IHOPU New England Update 3/18
From the start of their arrival in New England, the IHOPU students felt the Lord emphasizing evangelism as an important tool for their work there. They knew that God wanted to use them to encourage, strengthen, and provoke local believers to evangelize. Very few of the team has had much experience with evangelism, so they spent the first few days asking God for boldness to share their faith with others.
Their plan was to look for opportunities to share the gospel wherever they went, whether waiting at the bus stop, sitting next to someone on the subway, or approaching strangers on college campuses. Sometimes they would use prophetic words, sometimes their testimony, and sometimes open-air preaching.
Many of the student teams returned, sharing their surprise at the eagerness of some to repent and give their life in service of Jesus.
Someone shared a dream in which God called the IHOPU team to answer Charles Finney’s prayer “that many would be soundly converted.” To Finney, “soundly converted” meant that the person would continue to live wholeheartedly for the Lord many years after salvation. That phrase, “soundly converted,” has become the theme for the students’ evangelism.
As the students went out to share the gospel, they talked with as many as eight people who quickly accepted the invitation to receive Jesus. But the students didn’t want them to accept something that they didn’t fully understand. The students took special care with each person to explain what it means to repent of sins, surrender to Jesus, and live for Him.
Read further to learn a few of the testimonies of people who have given their lives to the Lord.
Amanda’s Story
One of the IHOPU teams was riding the bus when they met Amanda, a student at Harvard University. As they spoke to her and encouraged her about her destiny, she began to tear up and said that she was searching for a purpose in life. They explained to her the destiny of a life that is born again, and told her about being saved from sin, being forgiven, and having eternal life.
Amanda looked them in the eyes and said, “What must I do to be born again? Save me, save me; I want to be saved!” They prayed with her, and she accepted Jesus as her Savior in front of the gates of Harvard.
Jessica and Char
Another team of IHOPU students walked around Harvard Square and did some open-air preaching. They saw three girls walk out of the subway station, two of them, Jessica and Char, on crutches and in knee braces. A couple of the students went over to ask if they could pray for them. Char answered, “Well, we’re Jewish.” The students responded, “Jesus was a Jew, so that’s OK.”
After they prayed for the girls, they asked them how their knees felt. Char said to Jessica, “Just tell them you got healed so that we can leave.” Jessica started to bend her knee and test it out. She looked at the IHOPU students and said, “Actually, my knee feels much better.”
The three girls all left in different directions, but as Char crossed the street, the students watched as she began to put weight on her leg. They saw her begin to walk without putting weight on the crutches, and finally she started to carry them, not using them at all.
A block away, another member of the IHOPU student team passed by a girl walking along the sidewalk carrying crutches. He thought to himself, “That’s strange, why would anyone walk around, carrying crutches in Harvard Yard?” At dinner, when they shared about Jessica and Char’s testimony, he found out the rest of the story.
Prayer Focus
Please pray for the IHOPU students during the second half of their time in New England, that like Finney, Edwards, Wesley, and Brainerd, they would see many souls soundly converted. Also pray that the church of New England would rise up with boldness to preach the gospel wherever they go. God has a harvest in New England.
IHOPU New England Meeting Schedule
