The Unconventional Evangelist

They had requested the best preacher available.

Church leaders in Kingston, Jamaica, wanted an evangelist who could expertly train a number of promising ministers in the finer points of public evangelism.

Luther Warren was an experienced evangelist, and he earnestly prayed that God would grant him wisdom and strength commensurate with the task he had accepted. According to the account in the book Luther Warren,* a large crowd filled the meeting hall to capacity. His opening night presentation was to be on the subject of Daniel 2.

The young ministers were eager to see how the American evangelist covered the subject. But after only three or four minutes, Elder Warren had finished his study of Daniel 2 and moved on to another subject. He spoke on the prophecies of the Bible, the second coming of Jesus, the law of God, the Sabbath, and the judgment. Local church leaders were beside themselves! Why was this speaker undoing all the instruction the young pastors had been given? At the end of his presentation, Elder Warren made an altar call.

With tears streaming down his face, he appealed to the congregation to surrender their lives to God. The response was overwhelming as people surged forward to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Not even Luther Warren understood at the time why he preached the sermon he preached. But the next day, everything became clear.

Kingston was struck by a devastating earthquake.

Every building in the city was damaged, and around a thousand people were killed. Warren headed to a local hospital to see what he could do to minister to the sick and suffering. He recognized many he had met with at his meeting the night before. There are times God will lead you in unexpected directions in order to accomplish His will. Luther Warren was close enough to God to be able to discern His unconventional leading.

A vital connection with God will prepare His people to be ready to serve Him in surprising ways.