40 Days of Praying - Day 39

Personal Outreach - Pray specifically for someone in your own spere of influence you can reach with God's love this year.

Exodus 19:5-6 Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.'

1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood , a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Philemon 6 I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

1 Peter 3:15-16 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

We exist to make and mature disciples. As a church we believe that the highest calling and greatest service to God and humanity is to point people to Jesus and help them become followers. If we do this it will be the greatest act of love for men that we could do, for no man can be truly satisfied without knowing and loving God.

We will love them to Jesus with kindess and service. We will find ways to show mercy to everyone we know. We will turn curses into blessings. We will respond to need with generous, selfless, personal sacrifice. This is how God through Jesus was toward us and it is how others will find God through us. So when our friends go through divorce we will hurt with them. When a cousin falls off the deepend into drugs and alcohol we will dive in after them. When our friend reveals his addiction to porn we will walk with him out of darkness and into light. When someone is hungry we will feed him. When someone needs clothes we will give them. When someone is lonely we will be there and pray with them.

But at some point, somebody, somewhere has to say something. There comes a time when my friend needs me to say Jesus. This week I finished a really interesting book that surveyed people who were formerly unchurched, asking them what led them to Christ. Nearly half said that one of the most important factors was that "someone from the church witnessed to me." Someone said something about Jesus. In some cases they said someone had invited them to church. FOR MANY OF THEM IT WAS THE FIRST TIME ANYONE HAD EVER INVITED THEM TO ANY CHURCH! For others they cited the fact that someone had clearly explained what it meant to be a christian and how they could become a follower of Jesus. I won't belabor the point, but I know this. If we don't get a whole team us being those kind of witnesses we won't be a church that makes disciples.

Are you in? Are you willing to be the witness? Are you willing to speak? Are you willing to learn how? Are you willing to pray for the lost? Are you willing to pray for workers for the harvest? Are you willing to pray not professional workers, but everyday, everywhere, all the time, every crowd, every situations workers?

O God, help us. Help me to care about the harvest field you have put me in. Help me to look for times to serve and love and times to speak. Help me be bold. Help me be sensitive. Put a fire in us that cannot be contained. O Lord, may there be thousands more around your throne because of what we do here at this church. We beg this in the name of Jesus, amen.

Grace.