Lester Sumrall
Lester Frank Sumrall (1913–1996) was an American evangelist whose 65-year ministry stands as one of the twentieth century's most compelling exemplars of the Way of Fire—the path of complete obedience, unshakeable faith, and visible apostolic authority. His life demonstrates that the supernatural life Jesus promised is not reserved for ancient times or distant revivals, but emerges wherever faith meets radical consecration.
The Foundation: A Covenant Made in Crisis
Sumrall's journey exemplifies the Way of Fire from its inception. At seventeen, dying of tuberculosis with only sixty-three pounds on his frame, he lay in bed watching his family wait for his death. In this moment of extremity, God presented him with a vision: a coffin on one side, a Bible on the other. The choice was stark and immediate: preach the gospel or die that night.1
Sumrall chose obedience. Unlike many who make deathbed promises, he made a covenant:
"God, if you'll keep me alive as long as I preach, I'll soon be the oldest man in the world."
He recovered completely overnight. His healed frame, his renewed strength, his entire remaining life became proof of what happens when someone gives their answer to God's call without negotiation or delay.2
When his unsaved father cursed him violently for deciding to preach, young Lester fell face-down in his room, trembling. In that moment of familial rejection and fear, God spoke directly through Scripture: "Fear thou not; for I am with thee. Be not dismayed; for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee." Over fifty years later, Sumrall testified that this single word from God eradicated fear from his life. He did not merely read the verse—he obeyed its command, and fear left him permanently.3
Supernatural Authority: The Clarita Villanueva Deliverance
The Way of Fire manifests visibly in supernatural power. The most famous case illustrating Sumrall's apostolic authority was the deliverance of Clarita Villanueva in Manila's Bilibid Prison in May 1953.
A seventeen-year-old girl, imprisoned on vagrancy charges, began experiencing violent demonic attacks. Invisible entities bit her repeatedly—not in her imagination, but with visible, documented teeth marks on her skin. She was bitten twenty times in a single night, her neck and arms bearing fresh bite marks that medical examiners could observe and photograph.4
The case baffled everyone. Dr. Mariano Lara, the chief medical examiner of the Manila Police Department, was a hardened skeptic who had performed 8,000 autopsies and rejected any notion of supernatural forces. Yet when he witnessed the bites appearing on Clarita's body—with multiple witnesses watching, unable to see who inflicted the marks—his entire worldview shifted. He later testified to Sumrall:
"Reverend, I am humble enough to admit that I am a frightened man."5
Sumrall arrived at the prison jail chapel with authority born from complete faith in Christ's superiority over demonic power. He had fasted all night and spent hours in prayer. When he entered the chapel and Clarita saw him, the demons spoke through her lips: "I don't like you!"—recognition that this man carried apostolic authority.6
What followed was a three-day spiritual battle documented by newspapers, police officials, and medical professionals. The demons resisted viciously, claiming they had "rights" to remain in Clarita because of her past sins. But Sumrall, grounded in Scripture, reminded them of Mary Magdalene, possessed by seven demons until Jesus made her clean. He commanded the demons to depart in Jesus' name, taught Clarita to resist them herself, and stood firm when the demons returned multiple times.7
The results were immediate and transformative:
- Clarita was completely delivered
- She testified before the judge about her deliverance
- 150,000 people accepted Christ as a direct result of this single deliverance
- The news spread globally; even Japanese spiritualists cited the case as proof of spiritual realities8
This was not ancient history; this was twentieth-century Manila, witnessed by doctors, police, and press.
Faith That Transcends Circumstances
Sumrall traveled to 110 countries, including dangerous regions like Soviet Siberia, Tibet, and China. He went in faith—faith that God's promises covered him even in communist nations and among hostile populations.9
His testimony of the Tibet incident illustrates this perfectly. Walking along a mountain path with a caravan of seventeen mules, Sumrall suddenly realized a bandit was walking directly behind him with a gun pressed to his back. For three hours, he walked toward what seemed certain death.
In that extremity, instead of seeking diplomatic solutions, he prayed: "Have I come to Tibet to die?" God responded: "No." Then Sumrall heard the internal instruction: "You read Revelation 19:6."
That single verse—"Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth"—became the substance of his faith. If God reigned, then the bandit behind him did not. The fear lifted. He turned, laughed at the bandit, and spoke with such authority that the man dropped his rifle. The encounter ended with Sumrall giving the bandit food and money, then riding away safely.10
This was not luck or accident. This was faith in God's word overriding natural terror.
Love Through Sustained Action: Feed the Hungry
The Way of Fire is not abstract spirituality disconnected from human need. At age 74, Sumrall received a vision while in Jerusalem. God spoke to him about hungry children praying, "Our Father which art in Heaven, give us this day our daily bread," yet receiving no answer. The Lord convicted Sumrall: "Don't let my children die."11
From that moment, Sumrall launched a mission to feed the desperately poor worldwide. The scope was staggering:
- Working through local churches rather than secular NGOs
- Over 8 million meals delivered in the final years of his life
- Purchased a mercy plane (named Zoe) and a cargo ship (The Evangeline)
- By his death in 1996, distributed over $200 million worth of food and supplies to 94 nations1213
This was not charity divorced from evangelism. Every food distribution occurred through local churches, every meal came with the opportunity to hear the gospel. Yet the love was genuine and unconditional.
Long-Term Consecration: The 65-Year Covenant
What distinguishes the Way of Fire from temporary revival or emotional experience is sustained obedience over decades. Sumrall's ministry spanned 65 years—from his healing at seventeen in 1930 until his homegoing in 1996.
His commitment to the Word as the foundation of spiritual authority never wavered:
"Six or seven or eight times, in every emergency of my life, it wasn't an angel that got my attention, it was the Word!"14
Sumrall also practiced intentional succession planning. Rather than building a personal empire that would collapse at his death, he established:
- World Harvest Bible College (now Indiana Christian University)
- Multiple radio and television stations under Family Broadcasting Corporation
- A publishing company preserving his 130+ books
- The Feed the Hungry organization with trained leadership15
Broadcasting for Global Impact
By the time of his death, LeSEA Broadcasting operated:
- Thirteen television stations
- Three FM radio stations
- Five international shortwave stations reaching over 90% of the world's population
- Two satellite channels covering Africa, Asia, and Europe16
This infrastructure was built for the explicit purpose of reaching millions of souls for Christ.
Key Principles Exemplified
1. Radical Obedience to God's Word Above All Authority
Sumrall's first response to God's word was not intellectual debate but immediate obedience—whether at seventeen during his tuberculosis crisis, or at seventy-four when God called him to feed the hungry.
2. Apostolic Authority Grounded in Christ's Name
When Sumrall commanded demons to leave Clarita Villanueva, the authority was never "Lester says so." It was "In Jesus' name." The demons recognized not his personality but his spiritual authority.
3. Faith That Transcends Natural Circumstances
Whether facing a bandit's gun, traveling to communist nations, or launching a global relief ministry at seventy-four, Sumrall's faith was conviction that God's word would prove true regardless of natural probability.
4. Authentic Love Expressed Through Sustained Action
The supernatural authority was never separated from genuine compassion. His Feed the Hungry ministry reflected genuine love for suffering humanity.
5. Long-Term Consecration and Deliberate Succession
True apostolic legacy requires decades of faithfulness, deliberate institutional development, and intentional preparation of successors.
Legacy
Sumrall's legacy spans:
- 65 years of ministry
- 110 countries visited
- 130+ books authored
- Global broadcasting infrastructure
- An enduring humanitarian organization
- Hundreds of thousands of souls brought to Christ
His life proves that the age of miracles has not passed, that demons still flee at the name of Jesus when invoked by those walking in true authority, and that the kingdom of God operates through both supernatural power and institutional faithfulness.
"If there is an evil which no right can correct, then evil is mightier than right. This cannot be."