Our first weekend was spent teaching The Elijah Challenge and preaching at an English-language Assemblies of God church pastored by the former Ambassador of Indonesia to Singapore who had also been the second highest military officer in Indonesia. The Lord’s grace was evident, enabling us to teach and preach effectively. At the end of the first Training session on Saturday a 72-year-old man with a severe heart condition hobbled forward weakly to be healed in Jesus’ name. He suffered from blockage in his arteries. He clearly could not run or lift heavy objects. Two men came forward to lay hands on him and exercise their authority to heal the sick from Christ.
After the two brothers ministered to him I told him to walk back and forth at the front of the sanctuary. He did so, walking at a normal pace. I told him to walk faster and faster which he did. I asked him how he felt, and he said he felt fine. Then I told him to run to the back of the sanctuary and then back to the front. He took off running slowly. When he returned to me, he told me that he felt fine and normal. I asked his wife to come join us at the front. I then told him to pick her up off the floor, which he did. He looked and felt fine, very different from before the brothers laid hands on him. (The next day he continued to feel fine to the delight of his wife.) Later in the day others were healed of various pains and infirmities, some of them long-term.
Guard at US Embassy completely transformed following deliverance
At their Sunday service the following morning the Lord’s grace was again evident when the gospel was confirmed by many miraculous healings done through the trained disciples. After the service a young sister named Ira came to us bringing her husband Paul who worked as a guard at the US Embassy in Jakarta. While Paul was studying in America some years back, he met Ira who was a Muslim and they married in a local mosque there. After they returned to Indonesia Ira came into a vibrant relationship with the Lord Jesus, but Paul fell into bad company and became addicted to marijuana and cigarettes. Their marriage suffered. Every day Paul would experience episodes of paralyzing anxiety and chest pain.
At that Sunday Service, Paul requested through Ira that we minister to him. He wanted to repent and to come back to the Lord. We laid hands on him and rebuked the demons of addiction and commanded him to be healed in Jesus’ name. We commanded him to be set free from the daily anxiety attacks and chest pain. As we ministered to him Paul felt the magnificent power of the Lord Jesus Christ setting him free and healing him.
Eleven days later we heard from Ira, his lovely wife who had brought him to us. Below is what she wrote.
“Pastor, This is Ira, Paul’s wife. Paul is doing so fine. This has been the best ten days of our lives as spouses, of peace, joy, and love and love only. It is all because of the Lord our God, Christ Jesus and His Love to us, to our marriage, and to our family. But most of all, for Jesus’ love to Paul.
Paul now is back to his real being. The man that I used to fall in love with. The man full with zealous love towards Jesus; the man that I knew then when I first met him; that he was born to be a servant of God and will be used to win souls and to glorify His Name. Paul is really changed. He never for once touched marijuana again; not a single day has passed (after that very day – when he was healed at the altar by your prayer) during which he was contaminated by that substance anymore, not even regular cigarettes such as Marlboro. Praise the Lord.
He is patient. He is humble. He is willing to admit and to be taught. He is my real deal Paul. No longer in anxiety mode; all the chest pain has stopped. He is gentle. He is loving. He is Paul. Apology to always repeating the same words over and over, because His Love left us amazed, Pastor. Paul erased all the names in his cell phone [of his former friends]; who potentially can lead him back to the temptation. He chooses his friends, the right crowd. He spends time with God, by playing church music and also contented with our children by be with them in most quality moment.
I could not be more thankful to the Lord. All I wanted was my Paul to return home—the so-called prodigal son. He is indeed now, home.
Training Assemblies of God pastors
Three days later we were driven to Puncak, a mountainous resort area a couple of hours from Jakarta, where servants of God from three regional Assemblies of God districts gathered for a big annual event. There are about 2,300 AOG churches in Indonesia. The Lord’s grace was evident at our 1.5-hour Training session with Assemblies of God pastors from throughout the capital city of Jakarta. During the demonstration of healing, a pastor with a heart condition came forward. After being ministered to he was able to run and pick up a fellow pastor. Following that, three other servants of God came forward with pain, one of them quite severe. After three rounds of the laying on of hands by fellow ministers, they reported that they were healed.
The charismatic pastors were greatly encouraged and excited to see a fulfillment of John 14:12—a promise which they believe but have rarely seen come to pass. Several days later on a Monday we met with 130 Assemblies of God pastors in Jakarta to continue the Training. There was also an American missionary named John Liles, a radically committed disciple of Jesus Christ, who flew in from the province of Makassar to attend. The Lord was gracious to confirm His word through various healings during the day. Everyone who came forward to the stage for healing reported being healed or their symptoms leaving.
One zealous Jakarta businessman named Abraham Lembang who attended this AOG event is starting Elijah Challenge Jakarta. His wife Helen, suffering from a pinched nerve, had walked up gingerly to the stage with pain from her back down to her leg. After two sisters laid hands on her, she took off across the stage and came back with a smile on her face.
I shared with the servants of God how after the Elijah Challenge Training in 2003 in Indonesia, two brothers penetrated The largest unreached people group in the world consisting of gospel-resistant followers of the prophet. The pastors are now encouraged to evangelize this people group in the same way.
Invitation by the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship
In Indonesia there are approximate 700 chapters of the Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International. The first and foremost of these is the chapter in Tomang Chapter in Jakarta. The Tomang Chapter is flying us back to Indonesia in June 2012 to teach The Elijah Challenge at their three-day Prayer and Fasting event.