Multitudes like Stars - by Sarah- Salome Ajayi (CfaN)

Over 3,000,000 decision cards completed, including over 1,000,000 on the final night of the crusade. This was the fulfillment of a prophecy Reinhard Bonnke says was given by the Holy Spirit 20 years ago - that he would see 1,000,000 souls saved in a single service. “I told the devil that I demanded an increase of 900 percent because he kept me out (of Nigeria) for nine years,” he said.

The Millennium Crusade and the Fire Conference organised by Christ for all Nations(CfaN) in Lagos in November 2000 set unprecedented records. 6 million people attended the crusade through out the week and there were 1,600,000 at the largest meeting.

Two thousand churches across Lagos united to help with the crusade. CfaN Director Rev. Peter Van den Berg said they were not excited by numbers because every single person is a soul that Jesus died for and has value. For them the real measure of a crusade is not the numbers that attend, but how many end up in churches and in the Kingdom of God.

The Fire Conference was held in the national football stadium. Eighty thousand people sat under the teaching of Reinhard Bonnke, Peter Van den Berg and Suzette Hattingh. About 10,000 renewed their commitment to serve Jesus at whatever cost. The four-day event ended with a special anointing service.

Reinhard, also know as the “Billy Graham of Africa” has always drawn large crowds at crusades and conferences. God’s miracles of salvation, healings and baptism in Holy Spirit occur all the time, however, this crusade was exceptional - people walked for hours from all over Lagos to get to the services. They arrived at the crusade venue hours before the meetings began so that they could get a frontline spot.

Amazing Miracles
As Reinhard prayed for the sick, he rebuked the infirmities - brain tumours, throat cancer, goiters and blindness. Pralysis, heart disease. Typhoid, asthma, eczema - ‘Be healed in the Name of Jesus!” Reinhard shouted. “Somebody is being healed of an injury caused by a bullet wound. That muscle that didn’t work is now working perfectly”. Ik Efe lifted a trouser leg as he gave his testimony to show a bullet hole by an armed robber a year ago. He said as Reinhard prayed, ”I felt some veins in my leg start moving”. He jumped to show his restored movement and threw down his walking stick before walking off the platform unaided.

Doctors had written her off.
Mrs. Patricia Uwazuoke had been battling with terminal cancer for over three years. She had been for treatment in the USA. The doctors had written her off. Her daughter arranged for her to come to the crusade. The first night the red Cross carried her to the crusade on a stretcher. The second night she felt stronger and was able to come by wheel chair. That night God touched her. she stood up and walked from the back of the crusade field to the front. She got stronger by the hour and the doctor in Lagos stated that her cancer is showing immediate signs of disappearing.

CfaN records show many other miracles of healing. A woman testified of the disappearance of a tumour in her left breast. God opened the ears of 10 year old Uforma. Rahael Amarh, an evangelist was blind in his right eye from birth, he was healed and can now see through both eyes. A 3-year-old boy, Chinedu, who had never been able to walk, was healed. A little girl was healed from a hard swelling in her lower abdomen. Nine-year-old Chineye was deaf and dumb. God opened her ears.

The deaf hear
In the crowd were about 30 boys from a school for the deaf. They had gathered under one of the huge speaker towers with their sign-language interpreter. Some of these boys were healed. The interpreter later testified that some of those healed had been deaf and dumb from birth.

The power of poverty broken
The prayers for miracles were not confined to that of physical healings, Reinhard was impressed by God to pray specifically for the poor. He said, "I have come to know that poverty can be as painful as sickness, and if Jesus come to heal the sick, He also came to those who suffer under the curse of poverty. I am not an analyst. I am not an economist. I can’t give you a job and I can’t give you money. But I do believe specifically for the poor." He said, "I have come to know   that   poverty   can   be   as   painful as sickness, and if Jesus come to heal the sick, He also came to those who suffer under the curse of poverty. I am not an analyst. I am not an economist. I can’t give you a job and I can’t give you money. But I do believe that God answers prayer in the name of Jesus!".

Burning good-luck charms
One night people demonstrated their submission and reliance on God by burning their good-luck charms and amulets. For many, witchcraft and juju seem to offer hope in the midst of their poverty and violence. Therefore Reinhard invited the people to publicly burn their fetishes at the meetings to show their allegiance to God.

Rain Stops at Jesus’ name
God’s presence and power continue to be displayed in different ways during the crusade. On one occasion, clouds darkened and before long a torrential downpour started but the crowd stood in the crusade ground, singing and praising the Lord. As the stream of incoming people increased, John Darku, CfaN West Africa Director stepped onto the platform and led the people in prayer. They prayed and rebuked the attack of the enemy - god honoured their faith and the rain stopped. The crusade proceeded without any disturbance by bad weather.
commenting on the crowd at the crusade, CfaN Trustee, John Ferguson said”I stood….a speck in a sea of humanity, conscious that I was looking at 1/4000th of the whole world’s population - and yet the Lord knows the heartbeat of everyone ….”

Now back in Nigeria after a nine-year ban in 1990 after a planned crusade in the Muslim north provoked riots, Reinhard says ”I am very much interested in Nigeria’s wellbeing. I would say ‘As Nigeria, so goes Africa.’ Nigeria has great saints and great sinners, but we preach the gospel to them. As Nigeria constitutes a large part of Africa, it is one thing for me to go to all these small nation (of Africa); but I feel much more work has to be done here.”

The Lagos crusade is the fifth he has held in Nigeria since being allowed to return. He has since had meetings in Uyo and Owerri. He says,”…if God has no peaks, then Lagos could be exceeded.”