God’s manifest glory
The impossible is possible
Do you know that you are a shareholder in God’s glory? How can it be, that the God who created the universe would share His glory with us? That’s a mind-blowing thought – and yet, it is literally the gospel truth. In John 17:22, Jesus said, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one”. But what is “the glory”? How does the glory of God affect us, here on earth?
God’s tangible presence
The word “glory” is found throughout the Bible. It can be used in several ways. One example that is found in Scripture is when “glory” is used to describe honor, wealth, and power.
The second usage of the word is to describe God’s manifested or tangible presence. If we carefully examine this definition of “glory,” we will discover that it can be used to describe personal encounters that people have in which God’s glorious presence moves out of the supernatural realm into the earthly realm.
I believe that people everywhere long to be touched by God in a tangible way. A lost and dying world longs to see the gospel, experience the gospel, and be touched and healed by the power of the gospel. A person who hears the gospel should have an experience that needs an explanation, not just an explanation of something that is in need of an experience! The gospel must be a life-altering encounter.
Miracles happen today
The manifestation of God’s glory is not just something that happened in biblical times. Right now, because of the prayers of God’s people, faith in His Word, and the declaration of the gospel, we are seeing God’s glory manifested all over the world every day. In the city of Kafanchan in Nigeria, I received a word of knowledge about HIV AIDS, and a young man in the final stages of the disease suddenly fell to the ground under the power of God. That night he dreamt that Jesus came to him and told him that he was healed. He went to the doctor the next morning and was tested again. That evening he brought a report to the meeting. I held it in my hand and read it to the crowd of over 220,000 people – HIV negative! He received a blood transfusion from heaven. Praise the Lord!
- In the city of Nsukka, where more than 425,000 people gathered in the final meeting, Mrs. Regina Attah came with her three children: Umeka (12), Chinwendu (10), and their brother Chukwudi (7). All three children were totally blind; Umeka for eight years, Chinwendu for two years, and little Chukwudi for one year. During the prayer for the sick, all three children received perfect sight at the same moment!
- In Isokoland, a girl, deaf and dumb for 20 years, could suddenly hear and speak clearly after receiving prayer. Her brother was standing somewhere in the crowd of more than a quarter million when he saw his sister speaking for the first time in two decades. It was an emotional sight to watch as he ran through the crowd to the platform where they embraced, wept, and rejoiced together.
- In Mubi, among the 630,000 people present that night, was one young lady who had been physically disabled for over 20 years. During the prayer for the sick, she fell on the ground and said that a man surrounded by light wearing a white garment came to her and said, “What do you want?” She said, “I want to be healed.” When she awoke, she discovered that she had full use of her legs – she could even run!
- In Bali, one lady testified that she was dying from breast cancer; there were open sores across her chest, and her entire right side was paralyzed. When she received her healing, she was not at the meeting. She was lying on her bed at home. But she could hear the preaching coming over the gigantic PA system. She said she heard me say, “If you are lying on a bed, get up now!” She responded in faith and suddenly she said she felt as though two hands lifted her to her feet. That is when she realized she was no longer paralyzed, the sores on her chest had dried up, and the cancer was gone. She was totally healed! This woman who had been unable to stand before now walked all the way through the massive field where our open-air meeting was taking place and up to the platform to give her testimony.
- In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a lady who had undergone 12 major back surgeries was still confined to a wheelchair. After receiving prayer, she jumped out of the wheelchair, totally healed!
- In Sapele I received a word of knowledge about someone who had been wounded by a gunshot and had not been able to recover from it for years. In response to that word, a lady came to the platform to share her story. She had been shot in the leg four years earlier and had been partially disabled since. That night, after prayer, she and I danced together on the platform – she was totally healed!
- In Ugep a woman brought her son for prayer who had been totally insane for the last 15 years. He was completely mad, violent, and uncontrollable. After receiving prayer, an amazing transformation took place. He spoke softly and was in his right mind. He told me that Jesus had healed him. Praise the Lord!
- In Taraba State in Nigeria, the governor came to see me with his sister who was barren. I prayed for her that God would open her womb and she would become pregnant. When I visited another city in that state one year later, the governor came to see me again with his sister. This time she was nine months pregnant and about to give birth. She gave thanks to God for the miracle.
I could go on and on with the testimonies of incredible salvations, healings, deliverances, and miracles that happen every night in every campaign because of the power of the gospel and the power of prayer offered in faith. In fact, certain pastors have told us that so many miracles took place during the week of our Gospel Campaign that it took the local churches a year to hear all of the testimonies!
With God, the supernatural is natural
The Bible is full of accounts of how God has demonstrated His glory throughout history. Some people think that these are only stories that have been passed down for historical reasons and are only intended to entertain us and teach us allegorical lessons. They are wrong! Others believe that these biblical stories are examples of God’s maximum ability. This is also wrong! These testimonies are but a sampling of what is possible in God. With God, the supernatural is natural and the impossible is possible. Christianity is intended to be a supernatural existence from beginning to end, and the demonstration of God’s power should be the norm.
To God be all the glory
This is why we preach the gospel and pray for the sick, in Jesus’s name. It is our purpose, in our time here on earth, to bring glory to God. And we do that in unity, we do that together. “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one”. We are in this together, a body made up of many parts, all of them necessary. Some of us preach, some of us give sacrificially. Some of us intercede. Some of us work with our hands. We are all co-workers in the Kingdom.
Finally, we have just come back from Abeokuta in Nigeria. We give God all the glory for what He did there, as thousands gave their hearts to Jesus and many wonderful healings took place. Now, we are on our way to Ado Ekiti, also in Nigeria, and we can’t wait to see what God has in store. Will you prayerfully ask the Lord if you have a part to play in this task? There are many costs to meet and challenges to overcome – but we know that we can do it together.
With you in Jesus,
Evangelist Daniel Kolenda
and the whole CfaN Team
Excerpt from “Unlocking the Miraculous” by Daniel Kolenda