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The Supreme Commission
Reinhard Bonnke

Reinhard Walter Bonnke (1940–2019). Born on April 19, 1940, in Königsberg, East Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia), to Hermann, a pastor, and Meta Bonnke, Reinhard Bonnke was a German-American Pentecostal evangelist renowned for his massive African crusades. The youngest of five, he fled with his family to Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, in 1945 as refugees. Converted at nine during a prayer meeting, he felt called to Africa at 10 after a divine vision. He studied at The Bible College of Wales in Swansea (1959–1961), ordained by the German Pentecostal Church. In 1967, he and his wife, Anni Sülzle, married since 1964, moved to Lesotho as missionaries. Founding Christ for All Nations (CfaN) in 1974, Bonnke’s open-air crusades, marked by reported healings and salvations, drew millions, notably 1.6 million in Lagos, Nigeria, in 2000. By 2017, CfaN recorded 79 million decisions for Christ. He authored over 40 books, including Evangelism by Fire (1989) and Living a Life of Fire (2009). Father to Kai-Uwe, Gabriele, and Susanne, he died on December 7, 2019, in Orlando, Florida, saying, “Africa shall be saved!”
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Sermon Summary
In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the power of the Word of God and its relationship with the Holy Spirit. He shares a personal experience of standing in front of a large crowd and witnessing the transformative impact of speaking the Word of God. The speaker encourages the audience to be willing vessels for God's Word and to proclaim it boldly, believing that it can bring about miraculous change in people's lives. He also references the story of Israel at the Red Sea in Exodus 14, highlighting the importance of trusting in God's power and provision even in seemingly impossible situations.
Sermon Transcription
Jesus is the Savior of the world. That's what the people of Samaria said. The Savior of the world. And this is an awesome designation. What you just saw is not just something to stun you. This was all done in the name of the one who has said, without me you can do nothing. Our blessed Lord Jesus Christ and to him be all the glory and all the honor and all the praise. We were surprised and still are surprised ourselves to see the awesome way how the harvest of souls is brought in and whole nations are shaken. Presidents bowing their knees receiving Jesus as their Savior. I've been asked to speak in houses of parliament and you know the first time I was preaching in a house of parliament and the full house of parliament that was Malawi. And well, I was, I thought this is a house of parliament. You know, I can't do as if this is a gospel crusade. Here are all these parliamentarians. You know, it's like the house of congress. You know, and when I came to the end of my message I said, no, what about protocol? I said, Lord, inside of me, what about protocol? The Lord spoke to me instantly. He said, Reinhard, no protocol, make an altar call. That's how I learned. I made an altar call. 60% of those people there in that house of parliament wanted to get saved. The speaker of the house stood up and said, I will give my office to Reverend Bonnke for counseling. And those parliamentarians, they stood outside a long line. They came in one by one, opened the door. One step into the room where I sat, they fell on the floor with their face first. Crying out, confessing their sins, although nobody had asked them to do it. I tell you, this is the God we serve. He's a mighty God. He's the God of the nations. He's the God of the nations. I've been in Muslim nations. When Muslim presidents came to open my crusade. Can you believe it? Oh, it's absolutely wonderful. It's absolutely. We are condemned to victory. We can't lose because Jesus has already won. Now, the first two nights I preached the gospel to you. I call that the ABC of the gospel. And then that's what I normally do because I'm an evangelist. But don't you ever think I don't know the XYZ? I know the XYZ. That's why I'm writing books. That's why I'm writing books. But today I want to take you a step further, if I may. I want to share my heart with you. I want to share with you what's at the bottom of my heart. And I believe the Holy Spirit is here. And he is going to transfer something from heart to heart. And tomorrow night I want to speak about the Holy Spirit in evangelism. And I tell you one thing, the Holy Spirit will come down right here. Right here. Don't miss it. Because that got me going myself. It got me going. It's the power of the Holy Spirit. This is not human. These are not human ways. That's right. I was just asked somebody, what role does the Holy Spirit play in your ministry? I said in my ministry, I have to put it in a picture because my mind works in pictures. I said the Holy Spirit is the hand in the glove of the preached gospel. That's the Holy Spirit. The hand in the glove of the preached gospel. And he never misses to grab a heart. Hallelujah. Glory to God in the highest. Pastor Mack and Pastor Lynn, I want to thank you so much for your generosity. I'm actually overwhelmed. I haven't experienced that before. But God the Lord will bless you. And everyone who contributes towards it. And I hear already the whispering of the Holy Spirit in my heart. I will come back to Minnesota. We're going to preach the gospel together in the stadium here. Jesus name. Isn't that wonderful? Amen. You're such wonderful people. Let me share with you a little bit. When I arrived 27 years old together with my wife in Africa from Germany. I came to a small country called Lesotho. It's landlocked within the Republic of South Africa. I thought it would be easy. But it was very tough. I don't want to talk about that because it all turned around. I started an evangelistic correspondence course. I drew it up myself with the aim to get people saved and get to the young people. And it went from school to school to school to school eventually at 50,000 students. And to me it was as if I had just, I just looked through the periscope of my submarine and saw that people around me on the surface of the water were dying and drowning and crying for God to help them. So I rented a couple of offices right there in the city of Maseru, which is the capital city of Lesotho. I had a couple, I employed some people. I had to pay $50 rent for my offices. $50 per month. And then a Friday came and that was the Friday the rent was due. And I didn't have a penny. I didn't have a penny. I know $50 isn't much, but it's much if you haven't got one. And I was in the poorest country. Nobody was around me with a dollar in their pocket. Very poor people. But I knew God is able to do. I prayed the whole day, Lord, five o'clock, I've got to pay the $50 or they will evict me. Lord, Lord, help me, help me send someone with $50. I'll tell you what came. Five o'clock came. Well, not the dollars. The staff was already gone. And I walked slowly down the stairs and I walked home just about 200 yards where we as a family lived in a rented little place with our three small children at that time. And while I was walking on the road, suddenly the Holy Spirit came on me. And I heard him speak to my heart very clearly. I know his voice. My sheep know my sheep. Hear my voice. And the Lord said, do you want me to give you $1,000,000? I said, wait a minute. I asked for $50. And for seconds, it flashed through my mind what I couldn't do with $1,000,000 for Jesus. I thought I could bombard the whole world with the gospel of salvation. Suddenly, a second thought crossed my mind. And I stood there on the public road, people passing me left and right. It was rush hour. Everyone was on foot there. And you know, I'm not a weepy person at all. I'm a tough German. But I stood there on the road. Tears were gushing out of my eyes. And I lifted my hands to heaven and I cried out. I said, no Lord, I don't ask for $1,000,000, but I ask for 1,000,000 souls. I said, Lord, 1,000,000 souls less in hell and 1,000,000 souls more in heaven. That shall be the purpose of my life and ministry. The people looked at me and thought I was crazy. I didn't care. Two hoots. Because the next thing is I heard the Holy Spirit speak in my heart again. Words I'd never read and I'd never heard. And they became the motto of my ministry until today. He said, you will plunder hell and populate heaven for Calvary's sake. In those days, I never thought of a million people. I had 50 in my service. But God is faithful. In my youth, I went from prophecy to prophecy to prophecy. And then I went, started to go from fulfillment to fulfillment to fulfillment to fulfillment. That is what our God is doing. He fulfills his word in my life, in your life, in our lives. In Jesus name. Amen. I would like to speak tonight about the Great Commission. I don't call it the Great Commission. Somebody else gave this scripture that name. I call it the Supreme Commission. It's supreme. It's the last will of Jesus before he ascended to heaven. And he said, I'm quoting here Mark 16 verse 15. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Let me just tell you quickly whom he calls and then I really start. Jesus said to that woman in Samaria, go and call your husband. Off she went and over fulfilled her quota. Whether her husband came or not, the Bible doesn't say. But she brought everybody else's husband. She said to the people, come and see a man. And they all came. That woman just getting saved, bringing in her sheaves. Jesus called it a harvest. Jesus called it a harvest. But one thing struck me here. One day when I read John chapter 4, Jesus saves sinners to save sinners. Are you happy? Jesus saves sinners to save sinners. Hallelujah. And the truth is also that Jesus cannot wait until we are all perfectly sanctified. Then we can only start with 80 years of age. That woman was just saved. She didn't know much of the gospel. She said, come and see a man who told me everything I've ever done. Maybe he is the Messiah. And the whole town came. Jesus saves sinners to save sinners. And Jesus saved you for a purpose too. Hallelujah. A wonderful, wonderful purpose. Now, we just read here that Jesus said, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. And when I read that, I always feel, every time I read it, I almost can feel it. That Jesus tried to push them. Go, go. Why don't you go? Go preach, go preach, go preach. He wanted them to go. God doesn't sit with sitters. He doesn't sleep with sleepers, but he goes with goers and works with workers. Hallelujah. Why don't you go? And then suddenly, suddenly I saw something I'd never seen before. I saw the working relationship between the word of God and the spirit of God. And that's what I want to share with you. Genesis chapter one. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. That was so chaotic. It's beyond human imagination. Thank God it was before God had created us. Oceans, I think of chemicals, raging storms, everything and darkness, a thick darkness. So terrible, but the spirit of the Lord was brooding over it. Hovering over it. I don't know how long he hovered. The Bible doesn't say it. A million years, a billion years. We don't know. I only know one thing. Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing happened. And then God spoke. Let there be light. And there was light. The Holy Spirit kept hovering over that awful, awful chaos. Waiting for something. He couldn't move. He waited for something. He waited for the word. He waited for the word to be spoken. And the moment the word was spoken, let there be light. The same nanosecond, the Holy Spirit was riding in on that word and work and there was light. And then I saw the principle. The gospel can only become an event and an experience when the word of God is spoken. And God wants to speak it through you and through me. Here or anywhere else, maybe there is a nation where the Holy Spirit is brooding. Waiting for somebody to come and say, in Jesus' name, I set you free. And the Holy Spirit will begin to work. That is the working relationship. Between the word of God and the spirit of God. And this is what I have seen again and again and again. Hallelujah. I stood in front of a crowd of 1,600,000 people. Some of the people on the platform came to me and said, Reinhard, how do you feel? I said, well, I think I can see the curvature of the earth. It's so awesome. It's so awesome. So wonderful. God took me from nothing. And he did that. And my conclusion is, if God can use Reinhard Bonnke, he can use you 10 times. I have often visitors at our crusades in Africa. I am happy about it. I don't like them to come and clap for me. What I want is only one thing. I want them to see their own possibilities in God. Because the world is so big. There is room for all of us. With such a ministry that shakes a nation. Do you believe it? In Jesus' mighty name. You see, we've got to preach the gospel. Go and preach. Preach because the Holy Spirit is waiting. He's waiting. And the moment it is preached, it strikes. People get saved. The sick get healed. Devils are cast out. Everything happens. The Holy Spirit falls. It's the full gospel in Jesus' name. Hallelujah. An unpreached gospel is no gospel. Gospel means good news. News is not news when it is on a shelf in your library. News is only news when it is spoken. That is news when it is communicated. Good news. So an unpreached gospel is no gospel because it helps nobody. But if it is spoken, the Holy Spirit cooperates. And it becomes the medicine for the patient. In Jesus' name. Amen. We screw the cup off and we can administer the medicine. That is the preached gospel. Say amen. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Go into all the world. Preach the gospel to every creature. I grew up in North Germany, just north of Hamburg, the city of Hamburg. It's amazing. You know, I grew up in Hamburg. Later on, I lived in Frankfurt, but I'm neither a Hamburger nor a Frankfurter. It's funny, isn't it? But I lived at the mouth of the River Elbe. It's a mighty river there before it flows into the North Sea. And where we lived, the River Elbe was tidal water. High tide, low tide. We lived there in the estuary of that river. And as a boy, I remember my experiences so well. When the tide was out, when the water was gone, there were big barges lying in the mud, loaded with building materials. 50 tons, 150 tons, sitting there like a duck, stuck. And we boys, we played around in that mud and we enjoyed it. And mother hated it, but we did it. And I always thought no power in the world could move these barges. No power in the world could move these barges. Suddenly, the tide came back and everything became alive around those barges. It was swirling and gurgling and the water was rising and rising and rising. And half an hour later or an hour later, I stood at the pier. The barges were up and I could push them. As a 12-year-old boy, I could push them and move them with one foot. That became a parable to me. When we preach the gospel, the tide comes in. And you know what that means? It means that the laws are changing. What was given up as being stuck is no more stuck because all of a sudden it floats. And when it comes to the gospel, when the tide of the gospel comes in, anything is possible. If you have given up people, relatives, children, husbands or wives as unsavable, let the tide come in. And all of a sudden the immovable moves, the impossible is possible and the incurable is curable in the name of Jesus. Preach the gospel. Go and preach the gospel. Go and preach the gospel. I just read this morning in my Bible when I got up in Exodus 14. And Israel was at the Red Sea and Pharaoh was closing in on them from behind. And they didn't know where to go. And they cried out, Moses, Moses, what now? And Moses fell on his face on the ground, flat on the ground, crying out to God. And then he shouted to the people of Israel and said, stand still. You can read it up, Exodus 14. Stand still. God was not happy with that. He gave a counter command. He said, Moses, get up and tell the children of Israel, go forward, not stand still. If you're here in the church, stand still. It's, it's Reverend Moses speaking. If you're here in the church, go forward. It's the almighty God speaking. Hallelujah. Blessed be the name of the Lord. And when Moses had the faith to lift his rod, then the miracle happened. The Red Sea split. Moses had the faith to lift his rod, that shepherd's rod, that primitive shepherd's rod. And in came his almighty God and split the Red Sea and drowned Pharaoh's military. Hallelujah. It was the perfect answer. Go, preach. I always hear people say, oh, Lord, I'm waiting for you. I'm waiting. I'm waiting. I don't want to run ahead of you. Do you really think you can outrun God? Come on. I have one good news for you. Since Pentecost, we are no more waiting for God, but God is waiting for us. And they went forth preaching the gospel everywhere. And the Lord confirming his word by the accompanying signs. That is what happened. And I tell you, God's traffic light is green and it won't get greener. And green means go. Go and preach. In Jesus name. I think I'm shouting too much, do I? Oh my God. You're different than the German people. They always say to me, Reinhard, why do you shout so much? We are not deaf, you know. I can't just, it's just the gospel is too wonderful to be whispered. But they keep telling me the same story. Shall I tell you what I told them? I said to them, when I see the devil binding our young people with chains of drug addiction and unspeakable perversions. When I see what the murderer is doing with our sons and daughters, I cannot purr like a cat. I want to roar like a lion. Let the whole world hear it. Jesus saves. Jesus saves. Hallelujah. Now, I want to come to my next point. Who does God call? Who does he call? I tell you, he doesn't call angels to preach the gospel. He calls ordinary people. Isn't that a chance for all of us? It surely was for me. He calls ordinary people. And I'm thinking of Acts chapter 10. You remember the story of Cornelius? That Roman soldier, a devout man, the Bible calls him. Who was praying and he was giving a lot of money for the cause of God. And he was praying and praying and praying. And then an angel came and visited him and said, Your prayer has been heard, Cornelius. And then the angel was not allowed to name the name of Jesus. Neither was he allowed to speak about salvation. All he was allowed to say was, Send to Simon Peter in Joppa, that and that house. Call him and he will tell you. Suddenly it struck me. That seraphim from the highest heaven had to bow to Peter's higher privilege. Because it is the will of God for men and women to preach the gospel. What an honor. What a privilege. We can speak and preach the gospel. Hallelujah. I was just a boy of 10. My father was a pastor in a church and I always thought he had the smallest church in the country. My father. I was 10 years of age. There was a meeting there, maybe 20 people. Was a mission meeting and there was some guest who spoke about missions. I don't know who that guest was and actually I didn't listen what he said. But I sat right there. And suddenly I heard the voice of Jesus in my heart, 10 years old. The Lord said, Reinhard, when you are grown up, you will preach the gospel in Africa. I was so overwhelmed. I started to cry. I ran to my dad. I put my arms around his belly. I said, Papa, God has spoken to me. He said, son, what did God say to you? He said to me, when I'm grown up, I'm going to preach the gospel in Africa. My father said to me, Reinhard, your oldest brother shall be my successor. I thanked the Lord a million times for that. The Lord didn't tell me to become father's successor. He called me to preach the gospel in Africa. And from that moment, I went as straight as an arrow through my teenage years, just preparing for this one thing. I'm going to go to Africa. I'm going to look for a wife who's also got the call from God to go to Africa. And thank God I found her. And then we arrived in 67. I tell you, the Holy Spirit is here. Something is going to happen here, today, tonight, that will affect the ends of the earth. My father, when I said I'm going to Africa, my father, instead of encouraging me, always winked at the people and said, it will blow over. It will blow over. Well, I'm 74 years of age right now, and it's still blowing. Hallelujah. I'm not done yet. America will be saved. What I've seen God do in Africa has given me incurable faith for America. Because the tide comes in. Circumstances change. You will see it. We will see it. And every ship will swim. Let me qualify it. Every ship that has a bottom will swim. Hallelujah. The call of God. The call of God. I was in Lubumbashi. That's a southern city in the DC Congo, DR Congo, in the country called Congo. Very close to the Zambian border. I mean, in the heart of Africa. I had a crusade there. God blessed mightily. In the afternoons, I don't allow anybody to disturb me. I'm alone with God. I was kneeling at my bedside reading scripture. As I was reading, suddenly the Holy Spirit spoke to me. He said to me, Read the green pages in your Bible. I immediately knew what he meant. Because there are some scriptures I always skip. And I immediately knew which one I skipped most. It's 1 Chronicles 1. You know, there the book starts with Adam. Whom Adam begot. Begot. And who begot whom? Every verse, he begot and begot and begot. Now, I opened 1 Chronicles and I started to read. Begot, begot, begot. After a while, I stopped. I said, Lord, this reads like a telephone directory. What blessing can I get from this? I forced myself. I read on. Begot, begot, begot. I stopped again. I said, all these unpronounceable names. Suddenly, Holy Spirit was in that room. And I saw the finger of God on 1 Chronicles 1. Just go along those lines of who begot whom. And every time it touched a name, it made a short pause. Like this, in staccato. So many names. So many pauses. And then I suddenly realized these names were not important to me. But they are important to God. Every name is important to God. That's why they are in His book. And it was to me as if He was looking for people who would say yes to the will of God to build His eternal kingdom. We were not just born. We were not just begot and born. We were born for a purpose. Even until today. And every name here is important to God. You are important to God. You are important to God. If you ask me, this is what I sense in my spirit right now. The Bible calls the Holy Spirit the finger of God. You knew that, didn't you? And that finger is moving now from row to row. And from heart to heart. Touching everybody. Touching everybody. Second row, third row, fourth row, fifth row, up there. The balcony. Nobody forgets God because you are all very important to our wonderful God. And He's looking for people who say, here am I Lord. Send me. Here am I Lord. Send me. I've been praying that tonight here in this sanctuary, that this sanctuary may come a womb that gives birth to men and women that will shake the ends of the earth in Jesus' mighty name. Hallelujah. Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? We are all meant to go and preach. You know, Isaiah. Isaiah. Isaiah had a vision of the throne of God in the sixth chapter of his book. And when he saw God on his throne, he suddenly realized that he was unclean. He said, my lips are unclean. My lips. Oh God, my lips are unclean. I don't know why he called his lips unclean. Was he maybe, maybe he was talking filthy jokes. Or maybe he was drinking liquor. I don't know. Or he felt his lips were unclean. God couldn't use unclean lips. Lord, my lips are unclean. That was no hindrance to God because he took a coal, a burning coal from his altar and touched his lips. He cleansed them from that uncleanness. And you know what a mighty prophet Isaiah became. And the words that flowed from those once unclean lips. They have been thundering through the ages. Thus says the Lord. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our sin was upon him. And by his stripes, we are healed. That came from one's unclean lips. Our imperfection doesn't matter to God. He will change you with his holy fire. Your lips will become holy. I will become clean. I spoke to young people. I said, what are you going to do with your life when you leave high school? Oh, they had it all mapped out. Everything was already high and safe. Yes, I go to college and then I do this and then I do that and then I do that and then I do that. I asked him, have you ever spoken to God about your future? He created you in your mother's womb for a purpose of his. Have you ever said, Lord, what have you got in mind for my life? Because whenever the will of God is done, we enter the highest form of human life possible on earth. It's the highest calling. The highest calling. When my eldest brother, Martin, left high school, my father said to him, Martin, what do you want to become? Martin said, I want to become a scientist. He became a scientist. Dr. Erum Naturaru, as we say in Germany. When my brother Peter graduated, father came to him and said, Peter, what do you want to do? He said, I want to be a medical doctor. He became a medical doctor. And when my time came, father said, Reinhardt, what do you want to do? It was as if a film was passing my eyes. There are so many possibilities to become the richest, to become the most educated and all of that. And that is not bad. It is good. But I suddenly had such a burning desire and I was able to express it. I realized the world will pass away and I wanted to give my life for something that my mortal hands would be allowed to build something eternal. My mortal hands, I suddenly realized, can build God's eternal kingdom. My mortality is building something eternal. Something that will never, never pass away. And my mortal lips can preach the eternal gospel. Eternal, eternal, eternal. Father didn't know what happened inside of me. He said, Reinhardt, I'm asking again, what do you want to do? I said, Dad, I want to do the will of God. He that does the will of God will shall live last forever. I pray that the Holy Spirit may reveal that to everyone here. Young people, do you hear me? It is the greatest and the highest calling in life. That is through God's eternal kingdom. Hallelujah. And now I want to talk about connections. Connections. I went to college in Great Britain and that's where I learned my English. I graduated. I went young in life. I graduated when I was 21 years of age. And I returned from the college back home to Hamburg where my parents lived. And when I returned, I thought by myself, I'm going to planet in such a way that I have one day in London in the United Kingdom to do some sightseeing. So I arrived in London by train in the morning. My connection was late at night, so around midnight to Germany. In those days, we went by train and not by plane. The train went on the ferry and then it went home. So I wanted to do some sightseeing, but I couldn't join an organized group because I had no money for it. I just had a couple of half crowns in my pocket. The people told me you can buy a day ticket for so and so much and then ride any bus you wish in London for one day. Well, that suited me. I had that money. I bought the ticket and I got into those double-decker buses. Anyone didn't know where it went. Went one direction, then there was another hub there. I just changed, got into some other bus. I had no idea where it went. I never saw Buckingham Palace. Went that direction, I changed that direction, changed that direction and that direction and that direction for hours. After a couple of hours, I thought I need to stretch my legs. I walked off the bus and walked into a residential area. In London. At that time, a city of 10 million people. And as I was walking through this pleasant suburb of something, I passed a house and I saw a nameplate outside. I read George Jeffries. George Jeffries. I mean, I came fresh from college. I had learned about George Jeffries. George Jeffries was a man who had brought the gospel of signs and wonders to the British Isle. I'd read his book. That touched my heart. But I thought he was already dead. That part I hadn't learned at school. So I said, well, Jeffries is a very common name in Britain. There will be thousands of Jeffries. And George, even more, even the more. There must be thousands of George Jeffries in Britain. But a still small voice said to me, you've got plenty of time. Why can't you find out? So I walked through the front garden. And I pressed the bell. And the lady opened. I said, ma'am, my name is Reinhard Ponke. May I ask a question? Does the George Jeffries live in this house who was that firebrand evangelist and brought the gospel of signs and wonders to the British Isles? She said to me, yes. I said, may I please see him? She said, no. And please excuse me for saying it. But that lady filled the doorframe. I couldn't pass. But while she said no. Suddenly I heard a voice, a deep voice from the inside. Let him come in. I don't know how I passed that barrier. But in I was. And I saw him come down the stairs. Perfectly dressed as if he had been waiting for someone. He came down. I shook his hand. I started to talk. I said, my name is Reinhard Ponke. I've read your books. And Jesus has called me to be an evangelist in Africa. I have prepared for it. I know that God used you to bring the. I was not talking all the time. He didn't say a word. That old man didn't say a word. He just put his hand on my shoulder. And then he fell on his knees. On the carpet. And pulled me down with him. And laid his hands on me and blessed me. And the glory of the Lord appeared. I left half an hour later. And as I was staggering back to the bus stop. I kept saying to myself. How did I come to this man? I didn't even know he was alive. He wasn't on my mind. I had no address. Address. I just didn't have the money for a guided tour. And I came exactly to this house. And the Holy Spirit touched my heart. And said. The Lord said to me. The Holy Spirit was your bus driver. It sounds like a fairy tale. But it is the truth before God. I knew I got something. That night at midnight. I caught the train at Victoria Station in London. To go back home. I arrived in Hamburg the next day. My father was at the station to come and pick me up. We greeted each other. I hadn't said anything of my experience. My father said. Reinhard I just had a call. They say George Jeffries died in London. Then I knew. I had picked up a mantle. There was a connection. There was a connection. I believe in connections. These connections are invisible. But they are from generation to generation. George Jeffries only became 72 years old. He had dressed up. The Lord must have told him. Someone is coming. And I didn't know it was me. But thank God it was me. And today it is you. Connections. Wonderful connections. No, I didn't get my anointing from George Jeffries. I was already baptized in the Holy Spirit. No, no, no. Our fire we never get from other people. Because only Jesus is the baptizer with the Holy Spirit and with fire. I don't want to be a copy of another copy. I want to have the original. And that is straight from Jesus. I already had the flame. What I was missing was the button. You know in the relay race. The button is passed from runner to runner to runner to runner. That's why Paul. Hallelujah. That's why the apostle Paul said. Such as I have, I give to you. And such as he had, he gave to me. Hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah. That day I grabbed that button. I tell you what happened that day. That day I got the button. And that day my flame and the button became one. And I've been running with a burning button my whole life. People ask me, Reinhard. How do you keep the fire burning for so many years? I said the question is wrong. I don't keep the fire burning. The fire keeps me burning. This is what scripture says. Hallelujah. You can't have sat in such a meeting like here tonight. And just let life pass you as if nothing has happened. God wants an answer. We have the power to say no to God when it comes to his call. All right. But I tell you what you can never get rid of. You want to know? What you can never get rid of? You can't get rid of the fingerprint of the finger of God in your heart. Never. You will never forget this. But the master is here and calls you. And this is the moment to say, here am I, Lord. Here am I, Lord. Send me in Jesus mighty name. If you have heard the call of God to preach the gospel. I'm not calling for people to come forward who already surrendered their lives to the service of God for 10 times. You don't need another call. You just need to go to JCPenney's and buy a suitcase and go. You see, the Lord has lifted us out of the deepest pit. But he will not lift you out of a comfortable armchair. You've got to rise up yourself. Here am I, Lord. Send me. But if you have heard the call of God here tonight and you say, Lord, I will surrender all to you. I surrender all to you and you really mean it. And you will get going for God and the Holy Spirit will envelop you. Tomorrow night, I want to pray for people. We will see the power of the Holy Spirit. Shake this place. But tonight is the night of calling. If you want to surrender your life to the service of God, then I'm asking you to come forward and we are going to pray right here. If I were you, I wouldn't walk. I would run. You know how to run. I've seen it already. To the ends of the earth in Jesus mighty name. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of Jesus. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I'm going to pray for you. We will pray together. I don't promise to die tonight. I still want to preach. I still want to stand with you and preach. In Jesus name. There remains so much land to be possessed. In Jesus name. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Open your spirit for the spirit of God. Just open your spirit for the spirit of God. Let's all stand wherever we are. Open your spirit for the spirit of God. Oh Holy Spirit, I pray that you may just blow through every heart and deposit these graces in everyone who is crying out saying, Here am I Lord, send me in the name of Jesus. Hallelujah. I want you to pray after me and say, Dear Lord, here am I with all that I am and all that I have. I surrender all. Thank you for having called me. I will follow you without hesitation. And where you will lead me, I will go. I will follow you wherever the lamb goes. In the mighty name of Jesus. In the mighty name of Jesus. And Lord, I thank you that you accept everybody's offering here. I want to thank you, Lord. I bless every man. I bless every woman. I bless every boy. I bless every girl. I pray that your mighty blessing upon them. Lord, let your Holy Spirit fall on them right now. Come on, raise your hands and begin to worship Jesus. Begin to worship Jesus. Let him hear your voice. Let him hear your voice. America shall be saved. Canada shall be saved. America shall be saved. Lord, today. Today. In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name. And thus says the Lord, You have broken your alabaster box, the alabaster box of your life, to anoint me. And now I will anoint you with the power of my Holy Spirit. My hand will be with your hand, and my lips with your lips. You will see how mountains will pass, and a way will appear, and you will walk through it. For I will bless and save America and the ends of the earth, saith the Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. You have accepted the offering of our lives. We thank you, Lord, for the fragrance here and before your throne. In Jesus' mighty name. Lord, I pray that this may not just have been here a formality of any kind, that this has been the real thing. I surrender all.
The Supreme Commission
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Reinhard Walter Bonnke (1940–2019). Born on April 19, 1940, in Königsberg, East Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia), to Hermann, a pastor, and Meta Bonnke, Reinhard Bonnke was a German-American Pentecostal evangelist renowned for his massive African crusades. The youngest of five, he fled with his family to Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, in 1945 as refugees. Converted at nine during a prayer meeting, he felt called to Africa at 10 after a divine vision. He studied at The Bible College of Wales in Swansea (1959–1961), ordained by the German Pentecostal Church. In 1967, he and his wife, Anni Sülzle, married since 1964, moved to Lesotho as missionaries. Founding Christ for All Nations (CfaN) in 1974, Bonnke’s open-air crusades, marked by reported healings and salvations, drew millions, notably 1.6 million in Lagos, Nigeria, in 2000. By 2017, CfaN recorded 79 million decisions for Christ. He authored over 40 books, including Evangelism by Fire (1989) and Living a Life of Fire (2009). Father to Kai-Uwe, Gabriele, and Susanne, he died on December 7, 2019, in Orlando, Florida, saying, “Africa shall be saved!”