The Five And Five Principle: Reaching Others Through Prayer And Witnessing
Multitudes of Christians sleep in the silent-Christian stage. Don’t be one of them!
Christ has commanded us to share the gospel with lost people. Christians who don’t verbally witness may be busy in the church, but they usually aren’t very effective in bringing other people to faith in Christ. The kind of witnessing that produces results is the witness of a Christ-indwelled life working together with your verbal testimony.
The theme for this week is:
The Five-and-Five Principle: Reaching Others through Prayer and Witnessing
The five-and-five principle is a simple, practical approach to witnessing to your lost friends. If you master and apply the five-and-five principle, I can guarantee that you’ll increase the effectiveness with which you obey your Lord’s command to share the gospel. And you’ll realize an even greater sense of joy and fulfillment as you do so.
Read Philippians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:1,3-4,8.
Look at your left hand. Use the fingers on that hand to count five people in your life who won’t permit you to share your faith with them. They may be cold, skeptical, suspicious, unconcerned, or even hostile toward what you would like to tell them about Christ and what He has done and is doing for you. Although you want to share your faith with them so that they can also become Christians, they aren’t willing to hear what you want to say.
Is there anything you can do that will enable you to reach them with the message of Christ? Yes! You can pray for them!
Look at your right hand. Count on those fingers five people in your life who will permit you to share your faith with them. They may not be ready to place their faith in Christ, but they recognize the difference Christ is making in your life.
Is there something you can do to bring them to trust Christ? Yes! You can pray for them and share your faith with them!
Let’s spend today laying the foundation for the five-and-five principle in your life. You’ve already identified ten people you can win. Now you must understand the importance of prayer in winning both those who will listen to you and those who won’t.
The power of prayer is even more important than the act of witnessing because prayer power works with both those who will and those who won’t let you share Christ with them. A great Christian once said, “You can do more than pray after you’ve prayed, but you can do no more than pray—until you’ve prayed!”
Philippians 4:6 is your first Scripture-memory assignment for this week. You should begin memorizing it now. (If you’re using the King James Version, substitute anxious for the word careful.)
According to this verse, what’s the alternative to being anxious about any or all of the situations you face in life?
What limits does this verse put on matters you can pray about?
A Christian can talk to God in prayer about everything. What is prayer anyhow?
Prayer is letting Christ use His power to work in an area of need in your life or in the life of another person.
Prayer is your invitation to Christ to come into an area of need. The answer to your prayer doesn’t depend on your power in prayer but on His power to work in that area of need. Therefore, praying for your unbelieving friends who won’t permit you to share your faith with them is simply inviting Christ to work in their lives in spite of their attitude toward you.
Read 1 Timothy 2:1.
In this verse the apostle Paul urged that prayer be made for whom?
Praying for all people may seem rather broad and general. Let’s say it another way. You should feel no hesitation to pray for anyone, regardless of that person’s position, circumstances, or attitude.
In 1 Timothy 2:4 Paul specified two reasons God wants you to pray. What are they?
1.
2.
If God wants everyone to be saved and to know the truth, you should understand the way God wants to make it happen.
In 1 Timothy 2:8 the apostle Paul, speaking for God, stated one more thing God wants. What is it?
The mention of “lifting up holy hands” refers to the way people normally prayed during New Testament times. They normally didn’t kneel or bow as we do. Instead, they stood looking toward heaven with hands lifted. You too can pray standing with your hands lifted toward heaven. Or you can kneel to pray, be seated to pray, or even pray while you’re engaged in another activity.
The point Paul was making has nothing to do with the posture we assume to pray. So what do you think Paul was saying God expects of us in regard to prayer?
A key word in 1 Timothy 2:8 is holy. Do you remember from one of your first studies in Survival Kit that holy means “set apart” or “dedicated to a special purpose”? First of all, God want us to be committed to prayer. Prayer should be a natural, consistent part of your daily life.
The second key to praying effectively is to be free of “anger or argument.” We can’t expect to be on good speaking terms with God if we’re not on good speaking terms with one another. Wrong attitudes and wrong feelings make a difference in the power of our prayers.
Read Matthew 5:23-24.
What did Jesus say about the relationship between our access to God and our relationships with fellow Christians?
Think again about your first Scripture-memory assignment for this week. I hope you’ll do more than just learn it. Begin right now to practice it. Let me suggest a way.
List the names of the ten persons you identified at the beginning of today’s study.
Friends who refuse to let me share Christ with them:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________
4. __________
5. __________
Friends who are open to my sharing Christ:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________
4. __________
5. __________
Now meditate on 1 Timothy 2:8. Do you need to make any changes before you can bring the power of prayer to bear on these friends you want to be saved?
End your quiet time with a prayer of commitment to make those changes with God’s help. Then pray for each person you listed. Call each one by name and invite Christ to begin working in their lives.
Christ has commanded us to share the gospel with lost people. Christians who don’t verbally witness may be busy in the church, but they usually aren’t very effective in bringing other people to faith in Christ. The kind of witnessing that produces results is the witness of a Christ-indwelled life working together with your verbal testimony.
The theme for this week is:
The Five-and-Five Principle: Reaching Others through Prayer and Witnessing
The five-and-five principle is a simple, practical approach to witnessing to your lost friends. If you master and apply the five-and-five principle, I can guarantee that you’ll increase the effectiveness with which you obey your Lord’s command to share the gospel. And you’ll realize an even greater sense of joy and fulfillment as you do so.
DAY 1
Ten You Can Win
Read Philippians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:1,3-4,8.
Look at your left hand. Use the fingers on that hand to count five people in your life who won’t permit you to share your faith with them. They may be cold, skeptical, suspicious, unconcerned, or even hostile toward what you would like to tell them about Christ and what He has done and is doing for you. Although you want to share your faith with them so that they can also become Christians, they aren’t willing to hear what you want to say.
Is there anything you can do that will enable you to reach them with the message of Christ? Yes! You can pray for them!
Look at your right hand. Count on those fingers five people in your life who will permit you to share your faith with them. They may not be ready to place their faith in Christ, but they recognize the difference Christ is making in your life.
Is there something you can do to bring them to trust Christ? Yes! You can pray for them and share your faith with them!
Let’s spend today laying the foundation for the five-and-five principle in your life. You’ve already identified ten people you can win. Now you must understand the importance of prayer in winning both those who will listen to you and those who won’t.
The power of prayer is even more important than the act of witnessing because prayer power works with both those who will and those who won’t let you share Christ with them. A great Christian once said, “You can do more than pray after you’ve prayed, but you can do no more than pray—until you’ve prayed!”
Philippians 4:6 is your first Scripture-memory assignment for this week. You should begin memorizing it now. (If you’re using the King James Version, substitute anxious for the word careful.)
According to this verse, what’s the alternative to being anxious about any or all of the situations you face in life?
What limits does this verse put on matters you can pray about?
A Christian can talk to God in prayer about everything. What is prayer anyhow?
Prayer is letting Christ use His power to work in an area of need in your life or in the life of another person.
Prayer is your invitation to Christ to come into an area of need. The answer to your prayer doesn’t depend on your power in prayer but on His power to work in that area of need. Therefore, praying for your unbelieving friends who won’t permit you to share your faith with them is simply inviting Christ to work in their lives in spite of their attitude toward you.
Read 1 Timothy 2:1.
In this verse the apostle Paul urged that prayer be made for whom?
Praying for all people may seem rather broad and general. Let’s say it another way. You should feel no hesitation to pray for anyone, regardless of that person’s position, circumstances, or attitude.
In 1 Timothy 2:4 Paul specified two reasons God wants you to pray. What are they?
1.
2.
If God wants everyone to be saved and to know the truth, you should understand the way God wants to make it happen.
In 1 Timothy 2:8 the apostle Paul, speaking for God, stated one more thing God wants. What is it?
The mention of “lifting up holy hands” refers to the way people normally prayed during New Testament times. They normally didn’t kneel or bow as we do. Instead, they stood looking toward heaven with hands lifted. You too can pray standing with your hands lifted toward heaven. Or you can kneel to pray, be seated to pray, or even pray while you’re engaged in another activity.
The point Paul was making has nothing to do with the posture we assume to pray. So what do you think Paul was saying God expects of us in regard to prayer?
A key word in 1 Timothy 2:8 is holy. Do you remember from one of your first studies in Survival Kit that holy means “set apart” or “dedicated to a special purpose”? First of all, God want us to be committed to prayer. Prayer should be a natural, consistent part of your daily life.
The second key to praying effectively is to be free of “anger or argument.” We can’t expect to be on good speaking terms with God if we’re not on good speaking terms with one another. Wrong attitudes and wrong feelings make a difference in the power of our prayers.
Read Matthew 5:23-24.
What did Jesus say about the relationship between our access to God and our relationships with fellow Christians?
Think again about your first Scripture-memory assignment for this week. I hope you’ll do more than just learn it. Begin right now to practice it. Let me suggest a way.
List the names of the ten persons you identified at the beginning of today’s study.
Friends who refuse to let me share Christ with them:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________
4. __________
5. __________
Friends who are open to my sharing Christ:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________
4. __________
5. __________
Now meditate on 1 Timothy 2:8. Do you need to make any changes before you can bring the power of prayer to bear on these friends you want to be saved?
End your quiet time with a prayer of commitment to make those changes with God’s help. Then pray for each person you listed. Call each one by name and invite Christ to begin working in their lives.