Father, there are so many lost and broken people in our culture. They are filled with anxiety, fear, and insecurity. Many have lost hope, certain there is no escape from the darkness that envelopes their lives. The harvest has never been greater. Father, believers have the solution. The Gospel of Jesus Christ heals, rescues, restores, renews, and transforms. We know - our testimony tells the story of how Jesus has rescued us. Now is the time for believers to demonstrate Your love for our neighbors by our words and acts of compassion.
However, many believers are hesitant to obey the Great Commission in their local community. Local outreach ministry is like a foreign language to them that they cannot speak. How do they minister to people with messy lives? What do they say to someone who lost a loved one or is diagnosed with cancer? What should they do? How will they respond if something doesn't go right in ministry? How will they get hurt trying to minister to others? What does commitment to ministry look like? How do they share the gospel? How do they even start a conversation with strangers? All of these unanswered questions leave people feeling quite uncomfortable with local outreach and ministry. The safest thing for them is to leave evangelism and ministry to the professionals.
Father, the problem is that each believer has a mission field unlike any other person in the history of the world. Each believer has a unique set of family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, skills, talents, experiences, and life circumstances. Therefore, it is essential that each believer does the Gospel and Kingdom of God work within their network of contacts and with those who cross their paths each day.
Father, please use the Gramazin publications to give believers the courage and confidence to go out into their communities and love their neighbors in need. May our publications, such as Take Every Passage to Prayer, give believers a desire to study the Word of God each day with devotion and intensity. May our publications, such as Take Every Thought to Prayer, give believers an understanding of those who have messy lives and how they can relate with them. Amen.
What kind of believer is enthusiastic about local missions? It is a believer who has confessed their rebellion from God. It is a believer who has placed their faith in Christ alone for salvation. It is a believer who lives a repentant life in full surrender to the authority of God's Word. It is a believer who loves God so much that they love the people He loves - their neighbors in need.
How can believers make sense of human suffering? How can believers minister to people diagnosed with cancer? How can believers minister to families going through divorce? How can believers minister to people who are estranged from their children? There are over 700+ prayers about the human experience in our two volume book Take Every Thought to Prayer. These prayers address the various hurts and disappointments a believer's neighbors are facing.
Testimony sharing is essential to local outreach. "What did Jesus do for you?" "Why are you being so kind?" "Do you really believe in this stuff about Jesus?" Sadly, many believers are terrified about sharing their testimonies with others. While we don't profess to have all the answers for how believers can gain confidence in writing and sharing their testimony, we have enough passion for testimony sharing to have prepared 72 recordings on the topic. Our online readers of our books can listen to each recording, encouraging them to share their testimonies with their hurting neighbors.