By: Chef Abura
I have been blessed to live in Japan for just over 8 years doing various missionary activities. One of the activities that I intentionally make time for is evangelism. As is true for almost every cross-cultural missionary that I have met, I too have made many mistakes in the process of trying to share the truth and love of Jesus. Thankfully we serve a God who is able to use us, in spite of our mistakes. But one truth that has become more and more clear during my journey with God is the importance of doing evangelism in cooperation with the Holy Spirit and through the power of the Holy Spirit. I don’t think there are many Christians who would disagree with this statement, so allow me to unpack it a little bit.
In Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, he gave the believers this reminder: “And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). In my experience, most Japanese people are not interested in another religion. They often don’t seem to be impressed with a persuasive apologetic argument about Christianity. Christianity is often viewed as a western religion that doesn’t have any relevance in Japan. The profoundly important truths of Christianity don’t seem to strike a chord with many people I have met in Japan, at least initially. Rather, Japanese people seem to be much more concerned about their daily lives and finding solutions to problems.
In light of this, I think Paul’s words to the church in Corinth also can be applicable in the country of Japan. Many people in Japan may not be religious but I think many are spiritual. Thus, when they see a miracle or witness something they can’t explain naturally, their interest is aroused.
There are many people in Japan (and around the world for that matter), who are struggling with various sicknesses and diseases. How can Christians help them? Merely telling people that Jesus did miracles in the Bible 2,000 years might provoke a little interest. But when someone personally experiences the Holy Spirit’s power and tangibly feel healing in their own body, this takes things to the next level. I have had multiple encounters in Japan where people were initially resistant or un-interested in hearing about Jesus. But after they received prayer for healing and their bodies were healed or the pain decreased, their hearts were softened and their interest in Jesus grew. Occasionally, I’ve heard testimonies of Japanese people professing faith in Jesus directly after being the recipient of a healing miracle. I’ve seen foot pain disappear, back pain healed and numb legs regain feeling, all through the power of the Holy Spirit.
People in Japan don’t only need physical healing, they need rest and peace as well. Sometimes I have prayed for people to experience God’s peace and refreshment after I listened to their problems. I and other friends of mine have simply asked the Holy Spirit to give peace to their weary hearts. I have seen the Holy Spirit manifest and bring about peace, rest and a tangible sense of God’s presence. This too has caused the hearts of people to be more open to hearing about Jesus.
These are just a few examples of how we can do evangelism through the power of the Holy Spirit. There is no formula that works every time. We need to love people. We need clearly preach the gospel. We need to obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. And we need to rely on the Holy Spirit’s power. When we are faithfully doing these things, I believe we will bear fruit that glorifies God. I’m not sure what your experience is with the Holy Spirit up until now. Perhaps you have never seen someone miraculously healed after praying for them. Perhaps you have never received a prophetic word, word of knowledge or prayed in tongues. That’s ok. Jesus told his disciples, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13). I pray you would seek God for more and not be content with what you have received up until now. There is so much more to the Kingdom and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. But we have to be humble enough and hungry enough to seek God and receive more from Him. I pray God would help us all, so that we can have even more fruitful evangelism for the glory of God.