With 67.5 million members and 384,000 ministers, the Assemblies of God is the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination and fourth largest religious organization.

It appears one of those pastors, Eric Angeles, who lives in Bellflower, California and pastors New Hope International Christian Church in nearby Norwalk, raised a boy from the dead.

Eric was at home one December morning preparing for a board meeting at the church later that evening when a pick up truck hit a boy on the street outside his house.

After hearing the noise, Eric and his wife Ruth rushed outside to see a young boy lying lifeless on his back with his mouth and eyes open. The collision had thrown him 50 feet.

The Montanez family who lived on the same street had also heard the commotion. Looking out they saw their son lying on the road and the distraught parents were gathered around their son when Eric and his wife got the scene.

While others were checking his pulse to see if he was still alive, the Holy Spirit impressed on Eric to pray for the boy. After asking the boy’s parents if he could pray, Eric grabbed the father and said “Liame el nombre de Jesus.”

Though Eric did not speak Spanish, he had uttered the words “Call on the name of Jesus.”

Meanwhile the Holy Spirit also impressed on Ruth to get the boy’s name. She found out from his sister that his name was Leonel.

Ruth began to shout out his name — Leonel, Leonel.

It was similar to what Jesus did at the tomb of Lazarus when the Lord called out Lazarus’s name and raised him from the dead. Literally in the Greek, it says Jesus shouted.

⁴³ When He [Jesus] had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” ⁴⁴ The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus *said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (John 11:43-44 NASV)

It is strange when you think about it. At this moment, Jesus wasn’t speaking to God or the crowd gathered around because He would not have needed to shout to do that.

As bizarre as this sounds, Jesus was yelling loud enough for a dead man buried deep inside a burial crypt would hear him. Jesus was treating Lazarus as if he was alive (Romans 4:17).

After shouting out Leonel’s name, Ruth saw the boy’s eyes blink.

She told everyone to call on the name of Jesus and the group, including the man in the pick up who had hit Leonel, gathered around him and began calling on the name of Jesus.

After the group repeated this several times, Leonel began gasping and came back to life.

After the ambulance took the boy to the hospital, the doctors said it was miracle Leonel was alive.

But they also had bad news. It would be six months before Lionel would walk properly and at least a month before he was out of the hospital because the collision had fractured Leonel’s spine and head, broken his hip and ribs. As well his collarbone and shoulder had been dislocated.

But defying all odds, the doctors sent Leonel home after just four days and he was running around within two weeks.

After witnessing this miracle, the Montanez family gave their life to Christ and even testified of the miracle at the church Eric pastors.

And this is one of the reasons God still performs miracles today — so people will believe in Jesus.

Just prior to raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus prayed to His Heavenly Father:

⁴¹ So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. ⁴² I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” (John 11: 41-43 NASV)

Source:

• Modern-day Lazarus: PE News