Exciting News from Indonesia

Taken From www.philbaker.net


From my friends in Indonesia comes this moving report of God's grace at work:

At Christmas 1998 waves of persecution broke out against the Christians. Many of our friends and even some of our staff were killed. Our former church and home were burned to the ground. Over 14,000 homes, shops and houses of worship were destroyed. Christian leaders were assassinated, Christian school girls were brutally beheaded and the community has had to live under a reign of terror until some strange events began to take place in a a tiny and remote village called Meko (pronounced Mecco) on the shores of Lake Poso, in the district of Poso, Central Sulawesi.

On the 6th January 2007 an 8 year old girl received a visitation of the Lord and began to pray for the sick, beginning with her own mother. By mid February, crowds began to flock to Meko from all corners of Sulawesi. Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians…thousands seeking healing and bringing their sick. Standing there among the sick, the weak, the lame, the blind, the aged, the dying, one can only feel like Jesus who looked upon the multitudes and was moved with compassion. The crowds who gather to Meko are desperate. They desperately need love and compassion.

Every day they sing and praise the Lord for hours. They sing songs like, Jesus never changes, Into my heart, All over the world God's Spirit is moving, Oh Jerusalem how beautiful thou art… They sing them over and over…for hours. While they are singing, people are suddenly healed. The blind see, the lame walk…

Every day people are being healed but the biggest gathering is on Thursday night when the people pray and sing all night long, and at midnight they have special prayer for the sick. Up to 20,000 people have been coming, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Christians. The message proclaimed by this 8 y.o girl and her mother is always the same. Live a holy, righteous life (Ephesians 5:1-21), pray the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6-10), receive healing through Jesus (John 5).

Teams of our workers from the National Prayer Network, the Christian Mens' Network and our Foundation Bless Indonesia Today have been ministering from tent to tent, praying for the sick, sharing Christ and seeing miracles take place. Annette went with a team and was excited to see what is happening. When Annette arrived she was told of miracles that had taken place that afternoon. At 3pm a lame Buddhist man from Makassar, South Sulawesi, was healed. About 4.30pm in one of the tents a lame Muslim man, a haji (one who had made the pilgramage to Mecca ) suddenly left his wheel chair, stood up and began to leap. He jumped up on to a table. He asked to lead the singing in the tent meeting singing a very common song used in Charismatic healing services: "God is all powerful to do all things. He is omnipotent. He created the worlds. My God is all powerful".

We also heard that a lady from South Sulawesi, lame from birth with deformed legs after 32 years stood up and began to walk and leap; a 28 year old man blind from birth was healed; a 17 year old retarded boy is now now back helping his father in a chemist shop in Palu. There are piles of abandoned wheelchairs to give witness to the many healed. One dying man, a relative of one of Jeff's friends, was brought in an ambulance for 18 hours from Manado and was immediately healed.

The message of holiness is strongly preached and people are fearful to smoke, drink alcohol or steal. Some ministers have been told to go home and repent and others are reportedly fearful of going there in case their sins are exposed. One pastor was told by this 8 y.o girl, "you wear the clothes of a pastor but you don't have the heart of a pastor!"

All those who come to Meko will return knowing four things: They will know that Jesus heals and has power; they will know they must repent and live righteously; they will know the words of some basic Christian songs; and they will know the basic prayer that Jesus taught.

There are odd things happening. There are criticisms and oppositions from various quarters. Was it not the same in the ministry of Jesus? It is not happening in a church building; there are no committees, finances, advertising, big name preachers, hotels or any modern convenience. The roads are rough, muddy, winding; the people stay in tents on muddy ground; the toilets stink, but something amazing is happening. Reconciliations, healings, people getting saved, lives transformed and the gospel is being preached.

Thank you to all those who have been praying for Poso! God is beginning to turn things around. People are gathering once again to Poso, no longer to kill and burn and destroy, but to receive the healing, saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ!