When I was a missionary there were some days when I didn’t have the drive or feel the urgency to share the gospel. If I didn’t share the gospel with a shopkeeper on Monday, there would probably be the opportunity on Tuesday, or the day after that, to go and share with him.

But then I was reminded of the urgency to share and the battle that we, as Christians, are in for people’s salvation. I attended a conference where the speaker shared the story of a missionary to Africa who was traveling on a bus. He decided to redeem the time by praying for everyone on the bus to come and know Jesus as Lord. The man sitting next to him looked deep in thought. After engaging the gentlemen in small talk, the missionary told him why he was living in Africa and that he was praying for everyone on the bus to one day know Jesus. The gentleman’s countenance changed completely and he said, “I worship Satan and I am praying for all these people in the bus to worship the devil.” This conversation reminded me that we are in a spiritual battle for people’s souls.

In 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Paul encourages the Christians in Ephesus to pray for everyone, especially those in authority. For this pleases God, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. And Jesus is our mediator, and gave himself up as a ransom. As we fight for people’s salvation today, we need to practice 3 actions that Paul pointed out to the Christians in Ephesus.

Pray.

Pray for everyone. We need to pray for our country’s leaders, the leaders in our state and all of those in authority, because it pleases God. When Paul wrote to the Christians, he specifically wanted them to pray for Nero. No matter how much Nero hated Jesus and Christians, Paul told the Christians to pray for leaders like Nero. Why did Paul say to pray for Nero? Maybe it was because Paul was like Nero in his younger days. If God was able to save Paul, then he definitely could change Nero, too. So we need to pray for everyone.

Look.
Look at God’s heart towards a sinful and rebellious world. We know that God’s heart is for everyone to be saved. We also know that God is sovereign. Yet, we also know that God doesn’t save everyone. So we need to be reminded that God uses our prayers as part of His sovereign plan of saving people. In Ezekiel 33:11, we see that God’s heart is for people to be saved. Paul tells us there is only one way to a relationship with God, and that is through Jesus Christ. So when we look to God’s heart toward people. We see that God delights in seeing sinners get saved, and that moves us to pray for everyone.

Speak.
Be an ambassador for Christ to those around us. Paul was telling us that God’s heart for the world had a direct impact on his ministry. Since Paul’s ministry was impacted, it should also motivate our ministry on earth, too. Before we speak to the world, we must have the same attitude as Paul, which is the directive that comes from God’s heart. We must have that same desire to see sinners coming to a saving knowledge in Jesus Christ. If we don’t, then maybe we haven’t grasped how wide and deep God’s mercy and grace is upon our lives.

Let’s join God in the fight for people’s salvation by praying for everyone, looking to God’s heart for sinners to be saved, and choosing to speak and share the Good News of Jesus Christ to everyone God brings in our path.