By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the
faith…” (2
Timothy 4:7)
When on December 7, 2019, news broke that Reinhard Bonnke, the German-born, world renowned evangelist, whose gospel crusades in many African cities drew multitudes and led many people to make definite decisions to give their lives to Jesus Christ, had died in Florida, the world saw another example of what could rightly be described, by Biblical standards, as a successful ministry. He was 79.
The most important item in Bonnke’s life’s history (despite his great and marvelous achievements in the Lord’s Vineyard as a soul-winner) is that, although, he was the son of a gospel minister, he had a definite testimony of conversion or regeneration, that is, being born again – something every genuine child of God should and must have, but which, sadly, many church people do not have today, including even several preachers!
Indeed, no matter what anyone contributes to advance God’s work in this world, at the end of the day, the only thing that will guarantee the person’s entry into God’s kingdom is his possession of a genuine experience of salvation (which God who sees everyone’s heart can attest to), which the person had taken care to preserve till the end. Any professing Christian that has the salvation experience has got the best thing; but he that does not have it has nothing, no matter what else he claims to have.
