The primary mission of The Elijah Challenge is to help train and equip the Church to fulfill the Great Commission before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

This involves equipping servants of God and disciples to evangelize and proclaim the kingdom of God more effectively and fruitfully. What is involved in “effective evangelism” to the non-Christian gospel-resistant people groups which form the majority of the world’s seven billion inhabitants?

The eternal destination of these billions of Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and idol-worshippers for whom Christianity is an entirely foreign, “white man’s religion” hangs in the balance. If we can show them miraculous evidence that our God is the only true God and that Jesus is the only way to Him—miracles that their “gods” are powerless to do—multitudes will believe on Jesus Christ for eternal life. Apart such miraculous signs, very few of these billions of gospel-resistant peoples will dare to pay the steep price and abandon their long-held ancestral traditions to believe in Jesus Christ.

John 4:48 “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”

Therefore effective evangelism, particularly in the unreached countries in the Third World, requires servants of God and disciples to be trained to heal the sick as Christ did 2,000 years ago and as He commanded His disciples to do. When we can do this effectively, then the Church will have taken a giant step in discipling all nations. When every pastor can heal the sick as Jesus did to prove that He was the Son of God, we will see a great harvest of souls around the world. When every pastor is teaching his congregation to heal the sick for the sake of the gospel as Jesus did, the Great Commission will be fulfilled quickly and then the end will come.

As just one example of what the Lord has called us to do, Subodh Kumar Jena in India trained with us when twice he hosted us in his native Orissa in past years. Now he is effectively training his fellow servants of God in Orissa just as he was trained by us. And this teaching can continue on with each succeeding generation of leaders and disciples until the Great Commission is fulfilled and Christ returns. Below is one of his many reports.

May the Lord provide the finances for the most important task of training and equipping His servants and disciples around the world—especially in poorer countries where the need is so very great.

70-plus newly-trained Indian pastors & leaders resolve to hold
evangelistic healing services in Hindu villages

Brother Subodh hosted us on two occasions in his home state of Orissa, India. Now he himself is teaching The Elijah Challenge very fruitfully to other servants of God.

October 20, 2013 Report from Subodh

“Last night we returned home from Daringbadi Baptist Church after a very fruitful Elijah Challenge Training Event. There were around seventy to eighty servants of God from 40 different organisations. The response from the servants of God was very good. They testified that the teaching was fully new to them.

Daringbadi is known as the Kashmir of Orissa; it is a beautiful little town, a beautiful creation of God. Everywhere it is very pleasant and the atmosphere is very nice. But the power of darkness covers the region. The people are very much addicted to celebrating every pagan ritual and festival. Thank God for opening the door for us to teach around 70 to 80 servants of God from various organisations.

Servants of God laying hands on gentleman suffering from infirmity

Servants of God giving praise to God after the man is healed

I taught The Elijah Challenge, and in accordance with the teaching I called any servant of God having some physical problem to come up. An evangelist who was having chest pain came forward, and I ministered to him. That very moment the pain left and he was healed. It was a demonstration to all the pastors and evangelists how we disciples of Jesus Christ can minister to the sick.

After the session I called a few pastors forward and asked them to minister to the sick. There were a few local believers present. Sick people were healed instantly as they ministered to them:

-An evangelist named Kamal Pradhan was healed from chest pain from which he suffered when he fell from his bike.

Kamal testifying he is healed

-An elder of a Baptist Church named Mahendra Pradhan was healed from arthritis which resulted in him not being able to walk properly.

Mahendra testifying

-A pastor named Ranjan Nayak was healed from back pain.

Rajan testifies

-A pastor named Chandra Sekhar was healed from severe pain in his hand.

Chandra is healed

-An aunty named Nalini was healed from an infection in her throat.”

Nalini gives glory to the Lord

Later in the week Subodh received phone calls from the pastors and leaders:

-Pastor Tapan Digal in Daringbadi ministered to two sick people on Sunday and they were healed.

-Pastor Samson informed me that he had ministered to five people and they were all healed.

-Pastor Samuel informed that he ministered to a demonized elderly woman and instantly the demon left.

-Pastor Mohanlal told me that he asked people in his church who were not feeling well or sick to please stand up. Six people responded. He first prayed like the Apostle Paul in Acts 28:8, and then just commanded them to be healed in Jesus’ name. I marveled when one by one they came to me and testified that they were healed.

-Jonathan Nayak informed that a little girl had a high fever. He issued a command, and at that very moment the fever left her.

Praise God for these very powerful testimonies from the servants of God. I hope to receive more powerful miraculous healing testimonies in the days ahead.”

More testimonies from pastors

“This morning a phone call came from a pastor named Chitrasen. With much gladness he informed that there was a boy suffering from difficulty breathing and who was healed when he ministered to the boy. And there was also a man suffering from a high fever. The pastor laid his hand on the man, and within a moment his temperature went down. In his village moreover a woman had a demon spirit. He commanded the demon to leave her and at that moment it left her.

This morning at 9 am Pastor Tapan Digal, Co-ordinator of NAMM, called me. He told me that after I left all the pastors and leaders decided that in all their churches they are going to have healing services as they were taught—and will do the same in the surrounding Hindu villages. Praise the Lord for this wonderful teaching.”

“What I did not see in my 21 years of ministry now I am seeing”

More praise reports from Daringbadi – December 1, 2013:

Pastor Chitrasen informed us that the Lord is using him very powerfully after attending our Elijah Challenge training. He went to his nearby field and visited house to house and saw some infirm people and ministered them one by one: fever gone, throat healed, blood pressure became normal, asthma healed. At that very moment the Lord healed them all. He told me he was amazed that what he did not see in his 21 years of ministry now he is seeing and experiencing. (Thank you so much.)

Pastor Samson is working with the Church of Christ. He wants to have The Elijah Challenge again in Daringbadi for all the pastors’ and leaders’ wives. (To be held probably middle of February or first week of March.) He also suggested it would be arranged in every block, Panchyat and villages so that pastors and leaders will be well equipped. And they will heal the sick in the Hindu villagers.

Pastor Sudam shared with me that earlier in his ministry the believers used to go to the hospital for even small matter. But as they came to know that Lord is doing great things the believers are not going to hospital but rather calling him to minister to them. He was sharing wonderful testimonies.

There was a three-year-old boy who had some demonic oppression, and used to cry at night. Pastor Sudam went and ministered him. The next morning the report came from his father that he slept all night without crying. A brother had a urine infection and was heale. A grandmother was healed from migraine headache.

Pastor Tapan informed me that today in the evening they had a market day. Pastors, evangelists and leaders gathered and discussed about what was happening in their ministries. He said that to his surprise almost all the servants of God told him that they were ministering to the sick and so many healings were taking place in their ministries. What a joy to hear such a marvellous report from the field.