Praying for your session
What’s the most important thing you can do as you prepare to share the Bible? Pray!
Here, we share some pointers and tips on how to pray before and after your Bible sharing session.
Praying for opportunity
Evangelism rarely happens by accident – we need to prepare for it! If you’re not currently sharing the Bible with anyone at the moment, begin by praying that God would give you opportunities among your friends, family and colleagues. Paul himself asked the church to pray “that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ…that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should” (Colossians 4:3–4). Like Paul, we too need to ask God to open doors for the gospel!
One simple way to get started is by using the 3-1-1 method:
Choose three friends who don’t yet know Jesus
Set aside a time once a week (or more regularly!) to pray specifically for them
Spend a minute or more praying for Jesus to move in their hearts, and that He would give you opportunities to share the gospel with them
Praying before your session
There are several ways to pray before your Bible sharing session. You can use the following pointers and Bible passages as a springboard for your own prayer:
For help from the Spirit
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth.” (John 14:16–17a)
For boldness
“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” (Acts 4:29)
That the ears and eyes of your friend would be opened to the truth of God’s Word
“For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.” (Matthew 13:15)
That their heart would be receptive to God’s Word
“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” (Luke 8:15)
That God would move them to repentance and faith
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Partnering in prayer
One of the best ways to keep going with sharing the Bible is by getting others to support you along the way. Here’s why:
They can pray for you, asking God to give you courage, opportunities and perseverance.
You can encourage one another with stories of how God is working as you read.
They can help you be wise in who you read with, and how to help them connect with a local church as their interest grows.
Persevering in prayer
Paul, writing to his apprentice Timothy, tells us to pray continually “for all people,” confident that God our Saviour “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1–4). When we pray for our friends, family or colleagues to encounter Jesus and put their faith in Him, we can be assured that we are praying in line with God’s own heart and desire!
But what happens when we don’t see immediate fruit from praying and sharing God’s Word? It can be easy for us to give up and lose heart. But time and time again, the Bible exhorts us to persevere in prayer:
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18)
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)
“Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up…“And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”” (Luke 18:1–8).
If you don’t see immediate transformation or fruit in the life of your friend, don’t lose heart! Remember that the work of faith and salvation is because of God’s power, not our own ability of strength. Continue prayerfully lifting them up to God in prayer, trusting that He is at work in their hearts and lives. It’s our job simply to be faithful – and God will do the rest!
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