Anyone in the Lord’s work “worth their salt” understands the importance of prayer for effectiveness in the communication of the gospel! It makes all the difference in the world!
Without prayer, study may be thorough, preparation may be exhaustive, the strategy may be flawless, the communication tools utilized may be attention grabbing… but the eternal impact is likely to be missing! Mere performance, sheen, an attractive rhetorical show, a media masterpiece, but absent Holy Spirit impact is all that it is – merely a human effort!
Gotta have prayer! The human communicator must bathe study, preparation, strategy development, and the crafting of the communication opportunity with prayer! A wise communicator of the Gospel, however, will do more. He or she (or the creative team facilitating the communication) will solicit all the prayer support they can get!
I read Apostle Paul’s philosophy and practice on this subject this morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord” … Here’s what He said,..
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving! At the same time pray for us, that God may open us doors for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison [how’s that for a communication opportunity?!] that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak!” (From Colossians 4:2-4)
Hey I’ve experienced it both ways! A beautifully crafted human effort devoid of what prayer brings (we sometimes call it the “anointing”) and the result is only what mere human effort can produce – little eternal results and a lot of human pride and applause. On the other hand, in humility I’ve bowed my knees and implored God to empower by the Holy Spirit and sought all the prayer support I could get… And the result? Supernatural! Lives transformed by God’s power and a rich Spiritual harvest! I’ll take the later outcome any day over mere human skill and effort!
So my advice to anyone seeking to communicate God’s word and proclaim the Gospel effectively? Pray! Pray!! Pray!!! Bathe your study, your preparation, your strategy development, your presentation in prayer! Solicit all the prayer you can get! Build a great team of prayers to support your efforts for the glory of God! Apostle Paul did it and that’s good enough for me!
Coffee With The Lord 