Praying for Those Who Are Not Yet Here
"I have just passed on from believing in God to definitely believing in Christ - in Christianity. I will try to explain this another time. My long night talk with Dyson and Tolkien had much to do with it."
--C.S. Lewis in The Letters of C.S. Lewis to Arthur Greeves; October 1 1931.
The "Dyson" and "Tolkien" C.S. Lewis refers to in the above quote are "Hugo" Dyson, a university English professor, and the more well known J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings.
If you know the story of C.S. Lewis' life, you may be aware that it wasn't until his 30's that he became a Christian, converting from a position of atheism. This story of his conversion, and the great literary works that flowed out of his new-found faith, shows the importance and influence of Christian friends in a person's life.
Thom Rainier, former head of Lifeway Reseach reports in his book “The Unchurched Next Door” that "most people come to church because of a personal invitation", and that the "vast majority of Christians became believers because of the influence of another person, or persons to whom they were close."
Certainly coming to faith is God's work in a person's life. Through the work of the Holy Spirit He gives us the ability to believe and nourishes our relationship with Him. But it has also often been true that God uses people as His means for sharing this message. This is the pattern of the New Testament after the Ascencion of Christ, the apostles, and other, everyday believers, go out, and begin to share the stor of the gospel. We may think this means going door to door or preaching from a street corner, but the reality is that most serious faith conversations happen between close friends, such as was the case for C.S. Lewis.
As we build trust with another person we are able to go deeper into life's serious matters. Because of their respect and appreciation for us as a friend they are far more likely to take seriously a conversation about God, our church, or an offer to pray for something in their lives.
We are approaching the fall season and a busier time in the church year, as families return to school and routines form once again after the summer break. I would like for us as a congregation to use this opportunity to be active in prayer for those we know who may be open to the gospel, and to those who we do not yet know, who God might bring to us.
I believe there are people around us who God desperately wants to win over. He may be planning to use us to reach them in the everyday course of our lives. This does not always mean an awkward conversation, but simply starts with us looking for opportunities to build new relationships with people we don't know, and deeper relationships with those we do. There also may be those around us who do believe but who have not found a place to worship where they feel comfortable, I have great confidence that Mt. Calvary is well equipped to welcome new families well.
As Christians, we also are called to pray for those who are not yet here. We could call them the “lost,” but I like the optimistic approach of praying for those who God is already working on finding, and praying we might be a part of that process. In doing so we trust Him to give us the words to speak, and the right doors to open, trusting Him for the rest. When we pray this prayer we are desiring to be part of the Great Commission, and trusting that God is still very much at work, in our broken and weary world.
~Pastor Mike Middaugh
The "Dyson" and "Tolkien" C.S. Lewis refers to in the above quote are "Hugo" Dyson, a university English professor, and the more well known J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings.
If you know the story of C.S. Lewis' life, you may be aware that it wasn't until his 30's that he became a Christian, converting from a position of atheism. This story of his conversion, and the great literary works that flowed out of his new-found faith, shows the importance and influence of Christian friends in a person's life.
Thom Rainier, former head of Lifeway Reseach reports in his book “The Unchurched Next Door” that "most people come to church because of a personal invitation", and that the "vast majority of Christians became believers because of the influence of another person, or persons to whom they were close."
Certainly coming to faith is God's work in a person's life. Through the work of the Holy Spirit He gives us the ability to believe and nourishes our relationship with Him. But it has also often been true that God uses people as His means for sharing this message. This is the pattern of the New Testament after the Ascencion of Christ, the apostles, and other, everyday believers, go out, and begin to share the stor of the gospel. We may think this means going door to door or preaching from a street corner, but the reality is that most serious faith conversations happen between close friends, such as was the case for C.S. Lewis.
As we build trust with another person we are able to go deeper into life's serious matters. Because of their respect and appreciation for us as a friend they are far more likely to take seriously a conversation about God, our church, or an offer to pray for something in their lives.
We are approaching the fall season and a busier time in the church year, as families return to school and routines form once again after the summer break. I would like for us as a congregation to use this opportunity to be active in prayer for those we know who may be open to the gospel, and to those who we do not yet know, who God might bring to us.
I believe there are people around us who God desperately wants to win over. He may be planning to use us to reach them in the everyday course of our lives. This does not always mean an awkward conversation, but simply starts with us looking for opportunities to build new relationships with people we don't know, and deeper relationships with those we do. There also may be those around us who do believe but who have not found a place to worship where they feel comfortable, I have great confidence that Mt. Calvary is well equipped to welcome new families well.
As Christians, we also are called to pray for those who are not yet here. We could call them the “lost,” but I like the optimistic approach of praying for those who God is already working on finding, and praying we might be a part of that process. In doing so we trust Him to give us the words to speak, and the right doors to open, trusting Him for the rest. When we pray this prayer we are desiring to be part of the Great Commission, and trusting that God is still very much at work, in our broken and weary world.
~Pastor Mike Middaugh
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