Frequently Asked Question

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever (John 14:16).

When Jesus returned to Heaven, He promised His disciples they would not be left alone. He told them He would send the Holy Ghost who would baptize them with power to preach the Gospel.

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you : and ye shall be witness unto me both in Jerusalem, an in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Jesus did send the Holy Ghost, just as He promised he would. There were 120 disciples gathered together in an upper room to pray, waiting for the promised Holy Ghost.

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)

This wonderful outpouring from God was followed by one of the most dynamic demonstrations of preaching recorded in the Bible. Peter was a disciple who had earlier denied that he even knew Jesus. He was so changed by this baptism of power that 3000 men (not even counting women or children) were saved when he preached that day!

This is the primary purpose of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. God does not expect us to witness to others about Jesus without any proof or evidence to back up what we are saying.

A witness is someone who produces proof that what he is saying is true. The baptism of the Holy Ghost is a baptism of power which gives us the ability to produce proof that what we are saying about Jesus is true—that He is alive and wants to live in every person!

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:4)

The first evidence the disciples had of this new baptism was the ability to speak in an unknown tongue—a language they had never learned. Visitors to the city even heard them speaking in their own languages, telling the wonderful works of God.

Peter explained that not only was this the fulfillment of the promise Jesus made, it had been prophesied by the prophet Joel:

And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy (Acts 2:17,18)

God does not expect us to preach without power and He does not expect us to live without power.

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost (Jude 1:20).

Speaking in other tongues is a benefit that results from being baptized in the Holy Ghost. It is an important part of our prayer life. By taking time to speak in tongues when we pray, we can build ourselves up spiritually. It is important to remain strong in our faith so our testimony of what God has don in our lives remains strong and brings glory to Him.

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:13)

If you have been born again, you can receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. All you need to do is ask:

“Heavenly Father, thank you for saving me. Thank you for making me new from the inside out. I ask you now to baptize me with the Holy Ghost. Fill me with power from on high to be a witness for you.”

God will fill you to overflowing, just like you asked Him to. You now have within you the ability to speak with other tongues. Be sure to take time in prayer to allow God to develop this gift in you.

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. (John 16:13).

You will also begin to experience a new understanding of the Bible. As you spend time reading your Bible, the Holy Ghost will begin to show you truths from God’s word which will help you in your walk with God.

You have turned in an exciting new direction in your Christian life. God wants to do wonderful things in your life. Your old life is gone and your new life is just beginning. You will never, ever be the same again!

On Ministry, Miracles and Healing

What exactly is the scope of your ministry?
Jesus said to go into the entire world and preach the gospel and our mandate as believers is going around the world. We are going to many parts of Africa and Europe; we are reaching into America, Asia and now we are going into Australia and New Zealand. So, we are going that far based on our message and instructions.

How do you do that?
By the power of the Spirit. We have a fast world where technology has become the medium of choice - Television, Internet, Cable and Satellites in enabling us accomplish this.

Your ministry is quite expansive and must be costing you a fortune; and you have a lot of activities going on around the world. A lot of people would have been satisfied with even a quarter of what you have done and seen it as a life time achievement, but you keep on pushing. What is your motivation; what drives you?
Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel”. So, the bottom line is preaching the gospel. We are preaching the gospel and we are raising people to do the same. Of course a lot of times people ask me some of the questions you are asking now, But Jesus said to do it. The message is so important; we want the whole world to hear it. It is the message of their salvation; we are not just building a ministry like we are building an organization. No! The reason for all the structures and all of the materials that we are producing is because of the message of salvation. Man needs to hear what God has already done for him in Christ Jesus. And that is why we've got to preach it so they can hear it everywhere. That is the driving force; the importance of the message and this is the only way they can be saved.

Your name Pastor Patrick has become synonymous with miracles. Why the emphasis on miracles?
I do not lay emphasis on miracles. There are people who say that I preach miracles, but I do not preach miracles. The truth is that, when Jesus came, He did not lay emphasis on miracles, but more than two-third of his ministry was on healing the sick. Why? Not because he preached healing, but he came to heal. Now, I have a message that certainly heals people. You cannot hear that message and remain sick, poor or dejected. It would bring you hope and life. So I do not emphasize miracles. I emphasize the living Christ and when I do that, the divine power of the Holy Ghost follows the message, and of a necessity, there will be healings and miracles. How can you believe in God without having miracles? God is a supernatural being and if he is real, there must be supernatural acts and responses. So the miracles are there to prove his existence, his presence and his message. In fact we do not necessarily heal the sick to prove it. It is his presence that proves it. So I do not preach miracles or emphasize miracles. I emphasize Christ and the miracles have to follow. They are like your credentials. If you preach Jesus Christ and he sent you, he will back up your claims. Now if he doesn't back up your claims, you have to find out whether or not you are called. So those miracles are given by Jesus to confirm that he sent us. So he is the one actually performing these miracles.

Are these miracles real? Skeptics believe that it is either a means of taking advantage of people who are distressed and desperate for solutions, or a means of diverting people's attention from the challenges of living in a real world to the pursuit of a utopia that is really non-existent.
Just because you believe they are not real doesn't mean they are not real. Anybody can believe what he wants to. There was a time people said it was impossible to transmit sound without a material medium, but it happened. There was a day they believed the earth was flat and that if you got to the edge you would fall off, but that did not make it true. So miracles are real. It is like saying 'I do not believe that man can land on the moon”, just because you have not been there. Some people have been there and they have come back with reports and we believe them. And today, we are planning a lot of things on earth based on their findings.
There are those who also ask us to prove the miracles. The question is, Do they really believe there was a Jesus at all? Did Jesus perform miracles? Historical accounts show that he did. The bible proves that he did. If these questions were posed by non-Christians, I will not be concerned about it. They do not believe anyway, and that's why we are preaching to them so that they can believe.

But when questions like these are posed by Christians, it becomes disturbing. It's a stupid question for a Christian to ask. A Christian asking if miracles are real? No, they don't believe in Jesus. They believe Jesus was raised from the dead and he is in heaven. Where is heaven? If he was raised from the dead, that was a miracle. Ok! If Jesus performed miracles and he was raised from the dead, then what is he today? Has he changed? Does he still have the power? If he doesn't have the power, was he robbed of it? Is he more powerful today than then? Or is he less powerful, or the same? If he is less powerful, then we shouldn't expect miracles. Then he is not Lord. His death was a defeat and there is no reason for all the Christians to believe in him, and there is no need for Christianity. If he is the same, then he must be able to perform the miracles. So the least he could be is to be the same; which means, the miracles he performed then must be real. Now if those miracles can no longer be performed, then it means that he left us worse than when he came and there is no reason for that since he brought us salvation. Salvation is a miracle. So if the miracles are not real, salvation is not real. So anybody who says he is born again is lying to himself because to be born again is a miracle. Many of these folks believe that they have received the Holy Spirit. Where is the Holy Spirit? Can you see the Holy Spirit with your optical eyes? No! Is there such a Spirit? Yes! If the Spirit is true and real, then his acts must be true and real. So, these miracles are true and real. They are as real as the Holy Spirit because He does them. They are as real as the living Christ because he is back of them.

What are miracles and how do they happen?
A miracle is an inexplicable intervention by a supernatural power in the natural affairs of man. A miracle is something beyond the normal course of events. Usually a miracle is a positive event. It is not something that destroys. You cannot say an earthquake is a miracle because it is not positive. Miracles are positive events, happenings; they make you glad, happy and bring fulfillment and joy. They are such interruptions of the normal course of events, of the normal habits of man.

If you were running and fell down and got yourself wounded, the natural course is that it should get healed sooner or later, and then if you treat it medically, it may speed up the process. That is the natural course. But when such a wound closes up in an instant or overnight, it is a miracle! It is out of the normal course. Or if someone who was born blind and cannot see naturally, maybe because of the destruction of one or two areas of his optical structure, suddenly begins to see, that is a miracle! So, Jesus opened blind eyes, unstopped deaf ears, made the lame walk; all these were people who naturally could not have had their situations changed. This happened either in a split second or even as a gradual process, yet it was beyond the ordinary. So, it was a miracle.

There is the issue of people falling down when you touch them or blow some air on them. Why do people fall when Pastor Patrick touches them?
Why do people fall when Pastor Patrick touches them?

Wonderful! First it is important for us to realize that the power and the glory of God is more than man can accommodate. When the glory of God overwhelms a man, he cannot stand it. It is a sign from God that proves His presence. I do not have control over it. He gave me that power as a sign to the world. Pastor Patrick is just a God vessel.

Are the workings of miracles the exclusive preserve of a chosen few like you?
Yes and No! No, in the sense that miracles can happen when you pray because God has promised to answer prayers. So, if anyone would pray the bible way, God will answer and God's response to man's request is itself a miracle. So anybody could have a miracle. Then yes, in the sense that there are those who are chosen and anointed with special power for healings and miracles and the bible talks about that. If you would read in 1st Corinthians 12 verse 27-30, it tells us about those who are anointed to perform miracles. So there are specific callings in that regards.

Your meetings attract large crowds, What is the 'catch'? What brings people there?
It's not a catch. I believe we are given different gifts and callings. God uses us in different ways; I just think that is God's grace. You see, God has something to say and I am his mouth piece. So he does three things. Number one is to give me the message that He wants me to communicate; number two is for Him to draw the people that He wants to hear it and number three is to confirm the message with miraculous signs. That is the way I look at it. It is up to him. I am not sure that I have a personal control over that. I think it is just God's grace.

The there are those who are your critics and critics to your ministry, but you have always been silent.  Your silence at every point gives the impression that you love controversies.
It is not true that I love controversies. Jesus was a controversial figure and his ministry was controversial, not because Jesus loved controversies or that he sparked off controversies but because the people thought and acted differently from God's ways of doing things and so Jesus could never agree with them; and that is where controversies begin - disagreements. So these so called controversies were not things that I sparked off, nor is it that I enjoy controversies. Then why was I silent? Because Jesus did not need to respond to his critics! So, I have found no reason to respond to them. One thing you need to know about your critics is this: no great man ever criticized a lesser man. only lesser men criticize greater men.
You can only be criticized by those who are lesser than you. So the response to criticism should always be from that stand point. When you are criticized, you ask yourself, 'Is this a criticism'. If it is, then you do not need to.
And that immediately suggests that the one who criticizes you deserves no response. That is the reason why I have not thought of responding to them.

How do you relate with detractors
Remember that Jesus visited non-followers, non believers and he was criticized by the religious folks of his day. They said this man eateth and drinketh with sinners. They said Jesus could not be a prophet of God because he ate and drank with sinners. I thought if I related with anybody, it shouldn't be a problem, even if he was a sinner. After all everybody needs the gospel. When Jesus related with sinners, they did not change him. Detractors don’t and won’t change our focus. 
Note: the so called critics are the one in crisis. I am never in crisis, and this was what they did not understand. We have a firm bible based ministry. If, a ministry like this be destroyed by critics, that would have happened a very long time ago. So, I am not in crisis and did not need to weather the storm. I just go on with my business.

Do you ever get disturbed about what people say or comment?
Well I never even considered what they said. As a matter of fact, anybody can say anything. The question is, who was he speaking for? The bible says in Lamentation 3: 37, “who is it that speaketh and it cometh to pass when the Lord commanded it not”? No matter what anybody says, if God's power is not in their words, the words are empty. So those were empty words, they did not come to pass; they did not work or produce results. I was sent by God and it was important for me to know who sent me, and it was also important for me to know what my mission was.

Aside healing, another cardinal aspect of your teaching is prosperity. And of course you cannot talk prosperity without talking about money; the love of which the bible says is the root of all evil. The problem with our nation today stems from the unbridled lust for acquisitions. Shouldn't the church focus on holiness, self denial, and other subjects associated with traditional Christianity?
Well, the church should not focus on any of those things. The church should focus on Jesus and his message and when they do that, they would talk about all these things because they concern man. The true message then will include self denial, holiness and righteousness, not as a pursuit but as a result. In talking about the issue of money, remember that people go to work seven days a week, many five days a week but a lot of them six to seven days a week. They go because of money. And Jesus talked a lot about money. If you do not teach people about money, then they would do the wrong things. The bible doesn't say money is the root of all evil; it is the love of money. What about the stem, the branches of all evil? What about the fruit of all evil? No one is talking about that. After all, the root will not stay by itself. There are other things that are connected to evil; it is not only the love of money that is bad.

There are a lot of other things that are bad. Prosperity is important and we preach it, not because we want to talk about it, but because this is in the message of Jesus Christ.

The world is all about relationships. We hear of corroboration between other ministers as they hold joint programs and preach in each other's churches. Does Pastor Patrick have minister friends? People think you are different.
Well, certain people think that until you relate with them, that is wrong. I have many ministers in our ministry and that is more than enough to relate with. I relate with ministers regularly, realize the more ministers you relate with, the less time you'll have to relate with God. You need to relate more with the Holy Spirit than with anybody else.