We can bring the Great Commission to our radar not by seeing it as a project but by seeing it as people. Who are five people in your neighborhood who need Jesus Christ?  These can range from militant atheists, to the religiously disinterested, to those vaguely spiritual, to the seekers who seem not far from the kingdom.

“Great Ceasar’s ghost!” That was one of my grandfather’s favorite expressions.  Most of us have certain pet phrases and ways of saying things that others recognize in our discourse.

One friend of mine in campus ministry frequently used an expression to describe responsibilities or intent.  He would say, “It’s on my radar.”  In other words, it was something he was aware of.

I like that phrase, “on my radar,” and use it myself sometimes.  It says that something is a target of my attention.  Like the sweeping wand of the radar screen, every time I take stock of the landscape of my life, that item shows up.

Our Lord Jesus has told us that we are His gospel witnesses, commissioned with the good news of salvation in Him, seeking those around us for the sake of His kingdom.  Often, however, we neglect to seek others. We forget that in the comings and goings of everyday life we are representatives of Christ and ambassadors of the gospel.

How do we get this calling from our Lord on our radar?

One way is through putting a face to it, or better, faces.  What people in your neighborhood do you personally know who need salvation through Jesus Christ?  I’m thinking of those you don’t just know about, but those with whom you’ve had sufficient degree of contact to know them in a more significant way.

What are their names? The Bible deals in names. It speaks of names written in the book of life. Jesus calls His sheep by name. He knows their name.  He speaks of the dead hearing His voice as the Son of God; those who hear will live (John 5:25).  We see that dramatized at the tomb of Lazarus in John 11. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead He did so by calling him by name: “Lazarus, come out.” By the Spirit’s life-giving power, Lazarus heard the voice of Christ and came out to follow Jesus.

We can bring the Great Commission to our radar not by seeing it as a project but by seeing it as people.

Who are five people in your neighborhood who need Jesus Christ?  These can range from militant atheists, to the religiously disinterested, to those vaguely spiritual, to the seekers who seem not far from the kingdom.

Write down their names. Pray for them by name daily.

What do you pray?  You might start by praying for their needs, not just salvation but whatever need you are aware.  If they are going through marriage struggles, pray for that. If you know of car troubles, pray for that. If they are dealing with depression, pray for that.  But be sure to pray that that the Spirit of God will give them ears to hear the voice of Christ, and upon hearing they will trust in Him for eternal life.

Praying for people puts them on our radar.  It also puts them in our heart.

(If you’d like to know more about targeting people for evangelistic prayer through life-sphere mapping, click here to learn of my Community Houses of Prayer ministry that mobilizes Christ’s disciples for obedience to the Great Commission through evangelistic prayer.)

Stan Gale is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America, and is the author of the newly released book, A Vine-Ripened Life: Spiritual Fruitfulness through Abiding in Christ. This article appeared on his blog and is used with permission.