Featured Should Christians Pray for the Lost?

[Rom 10:1 ESV] 1 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.
[Rom 10:1 KJV] 1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

I agree, we should for God's elected people, the Jews. Additionally, Christians should for God's elect among the Gentiles.

Christ set the rules for who we should pray for. I read somewhere..oh yes, here it is:
[Jhn 17:9 KJV] 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

 

Two things. John 17 was not to be an example of who we were to pray for. That is a very specific and special prayer. That being said, you just destroyed your own argument that we are to pray for the elect. WE DON'T KNOW WHO THAT IS. We should pray for all. Paul prayed for all Jews, not all Jews are elect.

 

I am confident in following the example set by Christ. What scripture supports your opinion that we are not to pray as Jesus prayed? I would be defying His teaching if I prayed for the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself to Satan's children.

Many new testament scripture says that Christians are to have no contact or interaction with reprobates in our midst.

2Jo 1:10 KJV - If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into [your] house, neither bid him God speed:

1Ti 6:3 KJV - If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, [even] the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
1Ti 6:4 KJV - He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
1Ti 6:5 KJV - Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

Receive him not, withdraw thyself. How do you justify praying for him?


Am I to assume you would
I pray for the elect of God "... for them which thou hast given me..." who identify as His children.

 

We already know you are a hypercalvinist which is not biblica. Sorry. I will continue to pray for the lost as we are exampled in Scripture. Jesus also prayed for the lost on the cross by the way. Will you follow that example?

 

Execute the messenger! I am disappointed that you did not put a more challenging argument.

[Rev 12:9 ESV] 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

We disagree on this issue, but I have benefited from you opinion on other issues and look forward to gaining insight from you in the future.


Be blessed and stay safe.

 

No one said you prayed for non-believers to be put into His kingdom.

The missing element, in my opinion, is "how are we to pray for the lost?" Certainly we see from the above we are to pray our governmental authority allows us to live in peace as we act as ambassadors of Christ in the ministry of reconciliation. And we are to pray for more labors, which would include that we train more believers to serve Christ, and pray that our mentoring yields productive fruit.

But are we to pray God will put non-believers into His kingdom? Nope. Our prayers should focus on being effective witnesses, and enabling others to be effective witnesses. Or so it seems to me.

We are to pray that God would help us to effective ambassadors of Christ with the ministry of reconciliation, not pray that God would do what He has promised to do.

 

I agree, to an extent.
But I know of no Scripture that commands believers to pray for the salvation of those who are not saved.

I know of several that tell us to pray for them for various reasons, and I know of at least two places that a believer ( Paul ) made the express confession that he wished a person or group of people would be saved.
I share his sentiments and my heart wishes for people who do not know the Lord, that they come to know Him.

But I also know that it is God who does the saving, not me ( Romans 9:14-18 ), and that my wishes and desires have absolutely nothing to do, ultimately, with whether God saves a person ( John 1:13 ).


Also, whether or not you were taught to do so is, to me, not enough of a concrete reason to do something.
What does God's word explicitly command us to do?

That is what we should do.

 

I sympathize with your feelings, Scarlett.

It's part of the reason I no longer "go to church", but simply find another believer in Christ and fellowship with them quietly on the weekends.
It keeps things simple and manageable, and knowing what I do about our flesh and its desire to war with everything, I avoid groups and in-person complications as much as possible.

I see the way things go on this forum in the middle of the disagreements, and I'm very disheartened myself.
But sitting behind a keyboard makes it far more manageable.

Behind a keyboard, I can get up and walk away for weeks, if I like.
In the local church setting, I can't do that and have meaningful fellowship with others at the same time.
So, rather than waiting for the inevitable disagreements many years ago when I came to some important observations about Scripture, I simply made the decision to vanish and let the people who I knew would continually like to argue with ( and even ridicule ) me about my beliefs and convictions, move on with their lives... while I never again graced theirs for any reason whatsoever.

I left knowing full well that if I ever saw them again, their treatment of me would never be any different than it would have been had I given things a chance to "work themselves out".
It's a lot like this forum...

There are people here that will never change, no matter what Scriptures about Christian conduct are put in front of them...
Then there are some that do take Scriptural correction about their behavior, and they do so repentantly.

But I take heart that there is one very useful difference between in-person and a place like this...

With this forum I can use the "ignore" feature and still come to the same place and comment on things with people who don't want to always fight with me, and I don't have to see the comments of people who only reply to me because they're interested in a fight.
I can't do that with a group of people in person.


I wish you well.

 

You cannot be in agreement with God and forsake the weekly gatherings of the local assembly!

 

I agree.

[Heb 10:25 KJV] 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

I have been pondering on this verse since the "lock down".

Are the assemblies defying the order by continuing to hold Sunday services setting the proper example?

Some are staying in their cars in Church parking lots. Does that sufficient?

How about the emphases on greeting one another?

[Rom 16:16 KJV] 16 Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.
[1Co 16:20 KJV] 20 All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss.
[2Co 13:12 KJV] 12 Greet one another with an holy kiss.
[1Th 5:26 KJV] 26 Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.

We can not greet one another in this manner being 6ft. apart!!

If I defy the authorities, am I testing God?

[2Ti 3:1 KJV] 1 This know also, that in the last days perilous[G5467] times shall come.

Strong's G5467 in the following manner: fierce, perilous.

I. hard to do, to take, to approach

II. hard to bear, troublesome, dangerous

A. harsh, fierce, savage

As time goes on, I am more convinced the end times are here or very close at hand.

Be blessed and stay safe.

 

I'm not ...
I assemble together every week with another believer.

As far as I can determine, I'm in complete agreement with Him.
If I were forsaking the assembling together, I would be avoiding everyone who professes Christ and keeping completely to myself.

 

Your definition of an assembly is two people.

That's quite a novel way of justifying not going to church.

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Being in the Reformed camp I understand what certain Reformed folks mean when they say we are not to pray for the lost. Many of them are referring to the reprobate who are going to die in their sins. The problem with that view is that it assumes the knowledge of something that only God possesses. God saves from even the most heinous sin.

As far as why Calvinists pray to God to save the lost, that is wholly consistent with Reformed soteriology. God must assault the will of the sinner because the sinner is unwilling and unable to come to God. Yes. Only the Elect will respond to the gospel, but we don't know who the Elect are. Also, prayer is more for our benefit, not God's. When we pray we are aligning our will and our thoughts with God's. Even Jesus prayed for the Father's will to be done, not his (although Jesus, being God, was acquiescing to the order of the Godhead). When we pray for God to save Tom or Sarah, do we really think God's will is dependent on our prayers? What exactly is the Arminian asking God to do when he prays for a person's salvation? Isn't he asking God to violate their free will? If the Arminian is being theologically honest, he cannot make the prayer. At best, all he can ask is for God to allow the person being prayed for to hear the gospel.

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46 verses later he says they all will be, no?

 

You misuse Christs prayer. You apply it in a way that dies not fit the context. Christ never said we should not pray for the lost. He did say at that moment He was not.

Romans 10:1 and acts 26:18

Speak of praying for the lost.

 

I wpiuld say meeting on Facebook week;y for full services suffice for now!

 

The local assembly of thre church is usually far more than 2!

 

We should absolutely pray for the lost. The lost, according to Jesus parable of the lost sheep, are redeemed sheep who have wandered away. Jesus will hunt them down and bring them safely back. When we are lost, may our brothers and sisters pray for us.
Now, for those who are dead in sin, we pray that God might use us as an instrument to plant seeds or water so that God might cause his chosen seeds to germinate and go from death to life.
We have no idea which seeds will actually germinate, but we pray that God might use us in his process, just as God used a Christian in our lives to plant and water us.

 

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. Lu 18

...like more folks are gonna burn in hell for all eternity ( which your pea brain nor mine can comprehend) because of us slacking soul winners.

That's what you really mean isn't it Scarlett, @Reynolds , @InTheLight ? The bottom line is us Monergists are sending folks to hell, right? And you free willers are actively sending folks to heaven, right?

The entire evangelical scheme is built upon the Church's mission is to populate heaven.

 

28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Mt 11

'My burden is light'. The burden that Christ has put upon His people is light. But, the burden that evangelicals like @Scarlett O., @Reynolds, @InTheLight put upon us is that folks will burn in hell for eternity (which, again, our pea brains are incapable of comprehending) if we slack in soul winning is impossible to bear.

There could be no heavier burden put upon us than to be responsible for the eternal destiny of others.

Even the yoke of the Mosaic law carried no such burden.