Prayer's Necessity for Evangelism

SPEAKER B Greetings and a warm welcome to You Shall Receive Power. Our current series of programs features the book 50 Days Prayers and Devotionals to prepare for the latter rain and Christ Return by Pastor Dennis Smith. And as we start our program, please join us as we pray. Gracious Father in Heaven, it's such a privilege that we can spend time in your Word, that we can study, that we can understand, that we can get a knowledge of Jesus and the importance of being one with you Father, by having Christ in us our hope of glory. And as we now look at the importance of prayer and communication back to you as you communicate with us through your spirit and through the word of God, we just pray for a rich blessing on every person listening, Father. And as Colin and myself step through the Bible and the studies, we pray that you would bless us. Give us your Spirit, bless the one listening, give them your Holy Spirit as well. Father, take away the blinds and the shutters that are so easily put on your eyes by the devil and by society and make our hearts open and receptive to receive your Word. This we pray in Jesus name. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER B Colin, I'm looking forward to this study. Prayer intercession for Christians and nonchristians. Basically what we're talking about is prayer and intercession and the necessity of it for evangelism, which is day 19 in the book. SPEAKER D That's right. We're going to talk about evangelism and the necessity of prayer and how it goes hand in hand for evangelism. Basically prayer intercession for Christians and non Christians so they may come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior and how important that is. So we're going to focus today the necessity of prayer for three groups. Number one, for fellow believers, admonish to pray for one another, two, Christians of other faiths that they come to accept the three angels messages and three, those who have never accepted Christ. SPEAKER C Yes. Wow. SPEAKER B Those are three groups who we actually in a sense see similar to Jesus prayer there in John chapter 17, where he prays for himself, he prays for his disciples and he prays for those who believe and then for those who will believe in the future. SPEAKER D That's right. Yeah. So when I mentioned Christians of other faiths, they come to accept the three angels messages in the Bible. In Revelation chapter 14, verse six to twelve, there is a message that goes out to the world that prepares God's people from every faith, every nation, kindred, tribe, tongue and people to come together. To come together. And it's a warning also to prepare Christians not to receive the mark of the beast. And we can unpack that a little bit if you like, but that is the we want to pray that people will accept that message of the three angels'messages and they will be saved. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER B And really, the mark of the beast actually relates to worship and it relates to the counterfeit that Satan has set up in regards to the gospel. It will be a pseudo gospel. And this is what God's going to do through these messages, is to prepare the people to understand the truth, get that connection with Jesus so they can stand through that time of trouble and be faithful to Him come what may. SPEAKER D Yeah, well, the three angels message says it's called the Everlasting Gospel. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D And it talks about it's attached to what's called the judgment. It says judgment has begun. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D And the judgment is connected to the cleansing of the sanctuary, which was the day of atonement. And it's attached to the 2300 year prophecy, which began in 457. 2300 years brings you to 1844 yes. Where it says judgment has begun. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D And so this message could not go out until judgment has begun. In heaven, there has to be a judgment to see who has benefit from Christ's ministry and from his death on the cross. SPEAKER B Look, that's a really important point, because there's a thing in the Bible known as present truth. For example, if someone had to get up now and say, listen, I'm going to build the ark because the world will be destroyed by another flood, that is not present truth. That was a truth. Noah, a preacher of righteousness, preached that. And people needed to be saved by getting into the ark at that time. That was a truth for their time. And we can still learn from the principles of what happened there and the judgment that came on the earth at that time. In Jesus day, for example, he was the Messiah received the Messiah. That was present truth at that time. It's still a truth now. But for the Jews that closed their probation in 34 Ad. When the end of the 70 weeks, which is part of the same prophecy, the 2300 days ended. And the confidence we have in 1844 and the 2300 day prophecy is based on the fact that 70 weeks, which is 490 days, which is a day for a year principle in the Bible, in prophecy, 490 years were actually cut off from the 2300 days. So therefore, if we know that Christ came and was baptized and anointed in 27 Ad. He was crucified in the last week, right in the middle of that week in 31 Ad. And then, of course, the Jews sealed their fate when they started martyring and killing people. And Stephen, that deacon full with the Holy Spirit, was killed and stoned, there was the end of the 70 weeks for them all that came to fulfillment exactly as God said. So that gives us confidence that if the first 70 weeks came to fulfillment exactly, the 490 years came exactly to fulfillment, as God had said. The remainder of the 2300 days, the 1810 days remaining will also be fulfilled. And that gives us a confidence in 1844. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And what is Jesus doing since 1844? SPEAKER B That's a good question. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D What's he been doing up there? And we read in Hebrews that he is our high priest, he's interceding for us. That's right. SPEAKER B He's gone to receive a kingdom and to get married. And then when that's taken place, then he'll come. But the cleansing of the sanctuary in heaven goes together with the cleansing of the sanctuary here on earth. And we are told by the Holy Spirit for the prophet, or should I say he was a prophet? He was definitely a prophet. He's also an apostle, the apostle Paul, that we are the temple of God on earth, that the Holy Spirit dwells within us, that we've been purchased with a price. SPEAKER D So what needs to be cleansed? What was cleansed in the sanctuary, in the earthly sanctuary in Leviticus 16, it says what was cleansed was sin. SPEAKER B Sin, that's right, removed. SPEAKER D Sin was removed. That had been piling up. Every day you're confessing your sins and killing lambs and your blood was going into the sanctuary for an atonement. So eventually that sin had to be cleansed, wasn't it? And the Lamb represented who Jesus on the cross, didn't it? And so the cleansing of the sanctuary is the work of the high priest making atonement for the sanctuary, which means, as the sins have been piling up and let's be honest, every day we're confessing our sins. SPEAKER B Absolutely. SPEAKER D And they're piling up in the heavenly sanctuary. Jesus has paid the penalty for them, but eventually those sins are going to be cleansed from the heavenly sanctuary. And that's what Jesus is doing a work since 1844. So we're praying that our brothers and sisters in Christ will accept the three angels messages. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And what Jesus is doing the heavenly sanctuary to prepare for the second coming of Jesus. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER D Yeah. So that's what we mean by coming to accept the three angels messages, because in Revelations 14 six, it says, the everlasting Gospel goes to every. It says, fear God and give glory Him for the hour of his judgment has come. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER B So it's the Gospel in the end time setting or the judgment hour setting. SPEAKER D And then there's a warning as well about Babylon and false worship. And there's beast power, who is a religious political power, who's been ruling for 1260 years, who brings in false worship and who is going to bring in what's called the mark of the beast about false worship. We, as brothers of Christ, don't want anyone to receive the mark of the beast. SPEAKER C That's dead, right? Yeah. SPEAKER B God doesn't want anybody to receive it either. That's why he gives us the warnings in Scripture. SPEAKER D That's right, because he loves us and he doesn't want anyone to receive the mark of the beast, because if you receive the mark of the beast, you receive the seven last plagues. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D And it's going to be over worship and I love it. In verse twelve it talks about those who are giving this message. It says in verse twelve of Revelations 14, here is the patience of the saints, here are they that keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D That's just like in Revelations twelve, that Satan in Revelation twelve has gone to make war on God's last day remnant people who are living in the last days. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And they have the characteristics where it says they keep the commandments of God and have what? The testimony of Jesus Christ. SPEAKER B That's right, yes. SPEAKER D Which we find in Revelations chapter 19 is the spirit of prophecy. So they are a prophetic movement and they have the gift of prophecy in the church. So that's what we mean when we say that we are interceding or praying for Christians of other faith, that they'll come to accept a three angels message. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER D And we also want to pray for those who have never accepted Christ. So the principle of persevering prayer applies to every era of the Christian life, including your efforts to lead others to Christ. And so it should be clear from the previous talks that we've done that prayer is important part of evangelism. SPEAKER C Yes, it is. SPEAKER B And I've learned as time's gone on how important it is. It's more than just proclaiming the word. We need to be in prayer and diligently in prayer. That is what gives us power, that's what connects us back to God. SPEAKER D And once I understood that prayer is so important for the salvation of souls, it has sent me to my knees. Eddie, before that, my prayer was quite sporadic, to be honest. Yes. But now that I realize the importance of prayer for the salvation of souls, it has sent me to my knees to spend much time in prayer. Because if it's true that our prayers are an important factor in the salvation of souls, on God, sending His Holy Spirit to convict people of judgment, of sin, of the transgression of God's law, to lead them to Jesus, to pay the penalty for our law, then we should spend more time in our knees absolutely. In prayer for the salvation of our friends and our families and our work colleagues. SPEAKER B And as we go through this study today, I'm so excited because it's going to show how important that is and how powerful that is in our lives. And also if we're working to share the Gospel, the good news of salvation through Jesus, how important this is. And it's a weapon, a spiritual weapon in our arsenal that will actually be able to expel darkness and open up hearts and minds to receive the Gospel. SPEAKER D Absolutely. And let's be honest, everyone who's accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior did so because someone prayed for them. You spoke about your testimony that someone prayed for you previous in some of our other you know you're a Christian today if you're listening out there, and you're a Christian today because you were prayed for by someone who cared about your eternal destiny. And in turn, we should care about other people's eternal destiny. So I want to add one point of clarification, though. Besides praying for the salvation of others, we must cooperate with God in working for their salvation as well. It's not just praying. We want to work in cooperation with God. So pray and work, work and pray. This is the formula that releases God's saving power on this earth. So let's look at making intercession. So what happens when we intercede in prayer for someone? Let's take a look at what happened in God's word in the Old Testament. And the prophet Isaiah describes what Christ was to do on the cross for us. We are told that Jesus what made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah, chapter 53, verse twelve. Have you got that? SPEAKER B I've got that here, yes. And it says, therefore, I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong. Because he poured out his soul unto death, he was numbered with the transgressors. He bore the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressors. SPEAKER D So we're told that Jesus, and this is a prophetic Bible verse written in about 700 years before Jesus was born, saying that this is what the Messiah would do, the Anointed One, the Christ. And we believe that just Jesus fulfilled as being the Messiah. And we're told that he makes intercession for transgressions. And so interesting, the Hebrew word intercession is pagha, I think. I hope I pronounced that right. But it's P-A-G-H-A which means to meet, to push against, to attack, to urge a request, and to make peace. SPEAKER B Okay, to make peace as well. SPEAKER D So you can see that this word has a wide variety of meanings. When pagha happened at the Cross of Christ, significant meanings took place. For example, mercy met God's wrath, righteousness met sin, love met hate, and life met death. Because on the Cross, Christ made it possible for the sinner to make peace with God. It's about reconciliation. The Bible says what? We're all sinners and fall short from the glory of God. We have all sinned and the penalty for sin is death, eternal death. Just like if in this today, if you break the law of the land and whatever country you in, there are consequences for breaking that law. There is a penalty, and it might be different penalties, but we have laws, don't we? SPEAKER C Yeah. SPEAKER D And when we break a law, there is a penalty or a consequence breaking the law. Well, God has laws. He has the Ten Commandments. When we break one of those laws, then we are guilty. And the consequence of breaking God's law is eternal separation from God, which is eternal death. So this is about bringing intercession and reconciliation between God and man. SPEAKER C Yeah. SPEAKER B I like what you said there before, Colin, about Christ on the cross made it possible for sinners to make peace with God. It said then, Isaiah 59, verse two, that our sins have separated us from God and by Christ paying the price for all our sins, and we can actually, through Christ, stand before God as if we've never sinned. We're able to have that peace with God. There's no longer that separation. Christ has taken away the separation between us and God, which was our sins. We walked away from God, and through Christ we can walk back to the Lord. We can receive that peace and reconciliation. SPEAKER D Well, the Bible says our sins have separated us from God, hasn't it? That's right, yeah. So Paul exhorts the Christian to make intercession for all men. So let's read in one Timothy, chapter two, verse one. What does Paul say about intercession? SPEAKER B Therefore I exhort, first of all that supplications prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men. SPEAKER D Wow. So Paul is basically saying us, we should make intercession for all men. So we're to bring about meetings through intercessory prayer about divine appointments and divine meetings. Our prayers for the lost bring about those meetings of reconciliation between them and God. That is the purpose of us praying, to bring reconciliation between God and man. SPEAKER B It's interesting that further down on those texts, it talks about us even praying for kings and authorities that we can live a quiet and peaceable Godly life. And it says that this is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. So that's the whole purpose of praying for people, that God wants them to come to a knowledge of the truth so he can save all men. SPEAKER D That's right. And this reconciliation is found in the promises God gave Adam and Eve shortly after their fallen sin, adam and Eve had just sinned, and God made a promise in Genesis, chapter three, verse 15. And you want to read Genesis, chapter three, verse 15, and I will put. SPEAKER B Enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. SPEAKER D Now, he's talking to Satan here, isn't he? SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D He's saying, I'm going to put enmity, which is war, right? SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D Between the believer and God. And so intercessory prayer is a major element in the ministry of reconciliation, and every Christian is called to participate in this. And we can find that in Two Corinthians, chapter five. Two Corinthians, chapter five, verse 18 to 19. Can you read that, Eddie? SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER B Now, all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them. And has committed to us the word of reconciliation. SPEAKER D Isn't that good news? SPEAKER B That is fantastic. That is great news that God was in Christ reconciling to the world, to Himself and then he's given that ministry. SPEAKER D To us now and we're to reconcile people with each other. That's peace. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And to reconcile people with God, turn. SPEAKER B The hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children. SPEAKER D To the fathers and says through Jesus Christ, it's the only way that reconciliation can happen between God and man through Jesus Christ. That's the plan that God has come up with, to reconcile us sinners. And we're all sinners. Doesn't matter what faith you come from or all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So this unity and we read about in Christ's prayer about this unity that comes about in chapter 17 of the Book of John, chapter 17, verses 20 to 21. SPEAKER C Okay. SPEAKER B And it says, I do not pray for these alone. So this is Jesus praying. I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their Word that they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I in you, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. SPEAKER D So here he is praying an intercessory prayer, isn't he? He is Christ praying an intercessory prayer for oneness or unity to take place between the Father and believers. He's praying for a complete reconciliation between the Father and all believers. So Christ not only prayed that intercessory prayer for us 2000 years ago. Do you know he continues to pray for us today. He's interceding for us today. SPEAKER C Wow. SPEAKER D 2000 years ago, he's continuing to pray an intercessory prayer for us today. Let's go to Hebrews chapter seven, verse 25. SPEAKER B It says, therefore, he is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. SPEAKER D There you go. And so the Hebrew word translated intercession also carries the meaning of dissolving a relationship. It can mean a meeting for destruction. And our prayers of intercession for the loss are requests for God to destroy the relationship between Satan right. And the one whom we are praying for. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D The whole point is to destroy that relationship, that Satan has a hold over people. They don't even know it. Most of the people don't even know that that he has a hold over them. And so we're asking for that veil or that relationship to be broken so that they can be reconciled to God. SPEAKER C Yeah. SPEAKER B So those who have got poor sight don't really know they've got poor sight. I actually had a challenge with my eyesight and I didn't know it. I just remember sitting in the back of the class and I just couldn't struggle to see the front of the know. This was now after school when I go to some training programs. And I didn't quite equate that to anything until one day I was up on a hill and we were in Auckland. There's a place called Wontra Hill and looking out towards the airport, out towards the south. And my mother in law was there with me as well. And she wears glass this, and she goes, oh, look at that big flagpole there with the New Zealand flag on it. And I'm going, I can't see this flagpole. And then they turn over to the other side and they go, oh, well, there's a racetrack on the other side. Can you see the horses running around there? And I could not make out the horses. She gave me her glasses as a joke. Here, you need some glasses. I look all of a sudden I can see the horses on the racetrack and I look to the other side, I can see the flagpost. I didn't know how bad my eyesight was. I got it tested afterwards and I needed glasses. So I think so in a spiritual sense, you don't know that you are blind until God takes those blinders off. And then we realize, hey, I never have never seen this before. The devil blinds our minds and we, through prayer, can ask that God will take those blinders off so we can see things we hadn't seen before, to. SPEAKER D Give you new glasses. SPEAKER B New glasses, spiritual lenses, so to speak. SPEAKER D I love it, I love it. And so he intercedes for us to be kept or protected from the evil one. John 1715 let's go to John 1715, where he's asking to protect from the evil one. He's interceding for us, so he's praying for the dissolution of Satan's power and influence in the believer's life. SPEAKER B And John 1715 says, I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. SPEAKER D See, he's interceding and praying that we will be kept from the evil one. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D So we're to pray for that as well. SPEAKER B That's right. Jesus our example on all things, and he prayed that they will be kept from the evil one. So we can pray the same prayer not only for ourselves, but also for the others that we want God to protect in a special. SPEAKER D That's what Jesus said in John chapter 14, verse twelve. He says that we, his people, will do the same works as Jesus. This is the works that Jesus did, he interceded and we're to pray and intercede as well. Now, one aspect of intercession found in Isaiah 53, verse twelve, that took place at the cross, was that the power and authority of Satan on earth was broken. His power and authority was broken at the cross. SPEAKER C Wow. SPEAKER D And we can read that, Isaiah 53, verse twelve, and we can read it also in one, John chapter three, verse eight. But let's just go there isaiah 53, verse twelve. SPEAKER B And it says, therefore I will divide with him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul unto death and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bore the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressors. SPEAKER D There you go. And also in one, John, chapter three, verse eight, it says, he that committed sin is of the devil. You see? So who commits sin is of the devil. Yes, for the devil sinners from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested or that's he came to this earth that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever is born of God does not commit sin. So here he's come to destroy the works of the devil. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D Okay. And that's the works of the devil in us. In us. So the power of Satan over our lives of men and women was broken at the cross. And this is why Jesus could assure his followers that in him they now had power and authority over Satan. You go to Luke, chapter ten, verse 1718 and 19. Luke, chapter ten, verse 1718 and 19. And here is Jesus explaining that all authority has been given to him. Satan, let's read that. Okay. SPEAKER B And it says then the 70 returned with joy, saying, lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. Verse 18. And he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Verse 19. Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. SPEAKER D So here's Jesus, who had the authority, and he's now giving his believers the same authority. That's why Jesus says he'll do the same works as I did. SPEAKER B It's incredible. I mean, if faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God, if we believe what Jesus is saying here, just imagine what can be accomplished for him by faith in God's word and believing that he will do what he said he would do. SPEAKER D Absolutely. So intercession is so important. He's given us power to intercede amen for others. And we can see this aspect of intercession when Jesus told Peter that Satan aimed to become completely victorious over, you know, realizing Satan's plan. So Jesus knew Satan's plan. Jesus told Peter that he had prayed for him, that his faith fail not. And that's found in Luke chapter 22, verses 31 to 32, where Jesus sits there and says, hey, listen, satan's got a plan for you. And I've been revealed to it, and now I'm interceding for you and praying for you that you will stand firm. SPEAKER B And it says there from verse 31 and the Lord said, simon, Simon, indeed Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail. And when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren. SPEAKER D This is an example of intercessory prayer aimed at breaking the power of Satan in the life of one being prayed for. This is why James also in James chapter five, verse 16, he admonishes all believers to pray for one another. James knew that intercessory prayer played an essential role in the power of Satan being broken in individual lives. In James chapter five, verse 16, and. SPEAKER B It says, confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. SPEAKER D So we're to pray for one another. And so just like Jesus prayed for Peter, we're to pray for one another. So all through the letters of Paul as well, we read the continual intercession of God on behalf of those he is writing to. We can read it in Romans chapter. SPEAKER B One, verse nine, and it says, for God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers. SPEAKER D So here he is, he's always praying and interceding for people. And we also got in Ephesians chapter one, verse 16 where Paul says cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. See, Paul is always mentioning people in his prayers, he's always interceding. And we've got Colossians, chapter one, verse nine. SPEAKER B It says, for this reason we also, since the day we heard of it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual. SPEAKER D You know, Paul knew these people well and he loved them deeply. And he certainly understood the necessity of continually making intercession for all the saints. SPEAKER B Great, well, I think we'll take a break there Colin, and when we come back, we will unpack the second part of intercession for the lost. Stay tuned. SPEAKER E The word in action. Luke 637 forgive and you will be forgiven. Everyone has been hurt by someone, yet the Word tells us that our unforgiveness stands in the way of receiving God's forgiveness for ourselves. Are you holding on to anger and resentment? Who does that hurt anyway? It hurts you. Why not ask God to help you forgive that person today so that God can forgive your sins? SPEAKER B Welcome back to You Shall Receive Power with Etienne McClintock and Colin Hone. We're in day 19 of the book 50 Days Prayers and Devotionals to prepare for the lateral reign. And we are just discussing at the moment intercession for the lost. Colin, that's been a first and enlightening first half of the program and I look forward to part two as we go through this. SPEAKER D You can see though that how intercession prayer is so important. Absolutely, it doesn't make sense now. That why Satan will do everything he can in his power to. Make us believe that it's not essential or important that we specifically pray for one another or intercede for each other. He wants us to believe that it's not necessary for us to pray for those who are out of Christ. He wants us to believe that God will work for the salvation, for the lost, even if we don't specifically pray for those in our circle of family and friends. SPEAKER B That's a lot of assumptions that we make and I think it's probably a common assumption because I have to say that in my past experience I thought god wants to save everybody anyway, so why do I have to pray for them? But it is essential because we actually cooperate with God and it's almost like we give God permission on this earth to do that work. He wants us to ask Him. He wants us to take that mindset where we actually take a personal interest in an individual, where we talk to God about it and ask for his will to be done in their lives also. SPEAKER D Otherwise why would Jesus say in the Lord's Prayer and ask us to pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven? He's already going to do it anyway. Why ask for his will to be done? He works through our prayers. SPEAKER B There's assigns to salvation and I'm just learning more about it as I'm going through the scriptures. There's things that we can do that allows God to release his power in the lives of other individuals and also ourselves. Of course. SPEAKER D And you know what? This is why Satan will attack your prayer life more than any aspect of your spiritual life. He'll really attack your prayer life. Because if what we're saying is true, we've been going through prayer for the last few radio programs specifically focusing on prayer and the importance of prayer because we've shown from the Bible that it is hugely important. SPEAKER C Oh yes. SPEAKER D And so therefore if it does at least God's power on the earth to do his will, which he wants to do, then wouldn't it be logical for Satan to attack that more than anything else? That's true more than anything. You know, you look at the early church and when you read through the Bible we've been reading through the Paul in the Book of Acts how much they spent time in prayer and how powerful the church was because of they were praying church. And I think we can learn from them absolutely and from Christ that when we become a praying church and intercessory prayer warriors that we're going to see God do amazing things in these last days. SPEAKER B Look, everybody knows that without communication there is no relationship. You think about any relationship even between organizations, businesses, they communicate. Sometimes it's formal communication, sometimes it's contract. But if you take communication out of the way, a relationship doesn't exist. We know that between husband and wife, between parents and children and vice versa between friends. So how much more important, the constant communication with God to strengthen that relationship and to grow and develop that relationship and our love for God. SPEAKER D That's right. So we want to talk about intercession for the lost now. So those who we know are outside of Jesus Christ, they don't know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They're living under Satan's power and are in a very dangerous position. They don't know it, but they are living under his power and their eternal destiny is in jeopardy if they don't change. Yes, we know that from God's word. And yet of themselves, they're powerless to change, just like we were powerless to change. And Paul describes them as those whose minds the God of this world has blinded. And we can read that in Two Corinthians, chapter four. Verse four. SPEAKER B It says whose minds the God of this age has blinded, who do not believe lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. SPEAKER D Wow. So what's that text is saying is the lost or those who do not know Jesus are blinded. The lost are blinded to the gospel because it's hid from their view. It's like Satan has blinded and put this veil over as well hypnotized them where they just like you said, with the glasses, they just can't see it. Yes, they can't see it. And it's like uses the word calypsis, which means a veil is put over them so they can't see. Now, if you put a veil over, you can't see clearly, can you? SPEAKER C That's correct. Yeah. SPEAKER D If you put a veil over your. SPEAKER B Eyes, you can definitely your eyesight is definitely impeded. Now, you're referring to the text that just preceded the one we read there before in verse three of two Corinthians four. SPEAKER D Yes. SPEAKER B It says that. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. SPEAKER D Yes. SPEAKER B So the lost actually can't see it. So we got to pray that God will open their eyes and he would actually take the blinders that the God of this age has put on them so that they can see, so that the gospel of the light of the glory of Christ can actually shine on them. SPEAKER D Yeah. So the key to saving of the loss is to removing of this veil that blinds them. So we want to pray to see that this veil in your prayers, lord, if you're praying for someone, remove the veil that is blinding them to the Gospel yes. So that they can see clearly and so that blinds them. And by adding the prefix APO to the Greek word translated veil, do you know what the word becomes? Revelation or unveiling. SPEAKER B Is that right? SPEAKER D You read the app. It's a revelation or unveiling. Hence the lost need an unveiling or a revelation of God's truth wow. Which is the unveiling of their understanding. So they can see the truth of the gospel. So an important question then, Eddie, and is how can this unveiling happen in the lives of the lost? SPEAKER B That's a good question. SPEAKER D There's only one answer. It's by intercessory prayer. Will the veil causing spiritual blindness be removed from the mind of the unbeliever as we pray for that veil to be removed? That's the only way. SPEAKER C Wow. SPEAKER B So our focus actually may even shift from being smart in what we say or being clever or knowing everything, to shifting to prayer and asking God to remove the veil so they can see. So our words are important. I'm not saying they're important, but it's not so much only our words. It's us praying while we're even communicating with other people and formally praying for them at times as well. SPEAKER D We got to pray the veil is removed so that they will hear the gospel when we do present it. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D Otherwise they're not even going to hear it. SPEAKER B That's right. SPEAKER D Or see it, or understand it. And so intercessory prayer will cause the veil of spiritual blindness to be removed from the mind of the unbeliever. Now, also, the Bible talks about that Satan has false imaginations or thoughts he puts in the mind of the believer, and it's well established in the minds of the lost these false imaginations or thoughts, and they're called strongholds. And they're well established. Here's the good news, idiot. God has given the Christian the authority to pull down straightened strongholds. SPEAKER C Is that right? SPEAKER D He has given us the authority to pull down the strongholds imaginations that Satan has put in to the mind of the unbeliever. SPEAKER C Yeah. SPEAKER D And let's read about that in Two Corinthians, chapter ten, verse four to five, where this power has been given us to pull down the strongholds that Satan has over people. SPEAKER B For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. SPEAKER D Well, there it is, isn't it? SPEAKER B Oh, that is clear. SPEAKER D So these two verses in chapter ten of two Corinthians that we just spoke about are very important when it comes to understanding the place of intercessory prayer for the loss. And so let's read again in Two Corinthians, chapter ten, verse five, from the Living Bible. SPEAKER C Okay. SPEAKER D From the Living Bible, what it says here. It's just a wonderful translation. I really like it. In the Living Bible, it says these. SPEAKER B Weapons can break down every proud argument against God and every war that can be built up to keep men from finding Him. With these weapons, I can capture rebels and bring them back to God and change them into men whose heart's desire is obedience to Christ. SPEAKER D It's a great translation. Isn't it beautiful? SPEAKER C Yeah. SPEAKER D It really makes it clear that we have weapons being given weapons from God and that is our prayer to ask God to break down these arguments against God. Satan doesn't want us to realize this. He doesn't want us to know this because would you like your opposition to know what weapons they might be able to use against you? SPEAKER C Yeah. SPEAKER B Effective weapons too, for which you have no answer or counter. SPEAKER D There's nothing you can do about, you know, you can fight it. But God is more powerful. And so we're to play a major role in that blindness being lifted from the eyes of the veloci. Our intercessory prayers open the mind to receive the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So I've learned that praying intercessory prayers for them will remove this veil of blindness. God wants them to be saved. SPEAKER B Absolutely. SPEAKER D That is their will. He says that in two Peter, chapter three, verse nine, that he wants people to be saved. SPEAKER B The Lord is not slack concerning his promises, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. SPEAKER D He wants them. However, it's essential that the believer pray for them so God's power can be released in their life. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER D And Satan's power over them is broken. Remember Elijah's prayed for rain? SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D Remember when he prayed for rain? SPEAKER B Persisted in prayer? SPEAKER D Yeah. It was God's will for the rain to come, wasn't it? SPEAKER C It was. Yeah. SPEAKER D And the drought was broken. Yet Elijah knew he had to pray for God's will to be carried out. He knew it, but he had to pray for God's will to be carried out. And the same is true concerning the loss, even though it's God's will to save the loss. And we know that it's God's will to save the loss. It says it in his word. Believers must pray for them in order that God's will be carried out to bring salvation to them. So ever since the creation of this earth, it's been God's plan to work through the prayers and efforts of man, not independently of them. And we've got some great quotes that I'd like to share with you, Eddie, and okay. This one is from the book Evangelism, page 525. And Ellen Wright wrote about prayer for souls. Can you read that one? SPEAKER B Yeah, sure. Through much prayer you must labor for souls for this is the only method by which you can reach hearts. It is not your work, but the work of Christ who is by your side, that impresses hearts. SPEAKER C Wow. SPEAKER B What a statement. So this is the only method she says, wow. SPEAKER D It's Christ's work by our sight who impresses the heart. But we're to pray for that to happen. SPEAKER C Yeah. SPEAKER D And another lovely quote from Messages to Young People, page 315, by Ellen White as well. SPEAKER B The Lord will hear our prayers for the conversion of souls. SPEAKER D So the Lord wants we hear our prayers for the conversion of souls. And here's a wonderful one quote as well. Testimonies volume seven, page 27. SPEAKER B Their persevering prayers will bring souls to the cross. In cooperation with their self sacrificing efforts, jesus will move upon hearts working miracles in the conversion of souls. SPEAKER D Did you see how there's a joint effort there? Yeah, our persevering prayers. So we're to persevere, aren't we? SPEAKER B It is an incredible thought to me that God would enlist know we know our own sinfulness well, we have a reasonable understanding of it if we've allowed the Spirit to convict us. But that God would want to use us and ask for our cooperation with Him so that we can save souls is incredible. What a privilege. SPEAKER D That's right. And remember, it says, in cooperation with their self sacrificing efforts, who moves upon people's hearts, says Jesus. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D Jesus will move upon hearts working miracles and the conversion of souls. And so there's a great story of a guy called Burton Maxworth. He was a pastor of a seven day Venice church in Southern California. And he tried to implement something like this, making a prayer list among the members of his congregation. So he got a plan together, and he gave each member a little size pocketbook in which to keep their active prayers list of five names. So basically to write five names down, and these little booklets have one page for each individual with a space for various facts about that person. So you write down some various things about that person. And Pastor Maxwell discovered that every 18 months, on the average, he would baptize one person out of each five. SPEAKER C Wow. SPEAKER D How's that? They started praying for them. SPEAKER B 20% success in 18 months. SPEAKER C That's very good. SPEAKER D That's an awesome. And then there's another guy called Lauren Nelson, and he was called to Pastor Cottage Grove in Oregon in about 1973. And after interning under Burton Maxwell, he believed in the power of prayer. He was influenced. And so he too, he asked his members for a list for him of all their friends whom they would like to be baptized, so he could put them on his personal prayer list. The only condition, though, was that the members had to be willing to go with the pastor to the homes of these individuals and introduce them to him. So he says, okay, give me a list, I'll pray for them, but when we go to their homes and visit them, you have to come with me to introduce them to him. And so you know what happened? Pastor Lauren ended up with a list of 86 names, and he set about visiting and praying for them. Listen what happened three years later, Lauren was called to a new district. But just before he left, he focused attention on the very first name on his list. The man had never been baptized, so he discussed the matter with his head elder, who took it upon himself to stay up all night praying for this prospect. SPEAKER C Right? SPEAKER D The following day, that man made his decision and was baptized. SPEAKER C Praise the Lord. SPEAKER D And he eventually became a head elder of Cottage Grove seven day Venice Church. Well, what happened to the other 85 names on the list? SPEAKER B Because they were 86. SPEAKER C Yeah. SPEAKER D Well, by then they had already become fully fledged members. Lauren Nelson's prayerful labor result in the baptism of 86 out of the 86 names in three years. SPEAKER C Praise the Lord. SPEAKER B So we were talking at 20% before here. We're talking about 100% of 100% in. SPEAKER D Three years, where that's the power of. SPEAKER B Prayer and God working through that. SPEAKER D What a wonderful testimony. SPEAKER B Fantastic testimony. SPEAKER D And maybe you could go to your pastor in your church and say, pastor, let's do this. Let's get the names of people that let's start praying for them and let's go and visit with you, pastor, with each person and let's see what God will do. SPEAKER C Yes. Amen. SPEAKER D One of my favorite authors, Christian authors, is Andrew Murray. SPEAKER B Okay. SPEAKER C Yeah. SPEAKER D He's a 19th century Christian, just a prayer warrior for God. And he wrote in a book called The Ministry of Intercessory Prayer, page 222 23. Can you read that for us? SPEAKER B Yes, sure. God's giving is inseparably connected with our asking. Only by intercession can that power be brought down from heaven, which will enable the church to conquer the world. SPEAKER D Wow. Only by intercessory prayer can that power be brought down from heaven, which will enable the church to conquer the world. What he's saying is we can conquer the world through intercessory prayer. Intercessory prayer and then visiting. And then God's brought the veil down and opens up to hear the word of God and the Gospel. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER D So these are incredible quotes here. I love it in what a guy called Medil, Wayne Medill, in his book Making Friends for Christ. And he points out that we as Christ's disciples, are responsible for leading a fellow human beings to Christ. And we have the right the right I like what he says, to press the legitimate claims of Christ in his life. So prayer is a matter of pressing the legitimate right of Jesus to rule in every life since, by the way, he did die for every person in the world. SPEAKER B That's right. SPEAKER D He didn't just die for you or me. He died for every single person on this earth. And this is what can you just read what McDill said and when he quoted concerning our prayer for the loss. SPEAKER B Remember that you are not trying to convince God. He is already convinced. You are putting yourself in line with his wishes. In your prayer, by the authority of Christ, take your rightful stand in your neighbor's life and exercise your faith in opening that territory to the extension of kingdom authority. Insist that the enemy retreat in the face of the rightful authority of Christ. Realize that the real battle will be won in prayer. SPEAKER D These are all giants of Christian past, and all of them realize the importance of intercessory prayer as the most powerful force on this earth. And I love what Wesley Duel, another great Christian writer, in his book Christ's Way to Spiritual Growth by Philip Saman. What does he say there? Edin? SPEAKER B Satan is more afraid of you praying than of your pure life or zealous witness. One's life may be a beautiful witness that cannot be silenced, but prayer is a militant force that has the potential of defeating Satan, destroying his works, and driving him out of places and lives. SPEAKER D He can and lives, he claims, for his own. So Satan has claimed this earth and us as his own, but Satan is afraid of us praying that that claim has been broken because of Jesus and what he did on the cross. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D So it's just wonderful, wonderful news. I love this illustration that Dennis Smith says that he received an email a couple of years ago that illustrated to him the power of our prayers for others. So an injured saw his name on the church website, so he emailed me asking if I had worked in a particular area in the northern western United States. This is Dennis Smith telling the story. Yeah, during that specific year. And so Dennis emailed him stating that I had and the guy emailed him back and said I was the first Adventist pastor to visit him, and this visit happened over 25 years ago. He stated, I had prayed that the Lord would lead him into the truth of the Bible. And he says I never saw him again after that one encounter. In the email, he stated that he took Bible studies and was baptized, worked as a literature evangelist, and was presently serving as an elder in his local church. He ended his email by saying, thank you for your powerful prayer. God has answered that prayer and led him to understand the truths of the Bible. Now Dennis says, I'm so sorry to say that I don't remember the visit or the prayer. No glory goes to me. He says, all the glory goes to God. And he says, I tell this story to make one point. Our prayers for others will be heard by God and will enable him to work in their lives. And he mentions another part of this story, a side note. He says, after reading his emails and realizing how God led, I better understood why the Redeemed will recast their crowns at the feet of Jesus. Dennis realized this. He says, we will know in our hearts that all the glory goes to Christ for any success we have had in God's work on this earth. He said, It's truly humbling to realize that God chooses us to use such unworthy vessels as us to bring salvation to those who are lost. SPEAKER C Wow. SPEAKER D I just love that. SPEAKER B So you prayed that prayer once, and 25 years later, this person contacted him and said, God answered your prayer. It's incredible. SPEAKER D Which says that God does hear our prayers. Yes, God does hear our prayers. And there's many other Christians who have recognized the necessity of prayer in the work of Evangelism George Whitfield. He was a well known 19th century British evangelist, many times took a little crippled man with him as a prayer warrior. So this guy, wherever he went, he took this little crippled man because he was a prayer warrior. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And many thousands came to know Christ through Whitfield's ministry. Listen to what he said, writing of the significance of this handicapped prayer warrior. And this is what Frank Labache wrote. SPEAKER B Says his prayers, even more than Whitfield's preaching, were the cause of the wonderful results. SPEAKER D That's right. So the Lord's clearly revealed the power of united intercessory prayer here in so many different ways. And so I want to look at the practical application now. Etienne? SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D How then should you apply this important teaching on intercessory prayer when praying for others? So what do we do, Etienne? What would be the first step, you think? SPEAKER B Well, you could make a list of names of those of your circle of family, your friends, your coworkers, and especially we spoke about in a previous program where God lays a name on your heart to pray for. You can write that down as well in the list. SPEAKER D So the first thing we got to do is write a list and ask God, who does he want us to pray for as well? SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER D Put your friends and your family and your work colleagues and ask God, is there anyone else you want me to pray for? So the first step, make a list. Then the second thing is, start specifically praying for each of one of those using the principles of intercessory prayer. Pray in faith, believing that God will hear your prayer, and begin removing the veil from their minds. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER D Next thing, believe that through your prayers, the strongholds of Satan that is keeping them from Christ will be pulled down. So believe it. Believe in God's promises that he will do what he said he would do. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER D And here's some things that you can pray when you're praying for the lost. I pray these things, and I've made a list myself. SPEAKER B Okay. SPEAKER D And the list is getting longer and longer, but here's what it is. The first one is, you can write this down in John, chapter six, verse 44. Pray that God will draw them to Himself. So pray that that's a promise you're quoting there. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D The next one is found in Acts chapter 17, verse 27. Pray that they seek to know God, so pray that promise. And then write down this verse first, thessalonians chapter two, verse 13, 1st, Thessalonians, chapter two, verse 13. Pray that they will believe the word of God. And the next thing, write this verse down, two Corinthians, chapter four, verse four, and two Corinthians, chapter ten, verse four to five. That's two Corinthians, chapter four, verse four and two. Corinthians, chapter ten, verse four to five. And pray that Satan is bound from binding them to the truth. Pray that pray that you can also pray in John chapter 16, verse eight to 13, that's John chapter 16, verse eight to 13 that the Holy Spirit works in them. So pray that the Holy Spirit works in them. Also you can write down Acts, chapter three, verse 19. Acts, chapter three, verse 19. Pray that they will turn from sin. And then also you can write down John, chapter one, verse twelve. John, chapter one, verse twelve. Pray that they will believe in Christ as Savior. And also you can write down Matthew, chapter seven, verse 21. That's Matthew chapter seven, verse 21. And you can pray that they will obey Christ as their Lord. And finally, the last verse is Colossians, chapter two, verse six and seven. That's Colossians, chapter two, verse six and seven. Pray that they take root and grow in Christ. And so what happens is when you pray for the unsaved and believe God is able to bring Christ to those you pray for, then you allow God to work through you to bring this about. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D I love what Ellen White said when she alluded to this approach for praying for those we know that are unsaved when she wrote these words. Can you read that in Gospel workers? Page 65? SPEAKER B In times past, there were those who fastened their minds upon one soul after another saying lord, help me to save the soul. But now such instances are rare. How many actors, if they realize the. SPEAKER D Perils of sinners and also in medical ministry, page 244. She says, let the workers grasp the promises of God, saying, I must have this soul converted to Christ. Yeah, so we're to pray that. And I pray that every Christian out there who's listening today will never again doubt the importance of intercessory prayer for fellow Christians and for the lost. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And I pray that this day forward, everybody who's listening, you will earnestly intercede to God for the salvation of the unsaved in your circle of family and friends and coworkers, believing it is God's will to save them. And I pray as you press your faith such petitions to the throne of grace, you will see God's hand of salvation in the lives of those you are praying for. SPEAKER B Colin, thank you. We're just going to go to our contact details and when we come back, we just got a couple of minutes to wrap up this program. Stay tuned. SPEAKER F If you have any questions or comments in relation to today's program, you can call three A BN australia Radio within Australia on 024-973-3456 or from outside of Australia on country code 612-497-3456. Our email address is [email protected]. That is radio at the number three abnastralia, all one word, Au. Our postal address is three Abnastraliainc, PO. Box Seven five two. Morisset, New South Wales 2264 Australia. Thank you for your prayers and financial support. SPEAKER B Receive power. Hope you got those contact details down. We've just been speaking about the lesson found in day 19 of the book 50 Days Prayers and the devotionals to prepare for the latter rain and Christ's return, and the importance and necessity of prayer in evangelism when reaching out to others and asking God to break down those strongholds. So prayer is a serious matter when it comes to God saving his children. Now, Old Testament prophets like Samuel knew this, and he actually states that in a text you can find in one Samuel, chapter twelve and verse 23, and it says, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you. Do you listen? Did you get that? He said that if he ceased to pray, he would actually be sinning against the Lord. So God wants us to pray for other people. Prayer is not only necessary for salvation of others, it also plays a vital role in our own salvation. Prayer, or the lack of it for others, reveals much about where our hearts are. If we have the heart of Jesus, we will have a loving concern for others and will be eager to pray for them. If we find that we are not concerned enough for the eternal destiny of others, I think we need to ask God to give us a new heart, the heart of Jesus. Now, Jesus prayer, recorded in John, chapter 17, reveals how much he cares for his disciples and all who in future generations would believe in Him. And there's a little quote from Alan White that I just like to finish with regarding the necessity of us loving others. And this comes from Desire of Ages, page 641, where we read love to man is the earthward manifestation of the love of God. It was to implant this love to make us children of one family, that the King of Glory became one with us. And when his parting words are fulfilled, love one another as I have loved you. And Jesus says that in John chapter 15, verse twelve, when we love the world as he loved it, then for us his mission is accomplished. We are fitted for heaven, for we have heaven in our hearts. Dear listener, I pray that God would also place heaven in your heart today. That you will have a passion for souls around you, that you will take hold of this weapon of the spiritual battle and break down those strongholds of Satan to take away that veil from the eyes of other people so that they can see and hear and understand and appreciate the gospel and the love of God. SPEAKER D Amen. SPEAKER B The Book 50 Days Prayers and Devotionals you're welcome to go to your nearest Adventist Book Center to find that, and there's a good little price. Or based on those contact details you received earlier, you can contact us and we're. Happy to send the book through to you. Dear listener, thank you for joining us today and you shall receive power. We pray that God will continue to bless you, that you will continue to spend time with Him in prayer and intercessory prayer for fellow believers. But not only fellow believers. Those who still have to make a decision for the Lord continue to pray for them. Please pray for us. And we will continue to pray for you as well. Please join us next time. Until then. SPEAKER B You'Ve been listening to a production. Of three ABN Australia radio.