{"id":13063,"date":"2024-08-20T16:44:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-20T21:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/?p=13063"},"modified":"2024-08-20T16:44:04","modified_gmt":"2024-08-20T21:44:04","slug":"this-one-question-opens-hearts-to-the-gospel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/2024\/08\/this-one-question-opens-hearts-to-the-gospel\/","title":{"rendered":"This One Question Opens Hearts to the Gospel"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Over and over I\u2019ve seen one simple question open people\u2019s hearts to hear the gospel. Until I asked this question, they showed no interest in spiritual matters. But then after six words\u2014only seventeen letters in English\u2014I\u2019ve seen people suddenly begin to weep and their resistance fall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question: \u201cHow can I pray for you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This may not seem like such a powerful question to you. Perhaps that\u2019s because you hear it, or a question like it, quite often. Your Bible study group or your church prayer meeting asks for prayer requests every week. You may even see requests for prayer solicited each Sunday morning in the worship bulletin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most people in the world never hear such a question. So when you ask, \u201cHow can I pray for you?\u201d and it\u2019s obvious that you\u2019re asking out of love alone, it can touch a person more deeply than you imagine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This question is similar to one that Jesus Himself sometimes asked: \u201cWhat do you want me to do for you?\u201d (Matthew 20:32). For what we are really asking is, \u201cWhat do you want me to ask Jesus to do for you?\u201d And by means of this question, we can show the love of Christ to people and open hearts previously closed to the gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a short, easily remembered question. You can use it with longtime friends or with people you\u2019ve just met. It doesn\u2019t seem too personal or pushy for those who\u2019d rather give you a shallow answer just now, and yet it often leads to a full hearing of the gospel. You can ask it of people nearly every time you speak with them and it doesn\u2019t get old. Just simply and sincerely ask, \u201cHow can I pray for you?\u201d You\u2019ll be surprised at the results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DONALD WHITNEY<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Don Whitney<\/strong>\u00a0holds the John H. Powell Endowed Chair of Pastoral Ministry at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he is professor of biblical spirituality and the director of the Center for Biblical Spirituality. He is the author of several books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Donald S. Whitney<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over and over I\u2019ve seen one simple question open people\u2019s hearts to hear the gospel. Until I asked this question, they showed no interest in spiritual matters. But then after six words\u2014only seventeen letters in English\u2014I\u2019ve seen people suddenly begin … <\/p>\n

Read moreThis One Question Opens Hearts to the Gospel<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":13069,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":""},"categories":[3,7],"tags":[629,402,464],"yoast_head":"\nThis One Question Opens Hearts to the Gospel - The Disciplemaker<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/2024\/08\/this-one-question-opens-hearts-to-the-gospel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This One Question Opens Hearts to the Gospel - The Disciplemaker\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Over and over I\u2019ve seen one simple question open people\u2019s hearts to hear the gospel. 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