Yola, Nigeria - Day 4

The deputy governor told us on the FIRST NIGHT that he had NEVER seen a crowd of people like this. That was when there was only 200,000. Tonight the teeming crowd topped 525,000! The dynamics here are amazing. The crusade has created a vacuum that seems to be drawing the entire region.

As usual, tonight I lead a healing service before the main service. I taught on healing for a while and then prayed for the sick. Before the main service had even officially started there was a line of people ready to testify of what Jesus had done. I could only take about 6 testimonies, but they were so powerful. One thirty-two year old woman came up to testify with her mother who told me that her daughter had been mute since birth...she had never spoken in thirty-two years! The mother said, "Tonight she called me 'ma ma'." I said to the mother, "Tell your daughter to say 'ma ma' for us now." Instead, the daughter began praising the Lord in PERFECT speech...as though she had spoken all her life. By the time the praise and worship started, the cripples were dancing and the mute were singing...Hallelujah!!

The people brought their witchcraft fetishes and we burned them in big barrels as the people rejoiced. But the devil was not rejoicing. One furious man ran out of the crowd and toppled one burning barrel over, and then ran quickly to the other side of the platform and pushed over the other one. He then attempted to assault a member of our tech team, but the police grabbed him before he could do any real harm. Evangelist Bonnke said to me, "He may still get saved...through the Gospel, enemies of God become friends of God." How true. In the crazed eyes of that man, it is easy to see an enemy of God, but Paul says in Romans 5:10, that WE were once enemies of God, but we were reconciled unto Him by the death of His Son. Actually, Jesus didn't come for the preachers in suits on the platform, he came for the sinners attacking Him with hate-filled eyes; but while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. What mercy! What love. It is beyond explanation. It is why we love Him so much.

Tonight was "Holy Spirit Night." After Evangelist Bonnke preached the Gospel and the prayer of salvation was given, he taught on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and prayed for the newly saved crowd. Their day of Pentecost had fully come and the crowd roared with new tongues just as the 30,000 or so Fire Conference delegates had done earlier this morning. These are the days of Joel 2:28: "...My Spirit upon all flesh."

Many more wonderful healings took place at the end of the service...too many to name. Tomorrow is the last day of the crusade here in Yola. I am sure that these 5 days of meetings have changed this region for all of time and eternity. It is amazing to think that we, who are so mortal and temporary, have the ability to participate in something so significant and eternal. Jesus invites us, who were once enemies of the cross, to partner with the Godhead in the strategy of the ages. He takes our mortal hands and filthy lucre and builds His eternal Kingdom that will last forever in righteousness. What a privileged people we are. "Love so amazing so divine demands my soul, my life, my all."

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