Dallas, Texas
June 4-6, 2008
The Elijah Challenge in North America
The event was hosted by Pastor Larry Skelton of Victory New Testament Fellowship. His father was a pioneer minister in Dallas who knew and worked with some very well-known healing evangelists of the past like Jack Coe. Pastor Larry himself has worked closely with Oral Roberts.
Pastor Larry Skelton
Now, during these last days, the Lord is fulfilling HIs promise in John 14:12—those who believe in him will do the works that He did. To nameless and faceless believers everywhere the Lord is restoring the understanding of His power and authority to heal the sick for the sake of the Great Commission. The pastors and ministers who attended the Training from as far away as the state of Indiana were very enthusiastic. One of the pastors called it life-transforming.
The Lord was gracious to anoint us to teach His word. At the end of the first session He confirmed the word by healing some people who had knee problems. One middle-aged servant of God was able to jump up and down with no problem from his previously arthritic knees after a sister laid hands on him.
During the Training the Lord performed various miraculous healings through the trainees. But it was during the two evening evangelistic healing services that we witnessed the greater ones. On Thursday evening there was one memorable healing involving Pastor Rhodora Howell. She was suffering from lupus which among other things gave her miserable pain in the upper part of her body, especially her neck and shoulders. The pain was such that in the mornings it normally took her two hours just to get up and dressed. Thursday evening her condition was so bad that she almost decided not to come to the service. But during the healing-at-a-distance (as Jesus did in Luke 7) by the trained servants of God, the pain left her completely. The next morning she got up with no pain or difficulty.
One of the servants of God who ministered in song during the evenings had suffered from what he called “busted” L2, L3, L4, and L5 vertebra. When one of the brothers laid hands on him, the Lord healed him and he was able to bend over freely.
The gentleman whose knees had been healed at the first training session had an encyclopedia of infirmities, including an enlarged heart. He could actually feel the pressure of his heart pressing on his rib cage. Afterwards he testified that he could no longer feel the pressure.
At the second evening service there was a visibly disturbed woman who among other things said she suffered from a bi-polar condition. She also heard voices and felt as if a claw had a constant grip in her head. During the healing-at-a-distance she felt the claw release its grip on her and lift away. The voices ceased. A woman who had been unable to lift her arm wept as she testified that the Lord had healed her. She was able to lift her arm freely with no pain.
All these miracles demonstrated that Jesus has authority to forgive sin and that He is the only way to the Father. Unfortunately there were few if any non-believers present at the evening services to witness them. However, the evening evangelistic healing services became part of the Training. Now the servants of God know how to heal the sick and proclaim the kingdom of God on their own. They are going back to the different states from which they came to train their own people and they now know how to preach the gospel in the spirit and power of Elijah.
We now look forward to hearing how these servants of God will boldly use what they have been taught for the sake of the gospel.