Question: Does praying for those far from God matter? Where have you seen that it does? 

“Prayer is the lifeline of New Testament evangelism. It knows no evangelism without prayer and no prayer which does not lead to evangelism. God has joined these together in one piece, and no man must separate them.”  -A. R. Gesswein

“I am convinced that when we stand before God. . . we will discover that every soul ever brought to a knowledge of Christ was in some way related to intercessory prayer” -Dick Eastman

The Role of Prayer in Evangelism

• Evangelists of the N.T.
  • Jesus 
    • Luke 6:12- Jesus prayed before Calling the Disciples.
• Paul – Ephesians 6:17-20

Evangelists of Church History

• Martin Luther
  • We must pray knowing the Devil will work against.
  • “We who would be Christians must surely expect to have the devil with all his angels and the world as our enemies and must expect that they will inflict every possible misfortune and grief upon us. For where God’s Word is preached, accepted or believed, and bears fruit, there the holy and precious cross will also not be far behind.”
• John Knox
  • “For if the fire may be without heat, or the burning lamp without light, then true faith may be without fervent prayer.”
• Richard Baxter
  • “Preach as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men.”
• Charles Spurgeon
  • “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”

The Practice of Prayer in Evangelism

• What we should pray for (Colossians 4:2-4)
  • For those who preach the Gospel (vs. 3; cf. Eph. 6:19-20)
  • For opportunities (vs. 2)
  • For boldness (cf. Acts. 4:29, 31; Eph. 6:19)
  • For sensitivity, wisdom, and clarity (Col. 4:2-4)
  • For individuals to be convicted and saved (cf. I Thess. 1:5; Heb. 10:22;  Rom. 10:1; I Tim. 2:1-4)
• Why we should pray for the lost:
  • Satan has blinded their eyes (2 Cor. 4:3-4)
  • They are captives of Satan (2 Tim. 2:25-26)
  • They are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:l)
  • They will experience the judgment of God (John 3:36)
  • They are the reason Christ came (Luke 19: 10)

Who is one person you can begin praying for to accept the Gospel?