REVIEW OF “EVANGELISTIC PRAYER” by DR. J. KIE BOWMAN (2024)

At first glance, Evangelism and Prayer appear to be two different attributes of the Christian Life? Dr. J. Kie Bowman, in his latest book “EVANGELISTIC PRAYER” (PrayerShop Publishing, 2024) specifically, through the very words of Jesus Himself, how they not only intersect, but are two sides of the same coin.

 

The book, by Senior Pastor Emeritus of Hyde Park Baptist Church/the Quarries of Austin, Texas at first appears manageable enough to read in a single two or three-hour sitting. That would be selling yourself short. It took me a week to go through “Evangelistic Prayer”. It was not only because the author recommended using a pen and highlighter to read it. It is simply because of its richness’ its Biblical foundation and its many life changing illustrations in recent church history.

 

The eight (8) chapters of “Evangelistic Prayer” are chock full of
proactive points at the very end. These points or “PRAYER PROMPTS” as Dr. Bowman calls them, are tools which I would recommend for prayer huddles; prayer small groups or church prayer meetings at any and all times. Also, if you pick this book up and read it, as intended, and then allow the Holy Spirit to lead, you will find yourself becoming a regular user of the “MY PRAYER LIST” feature. Both tools are the end of each chapter. These are two enriching qualities of an excellent work by Pastor Bowman, who I know practiced what he preached (and wrote) at Hyde Park Church and elsewhere.

 

In January 2022, I started a twice-monthly prayer meeting at the oldest Baptist church in Illinois – Springfield First Baptist, where I began a long-running men’s bible study in 2012. We launched this prayer meeting with 5 people, where the hour or so was ordered with first praise and a hymn, before intentional intercession, to get into a routine. After three months, I handed it over to the new senior pastor of the Church. While it was structured with an opening hymn and praying through several psalms and portions of Scripture, it was when I introduced the One Cry Prayer Guide, from Byron Paulus, the meeting really grew in numbers.  It is now in Year 3 and flourishing. Not only can each individual, huddle, or prayer group do likewise but the “My Prayer List” can be enhanced by then going into the One Cry Guide (HERE)  to develop “evangelistic praying” for lost friends, family, communities, and a nation.

 

The main takeaways I got from this best little book I have read so far, in 2024 are these:

• Evangelism is Biblical and the Lord is willing that none should perish. We are the Hands and Feet of Jesus, so we must have a tremendous burden for the Lost…thereby sharing the good news with as many as possible. We can’t miss – the majority of mankind in this “Christian” are not born again.
• Evangelism cannot be successful without prayer. The Lord is sovereign and can lead us to a person but the most successful form of evangelism that lead the Lost to Christ, begins/continues and ends with prayer.
• Without a foundation of prayer, souls will not be saved and lives cannot be changed. I have personally been a part of three tent revivals. Along with my own preaching and music teams, I led two tent revivals (2015-2016) in Springfield, two years in a row and was part of another one in 2002 run by Life Action Ministries. Life Action Ministries have the best system – a non-stop prayer tent, with intercessors and where the 250 who got saved over those 18 days went, as they got saved. Dr. Bowman recounted similar type tent meetings in his “Evangelistic Prayer”

This review of Dr. Bowman’s “EVANGELISTIC PRAYER” began with a mention of the Words of Jesus as the underpinnings (in my humble view) of evangelistic prayer. Jesus gets the final words: "Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few, Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38) 

BUY DR. KIE BOWMAN’S BOOK HERE

PRAYER CONNECT MAGAZINE

ONE CRY WEBSITE

  

BOOK REVIEW: CITY OF PRAYER (2019)

AMERICA'S UNCEASING PRAYER MOVEMENT

There is only one major American city, of which it can be said, that it is completely blanketed in daily Prayer. On the surface,  Austin, Texas, whose motto is “Keep Austin Weird” may seem like the unlikeliest place for the most concentrated, sustained and focused city-wide movement of prayer in this great country.

Just as in the Third Great Awakening began with one man’s vision for prayer  (Jeremiah Lanphier), Austin’s decade old “Unceasing Prayer Movement” began when one man and his wife. Pastor Trey Kent of Northwest fellowship Church in Austin Texas, and his wife, Mary Anne,  were prayer-walking their neighborhood one night in February 2008. There, under a street lamp, the Holy Spirit gave Pastor Kent a clear vision for a 24/7 prayer movement, powered by many churches from the capitol city of Texas – Austin.

Thus began execution of this divine directive, which quickly evolved into what is now 100 churches of all races and denominations, praying for their city, their churches and the lost. They pray, literally, 24/7/365.  CITY OF PRAYER is the first document of its type to not just record the success of a growing grassroots movement, but the book provides a roadmap which can be, and has already been reproduced in the USA, with interest from other countries!

Written by Pastor Kent and Dr. Kie Bowman of Austin's Hyde Park Baptist Church, CITY OF PRAYER gives not just the history of what is now "The Unceasing Prayer Movement" and "Austin Prays", but also a brief primer on the great revivals and moves of God in the last 150 or so years. These Revivals/Awakenings began with and were fueled only by prayer. Some of the prayer movements of Scripture are also looked at, as a foundational to this book.

Chapters include such themes as: A Culture of Prayer; A People of Prayer; The People of Prayer; Launching 24/7 Prayer in Your City and the Results of Prayer. Without "spoiling the end", as "they" say, this group of churches fervently praying in Austin brought a direct answer from Heaven, which ended a terrible drought in Central Texas! 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE CITY OF PRAYER

The Chapter on "Launching Your Own 24/7 Prayer Movement in Your City" is of particular interest to me. I have been part of now five year old and on-going, intentional, twice per month noon prayer meeting of some local pastors and just anyone who loves to prayer. We had met for years on end from 2005 at the local HOP or House of Prayer run by a good brother of mine- Scott Beauchamp. However since relaunching in recent years, more and more prayer leaders are coming by on our lunch hours on the First and Third Tuesdays of each month to press in for transformation (personal and city wide), the church and everything else that comes up. We have pastors who are Bible churches; Baptist, Assembly of God, Nazarene, Apostolic, Non-denominational and others I have no idea where they go to church. All I know is they love Jesus and love to pray.

When I assumed leadership of the Annual National Day of Prayer event at the Illinois State Capitol, little did I know I was walking, as a prime target, into a blazing hot war. The Lord led me directly to this core group which were already in the infancy of our little city prayer group.  There is a living testimony as to the power of prayer to deliver, empower and embolden which I personally found in this group of praying men back in February 2006. I have never forgotten it as we move into Year 16 of facilitating the annual National Day of Prayer, and stay close to the flame of praying men and women of God, who are all about Jesus and the Holy Ghost. We may be growing very slowly, but there is something to persevering and pressing ahead, regardless, since our Audience is an Audience of One.

  

Almost every movement of God began with one man praying. The Third Great Awakening, the last great nationwide move of God in America, began in New York City in 1857 when one man with a vision for prayer – Jeremiah Lanphier. The first week Lanphier called a prayer meeting, no one showed up. But then on week, one other man showed up….and then more and more. The economic and socio-political conditions in the USA were not unlike those we have today.  Yet Revival spread like wildfire across the nation, leading to many millions saved and the gospel spreading like wildfire to the new American frontier! It laid the spiritual foundation which guided the nation through the devastating Civil War which followed very soon after the Awakening.

We are almost similar Civil War times, not with the Fort Sumters or Gettysburgs, but a civil war of Culture, Community and Church dysfunction. The only answer is the Praying Church. Get this book and let the Lord lead us to what He would have us do.

LINKS:

The PrayerShop

AUSTIN PRAYS

National Day of Prayer

EMPOWERED - A BOOK REVIEW

EMPOWERED - WHY WE NEED SPIRIT-FILLED CHURCHES, by Dr. Kie Bowman, Senior Pastor of Hyde Park Baptist Church (and the QUARRIES) of Austin, Texas is the best primer on the Holy Spirit, that I can remember reading. It comes in at 135 pages and I was able to read it through in just one night, it is such an interesting book.

Dr. Bowman does as masterful job in weaving a narrative direct from Scripture, in full context, while keeping the reader engaged through both some little known historical facts, as well as some personal humorous anecdotes.  Without giving away anything, all I can say is I have, myself, forgotten to put in a blank video tape in my camcorder one time, when I went to record one of my daughter's ballet dance recitals! Fortunately, there was a professional crew there too, and I was able to buy a copy. There I was recording all the angles, only to get home and find out I had not tape in the camcorder!

EMPOWERED will empower the Christian man or woman, of any stage of spiritual maturity, to be lifted to the next plateau of intimacy with the Savior, if we can just grasp the historical background of the Holy Spirit and how we can truly come into an effective prayer life, which will then enable that graduation to a higher plane. 

There are both practical steps, sometimes paralleled by the examples of the Early Church and how they prayed in tougher circumstances, than we experience today. Yet their ground-shaking prayer and evangelistic intercession led to a divine movement with over a billion Christians worldwide today. How did those early saints do it? They were filled with the Holy Spirit, remained "topped-off" and exploded from a sect in Jerusalem to take the world by storm.

Get your copy of EMPOWERED by Pastor Bowman, here. It is a great gift for the Resurrection Week ahead!

EMPOWERED is published by AUXANO PRESS.
Foreword by Dr. Ronnie Floyd, President of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee and the National Day of Prayer Task Force.