Michael Winters is wowing the crowd with his sleight of hand.

He changes blank cards into playing cards, ties a rope into a knot with one hand and links several steel rings to form a flower, a rocking chair and a dozen various figures.

The audience applauds the entertainment.

Then Winters turns some tricks that few magicians could hold a magic wand to.

He changes water to wine by pouring it into a cupped newspaper. He ties three ropes together to show how a person forms a lifeline to God. And with a flick of his fingers, he sets aflame a “pretend” Bible to illustrate how it instills a burning desire within Christians.

The audience, 120 people gathered at Merrell United Methodist Church in Lauderdale Lakes, applauds the message.

Winters’ brand of magic differs from most professional magicians; his brand of ministry differs from preachers. He calls himself a Christian illusionist, and he uses magic not merely to entertain, but also to spread the Gospel to churches in Broward, Palm Beach and Dade counties.

He may not be able to part the Red Sea, but his illusions work wonders at getting attention.

“You don’t have to be a Billy Graham or other minister to show what Christ means to you,” says Winters, of Fort Lauderdale, who’s been a full-time magician since 1980. “These are like mini-sermons for me … and are always incorporated with the magic. It’s just another form of ministry.”

Apparently, churches like his approach.

“I think it’s very creative,” says the Rev. Pat Cronin of First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach, where Winters performed this month. “You might say he’s talking in parables.”

When he plays church dinners and special programs, Winters devotes the first half of his show to create typical illusions, the second to shatter any doubts about the importance of Christianity. He does 350 shows yearly, and relies mainly on schools, luncheons and parties for business. But he wants to play more churches and give them high priority.

At the start of his church shows, he tells the audience how his magic is different than the kind the Bible forbids.

“If you’re talking about witchcraft, the Christian is to have nothing to do with that,” he says. “In my case, it’s nothing more than a form of entertainment, an art. The only thing the two types have in common is the word magic.”

There was a time when Winters’ magic didn’t feature a Christian slant.

He first got interested in magic at age 6 when a baby sitter baffled him with a card trick. Winters grew more fascinated by watching a television magic show on Saturday mornings.

He scanned books at the library to learn magic, eventually trying several tricks out on family and friends. Sleight of hand became his hobby during two years of college and later his days managing burger joints. Then, “I decided, why not do something I enjoy,” says Winters, 37, a soft-spoken, clean-cut man who’s a member of Bethany Presbyterian Church of Fort Lauderdale.

He turned pro, but the influence of his Christian lifestyle soon led him to mix the Gospel and magic. He performed at his first church in 1979, and since has appeared at such places as Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and First United Methodist Church of Fort Lauderdale.

During his performance, Winters gives his testimony and discusses the four points of prayer — adoration, confession of sin, thanksgiving to God and supplication. At one point, he tucks a few dollars in a billfold, switches it into a jumbo $1,000 bill and says, “The more you give, the more He gives you in return.”

Another favorite of Winters is lighting a candle to show the light of the world and changing into salt. “We are lights that have gone out and are tasteless as salt without Christ,” he says.

Pastors say Winters’ methods are inspiring.

“I know there are people who came to see Mike who wouldn’t go to church to hear about Christianity,” says the Rev. Alan Beaver of Merrell United Methodist, where the illusionist has performed twice.

He’s mailed fliers on his act and beliefs, but he says churches still are unsure of what a Christian illusionist does. That’s simple. Winters will tell them even though he can’t turn a loaf of bread into thousands, his magic doesn’t give the illusion that the Gospel is make-believe.

MICHAEL WINTERS

— What: Winters is a professional magician whose performance features sleight of hand and magical effects, including illusions to illustrate and share the message of the Gospel.

— When: Next performance is Tuesday at 8 p.m. Open to the public. Cost is $3.

— Where: Fellowship Hall of First United Methodist Church, 8650 W. Sample Road, Coral Springs. For more information, call 752-0333. For additional shows by Winters, call 491-1828.