We always had large gardens on the farm when I was a kid, which meant we had lots of potatoes, beans, corn, peas, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, cucumbers, etc. There was plenty of food and it was good. Potatoes were stored under the house for winter (they last longer in a dark and dry place), beans and tomatoes were canned (I still love tomato juice), cabbage was made into kraut, and corn was either canned or frozen.

Of course there was a lot of work involved in the whole process. It began before we planted anything. One of the first things we did was put manure on the gardens. Dry manure from the barn was spread over the whole garden, while manure from chicken coop was used in the lettuce bed. Nature’s own nutrients made everything grow better.

I hated gathering and spreading that chicken manure. It smelled awful. But the lettuce bed always did better because of it.

I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ m writing about manure. Well it is because manure was our natural fertilizer that made what we planted grow better.

In evangelism, that necessary ingredient is prayer. It unleashes the power of God before we say anything to anyone about Jesus or church.

Prayer doesn’t smell like manure does, but for whatever reason it is something we don’t do very much. Even when we do pray, it tends to be for people who are sick or needing a job or struggling with a marriage. All those situations need our prayers. But so do lost people.

Praying by name for lost people prepares the soil of their heart for the seed of God’s word. Sunday School teachers who pray for lost people in their class will discover their teaching has more impact. Christians who pray for their lost neighbors will discover that more of them will accept their invitation to attend church. On and on I could go because the principle is the same in all situations. Prayer prepares the way.

Next Friday night (June 15) is our OUTCAST BMX evangelistic event. July 1 is our annual Celebration of Freedom. Both are great opportunities to invite lost people to attend. Pray every day for the persons you are inviting. Fertilize the soil if you will. It makes a difference.

Pastor Steve Hogg