 THE
FAITH OF JESUS:
With
Signs Following
by: Pastor Max
Solbrekken, D.D.
"What
then, shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under
grace. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves
servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether to sin unto death, or of
obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:15,16)
For
we have not an high Priest which cannot be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as
we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto
the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to
help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:15,16)
CHRIST
CRUCIFIED, RISEN & COMING
Our
agenda is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to as many as
possible, as quickly as possible and in every way possible.
We believe that Christ is not only the Hope of the world, but His
Gospel is the remedy for the many problems, fears, addictions and
diseases that are plaguing mankind! And we know that we have
a limited time to get the job done, because surely our LORD will
soon return!
It
is therefore essential that we utilize every possible means
available to make Christ's name known, loved and trusted, while we
have the opportunity. By means of the internet we can reach
behind the communist walls, iron curtains, Islamic torture regimes
and capitalist nations!
Some
of my television and radio messages, book and tracts are are
Youtube. By the grace of God I wrote 300 columns for the
Edmonton Sunday Sun from 1984-1990. The are on an E-Book on 'comehometojesus'.
They are also on a computer disc, which you may receive for a
small donation by writing to us. They are also on a computer
disk, which you may receive for a small donation by writing to us!
In
the April 2002 issue of the "Cry of His Coming"
magazine, page 16, now on the internet, is the wonderful testimony
of Healing and Deliverance in the life of Svein Erik Aasmul of
Lyngdal, Norway:
"When
I was about 15 or 16 years of age, I got hooked on heroin and for
10 long years, I was in and out of institutions and prisons
because of my addiction to drugs. Nothing helped and my
addition grew worse and I would use any drug I could get my hands
on - heroin, amphetamine as well as alcohol.
MAX
SOLBEKKEN CRUSADE!
One
day in March 1998 I heard about a Max Solbrekken Crusade in
Bergen, Norway, and somehow in my stupor of drugs and alcohol I
got to this meeting. A group of Canadian Indians called the
'Resurrection Band' led by Len Laboucan, were singing and playing
their instruments.
Pastor
Max preached about Jesus Christ and His power to save, heal and
deliver. He told in graphic detail how Jesus had suffered
for our sins. I went forward to receive Jesus as my Saviour,
and to be healed of my terrible addictions! After the
meeting I went outside to take a fix, but the needle didn't work.
Then, I realized that I was free from all drug addiction.
Later,
I checked myself into the Evangelistic Rehab Centre. After a
year there, I loved to Tonsberg and began to work, something I had
hadly ever done in my life. There I met a lovely young lady
named Gunhild and we got married. We are now living in
Lyndal and are awaiting the arrival of a baby this summer.
I
have been drug and alcohol free since march 1998 (4 1/2 years) and
all the glory and honour goes to Jesus! And I have a good
job as a welder. It's good to have a new foundation in life,
one that you can trust in all situations. All honour and
glory to Jesus!
GOD
ANOINTED JESUS OF NAZARETH
The
Bible says: "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth who went
about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of devil; for
God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things which
He did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they
slew and hanged on a tree:
:Him
God raised up the third day and showed Him openly; not to all the
people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who
did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead. And
He commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it
is He which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead."
"To
Him give all the prophets witness, that through His Name
whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins."
(Acts 10: 38-43)
St.
Peter declared: "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not
redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your
vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers:
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish or spot:
"Who
verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world,
but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by Him do
believe in God, that raised Him up from the dead, and gave Him
glory: that your faith and hope & might be in God." (1
Peter 1:18-21)
St.
Paul unveiled for us, that in the council of Heaven, before the
world was created, the Triune God (Father,
Son and Holy Spirit) made the
"Blood of the Everlasting Covenant" for the Redemption
of Mankind!
He
declared: "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the
dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the
blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good
work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in
His sight, through Jesus Christ; to Him be glory for ever and
ever." (Hebrew 13: 20, 21)
In
His great wisdom to redeem Adam's fallen race, Almighty God
entered human history through incarnation of His only begotten Son
Jesus Christ. His
death for the sins of the
entire world, past, present and future!
FOR
THIS PURPOSE!
St.
John declared: “He that
committeth sin is of devil: for the devil sinneth from the
beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He
might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)\The very
purpose of His Incarnation
was to save us all from spiritual death and
deliver us from the Wicked One.
Our Saviour said:
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill and to
destroy: I am come that they may have LIFE, and that they may have
it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
Jesus
Christ, God the Son was manifested to destroy Satan and his works
of sin, fear, disease, death, poverty, and demon possession.
St.
Paul declared: "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers
of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the
same; that through DEATH He might DESTROY him that had the power
over death, that is the Devil. And deliver them who through
fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."
(Hebrews 2:14-15)
JESUS
not only preached repentance and healed the sick and cast out
devils, but He commanded His disciples, apostles, and followers to
do the same. He is His Great Commission: "And He said
unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every
creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;
but He that believeth not shall be damned.
And
these Signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they
cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall
take up serpents (like Paul in Malta); and if they drink any
deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the
sick, and they shall recover." (Mark 16:15-18)
"And
being assembled together with them, commanded them that they
should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the
Father, which sayeth He ye have heard of Me. For John truly
baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost
not many days hence.
"But
ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:
and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all
Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the
earth." (Acts 1:8)
"So
then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into
Heaven, and sat on the right hand of God."
And
they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with
them, and confirming the Word with signs following." (Mark
16:19-20)
GOD
SHOWED UP IN POWER
Did
JESUS keep His word? The answer is a resounding 'YES'!
He kept His Word to them, and He still fulfills His Word today.
He cannot make a mistake. He cannot fail. He cannot
lie. "Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, today and
forever." (Hebrews 13:8) He said, "I am the Way,
the Truth and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father, but
by Me." (John 14:6);
The
Bible says: "And when the Day of Pentecost had fully come,
they were all of one accord in one place. And suddenly there
came a sound from Heaven of a Rushing Mighty Wind, and it filled
all the house where they were sitting And there appeared
unto them cloven tongues as of FIRE, and it sat upon each of
them."
"And
they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak in
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And they were
all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are al
lthese Galileans in our own tongues, wherein we were born?...we do
hear them speak the wonderful work of God...?
Three
thousand souls believed and were born again after hearing
St. Peter's great Pentecostal Message, on Jesus of Nazareth's
scrificial death and glorious resurrection from the dead 3 days
later, according to the Holy Scriptures!
Then
peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Then they that gladly
received His words were baptized and the same day they were added
unto them about three thousand souls." (Acts 1:4-8; 2:1-44)
WITH
SIGNS FOLLOWING
"Now
Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of
prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame
from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the
gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them
that entered in the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go
into the temple asked an alms:
"And
Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something from
them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but
such as I have give I thee; In the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, rise up and walk."
"And
he took him by the right hand and lifted him up: and immediately
his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping
up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple,
walking, and leaping and praising God: And all the people saw
walking and leaping, and praising God."
"And
they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful
gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement
at that which had happened unto him. And as the lame man
which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together
unto them in the porch called Solomon's, greatly wondering.
GOD
HATH GLORIFIED HIS SON
"And
when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people. Ye men of
Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us,
as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to
walk?
"The
God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our father,
hath glorified His Son Jesus: whom ye delivered up, and denied Him
in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him
go."
"But
ye denied the Holy One and the Just and desired a murdered to be
granted unto you. And killed the Prince of Life, whom God
hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses, And His Name
through faith in His Name hath made this man strong, whom ye see
and know: yea, the faith which is by Him hath given Him this
perfect soundness in the presence of you all." (Acts 3:1-16)
WHAT
HAD HAPPENED THERE?
The
Church which Jesus Christ established when He poured out the Holy
Spirit was functioning as it was designed to do! The
birth of the Church of the Day of Pentecost had set a great
revival in motion! It was functioning in perfect harmony
with the promise Jesus Christ.
He
said: "REPENT ye therefore, and be ye converted, that your
sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come
from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ
which before was preached unto you: Whom the Heaven must receive
until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath
spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world
began.
"Unto
the first God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless
you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities."
(Acts 3:19-21,26)
JUSTIFIED
BY JESUS' BLOOD!
The
Bible states: "But God commendeth His love toward us, in
that, which we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much
more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved
from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we
were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being
reconciled, we shall be reconciled by His life." (Romans
5:8-10)
We
are forgiven, pardoned, cleansed, liberated, delivered, and born
again through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. He graciously
bestows upon us total freedom and liberty in the Holy Spirit, and
through His stripes were are divinely healed from all sickness and
diseases!
"He
(Abraham) staggered not at the Promise of God through unbelief:
but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully
persuaded that what He had promised, He was able also to perform.
And therefore, it was imputed to him for righteousness."
"Now
it was not written for his sake along, that it was imputed to him;
But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him
that raised up Jesus Christ from the dead: Who was delivered for
our offences, and was raised again for our justification."
(Romans 4:20-25)
DO
WE BELIEVE JESUS CHRIST WAS GOD WHO WAS INCARNATED?
Herein
lies the key! Do we totally believe that Jesus Christ
was fully God was was incarnated (God in human flesh) and became
fully man so that He could suffer, bleed and die to redeem
us by meeting the righteous demands of divine justice to satisfy
the wrath of God against the sins of Adam and the human race?
If
we by God's grace and through divine faith reach that threshold of
fellowship with the Father through His Son, the Holy Spirit will
lead un into a place where the impossible becomes possible.
I believe that is when the faith of Jesus supplants our imperfect
faith!
I
DIDN'T HAVE THE FAITH
During
our crusades in Eastern Europe in the early 1990's, a Ukrainian
team and I were ministering in several towns and villages.
The Norwegian Pentecostals had donated a large tour bus to a group
of young preached in Truskevets which we used on several occasions
while ministering across Ukraine. The authorities were very
helpful as we were able to set up our PA equipment and conduct
services in desirable locations.
Man
people happily made decisions to follow Jesus Christ and there
were some notable answers to prayer among the sick and suffering. On
one occasion we experienced an amazing miracle. The town
had a population of 2,000 and a large crowd attended, seated on
the grass or on chairs they brought with them. During my
message, a young lady jumped to her feet and rushed forward with
her 3 year old son in her arms, followed by her husband and about
16 other people. She blurted out, "My son has just
died."
I
asked my interpreter if he knew those people, and he replied,
"Yes, they are the only Protestants here and their church
has 22 members and is called 'The Believers'.
The
parents had attended several of our crusades, begging us to have a
service in their town because their little son was incurably sick.
He was born with a congenital heart disease and they have been
told by the doctors to stop rushing him into the hospital, because
he is beyond hope! They would say, "He will die
tomorrow. Don't bother us!"
I
asked the mother if everyone there knew them, and she replied that
they did. Then I asked the large congregation if they knew
that couple, and they shouted back that they knew them. I
asked, "Do you believe the boy is dead and did they
believe that God would bring him back to life?"
They
said that little boy should have died before and that they
believed God would raise him up. They stated that the
parents told them that their son would be healed and that is why
they came to the meeting!
I
asked everyone to stand to their feet, lift their hands toward God
and pray after me. We prayed a lengthy prayer asking God for
forgiveness and inviting Christ to come into their hearts.
We prayed the Lord's Prayer. After that, we made the
Confession of Faith and the Prayer of thanksgiving!
Then
I prayed for mercy and grace and for faith to believe that God
would grant a miracle. I was overwhelmed by the great
challenge as I had never been in such a situation before. THEY
HAD COME TO SEE GOD HEAL THE BOY and now it was too late!
Up to this point, I DID NOT have the faith to command the
little boy to come back to life.
In
desperation, I began to praise God for His faithfulness while
confessing my weakness and lack of power. Suddenly something
happened to me and I felt God's power moving in me. I
reached over and touched the little boy, commanding the spirit of
death to leave and his spirit to come back into him.
I ASKED GOD FOR A MIRACLE of healing in his body, in
Jesus' mighty name.
At
that moment, his left leg moved out and so did his right arm.
I asked for a cup of water and in the name of Jesus Christ I threw
it into his face. His eyes opened and almost immediately he
was on the floor walking about.
The
whole crowd came alive and were excitedly rejoicing and
worshipping God. Jesus had performed a mighty miracle and proved
to them that He is Alive! TO GOD BE ALL THE HONOR, POWER
AND GLORY! Amen.
----------- to be continued -----------------
BLESSED
ASSURANCE
JESUS IS MINE!
by:
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
Fanny
Crosbie (1820 - 1915), 'The Queen of Gospel Writers' wrote 8,000
hymns, even though she was blind, that have brought hope, peace
and joy to multitudes. Blessed Assurance Jesus is Mine is
one of those great hymns!
Blessed
assurance, Jesus is mine, O what a foretaste of glory divine.
Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of HIs Spirit, washed in
His blood.
This
is my story, this is my song, praising my Saviour, all the day
long.
This is my story, this is my song, praising my Saviour, all the
day long.
WE
ARE HEIRS OF GOD!
The
Bible says: "But when the fulness of the time was come, God
sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem
them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption
of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the
Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father.
Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son: and if a son,
then an heir of God through Christ." (Galatians 4:4-7)
St.
Paul wrote: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God,
they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the
spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit
of Adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father.
"The
Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God: and if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and
joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we
may be also glorified together." (Romans 8:14-17)
The
Greek word 'heirs' (kleromomeo), means a receiver of an
inheritance, a beneficiary. How did all this happen?
By the grace of God and faith in the finished work of Christ for
us on the Cross, we receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
There is even more - we are joint heirs with Him and will reign
with Him. This is too much for our mortal brains to
assimilate. It is beyond our understanding, but so is
everything else about God!
Trying
to understand God is a 'fool's task'. Take off the mask of pride
and get on your knees and have a talk with Jesus! I like the
way Verner von Braun, the father of America's Moon Project put it.
"The father we probe into space, the more I believe in
God!" And concerning a man knowing God, John Wesley
stated: "You might as well ask, "Can a worm understand a
man?" If a worm can understand a man, then a man can
understand his creator!
SCIENTIST:
JESUS' TOMB IS EMTPY!
G.
B. Hardy, a Canadian Scientist said: "When I looked at
religion I said, I have two questions. One, has anybody
every conquered death, and two, if they have, did they make a way
for me to conquer death?"
"I
checked the tomb of Buddha, and it was occupied, and I checked the
tomb of Confucius and it was occupied, and I checked the tomb of
Mohammed and it wa occupied, and I came to the tomb of Jesus and
it was empty. And I said, There is one who conquered death.
And I asked the second question. Did He make a way for me to
do it? And I opened the Bible and discovered that He said,
'Because I live ye shall live also." (John 14:19) -
John MacArthur
"Friends,
at this very hour, the cremated body of Siddhartha Guatama (now
known as the Buddha) lies in a grave at the foot of the Himalayan
Mountains. Muhammad, the founder of Islam, is buried in
Medina, Saudia Arabia. Joseph Smith is buried in Nauvoo,
Illinois. Charles Darwin is buried at Westminster Abbey in
London. They are all dead and their graves are occupied.
Only Jesus Christ proved that what He said was true by rising from
the dead." - Charlie H. Campbell
"I
have been used for many years to study the histories of other
times and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have
written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of
mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every
sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign
which God hath given us that Christ died and rose again from the
dead." - Thomas Arnold, historian and Oxford professor
"If
all the evidence is weighed carefully and fairly, it is indeed
justifiable, according to the canons of historical research, to
conclude that the sepulcher of Joseph of Arimathea, in which Jesus
was buried, was actually empty on the morning of the first Easter.
And no shred of evidence has yet been discovered in literary
sources, epigraphy, or archaeology that would disprove this
statement." - Paul Maier
GREAT
HISTORIANS BELIEVE GOSPEL!
"I
claim to be an historian. My approach to Classics is
historical. And I tell you that the evidence for the life,
the death, and the resurrection of Christ is better authenticated
than most of the facts of ancient history..." = E.M.
Blaiklock, Professor of Classics at Auckland University
"One
of the most amazing facts about the early Christian belief in
Jesus' resurrection was that it originated in the very city where
Jesus was crucified. The Christian faith did not come to
exist in some distant city, far from eyewitnesses who knew of
Jesus' death and burial. No, it came into being in the very
city where Jesus had been publicly crucified, under the very eyes
of its enemies." - William Lane Craig
"All
the power of Rome and of the religious establishment in Jerusalem
was geared to stop the Christian faith. All they had to do
was to dig up the grave and to present the corpse. They
didn't." - Henry Schaefer III
"In
56 A.D. [the apostle] Paul wrote that over 500 people had seen the
risen Jesus and that most of them were still alive (1 Corinthians
15:6). It passes the bounds of credibility that the early
Christians could have manufactured such a tale and then preached
it among those who might easily have refuted it simply by
producing the body of Jesus" - John Warwick Montgomery
"The
resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single greatest event in the
history of the world. It is so foundational to Christianity
that no one wno denies it can be a true Christian. Without
resurrection there is no Christian faith, no salvation, and no
hope. "If there is no resurrection of the dead,"
Paul explains, "But if there be no resurrection of the dead,
than is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then
our preaching is vain, and your faith is also vain." (1
Corinthians 15:13-14)
"A
person who believes in a Christ who was not raised believes in a
powerless Christ, a dead Christ. If Christ did not rise from
the dead, then no redemption was accomplished at the cross and
"your faith is worthless." Paul goes on to say:
"you are still in your sins" (verse 17). - John
MacArthur
THE
HOLY SPIRIT REVEALS CHRIST
How
are we able to believe this amazing Gospel, the good news that we
can be transformed from sinners to saints, from enemies of God to
being adopted into His Kingdom? The greatest example is Saul
of Tarsus who was a fierce enemy of Jesus Christ and His church,
ravaging, imprisoning and killing Christians.
When
the Lord Jesus appeared to him in a blinding light, he was
converted and became the most powerful preacher of the Gospel.
Saul of Tarsus took the name of Paul, the little one, wrote more
than one-half of the New Testament, founded the Church in the
Gentile world and sealed his testimony for Jesus Christ as a
martyr!
He
said: "For when we were yet without strength, in due time
Christ died for the ungodly. But God commendeth His love
toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for
us."
"Much
more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved
from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies, we were
reconciled to God by the death of His Soon, much more being
reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." (Romans 5:6,8-10)
"Therefore,
it any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away, behold all things are become new. And all
things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus
Christ, and hath given to us the word of reconciliation: To
wit (that is), that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto
Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath
committed unto us the word of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians
5:17-19)
JESUS
UNFOLDS THE MYSTERY!
Jesus
asked: "But whom saith thou that I am? Simon
Peter....said, Thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God.
Jesus said...For flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee,
but my Father in Heaven." (Matthew 16:13-17)
The
Holy Spirit alone has the divine ability to reveal to a human
being that Jesus Christ is indeed the Messiah, the Anointed One
and Son of the Living God! And only the Holy Bible,
the written Word of God can confirm that revelation!
The
vicarious death of the incarnated Son of God and His glorious
resurrection has purchased forgiveness of sins, full pardon and
eternal life. Jesus, when He had by Himself purged our sins,
sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High. Being so
much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a
more excellent Name than they." (Hebrews 1:3-4)
The
Holy Spirit alone has the divine ability to reveal to a human
being that Jesus Christ is indeed the Messiah, the Anointed One
and Sopn of the Living God! And only the Holy Bible, the
written Word of God can confirm that revelation!
The
vicarious death of the incarnated Son of God and His glorious
resurrection has purchased forgiveness of sins, full pardon and
eternal life. Jesus, when He had by Himself purged our sins,
sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High. Being so
much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a
more excellent Name than they.:" (Hebrews 1:3-4)
To
Believers, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the deposit or
guarantee of our inheritance: "In whom also we have obtained
an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of
Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.
That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in
Christ.
"In
whom also ye trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation: in whom after that ye believed, ye were
sealed with that Holy Spirit of Promise, which is the earnest of
our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession,
unto the praise of His glory." (Ephesians 1:13-14)
FREE
FROM FEAR OF TOMORROW
By
Gloria & William Gaither
So
long I had searched for life's meaning. Enslaved by the
world and my greed. Then the door of the prison was opened
by love. For the ransom was paid - I was free.
I'm
free from the fear of tomorrow. I'm free from the guilt of
the past, For I've traded by shackles for a glorious song.
I'm Free! Praise the Lord! Free at last!
I'm
free from the guilt that I carried. From that dull empty
life I'm set free. For when I met Jesus, He made me
complete. He forgot how foolish I used to be.
I'm
free from the fear of tomorrow. I'm free from the guilt of
the past. For I've traded by shackles for a glorious song,
I'm Free! Praise the Lord! Free at last!
WHY
THE GOSPEL IS SO POWERFUL
St.
Paul wrote: "I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the
Barbarians; both to the wise and to the unwise. So as much
as in me is, I am ready to preach the Gospel to you that are at
Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for
it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth:
to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:14-16)
Here
is St. Paul's Mission Statement. I am a Debtor to the
Gentiles. I must pay that debt by giving them the Gospel.
I am ready to preach the Gospel in pagan Rome. Later, he
stated: "What mean ye to weep and break my heart? For I
am ready not only to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem
for the Name of the Lord Jesus." (Acts 21:13)
"I
am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, even though it was
despised and hated by the Jews and ridiculed by the Gentiles!
The
Apostle to the Gentiles had a divine call from God to preach the
Gospel of Christ to the pagan and the un-reached masses of
humanity. He understood the plan of God to dispense the glad
tidings of the vicarious death and the glorious resurrection of
Jesus of Nazaet to the whole world.
He
had a mandate to go where others had not gone. He was a
trailblazer on a mission for God and nothing would stop him until
his work was finished. After the unsuccessful coup in
Damascus to kill him, Saul of Tarsus was led to Arabia, where I
believe, he was tutored by Jesus himself. Almighty God had a
hidden secret that was made in the Council of Heaven, in the
Godhead.
MYSTERY
OF GOD GIVEN TO PAUL
It
was probably there that the great 'Mystery of God' was revealed to
him: "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and
generations, but now is made manifest to His saints: 'to whom God
would make known what is the glory of this mystery among the
Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of Glory."
(Colossians 1:26, 27)
Jews
were forbidden to have dealings with Gentiles. A Canaanite
woman came to Jesus for the healing of her demon possessed
daughter. He made it clear that His mission was to reach the
Jewish people, but her faith brought her a miracle.
He
said: "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. Then came she and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, help
me. But He answered and said, It is not meet to give the
children's bread to dogs.
"And
she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall
from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto
her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee as thou wilt.
And her daughter was made whole from that very hour." (Matthew
15:24-28)
JESUS
OF NAZARETH CAME TO HIS OWN!
His
ministry was to the lost sheep of the House of Israel and to offer
His life on the Cross for all people everywhere. The job
description to His apostles, disciples and all believers, however,
is to carry His gospel to all people everywhere!
"And
He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel
to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall
be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And
these signs shall follow them that believe; in My Name shall they
cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
"They
shall take up serpents (Paul in Malta); and if they drink any
deadly thing (some preachers in Soviet prisons) it shall not hurt
them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover." (Mark 16:15-19)
The
great persecution by Saul led to evangelism among the Gentiles:
"Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where
preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of
Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with
one accord gave heed unto these things which Philip spake, hearing
and seeing the Miracles which he did.
"For
unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that
were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that
were lame, were healed." (Acts 9:4-7)
JESUS
IS THE GREAT I AM
Jesus
Christ said: "But the hour cometh, and NOW is, when the true
worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth: for
the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit and
they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and of truth.
"The
woman saith unto Him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called
Chriast: when He is come. He will tell us all things.
Jesus saith unto her, I that speak to thee is He. The woman
left her water pot, and went her way into the city, and saith to
the men, Come see a man who, which told me all things that ever I
did: Is not this the Christ?" (John 4:23-26, 28)
Jesus
said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on
Me hath everlasting life. I am the Bread of Life. I am
the living bread which came down from Heaven: if any man eat of
this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will
give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the
world...Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His
blood, ye have no life in you:
"Whoso
eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I
will raise him at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed,
and My blood is drink indeed." (John 6a;47-55)
"....I
am the Light of the world, he that followeth Me shall not walk in
darkness, but shall have the Light of Life. And He said unto
them, ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world.
I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye
shall die in your sins if ye believe not that I am He." (John
8:12, 23, 24)
"I
am the Door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and go
in and out and find pasture. The thief cometh not but for to
steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they
might have life and that they might have it more abundantly."
(John 10:9,10)
"I
am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh unto the
Father except by Me." (John 14:6), "I am the Good
Shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine." (John
10:1-4); "I am the Resurrection and the Life: he that
believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."
(John 11:25):
"I
am the True Vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every
branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every
branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that I may bring forth
more fruit." (John 15:1,2)
WHEN
ALL ELSE FAILS: COME BACK TO JESUS!
If
you have drifted away from the Saviour, run back to Him and cast
yourself into His loving, caring and healing arms! He is
constantly waiting for you. That is why He told the parable
about the Prodigal son who returned to his father after ruining
his life through careless, wicked and riotous living!
"And
he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great
way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran, and fell
on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him,
Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am no
more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his
servants, Bring forth the best robe and put it on him, and put a
ring on his hand and shoes on his feet:
"And
bring hither the fatted calf and kill it; and let us eat and be
merry: For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost
and is found..." (Luke 15:20-23). The most important
prayer anyone can pray is: "Father I have sinned."
He
knows about every one of us and He understands us because He was
Himself tested and tempted just like all of us, yet without sin!
"God the Father hath according to abundant mercy begotten us
again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead." (Hebrews 10:3)
"For
we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling
of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are,
yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the
throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in
time of need." (Hebrews 4:15,16)
LET
THE HEALING BEGIN
There
is divine healing for all human hurts, pains, torments and
sorrows. There is a balm in Gilead for all sin sick souls,
wounded spirits and diseased bodies. There is a peace,
assurance and tranquility for confused, tormented and bewildered
minds!
The
Healer from Nazareth is still passing by the blind man sitting by
the side of the road, begging for bread. The Miracle Worker
that stopped on the Jericho Road to administer Divine Healing and
wholeness, has not gotten old, tired or helpless, but is the same
yesterday, today and forever.
He
still heals the blind and infirm who wait for a touch from the
Master's hands. The sea walker still comes to us when our
boat is about to sink. He comes walking on the waves of our
tempestuous lives, often at the height of our problems. As
happened to the disciples, he often comes to us in the third hour
of the night as we struggle to quieten our spirits, dispel our
fears and calm our nerves!
He
says, "Peace be still. Don't be concerned. Be of
good cheer. I know all about you and I have come to help
you!" There is still hope, faith and agape love for the
sin hardened soul and fear plagued 'Rebel called Man'.
When
it seems that all hope is gone, we hear His voice saying,
"Peace be still and know that I am God. I will never
leave thee nor forsake thee. I will be with you all the way,
until the journey's end." He will not dessert us nor
abandon us til we reach the 'golden shore' and meet Jesus face to
face in our Heavenly home!
There
will be no disappointments there, and all will be peace and
glorious harmony in the 'Radiant Place' that our Saviour, Jesus
Christ has gone to prepare for us! There will be no more
sorrow, sickness, pain or death in that 'Land of endless day',
where truth reigns supreme and fear and falsehood is unknown and
the Prince of Peace is King!
We
sing with gusto that great Gospel song, 'What
a day that will be, when My Jesus I shall see! Just to look
upon His face, the One who saved me by His grace! When He
takes me by the hand, and leads me through the Promised land, what
a day, glorious day that will be!'
However,
before we go there, there is much to explore, enjoy and envision
here on this 'terrestrial ball' we call earth; which our Heavenly
Father created by, through and for His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
CHRIST'S
HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER!
The
17th chapter of St. John's Gospel is an extraordinary theological
sermon! The heart of our Saviour is exposed to humanity as
He literally sweeps away the Mystery of His incarnation and allows
us to understand a little of the LOVE between God the Son and His
Father, and the yarning heart of Jesus to please His Father.
And
the great cost to Jesus in laying aside His Godhood, in order to
fulfill the great act of love and sacrifice, found in the Plan of
Redemption!
We
see and hear the Father's heart of warmth and pleasure as He spoke
at His Son's baptism and again at His transfiguration: "This
is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, Hear Him"!
He
was saying: "Take your eyes off Elijah and Moses. Look
at My Son!" Amen.
END
TIMES
Understanding the Times
& What to do
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken
"And
the children of Issachar, which were men who had understanding
of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of
them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their
commandment." (1 Chronicles 12:32)
WHERE
ARE THE MEN AMONG US TODAY?
WHERE
are the men among us today who understand the times and who know
what we ought to do? The ability to understand 'the
times', is undoubtedly a rare ability. And to know
how to be proactive or reactive in each situation is equally
important. There is a natural ability which comes
from genetic inheritance, experience or observation!
GOD
HAS GIVEN TO HIS BODY, WHICH IS THE CHURCH,
NINE SUPERNATURAL GIFTS
There
is also the spiritual gifting which comes
directly from the Holy Spirit! God has given to His body,
the Church, nine supernatural spiritual gifts which include the
unique 'Gift of the word of knowledge' and the 'Gift of the word
of wisdom'.
"For
to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the
word of knowledge by the same Spirit." (1 Corinthians
12:8) The 'gift of the word of knowledge' is the
supernatural ability to know things that are not naturally known
and the 'gift of the word of wisdom' is the
supernatural ability to know how to act or react to that
knowledge!
God
has so equipped His Church with these safeguards and tools to not
only protect it but to thrust it forward in its task of building
His Kingdom! Whether the ability to "understand the
times" and to "know what to do" come to
us through natural ability or supernatural gifts is immaterial.
The important thing is that we are apprised of the situation, our
eyes are wide open and our minds are alert to know, see and do the
right things!
I
pray for each one reading these lines that our dear Lord will
grant unto all the ability to "know Him who to know is
life eternal" and the desire to walk with Him in truth,
sincerity and humility, trusting only in His merits for time and
eternity!
And
that we may understand the times and know what to do in order to
keep our families safe from the filth and gutter slime so
prevalent in our disintegrating society. To keep our
children safe from this corrupt, wicked and perverted world?
(2 John 1:1-9)
AWAKE
THOU THAT SLEEPEST!
The
Bible admonishes: "Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that
sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light.
See then that ye walk
circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise;
"Redeeming
the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not
unwise, but UNDERSTANDING what the will of God
is. And be not drunk with wine wherein in excess, but be
filled with the Spirit." (Ephesians 5:14-18)
You
may ask: "Where are the Men?" We have
a real problem because we live in a society where many younger men
have had no role model due to broken homes and absent Dads! The
rage these young men have developed, because of the ache in their
hearts for a father, often surfaces against their wives and
children!
And
it is even worse in common-law arrangements, hopping from one
relationship to another, leaving behind bruised and
hurting women and children, as well as heart broken
men!
Large
numbers of families are hurting because of stubborn
foolish pride, self-centeredness, and demons of lust let
loose through immoral movies, alcohol, drug abuse and pornography!
I
BLAME THE DEVIL!
I
blame the Devil who has blinded the eyes of religious leaders
who have been asleep at the switch and didn't see the approaching
train filled with worldly pleasure, compromise and lethargy!
Some blame must also go to parents who have allowed their children
to change the rules and call the shots!
St.
Paul stated: "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them
that are lost. In whom the god of this world hath blinded
the minds of them which believed not, lest the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine
unto them." (2 Corinthians 4:3,4)
I
blame our Politicians who have listened to the voices of the crowd
crying: "Give us the Murdered Barabbas"
and "Crucify Jesus the Christ: We won't have Him to
rule over us." (Matthew 27:20-26)
Amazingly,
politicians are often allowed to pass laws that are unhealthy,
immoral and ungodly and believe that they can go scot-free, that
there are no further consequences!
A
good example of this is the 'same-sex marriage' or as it has been
aptly called 'man-on-man' marriage, which our former corrupt
Government pushed through against the wishes of the majority of
Canadians. Do they think that they had the last word on
that? Do they think that they can get away with it?
Well,
they won't! It will come back to bite them in this life and
the next! One day
every lawmaker, politician and judge that has contributed to the
breakdown of society, destruction of marriages through perverted
laws, knowingly releasing pedophiles and murderers into society to
molest rape and kill, will stand before the greatest Judge of all
to hear His verdict.
God's
Word states: "For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold
the truth in unrighteousness." (Romans 1:18)
WHAT
DOES THAT MEAN?
It
means to suppress the truth and hide it from the people, to cover
it up or water it down. It means to lie about the truth and
promote the very opposite. It means to substitute another
agenda that is carnal, fleshly and untruthful.
St.
Paul warned: "Because that when they knew God, they glorified
Him not as God....but became vain in their imaginations, and
their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves
to be wise, they became fools. Wherefore GOD
GAVE THEM UP to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts,
to dishonour their own bodies between themselves. Who
changed the truth of God into a lie...
"For
this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their
women did change the natural use into that which is against
nature. And likewise also the men, leaving the natural
use of the woman, burned in their lust, one toward another...
"And
even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God
gave them over to a REPROBATE MIND, to do those things which are
not convenient." (Romans 1:21-28)
STRONG
WARNING:
"Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled:
but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." (Hebrews
13:4)
The
Bible warns perverts: And Jesus called a little
child unto Him and set him in the midst of them.
And said, "Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted and
become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of
Heaven.
But
whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me,
it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck
and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
(Matthew 18:2, 3, 6)
THE
GREAT DAY OF JUDGMENT!
Every
philosopher, theologian and preacher
who suppresses the truth and perverts the teachings of Jesus
Christ will have to stand before the Eternal Judge on the 'Day of
Judgment'. Unbelievers
will appear at the Great White Throne presided over by our Lord
Jesus Christ:
"And
I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose
face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no
place for them.
And
I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the book
were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of
life: and the dead were
judged out of those things which were written in the books,
according to their works.
And
the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and hell
delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged
every man according to their works. And death and Hell were
cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15)
BELIEVERS
AT THE BEMA SEAT JUDGMENT
Believers
in Christ will all appear at the Bema Seat Judgment.
It is where followers of Jesus Christ will be judged for rewards
or lack thereof depending on their works: Here are the words of
Holy Scripture on this matter:
"Wherefore
we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of
Him. For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every
one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he
hath done, whether it be good of bad." (2 Corinthians
5:10)
The
Bible commands believers to turn from sins that war against the
soul and flee from the wrath to come, by abiding in Christ the
sure rock of our salvation! St. Paul admonishes the church
thus: "If so be that ye have heard Him, and have been taught
by Him, as the TRUTH is in Jesus:
That
ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which
is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the
spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man which after
God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
"Wherefore
putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for
ye are members one of another. Neither give place to the
devil." (Ephesians 4:21-27)
GIVING
HEED TO GOD'S WORD!
"I
beseech ye therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that
ye present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto
God, which is your reasonable service;. And be not conformed
to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable and perfect
will of God." (Romans 12:1, 2)
"Wherefore,
seeing we also are compassed with so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin which both so easily beset us, and let us run
with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith;
"Who
for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand at the throne of
God." (Hebrews 12:1,2)
There
are three things we must do: Consider Jesus: "Wherefore,
holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the
Apostle and High Priest (Hebrews 3:1): There is no-one like
Him; Saviour, Redeemer, Healer, Friend, God! Look
unto Jesus: "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher
of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the
Cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of
God (Hebrews 12:2): Don't
just look at Him but look unto Him for forgiveness, counsel,
comfort and healing. Go to Him with your needs and watch Him
work in your life.
WE
MUST FOLLOW JESUS!
We
must Follow Jesus:
"Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing
His reproach.."(Hebrews 13:13). Take up your cross and
become His Disciple. Serve Him and live for Him. Look
for His return! (Matthew 11:28)
You
will then become like the Sons of Issachar who understood the
times and knew what Israel had to do.
May
God richly bless you as you draw near unto Him, for He has
promised to draw near unto you! (James 4:8) He will accept
you when you call upon His name in sincerity and faith. (John 6:7)
Amen.
CHRIST
THE HEALER GOSPEL CHURCH
December 22, 2017
Dear
Friends in Christ,
For
our friends in Saskatchewan, Donna and i will be ministering at Christ
the Healer Gospel Church on December 31 (Sunday) at 10:30 am &
6:30 pm.
After
more than 10 years in Saskatoon, we felt led of the Lord to invite
Rev. Terry and Shelly Severson to take the reigns of
leadership and build on what we started in Saskatoon on September
26, 2007.
On
Monday, January 1, 2018 at 2:30 pm, we will have a special New
Year's Rally where we will officially transfer (without charge)
the property of Christ the Healer Gospel Church at 136 Ave F S,
Saskatoon, SK to the TORO Ministries of Saskatchewan, in the
precious name of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
 This
move will give me the opportunity to pour myself into our
Missionary work, publishing a number of books I have written and
do more radio and TV work in order to reach a larger audience with
Christ's Gospel.
On
October 26, 1991 (after 22 years) Donna and I turned over the
large, beautiful Faith Cathedral church and property, located on
2.5 acres in Edmonton, Alberta, to Peoples Church, giving me the
opportunity to reach multitudes for Christ all across the Soviet
Union (Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia,
Latvia), Sudan, Egypt, Uganda, Tanzania, Europe, Norway, Brazil
and the Philippine Islands.
On
April 13, 2005, I had the privilege of preaching to circa 300,000
people at a large Assembly of God Crusade at the Parquie Brasil,
Paulina, SP, Brazil.
Today,
People's Church, Edmonton is a strong Church with people from
dozens of nations of the world. Pastor Laurie and Iris have
thanked us over the years for our amalgamation in 1991.
Thank
you so much for your prayers and support over the years. Our
prayers are for God's blessings upon you and your family.
With
much love in Jesus,
Pastor
Max & Donna Solbrekken
2 Cor. 4:5/Hebrews 13:8
VisionHeaven
Television Interview
on the history
of Pastor Max Solbrekken's life
and powerful ministry
click
to watch interview
Posted
by VisionHeaven on Tuesday, June 12, 2013
 A
LEGENDARY EVANGELISTIC - Dr. Max Solbrekken
This
week we have had the privilege of talking with a legendary
evangelist Dr. Max Solbrekken. He held a series of meetings
for the whole week in one of our meeting halls in Hokksund,
Norway, and has prayed for people to be healed and delivered.
Max
is 79 years old, he looks healthy and strong and is still
traveling all over the world with the gospel
of Jesus Christ just a she has done it for the last 50 years.
We
asked Max to tell us how he got saved.
"I
was born in Canada from a Norwegian Parents who love the Lord and
were Christians." They were not Pentecostals and had
never heard of the work of the Holy Spirit. One time my dad
got very sick, and his sickness was identified to be an illness in
his gall bladder. He was admitted in a hospital and was
waiting for a surgery. While he was there, he heard a voice
speaking to him in Norwegian that said to him, "Go home and
listen to Oral Roberts on the Radio."
My
Dad did not know that God could speak to him in that way, but
still he decided to obey the voice as it was very convincing.
While he listened to the radio program he was completely healed
and some time later while he was praying alone he got baptized in
the Spirit.
WHY
WE NEED
A REVIVAL
By
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
The
Bible clearly outlines the sins of Israel, which at one time held
a special relationship with God. In this article I compare
Israel's backsliding to the Church of Jesus Christ's seemingly
constant drift from our amazing spiritual beginning until the
present!
In
the same manner, I parallel the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden
of Eden from purity, honesty and worship of their Creator to the
corrupt, jaded and perverted world system of today!
God's
Word states:
"Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a
reproach to any people." (Proverbs 14:34 );
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the
Lord." (Psalms 33:12)
According to these Scriptures, Canada is in a fallen
state!
The
Church is in desperate need of a genuine Holy Ghost, heaven-sent,
apostolic revival of mammoth proportions! Without a visitation
from God, the Church will not be able survive the awful onslaught
of Satanic invention and intrigue!
The
Evil One is working overtime to minimize, decimate and destroy the
effectiveness of the Body of Christ around the world! He has
employed many and varied agencies and emissaries to do his bidding
ever since 'The Fall', which has caused great confusion and
suffering to the Church.
The
greatest problem suffered by the Body of Christ down though
the centuries, however, has been self - inflicted!
Discord among brethren, jealousy, envy, backbiting, lust, greed,
pride and control, have been some of the sins that have seriously
hampered the sanctity and the growth of the Church!
Other
major problems have been that of deception, laziness and
indifference! Power hungry men have often been willing to
compromise the Word of God, to maintain their position of
prominence in society and authority in the Church.
What
has been the result of these actions? A loss of real
spiritual power, a vacuum of moral leadership in the Church and
community, and a blurred vision of the
purpose and goals of the Ministry. It has also generated a luke
warmness
toward the needs of the people, a lack of compassion to reach
a lost world and a loss of the Holy Spirit's fire
in praise and worship.
Here
are some key Scriptures that relate to our situation today and
their ramifications as it applies to our individual lives and the
Church body as a whole. In this message I seek to show the
similarities that existed in various times in Israel's history of
backsliding to what is happening in the Church presently.
1. NEHEMIAH
1:1-5
"The
words of Nehemiah the son of Hach-a-liah. And it came to pass in
the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in the palace,
That Ha-na-ni, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of
Judah; and I asked them concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto
me, The
remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are
in great affliction and reproach:
the
wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates
thereof are burned with fire.
"And
it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down
and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before
the God of heaven, And said, I beseech Thee, O' Lord God of
heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and
mercy for them that love Him and observe His
commandments."
It seems
clear to me that the report given to Hezekiah about the
awful condition of Jerusalem - the City of God -
and the sad plight of the inhabitants therein, closely resemble
the plight of the Christian Church in many parts of the
world today.
Jesus
said: "I
will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it." (Matthew
16: 18). It is true that Jesus is building His Church and it is
also true that the gates of hell cannot and will not prevail
against it. During the time of Christ, City Hall (as we call
it), where plans of war were hammered out, was directly
behind the gate, and consequently was referred to as the Gates of
the City! The words, 'the
gates of hell',
refer to the opinions, plans, strategy and agenda of Satan.
They cannot succeed in the long term! They will be defeated.
Our
Lord gave us the Great Commission, which stated in part: "Go
ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them
that believe: In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall
speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they
drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall
lay their hands on the sick and they shall recover." (Mark
16:15, 18)
IS
THE CHURCH A REPROACH TODAY?
We
must ask ourselves the questions: "Are we fulfilling the
Great Commission of our Lord, or are we just playing Church? Are
we casting out devils, healing the sick, setting the captives
free, and preaching the good news to those who haven't yet heard?
Even
a casual reading of the Epistles teaches us how
graciously, unselfishly and righteously God desires us to live,
after receiving Jesus Christ as Lord. Do we love the Lord
with all our heart, soul and mind, and our neighbour as
ourselves? Do we love others, as Christ loved us or do we hold
onto grudges and un-forgiveness? It is difficult to
believe that we are not "missing the mark" in
these areas.
The
Lord's Prayer, which our Master taught His disciples to pray,
states in part: "Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."
Have our lives helped to cause that to happen? Is His will
being done in our earth (body) as well as on the earth? Are
we a part of the solution or a part of the problem?
Hezekiah
was confronted with a pitiful sight! The walls of Jerusalem were
broken down and the gates had been burned with fire! And the
remnant that were left in God's Holy City were in great
affliction (poverty, despair, sickness) and reproach (persecuted,
maligned, ridiculed). If
we are honest with ourselves and God, we must admit that this is a
picture of the Church world-wide.
Never
before, has the Roman Catholic Church
been
so publicly disgraced and sued in the courts, because of the sick
homosexual practices of their pervert pedophile priests! And when
you see Protestant denominations
in the Western World caving in to the demands of homosexuals and
lesbians for ordination and same-sex marriages for their
clergy, doesn't it make you sick?
The
first time I saw two men kissing on TV, I felt nauseated!
What a reproach. What an unnatural, disgusting image for
little children to absorb!
The
disastrous fall into almost comatose formalism, and a rejection of
the Virgin birth of Christ, the Born Again experience and the
Doctrine of Hell of many Protestant Churches makes one wonder how
bad it can get. The only answer is a red-hot, Holy Spirit led
revival of righteousness.
2. Joel 1:9-14, Joel 2:15
"The
field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the
new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, O ye
husbandmen; howl, O ye wine dressers, for the wheat and for
the barley; because
the harvest of the field is perished.
"The
vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the
pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even
all the trees of the field, are withered:
because
joy is withered away from the sons of men. Gird
yourselves and lament ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar:
come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for
the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the
house of your God.
"Sanctify
ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the
inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and
cry unto the Lord. Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at
hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come."
I
believe that there is a parallel between the crises in
the Church today, and the vision that the prophet Joel had of Israel facing
the day of judgment, called in the Old testament, 'the Day of the
Lord'! Using this Scripture as a pre-picture of the Church in
the time of the end, allow me to share some pertinent and very
important truths:
Why was Israel to
asked to call a solemn assembly? Why must the priests lie all
night in sackcloth, crying unto God? Why must all the inhabitants
of the land fast, mourn, weep and repent? Judgment was coming! The
terrible 'Day of the Lord' was about to take place, when the
Almighty's wrath will fall upon the world at the very end of time.
THE
BIBLE ISSUES A WARNING!
St.
Peter wrote about it with great solemnity and warning: "But
the day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night; in
the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the
works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all
these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye
to be in all holy conversation and godliness?
"Looking
for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the
heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements
shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless, according to His
promise, look for new heavens and a new earth,
wherein dwelleth righteousness."
"Wherefore,
beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye
may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and
blameless." (2 Peter 3: 10, 14). Why should we
call a solemn assembly and sanctify a fast? Why should the Church
spend much, much more time in prayer? Here are three
reasons:
1.
WE HAVE LOST THE HARVEST - VERSE 11
For the
Church, the harvest is the youth of our nation! Our
young people who have drifted away from the faith of their fathers
and mothers! Young people who smoke marijuana, fornicate, drink
alcoholic beverages and gamble at the casinos and video lottery
terminals! Young people who are carnally minded and live only for
pleasure, instead of being consecrated and dedicated to God and
His program.
2.
WE HAVE LOST THE JOY - VERSE 12
The
reason that there is so little joy in the hearts of Christians is
because we have lost the harvest. It is because we are not winning
souls to Christ! The Bible says: "They
that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and
weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with
rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." (Psalm 126: 5, 6).
I
have never met an unhappy soul winner!
People who witness for Christ and are engaged in Church and
Missionary work are the happiest people that I have been
privileged to meet, because they are involved with eternal souls.
A soul winner's joy is sweet and his reward is great.
The
Bible says: "And they that be wise shall shine as the
brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to
righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." (Daniel
12: 2, 3)
3. THERE
IS NO MEAT & DRINK OFFERING - VERSE 13
The
priests and their families lived off some of the offerings
that were brought to the temple. People had stopped bringing in
their offerings, so therefore there was very little for the
ministering priests to live on. How can the Church survive when
people lose interest, backslide, stop paying their tithes?
How
can the work of God grow if people stop serving Him, and discontinue
giving missionary offerings? Only a revival, an awakening, a
visitation from God Almighty will shake us into action, so that
our hearts will be right with Him and open to the call of God upon
our lives. Let us call a solemn assembly and get people involved
in fasting and praying for a genuine revival from Heaven.
3. HABAKKUK
3: 1, 2
"A
prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth. O Lord, I have
heard Thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive Thy work in the
midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath
remember mercy."
This
is one of the most powerful Scriptures in the Bible, to
convince the Church to call upon God for mercy, forgiveness and
help! The prophet had apparently been in prayer and God had
spoken to him. Prayer is a two-way street. It is important
to let God speak to us during our times of seeking Him! What
God told the prophet shook him to the core, and made him afraid.
What
did God tell Habakkuk? It
seems that God must have given him a message, that
impending judgment was about to fall. Gripped by a holy
reverence andr godly fear, the prophet cried out:
"Instead
of judgment, send a revival. Revive Thy work O Lord, in the
midst of the years. Don't let your cup of judgment get filled up!
Rather make yourself known unto us NOW by forgiving our sins and
showing mercy. And if You must judge us, in Your great wrath
remember to be merciful!
4.
JEREMIAH 2: 13 ; 6: 16
"For
My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the
fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken
cisterns, that can hold no water. Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in
the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good
way, and walk therein, and ye shall rest for your souls. But they
said, We will not walk therein."
There
are some sad stories in the Bible of hardhearted people who
refused to turn to the Lord, even after He called them repeatedly!
Here He speaks to Jeremiah - the weeping prophet - about His
feelings regarding Israel , His chosen people! He asks: "Hath
a nation changed their gods, which are no gods? but My people have
changed their glory for that which doth not profit." (v.
11).
He
indicts Israel on two counts: Forsaking Him, the
fountain of living water and exchanging Him for counterfeits -
broken cisterns which can hold no water.
Then,
He challenges them to take a good hard look at all the
alternatives: "Stand at the crossroads of life and have a
good look at the alternatives. Then, return to the good ways and
walk in them." What does He offer? Peace and rest for our
souls! yet, there are many who enter the wide gate and take the
broad road which leads to death and destruction.
THE
BIBLE GIVES THE KEY TO REVIVAL
Here
is the KEY to revival: "If My people, which are called by My
name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, then
will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal
their land." (2 Chron. 7: 14).
There
are four things that God's people must do in order for the
Almighty to rend the heavens and come down in Revival Power
in our midst!
First,
we must humble ourselves, getting rid of the sin of pride. Second,
we must begin to pray earnestly for His intervention. Third,
we must seek His face in protracted times of intimate fellowship
with our Heavenly Father! We must get close enough so that we can
walk with Him like Enoch, Abraham and Moses! And Four,
we must "lay aside every weight and the sin which doth
so easily besets us" (Heb.12: 1, 2), and turn
from every wicked way.
5. MALACHI
1: 6 - 9; 3: 8 - 10
"A
son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a
Father, where is Mine honour? and if I be a Master, where is My
fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you. O priests, that despise My
name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised Thy name? Ye offer
polluted bread upon Mine altar, and ye say, Wherein have we
polluted Thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is
contemptible.
"And
if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil" and if
ye offer the lame and the blind, is it not evil? offer it now to
thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person?
saith the Lord of hosts. And now, I pray you, beseech God that He
will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he
regard your person saith the Lord of hosts.
God
was displeased with the priests who were indifferent to their holy
tasks in the temple. They were only going through the motions
instead of reverently ministering to the Lord! Are we also
guilty of only going through the motions without real conviction
and love for our Lord?
May
God help us to give Him our very best, instead of the cull, the
left - overs in our life. He is not content to play second
fiddle or be the fifth wheel. He wants to be NUMBER ONE in
our heart and life! Let us give Jesus Christ centre stage.
In
verse 11 through 14, we read: "For from the rising of
the sun even unto the going down of the same MY name shall be
great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall
be offered unto My name, and a pure offering: for My name shall be
great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts."
What
were they doing? They were offering animals that were blind and
lame and sick unto the eternal God! He asks: "Should I
accept this of your hand? saith the Lord. But cursed be the
deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and
sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King,
saith the Lord of hosts, and My name is dreadful among the
heathen."
A
SIN AND A SHAME!
It
is scandalous when you consider the very little we give to God and
His cause in the so-called Christian nations, relative
to what we spend on cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, pornography,
gambling and amusement. It
is a Sin and a Shame! We spend more money on chewing gum in
our respective countries than we give to Almighty God. That
has to change.
In
Chapter 3, we read: "Will
a man rob God? yet
ye have robbed Me. But
ye say, Wherein have we robbed Thee. In tithes and offerings.
Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed Me, even this whole
nation.
"Bring
ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in
Mine house, and PROVE ME now herewith saith the Lord of hosts, if
I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a
blessing, that there will not be room enough to receive it.
And
I will REBUKE THE DEVOURER for your sakes, and he shall not
destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast
her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of
hosts."
Upon
the authority of God's Word, I declare that you will never sorry
if you give God His share in tithes and offerings. He is no man's
debtor and He will prosper and bless you as He has promised. His
Word cannot fail and He will not fail you.
Isaiah's
life was changed when he had a vision of God in the temple. He
became one of the greatest Prophets of all times! He cried out: "Behold,
the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His
ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated
between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from
you, that He will not hear." (Isaiah
59: 1,2)
Here
he gives us the key to forgiveness and peace: "Seek ye
the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near: Let
the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him;
and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah
55: 6, 7)
6.
REVELATION 3: 14 - 20
"And
unto the angel of the church of the La-od-i-ce'ans write; These
things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the
beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I
would that thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art
lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My
mouth.
"Because
thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable,
and poor, and blind, and naked. I counsel thee to buy of Me gold
tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment,
that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness
do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou
mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be
zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and
knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will
come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me."
The
La-od-i-ce'an Church had drifted so far from the truth
that Jesus is standing on the outside seeking entrance to His OWN
CHURCH. How very, very sad! He wants us to be red hot for Him and
His Gospel. Please make room for Jesus Christ in your heart and
life today! Only then, do we really begin living. In his great
love and mercy, Jesus will wash away every sin and fill our hearts
with contentment and contagious joy!
What
a reproach in that Day, to be left on the outside, because you
have left Him on the outside of your life! He urges, "Behold, I
stand at the Door and knock, if any man hear My voice, and open
the door, I will come in to him,
and will sup with him and he with Me.
"To
him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even
as I also overcame, ans am set down with My Father in His
throne." (Revelation 3: 20,21)
7.
JONAH 1:1-6
"Arise,
go to Ninevah, that great city, and cry against it; for their
wickedness is come up before Me. But Jonah rose up to flee from
the presence of the Lord; and went down to Joppa; and he found a
ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare thereof, and went down
into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the
Lord.
But
the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a
mighty tempest in the
sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Then the mariners
were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the
wares that were in the
ship into the sea, to lighten it of them.. But Jonah was gone down
into the sides of the ship, and he lay, and was fast asleep.
So
the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him. What meanest thou O
sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God, if so be it that God will think
upon us, that we perish not. And they said everyone to his fellow,
Come, and let us cast lots,
that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they
cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.
Then
said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this
evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou?
What is thy country? and of what people art thou?
And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord,
the God of Heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.
Then,
were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou
done this? For the men knew that he had fled from the presence of
God, because he had told them. Then said they unto him, what shall
we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us: for the sea
wrought and was tempestuous unto them.
Then
said he, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the
sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great
tempest is upon you. Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to bring it
to land.; but they could not; for the sea wrought and was
tempestuous unto against them.
Wherefore
they cried unto the Lord, and said, we beseech Thee O Lord, we
beseech Thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not
upon us innocent blood: for Thou
O Lord, hast done as it pleased Thee. So they took up
Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea, and the sea ceased from
her raging.
Then
the men feared exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord,
and made vows. Now the Lord had prepared a GREAT FISH to swallow
up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and
three nights."
What
a wake-up call Jonah received from Almighty God and what
tremendous measures He takes, so that a heathen city could hear
God's voice and be saved. It was an unusual and awesome way to
reach that entire city for Him.
WHEN
GOD BECAME A MAN!
It
pales, however, when one considers the Salvation plan that Jesus
of Nazareth fulfilled through His Virgin birth, pure and righteous
life, vicarious death and glorious resurrection. The Sovereignty
of God demanded punishment
for sin and the CROSS provided the Final solution!
For
a time, God overlooked or winked at our sins in His great mercy
and kindness by allowing the sacrificing of innocent lambs, goats
and bullocks (occasionally a red heifer) to suffice.
When
the fullness of time had come, however, Almighty God our Heavenly
Father, gave Himself in His Son to be the propitiation for our
sins and those of the whole world. The word propitiation means the
covering, satisfaction and the expiation. Jesus of Nazareth, true
God from eternity and true man by His virgin birth, had to die so
that He could cover us and remove our sins to SATISFY the
Righteous Demands of Divine Justice.
While
in the belly of the GREAT FISH, Jonah repented of his rebellion
and disobedience. God forgave him and gave him another opportunity
to reach the wicked city of Nineveh with God's message of
repentance and judgment. Praise the Lord!
"And
the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the
dry ground. And the Word of the Lord came unto Jonah the Second
time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh that great city, and preach
unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went
unto Nineveh, according to the Word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was
an exceeding great city of three days journey.
So
the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put
on sackcloth, from the greatest one even to the least of them. For
word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne,
and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and
sat in ashes...
When
God saw their works, that they turned from their Evil way; and God
repented of the evil that He had said that He would do unto them,
and He did did it not." (Job 2:10; Job 3:1-10)
The
total repentance of the entire city of Nineveh moved Almighty God
to change His mind about His judgment toward them. He freely
forgave them all by extending His mercy toward them. Jonah's
change of heart in obeying God's directive after a long and hard
lesson, brought our Heavenly Father's great love into focus for
all to see and experience.
THESE
ARE IMPORTANT
LESSONS FOR US ALL!
There
are a number of lessons for us to learn from this ancient
happening: First, God loves the heathen and will use every
possible means to rescue them. Secondly, the work of a true 'Man
of God' isn't a soft touch. It may involve tough times and very
hard work. The importance is to be obedient to the Holy Spirit and
answer 'yes' when He calls!
My
prayer is that everyone of us will be willing to carry the message
of Christ's salvation to our relatives, friends, neighbours and
others as often as possible whenever possible to as many as
possible, for as long as possible!
WILLIAM
BOOTH and his wife Catherine founded the Salvation Army in 1865.
They chose as their slogan, 'Blood and Fire', referring to Jesus
Christ's BLOOD shed for the remission of sins and the Fire
referring to the FIRE of the Holy Spirit. He stated, "The
tendency of fire is to go out; watch the fire on the altar of your
heart. Anyone who has tended a fireplace, knows that it
needs to be stirred up occasionally.
In
1892, William Booth wrote the well-known hymn, 'SEND THE
FIRE'. It is filled with Gospel truth,
Biblical Doctrine and Great Commission Admonition.
You can sense the presence of God by reading the words, and the
Holy Spirit burns when it is sung.
There
is no-one as unhappy as a person who has been called of God to
preach Christ's Gospel, but has stifled that call. For some people
it will be too late to answer that call, but for others the Holy
Spirit may still be calling for you to do His bidding. May He help
you to answer that call. Amen.
DEAR
FRIEND: Please write with your prayer requests. We
will pray for you and I will write you back! When you write,
please ask for a free prayer cloth over which we have prayed with
faith in Jesus' Name, for your deliverance and salvation.
- Pastor Max Solbrekken
WHAT MUST
I DO TO
BE SAVED?
Jesus
said, "Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
Yes,
my dear friend, God is still in the business of setting men and
women free from their sins, sorrows, heartbreaks, fears and
troubles. In this age of frustrations, nervous tensions and
mental collapses, Jesus Christ is still granting peace to the
troubled, joy to the discouraged, strength to the weary and
healing to the sick!
1
- YOU MUST ADMIT THAT YOU ARE A SINNER
The
Bible says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God". (Rom. 3:23) "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the
iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6)
2
- YOU MUST BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD
You
MUST believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that Jesus died
on the cross, was buried and rose again from the dead.
"That
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal
life. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that
believeth not is condemned already." (John 3:15,18) "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on
Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24)
3
- YOU
MUST REPENT OF YOUR SINS
The
Bible says, "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish." (Lu.13:3) "Let the wicked forsake his way and the
unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord,
and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will
abundantly pardon". (Isaiah 55:7)
4
- YOU MUST RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOUR
The
Bible says: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life". (John 3:16)
"Behold,
I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open
the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he
with Me." (Rev. 3:20) "He that hath the Son hath life: and he
that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (1 John 5:12)
5
- YOU MUST CONFESS JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR LORD
The
Bible says: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation". (Romans 10:9-10)
"Whosoever
shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of man confess
before the angels of God: But he that denieth Me before men shall
be denied before the angels of God." (Luke 12:8, 9)
HOW
DO I INVITE
JESUS CHRIST INTO MY LIFE?
Pray
to God, a prayer - from your heart.
Tell Him that you
are a sinner and that you need forgiveness. Tell him that
you believe Jesus Christ died for your sins. Tell him that
you are willing to change, to turn away from sin. Ask Jesus
Christ to come into your heart and life and be your personal
Saviour.
"But
as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons
of God, even to them that believe on his name." (John 1:12)
"Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2
Corinthians 5:17)
If
you prayed and ask Jesus Christ into your heart - YOU HAVE NOW
RECEIVED THE GIFT OF SALVATION - YOU HAVE BECOME A CHILD OF GOD.
God Bless You.
-
Powerful AUDIO Bible sermons/messages
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken
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BIBLE
SCRIPTURES ON:
Satan,
the Devil, evil, evil spirits, demons, the full amour of God
 Revelation
20:1-3 - (kjv)
- "Behold,
I give unto you power over all the power of the enemy, and nothing
shall by any means hurt you."
The Scripture says that 'one day' an angel will come from heaven
and bind Satan, casting him into the bottomless pit for a thousand
years. It won't take ten thousand angels; it won't take a
hundred angels' it will take one angel to bind the devil and cast
him into the pits of hell forever."
Ephesians
6:10-11
- (kjv) - "Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in
the power of His might. Put
on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against
the wiles of the devil. For
we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness
of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
"Wherefore
take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and
having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod
with the preparation of the gospel of peace;"
"Above
all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the
helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is he word
of God; Praying always with al prayer and supplication in
the Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all
saints."
2
Timothy 1:7
- (kjv) - "God
hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love,
and of a sound mind."
1
Peter 5:8
- (kjv) - "Be
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."
Hebrews
2:14-15
- (kjv) - "Forasmuch
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also
Himself likewise took part of the same; that through DEATH He
might DESTROY him that had the power of death, that is the DEVIL;
And to DELIVER them who through fear of death were all their
lifetime subject to bondage."
John
10:10 -
(kjv) - "The
thief (the devil) cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and
to destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they
might have it more abundantly."
1
John 4:4 -
(kjv) - "Greater is He that is in you, that he that is in the
world."
Matthew
6:9-10 -
(kjv) - After
this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in
heaven, Hallowed be thy name...Thy kingdom come. They will
be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Luke
10:19 -
(kjv) - "Behold
I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over
all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt
you."
1
John 5:14-15
- (kjv)
- And
this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any
thing according to his will, he heareth us: .. And if we know that
he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions
that we desired of him.
Philippians
2:13 -
(kjv) - For
it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good
pleasure.
Romans
8:32 -
(kjv) -
He that spared not his
own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with
him also freely give us all things?
Bible
Scriptures on:
divine
healing, healing, healings of Jesus Christ, healing miracles
(King
James Version)
Matthew
18:18 - (kjv)
- "Verily I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on
earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done of
My Father which is in heaven.
Matthew
18:19 -
(kjv) - "Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree
on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done
of My Father which is in heaven.
Matthew
18:30
- (kjv) - "For
where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in
the midst of them."
Exodus
15:26
- (kjv) - "And
said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy
God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear
to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of
these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians:
for I AM the LORD that healeth thee."
Hebrews
12:12-13
- (kjv) - Wherefore
lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; ..And make
straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out
the the way; but let it rather be healed.
Proverbs
4:20-22 -
(kjv) - My
son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings... Le4t
them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine
heart...For they are life unto those that find them, and health to
all their flesh.
Psalms
103:3 -
(kjv) - Who
forgiveth all thine iniquies; who healeth all thy diseases,
Matthew
6:9-10 -
(kjv) - After
this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in
heaven, Hallowed be thy name...Thy kingdom come. They will be done in
earth, as it is in heaven.
3
John 1:2 -
(kjv) - Beloved,
I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health,
even as thy soul prospereth.
1
John 5:14-15 -
(kjv) - And
this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any
thing according to his will, he heareth us: .. And if we know that
he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions
that we desired of him.
Philippians
2:13 -
(kjv) - For
it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good
pleasure.
Romans
8:32 -
(kjv) -
He that spared not his
own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him
also freely give us all things?
JESUS
HEALS A LEPER
Matthew
8:2-3
- (kjv) -
And, behold, there came
a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst
make me clean...And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him,
saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately is leprosy was
cleansed.
Psalms
30:2 -
(kjv) -
O LORD my God, I cried
unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
Jeremiah
33:6 -
(kjv) -
Behold, I will bring it
health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the
abundance of peace and truth.
1
Peter 2:24 -
(kjv) -
Who his own self bare
our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being bead to sins,
should live unto righteousness by whose stripes ye were healed.
Matthew
4:23-24 -
(kjv) -
And Jesus went about all Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the
kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of
disease among the people... And his fame went throughout all Syria:
and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with
divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with
devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy,
and he healed them.
Matthew
8:16
- (kjv) -
When the even was come, they brought
unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the
spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick.
Jeremiah
30:17
- (kjv) -
For I will restore health unto thee, and
I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD: because they called
thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.
CONTACT
INFORMATION
For further spiritual counsel, prayer or gospel literature, please
contact us!
www.mswm.org www.maxsolbrekken.com
max@maxsolbrekken.com
Max
Solbrekken World Mission, P.O. Box 44220, RPO Garside, Edmonton,
AB T5V 1N6 (780) 460-8444
The
House of Prayer, New Sarepta, Alberta
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