Reinhard Bonnke was born on the 19th April 1940, in Konigsberg, East Prussia, Germany. He was the son of an army logistics officer who later became a preacher. He became a born-again Christian at a very tender age after his mother spoke with him about a sin that he had committed. He sensed a call from God to serve as a missionary in Africa from the age of 10.
From an early age, Reinhard told everyone he would be a missionary in Africa. One day, young Reinhard headed out with his guitar to a street corner in downtown Glückstadt. Singing there until a small crowd gathered, he then opened his Bible and preached. He later reported, ‘To my amazement one man knelt and prayed the sinner’s prayer with me right there on the street! Racing home, he exclaimed, ‘Father, it works! A man came to hear me preach and accepted Jesus. The Holy Spirit really gives us the power to preach!
Reinhard attended the Bible College of Wales founded by Rees Howells. After graduation, he pastored in Germany for seven years.
REINHARD BONNKE
In 1974, Bonnke founded the mission organization Christ For All Nations (CfaN). Originally based in Johannesburg, South Africa, the headquarters were relocated to Frankfurt, Germany, in 1986. This was done primarily to distance the organization from South Africa’s apartheid policy at the time. Today CfaN has different offices across the countries.
Early on, Bonnke encountered poor results from his evangelistic efforts and felt frustrated at the pace of his ministry. Thereafter, Bonnke said: “I had a dream that changed everything. I saw a map of Africa. Not South Africa, not Lesotho, not Johannesburg, but the entire continent. The map began to be splashed and covered with blood. I became alarmed and I thought surely this meant some kind of apocalyptic violence was coming perhaps a communist revolution. Then the Spirit whispered to me that what I saw was the blood of Jesus, terrible violence had first spilled His blood 2,000 years ago on a cross. But then I heard the words, ‘Africa shall be saved’
In 1991, during Bonnke’s visit to Kano in Nigeria, there were riots in the city as Muslims protested over remarks he had reportedly made about Islam in the City of Kaduna on his way to Kano. A rumor was spread that Bonnke was planning to “lead an invasion” into Kano. Muslim youths gathered at the Kofar Mata Eid-Ground where they were addressed by several clerics who claimed that Bonnke was going to blaspheme Islam. About 8,000 youths gathered at the Emir’s Palace and after the noon prayers the riots ensued, during which many Christians sustained various injuries and several Churches were burned. After nine years, he returned to Nigeria to preach.
In 1999 after nine years of forced absence from Nigeria, Reinhard Bonnke and the Christ for all Nations team were invited back into the Country by the President-elect, Olusegun Obasanjo. In October, the Country welcomed Evangelist Bonnke back to Benin City. This open door to Nigeria triggered what is arguably one of the greatest periods of recorded salvations in the history of the Christian Church.
The anticipation and excitement in the hearts of the team were only a small reflection of the outburst of joy and enthusiasm that greeted them on their arrival in Benin City, the Capital of Edo State. Thousands of people had trekked miles to the airport to welcome the visiting evangelistic team. As the cars drove into town to be officially greeted by the Deputy State Governor Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, the numbers swelled with thousands more joining the impromptu cavalcade along the way. The Deputy Governor welcomed Evangelist Bonnke to the City on behalf of the State Governor, The Honourable Mr. Lucky Igbinedion.
Almost two million people attended the six-day event in the City with a population of about 800,000 and 396,000 decision cards for salvation were received!
At the close of the final night of the Fire Conference in 2000 with over 1.6 Million people in attendance, Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke received the following prophetic word: Thus, says the Lord: ‘I will not go back on my promise for Africa to be saved. I will bless Nigeria with my mercy. I will fill this Nation with my glory, the north and the south, the east and the west. Nigeria shall shine in my glory. And I will make you ambassadors to carry my flame to the ends of the earth.’
In 2003, CfaN intensified its evangelistic efforts, almost doubling the number of campaigns in Nigeria. This was the year of the ‘Double Harvest’
God’s love and grace engulfed the nation as more than 7.5 million souls embraced the saving power of Jesus Christ. God strongly demonstrated His healing virtue, His delivering freedom and unifying anointing among the churches.
In 2007 a young Evangelist joined CfaN and started preaching before Reinhard would in some of the campaigns. Reinhard commented “I saw this young man preaching and knew that he had the heart of the Evangelist.” This young man, Daniel Kolenda, would continue preaching at the campaigns and would over the following years start taking a forefront role. Reinhard would preach one or two meetings and Daniel would preach the remainder, till eventually Reinhard decided to leave a few of the campaigns to Daniel entirely. The same crowds turned out for Daniel as turned out for Reinhard. Bonnke visited places like Jos, Akure, Ado-Ekiti, Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja etc in Nigeria for his crusades.
By the end of 2011, about 60,862,505 salvations were recorded in Nigeria and in 2012, the team felt God telling them that their time in Nigeria was ending and they felt led to journey west to Burkina Faso, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
In addition to Nigeria, Bonnke would also hold numerous crusades in other African countries such as South Africa and Kenya and he became known as “the Billy Graham of Africa”
According to the Vanguard news, Bonnke said that if someone took time to recall several amazing things that have happened and God’s intervention whenever he held crusade in the Country Nigeria, one will confirm God’s presence in the Country. He said: I am so glad and honoured that God allows me to come back to Nigeria. Its my favourite Country because I have not seen in other African countries what God has done here.
Bonnke praying for Daniel Kolenda
Bonnke visited Nigeria in November 2017, where he held his last crusade in Nigeria tagged: “Passing the Burning Torch” at a large expanse of land by Sparklight Estate, diagonally opposite OPIC Plaza, Isheri Osun, Lagos/Ibadan Expressway and used the occasion to announce Evangelist Daniel Kolenda, as his successor whom he prayed for before the congregation and asked them to also pray for him, as the one to continue his evangelistic ministry.
Reinhard Bonnke also impacted ministers and the entire congregation during the Fire Conference and gave the assurance that a new dawn had come for Nigeria, as God who has deposited a lot of good things in the Nation will revive it.
The main target of Reinhard Bonnke was soul winning. It is important that although there were spectacular testimonies of healings in Bonnke’s meetings, his main focus was always the salvation of souls. At each of his meetings, he presented the gospel of salvation in a very simple and interesting way, after which he would invite people wishing to give their lives to Christ to come out and do so.
It is estimated that over 79 million people converted to Christianity as a result of Bonnke’s ministry. He has been called a giant and a general in the Army of God. Reinhard Bonnke passed on to glory on the 7th December 2019 at age 79. He lived a live that was exemplary and edifying.
Sources:
CfaN News
Vanguard News
The Guardian Nigeria News
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