Reports from Subodh Jena Kumar
August 2014
One of the oldest churches in Berhampur, Orissa (India) was started 1834 by British missionaries. For the first time I had an opportunity to fellowship with very traditional believers. They sang only one or two songs in their Sunday service and with quite a somber tone.
The Lord was so gracious to open the door for us to teach The Elijah Challenge among the youth and the elderly. There were above 115 delegates participating in our training event.
The teaching about power and authority [over disease and demons in the context of preaching the gospel was fully new to them. As far as they were taught, only “anointed” healing ministers could minister healing to the sick and cast out demons. But according to the Bible we taught them how to heal the sick and cast out demons.
After the training there were testimonies of miraculous healing:
— Many people were healed as we all ministered to the sick. One of the church members was suffering from diabetes, and he was healed. A woman was healed from shoulder pain.
— A man was healed from a skin disease from which he had been suffering for six months.
— A woman was healed from migraine headache.
— A man had a problem breathing and he was healed.
—- A woman was healed from a problem with her thyroid.
—- A sister had a gynecological problem for which her doctor had advised an operation. But praise the Lord she was healed right there and so did not need an operation.
Many church leaders and senior members, however, could not attend as there was another seminar in progress nearby. As they heard the news about our training, they asked me to preach at their Sunday service. There were 1,200 people present at the service, and both inside and outside the church the people were packed.
It was a privilege for me to preach from John 14:12, and it encouraged them greatly.
“…Those who believe in me will do the works that I do…”
There are 100,000 Hindus in that city and the surrounding area. I encouraged all of them to go out and reach the unreached with the power and authority over disease and demons as given to us by the Lord Jesus.
After the service several leaders approached me and told me that they had never heard this teaching before. They want to have this Elijah Challenge Training in different places.
If I had been able to teach these educated people using a Powerpoint Presentation, then I could have taught in a more clear and systematic way.
