MY ENCOUNTER WITH "OLD SCHOOL" CHRISTIAN IN TRADER JOES
Steve Harmon
Was out in Santa Cruz on thursday and was shopping in Trader Joes. A woman in her 70's gave me a little piece of paper with the Lord's prayer on it and then gave them to other people. People who know me know that the type of evangelism that she was doing bothers me. Not just because it's unbiblical, but because it impersonal and pushy. It's an old method that doesn't work as much as it used too and usually makes people uncomfortable. Jesus never handed people booklets or pieces of paper. He talked to them like they were human. I've seen it where tracts work, but overall, I've seen them do more damage than good because times have changed.
Instead of getting irritated I felt the Lord tell me to go and equip her. So I went up to her and asked her if she ever tried praying for people. She said, "No". I told her how effective it can be and that it really works. I told her all about healing the sick as well. She was open to everything I was saying. I told her testimonies. Her friend came up and was listening as well. I asked if I could pray for her, she said, "Sure".
I asked if we could pray outside because I didn't want her to get slain in the Spirit in the store. She didn't care. I prayed for her in front of the butter and she started getting hit by the Ghost with electric jolts. I had my hand behind her so she wouldn't go down. When people would walk by I'd act like I was just having a conversation with her. Then they'd pass and I would speak fire. She got lit up and equipped. She had been evangelizing for 40 years and nobody taught her how to pray for the sick and move in the gifts when evangelizing.. I've been realizing that it's not that people are refusing to do what scripture says. They're just doing what they've been taught.. So I guess the moral of the story is, let's equip!!