The Fivefold Plan For Prayer Evangelism
I have been reading a book called Crazy Love, Overwhelmed By A Relentless GOD by Francis Chan. Crazy Love has challenged me in several good ways. One challenge is my lack of contact with a lost world. Mine is a world of pastors, intercessors and Christian business owners. I have no relationships with lost people. I knew that if I am going to develop a lifestyle of relational evangelism, I would need to be intentional and do it within community. So I am leading a Praying for the Harvest class at my church through the winter. Through the years, I have watched the Spirit bring a harvest for the gospel through many different prayer efforts. Week by week I will be leading a group of believers in a number of these prayer efforts for the harvest. The Fivefold Plan For Prayer Evangelism is the most essential one for me because I desire to develop life style in evangelism. I want to share it with you because I think it is very important for the American Church.
What is the Fivefold Plan for Prayer Evangelism?
It is estimated that over 75% of the population in the United States does not attend church. How are we going to reach these unchurched households for Christ? We do it one household at a time. The Fivefold Plan for Prayer Evangelism comes out of the teaching of Jesus in Luke 10 as He sent out the 70 to preach the gospel. This five-step plan is being used in the Neighborhood Houses of Prayer Movement in India and the Lighthouses of Prayer Movement in Argentina to mobilize believers to pray and share the gospel with their neighbors. In this plan believers pray for at least three unbelieving households personally and corporately within their Biblical communities. If every believing household in the United States persistently prayed for at least three unbelieving households, every seeker would be prayed for daily and in time exposed to the gospel. The fivefold plan is:
• Pray for laborers - Ask the Father to bring believers to your Biblical community who will join you in reaching out to the lost households in your sphere of influence.
And He was saying to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." Lk 10:2
• Pray for God’s peace and blessing - Pray for at least three households of seekers within your network of friends, persistently asking the Father to bless them and bring peace to their households.
"Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house." Lk 10:5
• Associate with them - Associate with your unbelieving households through coffee, a meal together or participating in a event together and begin investing your life in theirs.
"Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house." Lk 10:7
• Pray for miracles - Ask your seekers how you can pray for them and then pray persistently for miracles in their lives both personally and corporately with your Biblical community.
"and heal those in it who are sick," Lk 10:9a
• Share the gospel - As your seekers experience God’s blessing, presence and power in their lives, share with them the gospel of the Kingdom of God.
"say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you." Lk 10:9b
How does the Fivefold Plan for Prayer Evangelism work?
1. List below the three unbelieving households you believe the Lord wants you to focus your prayer and life on:
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2. Prepare the ground by praying for forty days, asking the Father to show His favor to your three households of seekers in the following three ways:
a. That this would be the year of the Lord’s favor in their lives.
b. That God would pour out His blessing and peace in their lives.
c. That the Spirit of God would testify of Jesus to them and convict them of sin, righteousness and judgment.
3. After you have prayed for your seekers for forty days, approach them and tell them that you are a part of a Biblical community that is praying for the neighborhood, or workplace, or community, etc. Then ask them:
a. How can we pray for the neighborhood/workplace/community?
b. How can we pray for your family?
c. How can we pray for you?
4. Persistently ask the Father to act in miraculous ways in answer to your seeker’s prayer requests:
• Specifically pray for their prayer requests.
• Continue to pray for God’s blessing and peace in their lives.
• Continue to ask for the Spirit’s ministry to testify of Jesus and convince them of sin, righteousness and judgment.
After you and your Biblical community have prayed, return to your seeker’s every two to three weeks to follow-up on answered prayer and ask for additional requests. Associate with them, asking them to have coffee or a meal together. Invest your life in their lives and show them the wonderful love of Jesus! Invite your Biblical community to join you in reaching out to those households that are responsive. As you pray, ask the Father to work in a miraculous way in their lives and to bring the reality of the Kingdom of God into their lives. Be ready to share the gospel with your seeker households as the Spirit leads.
My hope is that Mary Lynne and I, together with those who are joining us in this prayer effort will watch the miraculous hand of God show Himself to our lost households and there will truly be a harvest of lost souls for the Kingdom of God. I want to be in that place of living among those who are do not yet know Jesus and be a part of the ministry of reconciliation in their lives. (back to 'Weekly Blog' page)
