Just before Jesus ascended back to heaven, He gave His disciples a very important command. We call it the Great Commission. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen (Matthew 28:19-20). His disciples are made through the preaching of the gospel (Acts 14:21-23). Those who believe He is the Son of God, and trust in His death and resurrection as their only hope of salvation become His disciples, and inherit eternal life. Jesus spoke of the gathering of these disciples from all the nations in many ways. As the great shepherd He said that His sheep would hear His voice, follow Him, and He would give them eternal life (John 10:27-28). He also spoke of it in terms of fishing. Jesus told His apostles that He would make them fishers of men (Mat.4:19). Jesus also promised to build His church probably indicating that those He gathered would be stones in that building (Mat.16:18, cp. 1Pet.2:4-5). Jesus also referred to gathering His disciples in terms of harvesting crops. He told us that since the harvest was plentiful, we must “pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Mat.9:37-38).
Prayer is important to the accomplishment of the Great Commission. We ought to pray for one another that God would use us in the harvest of souls for eternal life! The apostle Paul sure thought prayer important as he sought to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ! “At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison” (Colossians 4:3).
“Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6:19).