Events
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Great Gospel Campaign in Kochi, India9 – 13 April 2008
Dear Mission-Partners,
As is so often the case, the meetings will take place on a large open field. The preparations are already well under way. The local churches and church fellowships are working wonderfully well together. There is a good sense of unity, with regular meetings being held to fast and pray. Representatives of all Christian denominations are “on board” and the whole region has been divided up into 50 sections for strategic purposes related to the tasks of inviting people to the meetings and following up the respondents. The cost of organising this event in India is, by the way, somewhat higher than for our gospel campaigns in Africa.
Join me in looking forward to the upcoming evangelistic campaign in Kochi. We are going to see people hearing the word, experiencing signs and wonders and accepting Jesus as their Lord and Saviour – just like in the Acts of the Apostles. Yours in the love of Jesus Kochi – Queen of the Arabian Sea"So there was great joy in that city." Acts 8,8
The cosmopolitan city, which, after Mumbai (Bombay), has the second largest port in India, has a very varied history, which was mainly influenced by the European colonial powers. Some 2,000 years ago the region around Kochi – which used to be known as Cochin – was famous as a source of spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla and, in particular, pepper, which was highly prized in the Middle Ages and sometimes cost more than gold. In 1498 the Portuguese seafarer Vasco da Gama landed on the coast of southern India and shortly afterwards the Portuguese built their first trading station in the city. In 1503 they established Fort Manuel, the first European fortress on the Indian subcontinent. Some buildings dating back to the Portuguese period can still be seen there today. St Francis Church, the oldest church in India built by Europeans, also dates back to that period and is where Vasco da Gama was buried. It was not long before the colonial masters had largely deprived the Indian maharajas of their power, and Cochin became the first European colony in India. It is where the colonisation of the subcontinent began. Around 150 years later Cochin was conquered by the Dutch. Under their rule the city began to flourish. Trade with Europe through the Dutch East India Company made a substantial contribution to the economic upturn. The port became the main trading base on the western coast of India and a centre of the worldwide spice trade. In the eighteenth century it took around eight months to reach Europe by ship. The region became the destination of many discoverers, traders and seafarers. From 1790 Kochi then came under British influence and was part of the British Empire until India declared independence in 1947. It is interesting to note that when, following independence from Great Britain, the first free elections in the state of Kerala were held in1956, the first freely elected Communist government in the world came to power. It has never lost its strong influence over Kerala and, apart from short intervals, has governed the state until today. In contrast to the situation in other parts of India, this has imposed certain restrictions on the strong political influence of the Hindus. Arrival - Wednesday, 9 April 2008Dear Mission-Partners,
Day 1 - Thursday, 10 April 2008Dear Mission-Partners, This crusade started with the Fire Conference in the morning. The power of God fell so mightily that I could not finish my sermon. The Holy Spirit took over in a glorious way. Thank you for all your love and support. Yours in His love and service, Reinhard Bonnke and the CfaN-Team.
Day 2 - Friday, 11 April 2008Dear Mission-Partners, We have just returned from the crusade field, still muddy and wet, but we saw a wonderful harvest of souls. Evangelist Daniel Kolenda gave short introductory address and then I followed with a full-blast Gospel message. What joy in heaven over every sinner saved and every soul delivered. The picture below will give you a general overview.
Day 3 - Saturday, 12 April 2008Dear Mission-Partners, Today was the great climax of the Fire Conference. 28,600 church-workers gathered in the huge and beautiful tent, Indian style. What shall I say: I have never experienced a Fire Conference like here! The Spirit of God fell so strong, that it was hard to stay on ones feet! The young people of India have grasped the immense significance of the Holy Spirit in connection with the Great Commission. We as a team are overwhelmed by what God has done and is doing! Reinhard Bonnke and the CfaN-Team.
Day 4 - Sunday, 13 April 2008Dear Mission-Partners, The last meeting of this Gospel Crusade was also a rainy one. It began to rain when I started preaching, or even before, until the end. Yet we still had a rich harvest of souls. We are seasoned open-air-evangelists and know how to handle it. We thank the Lord for well over 100,000 registered decisions for salvation and move to the next Gospel Crusade. In this meeting we experienced some very dramatic healings. A young woman, 25 years old and totally deaf and dumb from birth, experienced glorious healing. She and her mother were weeping and the crowd was roaring praises to the Lord. Others were healed from stroke-paralysis, diabetes, etc. Jesus is wonderful.
Kochi, India catches the FireShowers of Blessings
Dear Mission-Partners,The glorious ministry we experienced in Kochi, India can only happen with the fire and power from above. Fire is not an extra, a reward for good service, or a spiritual luxury. It is God’s gift to all, “My Spirit on all flesh.” Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke |
The most important thing that people need to hear today is the liberating message of our Lord Jesus Christ, the gospel. Amid all the confusion, chaos and uncertainty of the times in which we live, it is the only foundation which holds really firm. That is true for Africa, Europe and definitely also for India, where, after nearly ten years, the Lord is taking us once again. I can hardly wait to take the message of redemption to the people in India. Together with my team, I am already set for a major evangelistic campaign in one of the major cities in southern India, Kochi. Like our last campaign in India, the event is called the Good News Festival.
Now it is time to leave for our next Great Gospel-Crusade in India. I am told that there are some 5,500 churches of all denomations are participating. They have experienced heavy rain, the likes of which have not been seen in the last 25 years! We are praying that the land will dry out and then that the Holy Spirit will soak it again in his glorious presence!
Kochi – which is also known as the “Queen of the Arabian Sea” – is a city on the Malabar Coast (Pepper Coast) in India’s tropical south. With well over 600,000 inhabitants it is the largest city in the state of Kerala. More than 1.5 million people live in the region around Kochi.
Trade in sought-after spices such as vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, chilli, cinnamon, ginger and especially pepper from the tropical forests of the nearby Western Ghat Mountains is today still one of the main sources of income alongside the textile industry, ship-building and coconut processing. The state of Kerala – which means “land of the coconut palm” – has a unique, rich natural heritage. People say that, apart from poppies, all known spices in the world could thrive in that area. Kochi is still considered the most important hub in India of the global spice trade. The region is considered relatively prosperous for India, and there are few people who cannot read or write. Life expectancy is high.
Where the Apostle Thomas once preached
Greetings from India. We have safely landed in the city of Kochi/Kerala and expect a mighty harvest of souls. Although this is supposed to be the dry season, it has rained every day so far. We trust the Lord to keep us dry fro the sake of the open-air-crusade. As you see from the attached pictures, the land is huge, the Fire Confernce-tent is put up, as well as the gigantic platform. And also tonight’s service with people of Kochi’s top society – many precious souls were saved by Jesus Christ.
Home to more than a billion people and quickly overtaking China as the most populated country on earth, India is a mission field of staggering proportions. This April, Christ for all Nations brought its “Good News Festival” to Kochi, India, a beautiful seaside city situated along the southwestern coast of Kerala State on the Arabian sea. Its humid and tropical climate is ideal for growing coffee, rice and coconuts, but we were there for a very different kind of harvest – one with eternal implications.
Each night Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke’s voice blasted the crystal clear declaration of the Gospel through the massive sound system to the waiting, eager crowd. And each night, the same message of salvation that has changed the lives of millions in Africa, fell upon this fertile Indian soil with its inherent supernatural results. A 25-year-old woman, totally deaf and dumb from birth, was instantly healed. A man’s broken back was mended. Blind eyes and deaf ears were opened. Many demons were cast out. One woman had just been told by the Islamic healer that there was nothing that could be done for her severe heart condition. A friend told her, “Go to the Bonnke Crusade and you will be healed.” That night she felt something happening in her chest as Jesus gave her a new heart. Indeed many hearts were changed by the greatest miracle of all: salvation, as free and refreshing as the rain falling on every face. Each night thousands of people pushed through the mud, rain, heat and bugs to take hold of the Pearl of Great Price. Many of these people, some from the lowest caste of Indian society, will one day rule with Christ on millennial thrones … salvation is the greatest promotion of all.
Each session was charged with the atmosphere of heaven and the climax came in the final meeting. With more than 31,200 delegates present, the Holy Spirit fell while Evangelist Bonnke was in mid-sentence. The scene that followed is difficult to describe and impossible to capture with a photo. Everywhere I looked there was something happening. It seemed as if no one was untouched. With no music and no hype, a deafening roar went up from the crowd that lasted well over an hour. Some people were knocked to the ground. Others were dancing. Some people were weeping. Others were laughing. Some people were bowed low in reverence and others were shouting in new tongues. Everybody was experiencing something. Suddenly, Evangelist Bonnke began to prophecy. “The Holy Spirit spoke to me right now. A mighty revival here in India will start with the young people. And this will be contagious in the whole nation. And the young generation will be unstoppable, unstoppable, unstoppable …” His interpreter fell to the ground as though struck by lightning and the youth began to rush the platform with a fervor that rivals any I have ever seen. Evangelist Bonnke said later, “I have never experienced a Fire Conference like here! The Spirit of God fell so strong, that it was hard to stay on one’s feet! The young people of India have grasped the immense significance of the Holy Spirit in connection with the Great Commission.”
Best Fire Conference ever
