This article lists some of the ways the
Church in America responded to the terrorist attacks of September 11th.
1. Leaders urge Christians to repent for national sins
Senior church leaders have called American Christians to repent in the light of
the recent deadly terrorist attacks. They say the tragedy is a reflection of
the country's "crumbling foundation," and that "we need to plead
with God to forgive us." The appeal has gone out to pastors and leaders
from a wide-ranging group of ministry and denominational heads. The group's
'Biblical Response to America's National Emergency' was read out in many
churches. It says that Christians need to "repent of our past path of sin,
remember our present problems and reach out to those in need, and reclaim our
precious promises of revival." The statement says that America has
stubbornly rejected God and His Word, forcing prayer and the Ten Commandments
out of schools, flooding the world with "unimaginable perversion"
through films and television, and allowing millions of abortions. Trusting more
in money than God has also "brought shame and disgrace upon our
nation." Prayer is needed "that God will restore the walls of his
protection around our nation." Meanwhile, the tragedy provides a
"golden opportunity" to serve people. "Seldom, in the history of
our country, have people been so open to the gospel," say the
co-signatories. "This is a defining moment for the Church." They urge
prayer and fasting that God will "turn this tragedy into a triumph and
will send healing revival to our land."
2. Public prayers spread in wake of terrorist attacks
From schools and local governments to Congress and the White House, Americans
have joined in public prayer - and the usual protestors have remained
silent. In addition, Americans have turned to God in small and large
prayer gatherings - even in some unlikely places. Christian leaders including
Franklin Graham and "Prayer of Jabez"' author Bruce Wilkinson recently
led more than 1,500 churches in a televised, nationwide prayer.
3. Prayer Stations thrive in New York
Immediately following the attacks New Yorkers turned for comfort and
strength to local churches - who prayed for them on the streets of the
city. About 50 churches mobilised "prayer stations" on street
corners, outside hospitals and impromptu missing person sites. "We prayed
for the people's needs, then looked to share the gospel," a spokesperson
said. "The response was unbelievable. The message we brought is that God
is the God of all comfort. In one week 32 people made commitments to Christ
when they received prayer at one of the stations. Usually when you offer prayer
here, New Yorkers look at you weird. Then they were practically begging
us.
4. Billy Graham Prayer Centre opens in New York
International relief organisation Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association have opened a prayer centre in New York City. The
Billy Graham New York Prayer Centre is staffed by teams of pastors dedicated to
giving New Yorkers spiritual and emotional support as they rebuild their lives.
Located in Manhattan, the prayer centre is available by telephone to anyone who
needs help.
5. Presidential Prayer Team mobilises 2.8 million Americans
Launched a week after the terrorist attack on America, the Presidential Prayer
Team is experiencing phenomenal response from around the world. One week after
the attacks 100,000 Americans had already registered to pray daily for the
President, his Cabinet and the Nation. That number grew rapidly by over 2,000
new members per hour. News of The Presidential Prayer Team spread quickly
and energetically via the Internet and by word of mouth, in places of worship
and at the workplace. Some 2.8 million participants or 1% of the American
population are now enlisted.
Source: Joel News
How God Shook A Nation
on September 11 1999!
By J. Lee Grady
Rumblings of revival shook Argentina in the 1980s. Today,
as the shaking continues, Christians are caring for a new wave of converts.
There was no official
record of earthquake activity in Buenos Aires on September 11, 1999, but people
working downtown that day said they felt buildings shake and watched furniture slide across floors. Seismologists who
investigated the incident reported that the unusual mini-tremors must have been
caused by reverberations from sound equipment set up on the citys main plaza, where as
many as 250,000 evangelical Christians had
gathered near the Federal Capital Building for their first national prayer
rally.
Local Christians are convinced it was God who shook the
city on that chilly morning. With hands raised toward heaven, they swayed with
their eyes closed as a woman led them in a worship anthem, Sana
Nuestra Naciσn (Heal Our Land). White, blue and
yellow balloonsrepresenting
the colours of the Argentine flagfloated upward amid the
joyful shouts of Gracias, Seρor! and Aleluia!
The celebration lasted from 10 a.m. until late that night,
and the crowd of worshipers created a horrendous traffic jam near the citys
most popular shopping district. In Argentina there are
close to 3 million evangelicals! one pastor shouted from the podium, his voice ricocheting off government buildings. And we only pretend to be
recognized by our society.
Heralded by Argentine church leaders as the most important
event in their nations spiritual
history, the rally was an elaborate coming-out partyand
an obvious signal that evangelical Christians are no longer a silent minority
in this predominantly Roman Catholic country. During sermons preached that day,
officials of the newly formed National Evangelical Christian Councilrepresenting 12,000
Argentine churchesannounced plans to push
for a new law that would prohibit religious discrimination against non-Catholics. Toward the end of
the evening, women with blue flags directed the crowd to cheer in unison, Jesus Christ to all and
for all! The deafening
shouts again rattled windows many blocks away, reminding residents of this city
of 11 million that the revival that has stirred Argentina since the early 1980s
isnt getting
any quieter.
The First Major Quake
Twenty years ago no one
would have imagined a day when evangelicals could make so much noise in the
streets of Buenos Aires. In 1980, evangelical churches were tiny, fractured and
powerlessand
most Argentines werent interested in their message.
But in the city of La Plata, an hour
southeast of Buenos Aires, pastor Alberto Scataglini heard God say to him: I am about to send an avalanche of people. That was a
difficult message to believe, especially since Scataglinis 500-member Pentecostal
church had seen pitiful results after repeated attempts to win souls on the
streets.
But Scataglini couldnt get the prophecy out of his mind. In
fact, during one Sunday service in 1983 at his Door of Heaven Church, he felt
prompted to warn his congregation that they
would lose
their seats
if they chose to ignore the coming movement of God. Most people thought he was
crazy.
Then in 1984 a minister from another city
in Argentina asked Scataglini to sponsor an outreach in La Plata led by an
unknown evangelist named Carlos Annacondia, a businessman from nearby Quilmes. Scataglini, a
former superintendent of the Assemblies of God (AG) who was quite sophisticated
in his approach to ministry, quickly dismissed the ideaespecially after learning
that Annacondia had only been converted for four years, had never attended
Bible college and was not affiliated with the Assemblies of God.
But when Annacondia came to visit
Scataglini weeks later, the pastor says he heard the Holy Spirit whisper, Listen to him, for this is My servant. Scataglini agreed
to sponsor Annacondias meetings, and his obedience triggered the promised
avalanche that would be felt in dozens of cities throughout the country.
Annacondias ministry style wasnt polished. Scataglini winced when he arrived at the
first outdoor service on the outskirts of La Plata and saw a tattered tent with
a sawdust floor, a makeshift stage and rows of light bulbs strung across an
empty field.
But when the evangelist began preaching
in his raspy voice, people ran to the front of the tent to receive prayer, and
149 people found Christ the first evening. The meetings ran
every night for the next eight months, and more than 50,000 conversions were
recorded.
It was a time
of holy craziness, Scataglini,
now 68, told Charisma during an interview
in his home in September. Most members of my church hardly got any sleep during that
time. I had to sleep in my clothes because people would bring
their demon-possessed friends or relatives to my house at all hours of the
night.
It soon became obvious that Annacondias authoritative preaching was making a
forceful dent in the devils work in La Plataa city founded by a Freemason who is buried in the basement
of the Catholic cathedral downtown. Demonized people often screamed out in
the services and were quickly carried to a special tent where Scataglini and
others would pray for them.
On a few occasions, Scataglini recalls,
demons would torment people as soon as city buses drove onto the property where
the crusade was set up. Once, the pastor successfully cast out a
stubborn demon from a young man who had eaten the heart of a dog during a
satanic ritual.
Scataglinis wife, Isabel, remembers leading one of La Platas leading occultists to Christ. She was a famous witch, Isabel says. But I just began talking to her with a lot of love. She hugged me, and
she just cried and cried. She was delivered through tearsand she became a devoted
disciple.
Healings and unusual dental miracles were
also common during Annacondias meetings in La Plata. Gold fillings
appeared so frequently in peoples mouths that Scataglini wouldnt let them testify
publicly unless they had received more than three in one evening. One woman who had
been prayed for began to shout excitedly, telling everyone she couldnt remove her dentures. One of the pastors tried to pull her dentures out, Scataglini recalls. Then the woman told him that God had performed a miracle.
Her dentures had become real teeth!
When Annacondias campaign ended, the evangelicals who had been involvedBaptists, Slavic Pentecostals and AG
groupscouldnt field enough workers to provide
personal care for converts. But Scataglinis church still grew from
500 to 3,000 in eight months, eventually forcing the congregation to meet in an
outdoor sports arena.
Shaking Heaven and Earth
Annacondia, now 55, admits he was
disturbed that so many of those who prayed for salvation didnt end up being incorporated into a
church. The churches just werent prepared, but I couldnt stay still, he told Charisma through a translator. The Lord just kept telling me: Keep winning souls. Keep carrying this burden. I will be in
charge.
So he continued to stage his outdoor
meetings, moving from La Plata to the tourist city of Mar del Plata, where
83,000 decisions were recorded in 1984 after months of evening tent meetings. In Rosario in 1985,
56,000 conversions were registered, and a Salvation Army church with only 10
members began to grow rapidly. Today it has 20,000 members.
In Cordoba, a church that had 70 members
in 1986 has grown to 15,000 today as a result of the Annacondia crusade there. In every city where
Annacondia sponsored a citywide outreach, this kind of explosive growth was
reportedand
it changed the spiritual climate of the nation in only a few years.
Annacondias core philosophy is that the devils power over cities must be aggressively challenged, first
in prayer and then by direct assault through preaching and miracles of the New
Testament variety. We pass out flyers about
evangelistic events, but the best advertising is the miracles, says Annacondias pastor, Pedro Ibarra, an
Assemblies of God minister in Quilmes. If the current growth rate continues,
his 4,000-member church will reach 10,000 in two years.
Such numbers are impressive, but the most
unique aspect of Annacondias ministry, according to those who have supported him since
the early days, is his practice of personally praying for anyone who wants
healing or deliverance. He typically will stay at the altar for
hours after each crusade, and by 2 a.m. he is drenched in sweat.
Argentines have never known clergy to be
so accessible. There was a barrier
between the pastors and the people. But that barrier fell here several years
ago,
Annacondia explains. He claims that when the revival anointing arrived in the
early 1980s, and as Baptist, Methodist and Pentecostal churches began to unite
to win souls instead of competing for turf, a smug professionalism among
ministers was replaced by genuine humility and concern for the lost.
Today, he adds, the churches that are growing care for the people. You cant just pretend to love. If I cant feel Gods love for people, theyll know it.
One congregation that was powerfully
energized by Annacondias hands-on style is King of Kings Church in downtown Buenos
Aires, pastored by Claudio Freidzon. A former Assemblies of God Bible college
professor, Freidzon and his wife, Betty, say they endured years of spiritual
dryness and financial problems before revival jolted them in 1986.
The only people
who would come to hear us at our church were some old grandmothers, Betty announced recently at a conference
in Buenos Aires. So we served those women
enthusiastically. But we went through seven years of intense brokenness.
All that changed after Freidzon met
Annacondia in 1983, then visited the crusades and watched him pray for the sick
and demon-possessed. The two men became close friends, and
Annacondia mentored the young pastorencouraging him to step out of his comfort zones in order
to reach the unchurched. Finally,
Freidzon mustered up enough courage to sponsor a Friday night healing service
in a downtown neighborhood.
When he prayed for a cross-eyed woman and
her eyes were instantly straightened, people began screaming, and others ran into our meeting from
the streets, he told Charisma. Twenty days later, the Freidzons four-member church had
grown to 1,000.
Today, about 9,000 people attend one of
11 weekly worship services held in King of Kings theatre-style
sanctuary. Their vibrant worship is circulated widely in Argentina
through popular recordings.
More Aftershocks
Today, Annacondia spends more time
ministering outside Argentina, and the era of six-month campaigns with 50,000
converts seems to have passed. But churches are still growing consistently,
mostly because pastors who witnessed the early days of the revival have learned
to effectively preserve the harvest.
We certainly
didnt keep all the 40,000
converts who came to Christ in La Plata. That is the sad thing, admits Sergio Scataglini, Albertos 42-year-old son who is now senior
pastor of Door of Heaven Church. We just
didnt know
that when God comes, He comes like a hurricane.
This is still
harvest time here in Argentina, but we lose millions of people, adds Freidzon. The churches here must develop a strategy for growth. His ambitious plan
to disciple converts includes cell groups (7,000 members of the church are
involved in these meetings each week) and retreats for new believers. About 150 people
attend these every weekend.
Freidzon believes God raised up
Annacondia as a model for ministers who are now taking this revival to the next
level. Annacondia taught us that
a real man of God walks among the people, hugs them and prays for them, he says.
Many leaders today in Argentina also are
looking to Freidzon, 44, as a role model. He helped unleash a
fresh wave of revivalist fervour in the
country in 1993, when he says a new anointing touched his ministry after he read a Spanish translation
of a book by healing evangelist Benny Hinn, Good Morning,
Holy Spirit.
It was a contagious hunger for intimacy with the Holy Spirit, Freidzon says, that began to attract
crowds to his Assemblies of God congregation. His goal for King of Kings Churchand for all evangelical groups in
Argentinais to close the back door of the church so new converts wont fall through the cracks like they did
in Argentina in the 1980s.
Freidzon is passing his fervor for church
growth abroad, and pastors from many
parts of Latin America now attend conferences he sponsors in Buenos Aires. The
meetings usually end with hours of personal ministry marked by the practice of
laying on of hands.
It is this personal touchwhat the Argentines call impartationthat seems to spread this unusual revival
movement. And Freidzon, Annacondia and Sergio Scataglini are convinced that the
same spiritual earthquake that rocked Argentina in the 1980s will soon be felt
here in the United States. They expect to carry it here every time they visit.
When you see
this move of God, it breaks you to pieces, says Scataglini,
who says he wont be offering trite formulas for revival when he speaks to
American audiences. God
is simply manifesting His presence here in Argentina in new ways, and that
message is going out to the nations.
J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma. He travelled
to Buenos Aires and La Plata, Argentina, in September.
Copyright © 1996, 1997, 1998 by Strang
Communication Company.
The recently released Transformations 2 video tells story
of the transformation of the nation of Uganda. Some of the background to that
remarkable story is told here by John Mulinde, a senior Christian leader
within that country.
Only 15 years ago, the world had written Uganda off as a
hopeless case. The
results of Idi Amins plundering, his
successor Milton Obotes reign of violence,
and the brutal civil war of 1980-85, were an economy on the edge of collapse,
the country bleeding from a thousand wounds, with inflation a rampaging 380% to 1000%.
Tourism was threatened, and the Western embassies withdrew
one after the other. Then
came AIDS. World Health Organisation (WHO) experts predicted that the
nation would collapse in 1997, with one third of the population dead, another
third suffering, and the remaining third too weak to maintain the economy. The government saw
no way out, so called church leaders together, admitting their predicament and
asking Can you find a ray of hope in this
situation?
One man spoke a prophetic word into the midst of this situation: Whose report should we believe? The WHO experts, or Gods word? God has a good plan
for our nation, and a holy purpose. Not many listened to this voice, but those
who did remained for prayer. The result was a movement which has since taken hold of the
whole nation, bringing obvious change.
Transformation is the change from a low point, in which the nation is scarred by death and
decay, to the point at which the full life of Christ is incarnated, says American strategy consultant Jack Dennison. That is exactly
what seems to be happening in Uganda.
When the gospel arrived in Uganda in 1877, there was both a radical
breakthrough and a spiritual battle.
The first 36 Ugandan martyrs died at the hand
of King Mwanga in 1886, but that did not hinder what is now seen as the roots
of the East African revival, which started around 1920 in Uganda and Rwanda. In 1971, Moslem General Idi Amin took over the government,
starting an unprecedented and brutal persecution of all opponents, particularly
Christians.
He declared Uganda to be an Islamic state in 1975, despite the fact that only
some 3% of the population were Moslems. Amin invited Gaddafi and Saudi Arabias King Faisal to the 4-day ceremony, in which thousands of
sheep and goats were ritually sacrificed. The Christians reacted by fleeing and
prayer, and formed jungle churches, with 24-hour prayer. All differences
between the denominations disappeared.
Someones
exact creed was not important, as long as they could pray. The return of peace after Amins deposal in 1979 also brought a reduction in Christians devotion to prayer; and complacency and indifference set
in. The
church falsely believed Amin to have been the enemy.
After recognising the mistake, an increasing number of Christians joined a
nationwide prayer and fasting initiative, with two aims: to unite themselves
under Gods aims for the nation, and to disarm the
demonic powers behind their acute problems in prayer.
President Museveni repealed Amins
Islamic covenant, and gave the national flag to a group of intercessors as a
prophetic symbol during a conference, re-dedicating the nation to the God of
the Bible. That broke the dam.
The President was challenged to take more action against the tide of corruption
in the nation. We have our police and our system, but we cannot change
peoples hearts. That is the job of
the church, replied Museveni.
Together with the Christians, a public campaign for
integrity and morality was started, which has spread
throughout the nation. Museveni even appointed a Cabinet Minister for Ethics and
Integrity, a born-again Christian, who started an investigation into bribery. Her appointment
was sharply criticised by a number of Members of Parliament, and there have
already been two attempts on her life.
However, as a result of the Presidents backing and the prayers of many churches for the
campaign, a growing number of corrupt officials have fallen from grace, and
several high-ranking politicians have been forced to step down from office.
The government and churches united in a dual strategy: condoms and moral change
through ethical renewal and a return to Biblical values - with phenomenal
success. Uganda is the only nation in Africa in which the AIDS rate is
decreasing, the dark predictions turned out to be false, and the WHO, facing a
mystery, is investigating the Ugandan phenomenon.
The inflation rate has dropped from 380% to between 6% and 8%. The IMF and World
Bank view Uganda as a prime example of economic recovery in Africa.
God is drawing Christians of all denominations together to a new unity - the
Uganda Christian Alliance. This alliance is a network of ministries with the aim of making disciples of the whole nation, and serving other
nations.
Source: John Mulinde, World Trumpet Mission.
Mozambique
Back from the Dead
Lino is intense. His eyes are wide and
lit up, his hands are waving and gesturing. He turns and shifts excitedly. He cant be quieted. He knows what hes talking about, and he sounds like it. He speaks with
authority, and I am
listening, taking down every detail. I hit him with every question I can think of, and he answers me
transparently, effortlessly. He has been
raised from the dead, and I want to know all
about it.
Pastor Lino Andrade is one of our more
than one thousand pastors in Mozambique. His mud hut church is in the town of Gondola in
the central province of
Manica, not far from Chimoio where we have had major
conferences. He has just begun a three-month
Bible school term with us at our Zimpeto center in southern Mozambique. Today he
testified in church, and now I am
with him face-to-face, getting every bit of information I can.
This morning he declared earnestly to all
our children, staff and Bible school students that life after death is real, the
supernatural world is real, angels are real, and the power of Jesus is real. He
should know. He is one of about
ten people in our churches who have been brought from death back to life by the Author of life, and
we want to tell everyone!
Lino is a widower, and he stays with his
daughter in her little house in Gondola. Not long before coming down for Bible school, he
got seriously sick. He couldnt eat or sleep. He was in great pain. Too
poor for medical attention, he
didnt know what was wrong.
Over the course of a month he kept deteriorating until he died. Instead of burying him,
his daughter called for
Pastor Joni, also in Gondola, who came with four other church leaders to pray. Linos eyes were rolled back into his head,
and his body soon began to
smell of decay. But Jesus has used Joni to raise the dead before, and Joni was determined.
Lino was released from his body and given
a vision of what might be. He watched his own funeral procession, and could see others
lowering his own casket into the
ground. He watched them put flowers on his grave. Two
bright angels with wings came to him. He was shown
things that have not yet been explained to him. But in the vision Lino refused to
accept his own death. And then
he heard God tell him that he was not going to heaven yet, but that he had many more years to live.
In his spirit he could hear Joni praying loudly and fervently.
After a few hours he returned to his body
and awoke in bed, but was very weak and nauseous from his own smell. Satan did not get his
way, and Lino was not buried.
Lino gradually got his strength back and his body
normalized as everyone around looked after him.
His church and all who knew him are incredibly encouraged. Lino himself is now strong
and bold, always eager to
minister.
Lino is an example of what happens when
the poor, sick and desperate get close to Jesus. They want Him. They know they need Him, all
the time and in every way. And
if He can raise the dead, He can certainly take care of
hunger, poverty and every other problem and
affliction. We didnt come to Africa just to feed some children and
give out a few clothes. We came to bring the wretched and forgotten close to Him, in the worst
of circumstances. And we
came to see what He can do when He draws close to
them in return. Everything changes. All things
are possible. The Word is true. Our Jesus can save to the uttermost. And all of us,
all over the world, have
hope who trust in Him.
Jesus has encouraged us in many ways
recently. One ladys lungs were completely restored after she nearly died
of advanced pneumonia. A man living in a shack near the dump, paralyzed from the waist
down for two years,
immediately rose to his feet and walked after baptism and prayer. A lady who for twenty-one years was totally
blind in one eye and very blurry in the other can see clearly out of both. So many wanted to
testify last Sunday in church
along with Pastor Lino that we had to ask them to stop and continue later. Two young men from the
dump are now in our Bible school. Many of our
pastors are receiving visions. One of our strongest preachers is a fourteen-year-old boy up north with
a powerful evangelistic call. Healings follow
him everywhere he goes.
We served chicken and gave out presents at Christmas for two thousand
children and beggars from the dump. Our cook came
to us saying we ended up with so much chicken left over we could hardly give it all away, and he
couldnt understand where the
extra came from. We are very
excited about our primary school for our orphaned
and abandoned children. Jesus has given us very
dedicated Mozambican teachers, and
they have poured their energy and hearts into these most disadvantaged of students. Our facilities
are so bare and basic, and the government has in the past given us such a hard time. Our
fifth and seventh grade classes
had to take national exams, and ninety-five percent of our students passed, giving our school the
highest score in the country. Average is
seventy percent. Jesus loves to take the least of the these
and bring them to the head!
Famine is spreading across Malawi where
we have hundreds of new churches. Last years floods wiped out maize and garden
crops, and then came Malawis worst drought
in twenty years. Villagers are trying to survive on corn husks, berries, leaves and whatever else
they can find in the bush that might be edible. In southern Malawi they are walking for
days in the heat to the
Mozambican border trying to find food. The situation has become drastic, yet the government and major aid
organizations have no immediate solutions. Imported maize is too limited and much too
expensive. I am getting
frequent, desperate calls for more help. We must put this burden on Jesus, yet remain sensitive and obedient
to Him. May Jesus form His Body, in Malawi and around the world, until He is pleased with us,
and can glorify Himself
however He likes through us.
Rolland and Heidi Baker, Iris
Ministries, Inc.
Email: Rolland@irismin.org
Internet:
www.irismin.org
Miracles in Greece
Report by Jerome and JoAnn
Wangenius
On October 25, 1999, JoAnn and I went to Greece. A friend of ours Themis
Kurulys came here from Greece and went to Bible College. He now has 15 churches
there. He invited us to minister there. We had services in Crete, Rhodes and
Athens. In Crete we saw God do many miracles, healings and many salvations. A
young girl couldnt walk, had two arm crutches and drug her body. I prayed
for her and saw no difference, I started to move on to pray for someone else
and the Lord stopped me, I just looked at her and said, One thing I promise you.
This girl will walk. The next day she walked almost a mile up hill and three
flights of stairs to a friends house to show she could walk without crutches.
On the island of Rhodes we saw many miracles, healings and salvations just like
on the island of Crete. A lady with M.S. walked with a cane, I prayed for her
and she put the cane down and walked perfectly. God healed her. An elderly lady
had a stroke and her left side was paralized, she came in with a walker, I
prayed for her and told her to start walking, She held my hands and took a few
short steps, then started walking alone. God did many other miracles in Crete.
Then we went to Athens, the last stop of
our trip. We had the same results, only more of them. A man who was a professor
was paralysed from a broken back I
prayed for him at a home in the afternoon. He could move some in his hips, but
he could not wait. He was at the evening service. I said to him, you are going to walk out
of here. He picked up the crutches he had brought
with him. He got up and started to walk he lifted the crutches up in the air
off the floor and continued to walk towards me without any support for his
legs. When the people saw this, some cried, some praised the Lord, but they all
were standing. The majority of the
people there had never seen a miracle before. Their faith was so high, they
could receive everything God had for them. We were in Greece 26 days and plan
to go back in Sept.
Jerome and JoAnn Wangenius WORLD
FAITH MINISTRIES
from Pastor Elvin
Gladney - Realife_Intl@hotmail.co
Charles Ndifon in Omagh, Northern Ireland
On the first night a teenager 14 and
drunk came banging on the side of what Brendan McCarthy, pastor of Omagh
Community Church, calls his little green hut. Mike Smith, who is
with Charles, brought her in with her friend.
Charles calmed her down and said, Listen to what I have to say. It will change your life.
He preached the Gospel, the good news of
what God has done for all of us and at the end asked if anyone wanted to give
their lives to Jesus. The girl being
asleep did not respond but her friend did.
Coming up for prayer he said, I have skin cancer and have not known a day without pain.
Charles said that not only did Jesus die on the cross for our sins but
also for our sicknesses and if he believed it, not only would he be free of
sin, but also pain. Two seconds later
and the youth was completely healed, no more pain.
So overjoyed was he, that he brought 9
more teenagers with him the next night and they all received Jesus. One girl said she has been deaf in one ear
with 12 operations to no affect all her life.
Charles asked one of the teenagers who just got saved who wants to pray for her and a young boy 11 said he did. He put his hand up
to her ear and said, What do I say? Charles answered, Be healed in Jesus name. He did and Charles whispered in her bad ear with his finger in
her good ear, What is your name? The look on her face said it all! Healed, she burst out crying!
The boy who prayed burst out crying!
The other teenagers who, at this point were treating things a bit light
hearted, became very shocked at this happening so close to them.
To make a long report short the next
night mums and dads of the teenagers came and 15 gave their lives to Jesus!
This all sounds too good to be true you
are saying. But, to quote Charles
Ndifon, I am not the
healer or the saviour. Its the power of the Gospel of Jesus, the
good news is the key to the lives changed.
Only believe.
From John Keating <irljohn@hotmail.com>
Fireland International Revival
Ministries www.nrn.net/fireland
© Renewal Journal #17: Unity (2001:1) www.renewaljournal.com
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