James 5:19-20. My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Tragically, many believers today fall into the trap of praying like those who do not know God (Matthew 6:31-32). Their petitions are often limited to personal wants and physical needs, while very few prioritize the movement of life through evangelism and missions.
In Today’s Word, we are reminded of the spiritual impact that occurs when we shift our focus to saving people from death and covering a multitude of sins (James 5:20). We must devote ourselves to asking God to open doors for the gospel message, recognizing that it is He who sovereignly opens these doors when His workers are spiritually prepared. When a church raises up individuals who truly understand the authentic message of the gospel and God’s methods of evangelism, God opens the way for world missions, just as He did for the church in Antioch (Acts 13:1-3).
Our primary mission is to pray for the mystery of Christ to be proclaimed where He is not yet known. This mystery, which was hidden for ages but has now been revealed, is the foundational truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
This is the only message we must proclaim. Why? The fundamental problems of humanity began with our separation from God in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-6), a crisis Jesus resolved by fulfilling three essential offices.
As the True Prophet, He became the only way back to the Father, declaring, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). As the True King, He came to break the power of the ancient serpent and destroy the devil’s work (1 John 3:8). As the True Priest, He gave His life as a ransom to set us free from the law of sin and death (Mark 10:45).
When anyone receives and believes in Jesus as the Christ, God grants them the legal right to become a child of God, and the Spirit of God begins to live in that person’s heart (John 1:12). It breaks the Father’s heart to see people dying without knowing this mystery, for He “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4).
God’s greatest desire for your life is that you proclaim this revealed mystery. Jesus observed that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few, and He commands us to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His field (Matthew 9:37-38). As you look at a world of people who are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, let your heart respond to this urgent call for evangelism prayer.
Prayer. Father, I ask that You use my life to turn people back from the path of eternal death. Prepare me as a worker for Your harvest and open doors for the mystery of Christ to be proclaimed through me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.