As we are getting ready for Easter, I want to encourage you to accept the 4 @ 4 for 4 / 4 challenge.
1. Pray for 4 people who are unchurched every day at 4pm or 4am – 4 people you will invite or bring to Grace on Easter weekend. If you don’t have four people in mind, ask God to bring them across your path.
2. Pray for 4000 people to attend our 4 Easter Services: Good Friday @ 7pm – Saturday @ 5pm – Sunday @ 9:30am & 11:00am
3. Pray for 400 people to make the decision to trust and follow Jesus Christ as Savior & Lord during our Easter services.
4. Walk around the church at least 4 times before Easter praying for these things (it takes about 4 minutes at a slow pace). Most are doing this on Sunday either prior to or after our normal services.
AS YOU PRAY – NEVER GIVE UP – NEVER EVER QUIT – Check out the words of Jesus to His followers in Luke 18:1-8 (Msg) 1-3Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. He said, “There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: ‘My rights are being violated. Protect me!’ 4-5“He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, ‘I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won’t quit badgering me, I’d better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I’m going to end up beaten black-and-blue by her pounding.'” 6-8Then the Master said, “Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won’t step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won’t he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?”
1 Timothy 2:4 says God wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ). You can be sure that when you are praying for people to be saved (to trust & follow Jesus) that you are praying within the will of God. You can also be sure that your persistence pays off; that’s the promise of the parable Jesus told in Luke 18.
As we get ready for this Easter – I hope you’ll pray like your life depended on it —- and then pray like everyone else’s life depends on it. The truth is for some of the people you’re praying for —- their life does depend on it.
BJ Rutledge 