Note: In the vast foreign mission fields of the world where you will encounter billions of gospel-resistant Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and idol-worshipers, the Lord Jesus can perform miraculous healings in response to prayer. Just as He did in the gospels and Acts, the Lord demonstrates to them through such miracles that He is the only way to the Father (John 14:6, 11). When resistant people groups witness the miracles that their gods or religions cannot do, their hearts are open to believing on Christ as only Lord and Savior. They are not unlike the Jews of the gospels about whom Jesus said, “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe” (John 4:48).
West Bengal, India
December 2014
View from outside the Worship Center in Kalimpong where we conducted The Elijah Challenge Training
This was our first trip since 2001 back to the town of Kalimpong nestled in the foothills overshadowed by the mighty Himalayas. About two hundred disciples, leaders, and servants of God gathered for The Elijah Challenge Training.
In countries on the mission field where Christians are a small minority, God is still performing New Testament miracles to show gospel-resistant Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and those who believe in witchcraft that our God is the only true God and that Jesus Christ is the only way to Him.
The Lord’s people at The Elijah Challenge Training Event were most receptive to the teaching, seeing that it was based heavily on Scripture and that it actually worked in terms of ministering effective healing to the infirm in the context of sharing the gospel to the lost. Perhaps the climax of the demonstrations was the ministry to a young woman who had been diagnosed with a heart condition. She was not to run or to pick up heavy objects. After three Indian sisters came forward to lay hands on her and pray over her, she ran up and down the aisles and then picked up and held up a heavy sound speaker for about ten seconds with no difficulty. A young man who felt burning discomfort from tuberculosis in his lungs felt his lungs expanding with air and opening up as two men prayed over him. Afterwards he felt fine. Earlier a woman with severely impaired hearing in one ear came forward. When two believers prayed over her, she said that her hearing had been restored in the name of Jesus.
At the end of the Training I strongly urged the people to reach out to the majority Hindus around them with the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord has entrusted very powerful weapons to the Church for confirming the truth of the gospel to resistant people groups, but sadly this has largely been kept hidden from the Church down through the years.
West Bengal is encircled in the map below, just east of the state of Assam shaded in green.
On to bordering Assam State, India
The next venue for The Elijah Challenge was a small minority-people village church in the state of Assam near the border of Nagaland. The percentage of Christians in Assam is estimated to be but a few percent while over half of the population are Hindus. Moreover, there has been the real threat of terrorism in Assam at the hands of ultra-nationalist extremists who want Assam to secede from India. Recently (as of December 2014) 80 people had lost their lives in terrorist attacks.
During the Training we taught the disciples and servants of God how to proclaim the kingdom of God more effectively and fruitfully to the lost in Assam by following the pattern of the Lord Jesus Christ when he was on earth 2,000 years ago. Just as he proved to the Jews that he was the promised Messiah, the Son of God, with the miracles he performed (John 14:11), in nations like India he continues to do the same through his unworthy servants. In Assam we taught the disciples how to pray over the sick effectively in Jesus’ name as proof to Hindus and Muslims that he is in fact the only way to the Father. During the demonstrations the Lord was gracious to answer prayer and heal the sick miraculously. People with various infirmities reported that the Lord had healed them after prayer.
In the afternoon following the training on the first day, the disciples went door-to-door in the community to apply what they had been taught. As they prayed over infirm people, the Lord performed miraculous healings. At the morning session of the training the following day, they came forward with much enthusiasm to share testimonies of what the Lord had done through them.
These trained disciples will use what they have learned to reach the lost, both in their surrounding area and to penetrate unreached villages as well.
Training held in village church
In the afternoon after lunch the five young people at the center below were baptized in water in obedience to the Lord’s commands. Pastor Prem is on the right wearing a white shirt.
The village disciples and servants of God who received The Elijah Challenge Training
Report from The Elijah Challenge team in New Delhi led by Brother Al
On December 27 Brother Al and his team in Delhi began The Elijah Challenge Training for servants of God and committed disciples. This was the first time Al taught for The Elijah Challenge in such a setting. Below is his report to us:
“Everything went well will the training. I was able to get through the entire training. I started after 11 AM, and even though we had over a one hour lunch, I was able to finish by 4 PM. I had the translator read the scriptures, so that saved a lot of time. I observed the audience, and they appeared attentive. I had had all the people from Houston, and a few others demonstrate healing prayer over the sick before lunch, and at that time I had asked all the sick to come forward. And so when I asked the pastors to do the same thing at the end of the day, there were only a few people with infirmities left to pray over, so the pastors did not get a lot of practice in ministering healing to the sick. I have not had a chance to interview the people who prayed, so I can’t give you a report at this time, but will in the next day or so. We did experience many miraculous healings from the Lord in response to prayer. I wholeheartedly endorse your idea of training the trainers…
…There was a lady who had headaches and fainting. She felt a spirit leave when prayed over, and the headaches left, and she felt renewed.
Another lady had foot and knee and joint pain, and all were healed.
Another lady had depression, tremors, and headaches. The pain was all gone and afterwards, she was dancing and singing and worshipping God.
Another lady had arthritis in her hand, and felt oppression. Afterwards she felt lighter, and had more movement in her hand.
A man who could not move his arm above his head, was able to lift his arm all the way up.”
We are very thankful to the Lord who has used Al and his team to train his Indian servants so fruitfully and effectively for the sake of the harvest during these last days. In mission fields like India, God is still doing miracles in response to prayer to show gospel-resistant peoples that He is the only true God and that Jesus Christ is the only way to Him. When Hindus and Muslims witness the miracles which are not seen in their religions, many turn to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.