THE \IT I MAT E

TF E A S \F E H\ÞT
THE \IT I MAT E
TF E A S \F E H\ÞT
A CuIJe ìo Su¡e.ruìu.uI E·ur¿eII:»
TL.ou¿L Su¡e.ruìu.uI Er·ourìe.:
KEVI N DEDMON
© Co¡yiighi 2007 - Kcvin Dcumon
All iighis icscivcu. This looI is ¡ioiccicu ly ihc co¡yiighi laws
ol ihc Uniicu Siaics ol Amciica. This looI may noi lc co¡icu oi
ic¡iinicu loi commcicial gain oi ¡iolii. Thc usc ol shoii quoia-
iions oi occasional ¡agc co¡ying loi ¡cisonal oi giou¡ siuuy is
¡cimiiicu anu cncouiagcu. Pcimission will lc gianicu u¡on
icqucsi. Unlcss oihciwisc iucniilicu, Scii¡iuic quoiaiions aic
liom ihc HOIY BIBIE, NEW INTERNATIONAI VERSION
Co¡yiighi © 197S, 197S, 19S4 ly Inicinaiional Billc Sociciy.
Uscu ly ¡cimission ol Zonucivan Pullishing Housc. All iighis
icscivcu. Em¡hasis wiihin Scii¡iuic quoiaiions is ihc auihoi`s
own. Plcasc noic ihai Dcsiiny Imagc`s ¡ullishing siylc ca¡iializcs
cciiain ¡ionouns in Scii¡iuic ihai iclci io ihc Iaihci, Son, anu
Holy S¡iiii, anu may uillci liom somc ¡ullishcis` siylcs. TaIc
noic ihai ihc namc saian anu iclaicu namcs aic noi ca¡iializcu.
Wc choosc noi io acInowlcugc him, cvcn io ihc ¡oini ol violai-
ing giammaiical iulcs.
DESTINY IMAGE
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PUBIISHERS, INC.
P.O. Box S10, Shi¡¡cnsluig, PA 172ò7-0S10
¨S¡euIIr¿ ìo ìLe Pu.¡o:e: o¡ CoJ ¡o. ìLI: Cere.uìIor
urJ ¡o. ìLe Cere.uìIor: ìo Co»e.`
This looI anu all oihci Dcsiiny Imagc, Rcvival Picss, Mcicy
Placc, Iicsh Bicau, Dcsiiny Imagc Iiciion, anu Ticasuic Housc
looIs aic availallc ai Chiisiian looIsioics anu uisiiiluiois
woiluwiuc.
Ioi a U.S. looIsioic ncaicsi you, call 1-S00-722-6774.
Ioi moic inloimaiion on loicign uisiiiluiois, call 717-òS2-S040.
Oi icach us on ihc Inicinci: www.ucsiinyimagc.com.
ISBN 10: 0-76S4-2602-2
ISBN 1S: 97S-0-76S4-2602-1
Ioi Woiluwiuc Disiiiluiion, Piinicu in ihc U.S.A.
1 2 S 4 ò 6 7 S 9 10 11 / 09 0S 07
A·Iro&IeJ¿»erì:
ThanIs io my amazing wilc, Thcicsa, who lclicvcu in
mc long lcloic I lclicvcu in myscll. Shc is ihc c¡iiomc ol
ihc Uliimaic Ticasuic Hunici. I lovc you loicvci.
ThanIs io my iwo wonucilul chiluicn, Chau anu
Alcxa, anu uaughici-in-law ¸lovc), ]ulia, who has lccn a
iiuc ¨]cwcl" in oui lamily.
Chau, you havc giown inio ihc man ihai I cnvisioncu
as I gavc you youi liisi laih in ihc uclivciy ioom. You aic
an incicuillc moucin-uay icvivalisi. I am so ¡iouu ol you.
Alcxa, you havc waichcu mc gci a loi ol ¨No`s" on a
loi ol Ticasuic Hunis, anu you havc shaicu in a loi ol
uivinc cncounicis ihiough youi amazing ¡io¡hciic clucs.
I havc so cn|oycu oui Ticasuic Hunis iogcihci. I am so
¡iouu ol you as I scc you coming inio ihc conliucncc ol
who Gou mauc you io lc anu cx¡icssing youiscll in youi
uniquc lacioi.
ThanIs io Bill ]ohnson anu Kiis Valloiion, who havc
llazcu a iiail loi a naiuially su¡cinaiuial lilcsiylc. ThanI
you loi allowing mc io |oin in ihc auvcniuic anu cx¡loic
ihc avcnucs ihai Gou has ¡ui in my hcaii io cx¡anu ihc
Kinguom.
ThanIs io Bcni ]ohnson, Maila Baum, anu all ol ihc
iniciccssois ai Bcihcl who havc ¡avcu ihc way loi a icvival,
Kinguom culiuic ihiough ihcii ¡io¡hciic ucclaiaiions anu
insighis loi licaIihiough. I ncvci lcavc homc wiihoui
ihcm.
ThanIs io Pam S¡inosi, my giammai uocioi. You havc
iaughi mc io say moic wiih lcss.
ThanIs io all ol ihc Ticasuic Hunicis ai ihc vaiious
chuichcs whcic wc havc uonc Iiicsioim conlcicnccs, anu
io Banning Iiclschci, who incoi¡oiaicu ihc Ticasuic
Huni inio ihc ]csus Culiuic conlcicnccs, allowing mc io
cx¡loic how io cllcciivcly aciivaic hunuicus ol Ticasuic
Hunicis ai onc iimc.
Iinally, ihanIs io all ol ihc many Ticasuic Hunicis ai
Bcihcl Chuich anu in ihc Bcihcl School ol Su¡cinaiuial
Minisiiy who havc iaIcn so much iisI whilc Ticasuic Huni-
ing wiih mc ovci ihc ¡asi loui ycais.
ErJo.:e»erì:
I havc woiIcu wiih Kcvin Dcumon loi scvcial ycais.
His lilc sioiy is so unlclicvallc anu his icsiimonics aic so
ciazy ihai il I uiun`i Inow him myscll, I am noi suic I woulu
lclicvc ihis looI. Bui ii is all iiuc! Kcvin is a moucin-uay
icvivalisi.a miiaclc woiIci wiih ihc uniquc aliliiy io iiain,
cqui¡, anu uc¡loy ihc Bouy ol Chiisi io uo miiaclcs in ihc
maiIci¡lacc. His lilc is a caialysi ol ihc su¡cinaiuial ¡owci
ol Gou. Hc is a walIing cncounici wiih Hcavcn, a voiicx ol
hcaling viiiuc. His hisioiy icaus liIc a cha¡ici oui ol ihc
BooI ol Acis.
Thc icsiimonics in TLe UIìI»uìe T.eu:u.e Hurì will
ins¡iic you io livc a lilc ol signs anu wonucis anu cqui¡ you
io liing ihc Kinguom whcicvci you go. You will laugh anu
ciy youiscll inio a ncw anoiniing as Kcvin shaics ihc sioiics
ol his cx¡loiis. This looI will Icc¡ you on ihc cugc ol youi
scai.
Ii is a musi-icau loi any sciious lclicvci, a icxilooI loi
ihosc who wani io lcain how io minisici in ihc gilis ol ihc
S¡iiii. TLe UIìI»uìe T.eu:u.e Hurì is ucsiincu io lccomc a
moucin classic, icau loi gcnciaiions. I highly iccommcnu
ihis looI anu iis auihoi!
Kiis Valloiion
Scnioi Associaic Pasioi, Bcihcl Chuich
Rcuuing, Caliloinia
Gou is iaising u¡ a ncw gcnciaiion ol icvivalisi loi
Kinguom cx¡ansion in ihcsc cxciiing uays. Kcvin Dcumon
is onc ol ihc icmaiIallc lcaucis ol ihis icvival anu his
looI, TLe UIìI»uìe T.eu:u.e Hurì, I lclicvc will lc a Icy cai-
alysi io iaIc ihis glolal icvival io anoihci lcvcl. I highly icc-
ommcnu ii!
Chc Ahn
Picsiucni ol Haivcsi Inicinaiional Minisiiy
Rcvoluiionaiy! Com¡clling! Cuiiing cugc! This is a
looI ihai I coulun`i ¡ui uown! I was iniiigucu ly ihc cic-
aiiviiy anu high auvcniuics Kcvin Dcumon uis¡laycu in TLe
UIìI»uìe T.eu:u.e Hurì! Evciylouy lovcs a gamc, cs¡ccially
whcn ii is oichcsiiaicu anu cnuoiscu ly ihc Holy S¡iiii.
His looI is lull ol clucs, iicasuic ma¡s, anu uivinc a¡¡oini-
mcnis loi a su¡cinaiuial iicasuic huni in ihc maiIci¡lacc
anu oiuinaiy lilc as lclicvcis sccI oui ihc Uliimaic Ticas-
uic: living souls.
This looI is a iauical iiaining manual loi ¡io¡hciic
cvangclism, cou¡lcu wiih amazing sioiics anu lillical
iiuihs ihai shaiici olu icligious minu-scis aloui cvangcl-
ism. His licsh a¡¡ioach anu unicligious languagc has
uniquc icvclaiion!
Ii is also a claiion call io molilizc ihc iioo¡s in cvciy
aicna ol lilc io liing salvaiion, hcaling, anu uclivciancc.
Kcvin is cqui¡¡ing moucin-uay ¨Biavchcaiis" anu iclcas-
ing a ncw liccu liIc ihc ¨Salvaiion Aimy" onio ihc siiccis.
You will lccl challcngcu anu ins¡iicu io iaIc iisIs anu
icalizc ihai ihc Gicai Commission can aciually lc an cxcii-
ing |ouincy! SccIing ihc losi is noi a mcihou lui an inici-
aciivc ¡aiincishi¡ wiih ihc Holy S¡iiii as Hc licaIs youi
hcaii loi ihc losi. Kcvin is lighiing a liic loi ihc cnu-iimc
haivcsi, liinging in a wholc ncw wincsIin io ihc Bouy ol
Chiisi.
]ill Ausiin
Iounuci/Picsiucni ol Masici Poiici Minisiiics
Auihoi anu conlcicncc s¡caIci
www.masici¡oiici.com
inloCmasici¡oiici.com
Alici icauing Kcvin`s looI, ihc wonuci ol ihc iicasuic
huni incicascu all ihc moic in my lilc. I lovcu ihc ¨Gou sio-
iics." I laughcu anu ciicu my way ihiough ihc cha¡icis anu
lounu myscll in incicasing cvangclisiic cncounicis alici
icauing ihc looI. Anyonc inicicsicu in sccing His King-
uom on caiih as ii is in Hcavcn will lc ihiillcu wiih ihis
cngaging looI.
Di. Hciui BaIci
Iounuing Diiccioi ol Iiis Minisiiics
Mozamliquc
TLe UIìI»uìe T.eu:u.e Hurì is ihc mosi cxciiing looI I
havc cvci icau on ihc sul|cci ol cvangclism. Thc sioiics aic
so laiih luiluing. Thc cx¡lanaiions ol why all shoulu lc on
ihc iicasuic huni anu how io go aloui a iicasuic huni aic
¡owcilul. Rcalizing ihai ihc losi aic ihc iicasuic anu wc
aic ihc hunicis, anu ihai ihc Holy S¡iiii will givc us ihc
clucs io linu ihc iicasuic, is so iclicshing.
I wish I coulu havc icau ihis looI ovci S0 ycais ago
whilc I was in scminaiy oi cvcn cailici whilc ma|oiing in
icligious siuuics in collcgc. Whai a uillcicncc ii maIcs
lciwccn going on a iicasuic huni lcu ly ihc Holy S¡iiii
anu going oui ¨colu calling." Ii is liIc ihc uillcicncc
lciwccn liiing a ciuisc missilc guiucu ly GPS anu liiing a
sIuu missilc ho¡ing ii mighi ly acciucni hii a iaigci. This is
a gicai looI on a gicai sul|cci illusiiaicu wiih gicai cxam-
¡lcs. Ii is a laiih luiluci. Ii is whai I woulu cx¡cci liom a
siall mcmlci ol Bcihcl Chuich anu an associaic ol Bill
]ohnson. Buy ii! Rcau ii! A¡¡ly ii! This looI coulu iuin you
inio an on-liic wiincss loi Chiisi, a iiansloimcu iicasuic
hunici lull ol |oy.
TLe UIìI»uìe T.eu:u.e Hurì will changc youi vicw anu
unucisianuing ol cvangclism. Kcvin Dcumon has wiiiicn
whai I lclicvc will lccomc an cvangclism classic.
Ranuy ClaiI
Glolal AwaIcning Minisiiics
Corìerì:
Ioicwoiu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1S
Iniiouuciion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Cha¡ici 1 Thc Uliimaic Ticasuic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Cha¡ici 2 Thc Uliimaic Ticasuic Hunici . . . . . . . . . Sò
Cha¡ici S Thc Ticasuic Ma¡ Clucs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ò1
Cha¡ici 4 Cicaiing ihc Ticasuic Ma¡. . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Cha¡ici ò Gciiing Siaiicu on ihc Ticasuic Huni . . . Sò
Cha¡ici 6 Tcchniqucs loi a Succcsslul
Ticasuic Huni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Cha¡ici 7 Esscniial Ticasuic-Huniing Equi¡mcni:
Su¡cinaiuial Divinc Hcaling . . . . . . . . . . 117
Cha¡ici S Esscniial Ticasuic-Huniing Equi¡mcni:
Su¡cinaiuial Pio¡hciic Insighis . . . . . . . 1SS
Cha¡ici 9 Esscniial Ticasuic-Huniing Equi¡mcni:
Su¡cinaiuial Mcasuics ol Iaiih. . . . . . . . 1ò1
Cha¡ici 10 Il ai Iiisi You Don`i Succccu. . . . . . . . . 167
Cha¡ici 11 Ticasuic Huniing Is a Iilcsiylc,
Noi an Evcni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1SS
Cha¡ici 12 Gciiing ihc Ticasuic Inio ihc
Ticasuic Chcsi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
A¡¡cnuix A Thc Ticasuic Ma¡. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21S
A¡¡cnuix B A Hcaling Minisiiy Moucl . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Eo.e&o.J
W
HEN I IIRST BEGAN TO READ ihc manuscii¡i loi TLe
UIìI»uìe T.eu:u.e Hurì, I ihoughi I Incw a liiilc
aloui whai io cx¡cci. Kcvin Dcumon anu his
lamily movcu hcic io lc a ¡aii ol oui school ol minisiiy a
numlci ol ycais ago. Hc hau alicauy lccn iccognizcu ly
iwo vciy goou oiganizaiions as a succcsslul ¡asioi, lui was
hungiy loi somcihing moic. Ii iaIcs iiuc humiliiy loi a
scasoncu ¡asioi io sii alongsiuc a ncw lclicvci in a min-
isiiy school ihai iiains ¡co¡lc in a signs anu wonucis
lilcsiylc. No maiici how ii may havc a¡¡caicu io oihcis, hc
anu his lamily camc io lcain. Dcs¡ciaiion anu humiliiy
olicn woiI in ianucm io liing us inio oui Gou-oiuaincu
ucsiinics.
Kcvin movcu liom ihc IJeu ol uis¡laying Gou`s ¡owci
io ihc u·ìuuI e·¡e.Ier·e. His a¡¡licaiion ol ihc iiuihs iaughi
mauc him sianu oui in a mosi icmaiIallc way. Ii uiun`i
iaIc long io iccognizc ihai Kcvin hau an unusually siiong
÷ 13 ÷
anoiniing loi cvangclism. Wc asIcu loih him anu his wilc,
Thcicsa, io |oin oui ¡asioial icam.
I waichcu as his wholc lamily iooI on a lilcsiylc ol iisI.
Thc icsulis ol ¡uisuing Gou`s ¡ui¡osc loi ihcii livcs aic
quiic amazing, anu somc aic mcniioncu in ihis looI. His
mcssagc anu lilcsiylc liing oihcis inio a similai licaI-
ihiough.
Many lclicvcis uismiss ihcii ics¡onsililiiy in lcauing
oihcis io Chiisi ly siaiing, ¨I uon`i havc a gili loi cvangcl-
ism." Kcvin liings loih cvangclism anu ihc gilis ol ihc
S¡iiii inio such a lcauiilul union ihai no onc is lcli wiih a
viallc cxcusc. As a icsuli ol ihcii minisiiy, chuichcs anu
chuich lcaucis all acioss ihc couniiy aic cx¡ciicncing
similai miiaclcs, cvcn alici Kcvin anu oui siuucnis lcavc
iown. Thai is ihc cxciiing ihing io mc: Thc miiaclcs aic
noi uc¡cnucni on an inuiviuual, lui aic a way ol lilc ihai
ihc Holy S¡iiii maIcs availallc io cvciyonc. Gou is ihc
cxiiavagani Onc. Oui |ol is io cicaic a ¡lacc loi Him io
invauc.
As I icau ihiough ihis manuscii¡i, I uiscovcicu whai I
cx¡ccicu io lc ihcic: sioiics anu icaching ihai maIc miia-
clcs a noimal ¡aii ol ihc Chiisiian lilc. Yci, I was also ¡lcas-
anily sui¡iiscu. I uiun`i cx¡cci io havc icais comc io my
cycs. Noi uiu I cx¡cci io laugh oui louu. I quicIly lccamc
cxciicu, icalizing ihai in a shoii ¡ciiou ol iimc ihis looI
woulu lc ¡ui inio ihc hanus ol hungiy ¡co¡lc who woulu
lccomc cqui¡¡cu io maIc a uillcicncc in ihc woilu
aiounu ihcm.
÷ 14 ÷
So, ii is wiih gicai ¡lcasuic I commcnu io you loih ihc
man anu ihc mcssagc, loi ihcy aic onc anu ihc samc. Wcl-
comc io TLe UIìI»uìe T.eu:u.e Hurì.
Bill ]ohnson
Scnioi Pasioi, Bcihcl Chuich
Rcuuing, Caliloinia
÷ 15 ÷
Irì.oJu·ìIor
T
HE U1TIAATE TFEASUFE HUNT is aloui su¡cinaiuial
cncounicis. Ii is aloui lcaining io livc a naiuially
su¡cinaiuial Kinguom lilcsiylc, in which miiaclcs,
¡hysical hcaling, ihc ¡io¡hciic, anu sciiing ¡co¡lc licc aic
noimal occuiicnccs, as wc iclcasc ihc ¡icscncc anu ¡owci
ol ihc Kinguom ol Gou io ihc ¡co¡lc wc Inow anu mcci
cvciy uay.
Gou wanis us io Lu·e an cncounici, so ihai wc be·o»e
an cncounici, so ihai oìLe.: can havc an cncounici. Ii is
only as wc cncounici His ¡icscncc in ¡iolounu ways ihai
wc lccomc a haliiaiion ol His ¡icscncc, so ihai whcicvci
wc go, wc naiuially IeuI whai is insiuc ol us, so ihai ihc cnvi-
ionmcni aiounu us is allccicu ly His ¡icscncc wiihin us.
TLe UIìI»uìe T.eu:u.e Hurì is aloui su¡cinaiuial cvan-
gclism. Ii is aloui having su¡cinaiuial cncounicis wiih ihc
¡co¡lc whom ihc Iaihci has alicauy ¡ic¡aicu loi a uivinc
÷ 17 ÷
a¡¡oinimcni, anu ihai ihc Holy S¡iiii will guiuc us iowaiu,
in oiuci io icvcal ihc iiuih ol ]csus Chiisi. Whai lcaus ¡co-
¡lc io ic¡cniancc is ihc Iinuncss ol Gou, ucmonsiiaicu
ihiough His ¡co¡lc hcaling ihc sicI, ¡io¡hcsying ihc
sccicis ol ¡co¡lc`s hcaiis, icvcaling ihcii iiuc ucsiiny, anu
sciiing ¡co¡lc licc io livc a llcsscu lilc.
TLe UIìI»uìe T.eu:u.e Hurì is aloui cqui¡¡ing, cm¡ow-
ciing, anu aciivaiing ihc lclicvci io livc a naiuially su¡ci-
naiuial lilcsiylc ol su¡cinaiuial cvangclism. Thc aim is io
incicasc ihc lcvcl ol conliucncc anu com¡cicncc, so ihai
cvciy lclicvci is allc io iaIc ics¡onsililiiy in lcing ihc ¨wii-
ncss" ]csus has commanucu.
This looI is roì inicnucu loi ihosc who havc ihc gili
ol cvangclism. In laci, ihis looI is ucsigncu loi ihosc who
lccl vciy iniimiuaicu anu insccuic whcn ii comcs io wii-
ncssing anu cvangclism. I ho¡c ihosc who shiiI ihc mosi ai
ihc ihoughi ol uoing cvangclism will linu ihis looI iclicsh-
ing anu hcl¡lul.
On ihc oihci hanu, I ¡iay ihai many will linu ihai ihcy
aic much moic gilicu ihan ihcy ¡icviously ihoughi, oncc
ihcy aic cqui¡¡cu anu cm¡owcicu ihiough ihc icsii-
monics anu ¡iinci¡lcs iaughi in cach cha¡ici. Thcsc icsii-
monics anu ¡iinci¡lcs, howcvci, can only lc aciivaicu
ihiough iisI. Ai somc ¡oini, you will havc io sic¡ oui anu
Jo ihc Ticasuic Huni, in oiuci io gain ihc im¡aiiaiions
ihai aic availallc in cach cha¡ici. Anu whcn you uo, you
will linu, as I havc, ihai you havc whai ii iaIcs io lc a naiu-
ially su¡cinaiuial Chiisiian.
This is roì a looI aloui ¨siicci wiincssing." In laci, I
uo noi ¡aiiiculaily liIc ihc icim siicci wiincssing lccausc
÷ 18 ÷
ii olicn connoics only iaigciing ihc homclcss, uiug auuicis,
gang mcmlcis, anu ihc ¨uown anu oui" ol sociciy. Olvi-
ously, Gou wanis us io icach oui io ihcsc ¡eo¡Ie ¿.ou¡:, anu
I uo, lui Hc also inicnus io savc ihc lawycis, uociois, su¡ci-
maiIci clciIs, uclivciy uiivcis, icachcis, classmaics, lusi-
ncss associaics, anu siay-ai-homc moms.
Gou wanis io iiansloim a communiiy, noi |usi ihosc
on ihc ¨siiccis." Thcicloic, I ncvci iclci io oui Chiisiian
wiincss as going io ihc ¨siiccis," lui iaihci, io ihc ¨commu-
niiy." TLe UIìI»uìe T.eu:u.e Hurì is aloui ucmonsiiaiing
Gou`s goouncss anu Iinuncss io cvciyonc, whcicvci wc go.
This looI is roì aloui u.¿uIr¿ somconc inio conlcss-
ing Chiisi. Ii is roì aloui coming u¡ wiih ihc iighi answcis
io convincc somconc io agicc wiih youi ¡aiiiculai uoc-
iiinc. Il somconc can lc ialIcu Irìo somcihing, ihcy can
also lc ialIcu ouì o¡ somcihing.
This Uliimaic Ticasuic Huni is aloui liinging ihc
CooJ Ne&: ol ihc Kinguom io cvciy Iinu ol ¡cison ihiough
su¡cinaiuial mcans anu ucmonsiiaiion, ihiough su¡cinai-
uial cncounicis. Il you a¡¡ly ihc ¡iinci¡lcs ol ihis looI,
you will scc an incicasc in uivinc a¡¡oinimcnis anu uivinc
cncounicis in youi cvciyuay lilc. As you sic¡ oui anu iaIc
iisI, you will linu counilcss, unuicamcu ol Ticasuics ihai
will causc incicuillc ic|oicing on caiih anu in Hcavcn.
Ha¡¡y Ticasuic Huniing!
÷ 19 ÷
CHA I T E F 1
TLe UIìI»uìe T.eu:u.e
W
E IOIIOWED OUR TREASURE MAP, which lcu us io Wal-
Maii on oui |ouincy io linu ihc uliimaic iicas-
uic. Wc uiu noi Inow cxacily whai wc wcic going
io linu, lccausc ihc only clucs wc hau wcic hcauachc, lluc
shiii, SiailucIs collcc, Incc ¡ain, huii iighi aim, liozcn
loous, icu hai, CDs, anu lucIci. As wc hcaucu inio ihc
sioic, oui Ticasuic Huniing icam shaicu somc ncivous
ihoughis aloui whcihci oi noi wc woulu aciually linu ihc
iicasuic ihai was hiuucn somcwhcic insiuc. Sincc I was ihc
only cx¡ciicnccu Ticasuic Hunici on oui icam ol loui, I
shaicu ihai I, ioo, was always ncivous lcloic a lig huni, lui
ihai Gou hau always lcu mc io ihc iicasuic in ihc ¡asi.
Wc lcgan io wcavc oui way ihiough ihc aislcs, looIing
inicnily in cvciy uiicciion loi ihc sulilc clucs ihai woulu
lcau us io s¡ccilic iicasuics |usi waiiing io lc uiscovcicu.
Wc mauc oui way ovci io ihc liozcn loou scciion, whcic
onc ol ihc clucs on ihc Ticasuic Ma¡ uiiccicu us, lui as wc
÷ 21 ÷
sioou ihcic, iiying io uisccin cvciy ¡ossillc lcau, ii was
a¡¡aicni ihai oui iicasuic was noi in ihc liozcn loou scc-
iion. Knowing ihai Gou uocs noi hiuc ihings ¡.o» us, lui
¡o. us, I cncouiagcu ihc icam io looI lcyonu ihc liozcn
loous.
Immcuiaicly, a young woman on ihc icam cxclaimcu
ihai a young loy lcing ¡ushcu in a caii uown a ¡ci¡cnui-
culai aislc hau on a lluc shiii! Wiih auicnalinc ¡um¡ing
ihiough sccmingly cvciy musclc in oui louics, as sulily as
¡ossillc, wc a¡¡ioachcu ihc iicasuic siic io uncovci any
iicasuic ihai mighi lc hiuucn loi us in a lluc shiii. Wc
a¡¡ioachcu ihc young loy who was lcing guaiucu ly his
olviously uisiiaughi moihci.
Wiih smilcs on oui laccs, wc cx¡laincu ihai wc wcic
on a Ticasuic Huni, anu ihai wc hau a lluc shiii on oui
Ticasuic Ma¡. Thc moihci was visilly sIc¡iical, looIing ai
cach ol us loi signs ol an im¡cnuing scam. Bui as ihc
moihci quizzically scanncu oui lisis highlighiing ihc vaii-
ous clucs, shc hcsiianily ¡oinicu oui ihai hci son hau con-
siani hcauachcs causcu ly an uniucniiliallc uiscasc ihai
was allcciing his ccniial ncivous sysicm. Ovci ihc ¡asi six
monihs, ihis young loy hau lccn sullciing liom inca¡aci-
iaiing hcauachcs ihai hau lcli him viiiually cii¡¡lcu.
Wc cx¡laincu io ihc mom ihai Gou hau lcu us io ihcm
io hcl¡ ihcm in somc way, ihai ihcy wcic ihc Ticasuic on
oui ma¡. Thc moihci lcgan io ciy, cx¡laining io us ihai
shc hau lccn so iiicu anu ho¡clcss as a singlc moihci iiying
io caic loi hci ¡ain-iiuulcu son. Evcn ihough shc was noi a
Chiisiian, shc icauily wclcomcu oui ¡iaycis loi hci anu hci
son. So, iighi ihcic in ihc aislc, wc inviicu Gou`s ¡icscncc
as wc laiu hanus on ihc liiilc loy. Alici a lcw minuics, hc
÷ 22 ÷
THE \ITI MATE TFEAS\FE H\ÞT
lcgan io lccl much lciici, so wc lcgan io ¡io¡hcsy
Hcavcn`s ucsiiny ovci mom anu son. By ihc cnu ol ihc icn-
minuic cncounici, wc wcic all liIc lamily, hugging anu
ic|oicing iogcihci. Thc mom ihcn gavc hci ¡honc numlci
io a woman on oui icam, asIing il shc coulu go io chuich!
Wc wcic so cxciicu aloui ihc uivinc a¡¡oinimcni ihai
wc hau |usi hau, ihai wc coulu noi waii io linu ihc ncxi
iicasuic on oui Ma¡. So, wc wcni looIing loi SiailucIs col-
lcc. Wc wcni io ihc iaw collcc-lcan scciion, lui uiu noi uis-
covci oui iicasuic ihcic. Immcuiaicly, wc wcic siiucI oncc
again ihai wc hau |usi ¨lucIcu" oui somchow wiih ihc uivinc
a¡¡oinimcni wiih ihc ¨lluc shiii" anu ihc ¨hcauachc."
I insiiucicu ihc icam ihai wc olicn nccu io uig ucc¡ci
loi ihc clucs, ihai cicaiiviiy is a lig ¡aii ol succcsslul Ticas-
uic Huniing. Wc lcgan io ihinI ol all ol ihc uillcicni
¡laccs ihai SiailucIs collcc woulu lc locaicu in ihc sioic,
anu uiscovcicu ihai ihcic wcic iwo oihci locaiions. Wc
wcni io ihc giounu-collcc scciion, anu linuing no luiihci
clucs ihcic, wc wcni io ihc icc cicam scciion whcic, unlc-
Inownsi io mc, ihcy hau liozcn SiailucIs icc cicam!
As wc sioou ihcic, wc icalizcu ihai cailici wc hau
¨liozcn loous" anu ihai now wc wcic in ihc liozcn scciion
uillcicni liom whai wc hau ¡icviously ucuuccu liom ihai
cluc on oui Ticasuic Ma¡. Wc waiicu in ihc cm¡iy aislc loi
aloui ihicc minuics, now Inowing ihai ihis was ihc ¡lacc
whcic wc woulu linu oui ncxi iicasuic.
Iinally, a woman who was an acquainiancc ol onc ol oui
icam mcmlcis camc walIing uown oui aislc. Wc cx¡laincu
ihai wc wcic on a Ticasuic Huni anu ihai wc wcic looIing
loi luiihci clucs. As shc looIcu ai oui Ticasuic Ma¡, shc
÷ 23 ÷
TLe UIìI»uìe T.eu:u.e
coulu haiuly lclicvc ihai wc hau ¨huii iighi aim" on oui
Ticasuic Ma¡. Ii iuincu oui ihai shc hau huii hci aim scv-
cial monihs cailici, anu ii hau siill noi hcalcu. Wc lcgan io
¡iay sim¡ly, ¨Ioiu, lci Youi Kinguom comc, lci Youi will lc
uonc in ihis aim as ii is in Hcavcn." Immcuiaicly, ihc ¡ain
lcli hci aim, anu ihc moliliiy was lully icsioicu!
So now wc`ic looIing loi lucIcis. Wc hcaucu ovci io
ihc mo¡s anu sioou aiounu ihc lucIcis ihcic loi a lcw
minuics, anu ihcn io ihc auiomoiivc scciion io linu a
lucIci uscu io wash cais. Noihing. Somconc ihcn hau ihc
iuca ihai wc coulu go io ihc ioy scciion whcic ihcy mighi
havc lucIcis uscu io ¡lay in ihc sanu.
As wc wcic wanuciing aiounu ihc ioy scciion looIing
loi a lucIci, onc ol ihc cm¡loyccs a¡¡ioachcu mc anu
asIcu il I nccucu hcl¡. I saiu, ¨Wcll, wc`ic on a Ticasuic
Huni anu onc ol oui clucs is a lucIci." Tiying io lc vciy
hcl¡lul, shc asIcu why wc nccucu a lucIci. ¨Wcll," I saiu,
¨wc aciually uo noi wani a lucIci, wc aic looIing loi a ¡ci-
son ihai Gou wanis io hcl¡ iouay who is sianuing ly a
lucIci-ihai is oui iicasuic." Shcc¡ishly, shc asIcu, ¨Do
you ihinI I coulu lc youi iicasuic." Wiihoui hcsiiaiion,
ihc icam lcgan io ¡io¡hcsy ovci hci, calling oui ihc goou
¡lans anu ¡ui¡oscs ihai Gou hau in sioic loi hci. Wc
lcgan io s¡caI aloui ihc way Gou ihc Iaihci saw hci: as
ihc a¡¡lc ol His cyc.
Righi ihcic in ihc miuulc ol ihc aislc, ai ihc lucIcis,
shc siaiicu ciying anu shaiing wiih us ihai cvciyihing wc
saiu was cxacily whai shc nccucu io hcai. Shc inviicu ]csus
inio hci hcaii anu iolu us ihai ii was ihc lcsi uay ol hci lilc!
As shc lcli, wc wcic ccsiaiic. ¨This Ticasuic Huni ihing
ically woiIs," wc wcic all ihinIing. ]usi ihcn, anoihci
÷ 24 ÷
THE \ITI MATE TFEAS\FE H\ÞT
cm¡loycc walIcu ly lim¡ing, which ol couisc was causcu
ly a ¡iollcm in his ¨iighi Incc." Now ihc Ticasuics wcic
coming io us! Wc cnucu u¡ ¡iaying loi him, anu Gou
hcalcu him iighi ihcic on ihc s¡oi. Wc cncouiagcu him
ihai hc hau |usi cx¡ciicnccu ihc goouncss anu Iinuncss ol
Gou anu scni him on his way lacI io woiI.
Wc cnucu u¡ linuing ihc oihci clucs on oui Ticasuic
Ma¡, lui ihc mosi im¡oiiani ¡aii ol oui auvcniuious |oui-
ncy was ihai wc lounu ihc Uliimaic Ticasuic: ¡co¡lc who
hau lccn luiicu in lonclincss, ¡ain, anu ho¡clcssncss who,
whcn uncovcicu ly ihc Holy S¡iiii`s lcauing, wcic savcu,
hcalcu, anu uclivcicu all in a iimc s¡an ol a mcic 1 houi
anu 1ò minuics!
THERE I S TREASLRE EVERYWHERE
Thc Uliimaic Ticasuic is ihc ¡co¡lc who aic |usi waii-
ing io lc uiscovcicu. Thcy aic ihosc who ucs¡ciaicly, anu
olicn sccicily, nccu a ical cncounici wiih Gou in oiuci io
mcci ihc ovciwhclming nccus ol ihcii livcs anu ihc unlul-
lillcu ucsiics ol ihcii hcaiis. Thcy aic cvciywhcic. Thcy aic
in sioics, lusincsscs, ncighloihoous, ¡aiIs, schools, anu
cvcn ihc chuich. Thcy aic cvciywhcic wc go. Thcy aic
Gou`s Uliimaic Ticasuic.
In IuIc 1ò:S-10, ]csus iclls a ¡aiallc ihai ca¡iuics
Gou`s hcaii loi ihc losi iicasuic. Hc says:
O. :u¡¡o:e u &o»ur Lu: ìer :II·e. ·oIr: urJ Io:e: ore.
Doe: :Le roì II¿Lì u Iu»¡, :&ee¡ ìLe Lou:e urJ :eu.·L
·u.e¡uII, urìII :Le ¡IrJ: Iì: ArJ &Ler :Le ¡IrJ: Iì, :Le
·uII: Le. ¡.IerJ: urJ reI¿Lbo.: ìo¿eìLe. urJ :u,:, ¨Fe¡oI·e
&IìL »e; I Lu·e ¡ourJ », Io:ì ·oIr ]iicasuic|.` Ir ìLe
:u»e &u,, I ìeII ,ou, ìLe.e I: .e¡oI·Ir¿ Ir ìLe ¡.e:er·e o¡
÷ 25 ÷
TLe UIìI»uìe T.eu:u.e
ìLe ur¿eI: o¡ CoJ o·e. ore :Irre. &Lo .e¡erì: ¸IuIc
1ò:S-10).
Too olicn, wc as Chiisiians can looI ai ihc ¨losi coins"
in ihc woilu as woiihlcss, insicau ol vicwing ihcm as ihc
iicasuic uc¡icicu in ihis ¡aiallc. So vciy casy ii is io ihinI
ol ihc ¨sinnci" as a losi causc, anu ihcicloic, noi cvcn
woiih sccIing. Ii is iiuc ihai ihosc who aic covcicu ovci in
uaiIncss aic unuci cvciy Iinu ol cvil, anu ihai ihc gou ol
ihis agc has uaiIcncu ihcii unucisianuing ¸scc E¡h. 4:17),
lui ihai shoulu noi lc ihc uciciicni io uncovciing ihc
iicasuic ihai lics wiihin ihcm. Evciyonc is woiih linuing.
I lovc how ihc a¡osilc Paul ucsciilcs ihis iiuih in E¡hc-
sians 2:1-ò.
A: ¡o. ,ou, ,ou &e.e JeuJ Ir ,ou. ì.ur:¿.e::Ior: urJ
:Ir:, Ir &LI·L ,ou u:eJ ìo II·e &Ler ,ou ¡oIIo&eJ ìLe
&u,: o¡ ìLI: &o.IJ urJ o¡ ìLe .uIe. o¡ ìLe IIr¿Jo» o¡ ìLe
uI., ìLe :¡I.Iì &Lo I: ro& uì &o.I Ir ìLo:e &Lo u.e JI:obe-
JIerì. AII o¡ u: uI:o II·eJ u»or¿ ìLe» uì ore ìI»e, ¿.uì-
I¡,Ir¿ ìLe ·.u·Ir¿: o¡ ou. :Ir¡uI ruìu.e urJ ¡oIIo&Ir¿ Iì:
Je:I.e: urJ ìLou¿Lì:. 1IIe ìLe .e:ì, &e &e.e b, ruìu.e
ob¡e·ì: o¡ &.uìL. Buì be·uu:e o¡ HI: ¿.euì Io·e ¡o. u:,
CoJ, &Lo I: .I·L Ir »e.·,, »uJe u: uII·e &IìL CL.I:ì
e·er &Ler &e &e.e JeuJ Ir ì.ur:¿.e::Ior:-Iì I: b, ¿.u·e
,ou Lu·e beer :u·eJ.
Thc a¡osilc Paul cciiainly Incw ihis icvclaiion liom
¡cisonal cx¡ciicncc. In ihc BooI ol Acis, wc linu him lcau-
ing ihc chaigc io ¡cisccuic ihc Chuich. In laci, in Iiisi Tim-
oihy 1:1ò, hc conlcsscs ihai, ¨Chiisi ]csus camc inio ihc
woilu io savc sinncis-ol whom I am ihc woisi." Thc a¡osilc
Paul was an unliIcly canuiuaic loi ihc Chuich`s ¨ouiicach"
÷ 26 ÷
THE \ITI MATE TFEAS\FE H\ÞT
¡iogiam, lui ncvciihclcss, ]csus scaichcu him oui on ihc
ioau io Damascus, anu Saul lccamc ihc a¡osilc Paul-ihc
Uliimaic Ticasuic. ¸Scc Acis 9.)
A TREASLRE WORTH FI NDI NG
I am glau my gianumoihci anu cousin uiu noi scc mc
as a losi causc lcloic I lccamc a Chiisiian as a 16-ycai-olu.
My gianulaihci, who hau lccn a ucacon in ihc Ba¡iisi
chuich loicvci, hau |usi ¡asscu away, so my cousin hau gonc
io iaIc caic ol my gianumoihci in souihcin Caliloinia.
Thai summci, I ucciucu io s¡cnu my vacaiion wiih ihcm so
ihai I coulu s¡cnu iimc ai ihc lcach anu ¨¡aiiy" in uncnu-
ing lashion. Whai I hau noi icalizcu was ihai, ihanIs io
Gianuma`s inllucncc, my cousin hau lccomc a Chiisiian.
Ai 16, I was lully inio all ihai ihc woilu hau io ollci a
iccnagci ai ihai iimc. A uiug-using, iocI-anu-ioll uium-
mci, I was so lai away liom Chiisi ihai I was ihc lasi ¡cison
any ol my liicnus woulu ihinI coulu lccomc a Chiisiian. I
woulu comc homc liom ihc lcach, cai cvciy availallc loou
iicm in ihc housc, anu consianily mocI ihc Chiisiian iclc-
vision shows ihcy woulu inccssanily waich ihioughoui ihc
cvcning.
Bui ii was my gianumoihci`s unconuiiional accc¡i-
ancc ol mc cvcn wiih all ol my ¨sinlul" laggagc, anu my
cousin`s convincing aigumcni ihai I coulu go io chuich
wiih him |usi as I was ihai mauc all ihc uillcicncc. Thai
chuich ha¡¡cncu io lc Calvaiy Cha¡cl in Cosia Mcsa, Cal-
iloinia, ai ihc hcighi ol ihc ]csus Movcmcni.
Ii was 197ò, anu I showcu u¡ io a Saiuiuay nighi con-
ccii high on uiugs anu cx¡cciing io hcai oigan music anu
linu ¨uoiIs" in shoii-slccvcu whiic shiiis wiih iics. Whai I
÷ 27 ÷
TLe UIìI»uìe T.eu:u.e
lounu, howcvci, was 2,000 ¡co¡lc who wcic |usi liIc mc
on ihc ouisiuc, lui on ihc insiuc ihcy hau lounu somc-
ihing ihai I hau noi cvcn lccn looIing loi, lui lounu ihai
nighi. No onc |uugcu mc, I uiu noi nccu io lc |uugcu
lccausc I alicauy Incw whai was wiong wiih mc. Whai I
uiu noi Inow was whai was iighi wiih mc-ihai Gou hau a
¡lan loi mc. Evciy lyiic ol cvciy song sccmcu io havc lccn
wiiiicn loi mc, cx¡icssing my hcaii`s ucsiic loi iniimacy anu
signilicancc.
As ihc ¡icachci goi u¡ io givc ihc aliai call, I sai ihcic
conicm¡laiing ihc choicc I was aloui io maIc. I Incw ihai
lollowing Chiisi mcani giving u¡ all ol my sinlul ¡iaciiccs
¸ciuichcs), which hau noi ically hcl¡cu anyway lui, lcing
all I Incw, sccmcu lciici ihan noihing. I Incw I woulu also
nccu io givc u¡ my ¨liicnus" cvcn ihough I olicn lcli ago-
nizing lonclincss cvcn in ihcii com¡any. I Incw ihai I
nccucu hcl¡ loi my licqucni suiciual ihoughis lioughi on
ly ihc gnawing cm¡iincss I lcli cvciy uay.
Bui I |usi coulu noi iaIc ihc lca¡. I was aliaiu ol ihc
unInown anu ihc lalsc ¡cicc¡iion ihai I hau ol ihc
Chuich, anu ihcicloic, Chiisiianiiy. I sai ihcic ihiough iwo
aliai calls in which a cou¡lc ol hunuicu ¨wanna lc" iicas-
uics wcni loiwaiu io lc uiscovcicu. Thc ¡icachci lcgan io
¡iay loi ihosc who hau comc loiwaiu as I sai lowci in my
scai ncxi io my cousin who was lcivcnily ¡iaying loi mc
unuci his licaih.
Thcn ihc minisici sio¡¡cu. Hc a¡ologizcu loi sio¡-
¡ing ai such a ciucial momcni, lui hc lcli liIc ihcic was
|usi onc moic ¡cison who nccucu io ics¡onu io Gou`s lovc
ihai nighi. Hc liiclly saiu oncc again ihai Gou hau a s¡c-
cial ¡lan loi ihis ¡cison`s lilc, anu ihai il hc oi shc |usi
÷ 28 ÷
THE \ITI MATE TFEAS\FE H\ÞT
camc loiwaiu, ihai ¡cison`s lilc woulu ncvci lc ihc samc,
ihai hc oi shc woulu cx¡ciicncc lovc anu liccuom ihai
woulu saiisly cvciy nccu anu ucsiic.
Immcuiaicly, my hcaii lcgan io iacc ai S,000 RPMs. I
Incw hc was ialIing io mc. I hau ncvci lcli so much lovc
anu ¡ui¡osc. You scc, my high school counscloi hau |usi
iolu mc ihai I shoulu ihinI aloui ¡ic¡aiing io gci hiicu on
ai ihc ciiy`s saniiaiion uc¡aiimcni lccausc I woulu always
havc sicauy woiI ihcic wiih lcncliis. I wcni away ihinIing
ihai lcing a gailagc collccioi was a¡¡io¡iiaic sincc I
ihoughi I was |unI anyway.
So, whcn I hcaiu ihis ¡icachci calling oui my ucsiiny
io havc signilicancc anu livc a lilc lull ol ihc lovc ol Gou, I
was ovciwhclmcu. I lcli an invisillc hanu ¡icI mc u¡ ly ihc
lacI ol ihc collai ol my T-shiii, anu ihc ncxi ihing I Incw
I was iunning io ihc lioni ol ihc chuich accom¡anicu ly
ihc cxulciani a¡¡lausc ol 2,000 amazcu lclicvcis! I was
ihc Uliimaic Ticasuic ihai nighi.
I was an unliIcly coin io havc hau ihai much clloii
cm¡loycu io linu ii. In my minu, I was woiih aloui as much
as a scullcu u¡ olu ¡cnny ihai somconc woulu glauly ihiow
inio a ¨wishing wcll," awaic ihai ihc gcsiuic was in vain, lui
iclicvcu io lc iiu ol ihc liiilc nuisancc in his ¡ocIci. Ii lcli
siiangc io mc ihai Gou noi only Incw mc, lui also caicu
cnough aloui linuing mc ihai Hc woulu havc a ¡icachci
sio¡ in ihc miuulc ol his ¡iayci anu highlighi mc oui ol
2,000 ¡co¡lc.
I lcli liIc a iicasuic ihai nighi, icalizing ihai Gou uocs
noi maIc |unI. I was liIc ihc losi coin in ihc ¡aiallc. I was
so valuallc io Gou ihai Hc ¡ui all ol His locus on linuing
÷ 29 ÷
TLe UIìI»uìe T.eu:u.e
mc. Hc oichcsiiaicu scaich icams liIc my gianumoihci
anu cousin, who iclcnilcssly woocu mc oui ol ihc uaiI holc
ihai I was losi in.
IooIing lacI, I Inow ihcic wcic many oihcis who hau
gonc oui ol ihcii way io shinc a scaich lighi in my uiicc-
iion, ¡oiniing ihc way io ihc iiuih. I uo noi Inow any ol
ihcii namcs, noi woulu I liIcly iccognizc any ol ihcm il I
mci ihcm lacc-io-lacc iouay. Bui onc uay, whcn wc all mcci
in Hcavcn io icvcl in ihc gicai Ticasuic Huniing auvcn-
iuics ihai wc ¡uisucu in ihis woilu in scaich ol losi coins, I
havc a lccling ihai ihcic will lc a ciowu ol ihosc who con-
iiiluicu io ihc Ticasuic Huni io linu mc.
CELEHRATI NG DI SCOVERED TREASLRE
No oihci ¡lacc in Scii¡iuic uc¡icis all ol ihc angcls
¨ic|oicing" ihan hcic, in ihc ¡aiallc ol ihc losi coin. I
gucss il all ol Hcavcn is ihai cxciicu ovci a Ticasuic Huni,
ii musi lc a ¡iciiy im¡oiiani cvcni in ihc Kinguom ol Gou.
]csus ¡aiu a gicai ¡iicc, s¡cnuing Himscll on ¡uichasing
ihcsc coins. Thcicloic, |usi as you woulu s¡aic no icsouicc
scaiching loi a ¨collcciallc," so in locaiing onc ¡cison you
woulu go io all lcngihs. Anu oui Iaihci in Hcavcn will ccl-
cliaic ihcii iciuin, |usi as ihc laihci who lounu his son in
IuIc 1ò:24 ¡ioclaimcu, ¨Hc was losi anu is lounu."
I`ll ncvci loigci my lccling ol uiici ucs¡aii whcn I
icccivcu ihc ncws ol oui 16-ycai-olu son, Chau, who was
S,000 milcs away ai a youih conlcicncc. Wc hau lccn ucal-
ing wiih scvcial challcngcs as a icsuli ol ihc ¡ooi lilcsiylc
choiccs ihai hc hau lccn maIing. As a ¡asioi, I |usi
assumcu ihai hc woulu giow u¡ as a ¨Chiisiian," lui I hau
comc io icalizc ihai hc nccucu io lc savcu |usi liIc I uiu.
÷ 30 ÷
THE \ITI MATE TFEAS\FE H\ÞT
Somchow, unconsciously, I hau ihis ihoughi ihai hc woulu
lc ihc liisi sinlcss son sincc ]csus. I was ciushcu whcn I
lounu oui ihai hc hau lccn sclling uiugs oui ol oui homc
whilc hc was lalysiiiing his ò-ycai-olu sisici whcn wc wcic
on oui uaic nighis!
Wc hau lccn woiIing ihiough all ol ihc issucs sicmming
liom anu coniiiluiing io his lilcsiylc loi aloui a ycai anu a
hall, whcn wc linally ucciucu ihai hc |usi nccucu a ¡cisonal
cncounici wiih Gou. All ol ihc counscling, ihc looIs wc
icau, ihc ialIs wc hau, lounuaiics wc mauc, anu ihc
¡iaycis wc ¡iaycu wcic goou, lui whai hc nccucu mosi was
a JI·Ire u¡¡oIrì»erì in which hc hcaiu Gou loi himscll.
So, wc scni him oll acioss ihc couniiy wiih a youih
giou¡ liom anoihci chuich io aiicnu a naiional youih con-
lcicncc. Wc ¡iaycu. Thc youih lcaucis hau iolu us ihai il
oui son, who uiu noi ically wani io go, causcu any ¡iol-
lcms, hc woulu lc scni homc on ihc liisi availallc llighi. So
wiih lcai anu iic¡iuaiion, wc scni him oll, ho¡ing ihai ihc
iicasuic insiuc ol him woulu gci uiscovcicu.
I was in my ollicc iwo uays alici ihc livc-uay conlci-
cncc hau siaiicu whcn ihc ¡honc iang. Ii was my wilc, ciy-
ing unconiiollally. All shc coulu managc io gci oui was,
¨Ii`s Chau, ii`s Chau." Immcuiaicly, I was ihinIing, OL
¿.euì, Le`: ¿oì Irìo ì.oubIe, urJ ìLe, u.e :erJIr¿ LI» Lo»e. My
hcaii sunI uown io ihc llooi. Alici a lcw minuics, my wilc
gaincu cnough com¡osuic io cx¡lain io mc ihai shc hau
icccivcu a ¡honc call liom ihc youih ¡asioi. Hc ic¡oiicu
io hci ihai oui son hau lccn ciying loi ihc liisi 24 houis
ol ihc conlcicncc, conlcssing his sin anu ic¡cniing. Hc
wcni on io say ihai hc hau s¡cni ihc ncxi 24 houis laugh-
ing hysiciically.
÷ 31 ÷
TLe UIìI»uìe T.eu:u.e
Ol couisc, ly now I was ¡icIing u¡ my ¡iouu ¡um¡ing
hcaii oll ihc llooi whcic ii hau lccn lying loi ihc ¡icvious
¡ainsiaIing livc minuics. My liisi ihoughi was, A, :or &u:
Io:ì, urJ ro& Le`: ¡ourJ¹ Now, icn ycais laici, my son anu
uaughici-in-lovc aic on ihc ¡asioial siall ol a laigc chuich
in souihcin Caliloinia. Noi many uays go ly wiihoui my
siill ic|oicing ovci ihc uay my iicasuicu son was lounu.
WI TNESSI NG IS NOT A GI FT
Ol couisc, Gou has lccn inio Ticasuic Huniing sincc
ihc liisi coin was losi in ihc Gaiucn ol Eucn. Thioughoui
ihc Olu Tcsiamcni, lcginning wiih ihc liisi glim¡sc ol ihc
gos¡cl in Gcncsis S:1ò in which Gou ¡iomiscu ihai cvcn
ihough saian woulu siiiIc man`s hccl, man woulu ciush
saian`s hcau, wc linu Gou`s icucm¡iivc ¡lans unloluing io
iccovci ihai which hau lccn losi. Gou s¡cni a long iimc,
ovci 4,000 ycais, looIing loi |usi ihc iighi iimc anu ¡lacc
io icvcal ihc sccicis ol ihc losi iicasuic. Ii only maIcs
scnsc, ihcn, ihai Hc anu all ol Hcavcn woulu lc ccsiaiic
wiih |oy as ihc long losi iicasuic is uug u¡ oui ol ihc uaiI
¡ii ol ucsiiuciion anu ucaih.
]csus` wholc mission was io ¨sccI anu savc whai was
losi" ¸IuIc 19:10). Hc ihcn iolu His uisci¡lcs io ¨go, anu
maIc uisci¡lcs ol all naiions." Thc woiu ¨naiions" is ihc
GiccI woiu eìLro:, liom which wc gci ihc woiu ¨cihnic." Ii
has ihc connoiaiion ol a ¡co¡lc giou¡ wiih s¡ccilic uisiinc-
iivcs. In a scnsc, ]csus was iclling His uisci¡lcs io go io cvciy
social giou¡. So many ol us can gci inio ihc iia¡ ol ihinI-
ing ihai wiincssing is somcihing ihai wc uo on ihc ¨siiccis"
io homclcss ¡co¡lc. Bui ihc homclcss maIc u¡ |usi onc ol
ihc many ¨eìLro:" giou¡s ol ihc woilu.
÷ 32 ÷
THE \ITI MATE TFEAS\FE H\ÞT
Iosi iicasuics aic |usi waiiing io lc lounu in cvciy scg-
mcni ol cvciy sociciy. Thc BooI ol Acis is a ucmonsiiaiion
ol Gou`s hcaii ol ¨noi waniing anyonc io ¡ciish, lui cvciy-
onc io comc io ic¡cniancc" ¸2 Pci. S:9). Wc linu ihiough-
oui ihc BooI ol Acis cxam¡lc alici cxam¡lc ol ihosc lcing
savcu liom cvciy s¡hcic ol sociciy: govcinois, |ail guaius,
icligious iciioiisis, ¡iaciiiioncis ol wiichciali, ihc iich, ihc
¡ooi, scivanis, anu masicis aic all uiscovcicu iicasuics.
Each onc ol us is a iicasuic io Gou. Hc loughi cach
onc ol us wiih a ¡iicc: ihc ¡iccious lloou ol ]csus. Anu
whcn wc aic linally lounu, ihcic is ic|oicing lccausc collcc-
iivcly anu inuiviuually wc aic His Uliimaic Ticasuic!
Olviously ihcn, il Gou`s hcaii is io linu His losi iicas-
uic, ihcn having His hcaii, wc woulu havc ihc samc ¡assion
anu icsolvc io looI in cvciy ¨nooI anu cianny" io linu ihc
iicasuics waiiing io lc uiscovcicu aiounu us. To lc a Ticas-
uic Hunici uocs noi iaIc a s¡ccial gili, lui ii uocs iaIc ihc
Iaihci`s hcaii ol com¡assion io caic cnough aloui whai is
losi io uo somcihing aloui linuing ii.
Many havc ihc lalsc unucisianuing ihai lccausc ihcy
uo noi havc ihc ¨gili" ol an cvangclisi, ihcy uo noi havc ihc
ics¡onsililiiy oi ihc ca¡aciiy io wiincss. Timoihy, howcvci,
was insiiucicu ly ihc a¡osilc Paul ¨io uo ihc woiI ol an
cvangclisi" cvcn ihough hc was a ¡asioi/icachci iy¡c. Thc
¨a¡osilc" Paul, himscll, was noi an ¨cvangclisi," yci hc lcu
many io Chiisi ihiough his wiincss.
Whilc cvangclism can lc a gili, ihc Billc is clcai ihai
¨wiincssing" is noi a gili, lui a ics¡onsililiiy. ]csus com-
manucu ihc uisci¡lcs in Acis 1:S, ¨You will lc My wii-
ncsscs.." Clcaily, ihcic wcic ihosc among ihc uisci¡lcs
÷ 33 ÷
TLe UIìI»uìe T.eu:u.e
who wcic moic ouigoing ihan oihcis, anu maylc cvcn hau
a ¨gili" ¸alihough wc aic noi iolu), ncvciihclcss, ihcy wcic
all commanucu io wiincss. Thcy wcic all callcu io lc Ticas-
uic Hunicis, scaiching loi ihc Uliimaic Ticasuic.
÷ 34 ÷
THE \ITI MATE TFEAS\FE H\ÞT