Reports: The Elijah Challenge in Brazil
São Paulo is a state in Brazil, the largest country in South America in terms of area, population, and economy
Valley of Blessing, Araçariguama
The Training in Brazil began at the Valley of Blessing (Vale da Bênção), a large ministry complex in Araçariguama, São Paulo State headed by Pastor Jonathan Ferreira. The servants of God were most enthusiastic about the teaching they received from Scripture. The Lord was gracious to confirm the teaching by various miraculous healings.
On the second evening we held an evangelistic healing service for the community where the training was applied. The gospel was preached. Then we ministered to the infirm through healing-at-a-distance (as Jesus did in Luke 7). Immediately afterwards nine people came up to platform to testify that Jesus had healed them. Afterwards through the individual laying on hands by the trained servants of God, about a dozen more people promptly came forward to testify that they had been healed. The quick miracles demonstrated that Jesus had authority to forgive sin. It was a most exciting time for the servants of God.
Two years ago in May 2006 we were ministering at this very same church. While those meetings were also attended by powerful miraculous healings, we recalled one evangelistic healing service in particular where hardly anything happened at all. This is what we wrote at that time:
“May 23 Our final meeting here was most unusual. I do not recall ever having ministered in such a difficult one. First I shared the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then, after prayer, I had the trained believers heal the sick to demonstrate that the gospel is true, that Jesus is the only way to the Father. But no miracles happened as the believers laid hands on the infirm again and again.”
We still recall the frustration that we felt that evening over two years ago. But what the Lord did on this trip in the same church was as different as night and day. Through this He taught us that we should not get discouraged and give up.
On the final day we wrapped up the Training in two sessions. In the final session held in the afternoon several infirm people from the town came to be healed. The trained believers made short work of the infirmities, and several testified that they were healed. In particular one elderly couple had come, both suffering from debilitating pain. The woman could hardly walk; the man also could not hear normally. Both were shouting in joy from the stage after the Lord healed them.
Guided by the Holy Spirit, Pastor Jonathan Ferreira is initiating a movement called “Visitation of God” in different Brazilian cities. Among other things, trained believers will be going door-to-door preaching the gospel and healing the sick. A team of servants of God came from the city of Ivaiporã in the neighboring state of Paraná to attend the Training in preparation to minister during the Visitation of God in their city.
At the end of the final session, Pastor Jonathan introduced us to a brother who along with his wife were missionaries to Spain for eighteen years. They were back for a season in Brazil and had attended the Training. The Lord had spoken to them that we were to be their new mentor and covering. Their former mentor had gone home to the Lord.
Brazil is now experiencing revival in the economy through the discovery of large oil reserves as well as spiritual revival in the Church. Brazilian missionaries are now being sent out to many countries. By God’s grace The Elijah Challenge can be a part of training the Church here.
Here is a comment received from a believer in Araçariguama who attended the Training:
“I have been in the congregation for more than 30 years and never have I heard and lived deeply a ministry so profound and clear as the one that we are receiving; nor have I witnessed so great wisdom and [translation unknown?] in the face of the need of the people.”
Below are the original words in Portuguese:
“Congrego há mais de 30 anos e nunca ouvi e vivenciei ministraçoes tao profundas e claras como as que estamos recebendo; nem presenciei tamanha sabedoria e flexibilidade metodológica face à necessidade do povo.”
The city of Sorocaba in the state of São Paulo has the fastest-growing industry in Brazil
Host Pastor Daniel Jesus de Leite (center) of Ministerio Renovaçao em Cristo in Sorocaba
Tatui and Sorocaba
After completing the meetings with Pastor Jonathan at the Valley of Blessing, we left for the nearby city of Sorocaba. This city is the fastest growing city in Brazil in terms of industry. The man mostly responsible for this phenomenal growth is Daniel de Jesus Leite, the Secretary of Commerce of Sorocaba. He recently negotiated with Toyota for the building of an automotive assembly plant here, and Toyota chose Sorocaba over forty other competing cities. Daniel is also the pastor of Ministerio Renovaçao em Cristo, a growing ministry in Sorocaba. Amazingly, he also owns a business which manufactures and sells auto mufflers.
We began with an Evangelistic Healing Service in the town of Tatui where Pastor Daniel Jesus de Leite planted a new church about a year ago. They rented a club for this outreach and advertised it in the community.
Many newcomers fill the clubhouse rented for the one-night event
The club was filled with people, many of them visitors. I preached from Mark 2, proclaiming that Jesus’ authority to heal our infirmities demonstrated that He also had authority to forgive our sin. I told them that even though they said that they loved God, that their actions proved otherwise. Even if they had broken only one of His commands, they had broken them all in His sight and sinned against Him. And the punishment for sinning against God who is holy and just is eternal condemnation in hell. Clearly all of us need our sins to be forgiven. But how can we be sure that Jesus has authority to forgive our sins?
We asked the Lord to heal the infirm at the meeting to prove without a shadow of doubt that that He indeed has such authority. The trained believers ministered to the infirm, and many testified that the Lord had healed them. It was a time of rejoicing as the people put their faith in Jesus and had their sins forgiven for eternal life. At the end I encouraged the saints to hold such meetings on their own without me. After all, the Lord had used the local believers to perform the miraculous healings.
People who were healed come forward to testify
Bird’s-eye view of the Evangelistic Healing Service
Equipping the saints in Ministerio Renovaçao em Cristo, the mother church in Sorocaba
Open-air Outreach in Sorocaba park
God’s grace on the open-air meeting in the Marcia Mendes Park was very evident. A stage was erected in the middle of the park surrounded by businesses, homes, and apartments. With the sound amplifiers going at full blast, we announced that the God of heaven had sent us to proclaim His Kingdom to the people. In order that they would know that His kingdom was near, we were going to ask Him to heal the sick. We invited them to bring those with infirmities.
Then I shared briefly from John 14 where Jesus claimed to be the only way to the Father as well as being God Incarnate. To demonstrate to the people that such words were not the rantings of a lunatic two thousand years ago, we would ask Him to heal the infirm. The miracles that the Lord would do be the proof that He was speaking the truth, and that sinners should repent and believe on Him for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
We ministered healing to the infirm in two separate stages: through healing-at-a-distance (Luke 7) with the people remaining in their place and then through the individual laying on of hands as the infirm people came forward to the trained believers.
Open-air evangelistic service in Marcia Mendes Park, Sorocaba:
the trained believers prepare to heal the sick
Several people were healed in the first stage. They came up to the stage and each of them testified—some with tears—that the Lord had healed them.
People healed of infirmities during healing-at-a-distance assemble on stage (background right) to testify
Testimonies of healing continue from the stage
After the testimonies I challenged the people to repent of their sins and to follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Ten souls came forward. During the second stage of the ministry of healing, several more people were healed and testified publicly from the stage. God had greatly exalted the name of His Son Jesus Christ. The saints rejoiced in His goodness.
Encouraged by the results, Pastor Daniel is planning more open-air evangelistic outreaches with his own people at the rate of once a month. The sick will be healed and the Kingdom of God proclaimed to the lost in the open-air outside the church. This is the third time I have been with him since 2005 to train the people. He is determined that this time there will be a difference; there will be results.
Note: The present age of the one-man-show superstar evangelist is coming to a close. The age of the body of Christ—the nameless, faceless believer—is at hand.
Pastor Daniel plans to send teams to hold evangelistic healing outreaches once a month in nearby parks such as the newly opened Ipiranga Park with its open-air amphitheatre
During the weekly Sunday worship service on the final day, I preached from Luke 17 about the believers’ authority over unforgiveness and the sinful nature which is to be exercised with the faith of a mustard seed. Afterwards I led the people in exercising that authority by rebuking unforgiveness, the lust of pornography, and other works of the flesh. Then I asked who had just been miraculously set free from unforgiveness and other sins. Several people raised their hands, with two of them testifying privately because of the personal nature of their situation.
Testimonies received from Brazilian pastors after the Training:
Paz seja contigo! Eu trouxe o powerpoint no pendrive e fiz uma mensagem para apresentar para a Igreja no domingo dia 15 de junho, a pregação foi uma bênção, convoquei os leigos para uma reunião de treinamento na quinta-feira 19 de junho, ensinei, orei junto com eles e no culto ministramos cura sobre diversas pessoas, eu os coloquei para fazer isso. 3 pessoas foram curadas na hora, uma mulherraços de asia no estomago, outra de uma dor na articulação do joelho que a impedia de andar, e uma jovem que foi curada de uma dor na perna que a impedia de ficar em pé. Muitas pessoas vieram na frente para receber curas de doenças crônicas, iremos constatar nos próximos dias por meio de exames laboratoriais.
O mais impressionante foi o que ocorreu na minha família, chegando em casa na sexta-feira, meu filho que está na Espanha me ligou, ele havia tomado duas injeções de benzetacil para combater um rota vírus, ficou 4 dias sem poder se alimentar e ainda estava ruim, minha nora havia sido trazida pela patroa para casa, pois o rota vírus a pegou, estava com diarréia, febre alta e vômito. Usei o poder real que aprendi na terça, quarta e quinta com a vossa ministração, eram 12 horas do dia aqui, lá na Espanha 17 horas, pedi que me ligassem para dar o testemunho a tarde daqui e a noite de lá, quando eram 18 horas daqui eles me ligaram, haviam se alimentado, a diarréia e o vômito desapareceu, também as dores e a febre alta foram embora, e na igreja o meu filho pregou naquela noite e um demônio se manifestou e ele expulsou.
Minha esposa ficou gripada, infecções na garganta e eu também, usei o poder real e eu e ela ficamos curados no mesmo dia!
Abraços fraternais
Pastor Valdiney
Maringá – Paraná – Brasil
Graça e paz amado! Louvo a Deus por ter participado desse seminario ministrado pelo irmão, fomos grandemente abençoados com as suas ministrações com certeza vamos dar sequencia naquilo que aprendemos na pratica vamos exercitar a autoridade que Jesus nos outorgou e com certeza tão logo estaremos passando informações de curas e libertações para o amado irmão divulgar. Um grande abraço foi um prazer conhece-lo e espero tão logo reencontra-lo.
Pr. Aldanei Martins
Eu já tenho orado por pessoas enfermas e o Senhor as tem curado. Tive oportunidade de orar por pessoas com dores no corpo e foram curadas. Gloria a Deus. Deus te abençõe.
Maria Lúcia
FICAMOS FELIZES EM RECEBE-LO NO BRASIL, JA ORAMOS POR ALGUMAS PESSOAS E ALGUNS MILAGRES ACONTECERAM, DE DOR NA COLUNA, DOR NO SEIO, DOR DE CABEÇA, FORAM 5 MILAGRES DURANTE UMA TARDE NA VISITACAO DE DEUS, NUM BAIRO DE IVAIPORÃ, FOMOS EM 20 PESSOAS, 10 DELAS TINHA PARTICIPADO DO CURSO,ESTA SENDO MARAVILHOSO. DEUS CONTINUE
TE USANDO. ABRAÇOS.
LUIZ CARLOS