Praying For the Lost

Praying For the Lost
Pastor Steve Anderson | 3.13.24

God tells us the of the unredeemed:
Blind (II Corinthians 4:4) Captive to Satan (II Timothy 2:26) Condemned (John 3:18)
Dead (Ephesians 2:1) Bound for hell (John 3:36b) Helpless (John 6:44)
Hopeless (Ephesians 2:12) Without Understanding (I Corinthians 2:14)

It with God the Father
John 6:44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up.
So pray that the Father will draw them!

It is by the Good News of God’s word.
Isaiah 55:10-11 The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper (force entry/cut-through/succeed) everywhere I send it.

Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

So pray that that someone will minister the Gospel to them!

It is facilitated by the Holy Spirit….He convicts/ convinces
John 16:7-8 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate[a] won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment….

John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.

John 16:15 All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’

It is to laborers
Matthew 9:37-38  He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

So pray for the laborers…and for more of them!

It is and

God has devised/is devising and is committed to … a plan/process to save us
2 Samuel 14: 14 ”All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises (calculates, invents) ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.“ KJV ….neither doth God respect (show favoritism to) any person: yet doth He devise means, that His banished be not expelled from Him.

The process almost always involves a variety of other people and a variety of circumstances
1 Corinthians 3:6-9 I (Paul) planted the seed (Gospel) in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.

Pray for all of those who will be part of the process!

Keep on praying in faith for those who haven’t yet responded!
Matthew 7: 9-10 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Place them in God’s hands:God is at work! He is not saying “no”, and he has not forgotten!

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Trust God to do what his necessary

Salvation for the Lost is the Heartbeat of God. Salvation for the Lost Should Be Our Heart’s Desire

Romans 10:1 (KJV) “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.”

Make a new commitment to pray AND to reach out to the lost

NOTES

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