An Ultimate Treasure Hunt Experience: A Supernatural Encounter

I have a very kool young adults ministry I attend, at best on occasion,
in recent weeks…unfortunately. Well, we recently began a study on the
book The Ultimate Treasure Hunt by Kevin Dedmon. It is read as “a guide to Supernatural Evangelism through
Supernatural Encounters”. So far, it is a pretty interesting book that
shows evangelism as the ultimate treasure hunt with the people we seek
to share the hope that is Christ, as the ultimate treasure. But even
more, it introduces/reminds us of our potential, the power and
spiritual access we have as Christians, through the Holy Spirit, to the
Father.

On a side note, this Ultimate Treasure Hunt seems similar to ATL
(Ask The Lord); a ministry I hear we will be taking part in while out
in the field with my team on our missions trip.

So today, I got a chance to catch up on some reading, which I tend not
to do much of at all. I grabbed my backpack stuffed with my laptop,
notepad, bible and my copy of The Ultimate Treasure Hunt…oh and a
bottle of water. 🙂
Barnes and nobles seemed like a great idea for a relaxing place to
read, while still getting the feeling of community; what can I say, I
crave peaceful chaos I guess. Anyway, I settled on one of four single
couches arranged in a square around a coffee table facing each other.
With bible, copy of book and a pen in hand, I began reading,
occasionally taking notes, quite impressed with my self actually, as I
was enjoying this, and I guess I was beginning to feel some sense of
accomplishment.

As I read, there were many areas Kevin Dedmon referenced skeptics of
the whole idea of Ultimate treasure hunting, and the notion that we are
able to receive clues that come fort as words of knowledge from God,
revealed through the Holy Spirit in us. He especially points out this
skepticism amongst some senior leaders and pastors in certain churches
and ministries he has worked with or help train, which I think really
reflects individual notions for a good large portion of us. But even
with being skeptic, Kevin shares the amazing supernatural encounters
and testimonies some of these pastors and leaders come out with.

Well
I read and read, and before coming to the close of my last chapter for
the day, I read a little section where Kevin talked about how he has
seen ordinary Christians learn to hear from God in the course of their
day “as they have taken risks to become Ultimate Treasure Hunters”.
Right there, the word RISK caught my attention; there would still be
risk involved, even if you got the best of clues, providing the best
possible treasure map. Even with a treasure map that did not leave much
to the imagination or wondering mind. Like the treasure map given to
Ananias to reach Saul, who would eventually become Paul the great
apostle we know. Ananias’s words of knowledge were specific and
detailed, with specific directions on where to find Saul, but with
Saul’s history, there was great risk for Ananias.

Well with that thought, I packed up my books, zipped up my backpack,
and by this time there was now a somewhat bald older man, well he was
missing a good portion of his hair; sitting on the couch directly in
front of me, with his wife sitting on the couch to my right within the
square of couches. I bowed my head, and said a quick prayer, thanking
God for all I just read, and honestly, knowing that there was some
curiosity on how an ultimate treasure hunt would really work. Where
words of knowledge are being revealed, forming a treasure map, and the
power of God being manifested though instant physical healings and
other type of personal encounters with God of the likes not always
heard of in our communities and churches. And even with doing some
growing up in Nigeria and having seen God’s power revealed in
spiritual-physical manifestations, time and time again as a young man,
this was yet a fresh approach being revealed, a simple approach to God,
hearing back from Him (key) through the Spirit, and having the courage
to take the risk to find the ultimate treasure, being led by the
Spirit. Still in prayer, I hesitantly asked to be given words of
knowledge, thinking, “be careful what you wish for, for you might just
get it”. I also asked for courage to be willing & bold enough to
take the risk to find the ultimate treasure, when the opportunity
presents itself.

I stood up, and as I grabbed my backpack, almost in an instant, I felt
what I figured would pass for a word of knowledge coming through, and
with random words going through my head and me trying to think of a
good one, I blurted out to myself; ‘Hair‘. What? ‘Hair‘??
Of course now my attention goes back to the somewhat bald older man
sitting in front of me. Still thinking that was silly, I put on my
backpack and began to walk away thinking, first of all I only have one
clue, if that is even a clue, and it can’t really be him since he
doesn’t have hair, and if it was him, the clue would have been ‘no
hair’. Thirdly, how would I even approach him, telling him my only clue
to him was that he had no hair. Well I kept walking, straight to the
bathroom, ‘cause I had to go, and so, go I went.

Getting ready to leave Barnes and Nobles, the Holy Spirit began to
impress on my heart the need to talk to this older somewhat bald man
that had previously caught my attention, and it only got heavier that I
needed to do this. I walked back over to within 20ft of the square of
couches, where I began to panic, and I began to think of the risk of
what I was about to do. What will this guy think of me? I have only 1
clue that sounds like I’m making a pun at his expense, and to do this
with his wife and other strangers right there too. Well after pacing
around the book aisles around the square for 5mins or so trying to
convince myself otherwise, but still feeling the need to talk to him
and find out if he was the ultimate treasure, I worked up the courage,
went over and sat on a small stool beside him. Opening up my backpack,
I whipped out my copy of The Ultimate Treasure Hunt and went on to tell
him about the book and how the Lord had given me a word of knowledge
and a conviction that had led me to him as the ultimate treasure. I
told him the word I received was ‘Hair‘.  He looked at me for a sec and repeated ‘Hair‘
a couple of times. He then seemingly made a joke asking if the
connection could be him staring in a Broadway musical called Hair next
month, to which he smiled and laughed and I smiled back, noting I
really wasn’t sure how the word applied to him…(still trying not to
make any direct reference to his lack of hair). Well we spoke for a bit
and at the end I offered to say a word of prayer, to which he was
somewhat willing, but a tad hesitant, then eventually declined. He went
on to say he was grateful for me coming over, and that I should
definitely come by for his performance in the Broadway musical Hair
taking place next month, and made a remark to the effect, that is where
he figures the correlation is, either that or his lack of hair. At this
point I was flabbergast, thinking he had been joking about having to
perform in a Broadway musical ‘Hair’ this whole time. Well he
clarified, which proved it to be a word of knowledge from God through
His Holy Spirit.
At this point, he still declined prayer, but a supernatural encounter
had taken place nonetheless, for him and for me. I was amazed and just
in awe on how God had just revealed that, and specifically led me to
him. He on the other hand, also had an encounter, and although not able
to pray with him, I know he will remember this and God willing, he will
recognize the next encounter he has from the Lord.
I walked away ecstatic, overjoyed in the renewed confidence in the
access we have to the Father and the simplicity of hearing back from
God. I jumped in the automobile, drove home to write this to all of you
as an encouraging testimony, which I am still completely tripped by;
Yes, He never ceases to amaze me.

I have to say, one of the many things I learned through this, is not to underestimate the Lord, I heard ‘Hair‘
and saw this older man’s lack of it. I was so focused on that being the
link even to the point of wanting to suggest God forgot to say the ‘No’
in ‘No hair’ or I just did not hear clearly and somehow missed the
‘No’. It was definitely a learning process for me, and with that, I saw
how I could have handled things differently, possibly shared with a
different approach, but in all, even in the way it went down, I know
God was glorified and He is pleased that I even just faithfully stepped
out. I am truly grateful I did too.