust God for the results.
The apostle Paul gave his life to do God’s work. But he knew who was responsible for the success of that work. "Neither he who plants is anything," he wrote, "nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase" (1 Cor. 3:7).
Evangelism calls for patience. We may plant the seed, as Paul did, or we may water, as did Apollos (v.6). The key is to do our part and leave the results to God. (Our Daily Bread)
You’ve fished for men’s souls for years,
Yet little success you can claim;
Keep casting the net where God leads you--
Your faithfulness honors His Name. --DCE
Faithfulness is God’s requirement; fruitfulness is His reward.
Pray for the following twelve things:
1. verse 1 - Direction as to where the Lord wants to send you. "The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him in every town and place where he was about to go." Without the Lord’s guidance, navigation and piloting we are unable to discover His will for our lives.
2. verse 2 - Greater worship of the Lord of the harvest so as to gain a sense of assurance, purpose and perspective on the task ahead. "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers iniot his harvest field."
Illustration:While teaching a college writing class, I used a textbook based on Aristotle’s classic work Art of Rhetoric. He outlined three forms of persuasion that can apply to the way we witness to others about Christ.
1. Ethos (character). Henry Stanley said of Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingstone, "He never tried to convert me, but if I had been with him any longer I would have become a Christian." When people around us see the reality of Christ in our lives (1 Thessalonians 4:12), our words are taken more seriously.
2. Pathos (feeling). While touring Europe, a group of students from a Christian college witnessed to their busdriver. One girl tearfully pleaded, "If you don’t accept Jesus, you’ll go to hell. Please, please trust in Jesus." That reminds me of Paul’s impassioned plea and its effect on King Agrippa (Acts 26:28).
3. Logos (reason). When we live a holy life, we will attract attention. This will lead to questions. It’s then that we are to be ready to give reasons for what we believe, and we are to do so gently and humbly (1 Peter 3:15).
Is God leading you to witness to someone? Ask for His help. One, two, or all three of these classic methods may help open the door of that person’s heart.
(Our Daily Bread)
3. verse 2 - Workers who will go in to the harvest fields to win, train and send out new laborers to bring in the lost who are waiting to be saved.
4. verse 3 - Trusting people who are ready to make sacrifices. "Go I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals." Realize that the Lord will supply you with all you need according to HIs riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
5. verse 4 - Peace, shalom and well being for those to whom you will minister to. "When you enter a house, first say, ’Peace to this house." Pray for God’s favor, blessing and good gifts to be showered upon people according to His purposes.
6. verse 6 - Responsive people. "If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you." Ask the Lord to lead you to people who are hungering and thirsting for Christ’s righteousness, love and truth.
7. verse 7,8 - Identification and interpersonal relationships. "Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you." Learn to adjust to the customs, culture and culinary delights of the people to whom God has directed you to associate with for the purpose of building trust.
8. verse 9 - Healing, refreshment and good health. "Heal the sick who are there." Ask the Lord to bring health, wholeness and spiritual, physical and emotional healing to everyone who you are ministering to.
9. verse 9 - Kingdom righteousness, reconciliation, redemption and the reign of God to come to that community along with its benefits. "The kingdom of God is near you."
10. verse 10 - Discernment. Trust the Lord to give you the ability to make wise judgments over who you are to continue to minister and for how long. "When you are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, Even the dust of your town that sticks to your feet wipe off." Ask the Lord for the evaluative capacity to determine when to move on to greener fields.
11. verse 12,13 - Fear of the Lord. "I tell you it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town." Pray that the people are given adequate warning of their impending accountability, judgment and chastening from God for failing to receive His servants and their message.
12. verse 14 - Repentance, change and sanctification of every community. "For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago." Pray that the Lord would continually cause people to turn away from sin and toward the Lord Jesus Christ to find forgiveness, redemption and restoration.
