Listen and Pray, A Powerful, Practical Ministry Method!

[Mark Corbett]

There is a way to minister people which is both powerful and easy. Some types of ministry require special skills and experience, like writing a theology book or leading a praise team. But the type of ministry I describe here only requires loving God, loving people, a little bit of courage, and doing two things which all Christians should do: listening and praying.

This ministry strategy can help reach people who don’t believe in Jesus. It can help encourage Christians who have drifted away from the church. It can lift up faithful Christians who are facing a difficult challenge.

This is how it works:
1. You listen to them share any type of challenge, trial, need, or difficulty.
2. You offer to pray for them and then you pray for them out loud, right there, right then.

It works. It is powerful. Here are two real life stories.

Yesterday while waiting for my car to be inspected

I was in the waiting room and it was unusually full. I overheard one lady talking with another lady about helping her daughter figure out how to pay for college. Because our family is dealing with the same issue, it was very easy for me to join in the conversation.

After talking for a little while, and listening to her specific story, I asked if it would be alright for me to lead a short prayer for her daughter. She gladly agreed. Several other customers all lowered their heads and we prayed right there in the waiting room. One lady offered an enthusiastic “Amen!” at the end of the prayer.

And so a time of waiting with strangers turned into an opportunity to minister to a neighbor and to join together for prayer in Jesus’ Name.

In this case, it was so easy to pray with these people. Some of them seemed to be committed Christians, and not one was hostile to Christianity. But can this work in more difficult cases?

When I got sick on a trip

I was living in a Muslim nation.

We had traveled five hours past rice fields and over lush green tropical mountains to reach a town where I wanted to carry out some language research. The people who lived in the town were almost 100% Muslim.

My Indonesian coworker (a young, Christian man) and I were staying in a hotel that was way below “5 star”. I got very sick on my stomach. I had to stay in and rest. My coworker was sitting with me in the public common area of the small hotel while I tried to eat some crackers and a banana.

A Muslim lady who worked at the hotel was cleaning. We started to talk with her. She began to share some sad events from her past. What bothered her the most was that her mother had died three years ago. She still felt a deep sadness. She said that every night for the last month she dreamed of her mom being with her and then woke up cried and cried until she had no more tears and could not sleep.

We asked if we could pray for her in Jesus’ Name. She agreed that we could. Right there and then in the hotel lobby, we prayed out loud for her.

The next morning this lady appeared happy and lighthearted. She shared that she had not felt the same overwhelming sadness and had slept peacefully without the dream.

Like many of our Muslim neighbors, this lady literally did not even want to touch a Bible. Where do you start with someone who is so against Christianity? You listen to their story and offer to pray for them. I did this many times (probably hundreds) with our Muslim neighbors, and it was very rare for anyone to not gladly allow me to pray for them. This happened on public transportation, in shopping malls, around our neighborhood, and where I attended a university.

I’ve experienced the same positive response here in the US.

A Few Practical Pointers

* If you want to try this (and why wouldn’t you?), pray and ask God to give you opportunities and courage.

* If you’re an adventurous extrovert, start anywhere, don’t hold back. Jesus wants to use your adventurous side for something that really matters.

* If doing this in a public setting like a waiting room makes you uncomfortable, start by trying it with a close friend or family member. This is not just a way to reach unbelievers (it is a great first step for that), but it is also a powerful way to encourage other Christians.

* This is important: before you pray, really listen to them. Ask questions and listen. Try to understand their story, their fear, and their pain.

* What if you desire to pray with someone, but they’re not sharing any needs? Just try asking, “Is there anything I can pray for you about?” You’ll be surprised how the Spirit works!

* Whether you’re praying with a devoted brother in Christ, or a hard core atheist, always pray in Jesus’ Name. That way He gets the glory when God answers your prayers.

* Believe that God answers prayer. If you need a faith boost in this area, review some promises found in the Bible (Matthew 7:7, Matthew 21:22, John 14:13, John 15:7, and John 15:16).

* In a way, this type of ministry is so easy. But, all ministry involves an element of spiritual warfare, so pray for protection and keep your guard up.

Remember, everyone has a story. Some stories call for a prayer of thanksgiving. Other times we will be moved to cry out to God for mercy and help. I’ll close by recommending you watch this three minute video. It was made by Chic-fil-A, and it illustrates why this ministry method is so needed by your neighbors and our world:

What's your story? What experiences do you have with praying with people, not just for them? Have you ever tried praying with strangers in a public setting? How might such prayer open the door to evangelism? Share your thoughts, fears, desires, and other comments below. Go pray with someone! God Bless You!

This post is slightly modified from a post I shared on my blog.

 

[Halbhh]

I think that's wonderful, to testify to people, and show your faith.

Well, I don't think I'm representative of most, but only of some, but for me, I am afraid to do any differently than Christ instructed in Matthew 6 about praying alone in secret (which of course one can do in many public places, like pausing in a grocery store when no one is facing you, or in your car, and other places where you can pray in secret right in public).

I don't say that other ways of praying are less, but instead I can only testify only about my own experience alone, and that is that when I am doing the several instructions He gave us, such as praying to the Father in His name, and praying in secret, and forgiving others as I pray as needed, and especially, crucially, to believe it will be given, (and many need the additional aid of knowing that praying very specifically for something they know is aligned to God's will as expressed by Christ, such as help to forgive someone, or help to love others better and have one's heart healed and made more loving, and other things clearly that are His will -- that this will help them have the faith required in prayer).

But trying to imagine praying aloud with others, I do think with fellow believers it might work, if we are still obeying the essential message of Matthew chapter 6, and also praying with real belief. It's just that if I have a desperate need, I feel more confident (and thus have the required faith!) if I follow all those specific instructions from Christ. I found that every (yes, every) prayer was answered, even every one, where I could learn the outcome, and that at least tells me that for me this is a good way to pray, and what I should continue to do.

Also, I was very glad I clicked on the John 15:7 and read that, which I had not remembered. It is a powerful aid to faith. Perhaps the best way for many to encounter this verse is after they already are well on the way, and best of course is to be reading the full passage or even better the full gospel, and encounter it, but for many of us, having read already, it's a wonderful thing to see again!

 

[Mark Corbett]

Well, I don't think I'm representative of most, but only of some, but for me, I am afraid to do any differently than Christ instructed in Matthew 6 about praying alone in secret

I really appreciate your passion to obey Christ in every detail. I wish more people shared your commitment to this level of obedience!

However, when it comes to a specific command in the Bible, we need to ask if there are any exceptions. We also need to determine if a teaching is meant as a general principle or as an absolute blanket command. We certainly are not allowed to make up exceptions on our own. But God is allowed to give exceptions to His own commands.

So, for example, God commands us not to commit adultery. There is not a single exception or positive example anywhere for adultery in the Bible. Therefore, it is right to conclude that this is an absolute rule.

How about praying with others? There are many positive examples of corporate prayer. Consider these verses:

Matthew 18:19 "Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

Acts 1:14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Acts 4:24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.

Act 13: 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

Your concern about praying in private is good, yet there are many positive examples in the Bible of praying together with other Christians. I've only given a few examples, there are many more. So I don't think Jesus meant that we should never pray with others. Rather, I think He meant that our goal in prayer should not be to impress others and that much of our prayer life should indeed be private. Also, if you were to take Jesus command in Matthew 6:6 entirely literally, wouldn't this mean you could only pray in your own room? But, of course, we know that is not the right way to interpret this teaching of Jesus.

So keep praying in private. Keep striving to obey every detail of the teaching of Jesus. But, be careful not to be overly literal in interpreting every command. The key to knowing if a command is absolute and completely literal or not is knowing the rest of the Bible. Grace and Peace, Mark

 

[Halbhh]

I really appreciate your passion to obey Christ in every detail. I wish more people shared your commitment to this level of obedience!

However, when it comes to a specific command in the Bible, we need to ask if there are any exceptions. We also need to determine if a teaching is meant as a general principle or as an absolute blanket command. We certainly are not allowed to make up exceptions on our own. But God is allowed to give exceptions to His own commands.

So, for example, God commands us not to commit adultery. There is not a single exception or positive example anywhere for adultery in the Bible. Therefore, it is right to conclude that this is an absolute rule.

How about praying with others? There are many positive examples of corporate prayer. Consider these verses:

Matthew 18:19 "Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

Acts 1:14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Acts 4:24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.

Act 13: 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

Your concern about praying in private is good, yet there are many positive examples in the Bible of praying together with other Christians. I've only given a few examples, there are many more. So I don't think Jesus meant that we should never pray with others. Rather, I think He meant that our goal in prayer should not be to impress others and that much of our prayer life should indeed be private. Also, if you were to take Jesus command in Matthew 6:6 entirely literally, wouldn't this mean you could only pray in your own room? But, of course, we know that is not the right way to interpret this teaching of Jesus.

So keep praying in private. Keep striving to obey every detail of the teaching of Jesus. But, be careful not to be overly literal in interpreting every command. The key to knowing if a command is absolute and completely literal or not is knowing the rest of the Bible. Grace and Peace, Mark

Thanks. I had considered examples Christ Himself did of both private prayer alone, literally withdrawing even from the disciples, but that He also prayed in thanksgiving with them, but I had not read through Acts recently, and only remembered examples of healing the disciples did presumably in public.

So those additional examples you give are valuable. Thanks.

Also, I just now additionally remember that in the instances of raising the dead, often everyone who might not believe was asked to leave the room....

Perhaps that is another important piece to situations when the request requires full faith.

Also, I added a beginning and ending sentence above I wanted to say, in the first response above.

Thanks for your wonderful posts.

 

[rebornfree]

Deleted my post - sorry I don't think I should have posted on this forum. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

 

[Mark Corbett]

This comment, along with comments #5 and #7 have been deleted by the two of us who made the comments. The comments were not at all inflammatory or anything like that. There was concern that the comments may have included some information about other people which was not proper to share publicly. Nothing exciting like secret sins being exposed, but just some information that some might view as private and prefer not to see in a public discussion.

 

[rebornfree]

Deleted post - as above.

 

[Delanie]

I like this advice Mark, so concise and practical. It's a good reminder that it's often best just to not over-complicate things when doing ministries, oftentimes the simplest strategy works and that's reaching out and personalizing our message. We've had considerable success doing that in the Netherlands esp. gaining converts from the Turkish and North African Muslim populations there, we just listen to them, don't worry about catechism or anything too abstract, and personalize our ministry to them, and they come to realize that their connection to the divine and to their future brethren in the church is personal too. Great list of pointers too.

 

[Mark Corbett]

I like this advice Mark, so concise and practical. It's a good reminder that it's often best just to not over-complicate things when doing ministries, oftentimes the simplest strategy works and that's reaching out and personalizing our message. We've had considerable success doing that in the Netherlands esp. gaining converts from the Turkish and North African Muslim populations there, we just listen to them, don't worry about catechism or anything too abstract, and personalize our ministry to them, and they come to realize that their connection to the divine and to their future brethren in the church is personal too. Great list of pointers too.

Wow, I really thank God for the ministry He is giving you among Muslim immigrants. May He continue to bless your work.

I think that ministry methods like "listen and pray" are powerful in every setting, but may be even more important among groups where there is a lot of fear, suspicion, and even hostility to the gospel. In a way, "Listen and pray" is a specific form of ministry modeled by Jesus in John 9. In John 9, Jesus meets the blind man twice. The first time Jesus simply heals him. Jesus does not initially tell the blind man that He is the "Son of Man", the Christ. However, based on being healed, the blind man has a very positive view of Jesus. He stands up for Jesus even when it results in opposition from the religious leaders. Then the second time Jesus meets the blind man, he tells him that He is the Son of Man and the blind man worships Jesus.

So, here's the John 9 model:
Step 1. Minister to some need in someone's life. Do this in the Name of Jesus.
Step 2. After they have been blessed by Jesus, they will be drawn to Him. Then, share more about who Jesus is and all Jesus has done for us and wants from us.

It's important to note that it is not necessary to always follow these steps. Sometimes we can go straight to the basic gospel message. But especially in settings where there is fear of persecution and a lot opposition, I think following the John 9 model often bears good fruit. Keep loving and sharing!

 

[stealthsaint]

There is a way to minister people which is both powerful and easy. Some types of ministry require special skills and experience, like writing a theology book or leading a praise team. But the type of ministry I describe here only requires loving God, loving people, a little bit of courage, and doing two things which all Christians should do: listening and praying.

This ministry strategy can help reach people who don’t believe in Jesus. It can help encourage Christians who have drifted away from the church. It can lift up faithful Christians who are facing a difficult challenge.

This is how it works:
1. You listen to them share any type of challenge, trial, need, or difficulty.
2. You offer to pray for them and then you pray for them out loud, right there, right then.

It works. It is powerful. Here are two real life stories.

Yesterday while waiting for my car to be inspected

I was in the waiting room and it was unusually full. I overheard one lady talking with another lady about helping her daughter figure out how to pay for college. Because our family is dealing with the same issue, it was very easy for me to join in the conversation.

After talking for a little while, and listening to her specific story, I asked if it would be alright for me to lead a short prayer for her daughter. She gladly agreed. Several other customers all lowered their heads and we prayed right there in the waiting room. One lady offered an enthusiastic “Amen!” at the end of the prayer.

And so a time of waiting with strangers turned into an opportunity to minister to a neighbor and to join together for prayer in Jesus’ Name.

In this case, it was so easy to pray with these people. Some of them seemed to be committed Christians, and not one was hostile to Christianity. But can this work in more difficult cases?

When I got sick on a trip

I was living in a Muslim nation.

We had traveled five hours past rice fields and over lush green tropical mountains to reach a town where I wanted to carry out some language research. The people who lived in the town were almost 100% Muslim.

My Indonesian coworker (a young, Christian man) and I were staying in a hotel that was way below “5 star”. I got very sick on my stomach. I had to stay in and rest. My coworker was sitting with me in the public common area of the small hotel while I tried to eat some crackers and a banana.

A Muslim lady who worked at the hotel was cleaning. We started to talk with her. She began to share some sad events from her past. What bothered her the most was that her mother had died three years ago. She still felt a deep sadness. She said that every night for the last month she dreamed of her mom being with her and then woke up cried and cried until she had no more tears and could not sleep.

We asked if we could pray for her in Jesus’ Name. She agreed that we could. Right there and then in the hotel lobby, we prayed out loud for her.

The next morning this lady appeared happy and lighthearted. She shared that she had not felt the same overwhelming sadness and had slept peacefully without the dream.

Like many of our Muslim neighbors, this lady literally did not even want to touch a Bible. Where do you start with someone who is so against Christianity? You listen to their story and offer to pray for them. I did this many times (probably hundreds) with our Muslim neighbors, and it was very rare for anyone to not gladly allow me to pray for them. This happened on public transportation, in shopping malls, around our neighborhood, and where I attended a university.

I’ve experienced the same positive response here in the US.

A Few Practical Pointers

* If you want to try this (and why wouldn’t you?), pray and ask God to give you opportunities and courage.

* If you’re an adventurous extrovert, start anywhere, don’t hold back. Jesus wants to use your adventurous side for something that really matters.

* If doing this in a public setting like a waiting room makes you uncomfortable, start by trying it with a close friend or family member. This is not just a way to reach unbelievers (it is a great first step for that), but it is also a powerful way to encourage other Christians.

* This is important: before you pray, really listen to them. Ask questions and listen. Try to understand their story, their fear, and their pain.

* What if you desire to pray with someone, but they’re not sharing any needs? Just try asking, “Is there anything I can pray for you about?” You’ll be surprised how the Spirit works!

* Whether you’re praying with a devoted brother in Christ, or a hard core atheist, always pray in Jesus’ Name. That way He gets the glory when God answers your prayers.

* Believe that God answers prayer. If you need a faith boost in this area, review some promises found in the Bible (Matthew 7:7, Matthew 21:22, John 14:13, John 15:7, and John 15:16).

* In a way, this type of ministry is so easy. But, all ministry involves an element of spiritual warfare, so pray for protection and keep your guard up.

Remember, everyone has a story. Some stories call for a prayer of thanksgiving. Other times we will be moved to cry out to God for mercy and help. I’ll close by recommending you watch this three minute video. It was made by Chic-fil-A, and it illustrates why this ministry method is so needed by your neighbors and our world:

What's your story? What experiences do you have with praying with people, not just for them? Have you ever tried praying with strangers in a public setting? How might such prayer open the door to evangelism? Share your thoughts, fears, desires, and other comments below. Go pray with someone! God Bless You!

This post is slightly modified from a post I shared on my blog.

IT IS WRITTEN: Roman 8:26 -30 about not knowing what we should pray. Listen for direction is Key Paul gives many examples of what he prayed for 1st John 5:14-16 makes it VERY, VERY clear to pray to gives life to those we see in sin.... self reflection is a clue: (all of us have sin: all that is not of faith is sin Rom 14:23. we all lack perfect faith.
WILL OF GOD PRAYER FOCUS: 1J 5:14 And this is the boldness which we have toward Him, that IF we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
1J 5:15 And IFwe know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
1J 5:16 "IF anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not unto death, we shall ask and we will give life to him. . . ."
CONSIDER THIS: IF we believe Lord knows our thoughts and needs before we think or have need, why do we ask since we have everything we need according to our inheritance of KINGdom provision? Should we not trust in that supply as the seventy did and satan fell like lightening because he could not affect their supply, and SIMPLY come together making faith declaration of Lord's supply and make that OUR focUS of meditation as we listen listen for instruction for prayer.
HOWEVER: JUST MAYBE a paradigm shift of OUR main focus should be to rejoice with a heart of thanksgiving for OUR promised inheritance. Focusing on the fact: that in rejoicing we are "binding and loosening" automatically what has ALREADY been done in heaven! KNOWING that with our rejoicing "IN""thanksgiving" heaven has touched down in truth. (as in football we cheer and rejoice in the plays that move a team forward to score a touchdown).

AFTER the meeting We are at peace, KNOWING that we have done OUR PART to put Father/Lords hands to work to provide supply through OUR spiritual umbilical cord that will never leave US or forsake US . . . that WE are growing to TRUST IN through the process of the paradigm shift. "In the natural the umbilical supply is cut off" Internalizing Lord's umbilical supply helps US in OUR focUS on our needs being met etc. Gathering to pray needs to become a joyful time of fellowship of encouargement through testimonies coming forth from what I SUGGEST IS A "BETTER WAY". This is a fresh approach Lord quickened me with that I have started implementing. The focUS must be on the "WE" the "US" not the I .and me WE are IN JesUS Christ a corporate name. Lord bless your fellowship with revelation of this fresh approach being something to work with

 

[Greg Merrill]

Good ministry. I will try to remember to put it more into practice in the future. I used to love praying on the street with a fellow minister that would walk by my house on his way to and from the elementary school he also worked at. I used to love the story of the minister who would ask unbelievers if he could pray for them, and then include the gospel in his prayer, and some would then invite Christ to save them.