Having served in Indonesia for nine years from 1978 to 1987, we have understanding of missions in Third World countries where Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, idolatry, and witchcraft reign. People living in such countries overwhelmed by spiritual darkness are typically very resistant to the gospel. The only way to reach such peoples effectively and fruitfully is to follow the example of Jesus’ ministry in the gospels and the ministry of the disciples in Acts. It is absolutely clear that in both the gospels and Acts, the ministry of healing the sick and casting out demons was essential for the gospel to be preached fruitfully.
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However, evangelical missionaries today are NOT taught how to heal the sick and cast out demons as Jesus did and as He taught and commanded His disciples. Lacking such miracles, present-day missionaries are left with humanitarian good works and apologetics to convince Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, idol-worshippers, and people who believe in witchcraft to accept Jesus Christ. For such people, “Christianity” is a totally foreign religion from the West. They are very resistant to it. Such peoples, unlike Westerners, believe in and live in the realm of the supernatural and the demonic. Therefore only the dimension of the miraculous which they have never before witnessed from their gods and religion can open their eyes to the life-giving truth of the gospel. But since that dimension is typically non-existent in Third World missions today, missions in Third World countries mostly struggle—and do not reflect what we see in Acts.
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Why are evangelical missionaries today NOT taught how to heal the sick and cast out demons as Jesus commanded his disciples in Luke 9 and 10 below?
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Luke 9:1 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. 2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. …. 6 So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
Luke 10:9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, “the kingdom of God has come near to you.”
The reason why present-day missionaries are reluctant to be taught to obey Jesus’ commands above is due to the unbiblical practices and teachings with regard to miracles seen in not a few ministries today.
Matthew 24:11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
Matthew 24:24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.
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Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. …21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
The words of Jesus above from Matthew 24 have been fulfilled today in the Church with ravenous false christs (false “anointed ones” since “christ” literally means “anointed”) and rapacious false prophets showing great signs and wonders to deceive the elect. Therefore it is totally understandable why evangelical missionaries shy away from the dimension of the miraculous. (This of course is also in alignment with the influence of the teaching of cessationism in the evangelical Church.)
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However, where a counterfeit exists, there is most certainly THE GENUINE which the counterfeit is used to imitate and thus to deceive. Therefore, we should not “throw out the baby with the bathwater”.
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It is possible to study the Scriptures very closely in order to obey Jesus’ command in Luke 9 and 10 biblically for the exclusive purpose of reaching the lost. By doing so we can avoid the unbiblical practices of the false prophets in the Church today who deceive even some of the elect. The miracles as done and recorded in the gospels and Acts can be restored for reaching gospel-resistant peoples in Third World missions—not for deceiving the saved elect in the Church.
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This is a possible part fulfillment of the prophecy in Daniel 12:4.
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Daniel 12:4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
During this “time of the end”, the prophecy that “knowledge shall increase” is in part being fulfilled as the Lord reveals to the Church from the Scriptures the knowledge and understanding of healing the sick and casting out demons as Jesus did and as He commanded His disciples in the gospels—and as we are to do today “until the time of the end” in order to make disciples of all tribes, peoples, languages, and nations before the end comes (Matthew 24:14).
That is the calling of The Elijah Challenge during these very Last Days. Freely we have received from the Lord, and so freely we teach and train the Lord’s harvest workers. This will help to accelerate the fulfillment of the Great Commission during these very Last Days.
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Please pray that the Lord will open the door wide for us to train missionaries sent to the Third World how to heal the sick and cast out demons as Jesus commanded—as irrefutable evidence that He is the Messiah and the only way to the One True God who created the universe.
Please pray that the Lord will open the door wide for us to train missionaries sent to the Third World how to heal the sick and cast out demons as Jesus commanded—as irrefutable evidence that He is the Messiah and the only way to the One True God who created the universe.
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Luke 10:2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
Luke 10:2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
If you would like to partner with us in sending trained workers to the Lord’s vast harvest fields in the unreached Third World, please email us at [email protected].
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“The Challenge” — a TV SERIES based on our missionary adventures in the jungles of Indonesian Borneo from 1978 to 1987.
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An American Christian Film Producer is now in the process of attracting investors to invest in the production of “The Challenge”. The twelve episodes of this movie-like TV Series will be based on our nine years of missionary adventures as recorded in our missionary autobiography Dancing on the Edge of the Earth. In addition to the considerable obstacles we faced, “The Challenge” will focus on the extraordinary miracles which we witnessed when we proclaimed the life-giving gospel to peoples living in utter darkness in remote regions of West Borneo. Through these miracles the Lord was very gracious to make us very fruitful for the gospel during our nine years serving in the spiritual darkness of Borneo.
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An American Christian Film Producer is now in the process of attracting investors to invest in the production of “The Challenge”. The twelve episodes of this movie-like TV Series will be based on our nine years of missionary adventures as recorded in our missionary autobiography Dancing on the Edge of the Earth. In addition to the considerable obstacles we faced, “The Challenge” will focus on the extraordinary miracles which we witnessed when we proclaimed the life-giving gospel to peoples living in utter darkness in remote regions of West Borneo. Through these miracles the Lord was very gracious to make us very fruitful for the gospel during our nine years serving in the spiritual darkness of Borneo.
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The script of the pilot episode entitled “A Curse of Adultery” has already been written.
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Our prayer and desire for “The Challenge” is that it will inspire, motivate, and encourage servants of God whom the Lord has called to have an active part in fulfilling the Great Commission during these very Last Days. Before the end comes, the 7,000-plus unreached tribes, people groups, and language groups around the world which have never heard the gospel must be reached.
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Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
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We are praying that “The Challenge” will open doors and give us opportunities to train missionaries how to heal the sick miraculously exactly as Jesus did in the gospels as irrefutable evidence to gospel-resistant people groups that Jesus is the Messiah and the only way to the One True God who created the heavens and the earth. We will do this for free, at no cost.
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We are praying that “The Challenge” will open doors and give us opportunities to train missionaries how to heal the sick miraculously exactly as Jesus did in the gospels as irrefutable evidence to gospel-resistant people groups that Jesus is the Messiah and the only way to the One True God who created the heavens and the earth. We will do this for free, at no cost.
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Click here to download the PDF version of Dancing on the Edge of the Earth.
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If you have questions or would like to know more about “The Challenge”, email us at [email protected].
If you have questions or would like to know more about “The Challenge”, email us at [email protected].
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This “Full Gospel” is so vital!!
I therefore, request you “Elijah Challenge”mission team to come to Uganda and create a Base there.
I lead a ministry called Faith Harvest Evangelical Ministry with 25 branch churches in East Africa.
I believe we can partner and extend “The Full Gospel” to all African countries and states in Jesus’name!
I am Pr Lubwama Matthew from Uganda.