When churches make an impact

We visit the F. F. Church in the Pakistani province of Punjab and drink tea in the home of a police officer. He is a Christian and tells us that there are 60 to 70 other Christians among the officers in his district. In 2012, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. This disease caused severe damage to his spine. After a lot of prayer and fasting, he was healed. His wife, who had breast cancer, was also supernaturally healed. Since then, the police officer has had a strong anointing as an intercessor.

Christians in a vicious circle

The charismatic congregation is led by Pastor D. It is located in a Christian neighborhood that is marked by crime, violence, and corruption, and where there are numerous drug and alcohol addicts. In Pakistan, people are Christian or Muslim based on their parents' birth and faith, not on their personal beliefs. This inherited religious affiliation is also noted in passport data. There are many nominal Christians in Pakistan who do not follow Jesus. Christians are generally discriminated against here; for example, they do not have access to well-paid jobs. They live in poverty and can therefore only enroll their children in cheap schools with a low standard of education – which in turn contributes to their inability to find good jobs later on. It is a vicious circle, and Christian neighborhoods are often slums.

God heals many of his children

But in the F. F. Church, many people have experienced miraculous healings. They report that several people have been healed of tuberculosis or cancer, one woman even in the final stages. A construction worker was freed from an occult bondage after Christians prayed for him with Pastor D., after his pleas at the shrines of many mosques had brought him no freedom.

Peace negotiations in the church

The next congregation we visit, however, is located in the middle of a Muslim neighborhood. And it has been a blessing for this community. Thanks to years of neighborly relations with the Muslims living here, who are predominantly Shiites, a good relationship has developed. A few years ago, a violent dispute broke out between Shiites and Sunnis right in front of the church, with people attacking each other with sticks, sabers, and knives. The neighborhood was cordoned off. The police and military arrived and looked for a neutral place for peace talks. They found it in the church.