"I didn't know God answered prayer so quickly!" the excited teenager exclaimed. Just one week after she had targeted her lost friend in a prayer triplet, her friend gave her life to the Lord.

One man felt impressed to place a lost woman named Jan on his list of three, a lady known for her sharp and biting tongue. Not long after, he met her on the street and blurted out that he was praying for her.

Two Sundays later, he was surprised to see Jan in church. After seeing her there, they met on the street again and Jan declared, "I've come through to the Lord."

Jan now openly witnesses to her friends, and the people around her ask, "What's happened to Jan? She's such a different person!"

Another prayer triplet prayed for a man who often drank and beat his wife. Six months after they started praying for him, he came home unexpectedly in the middle of the day, saying to his surprised wife, "I don't know what's happened to me. I can't work. When I realize the things I've done wrong in my life, I feel so rotten." After he burst into tears, he called a local pastor. Within a few days the man became a Christian, and never touched another drop of alcohol.

What do each of these three stories show? The impact of a prayer triplet.

THE PRAYER TRIPLET DEFINED

In a prayer triplet, you link with two other believers in your cell group. Each of you identifies three lost people you know in your area, creating a list of nine target unbelievers for whom you pray on a regular basis. Outside your regular cell meeting, you gather with your triplet partners for a joint time of prayer each week. You then spend time with target unbelievers, and later invite them to your cell meetings and to church services.

ARE PRAYER TRIPLETS BIBLICAL?

Joshua and the Israelites won the battle against the Amalekites after Moses, Aaron and Hur held up the staff, symbolizing prayer and intercession (Exodus 17:8-17). On the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James and John beheld the glory of Jesus, Moses and Elijah (Luke 9:28-35). While Solomon asserted that "a threefold cord is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:12b), Jesus Himself - one of the Divine Trinity - declared, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20).

These scriptures show prayer triplets to be a biblical and powerful way to reach the lost and defeat the enemy, with examples from modern day, well-known Christians.

HOW PRAYER TRIPLETS HAVE BEEN USED TODAY

Before Billy Graham arrived in England for his 1985 three month preaching tour, 30,000 prayer triplets were formed. Of that number, 3,500 saw one or more of those they targeted in prayer become Christians. A missions organization in India formed hundreds of prayer triplets leading to an evangelistic group termed a "discovery study." Through these triplets, they planted more than 600 churches in various areas of that country.

According to Dave Auda, coordinator of small groups in Los Angeles' Mosaic Church, since the mid 1980's they have adapted the use of prayer triplets into their groups with great success. Other congregations, like First Assembly in Lufkin, Texas combine prayer triplets with other evangelistic cell strategies. Convinced of the success of prayer triplets?

THREE KEYS TO SUCCESS

Simply forming prayer triplets in your cell group is not enough.

I have found three keys necessary to a successful prayer triplet.

1. Continually encourage and persist. When you decide to pray and reach out to the lost, the enemy of our souls is quick to discourage and distract you (see article "Paving the Road to Salvation" in the last issue of CellGroup Journal for ideas in praying specifically for the lost). The effective leader encourages others by being personally involved in a prayer triplet, by checking in with other triplets and by encouraging them to persist. Jesus followed this principle with His disciples. In Luke 18, He told them a parable "to show them that they should always pray and not give up."

2. Focus on relationship-building and celebrate small victories. Remind triplet partners that it is important to deepen relationships with one another during weekly times of prayer. Also highlight the importance of taking the time to develop relationships with the "target three." No "Bible bullets" need be shot at the lost; let times together be fun and relaxed! Salvation is much more than an event; it is a process of drawing ever closer to our God. When a targeted lost person makes any move toward to the Lord, it is time for the triplet to celebrate.

3. Coordinate a gathering for targeted unbelievers. Near the end of the third month together, plan a fun outreach or special cell meeting that is attractive to those you are targeting. Most find that good food has a strong appeal. Personally accompany those you've been targeting in prayer to the event, introducing them and knitting them into your group with as much fervor as possible. If you don't bring them to this event, they probably won't show up. Some groups have found it crucial to have two to three hours of joint prayer the week before the special event, asking God to further draw the targeted lost to Himself and to remove any spiritual hindrances.

FIVE STEPS TO EFFECTIVENESS

1. Identify your "target three." First, identify three lost people in your oikos (where you live, work, or go to school). These people will be friends, acquaintances, co-workers, employers, employees, neighbors, teachers or relatives.

2. Identify your triplet partners. Triplet partners are two believers in your cell who you know and trust. Most groups who form triplets prefer that they be of the same gender. As you form your triplet, remember that each partner should have three target lost people with a combined list of nine lost people. Agree to form triplets for a minimum of three months, committing to another three months at the conclusion of the first cycle.

3. Pray daily as an individual and weekly as a triplet. In your individual devotions, pray daily for the needs and salvation of the nine people your triplet is targeting. Weekly, come together with your triplet partners for a joint time of prayer for the salvation of your targeted lost, usually 10-15 minutes before or after the cell group meeting (some even have triplet prayer during the cell meeting). Be sure to share any insights or progress with your triplet partners; this will help your partners pray more specifically.

4. Spend time developing relationships with your "target three." After you have bathed your target three (and the other six targeted by triplet partners) in prayer, it is time to put feet to your prayers. Spend one hour each week developing a relationship with one of your target three, doing something you mutually enjoy. Take him or her out to lunch. Watch a decent movie or sports event together. Remember, this is not time to be religious, but simply to develop relationship and trust, allowing the Holy Spirit to work.

5. Invite! Near the end of the three months, invite your "target three" to a regular cell group meeting, or to a special event planned by your cell or church. Remember to accompany that person or persons. This will make them comfortable and knit them into the life of your cell and church as soon as possible.

WANT TO FOCUS ON THE LOST?

Consider forming prayer triplets in your cell. They are biblical and proven to work in any culture. May you then join with one excited teenager exclaiming, "I didn't know God answered prayer so quickly!"

Cell Group Journal