Prayer is essential in the life of every Christian. Most churchgoers would fully acknowledge this as a reality, but some may be embarrassed to answer any questions regarding the frequency, intentionality, or purpose of their own prayers. Likewise, most churchgoers would accept some responsibility for evangelism generally. However, personal evangelism and the clear requirement of every Christian to participate would cause a bit of discomfort to say the least. Prayer and evangelism should mark the lives of every Christian, and no less than Jesus Himself has commanded His followers thus.
Regarding prayer, Luke tells us that Jesus said people ought to “always pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). Jesus Himself provides examples of prayer. “[H]e would withdraw to desolate places and pray” (Luke 5:16), He “went up on the mountain to pray” (Luke 9:28b), and there was a time when “all night he continued in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12). People brought children “to him [Jesus] that he might lay his hands on them and pray” (Matt. 19:13), and Jesus prayed when He healed people from sickness and death (Jn. 11:41-42).
The most beneficial passage in the Scriptures concerning prayer is found in the sixth chapter of Matthew in the form of what we call the Lord’s Prayer. Matthew records Jesus’ helpful statement just before this exemplary prayer, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father” (Matt. 6:6). We can observe at least a few things from this single phrase. First, Jesus assumes that Christians will pray. He says ‘when you pray’ as though there is no question that one will indeed participate in prayerful expressions towards God. As has already been mentioned, prayer is essential to the life of every Christian.
Second, Jesus expresses the intentionality of prayer as being relationally vertical rather than horizontal. He says, ‘go into your room and shut the door.’ This does not seem to be a statement about methodology, as though Jesus were saying that one should not pray outside or even inside with any doors open. Instead, it seems to be a statement about the intentions of the human praying. We are to pray not in order to be heard by others around us, but in order that we may be fixed on the God of heaven. Our prayerful relationship is meant to engage us primarily with God. Third, prayer is an intimate connection with an imminent counselor and omnipotent provider. Jesus refers to God not only as His Father, but ‘your Father.’ This immediacy of relationship and accessibility of such a powerful refuge is no small thing to consider.
Regarding evangelism, Jesus commissions all who would follow Him to “make disciples” of all people groups everywhere (Matt. 28:19). While some may attempt to distinguish the group described by terms like believer and disciple, I find no reason at all in Scripture to do so. In fact, the two appear to be synonymous when referring to one’s relationship to Christ (Acts 9:26; Jn. 8:31). Therefore, the commission given by Christ to all His followers at least includes evangelism. Discipleship may refer to much more than conversion, but no one would rationally argue that it refers to less.
Evangelism, then, is the privilege and obligation of all Christians everywhere. Yet, there is a very real sense in which the conversion of sinners from death to life is something that no Christian can produce. Indeed, only God can create life where there is none and bring faith into the hearts of those who are bent on disbelief and rebellion (Eph. 2:1-10). At this, an astute person may ask, “What role does a Christian play in evangelism?” Well, the Apostle Paul makes a helpful assessment in his first letter to the Corinthians. Paul says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor. 3:6-7). He states clearly that evangelism is about ‘planting’ and ‘watering’ ‘seed,’ but God is the one who causes life, growth and salvation. The analogy of seeds and sowing is not new, and Jesus explained an analogy very much like Paul’s in Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8. The ‘seed,’ Jesus says, is the ‘word of God.’
This subject deserves more time and reference than it is given here, but the word of God may refer to every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, a specific prophecy concerning an immediate event or person, or some compilation of words attributed to God. The word of God is certainly inclusive of all God’s words, but most particularly it refers in Biblical terms to the Gospel (Acts 11:1) and to Christ as the embodiment of that message (Jn. 1:1-4). So, then, Christians participate in evangelism by proclaiming and defending (planting and watering) the message of the Gospel (seed). Christ followers may tell others of the good news, and rely upon God to give the growth; that is they rely upon the Spirit of God to transform the soul of sinners (Jn. 3:3). This then is where evangelism and prayer intersect, and again Christ affords both instruction and example.
Because God alone makes sinners alive with eternal life, and because Christians have immediate and intimate means of communication with the God of salvation, it is then vitally important that Christians express their reliance upon God through prayer. Jesus prayed just this way when He prayed, “I do not ask for these only [that is His accumulated followers during His earthly ministry], but also for those who will believe in me through their word [that is all subsequent believers], that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (Jn. 17:20-21). Jesus clearly associates this belief in His being sent from the Father with trusting Him as Savior or Messiah (Jn. 5:38-40). Jesus asks the Father to bring unity of belief in the truth of Christ’s person and work to all those that the Father gives the Son (Jn. 17:24).
In summary, Christ teaches us to pray that God save sinners and He emboldens Christians to participate in the work of planting, watering and harvesting the growth only God can bring (Luke 10:2). Prayer and evangelism go hand in hand. As Christians tell the story of salvation, it behooves them also to pray that God performs the regenerating work that only He can.
Holding the Line 