Bethel Church of Indonesia – Graha Pena (GBI Graha Pena)
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July 1, 2006 “a most unusual meeting…”
Saturday began with our single equipping session in the morning. We were surprised by the large number of people who showed up, especially in view of another Seminar held in the city by world-renowned Pastor Rick Warren at the same time. The people were hungry. The Lord was gracious during the training, enabling me cover surprisingly much material in the single morning session. The Lord helped me to speak and teach quickly in the Indonesian language. He was faithful to confirm the teaching by the miraculous healings that were done by the people during the session.
At the evening evangelistic healing service, something unusual happened. As I often do, I preached from John 14 about Jesus Christ as the only way to the Father’s house in heaven. Afterwards the Lord did many wonderful miracles through the trained believers to prove that He is indeed the only Savior. It was quite glorious.
There was a servant of the Lord, Mr. Suwito, who had had to be carried into the meeting place. He had served in a local church but had experienced some disappointment in his ministry. Brother Suwito suffered from a severe and incurable heart condition; he had asked the Lord that when it came time for him to go home, he would be in church and not at home. At our meeting he was placed all by himself in a wheelchair in the front, way to my left as I spoke. I could see that he paid close attention to what I said—he had faith to be healed. During the time of mass healing he laid his hand on himself and stood up from his wheelchair. Then the trained brethren ministered to him. He was able to walk around on his own, climbing up to the platform to testify. He had a serious heart condition, he said, but the pain in his leg had subsided and he was able to walk back and forth on the platform.
After Mr. Suwito’s testimony, many people were healed and came up to the platform to testify. One young woman testified with some embarrassment that the lump in her breast, along with the accompanying pain, had disappeared. (She had gone to the Ladies’ Room to check it before giving her testimony.) Another man had walked out of his wheelchair. Precious souls accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior when Lucille gave the altar call.
After the meeting ended, Mr. Suwito was happily walking around. He went to the Men’s Room twice by himself. Someone asked him about his wheelchair, and he replied with a grin that he was going to push it out himself. Lucille and I were at the exit along with Senior Pastor Kiki Tjahyadi greeting the long line of people as they left the auditorium. Mr. Suwito was pushing his wheelchair along with his wife at his side. As they passed Lucille, Mrs. Suwito said to Lucille, “thank you that he is healed…look at him pushing his wheelchair along.” Suddenly her husband, with his hands on the wheelchair, sank slowly to the floor to his knees. He did not fall or collapse. We gathered around him to pray. But a doctor serving on the pastoral staff of the church declared that he was gone. He had departed straight for the Father’s House in heaven.
The Lord is sovereign, and chose to take His servant home in the best possible way—quickly, painlessly, directly from “the Father’s House” of worship on earth to His glorious House in heaven. That evening the Lord answered two of his servant’s prayers in quick succession. First, he was able to get up out of his wheelchair and walk around. About an hour later he went home to heaven from church.
The next morning’s meeting on Sunday was again accompanied by several miraculous healings as the trained believers ministered to the infirm. The equipping at Bethel Church GBI Graha Pena was very successful. The believers healed the sick with great authority and faith.
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New Testament Church of Indonesia, Jakarta
July 12
The Lord anointed us to teach our first equipping session to over 100 hungry believers, workers, and pastors at the New Testament Christian Church here in Jakarta. The people listened attentively and received the teaching from Scripture.
At the end of the session during the demonstration, all who came forward for healing testified of being healed of the infirmity for which they came up. Lucille and I only ministered to the first person. All the others were healed through the laying on of the hands of the participants. The Lord graciously confirmed the teaching of His word.
His word is beginning to be fulfilled here: “Those who believe in Jesus will do the works that He did.” (John 14:12)
July 13
Last night our second training session was again blessed by the Lord. Lucille was seated in the front row and could hear the people in attendance laughing and voicing their excitement at the “new” teaching which was in plain view in Scripture all this time. Near the end of the session, we had them minister to the infirm. I called forward people who had any physical problem with their hands. Ten came up. Then we called for twenty people to minister healing to them two by two. As they laid hands on them and exercised their authority in Christ, all ten testified that they had been healed.
July 15
Yesterday on Saturday Lucille completed the equipping with her second four-hour session. We were given plenty of time to cover virtually all the material that we have been given. From the feedback we have received, the teaching was a revelation for the brethren. Our host pastor commented publicly that it was the first time he had not gotten sleepy in a Seminar. He added that Lucille’s session was not in the morning, but rather went from 1 to 5 PM right after lunch—the most difficult time to stay awake.
Last evening at our second evangelistic healing service, I preached from John 14 regarding Jesus Christ as the only way to the Father. Then the trained believers come to the front to minister to the infirm. There were two stages of ministry: mass healing and then the one-on-one laying on of hands. The testimonies of miraculous healings were many. During the mass healing both a mother and young daughter’s poor eyesight were restored simultaneously; the little girl could see well without her strong prescription eyeglasses. Some ladies testified of growths and tumors shrinking and disappearing. It was quite glorious and the brethren rejoiced greatly to see how the Lord had used them to heal the sick with such power to demonstrate the truth of the gospel. Precious souls came to Jesus Christ when Lucille gave the altar call.
July 16
At the Sunday morning service I preached from Mark 2. There Jesus proved that he had authority to forgive sin by healing the paralytic. After we asked the Lord to perform miracles right then and there for the same purpose, the trained brethren came forward again to minister to the infirm. Again the Lord was faithful to use his people, and even more people were healed than last night as we ministered mass healing. Some of the miracles were quite impressive; unfortunately we cannot remember the details. During the second stage of the individual laying on of hands, more were healed in Christ’s powerful name. I can only describe it as being “intoxicating” in the Spirit to see how the Lord used his disciples to do his works.
There has been a breakthrough here.
Our host pastor is a leader in the well-known National Prayer Conference of Indonesia (Jaringan Doa Nasional). They have held huge prayer rallies—the one last year was attended by 120,000 people not only from throughout Indonesia, but from many other countries as well. Our host pastor has come to realize that such prayer serves a vital purpose, but that something is missing—especially after this year’s event which drew only a relatively small crowd of 30,000. Prayer by itself is not enough to bring about the fulfillment of Great Commission. Something which I may say is equally important must be done after prayer. We must go forth and preach the Kingdom of God to the lost, heal the sick, cast out demons, and make disciples of all nations. Only then will we complete the Great Commission. God is not going to do it for us. He has commanded us to do it. (This is also the situation of the church in the United States as well, not only in Indonesia.)
Our host pastor received this revelation (“rhema”) after listening to Lucille teach yesterday afternoon. We are encouraged that a national leader in the world’s fourth most populous nation with more Musl__ms than anywhere else has finally received this important revelation from the Lord for completing the Great Commission during these last days.