How to Pray for Missions: Hitting the Targets!
What is needed in order to see the finishing of the Great Commission in our lifetimes? I believe that question should literally obsess every believer. The fact that it does not, explains why in nearly 2000 years of church history, it has never been fulfilled in anyones lifetime, in any generation! We must make the main thing the main thing!
Yet we are living in a time unlike any other. I was recently privileged to be in a meeting of missions leaders from several Key Organizations. We were given an amazing briefing on the state of World Evangelization. I am overwhelmed with 2 facts: First, how much God is doing on the earth in our lifetime.....truly miraculous advance of the Gospel. Second, how much is left to be done.....truly monumental amounts of ground to be taken.
2 things are clear to me: 1) This can be the Generation that sees Matthew 24:14 fulfilled.
2) If it is to be, it will be a miraculous move of God, in response to Prayer!
So What is the Target? What are the things that need prayer in order to see this task finished? Here are 7 areas that I am asking you to begin to pray for on a daily basis. I would like to see every Christian pray for these things as a regular part of their prayer life. As I walk through my prayer list, I pray for these things under the category, "Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven". I mention each area every day, and focus on 1 of them for each day. There are 7 areas, one for each day of the week.
THE 7 AREAS OF MISSIONS ADVANCE
1. Prayer: I pray for Prayer! We need the whole body of Christ to be mobilized to pray for Missions. We need the current intercessors to keep praying, to pray more accurately, and to mobilize others to also pray accurately. Pray for the Prayer Force (The Air Force of the Kingdom) to be swelled into the billions of people crying out to God every day! Until the Prayer Force is Flying, the Ground Force will not be able to complete the mission without needless casualties!
2. Research/Revelation: Pray for the completion of needed Research. We need to know where the Kingdom is already advancing and where it is not. We need to know the Unreached People Groups, and Unreached Places, and Unreached communities and groupings of people. We need to know the Gaps of where the Gospel has not reached. Much is done on this, but still our knowledge is very incomplete. Pray that this be revealed by both Research and Revelation from the Holy Spirit directing and opening eyes and doors to the least reached peoples and places.
3. Mobilization: Pray for the Mobilization of the Whole Body of Christ to this task. Pray for God to call Millions of Missionaries. We need Cross Cultural Missionaries. We need Same Cultural Missionaries. We need Missions Strategists. We need Missions Financiers. We need Missions Disciple Making Movement/Church Planting Movement Catalysts and Practitioners.
4. Training: Pray for the Training of the Body of Christ in all these areas. Training in Prayer. Training in Missions and CPM/DMM. Training in Cross Cultural life. Training in Training! Pray for Training Bases, Training Churches, and Training Relationships through the multiplication of Mentoring Networks!
5. Deployment/Resourcing: Pray for the churches, groups, missions agencies etc. that work to coordinate portions of this work and to deploy the missionaries and workers into the fields and that care for them as the frontline troops carry out the mission. Pray for Billions of Dollars to be made available to this Final Push to Closure.
6. Facilitation of Movements: Pray for New Movements to Result from the first 5 things on this list. Pray that Current Movements spawn New Movements. Pray that the Earth be Filled with Church Planting Movements and Disciple Making Movements that reach every place. Pray that it reaches:
To the Last Tribe (TTLT) and To the Last Place (TTLP).
I divide the earth into 7 units for prayer personally (North America, Central America/Caribbean/ South America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Southeast Asia/Pacific).
7. Unity and Unified Purpose: Pray for the Whole Body of Christ to work together for the Kingdom, not for just their own little segment of it. Pray for Networks, Churches, Denominations, etc to work together for the Kingdom and pray especially for networks that are focused on bringing the Church together for Mission.
Finally, let me add that we need intercessors to pray specifically for the Missionary force. We need prayer cover for ourselves and the individual missionaries. So in the next installment, I will address the question: How do I pray for a Missionary? The answer has to do with the Blood of Jesus!
Yet we are living in a time unlike any other. I was recently privileged to be in a meeting of missions leaders from several Key Organizations. We were given an amazing briefing on the state of World Evangelization. I am overwhelmed with 2 facts: First, how much God is doing on the earth in our lifetime.....truly miraculous advance of the Gospel. Second, how much is left to be done.....truly monumental amounts of ground to be taken.
2 things are clear to me: 1) This can be the Generation that sees Matthew 24:14 fulfilled.
2) If it is to be, it will be a miraculous move of God, in response to Prayer!
So What is the Target? What are the things that need prayer in order to see this task finished? Here are 7 areas that I am asking you to begin to pray for on a daily basis. I would like to see every Christian pray for these things as a regular part of their prayer life. As I walk through my prayer list, I pray for these things under the category, "Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven". I mention each area every day, and focus on 1 of them for each day. There are 7 areas, one for each day of the week.
THE 7 AREAS OF MISSIONS ADVANCE
1. Prayer: I pray for Prayer! We need the whole body of Christ to be mobilized to pray for Missions. We need the current intercessors to keep praying, to pray more accurately, and to mobilize others to also pray accurately. Pray for the Prayer Force (The Air Force of the Kingdom) to be swelled into the billions of people crying out to God every day! Until the Prayer Force is Flying, the Ground Force will not be able to complete the mission without needless casualties!
2. Research/Revelation: Pray for the completion of needed Research. We need to know where the Kingdom is already advancing and where it is not. We need to know the Unreached People Groups, and Unreached Places, and Unreached communities and groupings of people. We need to know the Gaps of where the Gospel has not reached. Much is done on this, but still our knowledge is very incomplete. Pray that this be revealed by both Research and Revelation from the Holy Spirit directing and opening eyes and doors to the least reached peoples and places.
3. Mobilization: Pray for the Mobilization of the Whole Body of Christ to this task. Pray for God to call Millions of Missionaries. We need Cross Cultural Missionaries. We need Same Cultural Missionaries. We need Missions Strategists. We need Missions Financiers. We need Missions Disciple Making Movement/Church Planting Movement Catalysts and Practitioners.
4. Training: Pray for the Training of the Body of Christ in all these areas. Training in Prayer. Training in Missions and CPM/DMM. Training in Cross Cultural life. Training in Training! Pray for Training Bases, Training Churches, and Training Relationships through the multiplication of Mentoring Networks!
5. Deployment/Resourcing: Pray for the churches, groups, missions agencies etc. that work to coordinate portions of this work and to deploy the missionaries and workers into the fields and that care for them as the frontline troops carry out the mission. Pray for Billions of Dollars to be made available to this Final Push to Closure.
6. Facilitation of Movements: Pray for New Movements to Result from the first 5 things on this list. Pray that Current Movements spawn New Movements. Pray that the Earth be Filled with Church Planting Movements and Disciple Making Movements that reach every place. Pray that it reaches:
To the Last Tribe (TTLT) and To the Last Place (TTLP).
I divide the earth into 7 units for prayer personally (North America, Central America/Caribbean/ South America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Southeast Asia/Pacific).
7. Unity and Unified Purpose: Pray for the Whole Body of Christ to work together for the Kingdom, not for just their own little segment of it. Pray for Networks, Churches, Denominations, etc to work together for the Kingdom and pray especially for networks that are focused on bringing the Church together for Mission.
Finally, let me add that we need intercessors to pray specifically for the Missionary force. We need prayer cover for ourselves and the individual missionaries. So in the next installment, I will address the question: How do I pray for a Missionary? The answer has to do with the Blood of Jesus!
Comments