Dr. Stephen Mutua worked with Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke for twenty-five years. As the international director of Christ for All Nations he was responsible for organizing some of the largest crusade events in history. Now he leads the African Network of Evangelists and he is passionate about raising up a new generation of young people who will reach the world for Jesus Christ.
Website: https://www.eagleschristianchurch.org/bishop-dr-stephen-mutua/
Transcript:
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (00:00):
Dr. Stephen Mutua worked with evangelist Reinhard Bonnke for 25 years. As the international director of Christ for All Nations, he was responsible for organizing some of the largest crusade events in history. Now he leads the African Network of Evangelists and he is passionate about raising up a new generation of young people that will reach the world for Jesus Christ.
Evangelism Podcast Host (00:30):
Jesus said go into all the world and preach the gospel.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (00:36):
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord.
Evangelism Podcast Host (00:41):
Welcome to the evangelism podcast with Dr. Daniel King where Daniel interviews, full-time evangelists, pastors, missionaries, and normal everyday Christians to discover how they share their faith, their powerful testimonies, and amazing stories that will inspire you to reach people with the good news. And now here’s your host, missionary and evangelist Daniel King.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (01:06):
Welcome to the evangelism podcast. I’m Daniel King, and I’m excited about telling people about Jesus today. I have a very special guest, Dr. Stephen Matua. He worked with Reinhard Bonnke for 25 years and has a wealth of experience in organizing crusades here in Africa. Dr. Stephen, thank you for being with me today.
Dr. Stephen Mutua (01:30):
I appreciate it. And thank you very much for inviting me into your program. I’m sure it’s going to be good.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (01:35):
So let’s begin at the beginning. How did you first start working with brother Reinhard Bonnke?
Dr. Stephen Mutua (01:42):
Interesting. And then Reinhard Bonnke was hosting a conference for all African evangelist. It was called fire conference and it was going to be [inaudible] and it was looking for people from every country in Africa to call the date, the teams from those specific countries. And it’s not my own one thing led to the other. They found me, I was walking at that time with world vision international and they requested if I could coordinate and bring 1 21 evangelist from Kenya, although to RRA. And I did that. And,uthe report came later that world while we’re there, that,uthe team from Quetta was the best coordinated. Everything went from less. It was wonderful. So I wasn’t looking for a, to walk with him because I was satisfied with where I was working, but at the end of the conference,uI was, they, they caught me fire the microphone and they say, we’d like to assist you with him.
Dr. Stephen Mutua (02:45):
The two are from Kenya. So I bet with them privileges in our, you fight another, just chit chat, you know, small chat. And then after that, I left after two weeks, they caught her, they said we are coming into candles, but Peter [inaudible], who is a general manager and right, not bunker. And they came together and said, Hey man, we were impressed by what you did, what you consider walking with us. So at that time I was feeling that I want to go to full-time evangelism. So I prayed a little bit and the Lord undecided, he said go and I joined them. That was back in 1987.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (03:23):
So you eventually became the international director for Christ for All Nations (CFAN). You organized crusade events all throughout east Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, many other nations. Tell us what are some of the experiences that you had in organizing some of the largest crusades in the history of crusade, evangelism?
Dr. Stephen Mutua (03:51):
I was, I did all those countries. You say, but more than Africa, I also did many, many countries like petty pins. But when you get in India and other many countries, and yes, it was really exciting. Put it this way. Organizing a crusade is not a cup of tea is a tough job because you go to a country that you’ve never been there before. Remember the different denominations, they believe different things. And vagina is right on bone. Having been an evangelist who is known all over the world as unpleasant, it was not Dawn. You got to go there and introduce him. And here’s what they experienced was quite exciting on one side is what the Chinese would call sweet and sour at the time, because there are those high moments where you go to some places and people are excited.
Dr. Stephen Mutua (04:41):
You go to other places and they have nothing to do with you. You have to beg them for friendship. And so that’s what it was. But there were quite a number of highlights in them. And one of them is to bring the believers together from different denominations, different persuasions and bring them to water plants where you’re telling them, let’s forget about all denominations. Let’s forget about our differences. And let’s just think about one thing. Let’s get this country back to God. And that one, that we’ll all rally behind you. And that’s exactly what we are doing. So there was so many experiences the good ones, bad ones. And but you must go through all of them. Let me say one of them, one of them is you must be ready to be rained on land and proper rains. Even when you organize a crusade.
Dr. Stephen Mutua (05:32):
One of the things to consider is to make sure that you don’t organize a crusade during the rainy season, but somehow, well, the devil has their way of making sure that the red gums and we are, I’ve been rained. I can’t remember how many times and even right on bunk himself and the war people and see the problem when longer icing. And we are the leader. You cannot get an umbrella and just put an umbrella on yourself. And the rest of the congregation are not ever going to umbrellas. And so you have to let yourself be reigned to identify with them, but you know, the beautiful thing, not all of them got sick because of rain ever. There was a protecting hand of God upon them all. And remember, some of the people would be brought to their either cripples or blind, or you would expect something to go wrong, but God would cover and protect them.
Dr. Stephen Mutua (06:21):
But also there were times when our lives were threatened and a number of times, some, two of them, well, you know, I’m well known all over the world. The first one was 1990 in continental. It was horrible when there is Lamech fundamentalist started, you know, rioting in the old city. And then the riot led to the fact that we have come to back them Christians, and they don’t want that to end. It was terrible. The fight at one, for three days, Christians versus Muslims, of course, your number of fatalities, you know, while reported there, we tend to be, eh, lifted. We’ve got to be airlifted from Kana to Legos by jet fighters, because there was a curfew that, you know, passenger planes were not allowed to land. So that was my first time to get in the jet fighter. There was not a suit experience. And that was one of them. The other one was at 2001. In fact, the first one happened 2000. We were in Khartoum in Sudan. And I got, I don’t know how or someone would let into manage to get into my email. So he sent me a bow and he taught me, get out of Khartoum. Otherwise there’ll be boom. And we wrote one b, so many o and the M so I didn’t know we was by that time.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (07:45):
So you received an email from Osama bin Ladin, the mastermind behind that 9/11 tragedy in the United States. This was before that occurred, that he sent you an email in Khartoum saying, get out or
Dr. Stephen Mutua (08:01):
Yes, or some of the original, I didn’t know whether he was there. Of course, when you go to who said it wasn’t that famous by then? But it was so terrible. They knew him. So I took this, that email to them, FBI vol or CID and asked them, oh, is this fellow? They told me, this is a very dangerous fellow. This one is a very indigenous fellow. I said, oh, is see the daughter. We don’t know. This one is Akilah is a mother. So be careful. I don’t know him. I never see them. So I will. I be careful with someone I’ve never seen. Now, if you go to consume is separated into two parts. One part is Al Yusuf. The other party is come to them and they are I’ll use who is more disadvantaged, nothing grade on it. On this other side, of course there’s some trees on them.
Dr. Stephen Mutua (08:47):
So you know, I did a CA I prepare the crusade. We had one of the best crusades, tremendous miracles. So many Muslims give their lives to the Lord. Jesus, nothing happened. They do those in two of those or the other one. I kept back again, let’s say time, because normally the government would never give Christians permission to celebrate holidays except Easter. They, they respect that. So buck again, in his style, I was there preparing the crusade again, this time he never wrote to me, but this time he kept quiet. So what happened? We finished preparation, put on the lights, put on the sound system. And the crusade was beginning on Tuesday. And now it’s on Monday night and Monday night, he came with his group and you know, where we were sitting and then decide, you know, sand is called green square, but there’s nothing green.
Dr. Stephen Mutua (09:36):
So he came and put so many planet, 200 and 320 minds everywhere. The, in the big field, and then waited for us to come tomorrow by the police, got the wind of what he has done. So the next day they call dome. Don’t want to place that I’ve been normal, could go on and decide. Now of the people, not many Christians and Muslims started coming and he told the police told them, you can’t come in there. And you know, they were not telling them why. So they started rioting, not Christians. Muslims are the ones saying, listen, when Reinhard Bonnke came last year, we were healed and we did not need to pay anything. Either, You will give us money to go to the hospital, telling the government, or you let us go there and be healed. And the government will not allow. So there was running battles. Again, I had to live the country, fire the European, back to Kenya. So, and of course, then later then to walk on the landmines and removed to all of them and all that. So those are some of the experiences though, are very, been good experiences that the bad one, you don’t remember them.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (10:39):
Reinhard Bonnke in his lifetime led 80 million people to Jesus, 1 million for every year of his life. And so what a tremendous number that is what, what, what the grace of God that allowed that to happen. But people in other countries don’t really understand the true impact that he had here in Africa. So can you share with me through your eyes as an African, you are African, what impact did Reinhard Bonnke have on the continent of Africa?
Dr. Stephen Mutua (11:14):
I put it this way. If they’re living in Vermont, who don’t have anybody who did what Reinhard Bonnke did now, what are the things? And the key two or three things that I think are very important. Number one, I identify themselves with Africans. How did he do the number one? He told them, you know, look, I am white, outside, but I’m black inside. Our blood is red. Your blood is red. Mine is red, but mine is African. So that when the Africans, all that it was was with them to eat, love to them. You could feel the love of Africans, even when he was in overseas. And I preach with him in other countries outside Africa, you will say, you know what? I am preaching here, but I am feeling like I’m in Africa, everything, you were so proud of the people of Africa and you identified with them and they identified with them.
Dr. Stephen Mutua (12:05):
And the other thing, which was very crucial, he learned their way to explain that gospel, like like a story, like you just said yesterday, you did that. I was so happy the way you did the man that was grant in Africa, you’ll get away millions because Africans are people love stories. And you told the story, not air from, as in, from the Bible, by the SMEs a real life. So if you, if you look, of course, we approach it. But look at the eyes of the people are because it was socking. It was getting African people love stories. What a while growing up, our fathers are ungraded. Fathers will sit with us around the fireplace and they would tell us stories. And we’ll, our eyes will be opened listening to those stories. That’s exactly what Judy and bong captured Africa. That way. He knew African stories, African pottery balls, and it’ll bring them in such a way that the people will appreciate too.
Dr. Stephen Mutua (13:01):
If he goes to a country, we would get a lot, you know, the most useful to AMS or terminologies and phrases and give him. So when he comes here, the grid Sam, like if it’s a sweater speaking, who’s a one as if you had people who go, wow, this is a white man. He knows Swahili eat identification. That way they, even when he died, they were saying he should be bodied in Africa, not in America, because they felt it was a sign of the soil impacted Africa so much because he’s, he’s a visual was kept down to Cairo and he did each of those countries. And he come to a town or start like this one, you will go and to see the mayor of the city, they probably see the president or the people in positions and come and tell them what he has come to do, paying a courtesy call. So whatever y’all I admire or law, it would identify himself with them. And that he wanted one ounce of Africans.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (14:06):
What are some of the great lessons that you learned from being around the amount of God around Reinhard Bonnke?
Dr. Stephen Mutua (14:13):
He changed my life. It changed my life. I was, before he met, I met with him. I was an evangelist, but not at the level that it brought me to. One of the things that impacted my life so much is a way that he, first of all, he was a man of integrity. He would let me say one of them, you know, that we are big crowds, massive crowds. People cover their lenses, right at buggy. These are 3 million people, right? [inaudible] People. This is one about 150,000 and it will not add one puzzle on top. He said, well, I’m not here to police anybody. I’m here to please the one who called me and he does it. He called the fingers. He call, he calls the heads. So I will not accept that. So integrity was a man of integrity. That’s number one, number two, it was a man who loved his family, man who loved his family.
Dr. Stephen Mutua (15:06):
Many times. He was away from his family and his wife, Annie, together with of course he was walking with his foster son. And but he literally beats the family. Every time the crusade was over, it was in the next flight, going back to his family. And that’s something that was avoided was away so many times, but he loved her family. The other thing that also impacted in my life is his devotion spending time himself with God was his one thing to prepare all the time messages for the crowds. But for him, he spent time with God, for example, I want to come and pick you up. You know, I would go to the crusade and make sure everything is going on very well. And come and pick him like after Noah. And I would find a brain and it would be a nice thing. Like an intercessor would say, God, we can’t be a four. You do all what you can. And sometimes I wondered, will I dog the dog? Because time is it’s about time to preach. [inaudible]
Dr. Stephen Mutua (16:08):
Inside there. So slowly, slowly I would lock the door. And I would say Steven, if it was another crusade that would have continued and that impacted my life so much so that it was not depending on the external intercessors, it was also in the seeding for himself. And it would be say, praying like Lord for the next one and a half hour, because all crusade is pretty good without praying for the people who would take one a one hour and a half because of the interpreter. And it would say for that, for that one hour and a half lot, make a difference in density. You would feel the least crying. I go nicely on calling upon the name of the Lord and God will do just great things. So it was wonderful. And then of course the thing, you know, it was not only a proclaiming evangelist, but it was so healing evangelist.
Dr. Stephen Mutua (17:00):
And you know, you would say the greatest miracle is salvation. That one, he never did all their people or because of the miracles that happened, they will start with the miracles. It wasn’t, that was not his excitement. Excitement. Number one was Africa shall be saved. Everybody must be saved. So salvation to him was the greatest thing. And then he says, salvation comes with the package. So I didn’t want to spend as much time praying for of all this eco explaining. We’ll explain a little bit and a pray and God will just do miracles. There will be so many. We can check all of them so many. So that is what impacted when and the other thing was, he was a man who would be ready to give you his microphone. And he stands there and he did that to me sometimes. And I’ve wondered why you know, if he’s not there, it’s okay, but now he’s standing there and you are supposed to preach.
Dr. Stephen Mutua (17:54):
And that was quite something. But give me it, give me kind of it as this activity, we’ll do it on the international level. And I did that. And one of the other things that impacted Africa, the greatest way is to pray for people to receive the power of the holy spirit. That one, he never forgot it. He said, my secret is not because I’m a gentleman, nor because I have a dedicated, which I am not adding, never been one time savings and you’ll get it. He said it’s because when God filled me with the power of the holy spirit, that it changes my life. So I would always pray for people to receive the power of the holy spirit. So throughout this call, didn’t the other thing is you go out in the villages, you find so many children called [inaudible] is because people loved him.
Dr. Stephen Mutua (18:41):
That even when they get bothered, they say this all the way. Even if it’s a boy, even some girls are called [inaudible], you know, you got to be some, some girls, I call it a bunker and you can see the, that was an impact. But now more importantly, I remember we are here in Malawi now, but when we come to Malawi, 1987, right? Not bogus tude here. And he said in Blanda, and he said, I am male. Not because of my name, but because of people older lay, but before me, people like live in stone. When he was here before he died, he said, [inaudible] so much, and I’ve not one assaulted crossed, but I see a generation that will come up to me and they will get millions and millions of people that was fulfilled here. Whether we came here because you know, they are before we’re using the big tent, it was a largest mobile tent. It appeared in the Guinness book of world records because it was one bottle. There’s one big one in Saudi Arabia. But when we came here, the crowd becomes so big. We cannot use the, the tent because it was taking in 45 to 50,000. When we came here for the first time was so 120,000 people, which are dedicate together, not. So he always give credit where it is. You say that I’m doing what I’m doing because others came before me suffered for it. And I’m making, they’ve been there waiting for me
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (20:09):
On the night that Reinhard Bonnke went to heaven. You had a vision. Can you tell me about that?
Dr. Stephen Mutua (20:16):
That is something, you know, I wasn’t in my steady around 1:30 AM with home alimony morning, I was just praying and all that. Not because of that. I know. Okay. Put it this way. I had caught right on Reinhard Bonnke about a wicked B fall. And I said, Ryan, I want to come to Florida and meet with you. He said, oh, Steve and the comp and all that time, he was sick. But now going to cover, he said, Stephanie, come, when are you coming? I said right out, I get a copy for next week. He said, no problem. Are you covering the Gladys? That’s my wife. I said, you know, without a big divorce, I said, yes, I’m covered with, I said, yeah, you can’t leave our behind. So no problem. So we bought a ticket and the order to leave. And then on last day, you know, it’s when I ended up dream and the dream, you know, I come from my study and light on the bed, just like two or three minutes.
Dr. Stephen Mutua (21:14):
I was taken out and I saw Reinhard Bonnke looking young. The way I saw the first diabetic read with him was 1986. I was looking young and I saw him going to heaven up to here. After the bus, I saw him like going up, very, not zooming, but just going at a moderate speed. And yet the, of like a, like a Crump I looked up at, I said, rhino, that’s what I said in the vision. And then he turned and looked at me and he said, Steven, take the Baton. And then he looked up and he continued going. And I walk up, I walked my wife, I wasn’t asleep. I said to my wife, you know what I think right on bond has gone to be with the Lord. She said, oh, you don’t. I said, you know, I’ve just had the vision. She said about you have just come and Zed.
Dr. Stephen Mutua (22:07):
Yes. Efficient, take some fraction of a second. Is it a yard? I think he was going to be with the Lord. So I gave her this story. Next day, I called his personal assistant. And when I called, he said to me, Scott, Andrew, he said, Steven, you don’t have to come. Maybe you’ll come from Memorial. I said, why? He said, right. I says, just got to be with the Lord. I said, when that I looked back, I said, exactly in September, whether the vision. So of course I used the ticket. I went to his Memorial and it was one of those times. And God used to be 20 college people. It’s all in the UT up. And it was just, that was a final farewell for VM. Right. And ballgame. So now I took up, I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. I, I don’t know whether I told you, but I think I did then that I am leading a team called African evangelists network.
Dr. Stephen Mutua (23:03):
Look for many years, I appreciate Africa, many years of crisscross this continent, but the time has come that we have to raise an army of evangelists. So the Lord spoke to me and he told me that was back in 2018. And he said get an organization and network, not organization, network, bring all the good to go to three categories of evangelist, the evangelist [inaudible] before. But now they have become pastors. Remind them of their primary co-op and tell them, yes, you’re going to be a pastor. But remember your primary call is an evangelist. Number two, there are some who are actually that there is that a active Gress to bring that back again. And then he told me, number three is those who are young ones. They probably in university colleges and they don’t know, always go to mentor them, begin to mentor them. So I began a network called African evangelists network. And that’s what we are doing. We are getting them from the village because they are villages villages where you get there. He’s an evangelist, but he has never gone to school, but he has a call of God upon him. We have either universities or the colleges everywhere and to bringing them together and not only in Kenya, but all over the place. So that’s what I’m doing. Now.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (24:26):
God spoke to me one time and said, Daniel, the mission field shall become a mission force. Wow. And I think that’s what you are doing. You are raising up evangelists from Africa and God needs Africa because the African evangelists are full of fire. They are full of enthusiasm. And I think some of the greatest evangelists in history will be raised up by your network. You are
Dr. Stephen Mutua (24:53):
You’re prophesied you don’t. We already seeing that because when I’m here, all, you know, even in the mission field here, I am getting reports of evangelist, you know, for my network. And they say, I want with this village and the village has now bought, I get the house, celebrating the Lord. I’m going to the other town. I’m going there. And I believe in God, and it’s going to operate a very soon because you see there before there was nobody standing behind them, there was nobody to tell them I’m doing the right thing. But remember, we’re also trading them. We also trading them because we met at times they felt their zeal. Like they’re like an Apollo in the Bible. Yeah. The zeal, but not knowledge. So now they have the zeal and we are giving them knowledge. And that’s what that’s, what’s happening. I’m looking forward. This coordinate will not be saved by one man or two, man. It will be saved. As you said, by an army of evangelists equipped who are full of the holy spirit of the power of God and go out from village to village omelet, to omelet, town, to town, terrorizing the devil. Then the Lord will come.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (25:56):
Amen. Well, I am so honored to have you as a guest on the evangelism podcast, you are a great man of God, and it is such a privilege to serve Jesus with you.
Dr. Stephen Mutua (26:07):
It was wonderful meeting with you. Your God bless you. You are doing a tremendous job. And may the Lord bless you. We’ll keep on pulling together.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (26:15):
Yeah. Thanks so much for listening to the evangelism podcast today, our ministry is supported by people like you, who help us go to the nations to preach the gospel. Our goal is every soul. It only costs us an average of about $1 for every person. We’re able to tell about Jesus. And so could you do me a favor, go to my website, king ministries.com and become a partner with us for as little as $1 a month, you can start to partner with king ministries and help us lead. At least one person to Jesus every single month. Imagine for $1, you can start a party in heaven every single month. So right now, go to king ministries.com and partner with us and help us to preach the gospel to those who need to hear the gospel. The most, the least reach people in the world. Also, I’d like to ask you to go to apple podcasts and give the evangelism podcast a five star review. Your positive review will help other people find this podcast who are excited about evangelism. Thank you so much. And God bless you
Evangelism Podcast Host (27:37):
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