A Guide for Bringing Non-Believers & Skeptics to Encounter
Written by Apostle Delmar
Let me tell you something that might surprise you.
God doesn't heal you because you're saved. He heals you because He loves you.
I've seen unbelievers healed. Skeptics. People who walked into our church not believing a word of it. People who came just because someone dragged them there. People who thought the whole thing was nonsense.
And God healed them anyway.
Why? Because that's who He is. He's a healer. He's a lover of people. And His compassion isn't limited to people who have their theology straight.
So if you have a friend who's sickāsomeone who doesn't believe, someone who's never set foot in a church that operates in the power of the Spiritādon't count them out. God hasn't counted them out.
Let me be straight with you about something.
It would always be better to get them to come into the presence of God. If you can get them to Encounter, do it.
I'm not saying distance ministry doesn't work. I've ministered over phone calls. I've ministered over Zoom. I've seen God heal people who were thousands of miles away. When someone just absolutely can't be there, God can still move.
But there's something about being in the room. There's something about being in the atmosphere of what church is supposed to beāthe atmosphere of true love and power.
When an unbeliever walks into that atmosphere, something happens to them. Even if they can't feel a thing initially. Even if their arms are crossed and their mind is skeptical. The presence of God starts working on them. It boosts their faith even when they don't realize it.
He came to our Sunday service recently. Multiple back surgeries. Walking with a cane. Skeptic. Grew up Baptist. Never seen supernatural ministry in his life. His wife had been coming to Encounter, and she finally convinced him to give it a shot.
He didn't know what to expect. Probably thought we were crazy.
When God healed his back at the altar, that man cried like a baby. I mean sobbing. The power of God hit him and everything changed.
He walked through that altar without the cane. Walked back to his seat without the cane. His wife called us later to confirmāhe was still healed at home. Still no cane. Still no pain.
That's why I say: if you can get your friend to Encounter, do it.
Some people are bed-ridden. Some are too sick to fly. Some are in the hospital. They can't just hop on a plane and come to Liberty County. Here's what you can do:
Before you try to get them on a call with me or connect them to ministry, they need some foundation. Not perfect faith. Just a crack in the door.
Here's what trips up a lot of unbelievers: they think God wouldn't heal them because they're not "good enough" or because they don't believe.
Help them understand: God's healing comes from His love, not from your resume.
"God loves you. And He wants to heal you. Not because you deserve it. None of us deserve it. But because that's who He is."
Once they're openāeven a little bitāconnect them.
If they can travel:
Bring them to Encounter. Wednesday night "Extra Oil" services. Sunday services. Get them in the room.
If they absolutely cannot travel:
Let me tell you something that blows skeptics' minds every time: words of knowledge.
When God shows me something about a person that I couldn't possibly knowāsomething specific, something personal, something that nobody else knowsāit breaks through skepticism in a way that arguments never can.
I was doing jail ministry years ago. A man came to see meāserving 99 years for murder. Before I met with him, I worshipped to get in the Spirit. And God showed me something: a vision of a young man on a blue Huffy bike. He fell off and broke his right ankle.
When the man sat down, I told him what I saw. That dude jumped up out of his chair and against the wall. "What is this? What is this?"
That man got saved that day. Not because I argued him into it. Because God revealed something that proved He was real and He cared.
Another time, I told a man exactly how he got caught by the police. I saw itāhe was running from cops and tripped over a little red wagon in someone's yard.
When I told him, his face went white. Nobody knew that detail. Nobody but him and God.
These personal revelations crack open hearts that arguments can't touch.
Don't start with "You need to come to my church." Start with genuine care for them. Ask about their situation. Listen. Let them know you're there for them regardless of what they decide.
If God has done something in your life, share it. Keep it simple. Keep it real. "Let me tell you what happened to me..." Personal testimony opens doors that preaching closes.
"I know you've been going through a lot with your health. I want you to know there's something I've experienced that I think could help you. I've seen people healedālike, actually healedāthrough my church. People with cancer. People with diseases the doctors couldn't fix. I'm not trying to pressure you, but I wanted you to know this exists."
"If you're open to it, I can send you some videos of what I've seen. Real testimonies. Real people. You can watch them and make up your own mind." Share the documented miracles. Let them investigate.
If they're open: "Would you be willing to come with me to a service? Or if you can't travel, I can connect you with my pastor for a phone call. No pressure. Just an opportunity."
Respect it. Don't badger them. Keep loving them. Keep praying for them. Sometimes the door opens later. Sometimes God works in ways you don't see. But always leave the door open: "If you ever change your mind, I'm here."
Some people get healed instantly. One prayer, one touch, and the disease is gone.
Some experience healing that manifests over hours or days. They receive prayer, believe, and the full confirmation comes later.
Some people need to address unforgiveness, sin, or demonic oppression first. Sometimes healing requires dealing with the root issue.
Not everyone who comes to the altar walks away healed in that moment. But something happens in their spirit when they encounter God's presence.
Your sick friend is not beyond God's reach. Their unbelief is not a barrier to God's love. Their distance from church is not a barrier to God's power.
But you have a role to play. You're the bridge. You're the one who can share the testimony. You're the one who can crack open the door. You're the one who can get them in the room.
Remember the most important thing:
God doesn't heal because someone is saved.
He heals because He loves.
"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people."
Matthew 4:23
Your friend is not too far gone. And God is not done yet.