Joining the 3:16 Experience

It is effortless to get caught up in one’s method of doing things, but, fortunately, God does not limit Himself to one way. Regarding evangelism, there is no correct formula to operate in to share the Gospel. This is something I learned with being part of The 3:16 Experience. My method of evangelism is very subtle and spontaneous. To give you a picture of what I’m talking about, during a time at a restaurant, the Lord told me to bless my waitress and tell her that He loves her. After I finished and she gave me my check, I handed her the blessing and told her what God told me. Instantly she broke down in tears. She started talking about her life and family, and I took that opportunity to share the Gospel and pray with her. Our encounter was very subtle and spontaneous. This is my comfort zone when operating as an evangelist; however, in Acts 28:31, it says to “proclaim the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” There are times to be subtle and times to be bold. The 3:16 Experience drew me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to step out and be bold.

With the three teachings and the hands-on training given by Riley Stephenson, The 3:16 Experience is not only educational but empowering. During the last session, Riley led the group into an exercise of prayer and prophecy. Half of the room closed their eyes and waited for an individual from the other half to walk up. Those with their eyes closed would begin to pray in the Spirit and to press in and hear what the Holy Spirit wanted to say to the individual. The purpose is to solely rely on the Holy Spirit to give insight on what needs to be said. However, I also picked up on the concept of disciplining oneself to be in continuous prayer for another even if one cannot see who it is they are praying for. This exercise, and the teachings from Holden Hanley, Pastor Brian Sanders, and Riley Stephenson, gave all of us a solid foundation to stand on for when the teams were sent out to share the good news. During my time at a local Walmart, my partner and I were led to a woman that God wanted us to pray with. The conversation focused on her and her family, which opened the door for us to share the Father’s love with her and take the time to pray with her. Before we all went our separate ways, she shared that this was her second time in the store. She came in, shopped, left, and then felt the urge to come back into Walmart for some clothing for her nieces. God had a plan for us to meet and, through her obedience and the boldness of my partner and I, we were able to evangelize with this woman. This encounter and method was not my comfort zone. I went out with the agenda to share Christ’s love with at least one person for the day. However, the exercise Riley led gave me the key to doing evangelism this way. I was in continuous prayer throughout my entire time at Walmart, praying for an individual that I did not know or see. And it was not until we crossed paths that I knew who I was praying for. We do not always know the impact that our prayers may have, but I believe that my continuous prayer helped draw her back into the store so that we could meet.

There is no one method to do the things the Lord has called us to do. There is also no limit on who God will use to fulfill His plans. The 3:16 Experience is educational and empowering for all. The only requirement is to have a desire within one’s heart to be an active participant in the Great Commission and the year of the abundant harvest.

By Rebecca DeLuca

To learn more about our next 3:16 Experience event, visit our web page at www.emic.org/316.