How To Pray for a Heart for the Lost
The focus of the Bible is upon one central theme and person: Jesus Christ. The story of the Bible is really the unfolding story of God’s redemption of humanity through the Lord Jesus Christ. From Genesis to Revelation, the focus is upon Jesus and what He would, did, and will accomplish to the glory of God the Father. Certainly the Bible deals with many other issues but ultimately the focus is Jesus and the salvation that He accomplished on the cross.
Since we then know that God is a God of compassion for us and we know that His heart is for the world to hear the gospel of His Son, how can pray that God would cultivate in us a heart for the lost? I believe that all disciples of Jesus know that we are to make His name known in the nations but few of us actually A) do this and B) pray for this. I believe if we will begin to pray for the heart of God for the lost, He will grant us the desires of our heart and will fill us with His power and passion for the lost. He reached down and saved me (John 6:40) so how can I not tell others about His grace that He has given to me and to the world in His Son?
My encouragement then for all of us is to begin to pray the Scriptures about missions and begin to pray for God to show us how we can be effective in sharing our faith. When it comes to praying the Scriptures, let me offer the following passages to help us all pray for the lost.
- Matthew 28:19-20
- Mark 16:15-16
- Luke 10:2
- Luke 24:47
- John 20:21
- Acts 1:8
- Romans 1:16-17
- Romans 15:20-21
- 2 Corinthians 5:18-21
- 1 Timothy 2:1-6
- 2 Peter 3:9
- 1 John 2:1-2
I believe if we will begin to pray the passages of Scripture above, we will see the Holy Spirit beginning to not only burden us more for the lost but I believe He will help us to share the gospel with the lost around us. Remember the heart of God is for our Jerusalem in Acts 1:8 as well as all the nations.
Do you share your faith with lost? We all need to. None can be saved apart from faith in Jesus (Romans 10:14-17). They must hear the gospel and we know the gospel but too often we fearfully do not share our faith with lost. Yet as we begin to pray for the lost, we should also pray for the Spirit of God to help us grow in knowing God’s Word and grow in how we can be effective in evangelism. There is a time and place for all types of evangelism methods but the gospel message must not change. We must seek to grow in our understanding of the gospel and how to explain its truths.
For more information on evangelism methods, I recommend Living Waters Ministry. You can find a link to their site on this page in the bottom right corner.
Roy
Liked your blog on this site, comments and profile info on amazon.com. Too bad you live in S.C. We have those things that u listed in common, except that I have 3 girls, who are the world to my wife and I.
Eric N Dee-Lewis
08/12/2011 at 3:38 PM
Three girls? Wow! All boys for me!
The Seeking Disciple
08/14/2011 at 11:07 PM
Just found your blog and enjoy reading. I’m curious how you see the role of praying for lost persons to be saved. For instance, do you pray for specific people to be saved? If so, how does God answer that prayer without somehow violating said person’s free will?
Perhaps you’ve answered this somewhere on the blog prior, but I just found it today, so I haven’t read extensively. Thanks!
patricklmitchell
08/17/2011 at 7:39 PM
No doubt God doesn’t force anyone to come into His kingdom. What kind of love would that be? Yet I believe that salvation is a work of God by His grace and His Spirit. He draws, convicts, and regenerates. We in Arminianism call this prevenient grace or enabling grace is a better term. Man, in his own free will, would not choose God (Romans 3:10-18). So God reaches out to us in His Son (John 3:16) and through His Word (Romans 10:14-17). When a person repents of their sins and is baptized, it was the grace of God at work upon them and not their free will that brought their salvation (John 6:44). God opens hearts (Acts 16:14) but He doesn’t force them to believe and repent.
I do pray for specific people by name to be saved. Some I have prayed for many years. I pray simply that they would repent.
I hope that helps you brother.
The Seeking Disciple
08/18/2011 at 4:44 AM
So you would concede that unless God first does something in a person’s life (whatever that something may be) to open them up to the possibility of faith, then said person cannot and would not respond to God’s grace?
If so, with a passage like Colossians 2.13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses…(ESV) At what point would you say a person is “made alive”? Is it after God has awakened their spirit to belief, or the possibility of believing, AND they respond in free will to that?
If you can’t tell I’m trying to work through at what point man’s responsibility kicks in…I biblically do not see how a person awakens themselves to belief apart from God doing something. But then, does God make them alive upon their reception of His grace? Hope that makes sense.
patricklmitchell
08/18/2011 at 5:46 PM
Sorry, let me give some context: I grew up SBC and have been in the Christian Church (Campbell) for several years now. I have leanings towards a more monergistic theology (though less stringent than many Calvinists), but I cannot reconcile man’s respsonsibility if it’s entirely monergistic. Would you say in your understanding, then, that it’s more synergistic?
patricklmitchell
08/18/2011 at 5:52 PM
I would. I recommend Jack Cottrell’s book GOD THE REDEEMER and his systematic theology text, THE FAITH ONCE FOR ALL. Cottrell comes from a Christian Church background and teaches at Cincinnati Christian University in theology. He is a solid brother with keen insights into the Scriptures. He also is on Facebook. I also recommend the book, THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF GRACE by Thomas Oden.
I do believe that grace works on a person’s heart to prepare them for salvation. I don’t believe, as Calvinists teach, that this grace is either irresistible or that regeneration must be before faith. This would appear logical if you hold to the Calvinist understanding of total depravity. When Paul says that we are dead in our sins in Ephesians 2:1-3 or Colossians 2:13 I believe that that means that we are not able to obtain salvation. We are dead in sin. We cannot earn God’s salvation. We cannot earn His righteousness. I don’t believe that he is using death here in terms of the totality of the person. Adam and Eve were dead in their sins in Genesis 3 after disobeying God but they still could hear His voice as He called out to them. This is true today of preaching the gospel. Sinners can still hear His voice but they need His grace to be saved. Justification is by God’s grace through faith (Romans 3:22-25; 5:1; 2 Peter 1:10-11). We are never said to be justified unto faith (as in Calvinism) but by faith.
I hope that helps some. Check out http://www.thearminian.net also. That is the site of my friend William Birch who is a great Arminian scholar.
The Seeking Disciple
08/18/2011 at 7:54 PM
Great words and thanks for the recommendation. It seems the main distinction you (Reformed Arminianism) draw against Calvinism is at what point Regeneration takes place (for instance, this is R.C. Sproul’s argument “Chosen by God”). Would that be accurate?
patricklmitchell
08/18/2011 at 9:39 PM
I recommended Jack Cottrell’s book God The Redeemer but meant God the Ruler. Both are great books on the doctrine of God.
Roy
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The Seeking Disciple
08/18/2011 at 10:55 PM
[...] “How to Pray for a Heart for the Lost,” by Roy Ingle (“the Seeking Disciple”) in the Reformed Arminian blog, with suggestions to increase compassion and passion for the lost. [...]
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