Saturday, March 23, 2013

Faith in answered prayer

A Simple Prayer

      "I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me" (Acts 27:25).
      I went to America some years ago with the captain of a steamer, who was a very devoted Christian. When off the coast of Newfoundland he said to me, "The last time I crossed here, five weeks ago, something happened which revolutionized the whole of my Christian life. We had George Mueller of Bristol on board. I had been on the bridge twenty-four hours and never left it. George Mueller came to me, and said, "Captain I have come to tell you that I must be in Quebec Saturday afternoon." "It is impossible," I said. "Very well, if your ship cannot take me, God will find some other way. I have never broken an engagement for fifty-seven years. Let us go down into the chart-room and pray."
      I looked at that man of God, and thought to myself, what lunatic asylum can that man have come from? I never heard of such a thing as this. "Mr. Mueller," I said, "do you know how dense this fog is?" "No," he replied, "my eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God, who controls every circumstance of my life."
      He knelt down and prayed one of the most simple prayers, and when he had finished I was going to pray; but he put his hand on my shoulder, and told me not to pray. "First, you do not believe He will answer; and second I BELIEVE HE HAS, and there is no need whatever for you to pray about it."
      I looked at him, and he said, "Captain, I have known my Lord for fifty-seven years, and there has never been a single day that I have failed to get audience with the King. Get up, Captain and open the door, and you will find the fog gone." I got up, and the fog was indeed gone. On Saturday afternoon, George Mueller was in Quebec for his engagement.--Selected
     
 "If our love were but more simple, 

      We should take Him at His word;
      
And our lives would be all sunshine,
     
 In the sweetness of our Lord."

Saturday, March 2, 2013

He brought me to the banqueting house

He brought me
to the banqueting house,
and His banner over me was love.
My Beloved spoke, and said to me:
“Rise up, my love, my fair one,
and come away.
For lo, the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land.”
My Beloved is mine,
 and I am His.
Song of Solomon 2:4, 10-12, 16

Leah's testimony

The story of my wife Leah… (This she read at her baptism.)

I would like to begin by sharing this scripture from the Book of Peter:

“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.  For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.”  Peter 1:23-25

If I would have read this scripture several years ago I would not have understood it nor known the truth it declares.

I grew up believing in GOD and His existence and I knew He had a son Jesus who was nailed to a cross.  But I did not know Him as a Living GOD who sent His one and only son to die for me.

After the birth of my son Zachariah I became increasingly aware of GOD’s presence, but there was something missing and I did not know what.  Life was good.  I left my career to raise a beautiful son, my loving husband was thriving in his business - financially, physically, emotionally - our future was bright.

But spiritually it was void.  This emptiness deteriorated my soul.  I had no purpose, no direction and most importantly no joy.  This led to clinical depression, marital turmoil – physically I was a disgrace.

Upon the advice of my physician, I pursued a change in my life – which led to a lucrative, exciting position in the cosmetic industry – opportunities abounded!

The deteriorated soul was now bandaged – life seemed ok. (But it wasn’t and GOD knew it and HE sent someone to tell me!)  It was during this time a beautiful messianic Jewish woman named Natalie began to visit me.  She would tell me of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and how much she loved him.  She would pray for me.  She seemed to know so much about me.  She told me that the Lord sent her to me and she was planting and watering HIS seeds! 

Two years later, while reading scripture all night with a friend I sought the Lord GOD with all my heart and soul.  (The friend I was with had committed her life to the Lord many years earlier and GOD spoke to her through HIS word – something I didn’t understand, yet marveled at and strongly desired!)  So in those early morning hours after reading the bible all night, I asked the Lord to come into my life and teach me HIS ways.  I asked HIM to give me ears to hear and eyes to see in accordance with scripture, and I told HIM I wanted to know HIM in the fullest measure!

Well, the Holy Spirit came upon me that morning in a the most powerful, magnificent  way – the presence of the Lord was truly marvelous - scripture began to come alive on the pages of the bible - I asked the Lord questions and HE showed me the answers –
I read for hours and hours!

The love that resurrected my heart, soul and mind was beyond human realization and I so hungered for more!

The Lord then sent Natalie (HIS messenger) to see me that day!  Somehow she knew I had just given my life to the Lord!  (HIS seed had sprouted!)  She prayed with me and instructed me to seek the Lord’s will with all my heart, soul and mind and stay in the word of GOD.

I have continued over the years to seek the LORD and live each day for HIM and HIM alone.  HE continues to be faithful, just and true.  HE leads me, guides me and instructs me in all HIS ways. 

HE continues to rescue, save and deliver me as HE promises in HIS word . . . Shortly after I gave my life to Him HE delivered me from the bondage of depression!  HE has provided and sustained me in ways beyond comprehension!  Fourteen months ago He delivered me from an enormous falling tree that should have taken my life!  At the moment that tree cracked and fell on my head, I was ready to see HIM in all HIS glory - but my LORD had other plans - for HIS grace held me in the palm of HIS hand and rescued me!

I have been captured by the Lord’s Holy calling. I love HIM with an unquenchable love.   I will praise HIM all the days of my life and I sing with David as he did in Psalm 18: “I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.  The Lord liveth, and blessed be my rock, and let the God of my salvation be exalted!”

I now follow Jesus, my Savior in His instruction in believer’s baptism and I await to see HIM one day in the heavenlies where every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!  

As the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth; It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.  Is 55:10-11

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.  For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.”  Peter 1:23-25

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but only GOD made it grow.  So either he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only GOD, who makes things grow.
1Cor 3:6-7

I am with them all.

I am with them all.

(This happened to me one evening while working at the Bethesda Mission in Harrisburg PA.)

It was cold and rainy outside, cloudy and overcast. I did not expect a lot of the homeless to show up that afternoon for the evening meal that we, the Bethesda Mission (supported by all types of Christians and non Christians in the Harrisburg area with Bethesda meaning "pool of mercy") provide every day of the week for those who can make it over. To my surprise I saw three homeless people sitting out in the cold rain waiting for us to open in ten minutes. I had only been working there a few weeks, and I enjoyed welcoming them in for the meal. I wanted to look them in the eye with a big smile and say, "Welcome. It’s nice to have you."

Many of them did not look me in the eye for the first few weeks, but as they began to know me they would look up and say, "It’s nice to be here. Thank you for having me."
This particular evening was no different other than the cold rain coming down. But as I went over to open the door I peered out to see who was there, and to my amazement I saw over 20 who made it through the foul weather. As I opened the door and let them in, a few minutes early, I noticed a small figure in the line. "Nice to see you. Thanks for coming," I said. She did not look up at me nor did she say anything to me.

I prayed, and they went through the line and filled their trays with vegetables, mashed potatoes, gravy and chicken. Dessert was on the dessert tables. The regular dinner talk and chatter began. They were happy to be inside and eating a nice warm dinner. As they emptied their trays and put back their cups I would make sure I was there saying, "Thanks for coming. It was nice to see you." And again they would express that they were glad we were there.

I saw the small figure sitting with her head down, her face covered with two hooded sweatshirts. I made it a point to say hello—she did not answer. I thanked a few more as they finished, and I saw the little lady placing her tray over at the wash window, and she turned to head down the hallway. "Thanks for coming," I said again as she walked past me. She did not respond so I said it again. She took two more steps and stopped.

She slowly turned and looked up at me to reveal beautiful, deep-blue eyes. She said, "Are you talking to me? No one talks to me. Thank you for talking to me." I saw tears trickling down from her eyes, and she lowered her head and walked down the hall. My heart was touched, choked up, and then I saw Him. Walking right beside her, down the hall, headed outside into the cold, damp and misty evening.

"I am with her," He spoke in my heart. "I am with her." Suddenly I saw a dark street in Harrisburg with a lonely homeless person walking with the same figure along side. Then two. Then many streets and many cities. And He spoke to my heart again, "I am with them all."

The tears now flowed down my own cheeks as I began to weep even louder. The strength leaving my legs, I began to lean on the wall sobbing. In a moment, I would be groaning, and I pushed myself to the men’s room to hide in a stall as I wept uncontrollably. "Yes Lord, you know them all. You know all their pain, their long and lonely lives. You know the streets of the forgotten. The lost. The sick. You know them all."

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Because you have seen Me, have you believed

Often when I share my testimony many people say to me, “I never had anything like that happen to me!” Me response is John 20:29. “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”  
John 20:29
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

Commentary and highlights by me.

Jesus among His Disciples

19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and *said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. (Come back to this later and ask God to give you the Holy Spirit in the same way as the disciples received it here.)
23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, (Didymus meaning twin) was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” (Thomas was not believing his friends, the other disciples… he is saying, “If I don’t have the same experience you have, the same proof, I will not believe. The people who were telling me about Jesus knew he was real, I would challenge them and say, “IF he is real… You have 60 seconds… and IF he shows up I will believe.)
26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, (the door of my life was shut for the longest time… and he still came in and spoke with me, revealing himself to me in a way that would allow me to believe and receive Him as both LORD AND SAVIOR…), and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.(he is peaceJ) 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” (Were these not Thomas’ requirements he said to the others??? Jesus knows exactly what you need from Him. He knows every thought you think and everything you speak.)28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”  (Thomas just needed a little something, he gets it and immediately he recognizes who is in front of him… and he say’s “My LORD and MY GOD!!!) 29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? (some of us will have to see… and He will show Himself to us…) Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
…30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
Blessed:
Transliteration: makariosPhonetic Spelling: (mak-ar'-ee-os)Short Definition: happy, blessedDefinition: happy, blessed, to be envied
3107 makários (from mak-, "become long, large") – properly, when God extends His benefits (the advantages He confers); blessed.
3107 /makários ("blessed") describes a believer in enviable ("fortunate") position from receiving God's provisions (favor) – which (literally) extend ("make long, large") His grace (benefits). This happens with receiving (obeying) the Lord's inbirthings of faith. Hence, faith (4102 /pístis) and 3107 (makários) are closely associated (Ro 4:5-7,14:22,23; Rev 14:12,13).

Friday, February 22, 2013

Believe Genesis

I know that some of you might struggle in believing exactly what Genesis says about the creation of the universe. Fortunately for me, Jesus has erased all doubt concerning his word. It is true and you can rest in it. Having seen the universe created with my own eyes and the revelation received from him while he was on the cross, I find that all the other theories are the deceiver’s deception in keeping us away from Him, truth, and power. I haven’t studied the theories of evolution since 1992… I have no need to. As you believe the bible’s account of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ do the same with the rest of it and you will enjoy a great freedom and find power in HIS wordJ   


The following I copied from Relevant Bible Teaching making minor changes.


Evolution

Evolution in the strictest sense states that there was no creator (even going further than Darwin did). It argues that matter either always existed, or it came into existence spontaneously and by chance exploded into a universe. Life formed from non-life and gradually grew more complex, changing from one species to another. This would have taken billions of years and the process should still be ongoing. 

Problems with Evolution

Life doesn’t come from non-life, ever. Where do male and female species come from? Things go from order to disorder, not from chaos to order. Where is evolution now? (They answer with the theory of punctuated equilibrium- that evolution happens in short spurts every billion or so years, so we are just in a lull). Where did the initial matter come from? Why did it explode? Evolution contradicts the Genesis account totally. Organisms don’t change to survive (all genetic mutations are harmful). No intermediate species have ever been found that have not either been unclear or been proven hoaxes. Many more in-between forms should have been found if the theory was true. 

Theistic Evolution

This is a view many professing Christians take. It is a supposed wedding of theism and naturalistic evolution, and it proposes that the strongest survive while weak species are worked out of existence or change to survive. Basically, theistic evolutionists argue that God used and oversaw the evolutionary process, helping it begin and complete. God is used to solve all of the problems discussed above in the evolutionary theory.

Problems with Theistic Evolution

It contradicts the Genesis account of “after their kind” and six literal days. Since God is perfect and His ways are perfect, why would He use a chance process when Genesis plainly indicates that He spoke the world into existence (see also Hebrews 1:3 which states that He “upholds all things by the word of His power”). According to the Bible, death didn’t come until after sin. According to theistic evolution, plants and animals had been living and dying for billions of years until the strongest survived. Why doubt the Genesis account? Can we trust any other part of Scripture?

Progressive Creationism

This view argues that the universe is billions of years old, that stellar evolution is by natural process alone, that the stars were made before day four of creation (thus allowing for their light to reach the earth), and that the Big Bang was responsible for the “creation” of the world. Progressive creationists argue that the days of the creation process overlapped, and we are currently in the seventh day until the New Jerusalem. Death preceded the first sin; thus, the garden of Eden wasn’t really a paradise as meteorites and floods and other natural disasters including sickness and disease had been ongoing. Random, wasteful inefficiencies were used to “create” the world. The history of man is a minute fraction of the history of the earth and universe because the universe is so old. This view also seems to indicate that there were man-like mammals. Finally, it denies the worldwide flood of Noah. Many “conservative” evangelicals buy into this view.

Problems with Progressive Creationism

The Bible says that death was the result of sin, not that it preceded sin (Genesis 2:17). The Bible teaches that man was created at the beginning of creation, not much later as Mark 10:6 indicates saying, “But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’” It is a violation of text interpretation to assume that the days overlap. There is no way anybody reading the account with no Bible knowledge would conclude that the author is intending for the reader to understand that the days overlapped. As one ended, morning and evening, another began. There is no Biblical basis to assume that we are still in the seventh day. No Scripture gives ground to make such a statement; it is merely hypothetical. They do not believe that the universe was created with the appearance of age (Adam and Even were created as adults, for example, yet they were only a second old). There is no hard evidence for ape-men. Finally, in regard to Noah’s flood, why would God make Noah stay in an ark for so long if there was land elsewhere? 

Day Age Theory

This view states that each day in Genesis 1 is actually millions or billions of years. Many supposed conservative Christians take this view, seeing it as some kind of compromise with “scientific evidence.” It is merely one way to try to reconcile the evolutionary account with the Genesis account. God doesn’t need anymore time than 24 hours. The verse quoted to give supposed credence to this view is 2 Peter 3:8 which says, “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” The curious thing is that the verse is not making a literal claim. It is saying that our view of time is different than God’s view of time when it comes to His delaying His return. Yet they take this verse literally and deny the literal interpretation of Genesis.

Problems with the Day Age Theory

It is dangerous because it undermines the authority of the Scripture. For example, why does the Genesis account emphasize the evening and morning of each day every time?  The text gives no evidence of a drawn out evolutionary process for creating man. There is no reason to believe that when God said He created man in one day that it took him a thousand years. Where this view really wants to go is to allow millions and billions of years, which Scripture in no way grants. Many times, it is no more than a cleverly devised scheme to let theistic evolution creep in the back door. 

Gap Theory

This view states that a primitive earth was created in Genesis 1:1, Satan fell and corrupted it, God flooded it, and a second earth was created in Genesis 2:2 out of corruption. This is an attempt to harmonize with the supposed “clear evidence” of the “ancient” geologic column. Sketchy scientific conclusions are held as being more important than what the Bible plainly indicates (two creations and two earths?). They do not believe that God used evolution, but they do believe that the earth is indefinitely old. They try to take the Genesis account literally, but they feel compelled by science to read into it.

Problems with the Gap Theory

They assume that some scientific assumptions and conclusions are grounds to be forced to doubt the Word of God when there are plenty of contradictory scientific claims to uphold it (see young earth creationism below). This view jeopardizes confidence in the written Word by adding to it, a dangerous thing to do and condemned by God. That there was a previous creation with evil, sin, and corruption doesn’t square with the perfection indicated in the Garden of Eden. Death came only through Adam’s sin (Romans 5:14).

Old Earth Creationism

This is the view that the earth is millions or billions of years old. Light travelling from distant stars is often cited as proof that the world has been around for billions of years.  While a logical argument, it assumes that time has been constant, which as the theory of relativity states, may or may not be the case.  Also, God could have created the world with light already having travelled to its visible destination.  Regardless, old earth creationists are quick to dispense of the idea of a young universe rather than taking Scripture at face value when it speaks of six literal days.  This view is typically accompanied by progressive creationism or theistic evolution. It typically holds to uniformitarianism which states that the geologic changes on the earth happened gradually over billions of years rather than quickly through a catastrophic worldwide flood. Thus, a worldwide flood is typically denied, also denying a literal interpretation of Scripture.

Young Earth Creationism

This is the view that the Genesis account is to be taken as an historical account with every word being taken literally. They believe (and I) that God created the world in six literal 24 hour days and rested for a literal 24 hour seventh day. The Garden of Eden was a paradise because death happened only after Adam and Eve sinned, as the Bible plainly indicates when it says that death came through Adam.  The earth was changed rapidly during a worldwide flood (no more water under the earth or above it), so therefore the geologic column is not uniform across the face of the earth, which is indeed indicative of a catastrophic event. The earth is likely 6 to 10 thousand years old as the genealogies of the Old Testament would seem to indicate. There never was nor ever will be any in-between species because evolution never did occur nor will it again in the future. There is plenty of scientific evidence to support this view (no reliable in-between fossils and a certain shortage of what should be found if evolution was true, no evolution has happened in the recorded history of man, geologic columns are mixed up, life doesn’t come from non-life, species don’t change from one to another, the universe has evidence of divine planning and design, etc.).  Copyright ©  2013 Relevant Bible Teaching.

Sunday, October 13, 2002

Restoring marriages is his business! Pray, Listen, Pray… God wants to use you

#5
Pray, Listen, Pray… God wants to use youJ Restoring marriages is his businessJ
Leah and I were asked to be on a ministry team which prayed for members at the end of each Sunday service. On this particular day a friend of ours came up and asked me if I would be going to the men’s conference the church was having at the black rock conference center. I said that I was thinking about it. He walked away about five paces and came back and informed me that the church had scholarships if I needed it. I thanked him for that information and again informed him that I was thinking about it. I didn’t tell him that I actually did not have the money to go and I surly wasn’t going to take any money. Again after taking a few steps away he came back and said, “and if you need it and don’t take it you have a pride problem!” and he turned and left. Pride? Not me! Really Lord… Pride? I was thinking… then I yelled back at him, “Ok, I’ll take it.”
I spent the weekend with him, a friend of mine and a new fellow I had never met. I’ll call the new fellow Joe. Joe drove me home from the church at the end of the conference. I told my wife about this great guy I wanted her to meet. She came out and said hi for a few minutes and Joe left. She immediately turned to me and said that he was hiding something. No… I said, he’s a great guy.
During the week Joe kept coming on my mind, and I knew that I was to call him, but I did not have his phone number. I would wait to see him in church. That Sunday the pastor talked about a great weekend and the healing that came to many men. But he did say that one man thought that God was telling him that it was ok to leave his wife. What? I couldn’t believe my ears, was he at the same conference I was?
At the end of church Leah and I went up to pray. A woman came up and she began to cry, she couldn’t say anything because she was too upset. Leah and I just prayed for her. Then the thought came to me that she was the wife of Joe. So I asked… and she was. I told her that God told me to call him can I have his number. She told me I could but he won’t pick up, he has been ignoring everyone’s calls, pastors family etc. I said, “If God has asked me to call him… he will pick up.”
The next day I got a call back from Joe. I asked him to meet me for breakfast… and he did. We began to meet every week. He had moved out of the house by this time and was in a relationship with another woman. (He moved right into a neighborhood close to my parents and parent-in-laws… So I could pop in to see hem often.) He had been trying to end his relationship with the other woman for over five years and could not do it. He worked with the church and other brothers and could not break off the relationship so he gave up on ending it.
I prayed over him and met with him for nine or ten months. One day while I was at work I received an e-mail from my father which he forwarded to me. His e-mails are usually jokes and I usually don’t take the time to open them. This one I could not delete for some feelings I was having not to delete it. A few hours passed and I opened the e-mail and it was a joke about Kama Sutra religious activities. I wanted to delete it again but could not. Ok, Lord what is it you want me to know? So I researched the word. Page after page popped up about the religious activities… on the fifth page in the middle of the page was one site concerning witchcraft! Witchcraft???? Is my dad involved in witch craft??? This was not making sense. What is it Lord…. Then Joe’s name came into my mind. It’s Joe? No, it’s the lady Joe has been trying to separate from??? I thought. Lord, I need to talk with Joe. I was going to call him… no… I need to do this in person. Ten minutes later someone knocked on my office door. Come in, I said... Joe opened the door. Joe, I just told the Lord I needed to see you in person. We talked about witchcraft… it turned out that there was a witch in the neighborhood he and his wife lived in. Joe and his wife found out about her when they had gone to the church for counseling five years earlier. The counselor learned this through counseling several marriages from that neighborhood.
Over the next week I prayed for Joe to be out from under the curses of this witch. There was a dramatic separation between him and the woman he could not leave. Joe and his wife have been living happily together for the past 11 years and are doing great things for the Kingdom of GodJ