Global
Reports
Prison Revival in Argentina
Article by Edgardo Silvoso printed in The
Evangelical Beacon.
Argentina’s largest prison is located in
the town of Olmos, less than 100 kilometers south of Buenos Aires, the capital
of the country. It is a maximum
security facility that houses nearly 3,000 inmates. One of the greatest and most dramatic miracles in modern history
has taken place inside the walls of that prison.
Until a few years ago, the prison was in
total chaos. Crime was rampant. Riots, murders, sexual abuse, extortion and
male prostitution were commonplace. The
prison was so out of control that by default the authorities turned over the
daily running of the place to the mafia and drug dealers serving time
there. These de facto leaders chose to
reside on the fourth of five floors, which came to be known as the “elephant’s
floor” since all the heavyweights lived there.
Can you imagine what this place became when the worst inmates were given
the run of it? Even a Church of Satan was established on the premises and
animal sacrifices were offered regularly.
Olmos - as the prison is commonly known - was so impregnable that
pastors from the nearby towns had great difficulty getting inside its
perimeter.
There is a tunnel that connects the outside
world with the prison. A local pastor
reported that as he tried to get inside the prison, halfway through that tunnel
he would become ill and had to be carried out.
Some inmates reported being tormented by demons which, according to
those reports, literally materialized in their cells. Satan was in control indeed.
However, it appears that the evil one made a gross miscalculation that
eventually did him in. This had to do
with grace. As you know, grace requires
the pre-existence of sin and the greater the sin, the greater the grace
available to the repentant sinner. By
those standards, Olmos was more than qualified. This is how it came about:
Miracle begins: In the nearby town of
Laplata, a well-known pastor was caught committing a crime and was sentenced to
serve time—at Olmos! At first it appeared that Satan had won: his citadel
remained impregnable and a church leader had been publicly disgraced. But the pastor repented and cried out to God
for a second chance. And God is indeed
the God of second chances. God forgave
him and filled him with the Holy Spirit.
Now this pastor was determined to see God bring good out of terrible
evil. Incensed with a passion for the
lost and overwhelmed with gratitude to God for his grace, he became what I call
“a spiritual kamikaze”. In his attempt
to preach the gospel to everyone around, he thrust himself with gusto into the
very pit of hell. He witnessed to the
mafia dons, gang leaders, drug dealers and even to the Church of Satan priests!
Like a kamikaze pilot, he gave up his life in order to cause the most damage
possible to the enemy.
Very soon a small group of believers
emerged. What Satan must have thought
as an impregnable place, now hosted an emerging Christian church. I believe that the anxiety he must have felt
about this led to his second miscalculation.
A persecution against the Christians was unleashed. If persecution can be brutal in the outside
world where existing laws, the possibility of help and refuge, and the
availability of the media can somehow mitigate it, imagine the persecution
inside a maximum security prison run by the ruthless and fearless. However, God, was in control and the
Biblical principle that whatever Satan plans for evil God turns around for good
still held.
The persecution gave the Christian
inmates legal grounds to request protection in the form of their own cell block
--- each cell block houses 42 inmates.
The authorities reluctantly agreed and granted the new Christians a cell
block of their own on the worst floor.
The church was placed in the midst of his control and command center
. .
. aware that their lives were at
risk, the inmates organized themselves as a church. The first order of business was a 40 day fast. They also divided themselves into seven
teams of six people each. Each team was
to stand guard every night from 11PM to 5AM, working in pairs they prayed, read
the Bible and moved from bed to bed interceding for each one of their sleeping
Christian inmates. After two hours they
rotate tasks. This approach became
highly effective, not only in protecting their own perimeter but also in
infiltrating Satan’s perimeter inside the prison.
In answer to those prayers, Miguel
Zucarelli, a pastor in town, felt led to apply for a job at the prison. Zucarelli was interviewed by several
officials, and all of them said, “We do not want you here, we hate you. If you get the job, we may even hurt
you. Get lost!’ But Zucarelli
persevered and against all odds—except God’s—he got the job. As he connected with the emerging prison
church, things began to happen. They
prayed for and were given one and a half hours a week on the prison radio
station, which all inmates hear since the speaker can not be turned down nor can
the station be changed. Very soon the
weekly Gospel message began to make an impact on the prison population. This, coupled with intense prayer activity
in the Christian cell block, produced mass conversions. Today 44 percent of the inmates are born
again.
As soon as 42 new converts are admitted
to the church, a cell block is made available for them to move in. A resident pastor is appointed from among
the inmates and the same routine of prayer, fasting and night vigils is
instituted.
Since no money is allowed to circulate
inside the prison, the inmates tithe from the care packages they receive from
relatives. Last year a town in Central
Argentina was devastated by floods and the church in the prison was able to
send relief by using the product of their tithes. They fast twice a week and hold church services every day.
There are 19 cell blocks that occupy the
entire fourth floor and 80% of the third floor. Nearly 1,300 inmates have received Christ. Recent unconfirmed reports state that the number
of guards has been reduced from 300 to 30 as a result of behavior standards of
the Christians. Normally 50% of the
inmates find themselves back in prison following their release. Of the 604 released Christians, only three
have returned - less than half of one percent!
During an International Institute which
Harvest Evangelism holds in Argentina every fall, we (Army of Intercessors)
organized a trip to the prison to meet with the inmates. The prison chapel is too small to
accommodate the growing number of believers, so they have removed all the
furniture. More than 800 inmates stand
shoulder to shoulder except when they kneel to pray. Their vibrant singing is incredibly moving. One of the inmate pastors said to your
group, ‘If you came to see prisoners, you have come to the wrong place. We are free men, free indeed!’ Even though
their bodies are in prison, they roam the heavenly places in prayer and
intercession!”
“Every day, we distribute food to some
400 Kosovo Albanians who are housed in a school in Durres,” writes a member of
an Operation Mobilisation (OM) team.
“Following that, a volunteer group travels to a refugee camp on the
outskirts, to distribute food there.
One day not long ago, there was only half a pot of bean soup left. Tani, who was distributing the soup, said
‘We don’t have enough for the people here!’ Dane, another team member, told him
to simply keep serving. Tani filled
bowl after bowl, until all 200 or more had their soup. On average, it needs 8 pots of soup for 400
people - it is completely impossible that half a pot is enough for 200.” Both
team members knew that God had performed a miracle. “The Biblical miracle of the feeding of the 5000 was repeated
here in Albania in this time of great need,” comments the missions
organisation.
Chad Taylor: destiny@televar.com
website: http://www.televar.com/~destiny
Calabar, Nigeria
Report by George Canty
Recent CfaN campaigns have risen possibly
beyond all “revival” expectations.
Virtually entire large cities have turned
to Christ, Benin City, Port Harcourt and now Calabar, a coastal, West African
city. In the January 2000 campaign
1,158,798 people signified surrender to Christ, and 819,154 completed decision
cards. It was a daily scene of public
repentance and mass exodus into the Kingdom of God.
Prayer for revival has often been “Lord
do it again!” I confess I’ve always wondered if God might not have other
ideas. Repetition is not really God’s
style, and never His limit, though our faith-limit may be what He has done
before.
In which revival did 100,000 turn to
Christ in six days, create many new churches and flood hundreds with
converts? For several years CfaN
regularly has seen such results.
Reporting a dozen campaigns a year I needed a word for something bigger
than what we meant by revival. Now,
however, figures have leaped to ten times more, not 100,000, but
1,000,000. It was revival in Wales in
1904 when 100,000 professed salvation in six months, so what is it when
1,000,000 are converted in six days?
In ten African newspapers headlines met
me like Reinhard Bonnke storms Calabar.
Reports were not merely favourable, but warm and glowing. The Monitor devoted all but one or two pages
entirely to Reinhard Bonnke, with full front-page coverage. An editorial in another impacted by the
campaign reads like something from a religious magazine, another describes a
Harvest of miracles. The Guardian
reports Patients desert Calabar hospitals for Bonnke crusade.
In my hands is a moving document, a heart
cry, in the handwriting of the Attorney General for the Nigerian Cross River
State. This official, a dear Christian,
calls again and again “on the name of Jesus”.
Her first words are “I pray to the Lord Almighty, Jehovah to touch our
souls, so that we may have and feel love for one another ... that jealousy and strife, the bane of the
state will be cast down and broken.”
CfaN”s strategy of mega-revivals is
mainly possible by the drive and contagious enthusiasm of CfaN”s West African
Director, Rev. John Darku, a human
dynamo from Ghana. Gifted with heavenly
wisdom he is Reinhard”s God-sent stop-at-nothing partner. In Calabar the only site large enough was
five miles out of the city, but he found fields on Harbour Road at the edge of
the city. The ground was sown for a
later harvest but John paid the owners what they would eventually get when the
produce was sold (to their delight), brought in bulldozers, levelled the
fields, and literally constructed the campaign site. Some 2,000 ushers were appointed to look after the congregations
flooding on to this ground.
John Darku works wonders in enthusing the
local churches-150 of them at Calabar.
On their shoulders he places the responsibility for the practicalities
of a successful campaign, setting up essential committees. For this occasion they formed a 600 voice
united choir to lead the hundreds of thousands in the mass praises to God,
“like the sound of many waters” in African style dancing and swaying. To see it all from the camera crew”s crow”s
nest jib is as fascinating as ripples on a sunny sea. A CfaN week is the greatest event in a decade in cities like
Calabar.
Reinhard Bonnke preached, every day,
perhaps for two hours, in exhausting 32 degrees centigrade of heat and 100 per
cent humidity, his clothes drenched with perspiration. To hear the message of a man of God is what
the people come for, not only for the spectacular healing sessions. The Gospel call brings all the 15,000
trained counsellors into action, contacting every one who has shown their
intention to follow Jesus, and providing them with the Now that you are saved
instruction mini-book.
This huge operation is strictly and
essentially a team effort, and all are responsible to Peter van den Berg, Vice
President of CfaN, and the man that has come to be trusted always to have the
wise word needed. The core team of
eight travelling to each campaign includes men who are qualified pastors in
their own right, but in obedience to the Great Commission for many years have
dedicated their technical expertise to CfaN for God’s glory. The result is a compact self-contained
evangelistic machine. When out of spite
some city officials had all electric power switched off, plunging the area into
darkness, the CfaN team’s generators kept everything going, the campaign shining
even more brightly in the surrounding darkness.
The Nigerian Chronicle reported that over
3,000 people, many in tears of joy, awaited the evangelist”s arrival at the
airport from 8:30 till noon, singing heart-breaking choruses, dancing and
cheering. Led by police escorts and
with 20 or 30 special cars and vehicles, he was taken to the hotel in
procession. Politicians know the great
social benefits of a Reinhard Bonnke visit, and some the spiritual need. The Governor of the Cross River State,
Donald Duke, supported the campaign.
In Calabar it was the Olumba Olumba Obu,
with its occultist spirit practices and inner workings. Calabar is a West African centre for this
feared and widespread organisation. As
CfaN began operations in Calabar a prominent traditional ruler was suspended,
accused of resorting to illegal voodoo and fetish practices.
The work has many sides. For four days thousands of active church
workers gathered at the Main Bowl of the Cultural Centre complex for a Fire
Conference. Here they were motivated
and inspired to continue the work of the campaign in their own churches or to
plant new churches, as Reinhard Bonnke and Peter van den Berg ministered daily
in the packed auditorium.
As always the Word was confirmed by signs
following, more than could possibly be mentioned here. By a Word of Knowledge Reinhard called a
woman out with a tumour of the womb, and that tumour instantly
disappeared. Mr. Imoh Isong (see picture strip), blind for
five years, instantly saw again and so did many afflicted men and women. Deafness and crippling conditions gave way
before the power of Jesus.
Jesus opened the blind eyes and healed
the cripple legs!
Every CfaN campaign is a classic
Pentecostal enterprise, and Saturday was again the day when converts were given
Bible teaching and taught to be filled with the Spirit. There and then prayer was made, and the Holy
Spirit fell.
The ancient sign of speaking with
tongues, which Jesus promised, and which sparked off the Christian church, rose
like the roar of a forest fire, as in fact it was.
Mr.
Imoh Isong, blind for 5 years, rejoices in his healing.
The chairman of the central planning
committee, Rev. Aniefiok Akpabio, at a
pastors” dinner of welcome on behalf of the Cross River, Akwa and Ibom State
churches, reminded everyone that it was at Calabar, on April 10th
1846, that the first Christian emissaries landed and built a church,
Presbyterian, at Eyamba, Duke Town, Calabar, making Calabar the Canaan City,
gateway for the Gospel in West Africa.
Pastor Akpabio said when the news had originally been brought by John
Darku that Reinhard Bonnke and the CfaN team were to come to Calabar, it
“sounded like a dream”.
Political disappointment under the
previous military government had left the Cross River State with only a 3.5 per
cent share of Nigerian oil income.
Under the new anti-corruption government of President Olisegun Obasanjo,
a born-again Christian, the poorest area of Nigeria looked for better
times. The extraordinary scale and power
of the CfaN event, a realistic evidence of the blessing of God, encouraged hope
and faith even materially for a deprived area.
In three campaigns in three months, well
over three million Nigerians have confessed Christ. In Port Harcourt the pastor of a church with a building seating
5,000-never full-said that after the crusade new converts meant two services
had to be held, both packed houses.
“This is the greatest harvest opportunity
I have had in my entire life,” says Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke.
I R N
News Digest: Email: News@revivalnet.net
Provided free of charge by Revivalnet.Net http://www.revivalnet.net
Aba, Nigeria
Again one million souls saved!
When words and figures fail …
Except for those in Aba, Nigeria from 22nd
to 27th February, 2000, it is unlikely that anyone has ever seen
600,000 people close-packed in one place, praising God, or half a million
calling upon the name of Jesus at the same time for salvation. Words are useless. The sight, or the sheer exaltation of spirit of this event is
unimaginable.
The campaign site, the Ngwa School
Grounds, could accommodate only half a million standing shoulder to shoulder,
so the main street took the overflow and was completely blocked. People climbed on rooftops, trees, walls,
for viewing vantage, swamping the whole area with humanity. The first night brought sheeting rain, a
typical tropical downpour, drenching to the skin preacher and the 100,000
present who stood through it all.
Despite the miserable conditions 61,000 confessed Christ, and 43,000
handed in names and addresses on signed decision cards. The next day a quarter of a million defied
the weather and congregations grew daily to an aggregate total of one million
for the last two days. A total of
1,027,201 handed in decision cards and 1,400,410 publicly confessed Christ as
Lord and Saviour.
The Planning Committee Chairman, the
Rev. Ezeh, organised counsellors,
everyone keen and active, from 400 supporting churches for every new convert to
be led into a true walk with the Lord.
Sorcerers saved
Among those turning to Christ were some
of the many witches and sorcerers of the area.
They brought their fetishes and paraphernalia for public burning,
including a human skull, not from a grave, but possibly from a ritual murder,
which a Nigerian newspaper reported as rampant in the country.
Whole areas turn out en masse when
evangelist Bonnke is in a town and he is regarded with extraordinary honour. Siegfried Tomazsewski, CfaN’s general
manager phoned but was told Mr. Bonnke
spoke to ‘millions of people’ and they could not think of bringing him to the
phone!
Super fire conference
The church used for the usual campaign
Fire Conference had more people listening outside than inside to Peter van den
Berg’s masterly presentation of vital teaching to pastors, evangelists, church
leaders and workers. The aim is that
the spirit of the campaign will continue in the churches. A food disorder kept Reinhard Bonnke away
from the Conference except for two days, to reserve his strength for the needs
of the mammoth crowds of the campaign itself.
He said ‘The Lord helped me, day by day.’
Every night the gentle hand of the
ever-compassionate Christ was laid upon the afflicted. It was like in Galilee, with the blind,
deaf, crippled restored, including innumerable victims deaf and speechless
since birth. Cancers, hernias, ulcers,
and haemorrhoids simply vanished. A
lovely 12-year-old girl came from Onitsha.
She was the daughter of a couple who came for prayer after seven years
of infertility in 1987. The child was
born just nine months after the CfaN campaign.
The greatest harvest ever is just about
to come …
Assassination Attempt at Evangelist’s
Mass Rally in Islamic Capital
by Andy Butcher
Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke escaped an
assassination attempt during a crusade in Khartoum, the capital of
Islamic-ruled Sudan. Three “would-be
sniper assassins” were arrested at one of the meetings, according to a
statement from the German evangelist’s Christ for All Nations (CfAN).
The armed men had infiltrated the VIP
grandstand at the meetings in Green Square, the Khartoum park usually used for
government rallies. A total of 735,000
people attended Bonnke’s first-ever rally in the country, which has been widely
condemned by human rights groups for its persecution of Christians in the
south.
The six-day crusade April 24-29 exceeded
the expectations of the 148 local churches—including Roman Catholic and
Episcopalian—who had invited Bonnke, known for drawing massive crowds across
Africa. Twice the 30,000 expected
turned up for the first day, some gathering 10 hours before the meeting
started.
Attendance continued to grow through the
week, with 60,000 turning out the day Bonnke actually left the country in
response to a rumor that he would be speaking again. CfAN staff provided large drums of drinking water to the crowds
who gathered each day, and recorded 132,000 conversions by the end of the
crusade.
CfAN said that although the crowds
included Christians, most of those in attendance were Muslims—despite the
country’s “Shariah” law, the legal code of Islam, which forbids conversion to
another faith. On television the
country’s president responded to criticism of the crusade, saying that
Christians had been in Sudan before Islam and it was appropriate to allow
Bonnke to visit the country, CfAN said.
Churches have reported being packed with
newcomers since the event, with copies of Bonnke’s messages recorded privately
and being sold in shops and markets around the capital. “The high success has strengthened church
hopes throughout Sudan,” CfAN said.
“Everyone is talking about what happened.”
CfAN said that among those healed when
Bonnke prayed for the sick was a 20-year-old man who had been deaf and dumb
since being hit by lightning.
Attendees who renounced witchcraft handed over charms and fetishes to be
publicly burned.
News of the crusade was welcomed by
Steven Snyder, president of International Christian Concern (ICC), which has
been tracking the persecution of Christians in southern Sudan. “It’s always a welcome opportunity for the
gospel to be preached in a place like that because that seed will fall into the
ground where the government can’t control it.”
But he said that he believed the
government’s openness to Bonnke’s visit was “a facade.” “They want to present
to the world community that there is religious freedom. But that’s totally not the case.” Christians
in the north were allowed to worship but were not free to evangelize among
Muslims, he said.
Around 2 million people have died in 17
years of civil war. Government troops
have repeatedly attacked Christian communities in the south, mutilating people
and selling women and children into slavery.
Earlier this week there was shelling of Yei, where ICC helps run an
orphanage and Bible school. In recent
weeks, hospitals run by Christian relief groups Samaritan’s Purse and Voice of
the Martyrs have been bombed.
In November 2000, one million came to
hear God’s word. . .
with miracle signs and wonders following.
It took our team nearly an hour to walk
out amongst the crowd and accurately calculate a total attendance for the
evening. But our hearts rejoiced when
the numbers were tallied and we discovered that 1,000,000 people had walked
onto our Crusade grounds to receive from God tonight. Yes, a massive gathering of one million souls!. .
.and we give God all the Glory.
As we looked out from the platform (in
several different directions), it was physically impossible to be able to see
the back rows of this multitude. The
sheer volume of their voices shouting AMEN (in unison) felt like a shock wave
coming towards you. Truly it was a
small foretaste of what Heaven will be like when we ALL stand before the Throne
and worship our Lord together.
Yes, a count of 1,000,000 was submitted
for the evenings attendance, but what is more important is the throng of first
time converts who raised their hands , prayed the sinners’ prayer, and received
Jesus Christ into their lives as their Lord and Savior.
We are doing our best to get the total
count of the number of conversions we have recorded so far. .
.and we hope to have at least a preliminary number in one of our next
communiqués. As you can well imagine,
with thousands of counselors carrying twenty to fifty booklets each. .
.and running in all directions to every outstretched hand. .
.the task of getting the total number is challenging at best. Needless to say, we are experiencing the
greatest harvest of souls we have ever witnessed and we Praise God for that!
After Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke
delivered an anointed message entitled The Power of the Blood and extended a
careful, prayerful altar call for Salvation, the Holy Spirit directed him to
minister to the sick once again. . .and to especially focus a portion of that
ministry to women with barren or diseased wombs. As brother Bonnke prayed that prayer, the divine sense of the
healing power of God was electrifying. The
reaction from the masses of women was earnest and heartfelt. We are anticipating some phenomenal
testimonies in the next couple of days.
AT THE SAME TIME, the Glory of God came down with a steady stream of
miracle testimonies that where shared (once again) tonight.
Here is a sampling of some of those
miracle results:
*Mother returns to share a 14 year old
miracle: It was 1986 when Mary Shonde
actually gave birth to her daughter right in the middle of a Great Gospel
Crusade with Reinhard Bonnke. {It took
place behind the platform. . .and Brother Bonnke held that new-born baby
and prayed that it would live to be healthy and a blessing to the Kingdom of
God.} Well - that dear sister returned this evening with her 14 year old
daughter standing tall and strong next to her side. She named her Blessing Bonnke and Blessing is being a blessing to
the Kingdom of God. . .shes Born Again, Spirit Filled and active
in her church.
*Miracle Son from a Barren Womb -
Elizabeth stood and reported that a little over one year ago, in a Great Gospel
Crusade, she took a stand of faith and believed God for a Miracle Birth (the
very same way so many women had done tonight) because all the doctors had told
her it would be impossible to conceive a child. THAT NIGHT God turn her infertile womb into a fertile one. .
.and she stood on the platform and held up the evidence. .
.her little miracle son named Elijah.
*9 year old speaks for the very first
time: Rashud could hear but his tongue
was totally unable to utter any sounds or words. His tongue was instantly released from that condition and he
spoke out loud and clear. Rashud is a
young Muslim boy who was brought to the Crusade by his Uncle.
What an amazing testimony he now carries
back to his family and friends.
*Walking and Running and Praising God -
Ngozi was a lady who was stricken with a malady in her feet and legs that made
it next to impossible to walk more than a few yards without having to sit down
and recover from the pain. Last night
she believed God for her miracle.
. .and instead of having to be
carried or driven to the Crusade meeting she walked the whole way, and ran across the platform rejoicing and
praising God with every pain-free step.
*Growth Disappears: Rebecca came forward to give a miracle
testimony of painful growth (that had clung to her body for over 13 years)
dropped off this morning. She attended
last nights Crusade meeting and said that as she was going home she could feel
as though the growth was loosing its grip.
She just knew that something miraculous was happening.. .
.and she reported it is 100% gone.
*Chief receives deliverance from
Poisoning: Chief Emmanuel gave a
glorious report how the Lord (last night) reversed the horrible effects of a
poisoning where his bowels and intestines had closed and he was unable to eat
solid food for the past 4 months. Last
night he believed God for his miracle and instantly he felt something happening
on the inside of him. He went home and
tried eating some solid food (to see what happened) and when he awoke he
discovered that nothing happened.
So he began to eat and eat and eat as
much food as he could. . .then he went to his doctor and the
physician declared: Chief Emmuanual, your condition has been totally reversed. You are well.
*A deaf and dumb child is healed - Little
Chabuzo was brought to the platform after receiving a unmistakable New
Testament kind of miracle. The boy was
totally deaf and dumb (could not utter or hear a sound of any kind). .
.through tears of joy and amazement, that dear child said his first
word, JESUS. . .and a million voices shouted with joy and
thanksgiving.
A record 1.6 million people crowded an
80-acre site in Lagos, Nigeria, Nov.12 to hear Pentecostal evangelist Reinhard
Bonnke. The Sunday evening service was
possibly the largest evangelistic event ever held that did not include
satellite or Internet technology, according to news reports. Bonnke’s six-day rally drew about 6 million
people, according to his ministry, Christ for All Nations. Churches in Lagos anticipated great results
from the event. “Never has Christendom
in Nigeria been thrown into such a positive frenzy over a single event,” African
journalist Wale Fatade wrote. Other
evangelists have held similar events “but none is matching the scope of the
Reinhard Bonnke outreach.”
Hundreds of thousands of people professed
faith in Christ during the meetings, the ministry said. More than 200,000 counsellors worked each
night passing out discipleship materials and taking names and addresses. About 2,000 churches worked together to
host the event and are following up on converts. Thousands of people came forward for prayer for healing for
physical ailments, according to CFAN.
People later said they were healed of tuberculosis, blindness, deafness,
and tumours, Rodney Thompson, a physician from Florida who attended the event,
told Christianity Today. About 100
people became Christians at a service held for employees of the Sheraton Hotel
in Lagos and their families and friends, CFAN reported. Bonnke preached to them on the morning of
the final service at the request of the hotel owner, who is a Christian.
Attendance and response has been
phenomenal, even for CFAN, which often reports large numbers of people turning
to Christ at its events. “I’m thrilled,
I’m overwhelmed,” Bonnke said, according to Charisma magazine. “We have entered a new dimension in
evangelism. I believe in some sense
that God has rewarded us” for persevering in preaching the gospel to Africa.
Evangelism with Sammy Tippit.
3500 people come to Christ In spite of threats of bombings, beatings,
and stonings, thousands responded to the gospel in Bukavu, Congo.
In spite of threats “God took us from glory to glory and victory
to victory each day of the crusade,” according to Bishop Sebestien who
coordinates 65 Assembly of God churches in the Bukavu region of the Congo. More than 20 denominations and 150 churches
participated in the evangelistic meetings led by Sammy Tippit. There were 3500 people who responded to
Tippit’s message to trust Christ to save them during the four days of meetings
in this war-ravaged country.
Many people were frightened by the Mai
Mai rebel group which operates in the area.
They scared people through their underground radio broadcasts by saying
that those attending the meetings would be beaten and stoned. They also distributed pamphlets throughout
Bukavu threatening to place bombs in the stadium where the meetings were
held. The rebels have been known to do
what they threaten.
The threats were taken so seriously that
the Burgermeister (city council member in authority over the area where the
crusade was held) had to sign a document stating that he would assume
responsibility in the event anyone was killed at the stadium. Rev.
Sebastien, crusade coordinator, also had to sign the document along with
Burgermeister David Ramazani.
Consequently, there was heightened
anxiety the first two days of the meetings.
Even many evangelical pastors were afraid to attend the meetings. Yet, God moved mightily. There were 1000 people who received Christ
the first day of the crusade. The
Spirit of God continued moving daily until more than 3500 people came to Christ
during the four days.
Government leaders supported the
evangelistic meetings. The Governor of
the region, Norbert Kantintima, lent his support to crusade organizers. The STM team was invited for lunch at the
Governor’s mansion even though the Governor was out of the region at the time. The Governor’s wife hosted the team along
with the Vice Governor and Mayor of the city.
Governor Kantintima phoned during the lunch and told Tippit that he
appreciated him coming to Bukavu at this critical moment. “Many people are afraid to come here because
of the war. But we need your message
very much.”
Sammy and Tex Tippit met with the
Governor’s wife, Vice Governor and his wife, and the Mayor and his wife at the
Governor’s mansion. The Governor was
out of town but phoned to voice his support of the crusade.
Vice Governor Benjamin Serukiza said that
he had attended the Sammy Tippit Crusade in Kigali, Rwanda shortly after the
genocide in 1994. He said, “The people
of Rwanda were very depressed and felt hopeless during the time of Sammy Tippit’s
crusade. But he brought a message of
hope and peace. I believe that God used
his message to begin a healing process in the nation. I believe that God is going to do the same thing in this
crusade. We’ve had conferences on peace
and reconciliation, but there’s been no peace or reconciliation. I believe that Dr. Tippit’s message of Christ changing hearts is the only hope for
our people.”
The meetings concluded with a sense of
great joy because of God’s protection and the deep moving of the Holy
Spirit. After the crusade concluded,
Tippit greeted the intercessors who met in two houses for prayer during the
entire crusade. There was incredible
joy and victory expressed by the 60 intercessors present.
Sammy Tippit and Bob Arndt travel Monday
to Yerevan, Armenia for pastors’ conferences and evangelistic meetings while
Tex Tippit returns to the United States.
STM asks friends to pray for Sammy and Bob as they minister this week in
Armenia and to pray for Tex’s safe travel home.
Sammy
Tippit Ministries is a member of the Gospel Communications Network. stm@sammytippit.org.
Miracles in Kenya, East Africa
I received the following message from a
brother in Kenya with whom I have been corresponding for about 18 years:
In March, 2000, John K. Nduati, a pastor from Nairobi [the capital
of Kenya], came to hold a 4-day crusade in my town, Eldoret, Kenya. There were very many miracles of healing and
the word of knowledge was flowing freely.
We stood in awe and amazement at what God was doing; the Holy Spirit
reigned completely on the crusade ground.
I have seen or read about men and women of God with gifts of word of
knowledge, word of wisdom, healing, etc.; however, what we saw in pastor Nduati
was startling. What God has given him,
I can describe as “a multitude of revelations,” -words of knowledge and words
of wisdom, plus prophecy.
Following is just a little bit of what I
witnessed:
On the second night [I missed the first
night], there were thousands of people at the meeting. After the man of God finished his preaching,
he said he wanted to start praying for people.
He pointed in one direction and said, “There is a woman in the direction
I am pointing whose husband is a driver.
Her name is Esther; where is she? [A woman lifted her hand.] Please come
to the front.” When the woman came forward, this is what she was told: “All the
time you have been fed with stolen money.
Your husband is a thief. But
starting today, your husband will not steel again.”
Then the man of God started calling very
many people in the meeting by their own names -first and last names- to come
forward. Where the names were alike,
God would specify which one he wanted.
As this continued for a long time, some people started questioning in
their hearts how the man of God knew people’s names. Then the man of God said, “There is a young man at the back [he
pointed] named John. You have been
asking yourself, ‘How does he know the names of the people?’ Where are you.”
The young man lifted his hand and the man of God said, “Come forward, I will
also tell you about yourself.”
When Pastor Nduati finished praying for
the first group, all of them received their miracles. Most fell under the power of the Holy Spirit. Then the pastor stood and said, “There are
forty people in this crusade who have AIDS-HIV positive. Come to the front.” He counted 39 as they
came; one was missing. Then the pastor
stood and said, “There is a young man back there [pointing] named Philip
Ruto. Your girl friend contacted you
with AIDS last year, and you have refused to come forward.” I tell you, when
his name was called, he ran forward.
Everybody in the crusade laughed and clapped. The pastor prayed and the AIDS was gone immediately.
Then the pastor stood and said, “There
are fifty women in this crusade who have no children. Come for prayers.” Sixty women came forward. Then the man of God said, “Look at me. If you are here and you have no husband, you
may go.” A few women left. Then he
continued, “If you are a second wife, you can go.” One woman left. Then he continued, “If in the past you have
aborted twice, you may go.” As one woman left, the man of God said to her, “I
could not pray for you to have a child because you aborted and threw your kids
into a toilet. One of the kids could
have become a preacher. You must pray
and repent for one year before God considers giving you a child.”
Finally, fifty women were left
standing. The pastor then told all of
them to move to the right side. Then he
said, “If I call your name, move to the left side.” To everybody’s amazement,
as though the pastor had a list [he did not have one, he had never met the
women], he started to have a roll call: Esther, Jane, Chepchumba,........etc. As their names were called, they moved to
the left and thus they were divided into two groups. To one group, he said, “You, tomorrow start shopping for boys’
clothes. God is going to give you boys. [And to the other group:] You shop for
girls’ clothes. God will give you
girls..” Then he pointed at one of the women and said, “With you, you will have
to buy clothes for both a boy and a girl, because you are going to have twins.”
Then the man of God prayed for them.
When the pastor finished ministering, he
asked how many people wanted to receive Jesus as their personal savior. About eight hundred people came and received
Christ.
Third Day
This time, there were very many people in
attendance. News must have spread in
town about what God was going. After
the man of God finished his preaching, he started ministering as he had done on
the previous days. From among the
thousands, very many people were called by their own names. Many AIDS cases and other problems were
healed. Following are three cases which
I would like to report:
1. The
man of God stood and said, “There is a woman in the direction I am pointing who
has a son studying for a Master’s degree in America. You have not heard from him for one month, and you have been
wondering what is wrong. Lift up your
hand, because I have just received information from America.” The woman lifted
her hand. Then the pastor said, “There
has been a problem. Your son has been
sick, but from this time, which is 10 a.m.
American time, your son has received instant healing.” This time, the woman
who had been called, happened to be our family’s friend. We also know her son whose name is
Mark. What the man of God had said was
true. She shed many tears of joy.
2. Another
case: The man of God stood and said, “There is a woman in the direction I am
pointing who does not have a child. The
one you have living with, you bought.
Who are you?” The woman refused to lift her hand. Then the man of God called her by her name
and said, “I want to pray for you to have your own child. The child you are living with was sold to
you by nurses at Eldoret District Hospital.
You paid 12000 schillings. I now
want to tell you that the real parents of the kid will come for it next Tuesday
at 10:05 a.m.” Two days ago, I met a sister who was with the relatives of the
woman and they have confirmed what Pastor Nduati said.
3. Then
the man of God stood and said, “There is a man who was sent in the morning by
Satan to come and test me. When he
arrived, Satan told him not to be afraid, but to move forward and do his disruptions. Well, he is here now, but all his powers are
gone.” To everybody’s amazement, the man went forward, knelt down and the
pastor prayed for him. He received
Christ.
That night, when the pastor asked those
who wanted to receive Christ, thousands lifted their hands.
Day 4
Things continued as on the previous
day. I wish I could report to you
everything, but I can only report a few cases.
During this day, several blind people
received their sight. They walked home
by themselves. Then several cripples
walked. There was a lot of commotion as
people sang and danced for joy. They
clapped their hands and praised God.
One woman who was lame and could now walk, took the microphone. She led the people in singing and jumping
for the Lord. She could really jump
high. People cheered the more.
Robbers
Then the man of God started calling by
name those robbers who were in the crusade.
He even told when and where they stole, the name of their gang and their
gang leader. Many came and received
Christ.
Pastor Nduati has a licence from the
police to collect illegal fire arms.
Those who surrender and receive Christ in
his meetings are never arrested. [My
friend, Joseph Wangigi, who wrote the above letter, inclosed a picture of
Pastor Nduati holding a pistol which was surrendered to him by a thug.]
Many people received Jesus Christ as Lord
and Savior. The crusade was scheduled
to last four days, but people refused to let Pastor Nduati go back to
Nairobi. People said they would pay his
air fare if he would extend the crusade by one day. He accepted and the people became wild with enthusiasm. They cheered, shouted, jumped, and praised
God. Again, there were more people
attending the 5th day then the previous days. The ministry that I have described continued. Many healed, many needs met. At the end of the 5th day, when
people realized that Pastor Nduati was going back to Nairobi, mobs ran after
him to “touch his clothes,” and they were receiving healing. He had to be whisked away by his security
escorts. Otherwise, people were
refusing to release him.
Before I conclude, let me tell you a few
more things about pastor Nduati. He is
a young man, and when he wanted to get married, he told God, “Father, I want to
get married. There are many girls. I don’t know what to do.” Then God told him,
“Get your vehicle and drive to Nyeri [a town about 100 kilometers from
Nairobi]. When you reach Nyeri, go to
Nyeri District Hospital. Outside the
gate, you will find a woman sitting down.
That is your wife.” The pastor did that and outside the gate of the
hospital, he saw a woman doctor sitting.
He greeted her and said, “I have been told you are my wife.” The woman
simply replied, “Yes, there is no problem.
I will be your wife.” Today, she is the pastor’s wife.
As a result of Pastor Nduati’s meeting
last Sunday, the churches in Eldoret were full to capacity because of the very
many people who had made commitments to following Jesus at the crusade
[including my church]. Glory to God.
Pastor Nduati is having the same problem
at his church in Nairobi. His church is
full to overflowing, and there is not enough room for all of the people. He doesn’t know what kind of a church
building to build.
Pastor Nduati has promised to come back
to our town of Eldoret on June 23, 2000.
From what I see, I perceive that God is
doing something new in his church.
Let us be ready to receive his blessings.
Letter from Joseph Wangigi of Eldoret,
Kenya –
Source: meletiou@esper.com
Revival in Faisalabad, Pakistan
Evangelist Andreas Huebner <Andreas@Huebner.com> from Germany
reports more than 30,000 conversions during a 5-day crusade in Pakistan in
September 2000. This Islamic nation is
experiencing the beginning of a great revival.
Although there is a death penalty for any person who insults Islam or
the “prophet” Mohammed, Christians in Pakistan have recently conducted a mass
miracle crusade in Faisalabad, third-largest city of Pakistan. The crusade was held in co-operation with
Evangelist Andreas Huebner (Jesus To The World Mission, Germany), who was the
speaker at the miracle crusade which took place from September 13-17.
More than 12,000 people gathered on a
public place in Faisalabad. It was the
biggest crusade ever held in this area of Pakistan. The place where the crusade was being held was in fact too small
to contain all the people, so an additional 2,000 people where standing outside
on the roads and on the rooftops of neighboring houses. Thousands of the visitors where muslims who
turned their lives to Jesus Christ during the crusade. The amplification system used for the
crusade was so powerful, that people living within a 5 miles distance could
listen to the gospel message.
After the second day of the crusade, the
campaign became the talk of the town.
People everywhere were talking about the spectacular miracles that the
Lord Jesus has done during the meetings.
Many blind eyes opened. Totally
paralyzed people began to walk. Epileptic
men and women received their healing.
People with deformed and twisted bodies were made whole. Heart and kidney diseases disappeared. Many people who where crippled due to
typhoid fever received their healing from the Lord.
One night a woman brought her crippled
daughter Maria to the crusade, when Evangelist Huebner prayed for the sick,
little Maria began to walk instantly.
The mother called the local Mullah (Muslim priest) and told him about
the miracle that happened to her daughter.
The next day the Mullah called the crusade office in Faisalabad and
asked if he could bring some more of his members to the crusade so that they
can be healed and receive Jesus Christ.
Evangelist Andreas Huebner is planning to visit Pakistan again in
2001. He is asking for prayer
support. Churches and organizations
that are interested in becoming prayer partners for Pakistan may contact Jesus
To The World Mission and ask for a free video tape (VHS PAL) about the crusade. The email address is Andreas@Huebner.com.
Source:
MarcvanderWoude@XC.Org (Marc
van der Woude)
India: Whole village turns to Christ.
“An Indian Christian recently went to a
weekly market in a village, in order to spread the gospel. He met a man with advanced leprosy, begging
for money,” reports Dr. Sathiaraj in
the ‘India Mail’ (18 August 2000), published by the India Missions
Association. The Christian had mercy on
the leper. He said that he was sorry,
but that he could not help him financially.
He offered to pray for the leper, who accepted the offer. He was healed immediately.
They were both completely surprised by
the miracle which God had performed.
The whole marketplace had witnessed the miracle, and the people had
known the leper for a long time. The
healed man returned to his home village, telling everyone about Jesus who had
healed him. He later asked for something
to drink, but nobody gave him water because they were all suffering under the
drought. The man already knew his new
Lord, and in faith, started to dig a well.
Everybody in the region knew that it was necessary to dig 50 or 60 feet
to strike water, but the man only had to dig ten feet down. His well was enough to supply the whole
village!
The events showed that Jesus really is
alive, and has more might than all other gods and idols. Within only a few months, the whole village
decided to follow Jesus.
Source: FridayFax
Cuba
“Between 200,000 and 300,000 Cubans have
found Jesus in recent years,” reports Aktionskomittee fuer Verfolgte Christen’s
Horst Krueger. “The awakening among the
island’s 10.5 million inhabitants began suddenly in the east-coast harbour town
Baracoa,” he reports, “where one church grew from around 65 members to several
thousand in a few years.”
The church leader was pastor Alipio, head
of the Christian churches in Holguin province.
One pastor likened the population’s sudden opening to the gospel to
“suddenly opening the hatch of a grain silo; the ripe corn just falls in.”
The Ministry of Justice officially
recognises around 500 churches, including official house churches. In addition, there are some 3,700 house
cells and similar groups, with an official membership of around 120,000, and
another 70,000 on the waiting list.
Sunday schools have an attendance of 40,000, holiday Bible schools up to
70,000. “How is it possible for
churches to grow so much?” asks Krueger, and gives his own answer:
“Ants.
South American ants can defoliate a tree or eat 30 square meters of Soya
beans in a single night. The keys are
effort and organisation. For me, Cuba’s
many unknown evangelistically active Christians are like ants who often travel
great distances under difficult conditions in order to build the Church of
Christ in remote areas.”
Source: Horst Krueger, AVC (Action
Committee for Persecuted Christians).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christians held a stirring all-night
prayer vigil on the island of Barbados Nov.
29-30. Pastors and “hundreds and
hundreds of intercessors” from many denominations came from all over the
166-square-mile Caribbean island by car, bus, bicycle, and on foot to Garfield
Sobers Gymnasium in Bridgetown, according to Gerry Seale, president of the
Barbados Evangelical Association. The
island had been drenched by torrential rains for days and was under a flood
watch, but that did not stop those who came to pray. Through the night to 5 a.m.
the next morning they prayed, they wept—at times deeply—they sang, they
worshiped, they danced, they rejoiced,” Seale said. People confessed their sins, prayed fervently, and “sought the
face of God for revival in their homeland,” he said. As morning broke on Nov.
30, the 34th anniversary of Barbados’ independence from Great
Britain, “they made their way home satisfied that they had ‘prayed through’ and
God would answer. It was awesome,”
Seale said.
Nigeria: Assemblies of God plant 4,044
new churches in 10 years
In December 2000, at least 60,000 members
of the Nigerian Assemblies of God gathered to celebrate the end of the “Decade
of Harvest” project and the extraordinary growth which the church has
experienced. During the last 10 years,
according to a press release, the church has not only gained 1.2 million new
members, but also ordained 5,026 new pastors and planted 4,044 new churches in
Nigeria. The emphasis on reaching
previously unreached people groups led to 75 churches being planted in areas
previously untouched by Christianity, according to the Nigerian Superintendent
Charles Osueke.
Samoa: when God surprises even the
believers
Samoa is a real believers’ island: the
government has declared a ‘quiet time’ every evening at dusk, during which
everyone should pray and read their Bible.
98% of all Samoans consider themselves
Christians, but almost 25% of them are Mormons, and only 11% - according to
Patrick Johnstone’s figures - are evangelical Christians.
In May 2000, over 3,000 people took part
in a healing and prophecy conference which was even covered by the national
television, which reaches 178,000 people in the South Pacific island
group. A Canadian team consisting of
Kelowna’s Gord and Jan Whyte and Victoria’s Bob Brasset spoke at several
locations. Le Tie, a local Christian
leader and one of the translators, remarked ‘I’m basically shocked. Not only were people healed during the
conference, but the healings continued when the team left. This is the first time, as far as we can
tell, that such healings and miracles have occurred since Samoa was evangelized
in the 18th Century. That
was a great awakening, with signs and wonders; tens of thousands were
saved. We have seen nothing like it
since.”
Crippled man healed
“Even youngsters are now praying for the
sick,” says Le Tie. “One man’s body,
for example, was bent and twisted. The
next day, he woke up completely healed, able to ‘stand to attention, just as in
the army’. Some of our pastors are so
shocked that they don’t know how to explain everything to their churches, which
are not used to such things.”
Source: Le Tie and others, via Rob
Brasset, e-mail rbrasset@hotmail.com,
Indonesia: Christians repeatedly
miraculously protected
Many Indonesian Christians were afraid of
the 9th January 2001, the end of the Islamic month of fasting,
Ramadan. There were rumors that it
would be ‘a day of reckoning’. Then
torrential rainstorms began, lasting several days. The fanatic Moslems remained home; the mass demonstrations which
could have led to violence were canceled or flopped.
We repeatedly hear reports of God’s
intervention, protecting Christians from Jihad warriors which had spread out
throughout the islands:Jihad warriors on their way to attack a Christian
village met ‘an army of white men’ on the outskirts of the village, and fled in
terror. There are no white men in the
village, so the villagers believe that the Moslems saw angels.
Last autumn, a heavily armed group of
Jihad warriors was on the way to attack Christians on the island of Kisar. The Christians prayed, and the flood tide on
which the terrorists planned to attack the island simply did not happen. Only twenty hours later did the water begin
to rise, by which time it was light and the terrorists had left.
Source: Open Doors
India: “and nothing will harm you...”
(Mark 16)
Traveling and evangelizing in Bihar’s
rural areas is tiring, so Simon and his Gospel for Asia film team were glad
when friendly villagers brought them water to drink. Stomach problems soon showed that something wasn’t quite right
with the water, so they prayed, asking God to protect them, which he did. They discovered that the water had been
poisoned, and God had saved their lives.
India: when the sun god does not answer -
healed of Leprosy
For weeks, Bhenara had been rising early to worship the sun god at
dawn.
However much he prayed for his strange disease, it just became worse.
Eventually, he was admitted to hospital in Madhya Pradesh, his home
state.
The diagnosis was that he was suffering from Leprosy in an early
stage. Bhenara was heartbroken,
discouraged and afraid. He then read a
Christian magazine which someone had left in the room, and was astonished by
the reports of people whom Jesus had healed of all sorts of terrible
illnesses. He called on Jesus for
help. “I could hardly believe it - I
was completely healed. My joy was
boundless, and I have now gratefully decided to follow Jesus,” he says. He is now training to be a missionary in a
Bible study center.
Source: Gospel for Asia, www.gfa.org
fridayfax@dawneurope.net February 2001.
© Renewal Journal #16: Vision
(2000:2) www.renewaljournal.com
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