Marilia, Sao Paulo, Brazil
November 2012
Reports: The Elijah Challenge in Brazil
About 800 believers gathered for the first session of The Elijah Challenge Training in First Baptist Church of Marilia. This is a praying cell church, led by Senior Pastor Domingos, which gathers to pray early every morning. Some of their leaders also do 40-day fasts. Their plan is to incorporate the training into the life of the church, especially through their many cell groups. They want to see people healed, delivered, and saved in their cells.
Sao Paulo State is in the south of Brazil
Heart condition healed in front of the crowd
At the end of the session, a woman with a heart condition involving rapid heartbeat came forward to be healed. Medically, she was not supposed to be able to run. Five ladies came up to lay hands on her in Jesus’ name. Afterwards she said that her heart rate had come down to normal. At that point we asked her to run. She took off across the wide stage of the sanctuary, and ran back to us. We waved her past us to the other side of the stage where she turned and started back toward us, still running. She repeated the route once again, and finally returned to us at the middle of the stage. During this time some of the physicians present were concerned and were ready to render medical aid if she collapsed on the stage. But when she came back to us her breathing was not at all strained nor did she appear winded.
We asked her how she felt, and she said that she felt fine after her run. She said that she normally would not have been able to run in such a way. Moreover she was not allowed to pick up heavy objects. We eyed the sisters who had just ministered to her, and pointed out one who was of normal size and weight. We asked her to pick the sister up off the floor and to hold her there for a few seconds. She wrapped her arms around the sister and picked her up. After setting her down, she testified that she felt absolutely fine.
Heart condition clearly not healed before the crowd
During this time another woman with a far more serious heart condition had climbed up to the stage, and feeling very weak had to sit down on one of the chairs propped against the back wall. She waited while we were ministering to the first woman. Then she got up from the chair and was led to us. She was coughing and could barely speak because one of her heart valves remained abnormally open and could not close properly. She was extremely weak and in very obvious physical distress.
We had the same five sisters lay hands on her heart. After three times of ministry, she was able to walk back and forth across the stage and testified that she felt better and in less distress. But it was quite obvious that she was still weak and unable to speak with normal volume. We asked her to return the following evening for more ministry.
We could barely recognize her the following evening
The following evening she was there, and along with many others came forward to be ministered to during the session. It was Senior Pastor Domingos who laid hands on her. At that time many other people with infirmities came forward to be healed as well, filling the stage from left to right as well as much of the area directly in front of the stage. As believers laid hands on them and ministered to them, many of them were healed and came to us to give their testimony. We had been receiving testimony after testimony after testimony when suddenly we saw a familiar-looking woman standing behind us waiting to testify. She was laughing and smiling vibrantly with others around her. We could not quite place her until we realized that it was the same woman from the evening before!
The change in her from the previous evening was so amazing—virtually day and night—that we could barely recognize her as the same woman. The evening before she could barely talk, but now she was full of strength and vitality and smiles as she testified that the Lord had healed her. The crowd recognized her as she stepped forward and broke out in loud praise to the Lord.
Unprecedented miraculous healings at a distance
On the morning of the third day Lucille taught Session 3. Among other things, she taught healing at a distance as Jesus did in Luke 7. The results were unexpected and amazing.
When we teach and demonstrate healing at a distance, we normally see people with heart conditions relieved of their symptoms at the very least. This morning was no exception as 5 or 6 disciples testified that theperson they ministered to over their mobile telephone felt fine with no more symptoms of their heart disease. But this morning the Lord did far beyond that as the disciples ministered to people with various infirmities at a distance from the church.
A man was unable to speak because of a stroke. He was able to speak clearly into the phone afterwards.
A pastor from the Amazon ministered to his 15-year-old son over his mobile phone. As a result of a pinched nerve, the boy’s leg could not develop normally and was shorter than the other leg. And because of severe pain in his hip, he was not able to walk normally and had no feeling in his foot. As his father ministered to him over the telephone, the leg grew out and the pain disappeared. He was able to walk pain-free.
A woman had severe hearing loss such that people had to scream in order for her to hear them. As a believer ministered to her, the Lord restored her hearing. The believer spoke normally into her phone, and the woman could hear her.
Knee pain was also healed at a distance, and other conditions as well.
We estimate that a total of between 20 or 30 people came forward to the front to minister at a distance with their mobile phones. Most of these testified that the Lord had healed the person they ministered to, including the above.
Encouragement & confirmation from the First Baptist leadership
We had lunch with one of the pastors on Sunday following the morning service where Lucille ministered. She had taught Session 4 of The Elijah Challenge, and the Lord was once again pleased to heal several infirm people through the trained disciples. Over lunch he encouraged us greatly with words of appreciation for the teaching we had given.
First Baptist Marilia has looked into the many different approaches to healing available within the body of Christ. But in so many words, we were told that the teaching we gave was the most balanced and scriptural one they had encountered. There were no extrabiblical manifestations like people falling down when being healed and no practices which are typically associated with and accompany healing ministries. And infirm people were actually healed and testified when trained disciples laid hands on them.
First Baptist Marilia is planning to incorporate what was taught into the life of the church and its many cell groups, and to teach other ministries as well using our materials.
Brazilian Catholics come to Christ after witnessing miraculous healings
1,400 people fill the sanctuary on Sunday evening
At this climactic Sunday service we preached from John 14:6, sharing that the way to the Father’s house is not Jesus plus Mary,not Jesus plus the saints, and not Jesus plus the Church (referring to the Roman Catholic Church). The only way to the Father is only through Jesus Christ who died for our sins and rose for our justification.
We would pray and ask the Lord to confirm to the Roman Catholics present that this is the absolute truth by performing miraculous healings according to John 14:12. The trained disciples then came forward, prepared to minister healing in Jesus’ name.
Disciples in prayer preparing to heal the sick
Disciples ministering to the infirm in Jesus’ name
Infirm people were healed miraculously and one after another after another came up to testify of what the Lord had done for them. Following the testimonies we reminded the people that the miraculous healings proved that Jesus is the only way to the Father—categorically not Jesus plus Mary or Jesus plus the saints or Jesus plus something else.
We challenged them to follow Jesus only, and not Mary or the saints. Based on the evidence they had just seen, Roman Catholics came forward to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and only Savior.
Above & Below: Roman Catholics come to Jesus as the only way to the Father after hearing the testimonies of miraculous healing
Final Training Session – Monday Evening
The disciples gathered once again at the final session on Monday evening. We taught them about their eternal reward in the next age—authority to reign with Christ in His kingdom—separate and in addition to our salvation through faith in Christ. We encouraged them to be as obedient, diligent, and fruitful as possible in their labors for the Lord and His kingdom, for their eternal reward would be so determined.
They were greatly built up in their faith and determination, and many came up to us afterwards to express their heartfelt gratitude to the Lord for His word.
What happened after we left Marilia
Received on November 26, 2012
“We have had many testimonies from the people and the reports have continued on into the cell groups. There was one woman in our cell group who had pneumonia and was ministered to on Saturday morning [when you were still here]. Lucille gave orders for the spirit of pneumonia to leave and instantly her lungs were filled with air and her breathing returned to normal.
Another young woman had torn ligaments in her knee due to a serious fall and the doctors had already scheduled a surgery (they had already removed several syringes of blood/liquid from her knee), but on Friday night the order was given to restore the ligaments in her knee and almost immediately the swelling went down. She returned to the doctor for an exam on her knee and the doctors were amazed…no torn ligaments.
Another elderly woman was fighting a serious liver problem now for several years. Her brother and sister-in-law ministered to her with authority over the sickness. She went to see the doctor for exams and the doctor couldn’t believe the results and she just kept telling him it was the power of Jesus Christ.”
God has been moving among the people here…and this is just the beginning.”
-Pastor David Heddy
Pastor Heddy told us that of all the approaches they have been exposed to on healing, The Elijah Challenge was the most effective.
