Man Using Hearing Aids for Over Four Years Healed!

This is Brother Bt Khoo on the left of the photo. Pastor Albert Kang met him in Baguio, when he and his Singaporean mission team visited Asia Pacific Theological Seminary. At that time, Pastor Albert was the guest of the president of the seminary. Brother Khoo had a partially deaf ear and he had to use hearing aid for over four years.

Pastor Albert had his mission team leader, Brother Ben, to put the finger into his deaf ear and commanded after him. The Lord confirmed His promise by opening the deaf ear. Today, Brother Khoo has no need to use hearing aid anymore. He has been completely healed!

Since then, Brother Khoo has been ministering to the infirm with the same authority and power that the Lord has given to the whole Church. (Luke 9 and 10). He led a mission team to a third-world country in August 2014 to minister healing and preach the Good News to the people there. You can do the same – God can use you to touch others with His miracles and the Gospel message.

Sixty Years of Deafness Defeated

The lady in purple suffered from deafness in her right ear. When she was a little girl, she had mumps and that infected her ear. That ear had been deaf for over 60 years.

During the healing ministry, we noticed that it was a very tough infirmity to heal. We commanded five times and nothing happened. Then I laid my hand on her head and asked the Holy Spirit to fill this sister. After that, applying mountain-moving faith, the team commanded together with me and that deaf ear was opened. It was completely healed in the mighty name of Jesus!

The Lord will move mightily whenever we exercise our faith in ministering to the infirm in His name. All glory to Him who gives us opportunities to serve with power and authority!

Why Has The Church Failed To Fulfill The Great Commission After 2,000 Years?

While books have been written painting an optimistic picture of the Church’s progress in the Great Commission, for example reporting on various people groups around the world turning to Christ, my perspective as a missionary who has taught in over 40 countries around the world differs. Yes, there may be reasons to rejoice, observing the rapid growth of the Church in China. Yet at the same time we are at this moment witnessing a dramatic resurgence of Islam on the world scene with a reported 1.6 billion adherents and counting. According to Islamists, every man, woman, and child on earth must either convert to Islam or face severe consequences—which in some cases have included death. When we add this extraordinary zeal of the Islamists for their religion to the lukewarm state of the Church as a whole and the ineffectiveness of her evangelism especially in Third World countries, the overall prospects for our discipling all nations appear dim indeed. There must be radical change in our evangelism. For this we must simply return to Scripture.
What is the major difference between missionary evangelism as recorded in the gospels and Acts and missions today?

When the disciples proclaimed the kingdom of God in the gospels, they did so while healing the sick as supernatural evidence to the lost that Jesus was in fact the promised Messiah.

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. … So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere. (Luke 9:1,2,6)

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. …Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ (Luke 10:1,9)

In Acts we see a similar pattern in which the miraculous often confirmed the truth of the gospel to the lost, resulting in abundant harvests of souls.

Acts 3:7  Taking him by the right hand, he [Peter] helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8  He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.  4:4  But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.

Acts 8:5-12 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city. …they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Acts 9:34  “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. 35  All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

Acts 9:40  Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41  He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. 42  This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.

Although there are instances in Acts where the miraculous did not accompany the preaching of the gospel, it is reasonable to conclude that miracles were important and at times even necessary for the effective sharing of the message.

“Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” (John 4:48)

This New Testament pattern contrasts sharply with what we generally see in missions and evangelism today, where instances of the miraculous are relatively rare—to put it charitably.

Why the big difference? 

One explanation for this stark difference in evangelical circles between then and now is the teaching of cessationism which generally posits that God no longer performs miracles today as He did in the New Testament. Even when not openly taught to believers, it is an unspoken assumption carrying much weight in conservative evangelical churches. The undeniable scientific breakthroughs in technology and medicine in the 20th and 21st centuries have to some extent made the miraculous “unnecessary” or at best an afterthought in the minds of evangelical believers in the West.

I personally suspect that one motivation behind cessationism today (certainly not a conscious one) might be ascribing the visible lack of the miraculous in the contemporary Church today to a decision on God’s part, and not to any failure on the part of the Church.

However, even in charismatic circles where miracles are still acknowledged, few are seen in practice except in the ministries of an elite coterie of “superstar” preachers. “Not everyone has the gift of healing,” it is reasoned. Or the sick are healed “only if God shows up,” we are told. This may be true as far as it goes, but a very important tool (weapon, actually) entrusted by the Lord to us for proclaiming the kingdom of God to the lost has been sadly neglected by the Church for centuries if not longer. The weapon we refer to is authority and power given in the context of proclaiming the kingdom of God to the lost (Luke 9:1-2), as opposed to the very different gift of healing which is primarily for ministering to sick believers in the context of building up the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:7).

Generally in the preaching of the gospel today, the miraculous is not considered a significant factor, whether one is a charismatic or (especially) a cessationist. In the “Christian” West the preaching of the gospel can be fruitful without the miraculous accompanying the message as in the ministry of Dr. Billy Graham. However, the rest of the world is populated by the overwhelming majority of earth’s inhabitants which are highly gospel-resistant people groups like Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and idol-worshipers. For them Christianity is the very foreign religion of their former European masters. For them the truth of the gospel must be demonstrated by convincing miraculous signs if we expect to reap the kind of harvests we see in Acts through the ministry of the early disciples.

But some supernatural manifestations and practices not found in Scripture and taught by some charismatic groups have unfortunately served to turn off conservative evangelicals, driving them in the direction of cessationism. Sadly, many evangelicals have consequently rejected the miraculous altogether by “throwing out the baby with the bathwater”—to the great detriment of the Great Commission. Actually, such extrabiblical manifestations, as impressive as they may appear to be, are not necessary for the Church to fulfill the Great Commission. When proclaiming the kingdom of God it is sufficient simply to obey what Jesus commanded His disciples in Matthew 10:7 and 8. “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.”

These essentially are the reasons why the Church even after 2,000 years has failed to live up to the expectations of what our Lord commanded us just before He ascended to the right hand of the Father. We simply do not preach the gospel as He and his early disciples did. Even in the so-called christianized West which is classified as “reached” for the gospel, a generation has arisen which knows not the God of their fathers, but is enslaved by secular humanism, materialism, and the lusts of the flesh.

Judges 2:10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.

That generation did not witness the powerful miracles the LORD did for Israel when He delivered them from slavery in Egypt. They were not present when forty years later the Lord took them with a powerful outstretched arm into the Promised Land to drive out the Canaanites. They did not personally witness the LORD’s awesome miracles. And significantly they did not know the LORD, although for a while at least they enjoyed His material blessings on Israel. It is the same today with the current generation of those living in the “Christian” West. But as happened to backslidden Israel, God’s blessing on the West which has forsaken the LORD is also being withdrawn. We can observe how the “Christian” West is today being threatened by powerful enemies, both from within as well as from without.

What must we now do? 

First of all, in “christianized” countries, especially America, we must stop focusing on how to maximize God’s various blessings in this life. Unfortunately when the dimension of the miraculous is missing, this is generally the only way we can market the Church to the masses who feel “entitled” to the American Dream and through which we can grow huge megachurches. This has become the primary emphasis of much of the Church in the materially prosperous West today. Therefore we must repent of this unscriptural emphasis and instead focus on how we can please God by obeying His commands in this life—keeping in mind that our eternal reward in the next life will largely be based on how fruitful we have been for Him on earth.

We should go back to the gospels and Acts to study exactly how Jesus and his early disciples ministered healing to the sick and cast out demons as evidence of the truth of the gospel. When we do that, we will understand the principles involving authority and power by which they ministered so effectively. And when we dare to apply this authority and power, especially in the context of proclaiming the kingdom of God to the gospel-resistant, we will see infirm people miraculously healed and set free. The miracles which their pagan gods and beliefs cannot do will open their hearts to consider our Father as the only true God and Jesus Christ as the only way to Him. Every disciple of Jesus Christ—not just a handful of “chosen” or “anointed” ones—can be trained to preach the gospel in this way at some level of fruitfulness according to the Lord’s promise to us:

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:11-12)

The Lord has called The Elijah Challenge to train believers to preach the gospel with accompanying miraculous signs as Jesus did—for the sake of the Great Commission before the great and terrible Day of the Lord. The teaching, even though not charismatic in flavor which emphasizes the gifts of the Holy Spirit, is readily accepted by most believers with a charismatic background. Evangelical believers who are not cessationist can also accept the teaching since it follows New Testament Scripture very closely without mentioning the gifts of the Spirit, and moreover consistently works in practice when applied to confirm the truth of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ to resistant people groups on the foreign mission field. After such peoples witness the miracles performed by our Lord through His servants, they believe the message and receive Jesus Christ as their only Lord and Savior. This is the pattern we see recorded in Acts. Why should we not follow it?

In view of what Jesus Christ commanded us in the Great Commission, can we actually say along with our cessationist brethren that what we read in Acts is only a description of what took place back then, and not a prescription for what the Church should be doing today in evangelism? Is not our Lord Jesus the same—yesterday, today, and forever? What He did in Acts through His disciples can He not do through His disciples today? Cessationism would of course argue a resounding “no” and might call what we are teaching here disturbing and even heretical. But let’s examine what Jesus commanded in the Great Commission:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

What did Jesus specifically command His disciples to do when proclaiming the kingdom of God to the lost?

Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ (Luke 10:9)

Therefore are we not today to teach the Lord’s disciples to obey His command to heal the sick as they proclaim the kingdom of God to the billions of gospel-resistant peoples around the world?

William Lau, Founder, The Elijah Challenge
www.TheElijahChallenge.org

Ministering Healing While One Is Not Healed

After I learned about the biblical healing approach from Pastor William in 2005, I was not completely healed of my chronic back pain caused by Ankylosing Spondylitis. At that time, even though my condition had improved, I still had regular pain. I felt that God was unfair to me because everybody I ministered to was completely healed. How could He allow the one who ministered healing to be in pain while others got instantly healed? There were many questions but I continued to minister healing faithfully. At one time, when a man whom I had laid hand and commanded healing, was healed of his back pain, I again questioned God why didn't He heal me first. Apparently, God was testing my obedience. Would I continue to obey even though I myself was not healed?

One morning in 2007, I got up with no pain in my back or legs at all. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I was able to bounce up from the bed when previously, I had to roll over very carefully and then sit up slowly. If not, the pain would be excruciating and tears would formed in my eyes. I told Grace to place the walking stick in the car… just in case the pain would return. That was how little my faith was as to my own healing.

It’s many years now from that first painless day. God was apparently saying to me that if I would allow sunshine to shine on others, He would allow sunshine to shine on me. He also confirmed that He was the One doing the healing and I was only the channel. Then the best comfort of all was that He affirmed that since I was willing to lay hands on others, in spite of my own painful condition, He had personally come to lay hands upon me. I have also learned that in spite of one’s health condition, one should always rejoice in the healing miracles of others. This is the God who loves us even though we may never fully understand how He operates. His way is always higher than ours.

Albert Kang

Is It Our Responsibility To Heal The Infirm?

Should we lay hands on the infirm and heal them?

William Carey, the great missionary to India and Father of Modern Missions, was told by one of the elderly ministers, "Young man, sit down; when God is pleased to convert the heathen world, He will do it without your help or mine." This minister was citing the "Sovereignty of God". It was a good thing that William Carey understood the other half which was the "Responsibility of Man". He went to India and impacted that nation for Christ. 

Today, we have the same dilemma - some Christians believe that if God wants to heal the person, "he will do it without your help or mine."
The truth is that we still have to exercise our faith to believe for healing, lay hands upon the infirm, command the disease or pain to go in the mighty name of Jesus. God has chosen to work with and through us. 

For example, God could open the Red Sea without Moses, but He chose to work through Moses. He told Moses to "divide the water" with his staff. Yes, Moses was to raise his staff then God's miracle was activated. Read Exodus 14:15-16
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground."

Today, we need to believe in the Promise of God for divine healing and to faithfully raise our hands - lay them upon the infirm and command the diseases to go in the mighty name of Jesus. The pains, diseases and even demons have to go because we are the Ambassadors of the Most High God! 

Albert Kang

We Are The Waiters

Healing the infirm in the mighty Name of Jesus in Bangladesh

Grace and I have been healing the infirm and casting out demons, in the mighty name of Jesus, for the last eight years. We have witnessed thousands of miracles. 

Some believers misunderstood us when we say that we are "healing the sick". They say only Jesus can do the healing miracles and not us. They are absolutely correct. We can do nothing.... absolutely nothing without Christ. 

We are not the "Chef" who cooks the gourmet food. We are only the "waiters" who serve the customers. We do not take credit for the great food that satisfies the customers even though we may say that we "serve and feed" the customers.

The only problem with some believers is that they refuse to be "waiters". They want the "Chef" to do the serving too. They want Him to carry the dishes to the customers at the table.
When Jesus had given authority and power to His disciples to cast out demons and heal the sick, He did not go with them. (Luke 9:1-2. 10:1, 9). He instructed them to serve His miracles to the people in need. 

If we understood this concept, we should see countless people healed and delivered. Remember, we are not the "Chef" but the "waiters". We only serve the miracles that Jesus is doing! 

Albert Kang

Praying “over” the sick is not the same as praying “for” the sick

Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.

James 5:14-5

There is a crucial word in verse 14 which has for the most part escaped the attention of the Church. In that verse we are not told to pray “for”, but rather to pray “over” the sick believer. The preposition “over” which follows the verb “pray” in this verse is ἐπί which is pronounced “epi.”

“Pray over him” in the Greek is “Προσευξασθωσαν ἐπί αυτον”.

According to Strong’s Greek Lexicon, the preposition ἐπί involves superimposition (of time, place, order, etc.); of direction when the object of the preposition is in the accusative case. Then the meaning will be “over, upon, towards,” etc. In James 5:14 the object of the preposition ἐπί is “αυτον” which is indeed in the accusative case. Thus we have the translation “pray over.”

The word ἐπί is almost always found to describe the relative physical position between two objects. It can be translated also as “on” or “upon”, as in the phrase to “lay hands on or uponthe sick.” This is the phrase which also appears in the passage from Mark 16:18: “…they will place their hands on (or over) sick people, and they will get well.”

What is praying over the sick?

Is it possible therefore that praying over the sick as James meant was exactly what Jesus taught, which was laying hands over the sick? It is not only possible, it is probable. Why should James teach something entirely new and not consistent with what Jesus taught?

As Luke 9 teaches us, Jesus also gave a measure of authority over disease and demons to his disciples. They were to use or exercise this authority in the same way that he did. And so when we examine the ministry of Peter and Paul in Acts, we often see a similar pattern. They also spoke with authority over the infirm in Jesus’ name when giving commands for them to be healed or set free. They also laid hands over the infirm on some occasions or made physical contact with them in some way.

When we understand what Jesus taught his disciples, we will understand what James taught about ministering to the sick in his epistle.

James 5:15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.

And what is “faith”?

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:1

Are the sick actually healed when we pray “over” the sick as verse 15 asserts?

Yes, we have seen countless infirm believers healed in Jesus’ name when disciples pray over them as Jesus taught and commanded his disciples in the gospels. When disciples simply pray for them according to tradition, few people are miraculously healed.

We emphasize that we are categorically not teaching that the Church should stop praying for the sick as is done traditionally today. But we hope to encourage believers to learn also to pray “over” the sick as Jesus and the early disciples did.

Rev William Lau

How We First Learned To Heal The Infirm In Jesus' Name!

Picture: The Elijah Challenge that changed my ministry - Left circle: Rev William and Lucille Lau; Right circle: Rev Albert and Grace Kang

It was our dentist, Dr. Thiagan Sinnadurai, a dedicated servant of God who challenged Grace and me to attend a healing seminar organised by his house church. I was not keen to attend because I knew that I did not have the gift of healing. For over 20 years of my ministry, I did not see many successful healing miracles after my prayers. In fact, a few people died after I prayed.

On that hot day of 8th December 2005, Grace drove me to the healing seminar. I was not in the most amiable mood. I had work to do and my nerve was also not accommodating. The pain caused by the disease, Ankylosing Spontylitis, had often caused chronic pain in my part and also down both my legs.

When we could not find a parking space, I was elated. Now, I could miss the seminar and give a great excuse to Dr. Thiagan. However, God had other plan and He opened up a nice parking space for us. Still mumbling under my breath, I decided not to take my walking stick with me. With Grace helping me, I walked slowly to the training location at Bangsar.

That day was to become a defining moment of my life and ministry. Pastor William Lau, an American-Chinese, with a gentle Christ-like spirit, was systematic in his teaching. In his Elijah Challenge teaching, there were no strange doctrines or scary testimonies of being caught to heaven. This founder of the Elijah Challenge was not there to impress us with his theology but simply allowing the scriptural verses to speak for themselves. 

Verse upon verse, precept upon precept, line upon line, my eyes were opened. Suddenly everything made sense. Why didn’t they teach me this in the Bible seminary? Even after earning a Master in Divinity, this truth in the Bible had completely eluded me.

Why wasn’t I told that there is a difference between the gift of healing and the authority to heal? Why didn’t the professors teach us how to use the kingly authority to do spiritual warfare and heal the sick in the context of preaching the Gospel?

The most fascinating part was when Pastor Lau said that he would demonstrate this God-given power and authority by healing some of the participants in the name of Jesus. He did exactly that. A few participants were healed of the back pain, leg pain and other infirmities.

Then he invited some of us to try. I remember feeling the pain in my own back and facing an Indian pastor who claimed to have three numb toes. With a fellow participant, I laid my hand on the toes and commanded the feeling to return in the name of Jesus. To my great surprise, the pastor claimed that feeling had returned to his toes and he quickly testified to the other participants. That was my first experience in having immediate healing result after ministering.

Grace and I were to attend the same seminar another three more times and subsequently took an advance training with Pastor Lau. Since then, our ministry has been completely transformed. It is filled with power and miracles which is line with what the Bible says about the kingdom of God as not being a matter of talk but of power (1 Corinthians 4:20).

Grace and I had personally healed many in the name of Jesus with the God-given authority and power. In the last eight years, we have trained Christians from both the mainline and Pentecostal/Charismatic churches in seminars and training sessions. We have the joy of seeing our trainees healing the infirm in the name of Jesus and literally thousands are being miraculously healed.

Rev Albert Kang

Coordinator

Elijah Challenge Asia

Commanding The Sick To Be Healed Versus Praying For The Sick

By commanding, the lady was healed of her frozen shoulder

The most convincing evidence that ‘ordinary believers have been given power and authority to heal the sick in the context of evangelism’ is indeed biblically viable is the positive results. The stark contrast in the number of people healed before and after The Elijah Challenge training is like between heaven and earth. Personally, not more than ten people were healed in my twenty-plus years of using ‘prayer for the sick’ method as compared with thousands healed in the last eight years, using the ‘authority and power to command’ approach.  This experience is not exclusively mine alone. Every believer who exercises his or her God-given authority and power to command the infirm to be healed the infirm in the name of Jesus receives very positive result. 

For example, in a healing seminar where I was a participant, I saw two believers praying for this lady who had a painful shoulder because of bone spurs. When these spurs rubbed on her rotator cuff which is a group of muscles and tendons that manage the movements of the shoulder, she suffered tears, swelling and extreme pain. The two believers, with all good intention, were closing their eyes and crying out to the Lord for quite a long time. Nothing happened. The woman was apparently in pain throughout the whole process. 

I felt bad for this lady and interrupted their prayer session. I told them to stop praying and shared with them the biblical approach used by Jesus and the apostles - which is to command the infirmity to go in the name of Jesus. They paused and looked at me because they did not know me. I had to assure them that I am a pastor and am involved in the healing ministry. Then I asked them to keep their eyes open, place their hands over my hand as I laid hand on the painful shoulder. Instead of praying and asking Jesus to heal, they joined me in rebuking this infirmity with the power and authority given by the Lord (Luke 9:1-2). Immediately the lady felt relief. When asked from the scale of 0 (no more pain) to 10 (original pain), how was she feeling, she said it was a 'two'. 

The two believers were thrilled that this miracle was happening before their eyes. We joined effort and commanded the pain to go and the shoulder to be healed two more times. The lady was completely healed. She was able to reach her back with that formerly painful arm. She swung the arm, first cautiously and then vigorously. She lifted the arm up and put it down. She did that several times with disbelief in her expression. Smiling widely, she told us that she had no more pain. The two believers and I clapped and gave glory to God. Praise the Lord for giving all of us the 'power and authority' to heal the infirm in His name. 

Rev Albert Kang

A Crippled Man Healed

Grace and I visited a shop in Puchong, Malaysia, to get our picture frame fixed. While the young frame-maker was cutting the glass, an elderly man shuffled into the shop. Both his knees had become deformed and curved inward towards each other. When he walked, his movement resembled that of a penguin walking. He turned out to be the young man’s uncle. As we smiled at the elderly man, the Holy Spirit prompted me to heal him. I looked at Grace and she had also received the same prompting. It is quite common for us to simultaneously receive such type of prompting from the Holy Spirit and the result is usually positive. We looked at each other for a moment and fully understood what we had to do.

As the elderly man settled himself behind a desk, we quickly struck up a conversation with him. He talked much about his involvement with a local political party. He was also quite dedicated to the work in his Taoist temple. When asked about his view on Christianity, he was very amiable. He said that he appreciated the Christians because “they are good people”. He disclosed that a church was conducting their weekly service in the shop space next to his shop. When the worshippers needed to use toilet facilities, he would gladly let them use those at his shop.

We then asked him about the condition of his legs. He revealed that he had an accident about twenty years ago and had since become crippled. Was it inconvenient and painful for him? He said it was not a problem because he had gotten used to his crippled legs. We told him about Jesus and that the Lord could heal him. The man felt that the healing would be unnecessary because after all those years, he had become used to his handicapped condition. We insisted and after some hesitations, he relented.

The man apologized as he took off his shoes. We laid our hands on the deformed knees and crooked shin bones. We did not pray for healing. We simply applied our God-given authority and commanded the legs to be healed in the name of Jesus. After that, we asked the man to walk. He smiled as he walked up and down. He said he felt so much better. For three more times, we laid hands and commanded the legs to be healed. After every command, his legs became stronger and evidently, he was walking much better than when we first saw him. After the final command, he was walking normally and by then, his nephew had stopped working on our frame. The young man was speechless as he observed his uncle walking normally. The elderly man promised to give thanks to God for healing him in the church that was situated next to his shop.

This type of supernatural evangelistic approach is to happen repeatedly in our ministry. God works His miracles when we exercise our ‘mountain-moving’ faith.  Matthew 21:21 is very clear:  "if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea', and it will be done”.

Rev Albert Kang

Jesus Never Prayed For The Sick

In the Gospel, Jesus NEVER PRAYED FOR THE SICK. 

There is not recorded a single miraculous healing in which the miracle was a direct result of His prayer to the Father on behalf of the afflicted person. Rather, Jesus utilized His God-given authority and power to heal the sick.... 

In every instance, he DID NOT PRAY but COMMANDED THE INFIRM TO BE HEALED. 

In 20 plus years of my ministry, I prayed for the sick and most likely only 10 were miraculously healed. However, since 2005, thousands were healed through the execising of God's power and authority (Luke 9 and 10) to rebuke the diseases. 

Try not to ask Jesus to do your ministry. He has blessed you with power and authority and so utilize your faith and activate them and you will see better miraculous results. That's your ministry - to apply what Christ has given you to minister and share the Gospel.

Rev Albert Kang

Miracles From Houston To Vietnam

Miracles in Vietnam

Diep Huynh, a Vietnamese lady, while living in Houston, Texas, discovered that her abdomen was bloated. It had swelled from size eight to size sixteen and was throbbing with pain. She visited a doctor at the Hong Kong City Mall in Houston. The doctor’s initial diagnosis was not good. He recommended Diep to have a colonoscopy for a more accurate diagnosis. The doctor suspected that she had a tumor because her abdomen felt as hard as rock. Diep was traumatized by the bad news. She had migrated to America so as to have a better future and now this. She had no money or insurance for any expensive medical treatment. As she left the doctor’s office, she did not know what to do. She was desperate for someone to tell her what to do.

Lost in her grief, she wandered aimlessly in the mall and suddenly a sign in English and Vietnamese caught her eyes. Someone had set up a booth with a sign that offered ‘Healing Prayer’ for shoppers. Diep approached the prayer booth and asked for prayer. The pastor whose name is Khanh and his ministry partner, Jordan, laid hands on Diep and commanded the tumor to leave in the name of Jesus. Diep felt something literally moved inside her abdomen. She felt a definite sensation of fluid coming out of her and wetting her pants. But as she touched the pants, they were dry. The poor lady then grabbed hold of her pants because they were dropping down. Something had happened to her abdomen as it had shrunk back to its normal size. Diep was completely healed and with gratitude, she accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord.

Khanh and his team were trained by William Lau in one of The Elijah Challenge Training seminars. Today, they continue to operate the Prayer Booth at the Hong Kong Mall in Houston, Texas. Every Saturday, about 100 people accepted Christ as their Savior at this booth. The Vietnamese Baptist Church in Houston, Texas is now known as the fastest growing Vietnamese church in North America.
The story of Diep did not end there. God was getting her ready for another miraculous encounter thousands of miles from Houston. After the healing and salvation, Diep faithfully attended the Vietnamese Baptist Church. However, she became increasingly burdened for the salvation of her family members who were still in Vietnam. She regularly sent them letters that included her pastor’s sermon notes and torn pages of the Vietnamese bible. Through her distant witnessing, her family members in Vietnam accepted Christ as their Savior. These new Christians began to witness to others in their hometown. 

When Diep was given an opportunity to visit her motherland, she took it. When she arrived in Vietnam, she was eager to share with everyone about what the Lord had done for her. Hundreds of Vietnamese gave their lives to Jesus because they did not just listen to Diep’s testimony but also experienced actual miraculous healing in their bodies. God began to use Diep to minister mass healing to large crowds and many were healed and saved. The latest report is that out of her ministry, four new churches have been established in Vietnam.

Raising the Dead: Dr. Chauncey Crandall Recalls 2006 Miracle

Dr. Chauncey Crandall

Jeff Markin was a dead man. In fact, he was officially declared dead at 8:05 a.m. in a Florida hospital emergency room.

The date was Oct. 20, 2006.

Only 53 years old, Markin was a big, burly, ordinary guy, a mechanic by trade. And he wasn’t a religious man by any means.

Heart specialist Dr. Chauncey Crandall was attending to his patients when he was summoned to the emergency room. He knew his presence on the scene was not only a last resort, but also most likely a lost cause.

Markin’s heart rhythm had flat-lined with cardiac arrest from a massive heart attack. A full 40 minutes had come and gone since his heart beat last. His pupils were fixed and dilated—he’d been “down” too long.

By the time Crandall arrived at the emergency room, Markin’s heart had already been shocked six times with the defibrillator. Just to make sure, his non-beating heart received a seventh shock, also to no avail. Rounds of medication and other efforts had all failed to revive the patient.

Markin’s lips, fingers and toes had literally turned black with death from a lack of oxygen.

There was no doubt—he was dead.

After Markin died, nearly everyone left the room. Nobody wants to remain around the smells and specter of death.

While a nurse prepared Markin’s lifeless body for the morgue, Crandall remained in the room to write up his final report. Then, once he completed his paperwork, he headed toward the door to return to his patients.

Standing in the door’s threshold, however, he was overcome with a strong feeling—a deep-seated sense that God wanted him to turn around and pray for Markin.

At first, Crandall—a man of science—was somewhat reluctant, even embarrassed. He felt foolish. But the request from God came to Crandall again, even more compelling this time. So he felt called to heed the message. As Crandall put it, he felt like “God’s intercom.”

And even though the words Crandall said came through him, he had no sense of devising them—they poured from him of their own accord.

“Father God,” Crandall prayed, “I cry out for this man’s soul. If he does not know You as his Lord and Savior, raise him from the dead now, in Jesus’ name.”

Then another strange thing happened. Involuntarily, Crandall’s right arm shot up in a gesture of prayer and praise.

At that moment, the ER doctor came back into the room, and Crandall ordered him to give Markin what seemed like one more useless shock from the defibrillator. At first reluctant, the doctor finally did as Crandall asked and applied the defibrillator.

Immediately, the machine registered a perfect heartbeat. Markin started breathing on his own. His black, cyanotic toes and fingers twitched. Soon, he began to mumble.

Jeff Markin had returned from the dead. And Dr. Chauncey Crandall would never be the same again.

Dr. Crandall prays for a woman

Life-Transforming Story

Crandall’s story doesn't end with Markin’s second chance at life. It’s actually what happened earlier that proves even more compelling.

Historically, Crandall kept his conventional Christian faith and his medical practice separate—until June 2000, when he was confronted with the worst nightmare a parent can face: his son Chad’s life-threatening illness.

Eleven-year-old Chad and his twin brother, Christian, were happy and athletic all-American boys born to Crandall and his gorgeous high-school-sweetheart wife, Deborah. Chad’s diagnosis of a deadly form of leukemia hit like a bombshell.

"Heal My Son"

After the diagnosis, Dr. Crandall cut down his medical duties so he could learn more about the treatment of leukemia—and research what the Bible says about healing.

He sought like-minded Christians in his area but was disappointed to find that most of them did not truly believe in the power of prayer to heal. So Crandall had to travel the world and take some unusual paths in his quest for supernatural healing through Christ.

Surely there were those who still believed in God’s power to heal through prayer.

A Quest for Christ

Of course, Crandall did not neglect modern medicine for Chad. He sought out the best doctors, the best medicine and the best facilities in the country. Yet it wasn’t enough.

So he became bold in his spiritual enthusiasm.

Crandall found that Chad’s illness taught him how to fight the spiritual battle every Christian faces and that there is a certain privilege in desperation. As Crandall will tell you, “The physical and the spiritual go together.”

Soul Healing, Body Healing

During his son’s illness, Crandall realized how important it is to stay in shape and take care of yourself. God has work for you to do—and illness will only present a roadblock to your spiritual growth.

As Crandall puts it, “It’s important as God’s servants to honor the body as God’s temple. Otherwise, we give the devil an easy opportunity to shorten our service to God.”

Additionally, Crandall came to realize just how much the physical and spiritual are intertwined. The Lord told him, “I’ve given you a platform as a physician to win the lost for Christ.”

Crandall knows he still has much work to do as the “Christian physician.”

Dr. Chauncey Crandall is the author of Raising the Dead, in which readers take a walk in his shoes to discover how the grace of God can help overcome disease; how prayer, praise and thanksgiving can do wonders for stress and even eliminate the need for medications; and the problems with and causes of “why me” thinking when something bad happens to you or a loved one.

Jesus Healed My Heart

Dear Brethren in Christ,

Here is the personal testimony of a woman in Alabama, Mrs. Birdie Carter, who was healed of her heart condition when her niece, Dr. Princella Johnson of Virginia, ministered to her over the telephone during The Elijah Challenge Virginia Training 10 days ago. It's actually a note written by Mrs. Carter to her niece.

The Lord is so good!

Rev William & Rev Lucille

www.TheElijahChallenge.org

"Jesus Healed My Heart"

From:  Mrs. Birdie Carter
To:      Dr. Princella Johnson

My dearest niece,

I want to take the time to testify how the Lord truly blessed and healed my heart through your ministry over the telephone, and the other pastors and ministers of healing. I couldn't wait any longer to let you and the others know that through the powerful ministry Jesus healed my heart as per your request to him on my behalf!

I just want to tell you the story how it began on the eleventh of February, I had a Nuclear Medicine Stress Test.

The next day, my doctor called me, and said that the test showed that my 30/40 blockage of 2007 had worsened, and that it showed that my heart was not getting enough blood on one side. He scheduled an appointment for the 26th of Feb. for a catheterization of my heart so he could decide what he would need to do for my heart. That's when I called my niece, Dr. Princella Johnson of Virginia, and told her what the doctor said.

I asked her to pray that when I had this test, that my heart wouldn't need any surgery. She said, “Auntee, I'm going to be in a conference this week, and this conference is for healing.” So, she said she was going to call me via speakerphone, and she and other believers were going to minister healing to me. She called Saturday, Feb. 23; and they ministered. While many ministered to me I could hear her voice also, she was holding the phone over speakerphone so I could hear them ministering and I prayed along with them. As they ministered to me, I felt the Holy Spirit going through my body like electricity, and it felt as if my hair was standing on ends!

And I know the Lord healed my heart!

So on the 26th of February, I reported to the hospital as ordered, along with my two daughters, Marie Carter of Birmingham, Alabama and Mrs. Brenda J. Law from Columbus, Georgia. They had both come to be with me during the catheterization of my heart. When they were putting me to sleep, I advised the nurses, and also my heart doctor, Dr. Steven George, who is a top cardiologist, that I'm not claiming anything, and they smiled and said, “OK, that's good.”

After the test, the doctors told my daughter that my heart is operating fine, and that I do not need any surgery on my heart.

I give Jesus, God and the Holy Ghost the praise and the honor! He healed my heart through the ministry and faith of the righteous saints and believers! Many people were praying for me to include my brother and sister in-law, Mr. Allen and Mrs. Beatrice Foster of Tacoma, Washington and their church family. I was also praying myself, along with many others. The Lord has also divinely healed me from cancer of my throat in 1963, and breast cancer through prayer and faith!

I love you, 

Your Auntee,
Birdie Carter!!!Montgomery, Alabama

Do All Get Healed After We Ministered?

At Elijah Challenge, we have frequently been asked whether do all people get healed after we have ministered. The answer is 'no'. Even though high percentage got healed, but there are some who are not healed. We do not know the reason but we continue to minister healing. 

Sadly, some use these negative results as a reason to disbelieve in divine healing or avoid ministering healing. 

Now, take this comparison between healing the infirm and sharing the Gospel - do all people get saved when we share the Gospel? If not, then why are we still sharing the Gospel?

When I heal your heart, I will heal My Church's heart

"When I heal your heart, I will heal My Church's heart" 

Little nine-year-old Jaedyn, the granddaughter of Baptist Pastor Rickie Bradshaw in Houston, heard these words spoken audibly to her by the Lord Jesus. She had been born with an incurable heart disease in which her heart did not contract or beat normally. When listened to through a stethoscope, it would sound like the galloping of a horse and raise her blood pressure abnormally high. She had little energy at school, and often her grandparents would have pick her up and drive her home from school because she was too tired to walk.

On Sunday afternoon, December 2, 2012 Pastor Rickie hosted a Tent Meeting in Houston's Fifth Ward. He brought Jaedyn to receive her healing from the Lord. Then we led the disciples in laying hands on her heart, commanding it to be healed in the name of Jesus. Then we told her to run to a fence which was forty or fifty yards in the distance behind us. At first Jaedyn hesitated, remembering what her doctor had told her. But a brother took her by the hand and encouraged her to start running. The two of them took off at a quick jog, reaching the fence in several seconds. They turned around and ran all the way back to us. We could see that Jaedyn was not out of breath, exhausted, or in any distress. In front of the people we asked her how she felt, and she said she felt fine. Jaedyn spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying the event, feeling absolutely fine.

On the Saturday following Jaedyn's appointment with her doctors, he wrote us again: Pastor Rickie wrote: "I have great news. Jaedyn went to visit the transplant team of physicians at Texas Children's Hospital on Thursday. They checked her heart for any sign of health problems. After two physicians looked for what they called the galloping sound of her heartbeat, which is common with this disease, they checked multiple times and they could not find the galloping sound. They were amazed and very surprised. The galloping sound in her heart is always supposed to be present until she has a new heart. Her blood pleasure was a surprise as well. They were expecting a three-digit read up and down but her pressure was normal. They are going to do an ultra sound to see what may be going on before we can declare a miracle. Of course we have no doubts that she has healed.

..Since that day she has been as healthy as she has ever been. Prior to this, Jaedyn would become very tired after walking to class at school. Many times we would have to pick her up from school because she would be too exhausted. She went to school this week with no problems. This is amazing.

Two Wednesdays ago [before her miraculous healing], Jaedyn had an encounter with the Lord during Bible Study. He called her name audibly three times. She asked Him who was speaking to her. He told her that He was Jesus. He told her that He was going to heal her heart and He wanted to use her to speak on His behalf. She preached to the church for 90 minutes nonstop. Her message was about His church having a sick heart. She said that the church has fake worship. The Lord told her to tell us that His church worshipped Him to get a blessing from Him instead of worshipping Him because He is the blessing. He even told her to worship Him not because she needs a new heart but because He is her heart and when He heals her heart He will heal His Church's heart. She shared with us at the Bible Study that her heart was a symbol of the condition of His church's heart. She spoke to us as He had spoken to her. It was truly an amazing experience."

A few days later on December 20, Pastor Rickie wrote us again about Jaedyn: "Today was a great day for her at school. One of the administrators at school commented that it's becoming difficult to keep up with Jaedyn. She is so energetic."

75-year-old attorney gets up from brain-dead vegetative coma

Londrina, Parana, Brazil
November 2012


In the city of Londrina, Brazil, a 75-year-old attorney suffered from a brain aneurysm and had lapsed into an irreversible coma. He was in a vegetative, brain-dead state from which according to doctors there was absolutely no hope of recovery.

Two trained believers from the First Independent Presbyterian Church of Londrina, an Elder named Dr. Oziel who himself was a practicing physician and his Senior Pastor Rodolfo Montosa, ministered to him several times over the course of some months. The attorney miraculously woke up from his vegetative state with full cognitive functions. He is now physically active and back at work at his law practice.

Since all this took place, the Elder and his Pastor had not yet had an opportunity to share with him the gospel of Jesus Christ. One day in early November 2012 they took me to visit him and his wife at his home. His wife met us at the door and showed us into a vast study/living room where he was seated awaiting us.

Soon after catching sight of Dr. Oziel who had been used to bring him back from the practically dead, he began to weep tears of gratefulness. Several times during our brief visit, his tears would suddenly begin to flow. Dr. Oziel shared with him the gospel of the One whose power and name had brought him back so miraculously---the Lord Jesus Christ. With no reluctance or questions at all, he quietly accepted Jesus as His new Lord and Savior, and received from Him the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting.

Never have I seen such fruit ripe for the picking. Or, as Brother Rodolfo remarked to me as we drove away after our visit, the fruit was already on the ground ready to be picked up.

Mark 2:10-12 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." So he said to the man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all.

Pastor William

Do We Rebuke The Territorial Spirits?

By Rev William Lau
Proponents of what is called “spiritual warfare” in the heavenlies may be aware that it is not clearly supported by Scripture. Nowhere in Scripture is found any instance where a disciple directly rebukes and attempts to drive out principalities or “territorial spirits” from geographical areas. (We are not referring to intercession or prayer to God here, but offensive action directed specifically against powerful demonic beings in the heavenlies.)

The prophet Daniel was not performing such warfare in Daniel 10 when the archangel Michael engaged the prince of Persia in the heavenlies over him. Rather he was praying and fasting when God sent Michael to help the angel who had been sent to Daniel but had been detained by the prince of Persia. It is not recorded that Daniel was in any way aware of the warfare taking place in the heavenlies until the angel was released and appeared before him. Clearly Daniel was not involved in the struggle.

Neither Jesus nor any of his disciples engaged in such a practice as recorded in the New Testament. If "spiritual warfare" is such an important and necessary factor in evangelism, why does New Testament Scripture not record a single clear incidence of it? If the early disciples did not need to conduct such "warfare" and were nevertheless very fruitful preaching the gospel in their time, what makes us think that we need to do it today? It is clear that if we are not fruitful today in evangelism, it is not because we are lacking the dimension of "spiritual warfare." We must be lacking some other dimension---a dimension which must be clearly evident and staring at us from the pages of New Testament Scripture.

Later in this article we shall discover what that missing dimension is.

The Scriptures often cited from Ephesians 6:10-18 by spiritual warfare proponents actually refer to a defensive posture in which the believer puts on the full armor of God in order to take his stand against the devil’s schemes and against the rulers and authorities. “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” These verses cannot be used to support the practice of believers directly rebuking rulers and authorities in an offensive way.

Does Ephesians 6 really teach “spiritual warfare” in the heavenlies?


Does the end justify the means?

Finally, nowhere does Scripture explicitly command disciples to drive out territorial spirits in the name of Jesus. But since the practice is not expressly forbidden in Scripture, its proponents support its active use. Part of the reason the practice is justified by them is because of apparent results achieved in evangelism where the practice has been applied. There are some reports of areas where people had been closed to the gospel. But after spiritual warfare was performed with regional territorial spirits rebuked, people in the area were suddenly open to the gospel and accepted Jesus Christ in response to the gospel.

All this would appear well and good, especially when the salvation of souls and the Great Commission is at stake. However, we as servants of God must consider an important question before taking a position on this issue. Can the ends justify the means? The answer is no. Faithfulness to Scripture must take precedence over “results.” For example, we should not sweeten or water down the gospel---as is done so often today---in an attempt to bring more souls into the kingdom of God. The desire for “numbers” or "results" should never tempt us to compromise the gospel.

Moreover, there can be danger for us when we engage in offensive action which we have not been specifically authorized to perform. There is risk involved when we take action presumptuously, especially in the realm of the supernatural.

Numbers 14:44 Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the LORD’s covenant moved from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.


Another compelling reason not to do spiritual warfare

But there is now another and at least equally compelling reason why we should not engage in spiritual warfare in conjunction with preaching the gospel. By simply obeying the clear and unambiguous commands Jesus gave his disciples when he sent them out, we are now seeing unprecedented results in North India without the practice of direct "spiritual warfare" in the heavenlies.

Luke 9:1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. …6 So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.

Luke 10:9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’

Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in a the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

In 2007 The Elijah Challenge conducted the Basic Training in North India. Servants of God were taught how to heal the sick and cast out demons as Jesus taught and commanded his disciples when he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God. After that Joshua Gowda and Simon Haqq began to conduct monthly Evangelistic Feeding Events in which the gospel was preached, the sick were healed, demons were cast out of people, and the people were fed.

In such a way, 42 churches have been planted and 11,098 people (predominantly Hindus) have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ in mostly unreached villages. This took place between July 2007 and June 2010 when this article was written. Other churches networked with The Elijah Challenge have planted another 118 house churches in various parts of North India. By God’s grace there is a great move of the Holy Spirit throughout North India. Feeding Events and Elijah Challenge-trained churches are now being used by God in the area of evangelism and church-planting. “Spiritual warfare” is not a part of this.

Moreover, churches trained by The Elijah Challenge are now the fastest growing churches in North India. This is based on progress reports and testimonies Joshua has received from full-time pastors, workers, and churches networked with The Elijah Challenge. In the days to come, Joshua and Simon desire to bring millions of souls into the Kingdom of God through the approach the Lord has entrusted to them.


The difference between the two approaches

There is very significant difference between the current approach of spiritual warfare against territorial spirits followed by or in conjunction with preaching the gospel, and what is being done by Joshua and Simon in North India.

The current approach involves first spiritual warfare in an attempt to dislodge territorial spirits. After that the sick are prayed for---not necessarily healed as Jesus taught and commanded his disciples. And the gospel is preached. Now there are two unscriptural components in this approach. The first is of course the spiritual warfare. The second, surprisingly, is praying for the sick. Jesus never commanded his disciples to pray for the sick when he sent them out. Rather he commanded them to heal the sick---which is very different and involves actually performing miraculous healings in real time to confirm the truth of the gospel to the listeners.

The scriptural approach which Joshua and Simon are now using involves preaching the gospel, actually healing the sick as Jesus commanded his disciples in Luke 10:9 to confirm the message to the lost, and then feeding the people. The meal is used to draw the people to the event and for fellowship with the new believers afterwards.

Both approaches, it is claimed, result in people turning to Jesus Christ. But one involves some unscriptural practices while the other closely follows the commands given by Jesus to his disciples.


Choose one

Which approach is preferable? Most obviously, the approach which follows scripture closely is to be preferred. It results in the advance of the kingdom of heaven on earth, and there is no risk of counterattack by vengeful rulers and authorities in the heavenlies which we may have angered in our presumption when waging “spiritual warfare.” God is not obligated to protect us from their attacks in such a case.

Luke 10:19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

This verse applies when we trample on earthbound “snakes and scorpions” which likely refer to spirits and demons attacking people on earth at ground level. It does not apply when we attempt to trample on powerful beings in the second heavens which we have not been commanded or authorized to do.

Let us now return to the word of God to understand how to fulfill the Great Commission. Let us be faithful to obey Scripture. Let us remember the rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation: Sola scriptura. This Latin phrase means that Scripture alone is authoritative for the faith and practice of the believer. The Bible is complete, authoritative, and true. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

The “spiritual warfare” approach to evangelism adds a foreign dimension which is not taught in Scripture. It is not necessary, and could in fact be presumptuous and lead to unnecessary risks and suffering for ourselves and our loved ones.

We have ministered in some of the spiritually darkest places on the face of the earth. In Africa, we boldly challenge witchdoctors to a contest of power in the fashion of Elijah with the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel. And we consistently witness miracles and victory after victory over the enemy without having to resort to the practice of "spiritual warfare." And we are blessed with a side-benefit: we do not suffer from trials due to enemy retaliation and counterattack. We are convinced that we are shielded from them because we have not gone "beyond what is written" but simply done what the word of God says we should do. We are thankful also to our intercessors who blanket us with prayers to the Lord on our behalf.