PRAYER Resources

The apostle Paul was a disciple maker and movement catalyst. He was a person who prayed for others and he expected others to do the same (1 Corinthians 1:4, Galatians 6:2, Ephesians 1:16, 3:16-21, Philippians 1:9, Colossians 1:9, 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12). As Paul communicated with his ever growing network of disciples they in turn prayed for him.

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." - Ephesians 6:18

1. On your calendar (phone or paper) or on a sheet of paper write a list of your Christian friends numbering 1-30.
2. If you have “Bill” written on number 1 then on the 1st of every month you are going to call Bill and simply say, “Hey Bill I’ve got your name on my prayer calendar today which means I will be praying for you throughout the day. Is there anything specific that I can be praying for you about today?” Write down Bill’s prayer request and pray for Bill over the phone or in person. Don’t just simply say “I’ll be prayin for ya”. Praying for someone out loud (phone or in person) is a powerful thing.
3. Repeat the step the next day with the 2nd person on the calendar and so on.
4. If you spent 5-10 minutes praying for each person that month you will have spent 150 and 300 minutes that month praying for someone else. That's a win.
5. Chances are that over time the individuals on this list will not only allow you to pray for them but they will begin to ask you, “How can I be praying for you?” God will begin to move as his children are praying for one another and seeking His will.
6. Make notes about what you are praying for with others so that when you talk to them next you can be asking them if they are seeing God respond. Also be intentional about what they can be praying for you about. If you know you are trying to have spiritual conversations with a coworker that week, then ask them to pray for that. This will spur us along to being intentional and following through in our disciple making efforts.

"The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household." - Acts 16:34

1. Another prayer strategy is the Oikos Map. Oikos (οίκος) is simply the Greek word for “household”. In the NT when we read about someone's household being saved it is the word “oikos”. It is God’s pattern that not just individuals are saved but entire households (oikos) and families are saved. When we say household we typically mean our own four walls. In the Greek sense this would mean one's entire social network. Think Noah (Gen 6:8-10), Abraham (Gen 18:17-19), Lot (Gen 19:12-14), Joseph (Gen 45:5-11), Rahab (Joshua 2:18), Shunammite Woman (2 Kings 8:1), Geresene Demoniac (Mark 5:1-20), Samaritan Woman (Jn 4:7-42), Cana Official (Jn 4:46-54), Dorcas (Acts 9:36-42), Cornelius (Acts 10:1-48), Lydia (Acts 16:13-15), the Jailer (Acts 16:23-24), Crispus and Stephanas (Acts 18:8; 1 Cor 16:15).
2. So practically, take a piece of paper and write your name in the middle and draw a circle around it. Then write names around your name of people in your oikos or social network of people who are far from God. This is your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, people you have hobbies with, etc. (Example of oikos map at the bottom)
3. Set a time during the day when you know you will pray. Maybe during your daily Bible Study. Set an alarm on your phone. When the alarm goes off get your oikos map out and pray for those on your oikos map who are far from God. Pray that God would open their hearts to the gospel and that you would have an opportunity to share the gospel with them. *Remember it is God’s will that nobody would perish but that all would reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9) and that if we pray according to His will that we have what we ask for (1 Jn 5:14-15).*