Dr. Teykl makes a good point in this week's lesson on evangelistic outreach. He says it is quite clear that the people who told others about Jesus were constantly finding themselves on "divine appointment." What he means by that is being "at the right place to tell someone who was ready to hear." He uses the biblical illustration of Acts 8 when Philip was led by the Spirit to go to a certain place where he met a man who was desiring to learn more about the way of God in the Bible.
This serves as a reminder to me that evangelism, winning a world to Christ, is not a task we Christians came up with to take over the world. Heaven forbid that be our motivation. God, in the work of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, is about the business of reclaiming and redeeming a lost creation. Our job is to assist God in His own evangelism work. It is our role to sense where the Holy Spirit is leading, for if we do, then God will put us in the places He has prepared, places where men and women are open to hearing God's Word for their lives.
This has powerful implications for a prayer life. Perhaps if we spent more time in prayer for people, praying for them and their souls, then God would use our prayers to help open the ears, minds and hearts of people, so they can be blessed in a salvation that loves, redeems and heals all broken wounds. In fact, your prayers for another might not be answered in a way that involves you, except for your prayers. When you pray for the salvation of another person's soul you may not even be the best person to witness to them about Jesus; but God knows just the right person to send their way. But first, God may be calling you to pray for them.
As I reflect on my prayers this week, I ask myself, "Who do I know that needs to know the Lord Jesus?" Let me commit to praying for them this week, and for the person God wants to send who can best be the witness of God's love and saving grace to them.
Dennis
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