PRAYING FOR THE NON-CHRISTIAN
Genesis 18:20-32; John 17:20; Matthew 23:37; Ephesians 6:19-20; Colossians 4:2-6;  Philemon 1:5
Purpose:  To inspire God’s people to pray for the unforgiven.
Introduction:
	1.	Praying for people to find faith in Jesus can be a long, hard and unrewarding 			activity.
			# Parent’s pray for their children sometimes for decades.
			# Siblings crying out to God, “Please, save my brother/sister.”
	2.	In Genesis 18 Abraham prays for the city of Sodom because he has relatives 			there.
		a. He tries to persuade God to spare the city by arguing that a God of fairness 			would not destroy righteous people.
		b. He almost hounds God by repeatedly appealing to God to deliver Sodom.
		c. Asking to spare a person’s physical life is akin to saving one’s soul.
	3.	Jesus picks up on this practice and prays for Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37).
	4.	Praying for non-Christians, however, is rarely found in the Bible compared to:
I.	Praying for Christians to influence the non-Christian.
	A.	Christians pray for each other to be effective witnesses.
		1. Jesus, in John 17:20, prays for those who will believe.
		2. The majority of His prayer is that His disciples will get along, be united with 			  each other and will live holy lives.
		3. How we live greatly impacts non-Christians.
		# Paul prayed for Philemon (1:6) to become active in sharing his faith.  His 			escaped servant, Onesimus, was not a Christian.  Paul led the servant into a 			saving relationship with Jesus.  So Paul encouraged Philemon to share his faith. 
	B.	Christians pray and ask for prayer for themselves.
		1. Peter prayed for boldness.
		2. Paul asked for prayer.
			a. Ephesians 6:19-20
			b. Colossians 4:2-6
II.	Praying for those who need the Lord.
# Jim Dorsey praying for C.J. (See Evangelism in Everyday Life, pages 57ff)
		(Insert stories you know of people praying for unsaved family and friends.)
		
Conclusion:	l.	Let’s pray for those who need the Lord.
		2.	Let’s pray for our influence on those outside the faith.
(See attached suggestions for leading a congregation in prayer for the unsaved.	 

PRAYING FOR AN UNSAVED PERSON

1.	First know you’re in line with the will of God in your own life.  Pray and search your 	heart.
2.	Pray you’ll be able to show Christ to this person by your actions, words, and love.
3.	Pray for patience, because it may be years before this person comes to know Christ.
4.	Pray for the opportunity to be able to witness to this person.
5.	Pray that God will send someone into the life of this person who will be the key to his or 	her coming to know Christ.
6.	Ask God to speak to this person and to deal with his or her life.
7.	Pray God will soften the person’s heart.
8.	Pray for an obedient heart.
9.	Ask, “What about God, if it were known, would attract him (or her) to God?
10.	Ask, “How can I leak the good news about God?”
11.	Pray God’s love will be experienced.
12.	Pray God’s people will multiply loving words and actions.
13.	Pray God’s people will become sensitive to the openness of people.
14.	Pray the ear of the unbeliever will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s speaking.
15.	Pray the unbeliever will open his or her social circle to the Christian, and the Christian to 	the unsaved.
16.	Pray the unbeliever will see God at work in his or her life.
17.	Pray this person will re-envision God to be loving, just, good, and ultimately desirable.

Adapted from Evangelism in Everyday Life  by Lyle Pointer and Jim Dorsey, Pages 55 and 56.