Friday, April 29, 2011

YOUR GOD IS
TOO SMALL!
By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.

            "For we heard them speak in tongues and magnify God." (Acts 10:  46)
 
     One of the things that impressed me greatly about Pentecostal, Full Gospel and Spirit-filled Christians was the way they worshipped, praised and magnified God!
     In the Evangelical Lutheran Church we sang all the wonderful hymns of praise to our Lord and heard sermons extolling God, but to hear individual believers voice their praise to the Almighty in thanks for His miraculous intervention in their lives was foreign to me.
    It was like reliving the Book of Acts to hear testimonies of conversions from alcohol and drug addiction, gambling and false religious cults. Add to that, miraculous healings from tumors, cancers, blindness, deafness, arthritis, ulcers and other diseases was mind - boggling!
     I knew that God had healed my Mother in 1920 under the ministry of Evangelists Storm and Monson in Norway. Other gifts of the Holy Spirit like prophesying and speaking in tongues, however, were totally foreign to me.

MY DAD WAS INSTANTLY HEALED!

     When my Dad was instantly healed of serious gallbladder problems and heart disease in March 1956 through Oral Roberts’ radio Ministry, the Holy Bible became alive to me!
      It is quite possible that if I had not seen the reality of the Gospel working in my Father’s miraculous healing and transformation through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, I would not be in the Ministry today!
     Although the Holy Spirit strove mightily with me during Revival Meetings in 1951 with Pastor Sylvan Johnson at S.L.B.I (now Lutheran Collegiate Bible Institute) Outlook, Saskatchewan, I did not have the courage to totally follow Christ!
     In 1957, following my Father’s amazing experience of the Baptism of Holy Spirit, I was again drawn by God’s love and mercy to the Cross of Calvary in total repentance and submission to His will, and call on my life! For the next six years I devoured God’s Word and prayed much for the Holy Spirit’s guidance as I worked in the secular world, while preparing for the Ministry of Deliverance into which He was divinely leading me!

THEY SPOKE IN TONGUES
AND MAGNIFIED GOD!

      I believe in speaking in tongues like St. Paul, D.L. Moody, Charles Finney and Oral Roberts.  And I believe in Divine Healing through faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on Calvary’s Cross, and that “By His stripes we are healed.” (Is. 53: 4, 5; Matt.8: 16, 17; I Peter 2: 24)
            It is such a blessing to have received the gift of prophecy (1 Cor.12: 10) in order to exhort, edify and comfort God's people. Praising and magnifying God, however, is an absolute essential in the Christian life in order to keep up a vital contact with our Heavenly Father!
            Our lives are like a body of water.  If water flows in but has no outlet it becomes stagnant, and all life there ceases to exist.  Then death takes over.  The Dead Sea is a good example of that!
            The movement of water into and out of a body of water creates an atmosphere conducive to life.  The constant intake and outflow causes a cleansing action, making the water fresh.
     This analogy shows us that receiving from God without praising Him and sharing His goodness with others makes us stagnant, and spiritual death ensues!
     The Bible says, "He that offereth praise glorifieth Me". (Ps. 50:23);  "God inhabits the praises of His people..." (Ps. 22:3)
            The Scriptures are filled with praises to God.  Repeatedly, David declared, "O that men would praise the Lord for His wonderful works to the children of men". (Ps. 107:8)
            King David was a man after God's own heart and knew how to praise and bless the Lord!  He even encouraged himself to praise God:  "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name.  Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget not all His benefits..." (Ps. 103:1)

PRAISING GOD ESSENTIAL
FOR COMMUNION WITH GOD!

            "Praise ye the Lord.  Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in the firmament of His power.  Praise Him for His mighty acts: praise Him according to His excellent greatness. 
    “…Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord.  Praise ye the Lord." (Ps. 150:6)
            It is incumbent upon us to thank and praise God for His gifts to us, as well as testify to others of His great goodness, mercy, love and power.
            The Bible says, "Forbid not to speak with tongues". (1 Cor.14: 39)  And St. Paul declared emphatically, "I speak with tongues more than ye all". (1 Cor.14: 18)
            St. Paul prayed in the Spirit, speaking and singing in unknown tongues on a daily basis. He writes: “What is it then? I will pray with the Spirit and I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the Spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.”  (1 Cor.14:15) 
     I can’t imagine many of today's Evangelical preachers meeting the old ‘Apostle to the Gentiles’ and spending a few hours or days with him!
     They would have to ask him to leave, put him in a basement room and shut the door and stop preaching from the Epistles he wrote.  Or they would have to repent of their ignorance, stupidity, hardness of heart, and be filled with the Holy Ghost themselves. 
    St. Paul would certainly have to rebuke them and set them straight! It would be a very interesting meeting indeed!
            Even having them meet Ignatius, Tertullion, St. Augustine, Martin Luther, D.L. Moody or R.A Torrey, would change their theology about the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire! (Luke 3: 16; Acts 2: 4)

                          I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY GHOST!

            The Church Fathers who formulated the Apostles Creed certainly believed in the Holy Ghost and in every instance in the Bible where believers received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost they spoke in tongues and magnified God!

 I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven; And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the quick and dead. I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY GHOST, the Holy Christian Church, the Communion of Saints, the Forgiveness of sins, the Resurrection of the Body, and the Life everlasting.  Amen.
    
     St. Paul declared, "He that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men but unto God; for no man understandeth him; howbeit, in the Spirit he speaketh mysteries". (1 Cor.14: 2)
            Again the Bible says, "He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself..." (1 Cor.14: 4)  Certainly we need to edify and build up ourselves in Christ, more now than ever, as we approach the end!
            The Word of God states emphatically: "But ye, building up yourselves in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost". (praying in the Spirit; unknown tongues, worshipping God)
            Those who do NOT pray in the Spirit (unknown tongues) are said to be sensual, having not the Spirit (Holy Spirit). And, they will ridicule you and separate you from their company. (Jude 19)
     JESUS WARNED: “Verily I say unto you; All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
     But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.” (Mark 3:28-30)

THOSE WHO RIDICULE THIS
GIFT ARE ON DANGEROUS GROUND!

     The Pharisees accused our Saviour of healing the sick and casting out devils by the power of Satan. Since He was doing these works “by the Spirit of God” they essentially called the Holy Spirit a devil!
      Here is my advice: If you cannot understand some of the things God is doing, don’t fight against Him. Don’t make the mistake the Pharisees made!
                Thank God, for the many preachers of the Gospel today who declare with St. Paul: "Forbid not to speak with tongues.” (1 Cor. 14:39); "Quench not the spirit.  Despise not prophesyings." (1 Th. 5:19-20)
            Also remember, the ‘gift of tongues in concert with the ‘gift of interpretation’ is equal to prophecy!
            St. Paul writes: "I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied; for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, EXCEPT he interpret, that the church may receive edifying." (1 Cor. 14:5)
            When one of America's foremost Baptist Evangelists, DR. HYMAN APPELMAN conducted a glorious revival crusade in our church (1972), I asked him: "Have you been filled with the Holy Ghost? Do you speak in tongues, Brother Appelman"? 
     He answered in the affirmative: “Yes, I have been filled with the Holy Ghost.  Yes, I speak with other tongues!  I asked, "How is it that you - the preacher that most Baptist and Evangelical preachers greatly respect - speak in tongues, when they put so little stock in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?” 
            My good Jewish friend, Dr. Hyman Appelman replied, "The Holy Ghost got to me before the Baptists did.”  No wonder BILLY GRAHAM stated: "Dr. Hyman Appelman is one of the most powerful preachers I have ever heard"!
   When that mighty man of God, DR. RICHARD WURMBRAND spoke our Church in Edmonton in the 1970s, I asked him a very personal question. I said:
    “Brother Wurmbrand, I was raised in the Lutheran Church but I have been filled with the Holy Ghost and I speak with other tongues. You are a Lutheran Pastor who has been tortured and suffered terribly for Jesus Chris. Have you been filled with the blessed Holy Ghost and spoken in other tongues?
    He said: “As you know the Communists brainwashed, tortured and beat me constantly. After some time, I could not remember the Lord’s Prayer, the Twenty-third Psalm or John 3: 16. All I could do was say: “Jesus I love you. You know that I love you. Please show me your love.”
    They had beaten me so severely that the blood ran down my legs unto the ground. Suddenly the power of God came upon me and I began to sing in a language I did not know and I danced in the Spirit for four hours and felt no pain. My blood spattered onto the walls of that dungeon as I danced and sang and spoke in unknown tongues.”

THE WORK OF A BELIEVER:
TELLING OTHERS ABOUT JESUS!

            One of the first Gospel tracts I published in 1958 was titled "Victorious Christian Living".  In it, I outlined three very important and imperative steps to follow in order to live a consistent, victorious Christian life. They are as follows:

  1. Read the Bible regularly.
  2. Pray often with praise & thanksgiving.
  3. Witness at every available opportunity with wisdom & God's leading.
            Another thing that has set ‘Spirit-filled, Full Gospel people’ apart from other Christians, is the fact of a POWERFUL PERSONAL WITNESS to their fellowmen, of the crucified and risen Christ Who is the same yesterday, today and forever!
     The angel of God spoke to the women at Christ's empty tomb on that great resurrection morning, thusly: "...Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified.  He is not here: for He is risen, as He said.  Come, see the place where the Lord lay.  And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and, behold, He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him: lo, I have told you". (Matt. 28:5-7)

COME AND SEE:
GO QUICKLY AND TELL!

            The Bible records that they went with great haste to bring His disciples word of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  They went with great haste because they had an urgent message to tell! 
     What a message we have to tell the world! Our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again for our justification, and is even now alive, interceding for us at the Father's right hand.  Hallelujah!
            There is no secret, hidden agenda in God's Word.  Everything is open and above board with our Lord.
            There is plenty of proof for sincere truth seekers.  The angel said, "Come and see.  Go and tell".  I say to skeptics:  “There is plenty of viable evidence to prove the existence of God and the validity of the Holy Bible.  And as far as God’s love for mankind, Calvary proved that!”
            The message is clear.  Once we have heard the truth and experienced the blessings of Christ's salvation, we are duty bound to go and tell someone else the Good News!

THEY MAGNIFIED GOD!

     The Bible states that they returned to Jerusalem and were constantly in the temple praising and blessing God.  They also went from house to house - with great joy and gladness - breaking bread and fellowshipping around God's Word.
            The Scripture says they were continually magnifying God.  To MAGNIFY GOD means to not only glorify and worship Him, but to lift Him up so high that He appears larger in the eyes and ears of the hearers than He had seemed to them earlier.
            Most Christians make God look very small. We are to magnify Him so that everyone may begin to understand how marvelous and wonderful our Lord really is. Oh, how GREAT is the LORD our GOD!
Only Spirit-filled people really and truly praise and magnify God with all their hearts!  Only those who have been “born of the Spirit” and filled with God’s presence, feel at home in His presence!
            After listening to the dry, dead, monotone sounds of the average Jehovah Witness or fundamentalist preacher, you certainly wouldn't be convinced that God is alive, real and moving by His mighty power in this generation!
            Much of the theology that is expounded has to do with the past and future, with a glaring omission of today!
            Especially is this noticeable in regards to the present day ability of the Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Eternal God to work miracles among His people on earth in this Twenty-First Century! It's the same old story as that of Mary and Martha.

THE FAITH OF MARY & MARTHA

            Regarding the death of her brother, Martha said, "I know if you had been here (4 days ago) my brother would not have died". (past)
            Jesus said, "Your brother shall rise again"!  She answered, "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day". (future) (John 11:24)  Jesus answered her, "I am the resurrection and the life" (NOW). (John 11:25)
            Although Martha was upset that Jesus had not been there before her brother died and she expressed faith for his future resurrection, she nevertheless kept the door open for a present day miracle:
                She stated: "But I know that EVEN NOW, whatsoever Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it Thee." (John 11:22) Praise God for an open mind! Most religionists and false cults are so steeped in their false doctrines that their attitude is: “Don’t bother me with the truth and the facts; My mind is set; I have been brainwashed; I am a Watch Tower Slave, a Joseph Smith, Two by Two or Mary Baker Eddy puppet; I cannot think for myself!”
            For years, Herbert W. Armstrong called his radio and TV talk show The World Tomorrow! Others like the Jehovah’s Witnesses speak constantly about the coming New World or Kingdom Age!
            While we are thrilled about the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ and Life Everlasting with Christ, we have something to offer people who accept His Gospel, here and now! The Eternal God is the God of the NOW!

MAY WE BE LIKE THE FIRST FOLLOWERS
OF JESUS: NOT LIKE THE SUBSTITUTES OF TODAY!

            My heart's desire is that God will raise up an army of people who will say, like St. Paul: "...I believe God"! (Acts 27:25)
            In the face of persecution, temptation, sickness or death, let us hold onto our confession of faith and belief in Christ Jesus our Lord!  Let us constantly practice what the Bible teaches, glorifying and magnifying God!
            When doubters, skeptics and unbelievers scorn us for believing in and proclaiming a Risen Saviour, Who still forgives sinners, brings peace to the troubled and healing to sick, as well as baptizes with the Holy Ghost and power, let us tell them, "YOUR GOD IS TOO SMALL"!
            In the 1960s as a Commercial Traveller I met a variety of people in my travels and when they heard that I was “Religious” we often had animated discussions about the Bible.
      A fundamentalist preacher who was rabidly anti-Pentecostal, made this fervent statement: "Divine healing is not for me and the Baptism of the Holy Ghost is not for me.” I replied:  "You are right Sir, these gifts are not for you, but they are for me because I believe.  Since you do not believe and desire these gifts, God will not force them upon you".
    In a desperate attempt to prove his point he made this ridiculous statement: “We don’t need any miracles today because everybody knows that Jesus rose from the dead!”

IF THERE WAS A TIME WE NEEDED GOD’S
MIRACULOUS WONDERS IT IS TODAY!

   I replied: “Sir, of all the statements you have made, that is the most ignorant. We live in a world where anti-God Communism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Animism, Pagan Religions, False Cults and Secular Humanism are covering much of the earth and you say that everyone knows that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.”
     We serve a great big, wonderful God Who keeps His Word. And since Jesus Christ died and rose again for our total salvation, we are recipients of His goodness, mercy and love!
     There were many reasons why Jesus healed the sick, including His great love and compassion for suffering humanity!  He also healed the sick and performed miracles to prove His Divinity! (Matt.9: 28; Mark 2: 10; John 2: 11; 4: 16; 5: 10 – 23; 14: 11; 15: 24)
     If ever there was a time when Christ’s Church needed to ‘stand up to the plate’ and prove to the world that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God and the ONLY Saviour of the world, it is TODAY!
     The “enemies of the cross” have gathered a cacophony of the ‘weird and wonderful’ across the spectrum of left wing Christ rejecters, New Age gurus, Hollywood lapdogs and sexual perverts, to publish down right lies, distortions and manufactured falsehood about Jesus Christ and His Church!
    Soldiers of the Cross, let us to meet this ungodly onslaught head-on by preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and by healing the sick and casting devils. It’s time that we put the run on ‘Old Slewfoot!’
     THE BIBLE says: “And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the Word with SIGNS following.” (Mark 16: 20); “And with great POWER gave the apostles WITNESS of the RESURRECTION of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4: 33)
    There is nothing impossible with Him Who is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the King of Kings and Lord of lords and the Only Saviour of the world.

            1.)  TO THE SINNER, let me say unequivocally:  God is able, ready and willing to save you!  The Bible says, "For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost". (Luke 19:10)  Also, "Come unto Me, all ye who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest". (Matt. 11:28)

            2.)  TO THE DISCOURAGED AND WEAK, let me say without fear of contradiction, God will fill you with the Holy Ghost!  Jesus said, "Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses..." (Acts 1:8)
            Also, St. Peter declared, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call". (Acts 2:38-39)

            3.)  TO THOSE WHO ARE SICK & DISEASED, I say emphatically, Jesus Christ was "wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed". (Isa. 53:5)  "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bore our sicknesses". (Matt. 8:17)
            The Bible says, "Is any sick among you?  let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him". (James 5:14-15)

            4.) TO THOSE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES, remember that God is more than enough (El Shaddai) to meet your needs!  "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus". (Phil. 4:19)
            "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.  For with the same measure that ye mete withal, it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6:38)
            St. Paul said, "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully". (2 Cor. 9:6-8)

            5.) TO ALL WHO NEED FORGIVENESS, DELIVERANCE & ENCOURAGEMENT, Christ Jesus stands ready to help you.  Without hesitation, I invite you to call upon the Name of the Lord and be saved.
            St. Peter declared, "Whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved". (Acts 2:21);  "Casting all your cares upon Him; for He careth for you." (1 Peter 5: 7)
            He has the power to make you free!  Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”. (John 8:32)
                There is absolutely nothing that God is unable to do.  He can do all things He wills to do because He is all powerful (omnipotent), all knowing and all wise (omniscient) and everywhere present at all times (omnipresent).
            Jesus said, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth". (Mark 9:23); “With men this is impossible but not with God. For with God all things are possible.” (Mark 10: 27)

THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY
SPIRIT GIVES YOU A NEW IMPETUS. 

       “John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I cometh, the latchet of Whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire.” (Luke 3: 16)
        Jesus said: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me…and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
      “Afterward He appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen Him after He was risen.
      And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creatureAnd 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.”      
       “So then after the Lord had spoken to 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. Amen.” (Mark 16: 14-20)
      Jesus instructed His followers to be generous toward God and fellowman and His blessings will follow.  Here are two of His promises for us all:
            "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.  For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6:38)
            "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matt. 6:33)
            If you can send a special gift for our world-wide work of preaching the Gospel of Christ, you will be planting a seed in God's Harvest Field. If God is calling you into the work of the Lord, please write to me and we will seek to help you find your place in His great End-Time Army of Soul Winners!   
 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

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Everyone is searching for Happiness. Only Christ can satisfy mankind's yearning for truth, peace and genuine love

THE ONLY ROAD TO
TRUE HAPPINESS
by Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.

      "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind...and thy neighbour as thyself". (Matt.22: 37-40)
                                                                                                                            

      Everyone is searching for true happiness!  There isn't an individual who doesn't want peace, joy and fulfillment!  Unfortunately, very few find it.  Not because it is not available, but because they are not looking in the right place!
      Many are like a blind man, grasping in the darkness or someone searching for a needle in the haystack.
      Everything seems so impossible!  Nothing works out.  Happiness eludes them like a mirage on the desert or a phantom rider who disappears as he turns the bend in the road!
      Judging from the great numbers who fill our divorce courts, love and marriage is often a bummer!
      Many, who on happier days laughed and loved, are now disappointed, bitter and angry.  They want out ~ to call it “quits”. 
     The home has turned into a battlefield.  The tenderness and caring is gone, along with any desire for romance! For them, love and marriage has not been the answer to the quest for true happiness!
      A large number will try again in a common-law (shack up) arrangement or a second marriage - hoping, hoping, hoping that this one will pan out better!

KING ALCOHOL:
A MONSROUS TYRANT

      In many instances, alcohol seems like a comfort and friend to the lonely divorcee, the aging gadabout or social butterfly.  As well as, the businessman about to declare bankruptcy! And what of the person who has lost an expected promotion, the desire to compete or who has reached the top of the ladder with no place to go?

      Life has become boring, humdrum and a waste to a lot of people; for many and varied reasons.  For some, the future looks bleak with high rents or mortgage payments, having to live on employment insurance or welfare cheques.

      Others are dogged by depression, fear, sickness, pain and even thoughts of dying or suicide! And so they try to drown their sorrows with alcohol or drugs.  But, drugs, alcohol and suicide is not a cure-all.  Rather, these only further enslave and in the end, destroy totally! Alcohol and mind altering drugs are cruel despots and tyrants which refuse to stop, until all hope and life is gone!

TRUE HAPPINESS IS NOT
FOUND IN FAME & FORTUNE!

      If you don't think so, ask the unhappy movie star who visits her psychiatrist regularly. Or consults her daily horoscope, personal clairvoyant or New Age channeller for guidance!

      Read the sad stories of millionaires and business tycoons who have become so miserable that they have blown their brains out, taken an overdose or leaped from the penthouse of their luxury apartments!

      Success is sweet, but it doesn't last long enough.  And if it does, very often there is no satisfaction!  And the rat race seems to be never-ending.

      Being successful doesn't come with a guarantee.  Nothing in this life is 100% permanent or secure!  Exceeding the quota this year, means it will be tougher next year!

      This year's champion is often last year's champion next year, and "president today" could mean "former president" after the board meeting or election.  And "success today" often is only a memory in a few years, together with some mementos on the dresser and news stories in a scrapbook!

      Father Time marches on and always takes its toll, without favouritism.  The young executive who worked so hard to make it to the top, suddenly finds himself nearing 65 with the prospects of a farewell dinner, a couple of speeches and the "traditional gold watch".  And then it’s out to pasture!

TIME'S UP:
CLOSE FOR THE NIGHT!

      Time waits for no man...and it has a way of catching up to all of us!  And the years do a job on the most healthy, robust and virile.  As time passes, hair turns grey, wrinkles appear, muscles lose their tone and the strength of youth dissipates.

      EVENTUALLY, THROUGH DISEASE, ACCIDENTS OR 'OLD AGE', DEATH COMES TO EVERYONE.  THE GRIM REAPER ALWAYS WINS IN THE END!

        Money and riches have a way of slipping out of our hands too, and even if we can hang on to it, what good is a fortune when you're too sick to enjoy it or too old to spend it?

      And even if we're blessed enough to have good health, there are only so many things to buy, see or do.  Vacations and parties become boring too, don't they? After all, you can only sleep in one bed at a time, drive one car at a time, wear one suit of clothes at a time; and who needs three meals a day?

      And alcohol has the ability to make you a slave to its intoxicating power! True happiness does not come from a marijuana joint, a bottle of beer, a cocktail glass, great wealth and affluence or the applause of our fellowmen!

      Nearly 2,000 years ago, St. Paul wrote, "But godliness with contentment is great gain". (1 Tim. 6:6)  Again he declared, "Not that I speak in respect of want.  For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content". (Phil. 4:11)

The Bible says, "The joy of the Lord is our strength". (Neh. 8:10) Jesus said, "My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.    

     Let not your heart be troubled". (John 14:27) And St. Paul declared, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, by of love and power and a sound mind." (2 Tim. 1:7)

      The only way to true happiness is going God's way, walking the Gospel road!  And the two prerequisites that Jesus Christ spelled out are:

1.     LOVE GOD
2.     LOVE YOUR FELLOWMEN

      Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me". And St. Peter stated, "There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved". (John 14:6)

      St. Paul said, "There is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all". (1 Tim. 2:5-6)

      The only way we can love our fellowman, is to be filled with the Holy Spirit, for the "love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost". (Rom. 5:5). Then we will really have something to live for, and share with our children and grandchildren!

GOD'S BLUEPRINT
FOR REAL SUCCESS!

      Jesus stated that upon these two commandments "hang all the Law and the Prophets". (Matt. 22:40) Love for God translates into the desire and capacity of loving one's neighbour!

      The Bible gives us the blueprint for revival in the church, good community relations, peace on earth and prosperity among men!

      If everyone really loved God with all our being, we would keep His commandments!  We would automatically praise the Lord, preach His Word and love our fellowman!

      Then, spontaneous revival would break out in our churches and sinners would flock into God's house to receive His blessing!  They would "see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven". (Matt. 5:16)

      If we all loved our neighbour as ourselves we would be kind, loving, merciful, gracious and forgiving!

      We would not judge one another or be proud, envious, jealous, resentful or biased!  Not only would we all be truthful and godly in our living but also caring, compassionate and helpful!

      There would be a drastic reduction in crime, lawlessness and delinquency as parents loved, nurtured and disciplined their children.

        THE OUTCOME - Police departments would be reduced in size and jails nearly empty.  Murderers and criminals would stop killing, stealing and raping, bingo halls and VLT gambling arcades would shut down, bars and taverns would go out of business!

       And pimps, perverts and prostitutes would be praising the lord at the old fashioned revival meeting!

      If a genuine revival of righteousness came to our land, the banks would be forced to lower "the exorbitant usury" they usually charge their customers and be content with decent profits.  Price gouging would be eliminated and bankruptcies would be virtually non-existent!

      Families would grow together in love and harmony and divorce lawyers would have to find something else to do.  Abortion Clinics would be turned into ‘Adoption Centres’ and money-hungry, medical doctors 'turned executioners of unborn fetuses' would return to the practice of saving lives!


SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES WOULD AGAIN BECOME CENTRES OF GENUINE LEARNING; COMMUNICATING MORAL VALUES, COMMON SENSE AND RESPONSIBILITY WITH ACADEMIC TRAINING!
   
    If we all loved God and our fellowman and embraced the teachings of the 'Good Shepherd' there would be a turning away from the deceptions of an ‘atheist science’ which promotes the fatally flawed evolutional theory, dangerous occult practices of the New Age Movement and secular humanism!

      Anyone following the "Golden Rule" - do unto others as you would have them do unto you - would not rape, murder, steal, commit adultery, sexual perversion or lie!

      Automatically, 'born again' Christians seek the "high road of life" after an encounter with 'Jesus of Nazareth'.  We become aware of the needs of others - spiritual, economical and physical - because of a changed life and a transforming spiritual experience! The blessed Holy Spirit tenderizes our hearts with compassion for the needy, sick, suffering and unfortunate!

            ‘Loving God and our neighbours’ also has a therapeutic effect for those who follow Christ's teachings.  By helping others, we get our minds off ourselves, thereby releasing any neurotic tendencies which may have developed in our lives!

      By pampering ourselves too much, we spoil ourselves and lose touch with the real issues of life!  General William Booth - founder of the SALVATION ARMY. By God's grace and sheer faith, let us resolve to do the same.  And we can do it!

      One day I received a telephone call inviting me to officiate at a funeral for a 59 year old truck driver who had passed away suddenly.

      The family had attended our church many years earlier but had moved away.  They had recently returned to Edmonton, and then the father became the victim of a massive heart attack.

      I sought the Lord for an appropriate message.  On my way to the Funeral Chapel God gave me the message I should deliver.  It was called, ‘The Three Most Important Things in Life’.  

I knew I had the right message when I spoke with the family prior to the service.  His grown sons and daughters ranging in age from 25 to 35 were weeping unashamedly, as was their mother.  I realized how much they loved their father and husband!

THE THREE MOST
IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE!

1)  A man’s relationship with his Maker.
2)  A man’s relationship with his family.
3)  A man’s relationship with his fellowman.

      First - When we are all dead and gone, the most important question will not be - “How much money did he have in the bank” or “How educated, influential or popular was she”?  But, “Did he know Jesus?  Was she born again?”

      Second – “What kind of relationship does a person have with his or her family?  Did he love his loved ones, overlook their faults and forgive like Christ has forgiven us all? Were we kind, loving, understanding or mean-spirited, unkind and unforgiving toward one another?”

      Third – “How did we treat our neighbours, our fellowman?  Were we honest, fair, understanding and forgiving or were we dishonest, unfair and mean-spirited?

      May God help us all to be the kind of Christians Jesus wants us to be!  You may say, “How can I change?  What must I do to become a loving caring person?”

      The Bible says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (a brand new creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17)

YOU MAY ASK: “WHY IS THIS?”

      By receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour your life will be transformed. He infuses us with His life, giving us His wisdom, knowledge and goodness!  We become one with Him and His life becomes our life!

      St. Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I have live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me”. (Gal. 2:20)

      Jesus said:  “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 unto condemnation, but is passed from death unto life”. (John 5:24)

      Again St. John writes, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren...” (1 John 3:14)

       The Bible says:  “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast”. (Eph. 2:8-9) 

     All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to Jesus Christ Who came to rescue me from Satan, the World and Myself.  To God be the glory forever!  W