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In San Diego, the Prayer Journey field team paused briefly at a small apartment complex. A man came running out and asked "Can I help you find someone?" We answered "no thank you, we are from this church and are out praying for our community. Is there anything we can pray for you about?" He looked surprised and answered "Yes, I was just asking God to send someone to me to show me that He is real." He gladly accepted Christ and is being discipled through that congregation. Within fifteen minutes a Hispanic young woman had listened to the gospel and accepted a gospel booklet from one of Spanish speaking team members.
 Listen for the Spirit to instruct you to greet someone you encounter during the Prayer Journey. If they respond say, "We are from (name of) church and are out praying for our community. Is there anything we can pray for you about?" Most people will say yes. Take a moment to write it on the follow-up card. If the Spirit leads, ask them, "May we have your name so we can pray for you specifically?" Many people will say yes. Write it down and then ask if they would mind if someone came by from the church to pray for them or lead a Bible Study. You may be able to say "I see that you believe in prayer, are you a follower of Jesus or are you still in the process?" By this point many field teams are able to share a gospel booklet or testimony. Also leave the person a copy of the information brochure about the church.
A. Field team witnessing booklets. Take whatever witnessing booklet you like to use. NAMB’s Eternal Life booklet is available in 17 languages. Take a few minutes to look through the booklet. The booklet provides an outline on how to become a Christian. Read through it enough that you are comfortable sharing it with someone. You can read through it with the other person. Since it is available in so many languages you can read a copy in your language while the other person is reading it in their language.
Be sensitive for the divine encounters that God puts in their path while on the Prayer Journey. Take a moment to introduce yourself and the church and explain that you are praying for the community that day. Ask the person if they have a prayer request. If they will let you, pray with them there and follow through with a gospel presentation.
B. "On Mission to Share Jesus (OMTSJ)" OMTSJ is an excellent way to present the gospel during a Prayer Journey. OMTSJ uses five colored beads on a bracelet to describe the gospel. The bracelet represents a person’s life. The first knot stands for the physical birth and God’s plan (John 10:10). The first bead is dark grey to represent our sin and our need (Romans 3:23). The red bead represents the blood of Jesus, the cross and God’s provision (John 3:16). The blue bead is for believing in Christ and receiving Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9-10,13). The white bead then represents forgiveness of sin, (Isaiah 1:18). The green bead represents growing in Christ, being baptized and sharing Jesus with others (Romans 1:16). The last knot represents eternal security (John 14:3). The field teams may want to wear the OMTSJ bracelets, caps and t-shirts as discussion starters with people they encounter. For more information contact the NAMB or visit namb.net/direct. There is a list of OMTSJ products and ordering information in Appendix D.
C. Take follow-up cards to record encounters. Appendix F and the Prayer Journeys Resource Kit CD have a sample follow-up card that you can adapt for your church. Use this model or any thing that works best in your congregation. Just be sure to get enough information for follow-up with those who share prayer requests, accept Christ or receive information.
A pastor volunteered to join the field team with the seminar teacher so he "could see how it’s done." The team began walking and praying on the street leading into the church parking lot. After praying for several houses they came upon a man washing his car. The teacher said "Hi, we are from First Baptist and we are out praying for our community today. Is there anything we can pray for you about." The man looked puzzled but began a long string of prayer requests. As the team was writing furiously on the follow-up card, the pastor said, "sounds like you believe in the power of prayer. Are you a follower of Jesus or are you still in the process?" The man answered that he was still in the process but he sure would like to know for sure that he was saved! Fifteen minutes later he was! Be sure to record the decisions on the follow-up cards.
"Do not pray for easy lives, pray to be stronger men and women."
II. Reporting What God Has Done
Conclude the Prayer Journey with a brief reporting session.
A. Lead in sharing. Each person should share what the Lord did through the Prayer Journey. Note the new spiritual sensitivity and burden for the area and people. How was God’s power released through the on-sight prayer? What impressions did they receive about the neighborhoods? Name the contact’s prayer requests. How many persons were led to become Christians? What is the possible impact on the community and the church?
B. Important benefits. This can become a very important time in the life of the church. These reporting sessions are often positively electric in their observations, reports and sharing. Most of the time, there are specific suggestions and requests for ways to reach into the community and respond to things they have seen. Ministries that have begun after Prayer Journeys include Jesus video distribution, English as a Second Language, homeless ministries, job-training, day care programs for senior adults, after school programs and "mother’s morning out."
"Pretense in prayer is talking to humans, rather than God."
III. Follow-through on contacts and converts
The follow-through for Prayer Journeys concludes with the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus. Do not stop with one or two Prayer Journeys! Every target area for a Prayer Journey will result in conversions, rededications, and new congregations. Each church needs to be sure that every contact and every conversion from the Prayer Journey is nurtured into a relationship with a Sunday School class/Bible study and prayer group.
A. Great Commission Prayer Plan. The follow through should include reclaiming the entire church as a house of prayer with a passion for the lost. The next sessions show how to create a Great Commission Prayer Plan for the church.
B. Visitation. Plan follow-through visits with every new convert and everyone that gave the field team a prayer request. Follow-through includes sending evangelism teams to go door-to-door to harvest the ground covered in a season of prayer.
C. Jesus Video distribution. An excellent follow-up plan is to give a Jesus video to everyone in the community. This video has been used all over the world to help many people meet Jesus. For more information contact the Jesus video Project, 1-888-Jesus36 or visit www.jesusvideo.org.
D. Discipleship materials. Disciple the new converts with any of the excellent discipleship materials available. Two excellent follow-through materials for new believers are Beginning Steps: A Seven-day Growth Guide for New Believers from NAMB and Survival Kit for New Christians from Lifeway Christian Resources.
IV. Plan more Prayer Journeys
Most congregations that study the Guidebook will plan many more Prayer Journeys. These Journeys often happen with very little planning. A singles group in New Orleans had planned a rollerblading afternoon. One of the singles came to the seminar and prayer rollerblading was born!
A field team in New Orleans spoke to a woman as they began their Prayer Journey. The team briefly explained what they were doing and received a prayer request from her. At the end of the Prayer Journey the woman was sitting on her steps. She asked the team if they had prayed for every home on that street. When they answered yes she said "that is the sweetest thing I have ever seen." She talked with the team in depth as they answered her questions about faith in Christ and made an appointment for follow-up visits. One of the team members said "The Prayer Journey made a wonderful impression on that woman about the love of Jesus at work through our church." One of the field team came forward the following Sunday and accepted Christ!
"What God initiates, God completes."
V. Response Time: Pause briefly to discuss the evangelistic ministry that became evident. Many Prayer Journeyers are deeply affected by the homelessness, poverty, and violence that they see. Read Ephesians 3:20, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think…." Close in prayer for the communities that were covered. Pray for the new converts, the contacts made and the follow-through time.
"Strength in prayer is grounded in humility."
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