Bethel School of Supernatural Evangelism Part 2

Art.  Prophetic art no less.  This session I thought would be of minimal usage as far as reaching people I didn’t even know.  I use prophetic art all the time, but it usually consists of a stick man with an arrow pointing to the part of the body that needs prayer or to help me find that person. It could be a picture of a bird that might be on their shirt.  It had never even entered my mind to make some art to give to a person as a way for them to have an encounter with God.  But that’s what we did.

We used a blank paper and some colored pencils and let Holy Spirit direct us to draw a picture first for ourselves and then another picture we were to give to someone in the community.  I want you to know that my “art” sucks.  Anyway, how was I going to find this person to give them this art anyway?  There’s no way this was going to work.

My work of art consisted of some bars and the word “Jail” and a bunch of $$$$$$$$$$$ in the jail cell.  I was a picture of someone’s financial difficulties.  On the back of the “art” I wrote that God was their provider and that He owned the earth and all the gold.  He would take care of the person that trusts and seeks Him.  I went out that day with my sister Terry and her husband Roger.  Terry drew a picture of a multi-colored heart.  It was supposed to be the heart of the person with the blood of Jesus touching it and some other symbolism.  Roger’s art was so ugly that our new friend Andrew said there was no way he could give it to anyone.  He told him it kind of looked like two stick men with boobs.  The boobs were really little hearts, the heart of Father God to the heart of the person that was to receive the “art”.

Off we went for dinner. Terry wanted soup for dinner and Roger was determined to find a place that served good soup, not something out of a can. We drove around looking for a place that might serve good soup and finally decided to travel to the local casino. They had a restaurant and we thought we might find someone there to give our “art” to. We left the GPS unit in the room, missed the exit off of the freeway and ended up in the town of Red Bluff, about 15 miles south. Time was getting short so we found a nice little restaurant downtown to get some soup. After being seated, Roger felt that our waitress was the person God wanted to bless and that I was to give her my jail art.

After ordering our food, I asked her if my $$$ in jail art meant anything to her. Right in front of us, she started to cry. We offered to pray for her when she had a little time between customers. We believed that all three pieces of our art was for this young woman. She came back for prayer and we explained what we believed our art meant. We were in the middle of a Holy Spirit led encounter. The love of God had led us to a strange town to bless this one person that He loves. We left her a huge tip, gave her our inspired art, directions to some churches in Redding and left for the evening session at the conference.

PS   The soup was excellent!

Bethel School of Supernatural Evangelism

There is no way I can possibly communicate what I just experienced this last week. Three of us traveled to Bethel Church in Redding, CA, to attend their “School Of Supernatural Evangelism”. It was a four day school and the meetings lasted all day and a good part of the night. The students were from 20 to 73 years old, men and women, from 14 different countries, and 28 states. The only thing we had in common was a hunger to get closer to the King and His kingdom. To say I was impacted by what was presented to us would be an understatement. I discovered that on an individual level, there is no need to pray and ask God for revival; revival is already here, to those who want it.

Chris Overstreet led, stretched, pulled and pushed us deeper into God’s kingdom. The speakers included Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton, Kevin Dedmon and many others. All of them painted a different picture of bringing a supernatural encounter to those around us. They showed us that we are a partner with Holy Spirit, kind of like a physician’s assistant. Where we go, Holy Spirit goes. For many, Holy Spirit is trapped in unbelieving, believers. Many in the church are waiting on God, but God is waiting on them. But the number one thing I received from this school is this: LOVE! Everything I do must be motivated by love. Ministry is 5% gifting and 95% love. Chris Overstreet said it best, “No love, no Dove”. I’ll let you figure that one out :-)

Three of the people I met during the conference were from Tasmania, Australia. I will always remember these guys. They were awesome! We hung out quite a bit and I got to go on a couple of “Treasure Hunts” with them during the week. I will share one of these with you.

The lunch and dinner breaks were the most important part of the school because during these times we went out into the community to practice what they had just taught us. On our lunch break on day I got to team up with Pastor Shen, Andrew, and Alan. We had the clues of “Walmart” and “fast food restaurant”. We went to the local Walmart. We split up into two teams. Shen and Alan going one way, Andrew and I the other. Our two teams prayed for 8 people during the short time we were in the store.

Here is what happened. I spotted a women with a bad limp so we followed her across the whole store to the area in front of all the checkout stands. I shared with her what we doing and asked her if a name that started with M--- meant anything to her? She said yes, her young son that was with her was named “Matt”. We also had the name Jacob and another name that started with a J. They were the names of her father and husband. We also asked her if she had something going on in the area of her hip (clue). She told us that her hip was broken (cracked bone) and she needed surgery but had no money.  She agreed to let us pray for her. She let us lay our hands on her and we commanded healing to come into her hip.  All the pain left!  I had just witnessed a miracle right in front of my eyes. This woman was in desperate condition. Her husband only had one arm and couldn’t work. I believe they were living with other family members. Then something happened that wreaked me. My partner Andrew asked her if she had a handkerchief. He believed that if we prayed over it and she lay it on her husband’s missing arm, it would grow out. I was stunned. I stood there feeling like an unbelieving believer even after what I had just witnessed. Andrew’s faith had risen to a higher level. That moment struck me. It’s not about me. Only Holy Spirit in me can do anything anyway. Nothing is impossible with God, nothing. We did have some small papers with the names of some local churches that I had picked up from the conference. We prayed over the paper and gave it to the lady to put on her husband’s arm. If the city of Redding is shocked to hear the story of a man’s arm growing out, it was because of a man named Andrew putting a draw on the kingdom of God.

Then there was the young man and his daughter. We had clues of a black/white hat and bike. He was next to the bike rack, wearing a black and white ball cap. We prayed and Andrew prophesied over him.

Next we went to the cookie isle (clue of cookies) and I could see her from a distance. She was in a motorized cart and I knew what was wrong with her. I had received a word of knowledge (clue) of M.S.  Andrew and I approached her and she was right next to the Oreo cookies. We told her she was on our treasure map. I asked her if she had M.S. and she said “yes”. She let us pray for her and share the Father’s love for her. She didn’t get out of the motorized cart but she did have had an encounter with Daddy God. Wow God!

We then met up with Allan and Shen and walked over to the McDonald’s to get a quick lunch before we had to hurry back for the next session. While waiting for our food I noticed a man sitting alone next to the window. He didn’t fit any of our clues other than the clue of “fast food restaurant”. I noticed he was a Vietnam vet by the emblem on his ball cap. I am a Vietnam vet as well. I kept looking at him, would look away, then back to him. I seemed to be drawn to him. Oh what the heck, go for it. I approached him and asked him about his time in Nam and shared a little about mine. Then I asked him if he had anything I could pray for him about, like pain in his body or anything else. He said he had a rotation cuff problem in his left shoulder, was in pain and couldn’t raise his arm without getting a sharp pain in his shoulder. He let me lay my hands on his shoulder. I prayed twice and had him check it out each time. He then raised him arm and moved it around without any pain. God had just healed him in McDonald’s and we got to partner with Holy Spirit in the process. Awesome!

We were eating our lunch when a man approached us at our table. He said “I saw what you did”. I thought that we were going to get kicked out of the store. It turned out that the man was a pastor from another city. He asked us if we were from Bethel Church. We told him that we were just attending a Bethel conference but were not members of the church. He was impressed that we actually prayed for people outside of the church building. He thanked us. I pray that he will take what he saw back to his congregation.

That was one treasure hunt. During the conference, we did this kind of outreach usually twice a day. I will post additional updates soon.

Dec 6, 2009 Treasure Hunt Testimony

David, thank you for taking me treasure hunting last Sunday (December 6). It was totally awe inspiring. I’ve always prayed for people (usually when they ask), and I know they’ve been touched. I’ve seen miracles like that on TV before, but never up close and personal. The look on that mans face when you laid hands on his right leg, his jaw about hit the floor. His eyes were wide open with tears running down his face. He could hardly stand still. He was laughing and crying at the same time. When he looked down to see what kind of heating device you were putting on his leg, (because it was so hot), I thought oh boy this is it, the big one, and it was. After you prayed for him he was flexing and bending joints and muscles that he couldn’t flex and bend since having that bomb blow up by him in Iraq. I agree that shrapnel is gone. I can still hear his voice in my mind. When he yelled to his wife (who also looked awe struck or maybe dumbfounded), Honey!! Can you believe this? I could never do this before!!! Do you believe this! Thank God!!! Thank you! Thank you! Merry Christmas!!!! Dave, I know I’m leaving out many of the other details, but I know that this was the most spectacular miracle (other than my own personal miracle) that I’ve ever seen with my own eyes. Now I pray for people all the time. At work this week I prayed for 5 people expecting and believing for the big one. The one like I saw last Sunday.

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let’s do it again!

 

 

Hi Dave,

I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity of going treasure hunting with you and your sister last Sunday.  Wow….

To recap what happened-I just still cannot believe the look on the Navy Seals face as you prayed for him-and his wife too. She was touched too, by the holy hand of God.  I love that Jesus healed them in Walmart, It is so awesome and truly a faith builder.   As you laid your hand on his Knee, he had a look of shock and asked what you put on his knee!!  You said just my hand and that Jesus was touching him, healing him…. and he began to cry and laugh at the same time. I will always treasure the joy that the young man and his wife had for our Jesus healing them. (Her back was healed too……… praise God).

All the families we prayed for Sunday were precious, and each time we prayed God was right there blessing them. 

Just call me and let me know when you’re going …………. I will be there as fast as I can get there ……

God Bless, Debbie

Treasure Hunting Declaration

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

"These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues, … they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

…but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Kennewick, and in all Richland and Pasco, and even to the remotest part of Finley."

He has committed to us the word of reconciliation, therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ…because as He is, so also are we in this world.

Jesus says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.

And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.

and our message and our preaching are not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, … for the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power.

For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the people by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Kennewick and round about as far as Benton City I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

Now, Lord, … enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

What is Treasure Hunting

Treasure Hunting is supernatural evangelism. The “treasure” are people God wants to touch. We seek God’s direction through prayer and listening to His still small voice. Then we write down the clues He gives (words of knowledge). We seek Him for locations, descriptions of the people, names, prayer needs they might have, and anything unusual we need to find them. We then take these clues and search out God's hidden treasure.

The treasure gets to encounter the living God through His people with the result many are saved, healed, delivered, and encouraged. As a side benefit, the treasure hunter gets to have a lot of fun and see God work miracles right in front of our eyes.

We learned how to “treasure hunt” by reading Kevin Dedmon’s book, The Ultimate Treasure Hunt: A Guide to Supernatural Evangelism Through Supernatural Encounters.