The Decision Card Count is in! – Freetown, Sierra Leon

I must say…I feel invigorated. With the Crusade in Bali, Nigeria completed, we came straight to Cape Town South Africa for the South African Fire Conference and Evangelism Summit hosted by Christ for all Nations. We had a powerful weekend of ministry and also managed to squeeze in some much needed recreational time. Cape Town is “The Pearl of Africa” and our lodge sat in the shadow of Table Mountain, South Africa’s signature landmark, giving us a spectacular view of both the mountains and the bay.

On Friday the Fire Conference began. Evangelist Bonnke preached first on the Holy Spirit and then I followed. That evening Evangelist Bonnke preached one of the most phenomenal Gospel messages I have ever heard. The altars were packed and salvation was flowing like a river. He later shared with me one of his secrets to powerful Gospel preaching. He said that once he has thrown the net out (the net being the core of his message) then he concentrates on closing holes in the net. The holes are any objections to what he has preached. He is concentrating on taking away any excuses that someone might have for getting saved. With each hole that is closed, more fish are caught. I can say that it definitely works.

What is it about Jesus that provokes such incredible passion in our hearts? Why do we long for Him so much? Why do we hang spellbound on His every word and love even the mention of his precious name? How can it be that this whirlwind romance never ends. It defies the most articulate words to describe and the most logical explanation to justify. Though we have not seen Him, we love Him, and though we do not see Him now, we believe in Him, and greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. We desire Him not so much as one desires a delicious meal, but more like a heroine addict desires a fix…we are undignified, unrestrained and undone by our need for him. We pursue Him relentlessly. We follow Him blindly. We obey Him recklessly. We love Him hopelessly. We need him endlessly. We would pour over Him the most costly bottle of perfume. We would wash His feet with our tears and dry them with our hair. We would waste our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor for his pleasure without a fleeting thought of their preservation. We would suffer the loss of all things, and count them but dung to win Him. It is so unnatural, yet we cannot imagine feeling any other way. It is so unbelievable, yet we don’t understand how anyone could doubt. It is so intangible, yet we feel it with every fiber of our beings. Though Kingdoms have fallen and entire empires have turned to dust somehow He still rules our hearts…the unchallenged King of love. How anyone could resist Him is a mystery and a tragedy, but in the end all will declare with Rome’s dying emperor, “Thou Hast Conquered, O Galilean!”

Today the Fire fell. The revival did not tarry! It is right here in Bali/Nigeria! Preachers often make up sermons hunting for new reasons to explain “why revival tarries”. Rules and strictures are put in place to get power and revival – rules which we sadly never fulfill. The first disciples had no such rules. All Jesus said was “Wait till the Holy Spirit comes, and don’t do any preaching till he comes” (see Acts 1:4). Our concern is not a “nice atmosphere” or “sweet influence”, but God’s fire. Pentecost is the intended norm in Christianity – people glowing like live coals and churches like bonfires. Bible religion is always red-blooded, out of the sanctuary and in the market place. The picture is of a bustling, out-reaching, blazing witness. And this happened today at the Fire Conference in the morning with 30,000 church-workers present – glory to God.

The meetings today and tomorrow will be broadcast live via the CfaN website (www.CfaN.org). For those that live in the eastern time zone, the broadcast will begin at 1:00 pm. Other times zones are listed below and also on the CfaN website.

Every night is an adventure here in Bali. Our drive to the crusade site is like stepping into ancient times. We turn off the paved road and drive on the dirt through a small village where mud huts are capped by thatched roofs. Scrawny chickens scamper away from our SUV as we come close and mostly naked people peer out of their doorways to see what the commotion is all about. It’s hard not to wonder what kind of an event could possibly be held in such an obscure place…and then the view widens. The ground has obviously been cleared by earth moving vehicles, and in the distance you can see it: thousands upon thousands of people have gathered in the middle of this vast wilderness. The dust, stirred by the sandal clad feet of a great multitude, rises like a thick cloud above the crowd, and through the fog the familiar CfaN crusade lights shine like a beacon in the night to which the people swarm like insects…it is sureal.

My heart is moved when I see these people, many of whom have traveled great distances to be here. One lady testified tonight that she had suffered with a constant issue of blood for the past 15 years. This would be a torment for anyone, but how much worse for someone who lives in the primitive and unsanitary conditions of the third-world, where even running water is a luxury that none can afford. She had been to doctors and hospitals, but no one could help her. Then she heard that a Bonnke crusade had come to Bali. She said that her husband refused to go and even refused to give her any money to make the long journey. Determined to receive her healing, she persisted like the woman in the Bible who also had an issue of blood. She sold her skirt to pay for the transportation and traveled all the way alone. On the first night of the Crusade (Wednesday) at midnight the menstruation stopped flowing. From that moment on, she was healed and came tonight (two days later) to testify of her healing.

Tonight I preached about the blood of Jesus and then broke the curses over the land. We asked for a list of the curses that the people knew by name such as DANBEKI which they believe brings blindness upon a person if they fail to offer a human sacrifice or like JUNBI which causes mysterious diseases, madness and epilepsy. We collected a list of 17 such curses. These are names that hold these local tribal people in great fear. Some of them are so intimidated they will not even mention these names aloud. Tonight, with boldness, I called out each curse by name and broke its power in the mighty name of Jesus, to which the people erupted in joyful shouts after each one. The sense of freedom was palpable and the people were rejoicing. Surely the blood of Jesus breaks every fetter.

The healings were incredible again and too many to mention. One lady even testified that she received a second healing…one last night and another tonight. I asked her what she will be healed from tomorrow night. She said, “It’s someone else’s turn for a miracle.” It seems that Jesus has plenty of power to spare.

Tonight was the first night of the Gospel crusade here in Bali, and Jesus showed up in a wonderful way. The miracles were amazing. One lady was healed over about a quarter mile away from the crusade field…in her home. She was dying from cancer, she had a paralyzed arm, and she was bedridden in her house. But from her bed she could hear me preaching the Gospel. Then I began to pray for the sick, and I said, “If you are lying on a bed right now get up in Jesus name!” She said that she received it by faith and tried to stand to her feet. At that moment, she said she felt as though hands lifted her to her feet, and suddenly she was healed. Her cancer was gone and her paralyzed arm healed. She didn’t even bother to get dressed. She threw a blanket around her waist and came the crusade ground right away. This woman who was bedridden, walked all the way to the crusade ground and right up to the platform to give her testimony. We saw such a variety of miracles tonight. The cripples walked, the blind received sight, and the deaf heard. Praise the Lord!

I have been on the road for more then 60 hours so far…and still traveling. We are now in the middle of a long road trip to Bali where the crusade will start tomorrow.

We stopped to spent the night in Jalingo (the capital of Teraba state), and were invited to stay at the governor’s lodge. We had a hearty reception by the city elders even though we are still several hours from the crusade city.

At about 9pm I heard a knock at my door. Though I was very tired from the long trip, I crawled out of bed to see who it might be. The governor of Teraba state, Danbaba D. Suntai had showed up at my room to welcome me. He is a true Christian and a humble man. He told me that he holds prayer meetings at the government house three times per day and asked me to come in the morning and speak. I showed up at 8am this morning to find a packed house. Hungry for the Word of God…the governor was sitting on the front row.