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Articles about Prayer

Intercessory Prayer According to Paul’s Missionary
Journey to Ephesus

Acts 19:1-27

By Jean Johnson

• Pray for "cut to the heart" repentance and sincere born again transformation among people of the world (19:1-7).
  
  Paul moved a group of men from incomplete truths (Old Testament Covenants & John the Baptist) to the full truth. They were baptized into the Name of the Lord Jesus as a confirmation and proclamation of their sincere faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.
  
  People all over the world move into Christianity without moving into a dynamic, living relationship with the Creator God and His only Son. Rather, people overseas often either radically deny Christianity or peripherally align themselves with Christianity because they recognize it as foreign (related to the West). The latter is an opportunity to relate to the English language, Western culture, and modern advancement. Either response is not the end goal. The second response will lead to a life-long pattern of carnality and marginal God-kingdom involvement. Spiritual life is defined by its center (circumcision of the heat versus some kind of peripheral outward conformity to a denomination, religion, church going, etc. Pray for “cut to the heart” sincere repentance and faith among the unreached.
  
• Pray that the perpetuation of true discipleship continues beyond the missionary to the nationals of specific countries (19:7, 8-10).As Paul moved on, he invited the 12 men previously baptized to join him in ministry for the purpose of discipleship and training.
  
  Often missionaries provide evangelism without discipleship or discipleship often starts and ends with the so called professionals (such as the missionary, pastor, etc.) This leaves countries, cities, and communities with anemic disciple making. Communities who are made up of a majority of believers who do not practice disciple making, as part of their obedience, will result in a stagnant (ineffective) church of Jesus Christ. Pray that missionaries and national leaders are able to make disciples who in turn can make disciples.

• Pray that God will accompany the presentation of the Good News with His signs and wonders (19:11-19).
  
  Because God did signs and wonders as Paul ministered in Ephesus, solemn fear descended over the city and Jesus’ Name was held in high honor. Many people openly confessed their evil deeds and publicly burned their witchcraft paraphernalia.
  
  So many people throughout the world rely on appeasing Satan through ancestor worship, idolatry, warding off evil through witchcraft, etc. Satan needs to be overpowered as on the day the seven sons of Sceva tried to falsely use the Name of Jesus to cast out demons. God intervening in supernatural ways causes people to openly desert Satan’s ways and turn to God. Pray that God will confirm the presentation of the Good News and the discipleship process through His obvious intervention and revelation.

• Pray that the Word of the Lord would spread widely and in power (19:20, 23-27).
  
  The Word of God spread so thoroughly and quickly and with authority in the province of Asia that the local god was under threat of losing her divine majesty (in other words people were taking God-given credit from her and redirecting it to the true God).
  
• Pray that the unfolding work of God seen in Ephesus would happen in communities all over the world. Pray for Church planting movements, the multiplication of disciples and healthy spiritual leaders.

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