I am in Frankfurt Germany now preparing to board a plane for Nigeria. The Crusade in Okitipupa will start on Tuesday. You may have heard on the news about the violence that has broken out in Jos, Nigeria several days ago. CLICK HERE to read the article. Please keep our team in your prayers and check back for regular updates.
This morning I will be flying to Germany for a couple of days and then on to Nigeria for another Great Gospel Crusade. I was blessed to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family on Monday, and now I am looking forward to the next glorious harvest. In a few days hundreds of thousands of new names will be written in the Lamb's Book of Life...that is something to rejoice about!
I noticed this year that many businesses were advertising today as "Turkey Day." The fist time I noticed this, it was on the sign for a business that said "Happy Turkey Day." I must admit I was a bit incensed. "How dare they try to remove the giving of thankfulness to God and replace it with a tribute to turkey!" Then in the midst of my righteous steaming it suddenly struck me...how often have I been more interested in the food and the friends and the football and forgotten to remember the faithfulness of God and give thanks to Him myself.
Ephesians 5:19, 20 says, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Today as every day, let us make it a point to remember the Lord and cultivate a heart of thanksgiving "For His mercy endures forever!"
My love to each of you and your families today. I am thankful for all of you! Please remember me in your prayers as I go into the harvest fields once again.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY!
I want to let everyone know that on December 13, 2008 Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke will be in Tampa, Florida for an Impartation Breakfast. This is a unique opportunity to hear Evangelist Bonnke in an intimate setting and be prayed for by him personally. There will also be an opportunity to meet him and get a book signed, picture taken, etc. DON'T MISS IT!! Breakfast is included in the registration fee. To register NOW CLICK HERE
I have just returned home...very happy to see my family and rejoicing over the glorious harvest that took place in Ikot Ekpene over the last week. In spite of the rainforest-like weather conditions encountered in this Delta region of Nigeria, the crowd topped 400,000 in a single service! Below is a video shot by one of the tech team guys with his little personal camera. It will give you a glimpse into what it was like setting up the equipment on the muddy field. They literally pitched the platform where the trucks got stuck.
On the fourth night I preached about restitution. I told the people to return things that they had stolen and if they didn't know from whom they had stolen it, they could bring it to our team anonymously and we would give it to the police. The next night, the pile of stolen belongings was a big as the SUV they were stacked next to...a testament to the life changing dynamic that is inherent to the Gospel message. It is not simply a philosophy or even a doctrine and we dare not reduce it to mere cognitive ascent to the statutory definition of salvation. It is not embodied in a collection of words or ideas...but in a demonstration of real-life power. It is Zaccheaus returning 4 times as much to everyone whom he had cheated. It is the adulterous woman being rescued from execution. It is the demoniac of Gadara clothed and in his right mind. it is the cripples walking and the deaf hearing and the blind seeing and the dead living. Jesus said that his mission was to destroy the works of the Devil - that's the Gospel!
The final service was cut short by the rain, but not before I had managed to finish the message and altar call. Once again, an entire region has been impacted - one known for kidnappings, bloodshed and all sorts of crime. Tonight, I believe Ikot Ekpene and the surrounding region is a different place from the one we drove into one week ago today. Praise the Lord!
(P.S. even as I write this, one of todays headlines says that some of the hostages that were being held in this Delta region have just been returned.)
The video below is rough pan of the crowd on the final night of meetings with 400,000+ in attendance.
(By Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke)
Dear Mission - Partners,
We have just returned to the hotel from the last meeting of this glorious Gospel Crusade in Ikot Ekpene/Nigeria. Tonight 400,000 people attended the service. Although it rained in the meeting, Evangelist Kolenda again preached the Word of God with powerful results. 
The older I get the greater the wonder and blessings of our salvation become to me. When Jesus told Mary and Joseph, “I must be about my Father’s business” (Lk 2:49 NKJV), he was talking about the business of salvation. It was the Father’s business for the Son to be born and for salvation to be his immediate and direct business. He came to earth to be our Savior. He was the Word that spoke at Creation, but for salvation the Word came personally to us. His coming was life-long, a sustained sacrifice climaxing in the most horrible death. That was love in its most ultimate form. This Jesus is among us by the Holy Spirit.
Also: tonight great multitudes were baptized into the Holy Spirit and with fire – and many miracles of healing followed. It is salvation for the whole man, spirit, soul and body, spiritually, physically and mentally. Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and contribution which made this crusade possible. And may I be so bold to remind you that we still need the finances for the next crusade which is to start in about 2 weeks time? Thank you for your commitment and love for the harvest of eternal souls.
Yours forever in Jesus Christ,
Evangelists Reinhard Bonnke and Daniel Kolenda,
together with the whole CfaN Team.
Pictures by Oleksandr Volyk
(By Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke)
Dear Mission - Partners,
Today the crowd reached the mark of 300,000 people – so many! I wished you could have been here in person. It’s not really the number that thrills us so much, but what God is doing on such a great scale! It is mind-boggling. Again the Gospel was declared with authority. Tonight’s theme was RESTITUTION, a powerful and necessary truth. The Holy Spirit moved in and touched every heart. 
You know, the message is not measured by the messenger. Its wisdom is not the wisdom of the person who brings it; it is the wisdom of God. We may go about the task in fear and trembling like Paul in Corinth, but the Word is a hammer that shatters the rock. Jesus quoted Psalm 8:2: “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.” Whoever hears the Word of God and speaks it is a bastion of the truth. Moses was not convinced that the Israelites would listen to his word, let alone do what he said, but in the end even the mighty Red Sea reacted to his voice and the waters fled when he spoke with God’s authority. The Gospel has the same word-quality, glory to God.
The final meeting of the Fire Conference was also a great breakthrough. The Holy Spirit fell with power. Thank you for all your prayers and all help. THIS HARVEST MUST AND WILL CONTINUE – in the name of Jesus.
Yours as God’s reapers,
Evangelists Reinhard Bonnke and Daniel Kolenda,
together with the whole CfaN Team.
Pictures by Oleksandr Volyk.
We have just returned from another wonderful crusade tonight. The response of the people was overwhelming and full of faith. What a privilege it is to preach the Gospel to such hungry people. Below is Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke's report from tonight:
(By Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke)
Dear Mission - Partners,
Although it was a very rainy day today (I’ve never seen such horrendous downpours), in the evening the crowd jumped to 250,000. The Word of God was powerfully and clearly proclaimed – with innumerable salvations. What an honor to preach to such a vast and open-hearted congregation. Next Jesus stepped in as the Healer of the sick, releasing each time mighty salvoes of joy from the crowd. The blind saw and the cripples walked just as in the days of the New Testament.
Yes, the impossible happens when God is around. It is His hallmark. Creation itself began when He passed by. Job speaks of the universe as ‘but the outer fringe of His works’, or ‘the skirts of His ways’ like a track left by walking on the wet grass. So it was with Jesus. You could tell when He had passed through a Jewish village. There were no sick people left! Where He is there’s no problem about walking the waves, raising the dead, or feeding five thousand with a boy’s packed lunch. It just happens. The elements bend to His will. ‘He makes ALL THINGS work together for good to them that love the Lord.’ One thing is undeniable: Tonight Jesus was in the crowd, hallelujah!
Tomorrow the Fire Conference comes to a climax. The Holy Spirit will fall! We are rejoicing! Please pray for dry weather – and also for the finance still urgently needed for the next Gospel Crusade, which is to start the first week of next month. Our eyes are on Jesus, the Lord of the Harvest.
Yours as God’s reapers,
Evangelists Reinhard Bonnke and Daniel Kolenda,
together with the whole CfaN Team.
Pictures by Oleksandr Volyk
We have just returned from the second evening of services here in Ikot Ekpene. As we drove to the crusade ground we could see that it would be a challenging night...the rain was falling and the people were huddling together wherever they could find shelter. When we arrived the crowd was quite disappointingly small. Yet we pressed on. When I took the microphone, I was determined to preach as though there were a million people there. Half way into my message the field was quite full and thousands of people continued streaming in throughout. In the end there was a glorious harvest and I am sure that the Gospel message landed in the hearts of the people who received it with great joy!
Here is Evangelist Bonnke's report from tonight's meeting.
(By Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke)
Dear Mission - Partners,
This is day number two here in Ikot Ekpene/Nigeria, but we drove to the crusade-ground while it was raining. Still the crowd reached 140,000 people in eager anticipation of the preached and demonstrated Gospel. They were not disappointed. Daniel Kolenda ministered tonight with great authority and brought in another wonderful harvest of souls. Many miracles of healing followed simply because Jesus is forever the same.
This morning the Fire Conference commenced. We teach and preach for God’s men and women to understand and receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in connection with the Great Commission. The Holy Spirit is not an extra. Nor is the Spirit an occasional presence, nor even an item in the creed. He is the all-essential, and only intended means by which the Church can live or move or be what it is supposed to be. Many will agree with that statement but then relegate the Holy Spirit to a mystical area moving unperceived, neither felt nor shown. Yet, if we want the Holy Spirit He must be the Holy Spirit described in the Bible: the wind of heaven, the tongues of fire, God in manifestation. There is no other kind of Holy Spirit. These Fire Conferences often have a greater impact than the actual crusades, because they compound the multiples and develop extended explosive thrusts in the harvest of souls.
Yours for a lost world to be saved,
Evangelists Reinhard Bonnke and Daniel Kolenda,
together with the whole CfaN Team.
Pictures by Oleksandr Volyk
Here is the report from Evangelist Bonnke from tonight’s service along with some pictures:
(By Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke)
Dear CfaN - Partners,
The first crusade-meeting today drew 125,000 people – and it was an excellent start. I preached my heart out – and the Lord gave a mighty harvest of souls, as well as glorious healing-miracles…like the 12 year old boy who couldn’t speak from birth. When he repeated every word loud and clear, the crowd went wild (please see picture). What a mighty God we serve! Tonight was a night of truly great deliverance from sin and Satan. Salvation flowed like a river when repentant souls called on the name of the Lord Jesus. It touched us deeply.
When God forgives sin, He forgives the madness of trying to do without Him. He saves us from ourselves, our suicidal, lemur-like independence. It is also a personal affront to Him. Sin is rebellion. It was summed up by the mob when Pilate offered Christ to the crowd. They screamed ‘We will not have this man to rule over us.’ It was spiritual UDI, a Unilateral Declaration of Independence. We were never designed to carry on solo. Our nature was not designed that way, but that we should ‘live and move and have our being’ in God who made us. Without Him, we cut ourselves off from the source of our existence. The acceptance of the Gospel changes all that, and that happened tonight a hundred thousand times!
Tomorrow morning the Fire Conference starts and the evening meeting will be another mighty highlight in Akwa Ibom State here in Nigeria. Please keep praying for all of us over here.
Yours for Africa to be saved,
Evangelists Reinhard Bonnke and Daniel Kolenda,
together with the whole CfaN Team.
Pictures by Oleksandr Volyk: Tonight’s attentive crowd, and the dumb-born boy who received perfect speech.
Please visit our websites at http://www.cfan.org
Here is the report from Evangelist Bonnke from tonight’s service along with some pictures:
(By Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke)
Dear CfaN - Partners,
The first crusade-meeting today drew 125,000 people – and it was an excellent start. I preached my heart out – and the Lord gave a mighty harvest of souls, as well as glorious healing-miracles….like the 12 year old boy who couldn’t speak from birth. When he repeated every word loud and clear, the crowd went wild (please see picture). What a mighty God we serve. Tonight was a night of truly great deliverance from sin and Satan. Salvation flowed like a river when repentant souls called on the name of the Lord Jesus. It touched us deeply.
When God forgives sin, He forgives the madness of trying to do without Him. He saves us from ourselves, our suicidal, lemur-like independence. It is also a personal affront to Him. Sin is rebellion. It was summed up by the mob when Pilate offered Christ to the crowd. They screamed ‘We will not have this man to rule over us’. It was spiritual UDI, a Unilateral Declaration of Independence. We were never designed to carry on solo. Our nature was not designed that way, but that we should ‘live and move and have our being’ in God who made us. Without Him we cut ourselves off from the source of our existence. The acceptance of the Gospel changes all that, and that happened tonight a hundred thousand times!
Tomorrow morning the Fire Conference starts and the evening meeting will be another mighty highlight in Akwa Ibom State here in Nigeria. Please keep praying for all of us over here.
Yours for Africa to be saved,
Evangelists Reinhard Bonnke and Daniel Kolenda,
together with the whole CfaN Team.
Pictures by Oleksandr Volyk: Tonight’s attentive crowd, and the dumb-born boy who received perfect speech.
Please visit our websites at http://www.cfan.org
I just received this message by email from my good friend, Pastor Russell Benson who pastors our Covenant Community Fellowship church in Indiana. It is about the elections yesterday and I thought it worth posting. Our hope is in the Lord
(By Pastor Russell Benson)
As I write this, Sen. Barack Obama is being declared the winner of the 2008 U.S. presidential election. We have heard that this was the most historic and important presidential election of our time. Whether it was the most important election or not, one thing is for sure, it certainly will have a profound effect on the future of our nation!
I know many of you reading this are disappointed at the results of the election. The decision that America has made can potentially have a deep and profound effect on issues like the sanctity of marriage, freedom of religion, abortion, and many other issues that we as Christians are so concerned about. It is easy to get discouraged about the future of our nation. What will happen? How about the Supreme Court? Abortion, etc…
I feel impressed at this time to direct us to the true Hope, the true answer. There is only one hope for our nation and he is not the president of the United States. We know as Christians that our hope is in the LORD. We should not expect to have any real hope outside the Lord Jesus Christ. The answers for America do not lie in Washington or in a political party. The only hope for America and the entire world is Jesus Christ.
Scripture tells us that it is Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Despite the political speeches, it is the church that is the city shining on a hill, not Washington D.C. The church is called the Salt of the earth. We hold the answers for this nation and this world. We must remind ourselves in this time that no matter what comes our way, no matter what is ahead, we can stand strong in faith. We do not need to let up or waver despite the darkness of the situation.
We will not be shaken and we will not be moved. Now is the time for the church of Jesus Christ to stand stronger than ever. We must stand for righteousness and holiness no matter what comes our way. We cannot be surprised when the majority of people around us reject holiness and reject the ways of the Lord. We cannot be surprised when they embrace a culture of death. We are not to be taken off guard, but we will be motivated even more to pray, even more to stand out in the darkness. We will let our light shine in a dark world, we must! Friend, we must shine in the darkness.
Church, we are not to be shaken but we are to understand the times and seasons we are in. We are to discern what the Spirit of the Lord is speaking to the Church of Jesus Christ. Now it is time to get our marching orders and press forward. The body of Christ must prepare for what is ahead for us. We must be the voice crying in the wilderness Prepare the way of the Lord. It is not the church that is a reflection of the world, but the world is a reflection of the church. This is why judgment begins in the house of the Lord. We must be the church, God has called us to be and in turn America will be effected by the church. In these sober and prophetic times, now is the time for the church of Jesus Christ to rise up in true holiness, Holy Spirit power, and boldness. Get ready, now is our time to shine!
Russell K. Benson
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld
Today we arrived in Ikot Ekpene, Nigeria and I am SO happy to have internet access this time! It was a long day that began a 4 am and just finished at 10 pm! It included a procession into the city, courtesy calls on three government officials (including the governor and the King) and a pastors banquet. We are now settled in and ready in our spirits for the kick off tomorrow evening! Please continue to remember us in your prayers.
Below is Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke's report from today along with some pictures that he sent out a few minutes ago. You will notice that the last picture is of the crowds teaming around our vehicle as it drove into the city. I have included a video of the crazy view from INSIDE the vehicle:-)
Enjoy!
(From Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke)
Dear CfaN - Partners,
Today we arrived in IKOT EKPENNE, Akwa Ibom State/Nigeria. The Governor received us in the Council Chamber of the State together with his cabinet and gave us a very hearty welcome. “For this week I am handing our State over to you, Rev. Bonnke. Do what God has told you to do. We thank God you came and welcome you,” he said. Again the streets were lined with people rejoicing and shouting praises to the Lord. We rejoice with them, together with you.
What an honor to be an ambassador for Christ. We will continue to preach the Gospel with all that is within us. Jesus has given us power over all the tricks of the enemy. Our task is not mere demon hunting, miracle mongering and playing games. The church is not a show business. Demons must indeed be cast out and miracles do take place, but as Kingdom people we challenge the world’s forces of unbelief and godlessness, darkness and wickedness. We, mere mortals, make up God’s squads of troops, his men at arms, his answer, his Kingdom ambassadors, crying, “Be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Please pray for us. We are in an area in Nigeria which is known for kidnapping and extortion. Police and army have been beefed up for our safety - but we rely on the angel of the Lord who camps around those who fear the Lord.
Tomorrow will be the first day of the crusade! Thank you for your love and support. Your sacrificial giving is making this harvest possible.
Yours for Africa to be saved,
Evangelists Reinhard Bonnke and Daniel Kolenda,
together with the whole CfaN Team.
Pictures by Oleksandr Volyk: In the State Council Chamber of Uyo, the State Capital, and some of the welcome crowd along the road in Ikot Ekpene.
Here is the view from INSIDE THE CAR!
"The Devil is so much more earnest than we are. He buys up the opportunity while we are wondering how much it will cost."
-Amy Charmical
Ephesians 5:16 (Amplified): "Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil."
When my son, Elijah, was 3 years old, he visited his grandparent's church one day during the week. They were walking through the empty sanctuary and when he saw the pulpit, he asked if he could preach. He climbed up the steps to the platform, took the mic and told his Grandma and Grandpa to sit down. Then he began to preach his first sermon. His entire message was unintelligible except for 5 words; "There's a price to pay." Im not sure where he got that from, but when I heard about it I thought, "that will preach".
Yes, there is a price to pay for the sake of the Gospel. Jesus has redeemed us to redeem the time...not to sing songs on padded pews in climate controlled churches while the world burns. There is indeed a price to be paid and even if it would cost us everything, that price would still pale in comparison to what is at stake if we don't buy up the opportunity before us. That is why we spend. That is why we go. That is why we risk. For the sake of His eternal Kingdom.
Ill be in Africa in a few hours!
Please keep us in your prayers once again as I head off to Nigeria for the next crusade which will be taking place between the 5th and the 9th (Wed-Sun) of next week.
The village we are going to is called Ikot Ekpene in the Delta region...known for kidnappings and violence, but we are trusting that the Lord will go before us and grant a mighty harvest of souls.
Below is an news update I received several days ago:
Bonnke’s visit: A’Ibom police beef up security
• Tuesday, Oct 28, 2008
The Akwa Ibom Police Command said that it was beefing up security, ahead of next month’s crusade by the international preacher, Evang. Reinhard Bonnke. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Gab Ngban, who said this in Uyo, stated the command’s concern about security with the eagerness of the people for the visit. Our correspondent recalls that militants abducted an expatriate staff of Julius Berger Construction Company last week at Abak, near Uyo. However, Ngban assured that the police would ensure that no incident of kidnapping would occur during the four-day gospel campaign, scheduled to begin at Ikot Ekpene on November 5, 2008. Our correspondent also reports that Bonnke is the founder of Christ For All Nations(CFAN), an international evangelical ministry with headquarters in Frankfurt. Meanwhile, the central planning committee for CFAN, Ikot Ekpene, said at a press conference, that it had constituted several sub committees to take charge of the events. The committee’s chairman, Rev. Innocent Otuk, told journalists that no fewer than 500,000 people were being expected to attend the crusade. (www.thetidenews.com)
Posts
All Comments
