Commit to Regular Evangelistic Prayer
How much time do you spend on a weekly basis praying for lost people to come home to Jesus? Do you pray regularly for your church members and leaders to grow bold in their witness and outreach? Are you faithful in praying that God will send you out into the harvest field with the Good News of Jesus?
There is power in prayer. We all know this. But we often fail to live like we believe it.
Try prayer-walking or driving through your community and the neighborhood near your church. Take a couple board members with you or invite a few key church volunteers, and teach them how to pray for your community (or maybe you will learn from them). Pray for revival. Break the strongholds of the Enemy in the name of Jesus. Ask the Holy Spirit to soften hearts of lost people in your community and draw them to your church so they can encounter Jesus. Cry out for boldness for yourself, your leaders and your church members.
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Without this kind of proximity and dependence on God, incarnational ministry slowly becomes theoretical rather than lived.
This is serious stuff. I encourage you to make this a regular pattern in your ministry schedule.
Practice Telling Your Story—and His
Say your personal testimony out loud three or four times in the coming week. Do the same with the gospel story of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and call to follow him as a disciple. Then practice telling both stories once a week. Ask God to open doors for you to tell your story of real and lasting life-change to nonbelievers. Look for opportunities to share the gospel story with lost friends and family members.
After you have done this for a month, challenge your church board members, volunteers and staff to do the same. Have them practice with each other. Make sure you practice with each board member over a month or two. If they don’t know how to articulate their testimony or the gospel, train them one-on-one or as a group.
Engage in Spiritual Conversations
Look for opportunities to engage in spiritual conversations and talk about God’s goodness. Share with nonbelievers how God’s power and presence are real in your life. Most will find it intriguing and compelling.
As you do this, invite your church leaders into the process. Tell them about family members, friends and neighbors who are far from Jesus. Ask them about the people in their life who are still far from the Savior. Pray for each other and offer encouragement. As you model a life of organic outreach, the Holy Spirit will draw them into the great adventure of sharing the amazing news of God’s love and grace found in Jesus alone.
At its core, incarnational ministry is not about programs or perfection, but about alignment between message and life.
People are watching you. Will the leaders in your church learn that evangelism is a lifestyle as they observe your life? Will they learn how to pray and reach out naturally as they walk with you?