Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

~ Matt 28:19-20

My Dad took the Great Commission seriously. He didn’t read it as a suggestion, but as a commandment, just as the Lord presented it. Dad had a heart for the spiritually lost. He felt a burden to pray for them regularly and share the gospel as opportunities arose.

In my last post I shared the introduction of his Intercessory Agreement with God that he wrote on May 14, 1983. He was willing to give up his life in exchange for answered prayer on eight requests. I shared the first prayer request, the salvation of my brother Gene and me last week. [Read It Here] Today, I want to continue honoring my father by sharing his second request. He wrote,

#2 – The salvation of every soul I have ever asked You for or will ever ask you for in prayer. 

I wonder how many lost souls his prayers represent! He prayed for unbelievers for over sixty years. If he knew you before you became a Christian, there’s a good chance he interceded for you. As I reflect on this part of his spiritual legacy, there were three ways that Dad was intentional about reaching the lost:

He wrote a book, Without Excuse, to reach a lost family member.

Uncle Gene was our genius in the family with an IQ of 160. He received his Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics and worked at the renowned Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. The Lawrence Labs exist to ensure the safety, security, and reliability of our nation’s nuclear weapons through the application of advanced science, engineering, and technology. Uncle Gene was an atheist. As a scientist, he claimed there was no empirical evidence for God.

Uncle Gene with Mother and Lee Ann

Out of a love for Uncle Gene, Dad wrote a book to show him that God in His infinite wisdom revealed Himself and made Himself plain to all of us.  As it is written in Romans 1:18-20, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are WITHOUT EXCUSE.”

Every Sunday Evening He Met with a Prayer Group

When we think of small groups in which we gather with other Christians, most of us think of bible study groups. We come together for the primary purpose of studying Scripture, while we use prayer to open and close our time. We often pray for the needs of the people in our class if time permits. My father, on the other hand, attended a prayer group, in which the primary focus was prayer.

Dad brought me to one of his gatherings when I was in my twenties. He had prayed with the same nine people for nearly twenty years. As a first-timer, I came to listen and silently pray in agreement with the requests that members lifted to God. I heard the grief and the tears expressed over loved ones who didn’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I began to understand the power of prayer, the intimacy of sharing our hearts through prayer, and how it deepened the walk of my fellow Christians.

I am deeply grateful to my father for introducing me to prayer groups. I have a Prayer Ministry team that gathers at my office every Thursday. It is the most cherished time I spend with fellow Christians, joining in agreement over a variety of kingdom issues. This prayer time deepens my relationship with them, and it deepens our relationship to God.

I wonder what would happen if all bible study groups across our nation became prayer groups for a month. How refreshing it would be to change the focus of our gatherings and increase our intimacy with one another and with the Lord. If I had a magic wand, I would make that happen. It’s a completely different experience and worth the time to do it. There is so much power in prayer.

He maintained a list of those who were spiritually lost and prayed for them regularly

Dad taught me to keep a list of those who appeared to be spiritually lost. Although we don’t have the ability to judge anyone’s heart, he encouraged me to record names as the Lord burdened my heart. It sounds so basic, but over the years I have learned that many of my Christian peers don’t keep a list. Maybe this is a “Dad” thing, but I find it valuable. I keep a Word document that I update as needed.

Dad’s spiritual influence in the area of prayer facilitated my growth as a Christian. I am deeply indebted to him. I can’t help but wonder if on April 8^th, the day he died, if God honored Dad’s Intercessory Agreement. Dad was willing to lay down his life early in exchange for “The salvation of every soul I have ever asked You for or will ever ask you for in prayer.” 

Would you pray in agreement with me that every soul that Dad prayed for will discover salvation in Christ before they die?

Blessings,

Lee Ann

The post 5.22.15 The Heart of My Father: Lost Souls appeared first on LAPenick's Blog.