“To make intercession for men is the most powerful and practical way in which we can express our love for them.” – John Calvin
The By Name Initiative seeks to mobilize followers of Jesus for focused intercessory prayer on behalf of those who do not know Him. It is a six-week commitment to pray every day for at least one person by name asking for God’s saving and renewing grace to break into their life.
No one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. No one in the early church would have imagined that God’s grace would reach Saul of Tarsus, but God’s grace interrupted his life and rewrote his story. The one who had once tried to destroy the faith, began to proclaim it. The one who was the greatest opponent of Christianity became its greatest missionary. May we be armed with this conviction, make a commitment to pray every day for six weeks for at least one person by name, pleading for their salvation.
Part of being a disciple and making disciples is prayer for lost people and asking God to bring the kingdom of God to hearts were it does not currently reign. Not only do we pray as disciples, but we have been called to connect with lost people and to share the gospel with them. Our desire is that during this 6-week focus we would just begin and see what God does, but the desire is that this would continue in the DNA of our church as we seek to be disciples and make disciples.
Three Challenges:
Pray
Pray that God would lovingly break into people’s lives with saving and renewing grace.
Connect
Connect with people in friendship and care.
Share
Share the story of God’s saving grace in your life.
Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers. - Sidlow Baxter