JOEL-NEWS-INTERNATIONAL- 28 NOVEMBER 2000 From: Marc van der Woude MarcvanderWoude@XC.Org www.joelnews.org

Millions Hear Gospel in Nigeria

Date: Thu, 23 Nov 2000

A record 1.6 million people crowded an 80-acre site in Lagos, Nigeria, Nov. 12 to hear Pentecostal evangelist Reinhard Bonnke. The Sunday evening service was possibly the largest evangelistic event ever held that did not include satellite or Internet technology, according to news reports. Bonnke's six-day rally drew about 6 million people, according to his ministry, Christ for All Nations. Churches in Lagos anticipated great results from the event. "Never has Christendom in Nigeria been thrown into such a positive frenzy over a single event," African journalist Wale Fatade wrote. Other evangelists have held similar events "but none is matching the scope of the Reinhard Bonnke outreach."

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS PROFESS FAITH IN CHRIST--THOUSANDS HEALED!

Hundreds of thousands of people professed faith in Christ during the meetings, the ministry said. More than 200,000 counselors worked each night passing out discipleship materials and taking names and addresses. About 2,000 churches worked together to host the event and are following up on converts. Thousands of people came forward for prayer for healing for physical ailments, according to CFAN. People later said they were healed of tuberculosis, blindness, deafness, and tumors, Rodney Thompson, a physician from Florida who attended the event, told Christianity Today. About 100 people became Christians at a service held for employees of the Sheraton Hotel in Lagos and their families and friends, CFAN reported. Bonnke preached to them on the morning of the final service at the request of the hotel owner, who is a Christian.

A NEW DIMENSION IN EVANGELISM

Attendance and response has been phenomenal, even for CFAN, which often reports large numbers of people turning to Christ at its events. "I'm thrilled, I'm overwhelmed," Bonnke said, according to Charisma magazine. "We have entered a new dimension in evangelism. I believe in some sense that God has rewarded us" for persevering in preaching the gospel to Africa.

NIGERIAN PRESIDENT IS A CHRISTIAN

Nigeria has been a troublesome nation for the German-born evangelist, who says bringing the message of Christ to Africa is his destiny. A planned event in 1991 in Muslim-dominated Kano state resulted in riots, causing the government to ban him from the country for several years. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, a Christian, invited Bonnke to return to the country. He has preached two evangelistic events there this year and plans to preach several others, including one in Enugu in December. Nigeria's large, diverse population makes it a strategic nation. It is about 50 percent Muslim and 40 percent Christian, roughly the same as the rest of the continent. Muslim-Christian conflicts are common and hundreds of people have died in rioting in recent years. Several Muslim-dominated states in the north are seeking to establish Islamic sharia law.

Source: Religion Today