Report From Ethiopia: God's Power Revealed

Report From Ethiopia - God's Power Revealed.pdf

The baptism we attended in the mountainous country west of Addis, Ethiopia, had an unusual twist: We shared in a village-wide exorcism.

This past January, 10 adults and two teenagers from Bethlehem went to serve in Ethiopia. We ministered to lepers and impoverished people with HIV, visited needy children in their homes, taught children and adults in a variety of settings, helped global partners Paul & Susan Lim at their CURE hospital, coached budding entrepreneurs, and interviewed 53 orphans for whom we are seeking sponsors.

Our second weekend, we left the city of Addis and went to a rural area of Ethiopia, where God has been working powerfully among people who are coming out of traditional and animistic philosophies. However, this movement of the Spirit (revival) caused other churches to become jealous, and some severe persecution broke out, including beatings and other physical violence. The new believers endured this without recrimination and gradually reached out to their persecutors.

As part of the breakthrough, they invited some of their opponents to attend a seminar we participated in leading. The opponents were apparently impressed enough to call off the overt persecution, and some of these churches have been renewed. All the leaders have made a commitment to further training and to work together, thus ending months of suspicion and hostility between them.

Bright and early on Sunday, January 24, we climbed into our two vehicles and headed into the hills. As we entered one of the church compounds, we were welcomed by a 45-voice children’s choir singing heartily in Oromoffaa, The enemy has been shamed. The Son has defeated him. Out there, shame is a deeply painful experience.

While they continued singing, we were treated to a roast lamb breakfast, after which our team divided into two groups where Bethlehem Seminary apprentice Rob Ivy and I preached at two different churches—both packed to their limit with 400 and 550 people each (in rooms where US fire marshals would probably only allow 75–100 people). I was touched by the heart-felt enthusiasm of the new believers who had come out of deep darkness and fear of evil forces. They listened to the Word intently, frequently interrupting with “amen” and shouts of praise.

Afterward, both assemblies climbed down a steep, grassy slope to a small stream below. It was a grand procession with laughter, joy, and great excitement all the way to the baptism water. It made me think that this could have been what it was like when Jesus traveled the countryside with the expectant masses following him.

In one group, about 48 people were being baptized. Then it happened. As a lady was about to be baptized, evil spirits within her began to shriek. Nobody got rattled. Somehow, the entire gathered congregation, including the children, knew exactly what to do. At every manifestation they raised their hands and in unison rebuked the spirit. We felt a clear sense of God’s power—and there was a full release of the evil spirit, complete with joyful clapping and cheering all around. Another one of the enemy’s underlings had been shamed and a new sister had been freed.

The matter-of-fact acceptance speaks of how common such experiences are. Many sophisticated Westerners probably think this is mumbo-jumbo, but people out there get sick and die when curses are put on them. Their fortunes change when a witch doctor chants against them. So it is no wonder that when the Son sets them free, they are filled with inexpressible joy.

We were amazed to see God’s Spirit move so that even the witch doctors are leaving their evil ways and coming into the kingdom of God. One of the founding elders of the church shared his story of being a former witch doctor and of how he was released from the bondage of Satan’s ways. I love seeing God’s power being made manifest in these ways!

While in the country, we also heard about revival that is taking place across Ethiopia. Pray especially for the large people movements where, in two separate areas, a total of 30,000 Muslims came to follow Jesus after seeing a vision of him in their mosque!

Before we left, I asked the evangelist, Getachew, if it was helpful that we were there to visit the churches he planted. His response: “We never experienced people coming from the outside and being friendly to us. We feel like an angel of the Lord appeared to us. If you have come this far, from your great country to our primitive conditions, to visit us and care for us, how much more should we care for each other?” And recently, in an email, he said, “All the people in the mountains have heard about the visit. They say to us, ‘You are a favored people! No outsiders ever come to this area!’”

In the area of Short Term Ministry at Bethlehem, my aim is that our teams would have the gift of presence. We are called to be the “aroma of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:15) and to “let [our] light shine before others so that they may see [our] good works and give glory to [our] Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Please remember to pray for the revival in Ethiopia, for the locations where our global partners are serving and short term teams are visiting, and for our witness here in our own neighborhoods—that revival might spread as we all strive to be the sweet aroma of Christ!

Praying with you,

Brad Nelson
Pastor for Short Term Ministry Mobilization