Great Commission Component: Prayer

Matthew 28:18-20 “18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Mark 16:15 “15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

John 20:21 “21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”

By Word

Then we must open our mouths and speak the truth of Jesus to all nations. Matthew 10:27 “27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.”

By Suffering

In all our prayer and speaking, we must be ready to suffer. John 20:21 “21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”

Mark 8:34 “34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

By Prayer

We must earnestly pray that God will do what he promised he would do. Promises do not make prayer superfluous; they make the answer certain.  Luke 10:2 “2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.”

We see that the calling and sending of Paul and Barnabas as missionaries occur during a time of prayer, fasting, and worship:

Acts 13:2-3 “2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.”

There are repeated exhortations to pray that the gospel message will be proclaimed successfully:

Eph 6:19 “19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,”

Col 4: 3 “3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:”

2 Thess 3:1 “1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:”

The disciples saw the necessity of prayer in order to proclaim the gospel boldly and effectively:

Acts 4:29 “29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,”

Eph 6:20 “20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Col 4:4 “4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.”

Because Jesus…

The Savior clearly taught us to pray for the harvest and for needed workers. Luke 10:2 “2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.”

If there is no other biblical rationale for praying for missions, for the lost and unreached, we have the example of Jesus Himself. The Lord defined His mission as “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). With this in mind, the pattern of Jesus that we observe in the Gospels is significant.