Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia
June 12, 2011
At the spacious Jordan River Church in Pontianak we preached a message of repentance to prepare the people of God for the great and terrible Day of the Lord. I shared that seeking after God’s blessings in this life is not the central message of the New Testament. But rather, Jesus taught:
John 12:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. 25 He who loves his life shall lose it. And he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal.
We shared our testimony of how years ago we had followed the Lord’s footsteps by giving up our hopes and dreams and possessions in America and by faith moving to the primitive unreached regions of Indonesia to share the gospel to those who had never heard. We challenged the believers to repent and to produce fruit in keeping with repentance by dying to the world and hating their lives in this world. Only then, like grains of wheat falling to the ground and dying, can they bring forth much fruit for God.
It was quiet in the spacious church while I shared. It was likely not the kind of message they were accustomed to hearing. The people were listening.
God confirms the message
After the message we asked the Lord to confirm the message of repentance through miraculous healings. People with infirmities came forward to receive ministry from the trained disciples. Afterwards, most of them came up to the stage to testify of what the Lord had done for them. Two testimonies were quite striking. One man had suffered from a stroke and had difficulty speaking, along with other problems due to the stroke. He took the microphone, and fighting back tears he paused to compose himself. Then he began to speak with little trace of difficulty. Not only was his speech almost completely restored, the other symptoms of his stroke were receding as well. A second man in his late thirties or early forties had suffered from shaking hands since he was a child. His hands were no longer shaking as he testified. A woman was healed of the symptoms of a heart condition, but was too shy to testify publicly.
Through the miraculous healings the Lord had clearly confirmed to the people the message that He had delivered to the Laodician Church:
Revelation 3:15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would that you were cold or hot. 16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, …19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; therefore be zealous and repent.
At the end of the meeting the people applauded, not loudly, but I sensed sincerely and appreciatively. I think they had received the message into their hearts.
Lucille preached in the evening service. We received a report that never before had they heard a woman preach with the fire and conviction they felt from Lucille that evening. When she gave an altar call for repentance from fruitlessness and physical healing from infirmities, many streamed forward to the front.