How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Romans 10:14-17

Most every believer has heard of Evangelist Reinhardt Bonnke and his crusades that swept through Africa with 75 million recorded decisions for Christ, but did anyone ever hear of Luis Graf? Before him, did you ever hear of Evangelist Maria Woodworth-Etter? Before her, what about Pastor William Seymour? And before that, did you hear of Charles Parham? Probably, except for Bonnke and maybe Seymour, you may have never even heard these names. But each of them were equally important in God’s plan. Let’s briefly analyze this one gospel flow that changed the world.

If you have never tuned into one of the Christ For All Nations broadcast and heard Evangelist’s Bonnke’s testimony, you are missing a truly electrifying experience! He shared how after his tent, one of the largest in the world at that time, was destroyed, God told that the canopy of the starts would now be his tent. He also shares of how he had a vision of Africa covered in blood and how these words from heaven were etched into his heart: “Africa shall be saved!” To date, he has recorded 75 million decision for Christ in that continent. Not to mention the healings and the dead that have been raised in his ministry.

Those are all faith-building testimonies, but there is another testimony that I found to be the most moving. Once Bonnke was asked, How did God break into your family? You see, Bonnke did not come from a long line of preachers, so the interviewer wanted him to explain to the audience how God got to this worldwide evangelist. He said that his grandfather back in East Germany was very sick, so much so that he screamed daily because of the intense pain. This went on for years with no relief in sight. Then, one day, a missionary by the name of Luis Graf got lost in the forest near the village where the Bonnke’s lived. Eventually finding his way out of the forest and into this village, not the one he was aiming for, he asked did anyone need healing in their body? The villager who met him sent him to Bonnke’s grandfather whose screams could be heard from the edge of the village.

Upon arriving at the Bonnke’s household, he preached of Jesus and his healing power, and he told them how he believed that on this day, he was sent to lay hands on the sick man. After praying for him, he was instantly healed and for the first time in years, he was without pain. Needless to say, he led the Bonnke family to Jesus and to be filled with the same Holy Ghost power he had received. So later, young Reinhardt came know this Jesus and soon answered the call to preach the gospel.

But before Graf got lost in the forest, he immigrated to America. There he was converted at a Baptist church. He then joined a Mennonite church, and then later crossed paths with the Pentecostal movement. In that movement, Evangelist Maria Woodworth-Etta led a relief effort to German children after World War I, so Graf crossed paths with her and joined the relief effort working side-by-side with the evangelist. Through this association, Graf was led back to his homeland of Germany in 1922 in the Hamburg and Saxony area. There he was invited by a preacher to evangelize in East Prussia where he would later find his way to the Bonnke house.

But what if Pastor Seymour, known as the founder of the Pentecostal movement in America did not take the trip to Los Angeles to pastor that small church, the one he soon got kicked out of because of his doctrine. Earlier in his life, Seymour’s passion to learn more about holiness led him to school of an early Missouri Pentecostal preacher by the name of Charles Parham. Because Seymour was black, he was not allowed to sit inside with the white students. His seat of learning was outside where he had to hear the teaching through the window. Those conditions would be enough to dissuade most anyone from continuing their education, but not Seymour. Parham later commented that Seymour was the most humble man he knew. And through this humble, determined young pastor God launched a Pentecostal revival that reached around the world.

So today, let us remember that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” But “how then will they call on him in whom they have not believed?” And how can anyone “believe in him in whom they have never heard?” And how will they hear without a preacher? Can you remember the person that told you about Jesus? Have you ever thought about how different your life would be if that person decided to keep Jesus to themselves? Let us not be guilty of stopping the gospel flow. Not everyone one’s calling is the same, but whatever your gift, it is imperative today that we begin to use if for the Lord, for I do believe the time is short. Let us obey like Parham did as he taught the doctrine of holiness. Let us strive to be as humble and obedient as Seymour was in answering his call to launch out. Let us be as caring as Woodworth-Etta to relieve the suffering children. Let us be willing to get lost in the forest like Graf and lay hands on the sick no matter where our paths take us. Who knows, the leader of the next worldwide revival movement or the next worldwide evangelist may be watching you.