Regional Elijah Challenge Affiliates
Hosted by Lance Rowe of Cross Country Ministries
The Beginning of Revival in Vicksburg?
God's servant Lance RoweLet us first provide some background information about the body of Christ in Vicksburg. Some time ago a servant of God named Lance Rowe came to Vicksburg. Years ago Lance, his wife and children had literally obeyed the Lord's command to sell their possessions to follow Him. Lance began to walk up the Mississippi carrying a 12-foot cross and wearing a white robe just like Jesus. He went from town to town preaching the gospel. The Lord also provided a tent where Lance would hold meetings. He would moreover contact local pastors and invite them to come together in unity according to John 17:21.
Some pastors in Vicksburg received Lance and his ministry. Through him a measure of unity between denominations and races was birthed among the pastors---a unity which did not exist before. In November 2009 Lance came across our website on the internet, and discovered that he and we had much in common. He shared about The Elijah Challenge with the pastors in the group. Some of them were interested and were willing to host The Elijah Challenge Basic Training. It began on Wednesday, January 27.
Likely because of the unity among the pastors, the Lord greatly blessed the Training. He helped us to teach very effectively, and confirmed His word by healing many infirmities during the sessions as the disciples laid hands on the infirm.
Miracles at the Evangelistic Healing OutreachOn Saturday afternoon (January 30) following the final session, we held an evangelistic healing outreach to apply what had been taught. We had hoped to hold it outside in order to draw more needy people, but due to the cold weather we had to use instead the indoor facilities of Standfield New Life Christian Church led by Pastor John Williams. Not surprisingly, there were mostly church people at the meeting. However, we noticed one man who looked very much like a street person in need.
We preached that Jesus had authority to forgive sin and save sinners from condemnation in hell. Then we asked the Lord to confirm this by healing the infirm who were present. Several people, including Mr. Davis, raised their hands when we asked who wanted to be healed. At our invitation they came forward and the trained disciples laid hands on them.
The very first person the Lord healed was Mr. Davis. He climbed up to the stage to testify that he had felt pain in his whole body for two weeks. Doctors could not figure out what was wrong with him. When the brothers applied what they had learned in the Training and laid hands on him, the pain promptly disappeared!
Mr. Davis also had a conspicuous white spot in the middle of his left eye. When questioned, he explained that he had a cataract and could not see in that eye. The brothers ministered to him as they had been taught, and God restored his sight. He was able to identify objects with that previously blind eye. We then noticed that he had little balls of rolled-up aluminum foil in his ears. After the brothers asked him about it, he told them that he suffered from poor hearing. And so they ministered to him again according to what they had been taught from Scripture. God restored his hearing and he reported that he could hear much better.
After that others also testified that the Lord had healed them. As far as we could see, only one person did not testify of being healed.
The disciples gave praise to God for how He had used them to confirm the truth of the gospel. They were very encouraged and when the weather warms up they will be proclaiming the gospel in the open air and in the streets.
God heals people at Sunday morning servicesPastor David Sterling of New Beginnings Christian Fellowship was part of the pastors' fellowship and had attended the Basic Training. On Sunday morning (January 31) he taught his people and then they ministered to the infirm. There were two powerful testimonies. One man had a severely damaged liver, and as a result could not bend over without blood dripping from his nose. After the believers ministered to him, he could bend over without any bleeding whatsoever from his nose. A woman had herniated disks and could not bend over even to perform simple tasks. The believers laid hands on her. At the end of the service, she stood up at the front of the sanctuary and showed everyone that she was healed by bending over and moving a big flower pot back and forth on the floor.
Lighthouse Assembly of God and Pastor George Farris hosted us on Sunday morning. Following some introductory training, we had the believers minister to those with infirmities. The Lord graciously moved through them, and some reported being healed or significant improvement as the believers laid hands on them.
Many healed and testify on Sunday eveningOn Sunday evening (January 31) we taught at Faith Christian Center, a church led by Ollie Hardaway. The Lord's power to heal was very evident as the believers, most of them African-American, laid hands on the infirm at the end of the service. There were many testimonies of healing, some of them quite impressive. The sister who led the worship had painful arthritis in her knees which made it difficult for her to get around. After two ladies laid hands on her, she strode briskly around the sanctuary with no trace of pain---and with a huge smile on her face. That was only the first of many miraculous healings the Lord performed through His disciples that evening. Among many others, one sister testified that the pain from her kidney stones had disappeared and another that the pain from her enlarged heart was gone.
We have never before witnessed such a fruitful training event in the United States. We attribute this to the unity in the body of Christ birthed through the ministry of Brother Lance Rowe.
Now revival can take placeLet's pray that "Revival" will break out in Vicksburg as the trained believers obey the Great Commission---preaching the gospel, healing the sick, and making disciples as they have been taught. May unity across racial and denominational lines, the restoration of signs and wonders, and revival ultimately spread to other cities of the Deep South.
Videos of the Training available onlineVideos of all the meetings, including all the Training sessions, can be viewed by clicking here.
Feedback from participating pastors
"I enjoyed your training especially via internet when I had to be out. You are a blessing and my desire is to bless you because God will bless those who bless Abraham and his seed and you are definitely in Christ. I love you and your ministry and may the kingdom of darkness be continously terrified by the ELIJAH CHALLENGE and all who receive the Special Forces Kingdom Training."
-John
Report from host Lance Rowe
Testimonies of the Elijah Challenge ministry in Vicksburg
"Praise the Name of the Lord, my precious brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ! I hope this finds you well and blessed, and that those of you who viewed the Elijah Challenge online have had an opportunity to put what you learned in practice! I have ministered healing for two individuals on separate occasions in Wal-Mart. One person had kidney stones. I ministered to him in the produce department Tuesday night. Since he was on medication at the moment, he couldn’t tell if anything had happened...and I looked for him last night to get a report, but I didn’t find him.
Last night in Wal-Mart I ministered healing to a brother who had gone through a liver transplant. I had led him in a prayer to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior several months ago when I ministered at a local church here in Vicksburg. He said he was in pain from the nerves being damaged during the operation. I took authority over the pain. He was on medication so he could not say if the pain had left. I am expecting good reports from them both. The Wal-Mart ministry isn’t a new thing for me...I am always looking for an opportunity to minister salvation or counsel to some one in Wal-Mart, but the ministering healing with confidence and authority is a new approach. GLORY! Also last night at Wal-Mart, I met a sister who was at the Sunday night service. She told me she is looking forward to going out on the streets when I do an outreach. Thank You, Jesus.
During the Elijah Challenge training we had numerous testimonies of healings. Several people reported freedom from various pain issues. We received reports of arthritic knees healed. We saw people who could barely walk now run or jump or “high stepping” for Jesus! Glory! One brother I ministered to on Sunday night at Faith Christian Center had pain and tingling in his hip area for two years, due to an injury. After praying for him three times, he got a surprised look on his face when he realized there was no more pain or tingling in that area! Hallelujah! You can watch that service and the teaching as well as several reports of healing at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/4363183. The audio quality is pretty bad where the service gets loud, but just turn it down at those points, and turn it up again for the teaching and the testimonies. I know you will be blessed. Pastor Ollie Hardaway is the pastor of Faith Christian Center.
On Sunday morning Pastor George Farris of Lighthouse Assembly of God (where we are currently parked) had Brother Lau to train his church. 5 or 6 people went forward to be ministered to. On Sunday night Brother McKinney gave a testimony that he had stayed at his chair during the healing ministry but agreed with the people who were ministering healing in the front. He said that his arthritis left his hands as he exercised his authority in agreement with those who were ministering! If you watch the video, Brother McKinney is the brother with White hair seated at the front, wearing a red and white plaid flannel jacket. http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/4353194 sitting across from him with the brown shirt on is the brother who gave the testimony of his back being healed during an earlier service. You can hear his testimony at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/4308746 about 23:14 into the video. The lady in the foreground had been healed in her knees on the first night. His name is Mike Finney. I will write more about him in a little while. Last night at the Wednesday service, brother Farris asked Brother McKinney how his hands were. He quickly raised his hands, and clenched and unclenched them repeatedly to show us that they were still free from arthritis! Hallelujah!
Now about Mike Finney. Mike and his wife pastor River of Living Waters church in Vicksburg. They own a automobile repair shop here in the city. After the Sunday service, Mike Jr. asked me when I was going to do my next outreach, and I told him my priority was to get my truck put together again. He asked me what was wrong with my truck and I told him that I was replacing the engine, but I had a lot of “Spaghetti” that needed to be hooked up. He told me that they would gladly put it together for me. Hallelujah! It’s in the shop right now as we speak! God is so good.
...Through the Elijah Training, and the healing of brother Mike Finney, I am finally getting the truck together. As a result of the Elijah Challenge, many brothers and sisters from several different churches and across racial lines (those things that my prayer walk has been focused on) want to DO SOME OUTREACH before we leave Vicksburg, applying what they have learned. I am seeing new avenues of equipping and uniting the Church opening up to us as we continue on our Prayer walk up the Mississippi River. Revival? Revival is when the Body of Christ becomes Kingdom minded instead of worldly minded. I can see it beginning here in Vicksburg and beyond! Hallelujah!
I don’t know how much more time we have here in Vicksburg, but I can certainly see Romans 8:28 at work in our stay here. If you haven’t yet viewed the Vicksburg Elijah Challenge services please make it a point to do so. Like I said, some of the audio quality is bad when it gets loud, but you can certainly benefit from the training there."