5

The following story is told in The Kneeling Christian.   

A young convert asked his vicar to give him some Christian work.  "Have you a chum?" 

"Yes," replied the boy.

"Is he a Christian?"

"No, he is as careless as I was."

"The go ask him to accept Christ as his Saviour."

"Oh, no! I could never do that.  Give me anything but that."

"Well," said the vicar, "promise me two things: that you will not speak to him about his soul, and that you will pray to God twice daily for his conversion."

"Why, yes, I'll gladly do that."

Before a fortnight was up he rushed round to the vicarage.  "Will you let me off my promise?  I must speak to my chum!" 

The author explains, 'My belief is that men [and women] so seldom speak to others about their spiritual condition because they pray so little for them.'

So here is what I want to do!  Tara is going to make a simple banner with '5' written on it.  It will be displayed at the front of the church.  It accompanies a challenge:  I am going to ask each person in the congregation to pray for five of their friends who do not know Jesus.  They are to pray for these people every day and the banner will remind them of this responsibility.  If we really pray for these people we will begin to long for the opportunity to speak the gospel to him.

George Muller of Bristol (1805-1898) was known for his prayer life.  One day he began praying for five of his friends.  After many months, one of them came to the Lord.  Ten years later, two of the others were converted.  It took twenty-five years for the fourth man to be brought to faith.  Muller prayed for the rest of his life concerning the fifth friend.  He had not given up after fifty-two years of praying.  God answered these prayers, for the fifth man became a Christian soon after Muller's funeral.