Prayer Is Not Enough

Almost every small group prays. Almost every Christian prays. It’s probably safe to say that all churches pray. This is a good thing. We are commanded by Jesus to pray. Jesus modeled prayer. The Holy Spirit prays for us continuously. Prayer is vital to our spiritual development.

Praying is also vital in regard to fulfilling our mission. We have a responsibility to pray for our leaders and for those in our world who need to know Jesus. Prayer can change our hearts and motivate us to get up and go out to reach the world. Sometimes though, it’s easy for us to get so caught up in praying for our country, our world, and for missions that we miss opportunities to go on mission. Effective mission requires both prayer and action.

Perhaps one of the most upsetting thoughts on earth is this: People are damned when we neglect our mission. We neglect our mission when we only pray about it while not acting on it. Consider for a moment that the only sin you and I commit that others pay the ultimate penalty for is “no-mission.”

The Bible is clear that people are condemned by their sin. Whether people are guilty of sins of commission (doing wrong) or sins of omission (not doing right), people are condemned for their own sins. However, it’s a sobering thought that people can pay an eternal price for my sin…the sin of “no-mission.”

As followers of Christ, we are forgiven and saved. We won’t go to Hell for our sin of no-mission…but others will. So let us not just pray. Let us also act.  

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alandanielson@churchleaders.com'
Alan Danielson is the Lead Pastor of a church that’s probably a lot like yours. New Life Bible Church is a church of a few hundred people, but not long ago he was on the executive staff of Life.Church in Edmond, OK. Now, along with pastoring New Life, Alan is a consultant and has worked with many of America’s largest churches. Despite this, Alan has a passion for the small church. That’s why he lives by the personal conviction that no church is too small for him to work with. Alan founded Triple-Threat Solutions to help leaders of and churches of all sizes grow. Learn more from Alan at http://www.3Threat.net.