• Infallible logic!
  

The first rule in the salesman’s handbook reads; “Find out what the customer wants, and then SELL it to them”. When you see it written down, it is just so logical that you would wonder why you didn’t think of it for yourself. So apply that simple, infallible logic to this ‘sales job’. Here it is; “Find out what God wants, then pray for that!” I’ll say that again much louder! – “Find out what God wants, then pray for that!”

• Children in the Kingdom
  

This advice is very rational when you think about it a bit more. WE are children in the Kingdom of God, and our role, as His children, is to please Him. If you do not agree with that, then it is little use for you to read further. It is the common Bible analogy that we are cast as His children, with God portrayed as our father, and in that context it is our part to be obedient to His will. This is the reason for doing what I said above; “find out what God wants, and then pray for that”. It goes something like this; “Hey Dad, whatcha doing? Can I help?”

• Common Sense
  

To me it is only common sense that if we pray for something that God Himself wants to come to pass, then that prayer is far more likely to succeed than a prayer arising from our own understanding. Such personal prayers are likely to be ‘selfish’ in nature, and are most unlikely to reflect God’s purposes. As the apostle James wrote in Chapter 4; “You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” Turn that around, and instead of praying for what WE want, try praying for what God wants!

• God’s Promise
  

I have long believed that we ought not to pray for stuff for ourselves. Why? Because God’s promise to us, as related by Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount of Olives (Matt 6:33), is that if we seek His will constantly, all our needs will be met. So therein is the equation – “Seek God’s will ~ Your needs will be met”. That looks to me like a cast iron guarantee that our prayers will NOT be put on ‘hold’ and that our prayers WILL be answered.

This question, “we are looking for a spirit filled evangelist” came up thru my search statistics this morning. To even ask this question in a public forum shows a total lack of understanding.

• Jehovah Jireh

The only right way to find a spirit filled evangelist is to ask it of your Heavenly Father, Jehovah Jireh, [who provides all things].

• Who is the boss?

Who is running your life [or your fellowship] – you or God? If it is you, you certainly aren’t ready for a spirit filled evangelist – such a preacher would expect to find a readiness to learn and submit and to accept God’s will. If it is God, then what on earth are you poking your nose in for? Don’t you trust Him?

• Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, and all these things will be added unto you.

This is the best piece of advice [Matt 6: 25-33] in the whole Bible.  It comes in the passage styled “Do not Worry”, and is part of God’s advice about provision – you know, the bit about; “don’t worry about what to eat or drink or put on [or where to find evangelists], your heavenly Father knows you need these things; but seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, and all these things will be added unto you.”

• Spirit Filled = Spirit Led!

If you asked the question above, you have implied that you are [or you want to be] “Spirit Led”.  This is what Spirit led people do, and this is how Spirit led people are made, they are constantly attending to His will – and if you are doing that then your needs will all be met anyway! Everytime YOU try to make plans and actively seek for things yourself you are effectively shutting God out.  You and God can’t both be “deciding what’s next”! That was the whole point of your baptism, remember; that you surrendered your life to God?

• Answers to Prayer

You can surely share your longing for a  spirit filled evangelist with God in prayer, but it is not part of your brief to go out and look for one. Whether it would be good for your fellowship right now to have a spirit led and fired up evangelist is not for you to decide!  Your fellowship may not be mature enough yet, and to import such a polarising and positive speaker might actually empty your pews!

• Pray About It!

So the question inherent in we are looking for a spirit filled evangelist can only be answered by that great old standby; “take it to the Lord in prayer!”