RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

The Method of the Evangelist: Compassionate Prayer
I want to Welcome you to day 6 of our study on revival and evangelism. I hope that during this time you’ve been getting the heart for what’s on God’s heart .. That God has been renewing your heart – restoring and reviving your heart – so that you have a heart to reach people for Christ.
Today, we’re going to talk about the method of evangelism. A lot of people ask me, because I’m an evangelist – what is your method – what is your strategy?
And I say my strategy is simple.  Pray and reach people for Christ. That’s not difficult – it may sound over simplistic. But you know what I’ve found .. I’ve found in the Bible that was Jesus’ strategy. Jesus, when he told his disciples in Luke chapter 24 – to go and preach the gospel to all nations and go in all the world and preach this good news; He then said, but wait in Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high.
And we find that’s what the church did.  In Acts chapter 1 – they’re praying. In Acts chapter 2 – Peter preaches .. three thousand come to Christ. In Acts chapter 3 – Peter and John are going to a prayer meeting .. they see a man who’s begging for alms and they say – in the name of Jesus rise up and walk. And a lame man is healed. In Acts chapter 4 – they pray and then they speak the word of God  with boldness.  In Acts chapter 13 – we find that they’re in a prayer meeting – the leaders are – and out of that prayer meeting comes a great missionary movement.
And you find this strategy – they pray – and they proclaim – they pray – and they proclaim.  Very simple.  And why is that – that prayer is the strategy? What is it?
When we understand what prayer is and we begin to seek God, and we pray – we pray the way that Jesus wants us to pray. And by the way, most of the time that we pray, we pray something like this: “Oh Lord, help me – and give me this” .. and the center of our prayer is us.
But when you pray the way Jesus said pray, the focus first is on God .. “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” Then the focus is on others .. “Thy kingdom come – thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” And so we begin to pray for others .. for His kingdom to come in their hearts – for His will to be done in their lives. And so we begin to pray for people and that compassionate prayer becomes the method of evangelism.
This is what I’ve discovered .. you’ll never reach people for Christ if you’ve never prayed for them. If you’ve never had them on your heart to cry out to God to pray for them, then why would you even talk to them about Christ. So .. or why would you even try to reach out and help them or minister to them. You see, it begins in our hearts when we pray for people.
I started and developed much of my ministry and my philosophy of ministry in Romania. And I told you about the revival that took place there.  It was in the northwestern region of Romania and a pastor who had a vision and he taught the people to pray. Well, the revival was contained in the northwest region because there was a mountain range that separated the rest of Romania. So people didn’t have transportation to get across those mountains and consequently the revival was contained there.
So they asked me, they said Sammy would you .. you have a vehicle .. would you go over the mountain range and bring this message of revival with you across the mountains – bring the gospel across the mountains.
And I said, yes.  So some of them and myself – we drove across that mountain range and we went into an area of Romania where the churches were small – they were weak – they were struggling.  And this was what God put on my heart – call them to prayer, first. Then come back and preach the gospel.
So what I did was .. in the first .. first time I went to these churches in this area, I would preach and teach on prayer and call the people to pray. I would come back then a year later and preach evangelistically. And the people would have implemented in that year praying for other people.
And when I would come back, we would see an incredible harvest. In fact, we would see as many people come to Christ there as in the churches where they had already experienced revival. Because what happened was they began to implement God’s strategy.  They prayer – and then proclaimed. If any revival is going to affect a community, it’s got to begin with people praying for people.
So who’s on your heart? Who is it that you’re praying for?
Why don’t you make a list and just begin to regularly, daily pray for those people who need Christ that you know. Just pray for God to do things.  It will do several things .. First of all, it will empower you – it will give you courage. Secondly, it will prepare their hearts. And thirdly, it will release the Spirit of God to work in their lives.
So prayer is the strategy of God.  Pray for people.