"America Shall Be Saved!" - Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke
In 1967 Reinhard Bonnke moved to Lesotho, Africa as a missionary with his wife to be obedient to the calling he received for Africa as a teenage boy. He began preaching the Gospel and initially he saw very few salvations, but he persevered in obedience and faith. In 1974, God gave him the same dream four nights in a row where he saw the entire continent of Africa washed in the blood of Jesus, and heard, "Africa shall be saved!".
This dream changed the course of history for Africa! This encounter marked Bonnke's life; he launched his ministry 'Christ for all Nations' (CfaN) and continued to preach the Gospel with even more faith, believing to see the fulfilment of this dream. Over the course of Bonnke's life 79 million documented decisions were made for Jesus through the ministry of CfaN, with the vast majority of these being directly through Bonnke preaching the Gospel at mass Gospel campaigns throughout the continent of Africa.
Few have impacted my life like Bonnke has. When I first heard of his ministry and saw videos of crowds beyond the eye can see gathering to hear the Gospel, my heart was set ablaze! I have never been the same since. The Holy Spirit encountered me as I weeped recognising what God was doing, what God can do through one man's yes, and I had the realisation of what I was born for - to see nations and continents come to Jesus!
I started reading Bonnke's autobiography 'Living a Life of Fire' which to this day, outside of the bible is the book that has most impacted me. I found out that we shared the same birthday, April 19th and I was born 50 years to the day after Bonnke which has always felt somehow significant. I devoured the pages of this huge book, hearing story after story of Bonnke's faith and Gods faithfulness, and I realised that if God could do what He did through Bonnke, why not me? Why not you?! In 2013, I was grieved to miss the 'CfaN School of Evangelism' in London, UK where Bonnke taught for a week on evangelism. I asked God that I would be able to go one day to be trained by Bonnke.
In 2015, I had a dream that Bonnke had passed away, and in the dream, it was after his death and I was saying "I wish I saw him preach to the multitudes". I woke up with this extreme burden and desire that I have to see Bonnke preach! By this point, what I didn't realise was that Bonnke hadn't been preaching in Africa for a few years. In December 2015, Bonnke was planned to be preaching in Orlando, Florida, USA at Jesus Image conference. I knew I had to be there, and God made a way for me to go to USA for the first time. This conference also changed the course of my life in many ways as God encountered me day after day, but there was still something in me that knew that there was more coming related to Bonnke.
In 2017 it was announced that Bonnke was doing a 'Farewell Gospel Crusade' in Lagos, Nigeria. I knew I had to be there! God made a way for me to be there as a guest. I knew it was the absolute favour of God that got me there. I remember standing on the front row, watching Bonnke preach the Gospel for the final time in Africa, and as he gave his final altar call thousands of hands went up to receive salvation in the sea of crowds. I knew in the moment I was in a special moment in the revival history.
In 2019, I attended 'CfaN School of Evangelism' (SOE) in Orlando, Florida, USA. Sadly, by this time Bonnke's health had declined further, and he had not spoken at the school for many years so we were not expecting that Bonnke would teach, but instead we would have the honour of other anointed evangelists including Evangelist Daniel Kolenda, Bonnke's successor. Then, one day it was announced that we had a special guest, the doors opened and Evangelist Bonnke walks to the front. I remember tears falling down my face, as I realised this was an answer to prayer of six years! Quite honestly, I don't remember what Bonnke preached but I knew what was imparted in me that week at SOE was life changing as I encountered God deeply during impartation.
Later in 2019, just months after having the honour of seeing Bonnke preach to a small room of around 100-150 students Bonnke passed on to be with the Lord. Whilst in Lagos, Nigeria in 2019, Bonnke run a fire conference for all the local pastors and guests. Bonnke shared his vision for what he called 'the passing of the torch'. In 2012, God gave Bonnke another dream in which he heard a conversation in the future, saying, "what ever happened to Reinhard Bonnke?". The response was "Oh, Reinhard Bonnke was just a forerunner for a whole generation of Holy Spirit filled evangelists". Bonnke prayed for us, and I saw a vision of the whole field of people being consumed in a huge fire. I literally felt the fire of God over me as I was sweating, shaking, and screaming as the power of God hit me. That day I could not walk off the field without help because of the weight of Gods glory on my body. Another encounter that has marked my life.
Since then, I had the incredible opportunity to attend CfaN Evangelism Bootcamp in 2021, where I received evangelism training and crusade planning training, then spent 5 months in Tanzania serving CfaN preaching the gospel, training local evangelists, and organising 11 mass gospel campaigns where we saw countless miracles and hundreds of thousands of documented decisions for Salvation in Jesus.
In 2013, God spoke to Bonnke that 'America shall be saved!'. Over the years I have had many dreams, visions and signs and wonders confirming to me that I would see revival in USA. I have seen specific regions covered by floods, crowds of people gathered worshipping Jesus, and God impacting the government. USA has a huge impact on the world in many ways, especially politics and economics. What would happen if revival came to USA? How would this affect the world?
USA has a significant revival history with Asuza Street and Brownsville, amongst others. Cities and regions were changed, and still the fruit of these revivals has gone on through my generation. What would it look like for revival to hit USA? The end of racism, broken families, violent crime, addictions, and corruption? The love of God filling homes, families, government, education, media, economics and arts? It is time to enlarge our faith and to dream bigger!
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen." - Matthew 28:19-20
Many British evangelists and revivalists travelled to USA to preach the Gospel and saw incredible fruit and have paved the way for us. God has been calling revivalists from Australia also over the last few years to pour their lives into what God is doing in USA. I feel it is significant that I am living in USA in this moment of history, because I feel God has positioned me here to start to see the fulfilment of these prophesies. Last year we saw a glimpse of this at the Asbury revival in Kentucky as an outpouring of the Holy Spirit filled a university. I believe this is a small foretaste of what is to come!
Whilst I am currently studying at Bethel School of Supernatural ministry in Redding, California, USA I have the opportunity to go on mission and revival trips in the USA and across the world to carry the love and Gospel of Jesus Christ. This month and in March I will be travelling to Birmingham, Alabama and Marysville/Yuba City, California to preach the Gospel and to see an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in love, miracles, salvations and changed lives.
I believe there is something very significant about me going to Birmingham, AL as I was born in Birmingham, UK and believe the Lord wants to do something redemptive through me. Birmingham, AL has a significant history in USA politics, related to racial segregation. In 1963 Martin Luther King was imprisoned in Birmingham, AL prison for a peaceful protest whilst attempting to bring an end to racial segregation. Later in the year MLK made his famous 'I have a dream speech' to 25,000 people as he stood at the Abraham Lincoln memorial in Washington, DC.
King referred to Abraham Lincoln who brought an end to legal slavery in USA, and toward the end of his speech proclaimed: "I have a dream that one day down in Alabama with its vicious racists… one day right down in Alabama little Black boys and Black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today." This city still has significant racial tension. I believe we are going to break spiritual strongholds, to reawaken the church to believe for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and to see many lives changed as they come to know the love of God.
In Marysville/Yuba City, CA I will be serving Bethel Churches evangelistic ministry 1Hope4America to partner with local churches to preach the Gospel both at Gospel campaigns and through one-on-one evangelism. We are believing for many miracles and salvations as the churches unify over the proclamation of the Gospel! To find out more about the vision for 1Hope4America click below.
We are living in the end times. It is time to see nations comes to Jesus and I believe it is America's time! Many have prayed over the generations that God would send people into the harvest fields of the USA to see revival. That prayer is being answered now, as myself and many others have answered the call to GO into all nations to preach the Gospel and make disciples.
Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest." - Matthew 9:37-38
Please join me in prayer that America shall be saved! Please pray for me and the teams as we prepare for these trips to Birmingham, AL and Marysville/Yuba City, CA.