Ask God to Restore Your Concern For Non-Christians

Is God who He says He is or isn’t He? Of course He is! If so, then we can speak to God as simply, humbly, and sincerely about our lack of concern for the lost as we speak about our temptations, financial struggles, employment hassles, or marital difficulties. The Scriptures exhort us, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). That being the case, I can come to Him and say, “God, You’re easy to talk to, but what I want to tell You is not easy to talk about. I really don’t share Your compassion for the lost. Quite frankly, non-Christians don’t concern me that much. But if You will help me change, then I’m willing and I’d like to start today. Would You help me develop the same kind of heart that You have—one that cares for those who don’t know You? I’ve seen You answer my other prayers. Would You kindly answer this one?” Or we can say, “I get my priorities so messed up, but if You will show me how, I want to move lost people up on my list of priorities.”

One word of caution: If we sincerely mean what we pray, we need to stand back and get ready. God will answer. He has an abundant supply of compassion for those who ask Him for it. First John 5:14–15 assures, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” There is no question that such a prayer is according to His will, so when we pray for a heart like His we may expect an answer.

Signs of the Times – Church Future

As I mentioned in the site description above, DNA is best described as the basic genetic building blocks that determine who we are and ultimately what we will become. I apply this to the church - every church has building blocks that determine its current practices and its plans for the future.

Let’s not overlook or assume anything in our planning for the future of your church. First of all, pray that God will give you a passion for the future of your church and that he will guide your steps. Secondly, pray for creativity and a deeper insight into what relevant ministry looks like in your particular context. And finally, pray that God will protect you and encourage you in your challenge to lead your sheep to greener pastures (fields that are ripe for harvest - but that is another blog entry).

The thought of rocking the boat and leading your congregation to a future that goes against the status quo can be scary. In fact, I know that sounds like a daunting task. Allow me to motivate and inspire you with one of the greatest challenges for future ministry and courageous living that I have ever encountered.

The “Lion Chaser’s Manifesto” by Mark Batterson:

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey.

Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshiping what’s right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don’t try to be who you’re not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion.

Are you ready to “chase the lion” and boldly pursue God’s plan for your future? If so, take the next exit.

Mark Batterson, lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington DC, is one of the most influential and creative young pastors in the U.S. today. Enjoy what he calls the “Lion Chasers Manifesto”, check out his blog, and/or buy his book, “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day”.

How Do I Model Evangelism to my Children?

Ask any Christian parent if they want their children to be concerned about lost people, and most will answer, “Yes!” To encourage our children to grow in this area, what can we do as parents to influence them? How do we model evangelism to our children?

As a family, ask “How often do we pray for the salvation of a particular lost person?” Few things impact a child more than when the consistent prayers on behalf of others are answered. If you want your children to talk to the lost about God, as a family you need to talk to God about the lost; an unbelieving neighbor, a relative or even one of their own non-Christian classmates. As God answers those prayers, the impact is beyond measure.

We can also invite those we are praying for into our homes; share a meal together, or perhaps an evening around the table playing games. By having non-Christian’s in frequently, and you announce you are having guests, you are providing an opportunity for our kids to ask an important question, “Are they a believer or a non-believer?” By having non-Christians into our homes, we are increasing the likelihood they are going to be on our children’s hearts.

You can also do business with non-Christians. Select a hairdresser who is lost, a mechanic who doesn’t know the Lord or a plumber who needs Christ. Let your children know why – so there might be opportunity for the gospel. Let them see you be a “friend of sinners”.

Look at your family devotions and choose an evangelism topic. One family Bible study topic could be, “How does God feel about lost people?” Memorize verses together such as Matthew 4:19, “Then he said to them, ‘Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men’.”

Another way to train in evangelism is to role play. Think about questions non-Christians might have and teach your children how they can respond. Most importantly teach them a method of sharing the gospel, something easy for them to recall. Remember, they are just like you – scared.

Now let them watch you in action as you witness to a lost neighbor, hand a tract to a department store employee, choose a non-Christian mechanic with the view of leading them to Christ, or turn the conversation to spiritual things as you visit with the home repairman. If the conversation about the lost does not result in conversation with the lost, few things will happen.

Implement these ideas and watch what occurs. You will know you have impacted your child forever whenever she runs into the house one day and says, “Mom, guess what I saw dad do at the store? He spoke to this man about Christ and he was really interested in what dad was telling him about Jesus. They are going to have coffee tomorrow.”

Talk to God About Your Fear

How many times have you heard believers confess to one another, “My biggest problem in evangelism is fear. I am so afraid of being rejected”? The problem is that they often tell scores of believers their fear but too rarely confess it to Christ. The difference should be obvious. As helpful as telling others may be, there is no one on earth who can lend the aid He can. He ought to be the first we express the difficulty to, not the last.

As we do so, what we are specifically asking God for is courage or boldness. The courage that makes us go ahead despite our fears. The courage that makes us speak up, not clam up. The courage that produces the “I want to” evangelize not just the “I should.”

After all, as we observed, that is what the apostles did in Acts 4. That is what Paul does in Ephesians 6. In fact, what is striking about the Ephesians 6 passage is that when Paul discusses his fear in evangelism, he does it not to complain or make excuses but simply to ask them to pray for him. We must first and foremost talk to God about our fears, not just to people.

As we do so, we must pray in faith. Nowhere in Scripture does God promise to answer prayer. He only promises to answer the prayer of faith. As we ask God in faith to give boldness we can do so with excitement and expectation because the Person we are talking to is the One “who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20). If you ask God for boldness, He will provide.

Prayer and Share

It may seem obvious that our efforts to share should be accompanied by our efforts in prayer. However, many believers don’t commit the effort in prayer before, during, and after their effort to share. Paul said in Romans 1 that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, while in Philippians 4 he said that we should (in everything), by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let our requests be made know to God. When we bring these two together we can see that through prayer we are asking God, with thanksgiving for the power, to bring the power of the gospel to bear on those with whom we want to share the good news. Notice the words “in everything.” In evangelism that means your words, actions, attitudes, and feelings. In other words, commit all of your evangelism efforts, and all parts of your evangelism efforts to Him.

So, when you feel scared to share your faith… pray. When you lack boldness… pray. When you say you don’t know any non-Christians… pray. When you don’t know what to say… pray. When you have compassion for a lost friend… pray. When you need an open door… pray. When you can’t answer the question of your non-believing friend… pray. When you have shared over, and over, and over again… pray. During your gospel presentation… pray. After sharing the gospel… pray.

Prayer is the place to start, the place to continue, and the place to end in evangelism. Those who share consistently are in prayer persistently.

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