I went to a conference last weekend to learn more about ways to evangelize the lost from a perspective that many of us may be unfamiliar with or have had limited exposure to methods that are outside the normal, more traditional methods. I have gone door to door, participated in street meetings, given out tracts, and have been involved in stadium events as well as local church revivals over many years. I try to keep my heart in a place, no matter where I am, to be sensitive to those I am around – like a cashier or another kind of employee where I happen to be.

Some years ago I participated in a local outreach here in Thomasville that taught us a unique method to reach out to individuals, not just for salvation, but any need they might have. Small teams were assigned to pray together and ask the Lord for a “word of knowledge” (1 Corinthians 12:8) for an individual. We would compile our words together – three or four unique words – like the color of the person’s top, male or female, a physical need, even a name, etc. We prayed to see if these words were for one individual or several. The method we were using was called a “treasure hunt.” We were looking for the individual or individuals that fit these words of knowledge by asking the Lord where to go. We were all in training and most of us were unfamiliar with this method of evangelism but we saw some amazing results! Yes, people that fit those words of knowledge were real people and when one of us on the team (usually 2-4 individuals) would approach them and share what we were doing and ask permission to “practice” on them, they would say yes. They were more open to hearing what we had to say because they knew God had highlighted them specifically, showing His amazing love for them as an individual. Many of them who did not have a personal salvation experience were open to receiving Jesus as their Savior.

At the conference last weekend several of the speakers were young evangelists who used this unique gift regularly and had fine-tuned their ability to hear from God for an individual as well as fulfilling their role as an evangelist.  They shared some pretty amazing stories with us to encourage us to step out in faith and listen to the Holy Spirit for someone else in the conference room. Many of the words of knowledge were health-related and there were many testimonies of healing from pain and other health-related issues (hearing restored, eyesight improved, etc.)

For years much of the church has prayed for individuals using the phrase “if it be Thy will.” I addressed this a few weeks ago so will not try to do so in this article. God uses surgery, medicine, and doctors all the time to help people restore their health but sometimes the Lord just wants to do it supernaturally, where He gets all the glory and credit for the healing! I love that! I love that our Mighty God is Jehovah Rapha – the Lord who heals. There are still many unknowns and mysteries around the whole topic of divine healing, but we have a very loving God who came as our Savior to restore our souls and spirits and also to heal our bodies. (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24, Psalm 107:8, Acts 10:38)

My focus today is on evangelism and using one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit to open up people’s hearts to His love. The gospel is good news and it is powerful. Bringing people out of darkness and into His marvelous light is something every single believer should desire to do and can do successfully. Although I am not a shy person it is still a little uncomfortable for me to walk up to a stranger and tell them that God loves them and has an amazing plan for their life and then tell them something that disarms them (a word of knowledge) and opens their heart to hear the gospel.

Are you prepared to share the Good News with someone you don’t know or barely know? There have been many leaders from many different denominations who feel like we are in the season for the end-time harvest that will be far greater than anything we have experienced up until now. There have been several “Great Awakenings” since the United States became a nation and the time leading up to that awakening was very dark and evil. We are in another similar time now. People in every age group are searching for meaning in life. They are looking in a lot of different places that will never fulfill that longing and desire for significance. It seems like there is no limit to the things people will try to find peace and happiness.

I am reminded of one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, Psalm 139. Let me quote a few verses for you from The Passion Translation. “Lord, you know everything there is to know about me. You perceive every movement of my heart and soul, and you understand my every thought before it even enters my mind.” (verses 1-2) “You are so intimately aware of me, Lord. You read my heart like an open book and you know all the words I am about to speak before I even start a sentence. You know every step I will take before my journey ever begins.”(verses 3-4) “Wherever I go, your hand will guide me; your strength will empower me.” (verse 10) “You saw who you created me to be before I became me! Before I’d ever seen the light of day, the number of days you planned for me were already recorded in your book.” (verse 16) “Every single moment you are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider that you cherish me constantly in your every thought! O God, your desires toward me are more than the grains of sand on every shore! When I awake each morning, you’re still with me.” (verses 17-18)

If Almighty God is that crazy about each one of us, is there any doubt that He might share a few of His thoughts with us for one of our brothers or sisters who need encouragement or one of His lost sheep who needs to find the Way? When we love God with all of our hearts, we will love people like He does. And when He can trust us with one of His secrets and ask us to represent Him to another one of His beloved sons or daughters He will tell us things about them that will make them aware just how much He loves them and cares for every detail of their lives.

I am asking God to make me bolder and more loving when it comes to other people. Can He trust you to represent Him to another person by sharing a detail from their life that will open the door for you to share His love with them?