Discover how this unusual man works miracles in hostile nations

Lance: Hey, welcome to the Lance Wallnau Show. We are on location. Mister Pastor, you’re about to meet John Bates. It’s one of the most innovative guys I ran into in a long time and in Waxahachie, is that how you pronounce it? 

John Bates: That’s it.

Lance: And I’ve never been here before.

John Bates: Can I tell you what it means?

Lance: What does it mean?

John Bates: It means the place of the Buffalo Dung.

Lance: The place of the Buffalo Dung?

John Bates: There’s a Buffalo Creek here. That’s what Waxahachie means.

Lance: Who would have thought?

John Bates: Right.

Lance: And so but we’re in a wandering around the building, because it’s so innovative. I think,oh look at all the care that went to the children’s church and but I realized it’s something’s unusual, because they all big screens. It’s actually was a cinema.

John Bates: Buffalo Creek Theatre.

Lance: It was the Buffalo Creek Theatre and that explains the lobby and these beautiful rooms. They’re all really movie rooms.

John Bates: Thank you Lance.

Lance: You’ve done an incredible job here.

John Bates: Thank you.

Lance: I’m so surprised and delighted to see this ministry. So how you’ve been here for 4 years?

John Bates: We‘ve been in this building. We just a few years longer than that but we renovated it 5 years ago, made it what it is now.

Lance: And the name of the church?

John Bates: Freedom Fellowship International.

Lance: And this guy is, this pastor is Freedom Fellowship. I mean, it’s not, this is the real deal.But and then you said that you were mentored by Marilyn Hickey and then I started realizing, well, alright. So, you kind of have that, they had the happy church, wasn’t the Denver church

John Bates: In Denver. You’re right.

Lance: So, when you got the happy as a brand, how could you help a be you’re a brand ambassador.

John Bates: Yeah.

Lance: You’re like a happy prophet.

John Bates: Yeah, she’s phenomenal. She is happy. I was with her last week in Denver and we prayed together. And 6 years ago I was telling you she said, ‘John, I’m going to call you the profitable prophet.’ I said, ‘Oh I don’t like that.’ That strikes me wrong. But she began to speak into my life. She said, ‘You’re going to find out what that means.’ And she said, ‘Either you be a really good fundraiser or get wealthy.’ That was her advice.

Lance: Oh, wow.

John Bates: So, I opted to ask God to begin to make me wealthy and begin to make declarations over my life of wealth. And even last year, my wife and I declared it every day and our income doubled. We’re hoping to do it again every year to the glory of God and be able to be kingdom builders.

Lance: How beautiful? And so you’re a practitioner of what you’re preaching.

John Bates: And I love what you talk about. I’m right there with you.

Lance: Good because every goes into all the world.

John Bates: Right.

Lance: Then they’re going to see the works of the Lord.

John Bates: Right.

Lance: Instead of trying to figure out how to all be preachers. They could find out, they could proclaim Christ by occupying the territory they’re in, right. Now you surprise me by telling me that you’re one of your greatest joys this Muslim outreach. I mean I know we’re in Waxahachie, Texas. All of a sudden I’m in a theater. I got the profitable prophet. You’re helping us host the event here. This cool conference but now you’re telling me go to Bangladesh and Pakistan and Egypt.

John Bates: Yes.

Lance: Fill me in on this. What do you do when you’re there?

John Bates: Well, usually do large services. The last one I did was in Pakistan of 300,000 Muslims. The clerics advertise the services. They believe in Jesus not as a son of God, but as a teacher and a healer. So, they invite people to come and get healed. Well, once Muslims get healed and their signs, wonders, and miracles. They want to know more and they receive Jesus as the son of God. So, that’s what I love doing. I love the flow in those miracles and working with Marilyn Hickey is incredible. Frida Lindsay of Christ for the Nations about 10-12 years ago laid her hands on me and said, you’re called to the Muslim nations. I had no context there and then met Marilyn Hickey and I didn’t know that Frida mentored Marilyn Hickey. She enrolled Roberts and so that anointing to the Muslim nations. And when Marilyn took me, it tugged in my heart and the makes me more joyful than seeing Muslims come to Jesus and I love Muslims. Love them and they love me so far.

Lance: Yeah. Well, the evangelist that I’ve met that have favor in Muslim nations. There is a special kind of love and anointing.

John Bates: Right.

Lance: And an unusual kind of honor and connection that comes because think about it. These are people that are seeking God with all their heart until they hear the gospel. They’re pursuing the best they know, so there’s in a sense unlike the west in its hedonistic self-destruction cycle.This is a culture which is trying to honor God as best as they know, and then they are suddenly meeting God and experiencing. So, there’s a great potential in Muslim nations.

John Bates: What I found is there’s a misunderstanding from our culture to their culture. An Imam talked to me and he said, ‘John, just like those people who hold up the signs in your nation, God hates facts.’ He said, ‘That little Baptist church that you people cringe at, that is the element of Muslims for us. We have this little group of Muslims that are violent and make us look bad.’ He said, ‘We’re peaceable people that really want to know about God.’ And that really changed my perspective.

Lance: Right, and so it’s the radicals that actually get the branding on the rest of them.

John Bates: Well, I heard you talk about the 3% homosexuals how they have.

Lance: That’s right. The 3% of the population and they the 90% of the nation is now immersed with an agenda.

John Bates: Right.

Lance: Talk to me about how you move in the miracles. I’m kind of curious about that. So, talk to me about how it works for you.

John Bates: Okay. Last time I was I guess Bangladesh was speaking. One of the leaders came up to me of the conference. This is how it started and he said, ‘I need prayer for my arm. It’s wounded.’ And so, I looked and I said, ‘I’ll pray for you. How did this happen?’ He said, ‘I was beat up for being a Christian.’ Well I began to weep. Because I’m like, wow, execution we have no idea. Laid my hand on his arm, begin to pray, Jesus thank you, and felt popping in his bones. So Lord has given me favor with bones and joints and that’s where I usually start with shoulders, knees, hips, ankles, call them out and have people exercise their faith. Begin to move. Do what you couldn’t do before. Jesus said to the man who was crippled, take up your bed and walk while the man was sitting there. He had to do something. So, I encourage people Jesus is touching you. Start doing what you couldn’t do before and then they’re shocked and they’re ready for the gospel message.

Lance: But I love what you’re saying. You’re saying that you know that you have a particular anointing that started off with bones.

John Bates: Bones and joints.

Lance: And joints. The first time I heard that was somebody was talking about Philip the evangelist, right. And when Philip, went to where was it? Was it, Antioch? Where did he go? Samaria. So with the Samaria and while Philip was in Samaria preaching. There was demons coming out and people were healed of palsy.

John Bates: Right.

Lance: And I remember listening to an evangelist say notice that there’s a specificity to the kinds of manifestations that he was having.

John Bates: Right.

Lance: Because these were like deliverance working demons coming out and palsy specifically listed. So, that would be one of the signature ways in which Philip if you had that in Philip’s meetings the likelihood is you were going to be getting delivered. You were going to get healed in those things.

John Bates: Right.

Lance: I thought, wow man we got to start looking and how are people anointed and you found yours.

John Bates: I did.

Lance: And how did you find that by the way?

John Bates: Well, it was in India. I was ministering and some people came up to me with their son who has some deformities with his bones and joints. So, I looked and thought, oh wow, and I prayed lord help me to bring healing to his life. He immediately was miraculously set free from these disorders. His joints started working. His bones pop back into place. I thought, I can do this with Jesus’ help. I can believe for that and it got easier and easier. So, now standing before hundreds of thousands of people I know there are going to be multiple miracles when I call those out. It just happens now, and I have faith for that.

Lance: And when the miracle happens and what do you do. Do you bring them down front or do you have them wave or what it would be?

John Bates: Well, the last time when we were in Pakistan, there was such an influx. We were praying for 25,000 miracles that’s what I had faith for but it looked like there about 100,000. So,when we asked for people to come forward, they stormed the platform and we had to evacuate for a bit. Because that’s a good problem. There were too many people, too many miracles.

Lance: Oh my God.

John Bates: So, I live for those moments. I live for them, because then after those testimonies, they’re willing to accept Jesus.

Lance: Of course, the real deal. I listen to my friend Leif Hetland, who does a lot of ministry like that in, where is it? I think it’s Iran. Might be Pakistan too. But he said that even the women with the burkas. They had the burkas on. But he can see when he’s telling them pray the sinner’s prayer. He sees the cloth being sucked in and going out. He knows that the women are praying and accepting Jesus, because he can see the most.

John Bates: This is a neat story very short but one of the trips with Marilyn Hickey. There were some Muslim leader’s, leader of the nation. And she said, ‘John I’m going to take her in that room and get her healed. You prophesied to him what’s going to happen in his life next year.’She’ll put you on the spot. But she took her in room, that lady was miraculously healed of a bone disorder and carries photographs of her back before and after of what Jesus did.

Lance: But Marilyn somehow knew she was going to get healed of the bone disorder and do you recall what you prophesying?

John Bates: I do. It’s private but it did come to pass and our conversation was, ‘Do you believe in prophets?’ Yes, Muhammad was the last prophet. I said, ‘Well.’

Lance: You’re starting off with Muhammad’s the last prophet.

John Bates: There maybe a few more. So, here’s the prognosis for your next year it comes to pass could there be more prophets and he said, yes. I’ve talked to him since and he believes in prophets now. Talking to Muslims I often ask them, have you had a dream of a man in white?And a lot of times they’re like, yes, who was that. And over and over Jesus has already come to these people especially leaders and that’s what I pray for Muslim nations. Jesus visit their dreams, invade their dreams.

Lance: Wow, have you had a dream of a man in white? Well, this message, this interview has gone fast. I’m going to have to get in there because I’m supposed to speak.

John Bates: Yes.

Lance: And I’m going to go ahead and do that but I want to thank you so much Pastor.

John Bates: Thank you.

Lance: How do they get in touch with you?

John Bates: “Johnbatesministries.com”.

Lance: “Johnbatesministries.com”. I’ll bet you’ve got some great teaching on these subjects. What’s your signature message?

John Bates: Faith.

Lance: Faith.

John Bates: Faith. Just anything to do with faith. That’s the gift I like to really move in and my wife moves in another gift of spirit which I lack which is discerning of spirit so we make a good team. She loves everybody. She’s like, whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down there.

Lance: Oh, the good combination. It’s like me and Annabelle. Well, listen. Thank you so much for your time.

John Bates: Thank you Lance, thank you for all you do.

Lance: Helping us do what we’re doing here. I want to give you guys this idea before we go. I’ve been talking to a young man who has started a new ministry and it’s called, The Public Square.He’s in his 20s and this guy created an app and he got a couple million dollars with investors. He said, ‘There’s these big box stores that crushed all these small businesses during COVID.’ One, I think as many as 30% of small businesses were wiped out in some parts of the country. He said,‘As they’re struggling to get back on their feet many of them share their Christian values they share values for America. What if we could find out where they were? Instead of giving their business to the big box store, the big coffee franchise that’s partnering with causes you agree with. How about the Christian business or the Patriot that’s got the tire store over here?’

Well listen you go to “Lancewallnau.com/Publicsquare”. Public Square. Download the free app. It’s free. And you’ll start to find the businesses you can do business with locally that puts the money in your own economy. So instead of it going to New York or some Seattle office or Starbucks, it stays in Waxahachie. It stays here because it’s a local store. So, go to “Lancewallnau.com/Publicsquare”. Check it out. I believe this young man has a vision god gave him and support the businesses that support your values. God bless you.

Closing: Did you enjoy this latest episode? Please remember to share it with your friends.Because the more knowledge you have, the better equipped you are to navigate the world.