John Wen hosted The Elijah Challenge in Dallas in 2012
February 2013
Colossians 1:24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.
“During our China mission last summer, I prayed over a crippled, wheelchair-bound sister for her healing in southern Tibet. The next morning I had a very high fever at 103 degrees and vomited. At first I just took fever relief pills as usual, and I became worse in a few hours, vomiting again. It was now Sunday afternoon, and I talked to my host to find a doctor first thing in the morning.
Amidst the awful discomfort at around 3 PM, I suddenly realized—it actually came from the Holy Spirit—it was an evil spirit attacking me. I believe it came because of the crippled sister I ministered to a day earlier. Then I went to my room and closed the door and started rebuking it in Jesus’ name with His authority. Afterwards I took another pain relief pill and went to bed. At 7 PM I woke up sweating profusely and without any fever.
In less than twelve hours my high temperature was gone. That has never happened to me so quickly before. I wish I had rebuked the evil ones earlier, then I wouldn’t have suffered the fever so much or at all. Looking back, my co-workers were fine since I had prayed for their protection before we ministered the healing, but I didn’t do it for myself.
Then ministry to a brother
The next morning I prayed over a local brother who had diarrhea for more than 6 months, becoming very thin and weak. Led by the Spirit, I asked him if I could minister to him. He agreed. I then called another sister over to minister to him with me. I laid my hand on his belly. Firmly and calmly with Jesus’ authority I started rebuking this diarrhea and commanding it to leave him. After a few seconds, I asked him how he felt. He replied that he felt some heat coming out. Then with the sister I rebuked the diarrhea one more time. Then he said he felt more heat coming out. Now well, he hurried out to catch a shuttle.
Soon after he left I myself felt diarrhea, and went to the bathroom right away. I realized then that this diarrhea was an attack from the evil one inasmuch as I was still weak recovering from the high fever a night before. I went to my room, closed the door and rebuked the diarrhea, commanding it to leave in Jesus’ name. After a few firm but calm commands, it left quickly. I was fine without having taken any medicine. That was the first time I recovered from diarrhea without taking any medication.
Again once more
Something similar happened to me again on Wednesday night (February 6, 2013) at home and the following day on Thursday morning at work. From the cold weather and the rampant flu virus, I suffered from a very, very stuffy nose that past week to the point where I had to take pills which I had never taken before. It helped some but the stuffiness still kept me awake in the night, making me blow my nose constantly and breathing through my mouth. It was just awful!
So I took the pill which usually takes 1 to 2 hours to become activated. Since I couldn’t sleep, I decided to do what Jesus taught His disciples to do—I opened my eyes and looked at my nose and rebuked the evil one, commanding the infirmity to leave in Jesus’ name and with His authority. It worked right away. I went to bed to have the best sleep in a week.
The next morning when I arrived in the office, my noise was stuffy again after walking through the morning coldness. As I talked with co-workers in Taiwan over the telephone, Mrs. Lin (the pastor’s wife) prayed for me. After the phone call I decided to rebuke the problem again in Jesus’ name with His authority.
Amazingly, it worked instantly. Right then my wife called me to see how I was doing since she was concerned over the miserable night I had had. She was totally amazed when I told her what had just happened to me—twice in the last nine hours I had been miraculously healed!
Jesus healed infirmities by rebuking them and issuing commands. We disciples can do the same in His name and with His authority. Thanks to the Lord!
Suffering unnecessarly?
Recently I learned of a pastor in China who became severely crippled after ministering healing to a sister in his church. He was compelled (by a demon) to drink a carton of beer a day without taking food. His family was ruined. On account of the healing of the sister he suffered willingly. To justify his suffering he quoted Colossians 1:24.
Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.
Now Jesus came to this world to suffer and die for us so that we might have salvation. Our salvation came from Jesus’ suffering and should be inseparable from our suffering for Him as well. In truth, we as His disciples should of course suffer for Him according to Philippians 1:29.
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him…
Paul even wanted to suffer more for believers who lacked in regard to Christ’s afflictions according to Colossians 1:24. But what Paul suffered in prison was for Colossian believers to stand firm in faith, hope and love (1:4-5), to stay away from the corrupted thinking of the world (2:8), to focus on things above, not the earthly things below (3:1), and to be holy in harmony and not to fall into division. Neither disease nor Satan is mentioned or intended for the purpose of suffering for Christ.
It’s a pastor’s love for Jesus and His sheep which empowers him to minister healing to them even at the cost of a crippling condition. But he should not accept suffering from the devil’s hand as did the sister in his church before she was set free. The devil will use any opportunity to deceive God’s people and then cause them to suffer. The pastor should instead rebuke the demons with Jesus’ authority and drive them far, far away—not anywhere close to himself to his church.”