Archive for the 'National Day of Prayer' Category
3 Specific Ways to Pray for Others to Come to Jesus Christ
The local churches, denominations, ministries, and the prayer movement in America cannot be separated from evangelism. Consider this: If prayer and the desire for evangelism are genuine, they happen simultaneously.
Are local churches, denominations, ministries and the prayer movement in America praying for others to come to Jesus Christ? Are you praying for others to come to Jesus Christ? Do you call out specific names to God each day?
America needs Jesus Christ more now than ever before. Our hearts should be broken over the lostness of America and the world. Mocking it helps no one. Ignoring it does not make it go away.
Every genuine Christian needs to pray for others to come to faith in Jesus Christ.
3 Specific Ways to Pray for Others to Come to Jesus Christ
1. Pray for the scales to fall away from their blinded eyes.
We cannot deny the reality of what Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 4:4, “In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
Only through God opening their eyes and minds to the gospel will the unsaved see and hear the good news of Jesus Christ. We need to pray for them and appeal to God for this to happen.
When people do not know Jesus Christ, they are blinded to the truth of their great need for salvation. Intercessory prayer that is intentional and continuous can see God remove the scales of blindness over their eyes and help them to see themselves as God sees them: Lost and in need of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
If we believe God can do anything with anyone at any time, then we can offer up prayers for the lost perpetually. I have seen God answer these prayers in my own life and through the life of my church.
2. Pray for God to engineer their circumstances to convince them they need Jesus Christ.
Our God is Sovereign and desires for all persons to come to Jesus Christ. He can engineer circumstances to help convince them that their number one need is spiritual, and the answer is found in Jesus Christ alone.
I believe we can pray like this because God wants all people to turn from living their own way, doing their own thing, and come to Him. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.”
Therefore, I pray that our great Sovereign God will engineer circumstances in their life that will show them their deep and desperate need for Jesus Christ.
3. Pray for God to send someone to tell them about Jesus Christ.
As you pray for them to hear about Jesus Christ, be willing to tell them yourself. In fact, ask God for the open door to share the good news of Jesus Christ with them and others. You might be the “someone” that others are praying for to tell their friend or family member about Christ. Be faithful to ask God to use you to share Jesus with others.
What God is Saying to America and the World Today
I do not know all that God is saying to America and to the world today, but one thing I am confident He is doing: He is calling every American and every person in this world into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
May we be faithful to pray for all people to see our need for Jesus Christ and come to a personal relationship with Him.
Now is the Time to Lead and to Pray for America,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
President, National Day of Prayer
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Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the Senior Pastor of Cross Church, President of the National Day of Prayer, founder of the Cross Church School of Ministry, and host of the Ronnie Floyd on Life and Leadership Today podcast.
To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd
contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email gaylao@crosschurch.com.
Visit our website at http://ronniefloyd.com
Follow Dr. Floyd on Twitter and Instagram @ronniefloyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
America Needs Jesus More Now than Ever Before
Religion is not the way to God. Morality is not the way to God. Goodness is not the way to God. Money is not the way to God. There are not multiple ways to God. There is only one way, and it is through Jesus Christ alone. Jesus Christ is the only way to know God personally.
Look Around and See the Lostness
America is lost without Jesus Christ. We are a nation of people who are lacking meaning and purpose.
How much longer will people keep killing other people? How much longer will people keep abusing others? How much longer will people keep filling their bodies with drugs and alcohol? How much longer will people keep devaluing others? How much longer will all of this and more continue?
People who are spiritually lost without Jesus Christ will continue to live like they are spiritually lost without Jesus Christ. That is why America needs Jesus more now than ever before.
People Need Jesus
I believe in the exclusivity of the gospel. That means that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. Jesus was asked by his friend, Thomas, how we can know the way to heaven.
John 14:6: Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Jesus is the only way to God. Jesus is the only Savior. Jesus is the only Lord.
When Christianity really began to advance in the first century, a collision of worldviews began to occur. Faith and culture began to collide. With boldness and clarity, the Apostle Peter declared,
“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
This was true then, and it is still true today.
Each of us is separated from God. We are all sinners. We are destined to a life of purposeless and an eternal destiny that is separated from God in a place called hell.
The good news is that we can be saved when we repent of our sins and place our faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone. We can be delivered from the way we are living and the choices we have been making. When we believe Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised from the dead on the third day, we can be saved from our sin. Faith is believing in and trusting Jesus Christ and Him alone for our salvation.
When this happens, Christ forgives us of our sins, comes into our lives, and promises us eternal life in heaven when we die.
That is why I strongly believe that Jesus Christ is still the answer for every person in America and the entire world.
Praying into This Spiritual Lostness
Evangelism cannot be separated from prayer. When we realize the lostness in America and the world, we will begin to pray into this spiritual lostness. If we want to be used of God to penetrate this lostness, we need to lean into it with prayer.
The prayer movement in America cannot be separated from evangelism. If prayer and the desire for evangelism are genuine, they happen simultaneously.
More about this next week. Why is this important? Because America needs Jesus now more than ever before.
Now is the Time to Lead and to Pray,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
President, National Day of Prayer
*******
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the Senior Pastor of Cross Church, President of the National Day of Prayer, founder of the Cross Church School of Ministry, and host of the Ronnie Floyd on Life and Leadership Today podcast.
To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd
contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email gaylao@crosschurch.com.
Visit our website at http://ronniefloyd.com
Follow Dr. Floyd on Twitter and Instagram @ronniefloyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.