This Sunday our Church is starting a new sermon series entitled “Finding Your Way Back to God.” I am encouraging everyone to bring a friend and use this as a time of outreach. We will have a meal following worship and it will be a great opportunity to connect someone to our Church.

I have spent the last two Sundays talking about sharing our faith. There is one more big issue I need to address: Prayer. I believe that all of what the Church does should be under girded with prayer, especially evangelism. Let me give you a few suggestions about praying and sharing the gospel.

1. Pray for Open Doors. I once worked as a telemarketer. It is a hard business except during the holidays. At Christmas it was easy to sell children’s magazines because people were looking for gifts for their children. There was an open door to listening to our product. The same principle is true with almost everything, including the gospel. There are times and seasons when people are open to hearing about faith. Times of loss, of birth, of tragedy, of triumph and times of transition will open up people’s hearts to the gospel. Sometimes it is just our words that open a door and sometimes it could even be our smile that can make a difference. Pray that God will put you into the lives of people who are open to his message.

2. Pray for a Person or Family. Commit that for 5 days a week for one year you will pray for an individual or family. Pray that God will open the doors of their heart. Pray that God will open a door to the message. Pray that their heart will soften through your positive influence. Pray that God will bless them or shake them. Pray for the same people who need to know Jesus over and over again.

3. Pray for the Outreach of Others. You are not alone in your effort to reach people with the gospel. Your parents, friends, and co-workers are also trying to reach out. Pray that God will use them in their situations. It is like a player on a team hoping his teammates do well so that we can all win.

4. Pray for Your Church Leaders. I have been working and praying about these sermons, the videos, the worship and the children’s area this week. I am asking that God would be present in every word spoken and every person involved. Pray that God will use the leaders of this Church to the greater glory of God.

I want everyone to do the work of an evangelist. We need to be ready to give an answer for why we believe and what we believe. But I firmly believe that God needs to be present in all that we do for Him. That reality brings us back to prayer. So I ask you this week to pray, pray, pray.