C R O S S I N G B O U N DA R I E S
INTERVIEW WITH:
REINHARD BONNKE
EVANGELISM BY FIRE
We speak to evangelist extraordinaire REINHARD BONNKE to
find out how his prayer of “please Lord, make me useable” has borne
incredible fruit for the Kingdom of God.
R
einhard Bonnke is a world-renowned evangelist
with a passion for the Gospel. Through his work
as the co-founder of Christ for all Nations (CfaN),
he has preached to millions of people in Africa
alone, and has shared the good news of Jesus to
some 55 million people since the start of the
new millennium.
In this interview with Champions, the charismatic
preacher shares more about his life and how his love
for God grows stronger each day.
You have been used powerfully by God in
evangelism for more than 40 years, what is
the secret?
I did not pray “please Lord, use me”, but “please
Lord, make me useable”. He then took the hammer
and chisel, and stroke after stroke, released the image
of Jesus in me. Then, the River of God began to burst
its banks.
When and how did you receive your call to Africa?
One day when we were at home, my brother left high
school and our father asked him: “What do you want
to do with your life?” Martin said: “I want to study
Natural Sciences.” He did so.
When my turn came, I prayed. Suddenly a realisation
struck me: what our hands create will someday turn
to ashes, all of it. But with my mortal hands I can
build God’s eternal Kingdom, and with my mortal
lips I can preach the eternal Gospel. In my mortality
I could be eternally effective. I was shaken and
replied to my father: “I want to do the will of God”.
And God sent me to Africa.
Who were some of your early mentors?
Ever since I was young, I have had numerous mentors
and fathers in Christ who helped me to understand
the Word of God, but the most outstanding to me
was the late George Canty from the UK. He taught
me things that I never knew.
How do you keep your passion burning in your
pursuit of God?
The fire of the Lord never needs fuel. “Our God is
a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). It keeps our
passion paired with compassion. The flame of the
eternal Spirit of God never flickers or diminishes.
Moses saw the bush burning and not petering out.
The undying flame leaped into Moses’s heart, and
1,400 years later rested on the heads of the 120 first
disciples on the day of Pentecost. It burns on today
as bright as ever, igniting the hearts of millions.
There must have been many challenges and
setbacks in the early days of your life and
ministry. How did you overcome them?
There may be dark nights, challenges and setbacks,
but a man of faith has no reverse gear. When Paul
wrote at Ephesus that “a great door for effective work
has opened to me” (1 Corinthians 16:9), he was talking
about fruitful ground. These doors are still open and
these are doors that no devil or man can shut.
How do you deal with failures?
Human failures need not be final. Jesus crossed
through our minus and turned it at Calvary into a
plus — negative into positive and hell into heaven.
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CHAMPIONS

LEFT:
Rev. Bonnke rejoices
with a young man who
received healing at a
crusade in Nigeria, 2005.

BOTTOM:
Sharing God’s word with
thousands in Lagos,
Nigeria, 2006.

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 C R O S S I N G B O U N DA R I E S
INTERVIEW WITH:
REINHARD BONNKE
Rev. Bonnke
praying for people
at a crusade in
Kafanchan,
Nigeria, 2008.
Is there a story that people often ask you to tell?
As a young man I graduated from Bible College in
Wales and was ready to return home to Germany.
Passing through London, I wanted to do some
sightseeing. Because I could not join an organised
tour due to a lack of money, I bought a day ticket for
all the public buses in London.
I crisscrossed London, changing buses, and
thought I needed to stretch my legs. I walked into
a beautiful suburb when suddenly I had a shock.
I saw a nameplate on a house with the name
‘George Jeffreys’. I had read his books. He was
the man who had brought the Gospel of signs and
wonders to the British Isles.
I rang the bell and a lady opened. I asked: “Is the
George Jeffreys living here the mighty revival
evangelist?” “Yes,” she said. “May I please see him?”
“No,” she replied. Suddenly I heard a man’s voice in
the background. “Let him come in,” he said.
I saw him come down the staircase, dressed as if he
had an appointment with the Queen. I introduced
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myself; he said nothing. He laid his hand on my
shoulder, pulled me down onto the carpet with him
and started to bless me.
The presence and glory of God struck me. When I
left half an hour later, I was staggering back to the
bus stop saying: “Lord, how did I chance upon this
address?” The Lord replied: “The Holy Spirit was your
bus driver.” I realised I had caught a mantle because
four weeks later, George Jeffreys passed away.
What is your style of leadership?
Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice”, and I literally
do. As Mary said at the wedding at Cana: “Whatever
He says, do it.” This is how I lead my team.
What is the key to healthy ministry growth?
Looking back, I discovered that the ministry of
Christ for all Nations grew organically. The Lord
gave the growth. He opened doors and sent the right
people and everything was dictated by the mighty
harvest of the souls we saw. The Lord told me that
the day of the sickle is past, that this day of the
combine harvester had come.
 CHAMPIONS

How do you balance work and rest?

I am 76 years old. CfaN has won more than 76 million
souls for Jesus. And yet, my family is equally important
to me. The result? My whole household serves the Lord.
Jesus helps me to balance it well.

What is the biggest challenge facing the

Church today?
To keep course with the original Gospel. If we preach
the original Gospel, we will have the original results.

Has the rise of digital media impacted CfaN and

you in any way?
Nine years ago, I discovered Facebook. God spoke to
me: “Feed my sheep.” Since then, I have done it every
day and I now have a congregation of 5.5 million
worldwide. The responses are overwhelming and the
blessings are flowing. Christ for all Nations uses Web
2.0 extensively with wonderful results.

What is your dream for the next generation?

Old age does not neutralise the anointing of the
Holy Spirit. Statisticians cannot cancel God’s call. God
does not treat pensioners as a spent force, not while
He empowers them. “Old men shall dream dreams.”
Divine dreams are a concrete reality. Yet, the young
people will rise to see things we have never seen. Why?
Because nothing diminishes in God.

How can they participate in your mission and build

upon your revelations?
This is very dear to me. There are millions of young
Christians all over the world who desire God’s fire.
I have prepared for that with books and films such Rev. Bonnke preaching the
as Evangelism by Fire and the Full Flame Film Series. Gospel passionately at the
CFAN Crusade, Oklahoma,
I wish I could dish millions of them out free of charge. USA, 2016.
It would set the world ablaze.

“ The Gospel is not reformation, decoration

or renovation. It is liberation.”
— REINHARD BONNKE

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