Gently grasping his shoulder and earnestly making eye contact, I told Costos how much God loved him. “God loves you, Costos.” He glanced up with an assuring smile. We had just met this young man seconds before. Our team was praying for healing, but Costos needed “peace.” Three of us gave our best prayers for Costos. Then, with a beaming grin, he stood up, shook our hands, and disappeared into the international crowd. Last October, we interacted with dozens of people during our Healing on the Streets ministry in Athens, Greece.
Healing on the Streets is a ministry founded by Mark Marx. He began this grassroots movement to help Christians engage their cities for Christ. According to the H.O.T.S. website, “It’s a gentle, nonconfrontational way of connecting with people on the streets of our cities and introducing them to Jesus” (healingonthestreets.com). Indeed, Healing on the Streets is a peaceful but effective way for the church to be a light to its city. It’s not about accosting people but about pleasantly inviting them to sit and be prayed for. It’s a ministry of smiles. As we made eye contact with men and women in the bustling city square, we asked, “Do you have anything in your body that needs healing?” Straightforward and easy.
The H.O.T.S. website continues, “Healing on the Streets is a simple, but beautiful way, to reach out to the lost and hurting on the streets of your town or city. It enables you to connect with your community every week, powerfully expressing God’s love in the marketplace, whatever the weather. We invite people to sit on chairs so we can pray for them.”
The Healing Training
Mark didn’t launch us into the streets without thorough training. He imbued us with stories, Scriptures, and live demonstrations for two days before we entered Manostiraki Square. He taught us the biblical premise for healing, the power we have in the Holy Spirit to command infirmities to leave, and how to reassure people that God loves them even when He doesn’t heal. We followed Jesus’s words to His disciples: “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give” (Mat 10:8). We never promised a miracle—it’s God’s job to heal. The key for us was to help everyone leave knowing how much God loves them, even if they still had their illness.
The format for the afternoon was simple. Upon arriving in the busiest square in the city, we set up ten plastic chairs. Then the colossal team knelt in a circle and prayed for three minutes. Our band was a spectacle. Hundreds of shoppers were glaring at us, and I could feel their eyes on the back of my head. I imagined them saying to themselves, Why is this massive group of people praying in the middle of the square? After the “Amen” from Mark, we stood up and invited everyone to sit on the chairs and receive prayer.
What happened that day?
God moved. One lady had a cyst but felt a fire go through her as the team prayed. Another man was limping but left not limping. Five people accepted Jesus as their savior. We exchanged hugs, shook hands, and many shed tears that afternoon.
How did people passing by respond to our invitation? Dozens said “yes.” Some inquired about what we were doing or who we were. Many ignored us. Others acted like they didn’t understand our question or our language. When we heard “No’s,” the reasons included, “I do yoga,” “I can handle it,” “I’m not religious,” and “I pray for myself.”
I wish I would have seen a leg grow back or experienced God heal a blind person that day, but I didn’t. My job—as is yours—is always to risk looking foolish for God and leave the outcomes to Him. We are all called to pray and intercede for others. “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16, NLT).
Greater Things
Our afternoon of Healing on the Streets challenged me to keep breaking out of my comfort zone. I’m constantly growing as I minister worldwide, but praying for random people in public put my faith to the test. God wants to move in our world practically and show signs and wonders. The Book of Acts never ended. Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). We aren’t guaranteed to see the miraculous in the ways we ask for it, but only the Enemy convinces us we shouldn’t pray for divine intervention.
When I was in college, I always thought Christians were weird. Then, I became one. Now, I don’t care if I’m a fool for Christ and kneel in the middle of the street. No one ever changed the world by not risking foolishness. I love this ministry and even helped plan another outing for my church in Glyfada, Greece.
How does fear hold you back from being used by God? What do you want to see God do next in your life? Your city has no shortage of people who need healing. Release the abundance of God’s love.
