By Shawn McMullen

 At the beginning of this decade, a 10-year venture known as Restoration Revolution was launched to unite Christians around the world in prayer for the lost. Key elements of the prayer initiative are expressed in the acronym ACTS: Almighty (seeking God’s direction and provision for reaching the lost around the world); Churches (launching local and international church planting movements); Tools (asking God to provide the technology and financial resources needed to take Christ to the nations); and Servants (seeking God’s help to identify, equip, and deploy thousands of new kingdom workers).

Because this great, global effort depends on God for its success, a prayer initiative within a prayer initiative emerged. “Light the Fire” was conceived to promote Christ-centered, mission-minded prayer in individuals and churches around the world, paving the way for an unending season of prayer (day and night) from December 31, 2010 through December 31, 2020. Light the Fire challenges churches, college campuses, and mission organizations to schedule weekly periods of nonstop prayer to seek God’s assistance in finishing the task of global evangelization.

Light the Fire is more than a program or an event; it can be the start of an ongoing lifestyle of prayer for the glory of God that transforms people, churches, college campuses, and organizations around the world as they intercede for lost neighbors and nations.

Groups that participate in Light the Fire will be asked to select a week during the year to organize a 24/7 prayer vigil for global evangelism, encouraging participants to commit to one or more time slots during the week and devote that time to prayer.

Host ministries are encouraged to provide a prayer room for participants—a quiet, comfortable area free from distractions and easily accessible. Many churches and ministry groups that have participated in Light the Fire have created warm and inviting areas that encourage prayer, reflection, and the reading of God’s Word.

Several months ago, the church I serve hosted a 24/7 Light the Fire prayer campaign. It not only awakened a passion in our people for lost souls around the world, it awakened a passion for prayer itself. Members of our church said their participation in the prayer vigil changed the way they look at prayer and encouraged them to be more faithful in prayer. 

Perhaps your church, campus, or organization will catch the vision and conduct a Light the Fire prayer campaign this year. If you would like to learn more, go to www.restorationrevoultion.org. You can sign up at the site, download the Light the Fire 24/7 planning guide, find suggestions for setting up your prayer room, read daily prayer devotionals, and follow the path of the “prayer torch” as it moves from church to church, campus to campus, and even nation to nation. You’ll also read encouraging testimonies from individuals and churches that have participated.

You can help fulfill the mandate of the Great Commission by participating in a Light the Fire prayer campaign, uniting with Christians around the world to “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:38).