Pray
As recorded in Acts 13 & 14, the Spirit and the church—the whole church, not simply a few people, sent Paul and Barnabas. The church demonstrated a commitment to upholding those they sent out, even when separated by time and distance. Essentially, the church said to the missionaries, “We are with you.” Remarkably, the primary manner they did so was through Spirit-empowered prayer.
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Today, our prayers remain the greatest way we can support those we are sending out, invoking the very power of God to intervene in ways that are beyond our human limitations to save the lost. Here are 10 ways I see in this passage of Scripture to pray for our home missionaries continually.
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Pray that they would be confident in God’s Word (Acts 13:4–5).
Missionaries are sent not just to learn the culture or do humanitarian relief but to confidently proclaim the Word of God.
Pray for their success in gospel witness (Acts 13:12).
Pray that many would come to know Christ in all walks of life from the faithful witness of our home missionaries.
Pray for peace with other believers (Acts 13:13).
Pray for peace within families, in marriages, with children, and with companions and ministry partners.
Pray for favor with unbelievers (Acts 13:14–15).
Pray that home missionaries would find favorable opportunities to share the gospel with them.
Pray that God will open hearts around them (Acts 13:48).
God alone draws people to himself. Pray that he will open hearts and minds to believe and be drawn to eternal life with Christ.
Pray for their joy in the midst of suffering (Acts 14:1–2).
Home missionaries often face various forms and levels of suffering in their work. Pray that they would experience the joy of intimacy with Christ in the midst of it.
Pray for Christlike humility to characterize them (Acts 14:4–18).
Pray that home missionaries would overcome the temptation to be prideful in their work by the power of the Spirit.
Pray for their patience (Acts 14:8–18).
Home missionaries face ups and downs and wins and losses in their work. Pray that they might respond with longsuffering.
Pray that God would use them to make disciples (Acts 14:21–23).Pray that home missionaries would see fruit in their ministries as they seek to make disciples.
Pray that God would use them to multiply churches (Acts 14:24–28).
Pray for the multiplication of churches filled with people who know the Word.
We know this: joining God on his mission will not be easy, but it will absolutely worth it. Let’s provide our home missionaries with faithful support in prayer.