Over my nearly twenty years of pastoral ministry I have encountered many opportunities to witness God’s Love and pray for the needs of people. Recently I have had times of prayer at my nearby coffee shop, Panera Bread. I usually have meetings in the community and occupy a booth there.
I am thrilled of the many times I am able to share Christ’s love with people. One particular opportunity came when I was sipping my coffee when someone approached me asking, “Can I talk to you?” I listened as this person shared their hurts and asked questions. Within minutes of such an opportunity I always interject my faith, share the good news of God’s love and invite the person to pray with me about their concerns and needs. There are times when I have even been able to lead someone to Christ.
Meeting people at the point of their need is a powerful and very fulfilling opportunity. Everyday I start out by praying to God and asking for a “divine interruption” so that I may share with and pray for those in need. These divine appointments that interrupt my day are blessings. When God decides to use me to meet someone at the point of their need I believe that this is crisis evangelism; sharing good news in bad times.
There are many places that these divine appointments can take place. When I was church planting in Indiana a few years ago I worked part time as a probation officer in the alternative sanctions program. Nearly every week at Probation I had opportunity to share God’s love and pray for people at their point of need. Time after time I would enjoy a wonderful time of prayer with co-workers who would share with me their deepest hurts and disappointments. Often I would share my faith with them.
Crisis evangelism is all about being prepared at any moment to look for these opportunities to care for and share God’s love with people at their point of need. It may be during a sickness, extended hospital stay, unexpected loss, disappointments, catastrophic news, job loss, personal crises, family difficulties, financial problems or any other times when bad news disrupts a person’s life.
Tell me about a time when you had the opportunity to share God’s love with people at the point of their need. Click on comments and let me know!
