Thursday, July 16, 2026
Reaching People Through People
“Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.” (1 Corinthians 1:21 NLT)
As we look back in history and see the names of Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, and others, we may be tempted to pray for the Lord to raise up a similar firebrand to ignite a much-needed revival in our nation today. But the Bible makes it clear that revival—the spread of the Good News of Jesus Christ—is not something that’s best left to the experts.
Who’s called to preach the gospel? According to God’s Word, it isn’t just pastors, teachers, evangelists, and missionaries. It’s any person, anywhere, who names the name of Christ.
Jesus Himself gave us our marching orders when He said, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you” (Matthew 28:19–20 nlt). Jesus called His followers to share the gospel. And He called us to share it everywhere.
In another variation of what we call the Great Commission, Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone” (Mark 16:15 nlt). We can localize this by saying, “Go into all your world and preach the gospel. Go to all your family, to your workplace, and to your neighborhood. Go into your sphere of influence.” In other words, lay the groundwork for localized revivals.
Why are we to do this? Because God’s primary way of reaching people is through people. The apostle Paul wrote that “since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21 nlt).
God has chosen to communicate His gospel primarily through us as we share it verbally. That’s not to say there isn’t a place for living the gospel. In fact, living the gospel—letting Christ’s light shine through us—effectively earns us the right to share the gospel. But we shouldn’t merely rely on our silent example.
We need to look for opportunities to specifically articulate the gospel message to others. The apostle Paul also wrote, “And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” (Romans 10:14 nlt). We should be doing this because we care, because we have a burden for people who don’t know the Lord.
As individual believers, we may not be able to plan a revival—not in the broadest sense of the word, at least. But we can launch individual or localized revivals in the lives of others by sharing the gospel as Jesus called us to do.
Reflection question: Where would be a good starting point for igniting a localized revival in your sphere of influence?
Copyright © 2026 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/James Coleman
Greg Laurie is the pastor and founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and of Harvest Crusades. He is an evangelist, best-selling author, and movie producer. His latest film ‘Jesus Revolution,’ from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company, is now available on-demand worldwide.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com and weekly podcast on LifeAudio.com.
Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.
Long before America became a nation, a young evangelist named George Whitefield stood in open fields and town squares proclaiming a bold message: You must be born again. His preaching helped spark the First Great Awakening and shaped the spiritual foundation of a generation.
The powerful new film A Great Awakening brings this remarkable true story to life with compelling performances, rich historical detail, and a timely reminder of what God can do when people respond to the gospel.
Request your copy this month with your gift to Harvest Ministries.
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