The revival took place in the nation of South Africa
The revival began in the town of Maphumulo. Because of the growth, the congregation moved one mile northwest to its current location in 1970. It is now called the Kwasizabantu Mission.
Erlo Stegen (March 2, 1935— )
When God decides to send a revival among His people, He always prepares a person to become the spark through which to work. Erlo Stegen was the spark for the revival among the Zulus that began in late 1966.
► The Stegen family migrated to South Africa from Lüneburger Heide, Germany in 1883. Their purpose was not to be settlers, but to provide support for the missionaries of the German Lutheran church.
► Erlo Stegen and his siblings attended the Hermannsburg school, and were raised on the family farm in Paardefontein.
► Stegen received his calling into the ministry in 1951, at 15 years of age.
► Stegen’s evangelistic efforts extended from 1954 to 1966, and during those years of ministry, with no abiding fruit, he began to question the Bible’s integrity. He saw the New Testament experiences in the Acts of the Apostles and read biographies of great men of God, but things didn’t line up—there was no power in his ministry.
Erlo and Kay Stegen
Conditions in South Africa Prior to the Revival
► From birth, the majority of the Zulus are raised completely under the dominion of witchcraft.
► Mission agencies from European churches had been working in the Zulu area since the mid-1800s. Their primary focus was starting missions schools, which were mostly serving children of German immigrants.
► Throughout Zulu history, brutality through tribal warfare was a way of life. This was an ongoing problem through the 1970s.
► In 1964 the feud-torn area of Tuegela had many murders. A prosecutor asked Stegen, “Can’t you men of the Gospel do anything to put an end to this murdering?” Stegen took his evangelistic tent to the area of Tuegela and conducted services there for two months. Some women were saved, but no men. And even the few women that came to Christ would in just a short period of time depart from their faith—there was no abiding fruit!
► Stegen’s powerlessness was revealed to himself, to his congregation, and to the entire region, when he was asked to deliver a demonized Zulu girl. After three weeks of prayer, he was not able to pray that girl through to her deliverance.
► The Zulus saw Christianity as the white man’s religion, and Stegen’s powerlessness only fortified what they understood to be true.
► God then began showing Stegen the condition of his heart, which was filled with pride and racism.
Erlo Stegen on a bicycle
Extraordinary Prayer
During the autumn of 1966, Stegen had a congregation of 40 people in the town of Maphumulo. Due to their despondency over the powerlessness in their ministry, they turned to the study of the Acts of the Apostles, and to seek God intensely in prayer.
► An old cow shed was cleared out, and it was there that this small group began spending time seeking God—at 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. everyday. All other activities were totally forgotten, even Christmas.
► The times of prayer were focused on individual confession of sin, which at times became intense. Conviction led to confession as well as restitution and reconciliation.
► Their desire for God was so great that they often would forget to eat or sleep.
A few weeks before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a young Zulu woman, who had only been converted three months previously, with tears streaming down her face said:
O Pastor, please stop. May I pray?
Stegen stopped the service and gave her permission, and the young lady continued:
O Lord Jesus, we have heard what the early church was like. Couldn’t you come down and be in our midst as you came down two thousand years ago? Couldn’t our church be the same as the one in Jerusalem?”
Stegen was completely arrested by that prayer. He said afterwards to his brother:
You know, a strange thing happened today. The meeting was suddenly interrupted, not by terrorists, but by a prayer. If that prayer was inspired by the Holy Spirit – and I don’t doubt that it was – then I believe that the risen Lord, the living God, will again be in our midst and the Church of Christ will experience what the first Christians experienced in Jerusalem.
A week and a half later, God rent the heavens and came down!
Shed where the prayer meetings were held
What Happened
Stegen’s impression confirmed itself. A few weeks after the prayer of that young Zulu woman (at Christmastime, 1966), those who were praying together had an indescribable experience. The Spirit of God came over them. They felt a “rushing mighty wind” blow upon each one of them (as is commonly reported in many revivals). A great awareness of sin came over them as they prayed, and nobody needed to explain what happened.
This is Stegen’s description of that wind:
It was similar to pressurized air escaping from an air pump, and as if that wind were blowing right through every one of us.
He continued:
Everybody was conscious of the presence of God. All I could do was bow down and worship the God of Heaven.
When I was seeking God for revival, I expected Him to start with the heathen, instead, He started with the biggest sinner of all – me. Revival is not churches filled with people, but people filled with God. The Holy Spirit is not recognized through signs and wonders, but by His Holiness.
Revivals always begin among God’s people. The people who had been meeting for prayer were overcome with deep conviction of sin. This conviction led them to confession, repentance—asking for forgiveness, as well as forgiving others—and restitution.
This miraculous conviction of sin also fell upon entire schools (similar to what took place in dozens of schools during the 2006 Shillong Revival).
As God was working in the lives of the Christians who were gathered together praying, removing sin from their hearts, He simultaneously was working in the lives of the people throughout the area. People were overwhelmed with the conviction of sin. They couldn’t sleep. They couldn’t go to work. People were desperate to be freed from the burden of their sins. As if led by some mysterious hand, people began streaming to the Maphumulo congregation for prayer (this was similar to the 1949 Revival on the Island of Lewis).
Witch who came for deliverance
The First to Come
At one of the services a witch came for spiritual help. This woman had her own school for training young witches. She also had powers as a medium. When she came and asked for help, Stegen called five of his coworkers to his room. They all sat down in a circle and prayed and sang a hymn.
During the singing of the hymn the witch got up and moved to the center of the circle. Suddenly she went down on her hands and knees and her face took on the aspect of a ferocious animal.
The witch came from an area where no English is spoken. She therefore knew no English. As the team continued praying for her, she suddenly began to speak in excellent English, and then sounds of various animals could be heard coming from her. At first it was the barking of a pack of dogs and then the grunting and squealing of a herd of pigs. Eventually the first 100 demons left with much shouting and screaming, then the second 100, and then the third 100. Up to that moment she had a horrifying look on her face. After all the spirits had been cast out, her face completely changed—she looked like a saint who had been living in the presence of Jesus for many years.
The woman then cried out:
Oh how marvelous! Jesus has set me free! Jesus has broken these chains of hell!
After that witch came the witch doctors, then the possessed, one after the other, day after day, they came. For two or three months the ministry team hardly had any sleep at all. Day and night they were so busy that they sometimes didn’t even have time to eat or change their clothes. The Spirit of God would literally go into the peoples’ homes and bring them to the church.
We asked every one of them,
Who brought you here?
…Nobody!
How did you know that we were here? Who invited you?
…Nobody!
Over and over again we received the same answers and heard the same story.
We can’t explain it, but it must have been God! A power within us has driven us to come here. We can’t sleep anymore, can’t recover our peace of mind, all we can see are our sins!
It was as if the walls of Jericho were falling down. The possessed came and identified the spirits that were in them by name and number. Many of the things that occurred at that time were not mentioned openly, because people wouldn’t understand. Those occurrences would have seemed like fairy tales.
Hundreds of people began flocking to the congregation in Maphumulo. The Christians could go out the front door of the building at any time of the day, any day of the week, and there would be a hundred, maybe two hundred people standing outside. Hardened sinners would be weeping like little children. “What’s the matter?” they would be asked. “We are sinners!” was the answer. God’s Spirit had convicted them of sin, of God’s righteousness and their own unrighteousness.
Children were also converted, and when they returned home, their parents would ask them,
Children, what has suddenly happened to you? You used to argue all the time. You grumbled at your homework and your chores, and constantly back talked. Now you are obedient and so eager to do everything. What has changed you so much? Have you become Christians?”
Then parents would come and give their lives to Jesus.
God had kindled His fire, and it spread through the valleys and the mountains, so that thousands were saved in one week. That happened among the Zulus and the Xhosas.
Healings began to take place spontaneously—without being prayed for. Simply being in the services and hearing the Word of God preached brought healing.
The news of the healings spread like wildfire throughout the region. For a few days it was as if the very air was charged with the presence of God. People would come to Maphumulo and immediately be convicted of their sins, just by encountering the presence of God.
Whole areas of the countryside were then open for the gospel with invitations for teams to come and minister in the surrounding villages. As the ministry teams began visiting other areas, the same occurrences that took place in Maphumulo were repeated over and over again.
Stegen indicated that the Lord accomplished more in three days that what he had witnessed in 12 years of ministry.
Crowds coming for church services
Spiritual Healing Is the Priority
Prayer for healing took place after a person was born again and had gotten their lives right. The rule the ministry had was Scriptural, in that healing begins with the confession of sins—and divine healing always begins in the heart. The Bible teaches in James 5:16,
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
When people came for counselling, they were told that physical needs are secondary, and that spiritual illnesses must be treated first.
The Move to Kwasizabantu
The ministry at Maphumulo needed a larger area for ministry, and in 1970, a 345 acre piece of land was bought at the location named Kwasizabantu. That is where the mission has existed since that time. The location was already named, and it had the meaning of:
The place where people receive help.
Kwasizabantu became a spiritual retreat center (a revival center) whose influence stretched 300 kilometers in all directions. This is similar to what takes place during almost all revivals. Those who are thirsty, dry, and desperate for God, come and get filled, and then they leave, carrying the revival fire with them.
With the Moravian Revival of 1727, it was noted that the church where the Moravians worshipped became a “revival center” for all of Europe. People like John Wesley went there, and he, like many others, had their lives totally transformed!
The mission, though it has buildings to house about 4,500 people, constantly has the problem of too little accommodations because of the constant flood of people seeking the Lord. Hundreds, often thousands, gather for daily services. Not only locals come for help, but people from all over South Africa and from other countries and continents as well. One visiting minister remarked that it is like the first Pentecost. When asked what he meant, he said,
I went around counting the people’s different nationalities and arrived at 14 languages –and that at a single service!
Kwasizabantu now has about 140 out-stations. Some of these out-stations have become mission centers for their local areas.
Fire Services
Occasionally a “Fire Service” would be conducted wherein people wanting to be set free from demonic control would bring their articles associated with witchcraft and anything else that was taking them away from their focus on God, and surrender those items to be burned. This was following the pattern in Acts 19:19, in the city of Ephesus, wherein Paul evidently encouraged the burning of books containing incantations.
Witchcraft items and other articles assembled for burning
Reported Healings
The thousands of healings created sensational news that spread throughout the countryside. Though there were never “healing services,” people would just miraculously be healed through the preaching of the Word of God. Here are some of the reported healings that took place:
► Blindness: In one of their services there were 10 blind people who all received their sight at the same moment. At that same time, there was a blind lady who was living 28 miles away who also received her eyesight.
► Paralysis
► Leprosy
► Kidney disease
► Witches: Having renounced their allegiance to ancestral worship, witches were healed of whatever disease they had.
► Rheumatoid arthritis
► Emotional issues / derangement (undoubtedly demonic)
► Demon-possessed set free: When the revival started, witch doctors and the demon-possessed began coming to get deliverance from their torment.
► Heart disease, which had resulted in edema (dropsy)
► Deaf
► Mute
► Infertility
► Crippled
► Boils
► Toothache and infection of the jaw
► Diarrhea
► Diseased skin
► Tumors
► Alcoholism: Following their healing, some people who attempted to drink alcohol again became sick. The same happened when people would be delivered from their nicotine addiction. When they tried to smoke again, they became sick.
► Troubled marriages
► Snake bites
Lydia Dube, who was resurrected
► People raised from the dead: Lydia Dube was born again in 1966. In 1973 she became seriously ill with hepatitis. She eventually died in the afternoon on a certain day, and later that same evening was raised back to life. Her testimony can be viewed with this link, beginning at 13:40-17:12 on the timeline.
Warning About Counterfeit Manifestations of the Holy Spirit
Whenever there is a genuine move of the Holy Spirit, you can be assured that there will be demonic efforts to undermine what God is doing. This often occurs when individuals, desiring attention, imitate the work of the Holy Spirit. Some people may be given false impressions by demons and, not being firmly grounded in the Word of God, become susceptible to those impressions, assuming it is the Holy Spirit.
Those are the satanic counterfeits that are used to discredit and undermine the true work of the Holy Spirit.
Prior to the commencement of the revival, while the congregation was still in Maphumulo, and as they were cleaning out the cow shed, painting it and preparing it to be a location for prayer and Bible study, a man by the name of Emmanuel saw the following words written on the wall—”Test, Proof.”
The next morning Emmanuel asked Erlo Stegen:
Where are the two words that I saw on the wall last night: ‘Test, Proof’?’
Stegen replied
There were no words on the wall. We have just had the wall whitewashed.
Emmanuel insisted:
But I saw them.
After this conversation, Stegen went back home and opened his Bible. He saw the words in 2 Corinthians 13:5, which said:
Examine, Prove!
Through this he knew that Emmanuel had seen a genuine vision. It was understood that this vision was to become the guiding principle for any future visions or dreams that would occur, thus protecting them from counterfeit signs that would originate from evil spirits.
Rest for the Team
Occasionally Stegen would take his ministry team to a retreat location so they could experience time in seclusion—specifically to ensure that there was time to rest and pray, and to ensure the unity among the team stayed strong.
Some of the homes at Kwasizabantu
During the Revival, Spiritual Gifts and Divine Guidance Were Given
► Words of Knowledge
► Discerning of Spirits
► Gifts of Healings
► Gift of Tongues
► Interpretation of Tongues
► Prophecy
► Miracles
► Faith
► Visions
► Dreams
► Trances
► Warnings were given to Christians who were living unrepentant lives and were being a negative example to others. When the warnings were ignored, some died in accidents.
► Inspired authority in preaching—bringing thousands to repentance.
► Illumination by Light: This was similar to what had taken place during the 1965 Timor Revival.This account was shared by Bruno Englebrecht:
One night, after a meeting, I had to take a few Christians home. It was night and very dark. After I had dropped them off they still had to walk a kilometer or two. Later they told me that all the way home they had walked in a light which had illuminated the way for them just as if the Lord Himself had shed his light upon them.
► As in the 1965 Timor Revival, children were also used among the Zulu. This is an account of a 4-year-old by the name of Kwasi:
Kwasi… easily gathers children, even older ones, around him and tells them about Jesus. Even adults are confronted. One day a hardened heathen went to his boss, returning a large quantity of stolen goods, and confessed his sins to him. His boss was astonished and asked him: “What happened to you? Whatever made you confess your sins?” The heathen answered, “I have heard little Kwasi telling about Jesus and was deeply struck by the words.”
Kwasi also goes visiting. He calls on houses in the vicinity, gathering together even the farmers and other inhabitants; he then talks to them about Jesus. Even adults turn to the Saviour because of this little boy’s testimony.
Lindiwe (girl who converted at 9 years of age)
Lindiwe received many dreams and visions. Some of them informed her of her own sins. Other dreams informed her of sins others were committing. Sometimes it was the adults that had committed the sins, and sometimes it was other children. When the dreams were shared, those who had committed the sins confessed that it was true.
Lindiwe received a vision of a young lady in the city of Durban who was involved in gangs. The Lord had given the address where that girl lived, as well as the activities that she was involved in. Lindiwe was instructed to tell Erlo Stegen that he was to send for her and have her brought to the mission at Kwasizabantu. It was a long story, but it turned out exactly as Lindiwe saw it, and the girl was rescued and saved from a life of sin and misery.
There were many other divine revelations that were given to Lindiwe, and they always turned out to be accurate. Those stories can be read in Kurt E. Koch’s book, God Among the Zulus.
Fifteen-Year-Old Nokutula
Nokutula was told by the Lord to go into a very dangerous area and conduct ministry. For her safety, Erlo Stegen did not want her to go, but she knew that she had to be obedient, so Stegen finally gave her permission. Another older girl went with her, and a miracle happened, even in a high-crime area. Hardened young men repented, converted, and gave up their life of crime.
Some who were brought to the mission by truck
Opposition to Revival
All genuine revivals experience opposition, and most of it originates from within the church. Pastors in the surrounding area, embarrassed at their lack of power (just like Erlo Stegen had been before the revival), began to criticize and theologically pick the revival apart. Those pastors were also intimidated, and fearful that their people would leave and join the revival movement.
Inside the 10,000-seat auditorium at Kwasizabantu
Auditorium at Kwasizabantu
Results of the Revival
► Tens of thousands have come to Christ through the Kwasizabantu Mission.
► Since 1970, the Kwasizabantu Mission has started 40 mission branches throughout South Africa, and 25 worldwide.
► A “hospital” with no medical staff was established for the sick and demon-possessed. It is primarily a place for prayer, but anyone desiring to see a doctor was free to visit one.
► Teams began to be sent throughout South Africa, conducting evangelism, and similar results took place wherever they went.
► Erlo Stegen and a team began making visits to locations throughout the world, carrying the revival fire wherever they went.
Kwasizabantu Mission Station
Activities at the Kwasizabantu Mission Station
► The auditorium, which seats 10,000, was opened in 1990, after it took 10 years to construct. On June 14, 2008, the auditorium was accidentally destroyed by a fire. It was rebuilt in one year and opened in April 2009.
► A school for children (Domino Servite School).
► A college to train teachers (Cedar College of Education).
► Thabitha Adult School – a center for training illiterate adults to read and write and for giving further education.
► A radio station (Radio Khwezi)
► Emseni Care Center—for HIV and AIDS patients
► An airstrip runs right through the mission station.
► A dairy farm packages milk, yogurt, and fruit drinks (Bonle Dairy).
► A major water bottling plant was constructed. It now provides water throughout the region (aQuelle).
► There are 15 acres of advanced greenhouses where sweet peppers are grown hydroponically, with a packaging facility on the mission station.
► An extensive avocado farming enterprise.
► A grocery store is in operation, providing for the many residents at the station (Emseni Saverite Supermarket).
► Other enterprises:
- Kiwi vineyards
- Chickens
- Apiaries for honey
- Pottery shop
- Carpentry shop
- Noodle factory
- Printing press
- A jam factory which turns out tens of thousands of homemade jams and pickles for mission use and for sale.
- A bakery which bakes a minimum of 400 loaves a day and which sells bread and confectionery.
Reputed to be one of the largest and most
successful mission stations in Africa.
Kwasizabantu Mission
Private Bag 252, Kranskop 3268, South Africa
E-Mail: mail@ksb.org.za
Sources
50 Years of Revival by Kwasizabantu Mission
60th Anniversary of Erlo Stegen’s Ministry by Kwasizabantu Misison
Erlo Stegen – a Documentary by Kwasizabantu Mission
God Among the Zulus by Kurt E. Koch
Images of Kwasizabantu Mission by Google Maps
Kwasizabantu by Wikipedia
Revival Among the Zulus by Erlo Stegen
Revival Among the Zulu by The Sentinel Group
Lessons Learned from the Zulu Revival by Edgar Reich
When God Comes Down by Kwasizabantu Mission
Return to List of Revival Stories
Chet & Phyllis Swearingen
(260) 920-8248
romans1015@outlook.com
Beautiful Feet
P.O. Box 915
Auburn, IN 46706
