Frank Gashumba's Healing Challenge: A Christian Response

By A.K.A Geoffrey

Can divine healing be demonstrated on demand, especially when a financial reward is involved? In this Christian opinion piece, A.K.A Geoffrey responds to Frank Gashumba’s reported UGX 200 million challenge to pastors who believe in healing through Jesus Christ. Drawing on biblical accounts, personal experiences and his understanding of Christian faith, the author explores the purpose of miracles and the difference between demonstrating spiritual power and pursuing salvation.

For Geoffrey, the central question is not whether someone can win the money. It is whether miracles should become public competitions when, in his view, their greater purpose is to lead people towards faith in Jesus Christ.

The UGX 200 Million Healing Challenge

Frank Gashumba has challenged any Christian pastor who believes in divine healing in the name of Jesus to go to Mulago Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU), lay hands on the sick and heal them. He reportedly first offered UGX 100 million before raising the amount to UGX 200 million.

Friends who know me as a believer in divine healing have sent me the clip and suggested that we go and make some quick money.

One even reminded me of my desire to visit Israel this Jubilee year and how the money would come in handy for the launch of my book, WakeUpCall.

Many believers ignore such challenges. They are busy building the Kingdom of God and consider them distractions.

Others compare the challenge to the mockery Jesus faced on the cross: “He saved others; let him save himself.”

To them, it is disrespectful to the work of the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.

However, I am a writer whose mission is to awaken faith and hope in Jesus Christ.

So I will respond.

When Intelligence Meets Faith

Frank strikes me as one of those men carried away by confidence in his own intelligence.

Yes, he is an intelligent man.

But sometimes, life presents experiences that force us to reconsider what we think we know.

As we say in Luganda, bw’otuka nafumitiriza—you encounter an experience that forces deep introspection.

Perhaps such a moment can lead someone to say, like the Roman centurion at the cross, “Surely this was the Son of God.”

Rarely have I seen people face a day when everything seems beyond their control without crying out:

“Lord, have mercy on me. Heal me. Deliver me. Save me.”

When people are humbled by life’s circumstances, they may begin to reconsider their relationship with God.

Consider Saul on the road to Damascus.

He had authority to arrest followers of Jesus, whom he believed had departed from accepted religious traditions. Yet his encounter with Christ transformed his life.

The early Christians preached the risen Jesus and testified to miracles, including healing the sick.

Still, some religious authorities resisted their message.

Instead of accepting what the believers proclaimed, they questioned their actions and teachings.

“Why are you carrying your mat on the Sabbath?”

“Why do you preach that Jesus rose from the dead?”

In the Gospel accounts, religious leaders sometimes appeared more concerned with defending established practices than examining the significance of what was happening before them.

Why I Believe in Divine Healing

I grew up in a Christian environment where divine healing and casting out demons were treated as realities of faith.

That is why I have never doubted them.

I witnessed Christians who took their faith seriously and testified to extraordinary experiences.

In fact, in my experience, casting out demons and praying for the sick sometimes seemed easier than transforming a person’s character.

There are things you cannot unsee.

For someone who believes they have witnessed a miracle, that experience can become a defining part of their faith.

I also believe that accepting Jesus requires more than acknowledging extraordinary events.

It demands a change in how one lives.

If Jesus is not merely a metaphor but a real Saviour, then following Him means reconsidering beliefs, habits and priorities that conflict with His teachings.

Sometimes, that may require leaving behind a way of life that provides status, comfort or income.

When Belief Challenges Personal Interests

Think of the religious authorities who opposed Jesus.

Some held influential positions within the religious and political structures of their time. Accepting His message could threaten their authority and established practices.

Today, consider a person whose influence depends on likes, followers and engagement on TikTok, X and Facebook.

That online influence may open doors to radio, television and other opportunities.

When a belief challenges something a person values, the mind may find reasons to dismiss it.

It is like a teenage boy rejected by a beautiful girl who comforts himself by saying, “After all, she has a deep voice like a man.”

Sometimes, dismissal is easier than honest reflection.

Having travelled through different regions of Uganda, I have encountered many testimonies of people who believe they have experienced the saving grace of the resurrected Jesus.

These experiences have strengthened my conviction that Jesus heals and that the power of God is available to believers.

I also believe that the Christian calling to pray for the sick is not limited to pastors.

It extends to believers in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Would I Accept Frank Gashumba’s Challenge?

Probably not.

Ezo zibazinemye.

Unless—and I repeat, unless—Jesus Himself tells me to go.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, I visited fellow believers in their homes, encouraging them and praying with them.

One day, I posted that I had visited the Women’s Hospital and was amazed by how beautiful it looked.

A doctor friend, concerned that I might spread infection, warned me:

“Stop it. You will kill your own family.”

I had not considered the risk from that perspective.

At the time, I saw myself as someone carrying hope and praying for healing in a season dominated by fear.

I wanted to be a light.

Looking back, the warning also illustrates why faith and responsibility must go together. Caring for people includes protecting them from preventable harm.

Why I Would Not Turn Healing Into a Competition

This is why I believe Jesus would probably not direct someone to accept such a challenge merely because money has been offered.

Even if all the money in the Bank of Uganda were placed on the table, the financial reward would not determine whether the challenge should be accepted.

In my understanding of Scripture, miracles are not performances arranged to satisfy public demands.

Consider the religious leaders who asked Jesus for a sign despite the works attributed to Him.

In response, Jesus spoke of the sign of Jonah.

Elsewhere, Scripture directs attention to Moses and the Prophets as witnesses people were expected to heed.

The point is that faith cannot always be produced by demanding one more demonstration.

Jesus also tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus.

In the story, the rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead to warn his brothers.

Abraham responds:

“They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.”

He then explains that if they will not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.

That is the message of Luke 16:31.

For me, the lesson is clear: an extraordinary sign does not automatically produce faith.

The Purpose of Miracles

Miracles were never meant to be entertainment.

I believe their purpose is to awaken faith and reveal the power and authority of Jesus Christ.

Christian teaching presents a world affected by sin, suffering, sickness and spiritual conflict.

Families struggle with circumstances they do not fully understand. Nations fight wars. People experience suffering that challenges their faith and understanding.

My conviction is that humanity’s deepest need goes beyond temporary relief from hardship.

It is reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ.

That does not mean the suffering of sick people should be dismissed.

Illness deserves compassionate care, prayer where welcomed, and appropriate medical treatment.

Rather, I believe physical healing and spiritual salvation should not be confused with one another.

Miracles of healing and breakthrough are not ends in themselves.

They point towards Jesus.

As John the Baptist declared:

“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” — John 1:29