The film version of The Hunt for Red October follows the deliberate search for a rogue Soviet submarine during the late Cold War. Much of the story’s intrigue centers on one critical question: What is the submarine commander’s true intent?
CIA analyst Jack Ryan studies Captain Marko Ramius’s movements, words, character, and personal history. Based on what he has learned about Ramius, Ryan becomes convinced that the commander’s intentions are not what others assume. He then acts with courage and determination upon that conviction.
In a far greater and more consequential way, those seeking to make disciples must learn the heart, words, character, and purposes of God.
Our search for Persons of Peace is not based on human instinct alone. It follows the pattern Jesus gave His disciples in Matthew 10 and Luke 9–10. As we grow in our knowledge of the Father’s heart and learn to follow the Holy Spirit, He gives us eyes to recognize those He may already be preparing.
The love of Christ compels us to enter this prayerful, deliberate pursuit. We do not merely wait for spiritually receptive people to find us. We intentionally pray, go, listen, share, and look for those in whom the Holy Spirit is already at work.
Trusting the Father’s Intent
To seek the launch of a Disciple-Making Movement is to trust the heart and intent of the Father.
For the sake of His glory and renown, we pursue those whom He is preparing—not only individuals, but also their households and relational networks. We believe God desires to draw people to Himself and reproduce obedient disciples among families, communities, and entire peoples.
A Person of Peace will often:
- Welcome the message and the messenger
- Listen with spiritual openness
- Receive or seriously consider the message
- Open a household or relational network to discovery
The Person of Peace may not initially understand or believe the gospel. Yet this person demonstrates unusual receptivity and relational influence. Through that open door, an entire household or community may gain an opportunity to discover God through His Word.
Recognizing such a person requires intimacy with God, dependence upon the Holy Spirit, and patient engagement with many people.
When Progress Feels Slow
A colleague serving among unreached people groups once shared this honest reflection:
“I appreciate your prayers for relationships and for Persons of Peace in particular. Actually, I need to become more intentional about praying for Persons of Peace.
“It has seemed very slow. I have spent time with each of these women only once or twice. Initiating relationships and praying are really all I can do right now because we do not yet have a natural point of connection.
“I know it has been only two and a half months, but it is difficult to know what progress should look like at this point. I am excited to begin a Discovery Bible Study with whomever the Lord leads us to, and I am eager to begin. Yet I also recognize that it may take time.”
Her words express a tension familiar to many Kingdom Movements practitioners. We carry a sense of urgency because people remain without access to the gospel. At the same time, we must respect the unhurried work of the Holy Spirit in human hearts.
We pray fervently and act intentionally, but we cannot manufacture spiritual hunger. We can initiate conversations, build relationships, share stories, and invite people to discover God’s Word. Only the Father can draw people to Himself.
Faithfulness sometimes looks like visible fruit. At other times, it looks like continuing to pray, love, and sow when progress seems painfully slow.
Whatever It Takes—and However Long It Takes
Those who feel called to pursue a Disciple-Making Movement often pray:
“Whatever it takes, Lord, launch a Kingdom movement among this unreached people group for Your glory.”
I would add:
“However long it takes, Lord, raise up multiplying worshipers from among this people.”
Searching for Persons of Peace takes time, intentionality, perseverance, and trust-filled obedience. It requires us to release our preferred timelines without surrendering the urgency of the task.
Faithful pursuit means refusing both passivity and anxious striving.
We do not sit back and expect a Person of Peace to appear without intentional engagement. Nor do we attempt to force spiritual responsiveness or label every friendly person a Person of Peace.
Instead, we pray and go. We meet people. We enter homes when invited. We listen carefully. We share God’s story and the story of His transforming work in our lives. We invite people to discover His Word with their families and friends.
Then we watch for those who welcome, listen, respond, and open their relational communities.
A foundational biblical principle must be embraced: we usually need to speak with many people before finding those whom God is preparing to open their households as households of peace.
The search is both strategic and profoundly spiritual.
People Are Not Projects
Intentionality must always be rooted in genuine love.
A Person of Peace is not a ministry mechanism, a strategic shortcut, or a means of gaining access to a community. Every person we meet bears the image of God and deserves to be treated with dignity, patience, and sincere care.
We do not value people only because of what they might accomplish for a movement. We love them because God loves them.
Our search must therefore remain relational rather than transactional. We listen without manipulating. We serve without demanding a response. We invite without pressuring. We trust the Holy Spirit to reveal what He is doing and how we should respond.
The love of Christ compels us—not the pursuit of impressive numbers, rapid results, or ministry recognition.
Knowing the Master Commander’s Heart
Our first and greatest pursuit is intimacy with Christ.
Before searching for Persons of Peace, we seek the face of God. Before studying the spiritual openness of others, we ask Him to search and transform our own hearts. Before asking where He is working, we learn to recognize His voice through Scripture, prayer, worship, and loving obedience.
Out of the overflow of this intimacy, we become increasingly sensitive to the movement of the Holy Spirit.
As we learn the Father’s heart, we begin to recognize what reflects His purposes. As we become familiar with His Word, we can better discern the people and places He may be preparing. As we walk in step with His Spirit, He directs our conversations, relationships, and invitations.
This has everything to do with finding Persons of Peace and their households.
Know the Master Commander’s heart. Know His words. Know His character and intent. In knowing Him, we increasingly learn His ways.
Then we pray.
We go.
We listen.
We love.
And with patient, expectant faith, we look for the people and households whom God is already preparing.
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