Thousands in Southern India Experience Hope, Healing During Nine-Day Crusadeby Staff
June 5, 2009
KNOXVILLE, TN, (christiansunite.com) -- When conversation turns to the subject of healing, Dr. Pete Sulack is on very familiar ground. After all, he trained intensively for several years to learn the healing art that he practices as a successful chiropractor in Knoxville, Tennessee. And he prepared every bit as intensively to answer the call God gave him to take the healing touch of Christ's love to the nations of the world.
So in early May, when he and his Matthew 10 International Ministries team landed in the city of Narsapur in southern India for a series of gospel crusades, it came as no surprise when God emphasized His intention to reach down from heaven with healing hands to touch the throngs of needy people in the area with miracles of healing, deliverance, and salvation.
"From the start we knew this was going to be an important and life-changing trip, both for our team members and for the tens of thousands of individuals we would reach in this region of India," said Dr. Pete, as he is known by friends and associates. As he and his team spent time in prayer upon arriving in Narsapur, they felt God speaking emphatically about the extent of what He wanted to accomplish. "One of our members actually had a vision from God of the area around the city where we were ministering as being closed literally in a box of oppression," he recalled. "As the vision unfolded, he saw a hand come out of heaven, unlocking and opening the box. The hand was the hand of Jesus, and the significance of the vision was Jesus opening up this oppressed area to the hope of the gospel."
In the past three years Dr. Pete has made several ministry trips to large population centers throughout India and shared the gospel with over two millions individuals. While this trip, was too them, to a comparatively small community of less than one hundred thousand inhabitants, he felt that this trip would be key to opening up the rest of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. "Over 50 years ago some dedicated Christian missionaries were kicked out of this region," said Dr. Pete, "and there has been a deep spiritual darkness over this land for generations. We found out that an estimated 56,000 Christians have been killed by Hindu militia soldiers in the last year. We knew that we were walking into enemy territory, and that really impacted our prayer and preparation for the campaign."
As the team spent time in intercession, they felt a profound sense of peace and divine protection, and as the week of crusades and ministry unfolded they experienced a mighty move of God, both in the nightly crusade meetings, and in one-on-one interaction with individuals from the area.
"As with our previous crusades, God impressed upon us not to emphasize healing or anything else, but to preach salvation through the blood of Jesus," Dr. Pete explained. "As people accepted His gift of salvation, God literally reached down and touched many people with healings and miracles."
On the fourth night of the crusade, a Sunday, over 15,000 individuals came to Christ, and mighty healings took place, with several people testifying of hands coming out of the sky to touch them. One local woman testified that she had been deaf, and as she was standing in the service, she saw two hands come out of heaven, touch her on the top of the head, and her hearing was miraculously restored. Another woman, suffering from cancer and a tumor on the side of her body, was healed when she said a hand reached down from above and touched her.
Another woman, a doctor visiting from France as part of a medical team, had come to the service so ill she was afraid she was dying. "As she sat in the service she suddenly felt a lightening bolt on the top of her head and she was immediately healed," recalled Dr. Pete.
In addition to the nightly crusades, Dr. Pete and the team reached out with help and hope to over 1,000 widows living in the area. "Widows are among the most vulnerable and shunned people in all of India," explained Dr. Pete, "and we take Christ's words literally, that when we reach out to these individuals who seem so insignificant to the eyes of the world, we are really reaching out and ministering to Christ Himself."
Team members ministered to the women with food, clothing, and encouragement, reminding them of their significance in God's purpose to reach India. "We emphasized to them that they have an awesome opportunity to pray for the people of their communities," said Dr. Pete, "and as they do they will be a key part of seeing their nation washed in the blood of Jesus."
The 19-member team that accompanied Dr. Pete on the trip were touched and changed by what they experienced over their nine-days in India. "It was really the most amazing trip I've ever been on," said Alicia Eason, a team member from Knoxville, Tennessee. "We had the opportunity to see thousands give their lives to Christ for the very first time! And we were able to personally hand brand-new saris to over 1,000 widows. It was so moving to see their tears as they thanked you for their new clothing."
Dr. Pete recalled that before the trip one team member had commented how exciting it would have been to experience the mighty miraculous signs that followed God's people in the book of Acts. "After the trip that same man said, 'I saw the book of Acts in operation in India. God is still working in the same way.'"
Added Dr. Pete: "The gospel is all about one thing, one theme we can all agree upon: We are saved by the power of Jesus Christ. And that is what we are witnessing every time we minister in India--or anywhere else. Because of Jesus, God reaches down to bring salvation, healing, and deliverance to all people everywhere."
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