In this sermon titled 'Making Disciples Through Prayer,' Scott Brown explores the role of prayer in the process of disciple-making. He emphasizes that prayer is an essential component of disciple-making and highlights various passages in the Bible that demonstrate the importance of praying for the effectiveness of disciples, for those who are not yet disciples, for disciples to be kept from temptation, and for the strengthening of disciples. The sermon encourages believers to incorporate disciple-making prayers into their prayer lives.

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about making disciples because Church and Family Life is putting on its national conference at the end of April called Making Disciples in the church, in the home and around the world and so I've been you know trying to consider how do you become a disciple how do you identify a disciple how do you know if you're a disciple how do you make disciples And really everything that happens after your conversion is disciple making. You're either becoming a more and more faithful disciple or you're wooing others into the discipleship and the authority of Jesus Christ. But I was having a conversation with a friend yesterday who's preaching at this conference and I was talking to him about the message that he was going to bring And he explained to me something that he was just reading that morning out of Ephesians chapter 6, put on the whole armor of God, but part of that text focuses in on prayer. And in that section he's telling me, my friend is, that Paul calls for prayer for himself so he would be an effective disciple maker. And it made me think of, and he was suggesting, a message about making disciples through prayer.

I'd never thought of anything like that before. But I want to read you some passages that really make it plain that prayer is part of the disciple-making agenda of the church. And we're doing that tonight. And, like, for example, it's prayer for the effectiveness of those who make disciples. I'll read a passage about that.

Prayer for those who are not yet disciples. Prayer for disciples to be kept from temptation. Prayer for those who are persecuting disciples. Prayer for the strengthening of disciples. So you find this theme in the prayer narratives or prayer texts in the Bible that really relate to making disciples and that's what we're doing tonight.

I was very encouraged by what he was saying. So let me just give you some examples. There's praying for the effectiveness of those who are making disciples. That's Ephesians 6 18 the text that my friend was citing. I verse 18, praying always with all prayer.

In other words all kinds of prayer and supplication in the spirit being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the Saints So now you have prayer for the saints prayer for disciples and then The verse goes on and for me and prayer for me Paulus is calling for prayer for himself Why That utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that in it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. Here, prayer is for the apostle Paul that he would speak boldly, that he would make known the mystery of the gospel. That's disciple making. And then in Matthew chapter five, verse 43, there's a prayer for those who are not yet disciples. And these who are not yet disciples are actually persecuting the church.

And there's a call for prayer for the persecutors and so Jesus says in Matthew 5 43 you have heard that it was said you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy but I say to you love your enemies bless those who curse you do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your father in heaven, for he makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good. So here is a prayer for those who are persecuting you, a prayer for those who aren't yet disciples. You can see the tender heart that God has for his people, even for those who are persecuting his people. He wants those persecutors to finally come to him. And then there's prayer for disciples to be kept from temptation.

Again, you know, prayer is a disciple-making endeavor. Matthew 6 13, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. We're charged to pray for one another that we would not be led into temptation. That's a discipleship oriented prayer. And then in 1st Timothy 2, prayers for the discipleship of all men and and also prayers for kings and authorities therefore I exalt first of all that supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men for kings and all who are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence." So this has to do with prayers really for the discipleship of all men and for the discipleship of civil magistrates and everybody who's in authority.

And then there are two examples that I uncovered, which is really a call for a prayer for strength, a prayer for strength of Jesus Christ's disciples. You know when we gather to pray, you know it's good to pray for one another's strength. Colossians chapter 1 verse 9, for this reason we also since the day we heard of it, do not cease to pray for you, to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might according to his glorious power for all patience and long-suffering with joy, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light." So this is a prayer for strength and for wisdom and enlightenment, you know, in the things that we face. And then there's a very similar prayer for strength in Philippians 1, 9 through 12. And this I pray that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may prove the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

And here the apostle is praying for this church, for this local church, that they would be filled up with the things that are excellent. And so you know tonight you know we're gathering together to offer up all kinds of prayers and these prayers should include disciple making prayers, Disciple-making prayers where we're praying for the effectiveness of those who are making disciples, like the Apostle Paul. Praying for those who are not yet disciples who even are expressing hatred toward God prayers for disciples to be kept from temptation and prayer for strengthening of one another So we're here to make disciples tonight. Praise the Lord. Let's pray.

Father, thank you for gathering us for such good purposes. You're so kind to draw us in, all of us here in this building knit together in love for your purposes and now Lord give us give us prayers prayers of praise prayers of Thanksgiving prayers of intercession prayers for making disciples amen