Standing on the mountain overlooking the city of Balikesir, Turkey, the task of sowing the gospel among 350,000 Muslims seemed a bit overwhelming.
Marshall FaggWhere do you start? How do you communicate in a foreign culture? What is the most effective way to share one’s faith in a religiously hostile environment? Those were the questions we had come to the mountaintop to ask. God’s answer was simple and clear. Pray! From that magnificent vantage point, we prayed over the people, the communities, the institutions, and the mosques of that city. A year later, 15 new believers had been baptized into the body of Christ.
As South Carolina Baptists living in the midst of what is becoming an increasingly foreign and spiritually hostile populous, we find ourselves asking similar questions. Amazingly, God’s answer is the same. Pray! There are more than 3 million lost and unchurched people living in our state. God’s Plan for Sharing (GPS) is a 10-year initiative asking every believer to share so that every person might hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is useless to sow the seeds of the gospel until we have prayed.
For that reason, we are calling on the churches of the South Carolina Baptist Convention to unite to prayerwalk every community of our state sometime during the months of October and November. Prayerwalking is simple, fun and effective. What a joy to pray for the spiritual needs of both believers and unbelievers whom you will encounter. What an opportunity for God to do miraculous things in the homes and hearts of people you may never meet. What a great way to prepare the lost and unchurched to receive the truth of the gospel.
Prayerwalking (or riding or biking or jogging) will work only as believers are motivated by a love for people and are intentional in pleading with God for the souls of family, friends and neighbors. South Carolina Baptists will have an opportunity this fall to join together to make an eternal difference in the lives of countless numbers of their fellow South Carolinians. Make sure your church participates in preparing hearts to receive the life-changing message of the gospel.
For more information, visit www.praysc.info.
Fagg is associate executive director for the evangelism and missions team of the South Carolina Baptist Convention.