Reinhard Bonnke and Slavik Radchuk

Reinhard Bonnke, Daniel Kolenda talk about their ministry

Famous evangelists Reinhard Bonnke and Daniel Kolenda talk about their ministry during a press-conference in Kiev, Ukraine. Christian Telegraph publishes the full script of the press-conference below.

Reinhard Bonnke: I’m very happy to be here. Last time I’ve been here was in 1992 in Kiev and 1993 in Odessa. A lot of time has passed. I am very, very happy to be back again. My heart is filled with anticipation of that what God is doing. I have wonderful memories from Ukraine. The tremendous hospitality, kindness and love of God’s people. In the mean time great things have happened. We’ve been very active in Africa first and for most. In the last ten years, 55 million people received Jesus Christ as their Saviour in Africa. We have been preaching to crowds that were stretching it seemed across the horizon. A great, great hunger for the things of God. We have seen what God can do. And Africa is giving me faith for Europe. And faith for the Ukraine. God will do miracles right here and bless this great nation. I never ever have my finger in politics. Never. I bless the politicians. I represent the Kingdom of God. And we preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So I’m very happy to be here. With me today here is evangelist Daniel Kolenda. My co-evangelist. Between the two of us we have an Elijah-Elisha situation. I just had my seventieth birthday – I got this tie for my birthday. And although I feel strong I very much want the harvest to go on like always through an anointed man of God of the next generation. God sent Daniel Kolenda. He’s been five to six years at my side. And God has already used him for nine million people to be saved. So I thank God for him. We own this ministry together. I’m thrilled that he is here. And I’m asking him to say something.

Daniel Kolenda: Thank you, evangelist Bonnke. I also thank Slavik Radchuk, who is the chairman of the organising committee for arrival of evangelist Reinhard Bonnke to Ukraine, and the whole team that is here today. This is my first time in Ukraine. And I can already say I love it very much. From the time we stepped into the airport early today we’ve sensed your love and your hospitality. And I’m greatly anticipating what the Lord will do in this beautiful city. It’s been a great privilege of my life to minister alongside evangelist Reinhard Bonnke. We preached in many nations around the world. We have seen millions of salvations, healings and miracles. And I am sure that what we have seen in other places we are going to see right here in Kiev. Because we preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And the Word of God says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. And so we want to invite everyone to come to the crusade starting tomorrow morning and through Sunday. Come and see with your own eyes what God will do in this place. Thank you again for your welcome and God bless you.

Evangelistic service in Kiev

What message have you brought to Ukraine?

Reinhard Bonnke: Well, I’m an evangelist. I preach the ABC of the Gospel unashamedly. The Gospel is not simplistic but it is simple. And I want people to find peace with God and the personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We have the message of hope and deliverance. Addicts will be set free. Broken marriages will come back together again. Lost sons and daughters will come back home again. These are the glorious effects of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that is what we preach. You know when the Gospel is preached all curses are broken and the blessings of God begin to flow. And everybody knows that this is the reality. I’ve come here for the biggest of all matters. And that is to preach the Gospel of salvation. People need to be saved, need to be delivered, need to be free from the power of Satan and all evil habits. One drop of the blood of Jesus can break any curse. So I want to say to everyone: come to Jesus. Ask Him to wash you from all your sins with His precious blood. And Jesus will change you from zero to hero.

We hear that the level of spirituality in the United States has fallen. What would be your comments on the spiritual atmosphere in the United States?

Reinhard Bonnke: Well, I’m a German citizen and I’m not really an expert on America but I do live in America right now and my own observation is that there may be decline on one end but there is an increase on another. I feel that there is a great hunger for God among the young people. Just a little while back I preached in Knoxville, Tennessee, on the campus of the Tennessee University in the basketball stadium. There were eighteen thousand teenagers. Hungry for God. I just got another invitation to speak at another conference with twenty thousand in Chicago. I feel God is going to do something new among the young people because the prophet Joel said that in the last days, sons and daughters will prophecy. Maybe evangelist Daniel Kolenda has more authority to talk about America but I must say I see very bright spots there.

Daniel Kolenda

Daniel Kolenda: I think evangelist Bonnke hit the nail on the head. Where sin abounds there grace abounds even more. And so while there has been decline I believe that we are on the brink of the new move of God not just in America but around the world.

Are you going to visit Moscow soon?

Reinhard Bonnke: I wish I could. I was born in Russia in Kaliningrad. So I have a very special love for Russia. But I do not have any immediate plans to come to Moscow because my calling is still for Africa.

Results of your ministry is that millions of people have been saved. One of the reasons is probably a strong support you get from a good team that is behind your ministry. What is your method of building your team?

Reinhard Bonnke: Well, actually my team grew organically. You know God makes trees to grow from bottom to the top. When I started the team of Christ for All Nations I was the only member. And then God sent others who could do what I couldn’t do. As we went out we could see that God blesses this unity. I have men and women at my side who are with me already for thirty years. So if someone is five years with me he is just a starter. We believe in long-term relationships. I had some people who didn’t fit the job. That’s fine, they will find something else. It’s like a sieve – those that don’t fit fall through. But others remained. And those who fell through I’m not saying they are second-grade. They often were very good Christians but they needed to find the right spot. We get applications every day. I just came back from Belgium, Dubai, Singapore, Austria and now I’m in Kiev and then I will fly to America again. Just imagine - I would need to take ten jumble jets to take a big team along with us. We have a small team, which is confident, everyone is an expert in their field and we are one heart and one soul, we are brothers among brothers.

Who or what was the biggest obstacle for your ministry and how did you overcome it?

Reinhard Bonnke: We only have one enemy, his name is Satan. I have no other enemies. “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb,” the Bible says. Just one enemy. “And devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour,” and we are not to be confused by Satan. Our ministry is a ministry after souls. We want souls to be saved. Period. We have no other agenda. No business agenda. We want hell empty and heaven full. And that’s why we press on with it and overcome the devil with Jesus’ name.

During one of the services a girl was healed and stood up from a wheelchair

How long do you intend to stay in ministry? And how do you find balance between the family and your ministry?

Reinhard Bonnke: I want to die with the microphone in my hands. That’s my timetable. As for the balance it’s not always been easy. My wife is called to the ministry just as much as I am. So my wife has always been with me in most difficult times. I have three children and eight grandchildren. My oldest grandson is now nineteen years of age. And they all love Jesus and serve Him. The Lord must have had me to balance it right. In the final analysis it’s the grace of God. I thank God for His grace.

Daniel, what made you go into the ministry with Reinhard Bonnke? Was it just a desire to save people or to be alongside with such an anointed minister?

Daniel Kolenda: I started out in the ministry of Christ for All Nations working in the warehouse. I was pastoring a church. I have just planted it. And I needed to support my family financially. And evangelist Bonnke found me working in the offices in Orlando. And he invited me to travel with him as an assistant. And so I was just following him around the world and helping him in whatever way I could help. And then I went to one of the great Gospel crusades in Africa. And when I saw the great multitudes of people being saved it changed my life. And I knew that I couldn’t do anything else other than evangelism. I left the ministry of Christ for All Nations and I started my own evangelistic ministry. And then later evangelist Bonnke invited me to come back and minister at his side. As evangelist Bonnke described our relationship has been an organic one. We’ve seen how the Lord has brought us to this place where we are today and we work very well together.

You have seen many miracles and wonders of God, please share some of them.

Reinhard Bonnke: I can tell you of the recent ones because we see miracles at every meeting. Not long ago a lady came to one of our meetings. Her name was Regina. She had eight children and there was a hereditary disease in their family, three of her children were totally blind. She came to the first meeting, I was praying for the sick – just a general prayer – blind eyes opened in the name of Jesus. And the miracle really shocked us – within a second all three blind children received perfect sight. It was a great sensation. But these are the fingerprints of Jesus. He touched me and He touched them.

During the press-conference

Many young people use Internet now, does your mission use it to reach out and evangelise young people?

Reinhard Bonnke: Yeah. Our ministry has an extensive Internet activities. Daniel Kolenda has a blog. Just look for him and you will find him. The ministry has its own web-site cfan.org. I personally have a Facebook page. I started in June last year and now I have 88 thousand fans. I write every day two to three times with my own hands. It’s amazing. My wife said: “What are you doing there?” I said: “This is my house church.” It’s a great blessing to use these electronic means for the Kingdom of God.

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TAGS: USA Ukraine Reinhard Bonnke Daniel Kolenda Christ for All Nations evangelistic crusade healing

[07/01/2010]

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