Day 15: Prayer Focus: Evangelism for the Unsaved and Missionary Support | Matthew 28:19

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (Matthew 28:19)

Many Christians cannot do what missionaries do. My missionary friends go through extensive training not only on how to witness to the cultures and language groups God calls them to, but to spend their lives fulfilling God’s call to go to another culture and preach the gospel. We have jobs, family, and other commitments.

Even more, God hasn’t called us to do what missionaries do. God plants us in our community and society to be missionaries to it. When I was in Bible College, one of my friends who had a passion for missions and was called to be a missionary told me one day, “I can’t wait for you to discover your true calling and come overseas with me.”

I asked, “If I go overseas with you, who will raise money and send it to you?” Everyone has a calling. Mine was to pastor in the United States. His was to be a missionary in India. Although I love spicy Indian cuisine, I wouldn’t make it over there because that’s not where I belong. I don’t belong where you belong. I can’t do what you do, and you can’t do what I do. God made us the way He did with a purpose. We just need to find it and fulfill it.

Wherever you go, you represent Jesus, and you are a missionary to the place God puts you. You don’t have to learn another language and culture to be effective for Jesus. Making disciples is every Christian’s calling. Disciples have a four-step process to learning about Jesus.

First, you become a disciple when someone shares the gospel with you. Second, the person who introduced you to Jesus becomes your mentor and, along with other Christians, trains you to be a lifelong learner as you follow Jesus. Third, as you are learning and growing in Christ, you find your place in God’s plan for how you become active in the Christian faith and community. Fourth, you find other people to bring to Jesus and train.

The coolest part about the discipleship process is that it is circular. Except for becoming a Christian in the first step, you never stop learning and growing, ministering and honing your skills to edify other Christians, and leading others to Christ and teaching them about Him. As you grow stronger and learn more about Jesus, you share that with the people you mentor.

Jesus calls all of us to begin the process of discipleship after we know Him to immerse others in Jesus. Your involvement in the discipleship process is the best thing you will do. Whether you are a missionary abroad or at home, you need prayer. You will run into situations you will need God’s wisdom to handle.

It’s a blessing to serve Jesus as one of His disciples and missionaries. As I said in the other devotional on Matthew 28:19-20, our blessing comes in Jesus’s presence with us along the way. There’s nothing like being led by the Holy Spirit and knowing you represent Jesus well. So pray for missionaries abroad and missionaries locally. We all need each other’s prayers.

Prayer Points

• For missionaries in other countries: for strength, wisdom, courage, God-given skill, and safety
• For U. S. missionaries: courage to share, wisdom to disciple, and safety
• That God would give you and your prayer partner divine appointments to share Him with others
• That God would protect, provide, and guide His missionaries everywhere to lead others to Him