Understanding Generational Curses – Part 4 (The Basis Of This New Teaching)

Today, the topic of generational curses or generational sins is prevalent if you get involved in the healing and deliverance ministry. (This is not taught in the Elijah Challenge or Healing Encounter Ministry). In the marketplace, there are literally hundreds of books teaching that your present problems are the results of what your ancestors did in the past. Coming from the Pentecostal and Charismatic traditions, I am naturally exposed to such teaching promoted by many popular leaders of our movements. The truth of the matter is that I have never heard of this teaching until the early 1990s. It might have been there earlier but it did not catch on that fast. Now, fast forward to 2022, this teaching is not only popular but has become almost like a “fundamental truth” in the belief system of most Pentecostal and Charismatic believers who have been saved during those last 30 years.

Does The Bible Really Teach This?
Would there be some truths in this new teaching? Do I go along with the teaching even if I discovered discrepancies in its exegesis and hermeneutics? How am I to reconcile with the fact that top Pentecostal / Charismatic leaders are preaching and teaching this topic? Entire series of books has been devoted to teaching you how to repent and renounce all the sins of your ancestors. What about the proper interpretation of Scripture that I have learned from Professor Gordon Fee during my seminary days? I remember one statement that he made very succinctly in class and that was “the Bible will never say what it never did say!” Can I ignore this fact, and embrace this teaching because it is popular? My conscience does not allow me to do so because the Christian faith can only remain true to the teaching of Jesus Christ if we “believe” (faith), and “practice” (faith in action) by the correct interpretation and understanding of Scripture.

During my forty years of ministry, I have observed what Professor Fee has pointed out in his book about people who attempt to outsmart others by coming out with all kinds of unique interpretations, claiming them to be from the Holy Spirit, angels, or even some departed saints. Professor Fee wrote that… “Interpretation that aims at, or thrives on, uniqueness can usually be attributed to pride (an attempt to “outclever” the rest of the world), a false understanding of spirituality (wherein the Bible is full of deeply buried truths waiting to be mined by the spiritually sensitive person with special insight), or vested interests (the need to support a theological bias, especially in dealing with texts that seem to go against that bias).”
Gordon D. Fee, How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth.

The Basis For This New Generational Curses Teaching
There is not a trace of such teaching in Church history until about 30 years ago. What is the basis for such teaching? We can easily trace to the misinterpretation of God’s Word. The most common scripture verses used by the proponents of the generational curses are from Exodus 20:5-6; 34:6-7; Numbers 14:18; and Deuteronomy 5:9-10. The reason is because of a warning placed by the Lord to the Children of Israel against disobedience and unfaithfulness with words such as “visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children . . . to the third and the fourth generations” (KJV).

The meaning of these verses has been changed from God’s warning of the repercussion for disobedience to become generational curses. From the correct meaning of bad generational influence to another totally foreign meaning and that is the descendants will acquire the accumulated sins and also punishments on behalf of all their ancestors. If that is true then what about this scripture that “the son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffers for the iniquity of the son.” (Ezekiel 18:20, cf. Jeremiah 31:30). Why is this clarifying verse not taken into consideration?
What about the promise of Jesus in John 8:36 – “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” How about what Paul wrote in Galatians 5:1 – “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery.” Paul was especially concerned not of any ancestral sins or generational curses but our personal sins that will put us back to the “yoke of slavery”.

Satan Added Into The Teaching
The next thing that the proponents of this teaching do is to add Satan into the picture. They say that since God sees you as being guilty, not just for your own sins, but also the sins of your ancestors, then if you did not repent and renounce on their behalf, you would have given the devil the legal rights to attack you. You and your family will suffer misfortune, failed marriages, violence, sicknesses, addictions, impotence, failures, poverty, and all kinds of unimaginable disasters and crises, etc.

Aren’t all these frightening? What about the blood of Jesus that was shed for your sins? Well, the proponents say that the blood is there but you must take an ADDITIONAL STEP to appropriate the blood by removing the curses that you have inherited from your sinful ancestors. Accepting Jesus as your personal Savior by confessing, repenting, and renouncing your sins is not enough. Being born-again is not enough. Even though you are now in a different bloodline is not enough. They say that you still have to break all these generational curses. And so, you run to a so-called expert or minister to help you in a ritual of repenting and renouncing all the sins of your ancestors.

The Rise of A New Breed of Experts
These self-proclaimed experts will see visions for you, listen to God’s advice for you, and reveal all the generational curses that are inundating you. They will lead you in an elaborate ritual of listing the sins of your ancestors all the way back to four generations. You will need to confess the sins of those sinful ancestors, even they are not your own sins. You will be led to renounce all these sins and some ministers will even ask you to cut the shackles of generational curses by using your hands to strike the air with a cutting movement. You are to declare and decree that all these curses have been cut and broken in the name of Jesus. Finally, you are to repeat the prayer led by the minister or recite a recommended prayer. Are all these really biblical? Do we see Jesus or the Apostles doing and teaching these?

Personally, I do not know where all the “experts” get all these from. However, they actually reminded me of the time when my grandmother visited a Chinese temple medium to do certain rituals to get rid of all the calamities in our family. The medium went into a trance and declared the reasons for our misfortune. According to the interpreter for the medium, one of our ancestors had done a very cruel deed in the past and so our family was paying the penalty for it. Then a specific instruction was given about what type of peace-offering we have to give to that offended soul, which corner of the house we have placed certain sacred objects, and what talismans we have to paste on the doorposts, where we should have an extra altar, how many joss-sticks to burn, and what chant to utter when doing so. Very elaborate and very convincing because subsequently peace returned to the family and calamities were circumvented.

The danger that I see is that these so-called experts in handling generational curses would become “personal priests or mediums” to many who are gullible enough to seek their help. This happened before and will happen again. This is the End Times and many people would be deceived into this type of fruitless pursuit.

More New Methods And Rituals
Then as though this type of ritual is not enough, popular “teachers” keep coming out with new methods of breaking the generational curses. The latest approach is to go to the “Courts of Heaven” and get rid of your ancestral sins and generational curses. The proponents of this latest method claim that at the “Courts of Heaven”, you get to assert your “legal rights” in order to get rid of all these curses. When you get a favorable verdict from God then you are free from further harassment of such ancient curses and the attacks of the devil. Once again, we question whether this is a biblical approach and where in the New Testament we have been advised to go to the “Courts of Heaven”?

Talking about new rituals, that reminded me of the 1980s when I was pastoring in Singapore. A couple of self-styled ministers there developed a deliverance ritual such as getting people to stand in positions to form a cross. Then the officiating minister stood in the center of the cross. He apparently had these special eyes to see demons attacking. And so he shouted that he had spotted demons from a particular direction flying at them. He wanted all to be alert and ready to fight the demons. Then he commanded for all to draw out their invisible swords which were earlier placed on their backs. Then they had to say “siang” to mimic the sound of the invisible swords being drawn out. There was actually nothing in their hands but these participants had to cut the air above them with their invisible swords to kill the demons. This method of destroying the demons is not only unbiblical but hilarious. This is the result of an over fertile imagination stimulated by some Hong Kong kungfu movies. If I am not wrong, this method is still being used by some today.

The Tedious Rituals To Get Rid Of The Generational Curses
Let’s assume that the teaching of generational curses is accurate and biblical because there are many testimonies from practitioners to convince you that such a method works. You would read that this person or his family has been set free from generational curses and how happy they are now. However, when you probe deeper, you will discover a DILEMMA – with the lineages from both your parents and then from both sets of grandparents who in turn, inherited generational curses from both their parents (your great-parents) who inherited from both sets of great-great-grandparents, etc, you would have a long list of ancestors with their long lists of sins. Like one of the teachers of generational curses states that you have a “long shadow from the past” like a “long evil arm of curses” that grab hold of you so that you are not blessed but cursed. That is the reason why this generational curses teaching creates more bondages than setting people free. There will always be a doubt that maybe you have not dealt with some missing or hidden ancestral sins.

Why Some Still Believe In Generational Curses?
This is one puzzle that I have been trying to solve. Since believers are now in the spiritual bloodline of the second or last Adam (Jesus) then why are so many still living in the cursed bloodline of the first Adam? Then it dawned on me that people are thinking that their weaknesses are all results of the generational curses instead of the original sin nature given to us by Adam.

For example, I used to have an anger management problem even after accepting Christ. That’s the result of my “Sin” nature and not so much a curse. I had to go through the sanctifying process of the Holy Spirit and learn how to exercise my self-control. My legal rights as a child of God have been acquired at the cross and therefore, I am now free to become the person whom God wants me to be. However, that sanctification is a long process. The earlier I die to myself, the earlier I would become alive to Christ, and the earlier the Holy Spirit can transform me to be like Christ. When I learn to fully surrender to the Lord, the uncontrollable rage no longer exists. No curse was broken except that I have matured in Christ.

What About Past Demons?
For Christians who are still under the influence of those demons that have crept in before they accepted Jesus, the only option is to cast them out with the kingly authority and in the mighty name of Jesus. There is no question that these believers are fully saved because they are justified by the death of Christ on the cross. They have the fullest legal rights as children of God and so these demons cannot harass them anymore. The believers who have been affected, do not need to go through the tedious ritualistic process of repenting for their ancestors and renouncing their sins. All they need to do is to shut the door by repenting of their own sins and not going back to them again. By living a repented life, all believers should never need to be victims of the devil. They, instead, can become kingdom warriors to attack the enemy by applying their kingly authority.

You Are Not Under Any Curse
As long as you do not choose rebellion against God, nothing of your ancestors is going to cling to you and make you pay. Listen to what Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 31:29-30
In those days people will no longer say, “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.”
Jesus has taken all the curses away from you at Calvary cross. When you accepted Him as your Savior, you are born again into His bloodline. You do not need to repent and renounce the sins of your ancestors to be a part of this bloodline. Jesus did it for you and His Blood is powerful enough to redeem you from any curse. The Bible is clear that everyone is to be responsible for his own sins and you are not responsible for the sins of your ancestors. You are definitely not under any curse.

If you have missed out on the previous articles about Generational Curses, please check out the following:
Understanding Generational Curses – Part 1 (Adamic Curse Versus Generational Curse)

Understanding Generational Curses – Part 1 (Adamic Curse Versus Generational Curse)

Understanding Generational Curses – Part 2 (Does God Punish Sons for the Sins of Their Fathers?)

Understanding Generational Curses – Part 2 (Does God Punish Sons for the Sins of Their Fathers?)

Understanding Generational Curses – Part 3 (The Danger of Witch Hunt)

Understanding Generational Curses – Part 3 (The Danger of Witch Hunt)

Is Unforgiveness Blocking Your Healing?

Since 2005, I have ministered healing successfully to more than 10,000 people and I praise God that they have been gloriously healed. However, I notice another large group of people, even though they have great faith to be healed but still do not receive their healing miracles.

There may be various reasons why they are not healed but after having counseled and checked many cases, I traced the discrepancy to one huge, ugly obstacle and that it is unforgiveness. This confirmed what I have learned from the Bible and also from my mentor, Pastor William Lau, the founder of The Elijah Challenge. The unconfessed sins of bitterness, hatred, and unresolved anger are actually hindering God’s blessings and healing miracles.

In a few of the deliverance encounters, demons left upon my command but returned quickly to the victims. I call this the “Swinging-Door Syndrome“. Unforgiveness somehow gives the demons the legal ground to enter the victim again. (Matthew 12:43-45).

Our Lord Jesus knew the danger of unforgiveness and how it would hurt us – and so He gave this admonition, “if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done.” (Matthews 6:15).

In Matthew 9, we read the narrative of a paralyzed man lowered from the roof so that Jesus could heal him. Before Jesus healed him, He first forgave the sins of the paralyzed man. The paralysis was obviously caused by the man’s sins and therefore that needed to be dealt with.

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Forgive us the wrongs we have done, as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.” (Matthews 6:12)

Peter was trying to place a limit to forgiveness when he asked, “Lord, if my brother keeps on sinning against me, how many times do I have to forgive him? Seven times?” ‘No, not seven times,’ answered Jesus, ‘but seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21-22). In short, Jesus was teaching that in the kingdom of God, we should always forgive each other. There is no limit to forgiveness.

Paul emphasized, “You must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you.” (Colossians 3:13).

A forgiven person should be the first to recognize the need to forgive others. The chances why it is difficult for most believers to forgive is because they have forgotten that they are forgiven people. When believers fail to accept the truth of their own forgiveness, they continue to live with a sense of guilt and self-condemnation. The hurts caused by the offenses that have been taken away by the Lord at the cross, continue to be upon them. This perpetually generates unlimited guilt and shame upon their lives.

There is no freedom of Christ for those who have allowed themselves to be shackled and imprisoned by their own harsh judgmental attitude. People who are under judgment will always judge others. When you shackle yourself to the notion of “justice” and that you must get even with those people who hurt you or despitefully use you, you lose your freedom within your spirit. You no longer can be gracious or operate from the zone of grace.

The truth of the kingdom is that the people who recognize themselves to be under grace, find the source of strength to always be gracious to others. Once you realize that you are no longer under judgment but have been fully forgiven by the grace of God, you are liberated and become free. Suddenly, you’ll notice that the door of your self-imposed prison of judgment has never been locked. The grace of God has smashed every lock of judgement and condemnation. You do not need to remain in this dreadful dungeon anymore but step out into the sunshine of grace and forgiveness. Now you will have the grace and freedom to forgive others seventy times seven times.

Here are some declarations that you present before the Lord and be set free from the shackle of unforgiveness:

In the mighty name of Jesus, I nullify the power of these past offenses that have been keeping me in mental anguish, emotional shackles and spiritual bondage.

I surrender to the Lord any right to judge so-and-so for saying bad things about me or doing harm to me.

I write off any responsibility, debt, liability, or obligation that the person owes me because of past offenses.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, I forgive all who have offended me and release them unto the Lord.

I humbly submit to the Lord and ask Him for courage, grace and strength to relate with the person without regard to past offenses.

I am asking and will continue to ask God’s blessings to be upon their well-beings.

Here is a video on Radical Forgiveness! Trust that it will help you. God bless!

Part 5 – Why Some Are Healed And Others Are Not? [The Belief That Miracles Have Ceased]

A Lutheran missionary to Cambodia visited me in Phnom Penh to ask for some advice about casting out demons. He did not know what to do with a demon-possessed person in his congregation at Siem Reap. He said he was never taught how to cast out demons during his missionary training. After showing him how to use his God-given authority and power to cast out evil spirits, he went back to do so by faith. After a week or so, he returned and happily informed me that he had successfully cast out the evil spirits from the afflicted person. My question to this missionary was why did his organization send him to Cambodia without teaching him how to engage the enemy. Did they really think that there would be no demonic activities in the mission field? No wonder, we read about “defeated” missionaries returning home totally discouraged and disillusioned.

Do we really have a correct understanding of what ministry and mission is all about? Have we been hoodwinked into thinking that we can just hide in a little corner and do our little ministry peacefully while the whole world is powerless in the face of an evil onslaught? So, can we can cast out demons or not? Can we heal the sick in the mighty name of Jesus or not? Can we do what Jesus did or not? Is the Church empowered to confront the enemy or not?

CAN WE HEAL THE SICK?
A pastor from the Philippines warned me not to say that we, the disciples of Christ, can heal the sick in the name of Jesus. His belief was that only Jesus can heal and that we are all powerless except by praying to Jesus to do the work. Now, this pastor has changed his approach and is healing the infirm in the mighty name of Jesus. Why? Because right at the airport, I ministered healing to his injured legs and he walked without pain. Then I showed him Luke 9:1-2.

 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 proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

That was the convincing factor for him – the Lord had given power and authority to His disciples so that they could do what He did. And that applies to all modern disciples too. The Filipino pastor believed and applied the kingly authority accordingly. Now his ministry is not only with powerful preaching of God’s Word but is confirmed with signs and wonders. This is in accordance with what Jesus said in John 14:12

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. 

By simply believing what Jesus has promised, my life and ministry have been thoroughly transformed too. From the early years of my ministry as a Pastor, I prayed to Jesus and asked Him to heal the sick, if I remember correctly only 10 people were healed. Since, learning from Pastor William Lau of The Elijah Challenge in 2005, of not asking Jesus to be the servant and do the work of healing, instead, I became the servant and dId the healing in the mighty name of Jesus, more than 10,000 people have been healed.

HAVE MIRACLES CEASED?
Today, some churches believe that miracles have ceased in spite of much evidence and testimonies of unexplained instant healing cases reported not only from the churches but in news portals and various social media channels. The anti-miracles Christians explain all these away as false miracles and call them “lying wonders.” They based their understanding on 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12. This portion says that Satan will deceive people who do not love the truth by using signs and lying wonders. They also refer to Revelation 13:13 that describes the false prophet as having the ability to cause supernatural fire to come down from heaven.

Then they invoke the serious warning from Jesus found in Matthew 7:21-22, misquoting this portion to mean the Lord is against all so-called prophets. However, a closer examination of the scriptural context reveals that the Lord had already identified the false prophets in Matthew 7:15-20. And He had indicated that the way to recognize true or false prophets is by identifying their fruits. So, this portion can hardly be used as biblical proof that miracles have ceased and that anyone ministering in signs and wonders is a false prophet.

DID MIRACLES CEASE AFTER THE WRITING OF THE NEW TESTAMENT?
Another reason that some churches give as to why God performed healing miracles only in the past is that those incidents were primarily for the purpose of writing the New Testament. Since that task has already been completed, miracles should cease by now. For the same reason, not only miracles have ceased but the spiritual gifts, particularly speaking in tongues and prophesying, have also ceased. Their favorite supporting verses are found in 1 Corinthians 13:8-10.

Let us read verse 10: “But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.” (NKJV) or in the NIV translation: “But when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.”

They have taken the Greek word, “tevleio” which means “completion” to refer to the “Completion of the Bible” as written words of God rather than the “Completion of the Age.” Did Paul actually write about the completion of the Bible or was he referring to something else?

The context of this scriptural portion has no indication that Paul even had the “Completion of the Bible” in mind when he wrote to the Corinthian Christians. In fact, Paul did not even realize that God would use his epistles to become an integral part of the New Testament. How could he write something that he had no idea at all? How could he add an idea that was outside the context of his explanation?

WHAT IS THE CORRECT BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION?
A good basic rule that governs biblical interpretation is that the Bible should never be interpreted to say what it never did say. Why then is this traditional argument that depicts the “Completion of the Bible” as the reason for the cessation of healing miracles accepted by most Evangelical believers? Could it be due to the lack of miracles in their churches that have forced them to find an excuse?

It seems that once a certain theory is repeated long enough, it is then believed to become synonymous with Biblical Truth.

Today, most believers are aware of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The time for obedience is even more critical because there is still much work to be done. Jesus is very concerned about our obedience: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).

Doing what Jesus instructed is crucial not only to our spiritual growth but to the fulfillment of the Great Commission. We cannot choose to obey only portions of His instruction and be effective. There must be a reason why the Commander-in-chief has instructed us in such a way and also given us the Kingly Authority to encounter the evil one. Soldiers must submit to the Commander-in-chief and do what He desires. To obey only when it is convenient is not the correct attitude of a faithful kingdom warrior. Let’s respond to the Commander-in-chief and march according to the order of the heavenly herald. To victory in the mighty name of Jesus.

Here is my recent video message on YouTube of why some people are healed and some are not:

Part 4 – Why Some Are Healed And Others Are Not? [The Difference Between Faith and Presumption]

In the previous articles, I have pointed out that healing miracles may be blocked by the lack of faith – whether it is in the patient or the minister of healing. Therefore, having “mountain-moving faith” is of key importance in receiving healing miracles. I must also clarify that on many occasions, the lack of faith may not be the only reason why a patient is not miraculously healed.

Guilt Through Presumption
Many patients have carried the terrible burden of guilt because of the accusation by well-meaning healing ministers that these sick people lacked the faith to receive their healing miracles. For example, a 16-year old teenager who had both his legs amputated because of bone cancer was devastated by immense guilt. An elderly brother from our church visited him and told this young believer that God would grow his legs back if he had enough faith. The teenager was desperate because he could not muster enough faith to grow back his legs. His guilt was intensified by the presumption of our church member.

The question is asked, “Can God grow back those legs?” I believe that our Creator God can perform any miracles if He wanted to. Growing limbs would be a simple feat as compared with the resurrection of Lazarus by Jesus. Imagine, Jesus had to restore the dead brain cells, non-functioning organs, and all the decaying flesh of Lazarus who had died and was buried for four days. (John 11:17-44). And in this case, Jesus raised Lazarus back to life without even requiring Lazarus to activate his faith. The poor fellow was dead, remember? He had no faith at all and 100% of faith was from Jesus.

Difference Between Faith And Presumption
God is sovereign and He knows what is best. When King Herod chopped off the head of John the Baptist (Mark 6:27), Jesus did not perform a miracle to place John’s head back and bring him back to life. Could Jesus raise the dead? Of course! Jesus raised the dead son of a widow of Nain (Luke 7:11–17) and also Jairus’s daughter (Luke 8:54-55). You may question that wouldn’t it be better to raise John the Baptist as he would be of great benefit to the kingdom of God? You may have your reason and presumption but once again, God is sovereign and He knows best.

In the early church, the disciples were doing great miracles but when James was killed, they did not raise him back to life. (Acts 12:2). In the same chapter, we read about Peter being rescued from prison by an angel (Acts 12:7-10). Why didn’t God save James in the same manner? Wasn’t James a member of Christ’s inner circle of three, along with Peter and John? How about Stephen? Did the early church raise him from the dead after he was being stoned to death? (Acts 7:59). Could they raise the dead? Of course! Peter raised Dorcas from the dead in Acts 9 and Paul raised Eutychus who fell to his death after falling asleep by the window (Acts 20).

Three Basic Guiding Posts
Jesus said that “all things are possible” for those who have faith. James confirmed that without faith, no one would receive anything from God (James 1:7). However, so often, because of presumptuous faith, we move with unwarranted authority, thinking that we are the ultimate determiners of all miracles. That is an erroneous idea and an absolutely misplaced assumption. God has a bigger plan that goes far beyond our little crises, aches, and pains. He may want us to do certain things and not do certain things so as to fulfill His ultimate purpose. We just have to be more attentive and listen to His guidance.

Here are the three basic guiding posts that you would need to follow so as to avoid presumptuous faith and activate real mountain-moving faith. We have to ask whether we have…
1. Precedents, principles, or examples in the Bible that we can apply.
2. Specific instruction by God that clearly delineates our healing ministry.
3. A word of knowledge or the gift of discernment that directs us to do otherwise

Healing A Deaf-Mute
On a mission trip to Solo city, Indonesia, our mission team and I were faced with the request to heal a man who was born deaf and dumb. So, we ministered according to the above guiding posts:

1. Precedents, principles, OR examples in the Bible that we can apply.
In Mark 7:31-37, we learn that Jesus healed a man who was deaf and mute. The Gospel has identified no fewer than 26 healing miracles during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. The apostles followed after the footsteps of Jesus and they performed many miracles (Acts 2:43). Peter and John healed a lame man at the gates of the Temple (Acts 3:7-11). Signs and wonders were a part of the ministry of the apostles (Acts 5:12). Peter healed many from various cities (Acts 5:12-16). Stephen, who was not an apostle, performed great wonders and signs (Acts 6:8). In Samaria, Evangelist Philip who was one of the deacons did great miracles and signs (Acts 8:6,7,13). Ananias healed Saul of his blindness (Acts 9:17-18). Peter healed Aeneas (Acts 9:32-35). In Joppa, Peter raised Dorcus from the dead (Acts 9:39-42). Paul performed healing miracles in Iconium (Acts 14:3,4). At Lystra, Paul healed a crippled man in the mighty name of Jesus (Acts 14:8-18). Paul delivered a woman who was possessed by an evil spirit (Acts 16:18). Paul performed many miracles in Ephesus (Acts 19:11,12). In Troas, Paul raised Eutychus from the dead (Acts 20:8-12). Paul healed the islanders of Malta who were diseased (Acts 28:8-9). So, we have ample examples and precedents for us to proceed with healing this deaf-mute.

2. Specific instruction by God that clearly delineates our healing ministry.
The instruction from Jesus is “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 14:12). What did Jesus do? He preached the Gospel of the kingdom. He healed the sick and cast out demons, and He made disciples. So, that means that we can do what Jesus did. Moreover, the Gospel recorded that Jesus had given power and authority to His disciples to heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach the Gospel of the kingdom. (Luke 9 & 10), What more do we need? The Lord has spoken!

THE HEALING MIRACLE BEGUN
It was in Gereja Gideon Gumunggung, that we ministered to this man who was born deaf and dumb. In our first few commands, the man’s ears were opened and he could hear. However, since he could not talk, he gestured to that fact. And so I laid my hand upon his mouth and commanded the spirit of dumbness to leave him. And to test him, I indicated for him to repeat after me by saying “Puji Tuhan” (Praise God) and “Hallelujah!” As he repeated those words, the congregation was cheering. Some were in tears. Later, after the service, the sister of this man confirmed that this man who was already in his 50s, was born deaf and dumb and now he had received his healing miracle from the Lord. Praise the Lord.

3. A word of knowledge or the Spirit of discernment that directs us to do otherwise
In general, we do not need a word of knowledge to minister healing. When an infirm asks for healing, we would normally just go ahead and command for the infirmity to go in the mighty name of Jesus. We expect the person to be healed and that he or she should give glory to God after the miracle
However, if we were to discern within our spirit, that we should not proceed with ministering of healing at that particular instance, we should stop. As we listen to the Holy Spirit, He will reveal certain deeper spiritual issues in the patient. We usually cease all healing ministry and address the spiritual issues first. In summary, we do not need a word of knowledge or a Rhema word to minister healing but we do need to obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit if He were to give us a word to stop ministering healing.

What have we learned from today’s lesson?
We have to be careful not to give the infirm guilt trip or false accusation that they do not have enough faith to be healed. Wisdom is needed in how to encourage the faith of those who are seeking divine healing. It may very well be the minister of healing who lacks that mountain-moving faith. On the other hand, God may have His reason to delay healing. Just like in my case – I had to wait in God’s waiting room for two years after Pastor William Lau had commanded healing for me. There are many reasons that we may not know until later in the future. Meanwhile, let’s be faithful and continue to minister healing and cast out demons in the mighty name of Jesus.

Here is a video on healing that might be helpful to you.

Part 3 – Why Some Are Healed And Others Are Not?

The question is often asked, “Why some are healed and others are not?” In the previous two articles, I shared the first primary reason for the lack of healing miracles: the patient harbors hatred, bitterness, and grudges. The second reason is when the healing minister does not have enough faith. In this article, I like to share a little about the era or time that we are living in so that we will understand why healing miracles are highly dependent upon faith.

THE PRESENT EVIL AGE
We are living in this “Present Evil Age” (Galatians 1:4) and waiting for the “Age To Come” (Matthew 12:32). The idea of the “Present Evil Age” comes from the “Fall of Mankind” in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). The dominion and authority of Adam were transferred to Satan who is now the ruler of the world. Jesus called Satan the ‘ruler of this world’ or “prince of this world” in John 16:11. However, the Word of God confirms that the world still belongs to God even though the devil usurped it. As the psalmist says in Psalm 24:1 – “The earth is the LORD’S…“

THE AGE TO COME
The “Age To Come” is in the future and it will entail complete healing and perfect health. There will be no more death too. However, we must not detach the “Age To Come” from this “Present Evil Age” because when Jesus came, He brought the blessings of the future “Age To Come” into the “here and now”.

Jesus said in Matthew 12:28: “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” The “kingdom of God” here refers to the rule and reign of God rather than a geographical location. Salvation and divine healing are then the redemptive events that are actually happening in the midst of us. A sampling of the “perfection” of the “Age To Come” has entered our present experience. That is where our faith comes into play. Do we trust that the Lord would usher in this “Age To Come” and do we accept the “present blessings” of this future age? Do we believe the concept of the “kingdom of God is in the midst of you”? (Luke 17:21). In short, do we believe that we can receive healing and minister healing in the mighty name of Jesus?

ENGAGING THE AGE TO COME
When Jesus died on the cross, He provided us the privilege of being justified by faith. And so we are now engaging the “Age To Come” as the “righteousness of God in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21) instead of being guilty sinners residing in this “Present Evil Age”. By His death, we have moved from the rule of darkness to the rule of Christ our King (Colossians 1:13). Now, we can do what Jesus did while He was here on earth. We can preach the Gospel; we can make disciples for Christ; we can heal the sick and cast out demons. This is the authority of the kingdom of God here countering this “Present Evil Age”. We, the modern disciples of Christ, have become the “colonizing force” that will take the message of the kingdom of God all over the world, and… we will do it by the power and authority of Christ.

PREVIEWS OF THE AGE TO COME
All healing miracles are therefore previews of what would come later. The raising of the dead points us to the future when death shall be no more. The healing of physical ailments depicts the perfect health of the coming Age. So, why are still some people not healed today? Apart from the patient’s issues with unforgiveness or bitterness, and the lack of faith of the ministers, there are obviously other reasons. Some, we may know and some, we may not.

GOD’S WAITING ROOM
In my experience, about 80 percent of the miracles are instantaneous. However, for whatever reasons, some experienced healing at a much later date. For example, an elderly deaf man was not healed at the meeting but after he went home. While he slept, he felt a cool wind blowing at his head. Then the next day, he was completely healed of deafness. The first thing he heard was the complaining voice of his daughter-in-law.

I was not completely healed of ankylosing spondylitis that caused chronic pain in my body until almost two years after Pastor William had ministered healing to me. Like many who had delayed healing, the experience of pain and suffering drew me very close to God. During those ten years of affliction, I grew spiritually despite the weakness in my physical body. Then when the subsequent miraculous healing happened, it further deepened my relationship with the Person of Christ. The chronic pain and the subsequent miracle gave me a realistic view of my frailty and how much I needed the Lord.

During those two years after Pastor William’s healing command, I had no idea whether I would be healed or not. However, I continued to minister healing to others and had very good results. At one time, there was a man with chronic back pain, almost similar to that of mine, who got healed. In my heart, I was complaining: “Lord, how come you healed him and I am still in pain?” God impressed upon my heart with a question: “Would you still minister healing if you were not healed?” My response was “I would!”

With that, I was placed in God’s waiting room of healing for about two years. Then one day, I got up without pain at all. The Lord had healed me without anyone laying hand on me. That was in December 2007 and since then, I have remained without pain. Now, many people would have given up their faith in the healing power of God because they were put in the waiting room for a long time. I calculated that I actually waited a total of twelve years for my healing miracle. The first ten years were filled with a certain sense of unbelief. After encountering The Elijah Challenge with Pastor William Lau, it became a journey of faith.

God is still the sovereign God. He knows best and I pray that if you are now in the waiting room as I once was, please continue to have faith. Jesus still heals today.
Here is a message on how you can apply the promises of Jesus to do greater things for the kingdom of God. Trust that it will help to boldly activate your faith to become the person whom God wants you to be.

Part 1 – Why Some Are Healed And Others Are Not?

The common question in our healing ministry is why are some people healed after we commanded healing and why are some not healed? For example, one deaf man was healed of his deafness while another deaf person next to him was not healed. I had used the same authority of Jesus and the same command approach recommended by The Elijah Challenge. To the first deaf man, it was an amazing miracle. He was able to hear clearly after more than ten years of deafness, but for the second deaf man, it was a great disappointment. Why did God heal one and not the other?

SEEKING FOR THE ANSWER
When I was an itinerant preacher, it was exciting to command healing for a large congregation. People were healed and a long line of them queued night after night on stage to testify of God’s healing miracles. However, now, as a pastor, even though I rejoice with many who have been healed in our church, I have to explain to those members who do not receive their healing miracles or even improve in their health condition.

We know that ultimately, it is the sovereignty of God that is the basis of all healing miracles. We may command healing accordingly, but the miracles come from Jesus. And even those who are not healed, God, in one way or another, ministered to them.

For example, for about ten years, I suffered from chronic pain caused by ankylosing spondylitis. During every attack, the presence of the Lord was there to comfort me. The benefit was the intense presence and love of God right there in my room. Amidst the pain and tears, He told me to wait for that miracle.

In 2005, Pastor William Lau, the founder of Elijah Challenge had commanded healing for me. I did feel better but the back pain was still lingering. Then in 2007, I received my complete healing miracle. One day, I woke up with no pain at all. Nobody laid hands on me, there was no evidence of someone praying for me… it was just the mercy of God at work in my body.

At some level, the people who are not healed, have received a touch or an answer from the Lord. But, though this is true, the patients who are still suffering from diseases, are not satisfied with just this blessing. They want to be healed – they want their healing miracles.

In this and the next few articles, I hope to explain why some people do not receive their healing miracles. My fundamental belief is that God wants to heal us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. In short, He wants His people to be holistic in their health. That is the reason why Jesus is coming back again. This is still an imperfect world and Jesus will bring us the perfect world…where there will be no more diseases and death.

In this article, I like to share the first most important reason why some people are not receiving their healing miracles.

Sins and Offences
People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. (Proverb 28:13 NLT)

In a healing service held in a small Malaysian church, among the ten people who came out for healing, one woman was not healed. All nine received their healing miracles and there was much joy among the congregation except for that woman.

At that time, I was still new to the healing ministry, and I was curious why only that woman was not healed. After the service, I caught up with her and interviewed her. In the process, this woman confessed that she had harbored bitterness against her pastor’s wife. I led her into confession and repentance of her bitterness. While she was confessing and repenting, her arthritic knees were miraculously healed. She felt the pain and tension depart from those knees. She stood up and walked to test her healed knees. I told her to try climbing the staircase and she did. This woman came back beaming with joy because she was not only healed but relieved of that terrible bitterness. It seemed that the devil had used her unhappiness and misunderstanding against her pastor’s wife to bind her physically.

Divine healing is an act of God’s grace and mercy. Therefore, if a person is in the kingdom of God, she has to move with this grace and mercy within. Forgiveness and graciousness are an integral part of a believer’s lifestyle.

FORGIVENESS IS AN ACT OF MERCY
You will remember that at one time, the Apostle Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” And our Lord answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:21-22 BLB). Of course, Jesus did not mean that we should stop forgiving after 490 times or even 77 times – He meant that there should be no limits to our forgiveness.

Then Jesus went on to emphasize this important principle of forgiveness through the parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:23-35). The parable was about a king who had canceled the debt of ten thousand bags of gold that the servant owed him. However, when the servant went out and met one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. The fellow servant begged for mercy, but this forgiven servant refused to forgive the debt. Instead, he threw the servant into prison until the poor man could pay the debt.

What did the king do when he heard about this? He called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger, the king handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. Then Jesus concluded by saying, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” (Matthew 18:35 NIV).

Now after all these years of healing ministry, I realize that it is unreasonable to expect the healing miracles of God to come upon a person who is willfully holding unto unforgiveness. Divine healing is an act of mercy and it does not seem to work upon a child of God who is not merciful. As long as he wants to hold onto grudges of the offense done by others upon him, he is creating a barrier to his own healing miracle. King David had so wisely said, “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” (Psalm 66:18 NLT).

HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE TRULY FORGIVEN?
1. When you think about the person, do you still think about the hurt that he had caused you? If so, you have not really forgiven. You may say you did, but this little indication reveals the deep struggle inside.

2. Are you still hoping that God will teach the person a lesson for hurting you? If so, the sense of revenge is still keeping you in bondage. There may be consequences from God upon that person but your heart still wants to hurt the person.

3. Would you be willing to help the person if he or she asked for help? I believe you know your answer.

Forgiveness is a choice that you make to release yourself from the bondage of bitterness, hatred, unresolved anger, and grudges. Medical science has revealed that all these negative emotions will build up toxins in your body and also cause you stress. And that is how bitter people are usually very unhealthy. In my encounter with some of these people, I find many of them have restlessness, insomnia, constant migraine headaches, and even developed ulcers in the stomach. Now, I am not saying that all such infirmities are the result of bitterness. Some have other reasons and only their doctors will be able to tell them.

When you are bitter, angry, and resentful towards someone, you are giving him the power to control your healing miracles. Only by forgiveness, you will be able to take that power back. I trust that you will be wise to make the right choice and be healed in the mighty name of Jesus.

In the next few articles, I will share what other ways are preventing people from receiving their healing miracles. Keep track of this blog by subscribing to it.

Here is a video about how to receive healing in the mighty name of Jesus. Be sure to give thanks to God for your healing and testify of His goodness to others.

How To Fulfil the Great Commission When Demons Terrify You?

At a restaurant in Kota Damansara, Malaysia, a restaurant owner was suffering from pain in her leg. Grace and I knew this woman and upon seeing her painful condition, we offered to heal her in the name of Jesus. To our amazement, this Buddhist woman accepted our request because she somehow believed that such supernatural healing could happen. We promptly healed her with the authority and power given by our Lord Jesus Christ. After approximately more than a month, we visited her restaurant again and asked about her condition. She said ever since that day she had no more pain in her leg. This healing has made it easier for us to share with her about Jesus Christ and the salvation provided by the Lord. This is the “Two-hand Punch” of the Elijah Challenge Ministry – heal the sick and preach the Word.

THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH
Today, most believers are aware of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The time for obedience is even more critical because there is still much work to be done. Jesus is very concerned about our obedience: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). Doing what Jesus instructed is crucial to our spiritual growth. We cannot choose to obey only portions of His instruction. Servants must submit to the Master and do what the Master desires. To obey only when it is convenient is not the correct attitude of a faithful servant.

Sadly, many Christians, who have said the sinner’s prayer, but have no idea what power evangelism is all about. They have been taught the doctrines, gone through water baptism, and even attended cell meetings week after week. They were taught about bearing fruits so that there is a transformation in their character, and they were even trained to share the Gospel with the unchurched. However, to those who are diligently sharing the Gospel, they soon discover another area that they have not received training in – healing the sick and casting out demons. The lack of knowledge in this area has caused the Church in general to avoid the works and activities of the demonic world.

One believer told me that she would not touch the demons with a ten-foot pole because she was afraid of them. Another said that she would not lay hands on the sick and command healing because their diseases might jump into her. A brother believes that in this day and age, one does not really need to cast out demons or heal the sick so as to share the Gospel. A theological student pointed to the fact that no demons were being cast out in the Old Testament and therefore all these demonic kinds of stuff must be created during the second temple period and adopted by the New Testament. Some believe that demons are not fallen angels but just the “ghosts” of those of dead Nephilim and their giant-clan descendants and so they are quite harmless. Some even challenge the idea of Satan as a fallen angel and whether he is just a myth created by the imagination of man.

THE POWER TRANSFORMATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?
Before we talk about power evangelism, we need to talk about power transformation. This is the “journey inward” so that we would be transformed internally to become more and more like Christ. This is crucial in that this “journey inward” would affect our “journey outward” and that is facing the world and confronting the enemy.

This is not a journey to become “spiritual” but allowing the spirituality of Christ in the “Born-again” you to flow out. It is like a marriage – you do not work out so hard to be “married” if you are already married. What you are doing as a married person is to work out your married commitment of love, care, and attention to your spouse. You allow that love for your spouse to become tangible actions and events in your marriage. Have you ever noticed that most older loving couples actually look alike in their mannerism and even in their look? That is the result of years of dedication and commitment to each other.

Similarly to become more like Jesus, we need to acknowledge His holiness and Agape love. The Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work in us is vital to remind and enable us to allow that holiness and Agape love of Christ to flow through us. We are able to do this because we have been Born Again and have the spirituality of Christ in us. We just need to give the Holy Spirit the liberty to flow like “rivers of living water”. The disciples who walk closely with Christ will soon, just like those loving old couples, behave and look like Christ.

ARE THE MODERN DISCIPLES REALLY HELPLESS?
Some churches have taught that believers are helpless but they have forgotten that believers are empowered by Christ in all things. An important aspect of the Christian life is to fulfill the Great Commission to disciple all nations. Once again, the Lord does not leave this major task to the disciples without the accompanying power and authority.

In Luke 9 and 10, Jesus commanded His disciples to preach that the “Kingdom of God is near.” Accompanying this message, Jesus also gave the authority and power “to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.” We can see that whether it is in the area of sanctification or fulfilling the Great Commission, the Lord has made sure that His disciples have the capacity to achieve them.

The Great Commission has to do with a strong message of repentance and the acceptance of Jesus Christ as personal Saviour. Just like the time of Elijah, the Lord is now challenging the Church to return to Him in all aspects of obedience and ministry. The spirit of Elijah was that of courage and confidence in God’s manifested power. The fire came down, and the half-hearted non-committed people turned to the Lord.

In the same manner, when believers preach repentance with manifest healing miracles, many believers and pre-believers will respond positively to the Lord.
The objectives of the believers in the End Times is three-fold:

1. To fulfil the Great Commission by sharing the Gospel with power.
2. To challenge the backslidden believers to return to the Lord.
3. To empower the restored believers so that they can in turn fulfil the Great Commission.

To reject the supernatural does not make the evil spirits go away. Western missionaries who come from secular societies have a rude awakening when they come to the Far East and Third-World countries. They expect to teach the Christians in those countries but instead, they have to learn about real demons and spiritual warfare from their “less-sophisticated counterparts”. Soon they realize that the Gospel is not merely about teaching good Christian values and behaviors, but real spiritual warfare against principalities and powers of darkness.

The evil that many in the Third-World encounter is not mere human weakness but actual demonic power. Unbelief is a dangerous thing. Like the Pharisees of old, the modern preachers and theologians from the West are seldom trained to deal with actual demons and diseases. Everything is reduced to the natural realms and many of these ministers do not even believe in the existence of the supernatural. Their ministries are utterly ineffective in the frontline of spiritual warfare.

In one evangelistic meeting, a girl who was only 16 years old who had black lipstick, black painted fingernails, black clothes with black shoes, suddenly manifested demons. As I rushed forward to confront the “enemy” and cast it out, the American pastor who was me, ran to the back of the sanctuary and hid there. After the event, I confronted him, asking why didn’t he come to help me. He said haltingly that he was afraid. He had never encountered a demonic case in his life and that first encounter threw him into a panic. He did not realize that the demons would be so ferocious and he was absolutely terrified to the point of being paralyzed. That was when it dawned on me why the Great Commission is slow to be fulfilled. All these preachers and teachers may teach and expound the Bible with intricate theological expositions but they lack the frontline experience. It is like a man who writes and gives talks about fishing but has never fished once in his life.

How to fulfill the Great Commission when demons terrify the believers? What is the use of theological prowess when theologians are powerless in spiritual warfare?

Please do not get me wrong here – I am not against theological training and good Bible exposition. (I am a postgraduate from a Bible Seminary and I fully encourage every full-time minister to get a Bible School education). It is a “both-and” rather than an “either-or” approach that we have adopted. We believe that every practitioner should have a sound biblical and theological foundation along with his or her faith to utilize the authority and power to heal the infirm and cast out demons in the name of Jesus.

Here is the link to The Elijah Challenge website where you can receive teaching on healing and casting our demons. Everything is free there. You can also learn directly from the free training videos produced by my mentor, Rev William Lau, the founder, and director of The Elijah Challenge.

https://theelijahchallenge.org/

Here is a video that gives you an idea of what the “Two-hand Punch” ministry of “sharing the Gospel and healing the sick” is all about.

The Invasive Power of The Kingly Authority

The Three Authorities of the Church
The Church has been given three authorities – Priestly Authority, Prophetic Authority and Kingly Authority. For the purpose of this article, I am going to share about the results when you apply the Kingly Authority in your life and ministry.

The Priestly And Prophetic Authority
The Priestly Authority is for entering the presence of God. That is the place where we talk to God and so strictly speaking, it is not a battlefield but more like the throne room of God. The Prophetic Authority is used to minister to the people of God. It is applied after we have spent time in God’s presence. It is in this place of prayer where we apply the Priestly Authority to receive direct instructions from God for His people. Then we turn around and face the people to deliver God’s Word with the Prophetic Authority.

The Kingly Authority
The Kingly Authority is different from the first two authorities as it is for spiritual warfare, attacking purposes and is confined to confronting the spiritual enemies and engaging diseases. This is primarily for invasion purposes. We do not pray or preach when we are engaging the enemies in spiritual warfare. We command the demons and diseases to leave in mighty name of Jesus. In spiritual warfare, we take on the role of a spiritual warrior and attack the domain of darkness. In the frontline engagement, whether we are healing the sick or casting out demons, we are representing the kingdom of God, coming in the mighty name of Jesus and utilizing the Kingly Authority that Jesus has given us.

Here are some of the results when we believe the promises of God and apply the Kingly Authority.

GREAT COURAGE – Like young David who faced Goliath, people who recognise their Kingly Authority have Spirit-empowered courage. Peter, who denied Christ three times, applied his Kingly Authority and he was able to confront the kingdom of darkness with unprecedented boldness. Being full of the Holy Spirit, Peter preached with great courage, confronted the spiritual forces with the Kingly Authority that produced great signs and wonders and continued to do so until his martyrdom. Today, the same Holy Spirit plays a very important role in providing divine courage to all who believe.

UNSHAKEABLE FAITH – When filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit, a believer is firm and fearless in his confrontation against the demonic power. He knows his God-given authority to command and he will not request or beg the demons to come out. He is unshakeable in his faith as he takes authority over the demons and like those early ordinary disciples who came back from their mission, he can declare that even the demons submit to him in the mighty name of Jesus (Luke 10:17). In the same manner, you can exercise your God-given power and authority against all demonic activities and diseases.

DIVINE CONTROL – During the time of ministry, the Holy Spirit is in full control. He will give you a calm disposition and full control of your emotion and mental faculty. You do not need to become hysterical or behave as though you, yourself, have been possessed by an evil spirit. I have seen that happened before. The minister was inexperienced and got caught with the emotion of the situation. He was screaming and ranting, behaving worse than the one who was possessed. My mentor, Rev William Lau, has been my primary model of what a true power-packed minister is all about. During ministry, whether it be healing or deliverance, Rev William is always calm and confident. He is not pretending because he has the fullest confidence of the promises of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

TANGIBLE POWER – Jesus promised that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us (Acts 1:8). The Greek word for power is dunamis, which refers to the inherent power of the Holy Spirit residing in us to preach the Gospel with signs and wonders. This power continues to abide with us and lives within us.

On many occasions of ministry, I could feel the power of God being imparted from my body and touching the infirm. There would be a warm sensation or something that felt like an electrical current that travelled through my arms and palms. There is nothing mystical about this. Jesus, Himself, had experienced tangible power leaving Him. When the woman with the issue of blood touched Him, Jesus exclaimed, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

In most instances, the people, whom I laid hands on, were healed instantly. However, having mentioned that, we do not need to have this type of tangible feeling or sensation for the power of God to flow and heal the infirm.

INTRINSIC POWER – In a house church in Shanghai, my body was very tired after ministering the whole day. As I sat and rested on a chair, a tall young man approached me to command healing for his chronic headache. I had seen him seeking healing ministry from the other trained believers but to no avail. As I was about to stand up to lay my hand on his head, the young man asked me not to bother standing. Instead, he bowed his head to the level where I was sitting so that I could lay my hand on it. He further added that he would receive his healing from the Lord that way. What faith he had! Hence, I laid my hand on his head as he bowed low. I did not feel anything during the command for his healing. He suddenly raised his head and shouted that the pain was gone!

Another healing miracle happened in Johor, the southern state of West Malaysia. Grace and I were ministering in a Church when during the healing session, an elderly man, with a deaf ear, requested for healing ministry. We usually allowed the trained participants to do the healing but at that moment, I was passing by this man when the request was made. I simply put my finger into his ear and commanded in Mandarin, “Ear, be opened”. That was it. There was no sensation of warmth or electrifying current in my hand. Absolutely nothing. The most exciting part was that the man was instantly healed. He could hear and repeat every word when I tested him. At that time, I was so fascinated by this instant miracle that I tested him a few more times just to be sure that I was not mistaken.

These incidents only confirm the fact that the Holy Spirit’s power can work miracles with or without any intense physical sensation. The Lord had honoured the pure simple faith of this young man and healed him instantly. And in similar vein, the Lord had healed the elderly deaf man because of his faith.

The HEM Seminar is a 6-day stay-in intensive training seminar. It would resume in 2022. For further information, please contact the blogger.

Failure to Exercise Kingly Authority

Many churches today seldom apply their Kingly Authority because they have placed great emphasis upon the Priestly Authority and the Prophetic Authority. This means that churches spend a lot of time praying and preaching but hardly any time encountering the enemies.

Jesus prayed and preached much, but He also spent much time engaging the demonic forces by casting out many evil spirits and healing the sick. Therefore, to restore their ministry balance, the believers in the Church need to reach out to the community and exercise their Kingly Authority to heal the infirm and cast out demons.

These miracles and the message of the Gospel will point people to Christ.  The Elijah Challenge is a ministry that focuses upon this Kingly Authority. To date, thousands of believers are able to heal the infirm and cast out demons as they exercise this Kingly Authority in the name of Jesus. The Healing Encounter Ministry (HEM) is also getting very good results. Many of those disciples who have received our training are themselves ministering with power and authority. In fact, healing the infirm and casting out demons in the mighty name of Jesus has become second nature to them. Praise the Lord for the revival of this ministry of Power Encounter.

If you need further information about The Elijah Challenge ministry please go to our website: https://theelijahchallenge.org/

Here is a video that might help you understand more about the Three Authorities of the Church.

How The Elijah Challenge Seminar Changed Our Lives

The launching of Elijah Challenge Asia in 2007. Pastor William and Pastor Lucille are 2nd and 3rd from the left. Dr. Thiagan is 4th from the right.

A ministry with signs and wonders was the farthest from our minds until we met Pastor William Lau and his wife, Pastor Lucille, the founders of The Elijah Challenge. That crucial day was 8th December 2005, my wife, Grace and I would have our lives and ministry completely transformed. From 20-plus years of “powerless” pastoral ministry with less than ten people healed through my prayer, my wife and I now have more than 10,000 healing miracles through our ministry since that day in 2005.

God’s Special Plan
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 warm 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 the chronic pain condition in my back was also not accommodating. 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 why we were not able to attend his meeting. However, God had other plan and He opened up a nice parking space for us. Still unhappy and mumbling under my breath, with Grace helping me, I walked slowly to the training location at Bangsar.

God’s Healing Approach
That day was to become a defining moment of our lives and ministry. Pastor William Lau, an American-Chinese, with a gentle Christ-like spirit, was systematic in his teaching. As a pastor, I was very attentive to catch any theological deviations or wrong doctrines. To my pleasant surprise, there were no strange doctrines, subjective visions or scary testimonies of being caught to heaven. Pastor William was not there to impress us with his profound theology because all he did was to read from the scriptures. Then he allowed those scriptural verses to speak for themselves.

Verse upon verse, precept upon precept, line upon line, my eyes were opened. Suddenly, everything about the power and authority to heal in light of sharing the Gospel began to make sense. Nowadays, I call this approach the “Two-hand Punch” – one hand is to minister in signs and wonders and the other hand is to share the Gospel. I remember, while Pastor William was teaching, I was thinking to myself why didn’t they teach me this Elijah Challenge’s approach in the Bible seminary? Even after earning a Master of Divinity, this truth in the Bible had completely eluded me. Why was I not 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?

Then came the most fascinating part and that was when Pastor William said that he would demonstrate this God-given power and authority by healing some of the participants in the name of Jesus. We noticed that he did not pray to Jesus to heal the infirm but rather he firmly commanded the infirmities and pain to leave the “patients”. He did exactly that to a couple of participants and they were healed of the back pain, leg pain and other infirmities.

Then he invited some of us to try. I was really interested and volunteered myself. I remember feeling the nagging pain in my own back while facing a participant who claimed to have three numb toes. With a fellow participant, I laid my hand on those numb toes. Pastor William specifically instructed us not to pray but command the infirmity to leave. And so that was what I did – I commanded for the feeling to return to those numb toes in the mighty name of Jesus. To my great surprise, the participant claimed that sensation had returned to his toes and he quickly testified to Pastor William. I was more shocked than happy. I did not believe that this brother’s toes were healed by me who simply spoke to them. That was my first experience in having immediate healing result after ministering.

The Elijah Challenge
Grace and I were to attend the same Elijah Challenge seminar another three more times and later took an advanced training course with Pastor William. Since then, our ministry has been completely transformed. It is filled with signs and wonders 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).

We have personally ministered healing to more than 10,000 people and witnessed them being healed in the name of Jesus. Since December 2005, we have also trained thousands of believers from both the mainline and Pentecostal/Charismatic churches through the Elijah Challenge training sessions and also the Healing Encounter Ministry. We have the joy of seeing our own trainees healing the infirm in the name of Jesus and casting out demons too. We trust that more and more believers will be encouraged to use the “two-hand punch” and touch many for Christ.

HOW YOU CAN HAVE YOUR OWN HEALING MINISTRY
If you are interested in having your life and ministry being transformed into a “two-hand punch” power-packed encounter, please visit the Elijah Challenge website at theelijahchallenge.org
Everything is free in the website and you can also take a video-training course offered by Pastor William Lau.
Kindly read the following articles to get some basic understanding of how you can have your own healing ministry. Do contact us through this blog if you need further clarification. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

The Confused Helper

Are Signs and Wonders for Today?

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Are Signs and Wonders for Today?

Albert Kang

A Lutheran missionary to Cambodia visited me while I was working in Phnom Penh to ask for some advice on casting out demons. He did not know what to do with a demon-possessed person in his congregation at Siem Reap. He said he was never taught how to cast out demons during his seminary training. In fact, he was taught that all signs and wonders have ceased.

After showing this missionary how to use his God-given authority and power to cast out evil spirits, he went back to do so by faith. After a week or so, he returned and happily informed me that he had successfully cast out the evil spirits from the afflicted person.

Through The Elijah Challenge and Healing Encounter Ministry, we train believers to exercise their faith in healing the infirm. Here, in Gujarat, a deaf and dumb man was healed. He could hear and speak after the healing command.

Are The Modern Miracles Lying Wonders?
Today, there are Christians who believe that signs and wonders have ceased in spite of many evidences and testimonies of unexplained instant healing cases reported in news portals and various social media channels. These “anti-miracles” Christians explain all these signs and wonders away by calling them “lying wonders.”

They base their understanding on 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12.  This portion says that Satan will deceive people who do not love the truth by using signs and lying wonders. They also refer to Revelation 13:13 that describes the false prophet as having the ability to produce signs and wonders such as causing fire to come down from heaven. Then they invoke the serious warning by Jesus found in Matthew 7:21-22, misquoting this portion to associate those who are still doing signs and wonders to be false prophets.

However, a closer examination of the scriptural context reveals that the Lord had already identified the false prophets in Matthew 7:15-20. And he had indicated that the way to recognise true or false prophets is by identifying their fruits. From Matthew 7:21 to 23, Jesus was talking about obedient and disobedient disciples. He had given all of them authority and power to prophesy, heal the infirm and cast out demons in His name. The undeniable credential of a true disciple is his obedience – he is most willing to do the will of the Father. A disobedient disciple is not a true believer.

According to Luke 9, Judas was an Apostle and Peter declared in Acts 1:17 that “He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.” Being among the Twelve, Judas also received the authority and power from the Lord to do miracles. However, due to his disobedience and self-will, he was ultimately denied of his place in the Kingdom of God. Therefore, Matthew 7:22 is not for the purpose of rejecting people who exercise their God-given authority and power to heal the sick and cast out demons. It is a warning for people who are disobedient and do not do the will of the Lord.

These ladies were from a local tribe and they suffered from chronic backpain because of the hard labours they had to do every day. Many were too poor to see doctors and that day, we brought the healing miracles of the Lord Jesus to these ladies. All of them were healed in the mighty name of Jesus.

Signs And Wonders Ceased After The Bible Was Completed?
Another reason that some believers give as to why God performed miracles and healed people only in the past is that those incidents were primarily for the purpose of writing the New Testament. Since that task has already been completed, all miraculous powers have also ceased. For the same reason, not only miracles have ceased but the spiritual gifts, particularly speaking in tongues and prophesying, have also ceased. Their favourite supporting verses are found in 1 Corinthians 13:8-10.

Let us read verse 10: “But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.” (NKJV) or in the NIV translation: “But when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.”

They have taken the Greek word, “tevleio” which means “completion” to refer to the “Completion of the Bible” as written words of God rather than the “Completion of the Age.” Did Paul actually write about the completion of the Bible or was he referring to something else?

The context of this scriptural portion has no indication that Paul even had the “Completion of the Bible” in mind when he wrote to the Corinthian Christians.  In fact, Paul did not even realize that God would use his epistles to become an integral part of the New Testament. How could he write something that he had no idea at all? How could he add an idea that was outside the context of his explanation?

A good basic rule that governs biblical interpretation is that the Bible should never be interpreted to say what it never did say. Why then is this traditional argument that depicts the “Completion of the Bible” as the reason to reject all signs and wonders? Could it be due to the lack of miracles in these churches that has forced them to find an excuse?

It seems that once a certain theory is repeated long enough, it is then believed to become synonymous to Biblical Truth. People tend to equate their own subjective experiences with objective truth. To begin with, they already have no faith to trust God for any healing miracles and therefore, no miracle happens in their ministries. How to explain to their flock about this lack of signs and wonders? They conveniently declare that signs and wonders have ceased.

In Elijah Challenge and Healing Encounter Ministry, we believe that as long as you are a true disciple of Christ, you can heal the sick and cast out demons in the mighty name of Jesus. With more than 10,000 healing miracles since 2005, we can safely share that “all things are possible to those who believe” (Mark 9:23). If you have read up to here, you must be ready to put your faith on the line. I did that in 2005 and it totally changed my life and ministry.

Way back in 2006, when Elijah Challenge took root in Malaysia. From left, Rev William Lau, Rev Lucille Lau (Founders of The Elijah Challenge) Rev Albert Kang, Rev Grace Kang-Ong (Founders of Healing Encounter Ministry and Coordinators of Elijah Challenge Asia).

I will explain further in future blogs why you can actually obey the Word of God and that signs and wonders can be an integral part of your life and ministry.

This article is adapted from the book, Three Authorities of the Church written by Albert Kang

“The Three Authorities of the Church” is available in Canaanland Bookstore in Kuala Lumpur. You can also purchase it for RM30 each right here through this blog. Just write to me.

For further understanding about why signs and wonders are still available today and also applicable in your life and ministry, please check out the following video teaching.

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