Finally back in India

Finally! This weekend we held our first crusade in India since churches were burned down in Orissa in 2008. Even though it was a small crusade, its effect will be to open doors for future crusades. Many people were delivered, healed and saved. After the meeting, a girl of about 15 years of age came up to me. A demon was speaking through her, saying, “I won’t leave her.” Then the presence of Jesus showed up, and I could feel it flowing through me and into this girl. Peace moved in and the demon had to leave. There is only one word for things like this: JESUS!

On Saturday evening a 50 year-old Hindu man got saved. It was very hard for him to walk because he had some kind of problem with a club foot that was severely hindering his movement. As we were praying for the sick, I noticed that he started to shake, and then his head was being thrown back and forth for a good thirty seconds before he fell to the ground. When he got up again he could walk normally for the first time in his life. Afterwards, crying with joy, he told us he felt an electric shock going through his body. YES! We preach Jesus Christ, crucified and resurrected!

On Sunday something very encouraging took place. The presence of God was amazing when it was time for me to preach, so much so that I had to start over three times because of the wonderful chaos of the anointing. During that time they had brought a man who couldn’t walk to the front. They just placed him on the floor in front of me. I preached, had an altar call, prayed for the baptism of the Spirit and forgot about the man they had placed there. Several people testified about their healings and I was just about to close the meeting when someone tapped me on the shoulder. “Look, Pastor Tommy!” one of the pastors exclaimed. The man was walking around on the stage behind me! “But that’s the man who couldn’t walk!” I said. Then we laughed and danced together. Praise God!

It was wonderful to be back in India, and a new door has been opened. It’s not quite finalized yet, but PTL will probably be able to multiply and hold several large crusades in large cities whose populations are overwhelmingly Hindu and Muslim.

It is easy to forget how big India is: over one billion people – that’s one thousand million! You could fit 120 Swedens into one India. And you could fit 2 Swedens into the city I am in now, Chennai. It is amazing to think that in this city alone, you could start several thousand churches without even having to compete for souls.

The man coordinating my crusade has preached a series of meetings at TD Jakes’ church, the Potter’s House in Dallas, and has had Ron Kenoly as worship leader at a crusade in Nigeria. He is a fantastic man.

Last week I met another wonderful brother in Dubai. He came to Dubai from Sri Lanka in 1983 just after graduating as an engineer. He got saved and then planted a church that is now the largest church in the Middle East, with 5000 visitors each week. This in a country where you can end up in jail for handing out Bibles in public!

On Monday I will visit a village for lepers, as well as an orphanage. Then I will head home Monday night.