Still Walking the Walk?
The year is moving fast! Can you believe it is already March? So I started to think as we begin the spring quarter, “Are we still walking?” No, I don’t mean on the treadmill. I’m talking about the Walk. I must confess it has been a little while since I have stressed the importance of the Walk program, yet it is absolutely essential to our outreach efforts as a church.
Over the next view weeks I will be reemphasizing the basics of the Walk. Are you willing to work to see our Sunday school grow? This is the foundation of the Walk. We have to be willing to work. Unfortunately, the church is not a field of dreams where if you build it they will come. It takes a concerted effort to make a connection with those we are trying to reach. It takes time, energy, passion and focus.
Effectiveness is not dependent upon one person; we are effective when we all participate. Each of us have a role to play and when we fail to do our part we all are affected. Would you join me in praying for the Walk? If so, will you join me in reaching our community for Christ?
the Walk: Evangelistic Prayer
Is our class prayer time evangelistic? This is an essential question that we must answer as Sunday School leaders and participants. One of the key components of the Walk plan is prayer. Bob Mayfield gives us some great insight to the reason we must focus on evangelistic prayer. You can read the full article here, but let me give you a brief summary. Evangelistic prayer lists work! He says, “Very rarely do I ever find a class that is intentional about praying for unreached people to come to Christ. Yet James 4:2 states, “…you have not because you ask not.” Could it be that one of the reasons that we do not see more people coming to Christ in our churches and yes, even in our small groups and Sunday School classes is because we do not pray for the souls of our lost friends and neighbors?”
Do you remember when we did a Power Up your Sunday School campaign? We were challenged to create a evangelistic prayer list for our class. Some of us got creative, like our youth, who made a cross and put the names of their lost friends on sticky notes and put them on the cross. Our teacher’s class created a list of names that I carried with me. Did you know that several people on that list came to Christ? It didn’t happen immediately, but over time God did some wonderful things, even saving a 80+ year old that we prayed for every Wednesday. Our Pastor even had the privilege to baptize that man a week later.
Can we do a better job at praying for unreached people in our community? Absolutely! Can you imagine what would happen in our church if we committed ourselves to praying for the lost by name? Would our hearts be attune with the heart of God? I pray that God would burden us and our classes with the desire to see the lost come to faith in Christ. I want to encourage you to start an evangelistic prayer list and faithfully pray for lost by name each week. You will be amazed what God will accomplish as we pray.
A Challenge from our Pastor
Wow! I am so encouraged at the response to the Walk by our Sunday school classes. People are stepping up and making some really exciting contacts. Keep up the good work and I know God will reward our efforts. Some have asked about more prospects. This may sound funny, but prospects rarely walk in the door (some do, of course). But I have a secret, please keep this quiet. “The people in your class already know new prospects.” Seriously, your friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors are all prospects!
Our Pastor is challenging our Sunday school classes to double by December. No, that is not a misprint. Bro. Harold began sharing with his class a desire to see it double and he shared with me his desire to see our entire Sunday school double. Of course, this is no easy task, but it think with me for a moment. Is it impossible? In our own strength, yes; but with God anything is possible! What would it take to double your class? The answer is quite simple and surprising. Each class member reaches one person. When each one reaches one, your class will double! What will motivate our classes to double? Love! God’s love for us, displayed through the sacrifice of His son for our sins on the cross, should compel us to go, not only around the world, but also across the street.
Here are some upcoming resources and events:
□ Registration cards that can be used to add prospects to your class, register visitors, and enroll new members to your class.
□ Updated Ministry Rolls for Care Group leaders.
□ New website: http://www.sundayschoolleader.com This new resource is a collaboration among all 42 of our Southern Baptist state conventions!
□ EquippingU conference. August 31st, 6:30pm – 9:00pm, Concord First Baptist, Knoxville. Bus will leave the church at 5:15pm. There are 21 different conferences, including Special needs!
