John Wen  2/7/2013

Colossians 1:24  Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.

現在我為你們患難倒覺歡樂,並且要在我肉身上補滿基督的身體-就是教會,為基督受苦的缺欠。

During our China mission last summer, I prayed over a crippled, wheelchair-bound sister for her healing in southern Tibet. The next morning I had a very high fever at 103 degrees and vomited.  At first I just took fever relief pills as usual, and I became worse in a few hours, vomiting again. It was now Sunday afternoon, and I talked to my host to find a doctor first thing in the morning.

Amidst the awful discomfort at around 3 PM, I suddenly realized—it actually came from the Holy Spirit—it was an evil spirit attacking me. I believe it came because of the crippled sister I ministered to a day earlier. Then I went to my room and closed the door and started rebuking it in Jesus’ name with His authority.  Afterwards I took another pain relief pill and went to bed. At 7 PM I woke up sweating profusely and without any fever.

In less than twelve hours my high temperature was gone. That has never happened to me so quickly before. I wish I had rebuked the evil ones earlier, then I wouldn’t have suffered the fever so much or at all. Looking back, my co-workers were fine since I had prayed for their protection before we ministered the healing, but I didn’t do it for myself.

The next morning I prayed over a local brother who had diarrhea for more than 6 months, becoming very thin and weak. Led by the Spirit, I asked him if I could minister to him. He agreed. I then called another sister over to minister to him with me. I laid my hand on his belly. Firmly and calmly with Jesus’ authority I started rebuking this diarrhea and commanding it to leave him. After a few seconds, I asked him how he felt. He replied that he felt some heat coming out. Then with the sister I rebuked the diarrhea one more time. Then he said he felt more heat coming out. Now well, he hurried out to catch a shuttle.

Soon after he left I myself felt diarrhea, and went to the bathroom right away. I realized then that this diarrhea was an attack from the evil one inasmuch as I was still weak recovering from the high fever a night before. I went to my room, closed the door and rebuked the diarrhea, commanding it to leave in Jesus’ name. After a few firm but calm commands, it left quickly. I has been  fine since without having taken any medicine. That was the first time I recovered from diarrhea without taking any medication.

Recently I learned of a pastor in China who became severely crippled after ministering healing to a sister in his church. He was compelled (by a demon) to drink a carton of beer a day without taking food. His family was ruined. On account of the healing of the sister he suffered willingly. To justify his suffering he quoted Colossians 1:24.

因为你们蒙恩，不但得以信服基督，并要为他受苦。

Now Jesus came to this world to suffer and die for us so that we might have salvation. Our salvation came from Jesus’ suffering and should be inseparable from our suffering for Him as well. In truth, we as His disciples should of course suffer for Him according to Philippians 1:29.

Paul even wanted to suffer more for believers who lacked in regard to Christ’s afflictions according to Colossians 1:24. But what Paul suffered in prison was for Colossian believers to stand firm in faith, hope and love (1:4-5), to stay away from the corrupted thinking of the world (2:8), to focus on things above, not the earthly things below (3:1), and to be holy in harmony and not to fall into division. Neither disease nor Satan is mentioned or intended for the purpose of suffering for Christ.

It’s a pastor’s love for Jesus and His sheep which empowers him to minister healing to them even at the cost of a crippling condition. But he should not accept suffering from the devil’s hand as did the sister in his church before she was set free. The devil will use any opportunity to deceive God’s people and then cause them to suffer. The pastor should instead rebuke the demons with Jesus’ authority and drive them far, far away—not anywhere close to himself to his church.

On Last Wed night(2/6), right before going to bed my nose was terribly stuffy again, I took the pill which usually needed 1 to 2 hours to become activated. Since I can’t sleep, I decided to do what Jesus told His disciples to do; I opened my eyes and looked into my nose and rebuked the evil doers to get out, commanded them to leave in Jesus name and with His authority. It worked right away and I went to bed to have the best sleep ever in a week. The next morning when I arrived in the office, my nose was stuffy again after walking through the morning coldness. As I talked to coworkers in Taiwan, they can tell, Mrs pastor Lin prayed for me. After phone call, I decided to rebuke this problem again to get it out of me in Jesus name with His authority. Amazingly, it worked instantly. Right then my wife called me to see how I was doing from last night’s miserable nose which she didn’t know Jesus had fixed.  She was totally amazed after I told her what just happened to me with my two rebuking in last 9 hours!