In this evangelism series, we have sought to encourage you to look to Jesus in your relationship with lost people. As we focus on Jesus, He promises to transform us to be His kind of evangelists (Matthew 4:19). We have identified four phases in Jesus’ ministry to unbelievers: Personal Preparation; Initiate Conversations, Invest Relationally, and Proclaim Patiently.

How did Jesus model Personal Preparation in His ministry? The bottom line – He prayed! If we are going to be like Jesus in our evangelistic efforts, we need to pray. The first evangelism skill is to rely on God (see part 2). The second evangelism skill is to identify unbelievers in our lives (see part 3). In this article, we want to introduce you to the third evangelism skill – praying for unbelievers.

Paul is an example of explicitly praying for the salvation of his lost Jewish brothers in Romans 10:1 which states, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.” His prayer was simply, “Lord, save my Jewish brothers, and make them my brothers in Christ.”

I believe Paul prayed this personal prayer for his unbelieving kinsmen multiple times. I believe we need to constantly bring our unbelieving family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and other contacts before God and ask Him to save them. God honors persistent prayer (Luke 11:5-13).

Let me introduce you to a tool that can help you pray Scriptural prayers for your lost loved ones - Who’s Your One: 30-Day Prayer produced by the North American Mission Board. They graciously provide this resource for free to encourage and equip God’s people to pray for lost in a meaningful way.

God, I know there is only one way to salvation. Jesus is clear; He is the only hope for a lost and dying world, and that includes __________. His/Her salvation depends on acknowledging Jesus is who He says He is, and He alone is the source of salvation. Use the people and circumstances in __________’s life today to point him/her to the reality of Jesus. Give me courage and boldness to call __________ to faith in Jesus when the opportunity arises, and help me make it clear there is no other way to be saved.

Pray daily for God to save the unbelievers He has in your life. Luke 11:5-6, “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”