At 100, CP Still Fuels Shared Mission of Southern Baptists – One of Four Things to Know This Week, May 22, 2025

​A Word to the Wise: 8 Ways to Pray for Missionaries, Chuck Lawless

1. Get to know us, and pray for our ministry. The best remedy for this problem is to get to know “real live” missionaries and ask us how you can be praying for us.
2. Pray for our people. Missionaries carry the enormous burden each day that their target people group would come to know Christ. Living in isolated places, often disconnected from the outside world or even other believers, we face doubts that slowly creep in: Does anyone else care if these people accept Christ? Is anyone else even praying for them? 
3. Pray for our physical health. Mission leaders often send people to “hard places” with little clean water and no adequate medical facilities. Moreover, the markets where food is purchased or the restaurants where food is prepared are often unsanitary. Pray for us to stay healthy so we continue to faithfully proclaim God’s Word.
4. Pray for our spiritual health. Similarly, some missionaries live in places that are spiritually hard, wrestling in a battle against “this present darkness” (Eph 6:12). Since we are putting ourselves in spiritually dark locations, our walk with the Lord is critical. Pray for us to pursue holiness each day. 
5. Pray for our marriages. Paul teaches that marriage is a picture of the gospel (Eph 5:31) and that a healthy marriage is critical to ministry effectiveness (1 Tim 3:2-5). Pray that both husband and wife would share a sense of purpose and fulfillment in their missionary calling.
6. Pray for our families. Issues like whether our children adjust well to a new cultural setting, have a stable schooling environment, or develop local friendships can affect the health and happiness of the family. Pray for wisdom as we lead our families.
7. Pray for our ability to communicate. One of the primary markers of long-term effectiveness on the field is the ability to communicate well in the target language. Pray that we would love our target language and would choose to be life-long learners.
8. Pray for us to have boldness. In Ephesians 6:20 Paul asked this church to pray that “words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.” Like Paul, we need the Spirit to embolden us to faithfully share the Word with the lost around us. Pray we will have this boldness.

Chuck Lawless, 5.12.25, 8 Ways to Pray for Missionaries

​Here are Four Things to Know this Week:

1. 4 Steps Toward Sharing the Good News (Chuck Lawless) Excellent!

2. At 100, Cooperative Program Still Fuels Shared Mission of Southern Baptists (Henry Durand, The Christian Index)

3. 10 Reasons “Programs” Don’t Work in Churches (Chuck Lawless)

4. Commentary: Diagnosing Your Church’s Discipleship Culture in 10 Questions  (P. J. Dunn)
 
Thank you for reading. Please share it with pastors and other AMSs you believe would benefit.
 
To the praise of His glory,
 
Ray
 
P. S. I also host the SBCAL Podcast with Ray Gentry wherever you get your podcasts.