TWO PILLARS OF CHRISTIANITY:

                          REPENTANCE AND FAITH

   The two great pillars of the Christian Faith are Repentance toward God and Faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.  Naturally, the vicarious death of Jesus Christ to atone for our sins and all the sins of the world, past, present and the future, together with His glorious resurrection from the dead, is the Gospel message in a nutshell.

     The remedy for the problems of the world is the Person of Jesus Christ Himself. He is the Answer to the evil of Satanic bondage and all it entails, however repentance of Sin and faith in Jesus Christ opens the door into His Kingdom. (John 10: 9,10; 14: 6)

    St. Paul said: “And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you...testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 20: 20, 21)

    “Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead, according to my gospel: wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds: but the Word of God is not bound.” (2 Tim.2: 8, 9)

     He was imprisoned, chained and bound, but the Word of God was not bound. It was active and working even in Caesar's household. (Phil.4:22). In Thessalonica, the great apostle prayed that the Word of God would have free course and be glorified. (2 Thes. 3: 1).

   The Early Church proved repeatedly that the Word of God cannot be stopped by the onslaughts of the Enemy. “And the Word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.” (Acts 6:7)

     The Word of God penetrated the jail in Philippi where St. Paul and Silas were imprisoned for preaching Christ's gospel. To rescue His servants and to start a Revival, God sent an earthquake to shake down the prison:

       “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: And the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bands were loosed.”

     The keeper of the prison fell down before Paul and Silas, saying, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved.” (Acts 16: 23-34). His entire family received Jesus Christ, the Living Word into their hearts and lives and were baptized to seal their new birth in Christ!

          THE WORD OF GREW & PREVAILED!

  “Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon themselves to call over them which had evil spirits, the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye?

      “And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house, naked and wounded. And this was known to all the Jews and the Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. So mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed.” (Acts 19: 13-20)

      One of the signs of true FAITH in Christ is our ability to cast out evil spirits in the name of Jesus Christ! In the Great Commission which our Saviour gave the Church, He said: “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.

  THESE SIGNS SHALL FOLLOW BELIEVERS!

     “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 the drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall hands upon the sick and they shall recover. And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the WORD with SIGNS following.” (Mark 16: 15-20)

     God's Word cannot return unto Him void: “So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth; it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Is.55: 11).

      It must accomplish that for which it was sent. It is impossible for God to fail and since He has placed His Word above His Name, it is therefore impossible for His Word to fail! (Ps.138: 2)

     The Holy Bible says, “He hath sent His Word and healed them and delivered them from all their destructions.” (Ps.107: 20); “God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent (change). Has He not said it and shall He not do it, or hath He spoken and shall He not make it good?” (Nu. 23: 19).

     “For the Word of God is quick (lively) and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb.4: 12)

    God's great heart of mercy and grace desires to bless us and heal all who are hurting and suffering today. I do not believe it is God's will for any of His children to suffer the pain, agony and torment which Jesus suffered for us all in Pilate's Judgment Hall where He was brutally scourged, and on the Cross where He bore our sins!

     All our sickness, diseases and pains were laid upon Jesus Christ, God's Paschal Lamb and He paid the penalty for for us all, thereby meeting the demands of Divine Justice in payment for all our sins, past, present and future!

     The Word of God states: “He 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.” (Is.53: 4,5)

     HOLY SCRIPTURES OWN BEST DEFENSE!

   The Holy Scriptures are their own best defense. St. Mathew confirms perfectly the words of the ancient prophet Isaiah concerning the Jewish Messiah, which were spoken seven hundred years earlier!

   “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: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Elijah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” (Matt.8: 16,17)

    “Who His own self bare our sins in is own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness, by Whose stripes ye were healed.” (1 Peter 2: 24); “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in ONCE into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

    “How much more shall the Blood of Christ Who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

    “For Christ is not entered into the Holy places made with hands, which are the figure of the true; but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.

     “For Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Heb.9: 12, 14, 24,28)

    “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the BODY of Jesus Christ once for all. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the Right hand of God.”

     “For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the Blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His Flesh.” (Heb.10:10, 12,14, 19, 20); “Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the camp.” (Heb.13: 12)

            HOW DOES THE GOSPEL WORK?

    The two great pillars of the Christian Faith are Repentance toward God and Faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. St. Paul stated: “And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you...testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward, and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 20: 20, 21)

   The reason that we need to repent to God is because of Adam's Sin of treason and our inherited guilt, against our Heavenly Father. And only Faith in Jesus Christ, God's Paschal Lamb, has the power and ability to save us from our sins and everlasting death!

    Repentance becomes inescapable when we understand God's awesome mercy toward us. And Christ's magnanimous love and compassion that He showed toward us in His indescribable, torturous sufferings and death on Golgotha, disarms us! The Holy Bible says: “Or despises thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and long suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Rom.2: 4)

    The first thing that a new believer in Christ experiences is humility and a desire to worship Almighty God. A holy reverence called 'the fear of God' informs us that we are talking to our Maker. The second thing is that our sins are gone. 
     We will suddenly feel a release from the guilt and condemnation that had burdened us down. The third thing we will have is thanksgiving and peace causing us to praise God from deep within, because we realize that we are free. 
    The fourth thing is a feeling of victory, knowing that that we are free from Satan's shackles and no longer bound by sin, fear and torments. We are in Christ and He is in us and we are a slave no longer. 
     The fifth thing that will happen is that a great desire will fill our heart to share the Good News. We will want our relatives and friends to also know Christ and His saving, healing and delivering power! Amen.

          WHAT IS FAITH & HOW WE GET IT?

     The BIBLE states: “Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb.12:1). Faith is the Evidence! Moffat says, “Faith means that we are convinced that we have what we do not see.”

      Faith is three things: It is coming to God with our needs. It is believing that God exists. It is expecting an answer when we pray! We wouldn't come to God with our needs unless we believed that He is greater than we are and has the power to meet those needs. The crux of the matter is, we must expect God to answer!

     The most important fact is the Integrity of God. Does He mean what He said and will He do what He said? The answer is, YES! Here is the real kicker: “Do we obey Him, seek His face, worship Him and prepare our hearts to receive Him?” He is ready to answer, when we are ready to obey Him. Period!

      “For without faith it is impossible to please Him: For he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6)

    Faith is a believing attitude, an abiding trust, an expectant outlook and a positive declaration. Faith is a quiet confidence and a receptive spirit, an inner strength and a vocal proclamation of assured victory!

     Faith believes the Words of Jesus, discounts the challenge of the enemy, puts to flight the spirit of fear, lust, torment and sickness. Faith reaches out to God for the impossible in the midst of the storm, in the eye of the hurricane, in the face of persecution, repression and betrayal!
          FAITH IS BORN OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!

     Faith is born of the Holy Spirit, grows by the Word of God and operates through a life that is purified by the BLOOD of Jesus Christ. Faith is a gift from God and a fruit of the Spirit. It operates through love and when mixed with God's Word, brings answers to prayer!

     Without Faith it is impossible to please God, but with Faith, nothing is impossible. Jesus said, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” (Mark 9: 23); “With men it is impossible, but not with God, for with God all things are possible.” (Mark 10: 27); “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believing, ye shall receive.” (Matt.21: 22);     “Therefore, I say unto you, whatsoever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” (Mark 11: 23). Faith is personal! It is fellowship with God; a fellowship of the heart with our Saviour Jesus Christ through the blessed Holy Spirit! 
    He imparts His very life into our spirit. He gives us His Name and His nature. He is in us and we are in Him. We receive His mind and His thoughts become our thoughts. We think like He thinks and begin doing what He does. (Phil. 2:5-11)

     He transforms us from glory to glory. (2 Cor. 3: 18). His Words are Spirit and they are life and light, hope and peace. (John 6: 63). He gives us all we need for life and godliness. (2 Peter 1: 3,4). He is all we will ever Need. We are hid with Christ in God. (Col.3: 3). 
    By Faith in His BLOOD, we are transformed and receive a renewed mind. (Rom.12: 1, 2). We are justified (made right with God) by Faith. (Gal.3: 11). And by Faith we are actually made righteous through Christ. (Gal.5: 4-6)

    We are complete in Him: “But in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power.” (Col.2: 9, 10). 
     “For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love.” (Gal.5: 5, 6)

     Dr. Ole Hallesby who presided over the Free Faculty of Theology in Norway from 1909-1952 training Lutheran Ministers in Christ's true Gospel, was undoubtedly the truest theologian that Norway produced in the last century. He wrote in his Devotional for January 28, concerning Matthew 21: 22:

     “Now and then we make discoveries which almost take our breath away, namely, when we see what great powers are present in this realm of the invisible. This is especially true when these powers are put at our disposal, when God performs a mighty Miracle simply because we ask Him to do so.”

          HIS MERCIES ENDURE FOREVER!

     “O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever. To Him Who alone doeth great wonders: for His mercy endureth forever.” (Ps.136: 1,4). My deep convictions and my personal belief about Jesus Christ is identical to the Holy Scriptures. I concur entirely with the Word of God!
 Shall we Pray:

      “Kind Heavenly Father, in the Name of Thy crucified, risen and glorified Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, grant unto Thy humble servants, the Gifts and Graces necessary to do Thy bidding in reaching lost and dying souls, as well as to minister to Thy sick, suffering and struggling Church!

   “As the darkness of Satan, the world and the flesh seek to gain an ascendancy in this present hour, may Your life giving presence give us the Power of the Holy Spirit as promised in Your Word, to deliver a death blow to his evil power in Christ's name!

     Forgive me for the times I have failed Thee O' Lord. Wash me me in Thy precious blood and liberate me from all the powers of sin, fear, sickness and the powers of darkness in Jesus' name

     For Thy glory, honour and praise forever. Amen

Our Mission Statement

To preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ with enthusiasm, clarity and unction to as many as possible in the most effective way for as long as possible, until our Lord Returns!                                                        - Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.

THE CROSSROADS OF LIFE

Biblical Solution to Life’s Temptations:

How to Respond To The Call of God!

By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.

"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." (Jer. 6: 16)

Sinner, Backslider: Stop, Look & Listen! In your fevered pace of seeking pleasure and having so-called fun, stop in your pursuit of love, happiness, gain, position and place - long enough to evaluate what's really going on in your life and the world about you - check out your present behaviour: drugs, booze, friends. Evaluate the long-term benefits or negative results of your actions!

Make an Informed Decision to Return to The Old Path! Return to the old path of righteousness through a return to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! You will then have guaranteed your future for time and eternity, instead of having sold out to Satan, having your future hijacked and your salvation lost!

The Good Way is the Way of God's Goodness and Mercy! His ways bring immediate peace of mind, tranquility of spirit and freedom from guilt and condemnation. The Blood of Christ removes fear and displaces it with PEACE and a good conscience. The unconditional LOVE of God brings forgiveness, consolation and assurance to every sincere repentant sinner.

The Good Way of God brings an overflowing, unspeakable Joy. The Holy Spirit empowers believers in Christ with Spiritual Gifts and power to heal the sick and cast out devils! He leads and guides us in our walk with Jesus Christ. He pours the love of God into our relationship with our families, neighbours and the poor and needy in our midst!

When Christ is enthroned within, we are born again by the Holy Spirit and the shed blood of our Saviour, we are baptized with the blessed Holy Spirit and fire. The Gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ, Who purchased our Salvation through His substitutionary death for us and glorious resurrection!

Jesus Christ is our Redeemer, Liberator, Emancipator and Eternal Life! He said: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3: 16)

Jesus said: "And this is Life Eternal that they might know Thee the only True God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou has sent." (John 17: 3). St. John declared: "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in Himself: He that believeth not God, hath made Him a liar; because he believed not the record that God gave of His Son.

It would be blasphemy to call our Creator a Liar? "And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in the Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son, hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may have eternal life on the name of the Son of God.

"And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything 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.

"And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is TRUE, and we are in Him that is TRUE, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is True God, and Eternal Life." (1 John 5: 10-15, 20)

All Other Roads Lead to Heart Break, Destruction & Hell! Those who reject the Holy Spirit's invitation to receive Christ, knowingly choose to follow Satan the god of this world, on the downward path to destruction!

How sad, that man who was created the image of the Eternal God, with a free will, would turn away from our Loving Heavenly Father to embrace the ways of the Satan, the Cosmic Liar and Deceiver!

Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life! Our Lord stated: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” (John 14: 6). Jesus Christ, True God (from eternity) and True Man (born of the virgin) was incarnated (God in human flesh) to redeem sinful mankind by the Sacrifice of Himself, as God's Pascal Lamb.

By shedding His pure and sinless BLOOD on the Cross at Calvary, God's only begotten Son purchased our eternal salvation by meeting the demands of Divine Justice as our Substitute, thereby satisfying Almighty God's Law of Redemption for the sins of the world, past, present and future!

Through Adam's transgression of High Treason against his Creator and God, the entire world was plunged into sin and rebellion, but Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God, paid the penalty for all our sins by dying in our stead and rising from the dead for our justification.

        WHILE WE WERE HOPELESSLY LOST!

St. Paul stated: "But 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 Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His Life." (Rom. 5: 6, 8-10)

The Bible declares: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Rom.3: 23); "For the wages of Sin is Death: but the Gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. 6:23)

Dear Friend, will you receive JESUS as you own personal Saviour? He calls to you today: "Behold I stand at the Door and Knock. If any man will hear My voice and open the Door, I will come in and will sup with him and he with Me." (Rev.3: 20) Amen.

          PERSONAL FROM MAX AND DONNA - DEC. 2016
Dear Friend of Jesus,                                                         

   Greetings in His dear and precious name! Thank you so much for your letter and gift to this End Time Ministry!

    It will soon be Christmas! And I love Christmas because during this time of the year our thoughts go more and more toward our precious Heavenly Father and everything He has done for us and is still doing on a continual basis! Glory be unto God the Father and His glorified Son Jesus Christ, Who is Lord over all!

  Seven hundred years before Jesus' birth, Prophet Isaiah saw the Virgin pregnant about to give birth to the Saviour. He prophesied: "Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel."  (Isaiah 7:14)

  The miracle of the Incarnation was a one of a kind. It had never happened before and it will never happen again. It was a wondrous Sign from Almighty God about the incarnation of His Son Who was to be the Saviour of the world! 

  In all of history and all of eternity there will never be anything so grand, meaningful and magnanimous as God's life - giving gift of Jesus of Nazareth, Who was born to die on the rugged Cross of Calvary for the sins of mankind, past, present and future.

     St. Paul understood the magnitude of the Incarnation when he wrote: "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift." (2 Cor. 9: 15). In the mind of God, this wonderful Saviour was slain from before the foundations of the world. (1 Peter 1: 20,21; Rev. 13:8)

   Jesus is called the Word of God. St. John wrote: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

    "That was the true light that lighted every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He (Christ) was born, not of blood, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-4, 10, 13, 14)

Have a great December and a wonderful Christmas! May His healing and resurrection  power fill your spirit, soul and body! 

In God's great mercy, love and grace,

Pastor Max & Donna Solbrekken

2 Cor.4: 5 / Heb.13: 8

Someone sent us this brilliant piece of advice. We do not agree with what the Russians did in Crimea or are doing in Eastern Ukraine, but President Putin is not an idiot like some in Western Europe and the USA. Could it be that Trump smells the coffee unlike the clueless Obama and sees in Putin a partner to save the world from the SCOURGE of ISIS, Islamic Terrorism, Sharia Law and planned Caliphate? Let us pray for God's wisdom to be given to President Elect Trump and the new U.S. Government as they drain the swamp in Washington. - Pastor Max Solbrekken

                        HEADS UP TO THE DUMMY'S                               IN THE WHITE HOUSE!

No wonder he was selected by Forbes as the most powerful person in the
world. This is one time our elected leaders should pay attention to the
advice of Vladimir Putin. I would suggest that not only our leaders but
also every citizen of USA should pay attention to this advice. How scary
is that?

It is a sad day when a Communist Leader makes more sense than our
LEADERS here in the U.S.A., but here it is!

Vladimir Putin's speech - SHORTEST SPEECH EVER. Vladimir Putin, the
Russian president, addressed the Duma, (Russian Parliament), and gave a
speech about the tensions with minorities in Russia:

"In Russia, live like Russians. Any minority, from anywhere, if it wants
to live in Russia, to work and eat in Russia, it should speak Russian,
and should respect the Russian laws. If they prefer Sharia Law, and live
the life of Muslim's then we advise them to go to those places where
that's the state law."

"Russia does not need Muslim minorities. Minorities need Russia, and we
will not grant them special privileges, or try to change our laws to fit
their desires, no matter how loud they yell 'discrimination'. We will
not tolerate disrespect of our Russian culture. We better learn from the
suicides of America, England, Holland, and France, if we are to survive
as a nation. The Muslims are taking over those countries and they will
not take over Russia. The Russian customs and traditions are not
compatible with the lack of culture or the primitive ways of Sharia Law
and Muslims."

"When this honorable legislative body thinks of creating new laws, it
should have in mind the Russian national interest first, observing that
the Muslims Minorities Are Not Russians."

The politicians in the Duma gave Putin a five minute standing ovation.

                     THE INCARNATION:

ACID TEST OF TRUE FAITH

By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.

"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life and the life was the light of men.

“Which were born, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1: 1- 4, 13, 14)

   There is a serious MISUNDERSTANDING among many Bible scholars and preachers due to an incorrect translation of John 3: 13, which says, “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God.” Most Bibles have us believing that this Scripture text is referring to those who receive Christ, because of the plural “which” when in fact, the original Greek uses the singular “He” which refers to Christ!

   This passage must be taken in context with the rest of the Scripture text about Jesus the Word of God; not about believers. It is about JESUS OF NAZARETH – Not about us! The Bible states:     “He (Christ) was in the world and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own and His own received Him not.

    This is the PROPER TRANSLATION: “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even unto them that believe on His name. He (Jesus) was born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.          And the WORD was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 3: 14)

TERTULLIAN SETS

THE RECORD STRAIGHT!

  Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus (160-220 A.D.) of Carthage Africa known as Tertullian, was an early Christian author who was martyred for his faith. He stated: “The blood of the martyrs has become the seed of the church.”

    In his book, ‘The Incomparable Christ’ (1902) - which I have enjoyed for decades - J. Oswald Sanders brings out a truth that has eluded far too many theologians and preachers for hundreds of years!

    He states: “Samuel Zwemer commenting on John 3:14, writes: ‘Here those who believe the Word are those ‘who were begotten, not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God’.

     ‘But according to the express testimony of TERTULLIAN there was an early second-century reading of this text which had the singular instead of plural. It would then read, ‘He (Christ) was begotten not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.’

    “In his de Carne Christi Tertullian wrote; ‘I shall make more use of this passage after I have confronted those who have tampered with it. They maintain it was written in the plural, as if designating those who before mentioned as believing on His name.

   ‘But how can this be when all who believe… are by virtue of the will of the flesh and of the will of man? - as indeed as Valentinus himself. The expression is in the singular, as referring to the Lord. He was born of God … As flesh, however, He is not of bloods, nor of the will of man, because it was by the will of God that the Word was made flesh.’

    “In his Confessions, ST. AUGUSTINE quotes John 3:14 in the singular in reference to Christ’s Virgin Birth, as follows: ‘Also I found there that God the Word was born not of blood, nor of the will of a husband, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God.”

    St. Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Blessed Holy Spirit thusly: “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” (Gal.4:4)

    Commenting on this verse, J. Oswald Sanders writes: “In this chapter he uses the word “born” three times, but in speaking of Christ’s birth he uses a different word (made) from the implied when speaking of Ishmael and Isaac.” (Gal.4: 23, 29)

                 CULTS PREACH A DIMINISHED JESUS!

     It is not surprising that Satan tried to diminish the stature of Jesus Christ early on by involving an Old-JW-New-Modernist tampering with the Holy Scriptures. What does surprise me is that for hundreds of years theologians have missed what is OBVIOUS, that Jesus of Nazareth was not born of human blood or the will of either Joseph or Mary but of GOD and by HIS will alone!

     Every one of us were born by the will of our fathers and mothers and carry our father’s blood in our veins. To force a Scripture text to mean something different than it was meant is totally wrong!     Let me repeat, by using this Scripture text to prove that sinners are born again by the will of God and not of man may sound good to naïve Christians, but that is not what this Scripture says! This is a foundational doctrine which refers to Jesus of Nazareth alone!

THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD!

    The Bible states: “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)

  Right from the very beginning, SATAN has had his loyal humanistic minions on board, to pervert the sacred Scriptures. They come in a variety of knowing and unknowing fellow travellers, but his main goal is to weaken the faith of believers and giving false cults the ammunition they desire in gaining converts, through tampering with the Scriptures!

   Hundreds of false cults have arisen through that method of deception, among them the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons and Christian Scientists. Their main deception is that Jesus of Nazareth was not truly God in the flesh, that He is a lesser god, an arch angel or something else.

    According to Holy Scripture, those who REJECT the Deity of Jesus Christ cannot and will not be saved, unless they repent of that grievous SIN of unbelief and blasphemy:

  “Hereby ye know the Spirit of God: Every Spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is NOT of God: and this is that SPIRIT of ANTICHRIST, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” (1 John 4: 2, 3)

     Presently, there are more than seven billion people alive and we have all come in the flesh, born naturally of a mother and father. Although childbirth is a miraculous phenomenon that happens every second around the world, Jesus of Nazareth was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He was incarnated, God in human flesh!

                     IN THE BOSOM OF THE FATHER!

     All those who reject Jesus Christ as God the Son Who came to this earth to save lost humanity by the Sacrifice of Himself and to meet the demands of Divine Justice, will not be saved. And all those who receive Him as the Christ the King, their Saviour and Lord will be saved!

     When the Eternal Son of God was born of a human mother without the aid of a human father that is the miracle of INCARNATION, meaning ‘God in human flesh’.

     Jesus Christ was True God and True Man while He walked this earthly sod! The Word of God states: “No man hath seen God at any time; the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, which is in the BOSOM of the Father, He hath declared Him.” (John 1: 18) The Apostle John was a young man who had absolute faith in Jesus of Nazareth. He was the closest to our Lord and is called the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” (John 20: 2; 21:20)

    "Now there was leaning on Jesus' BOSOM one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved." (John 13: 23). John understood the fact that Jesus had come from God and is always in the "Bosom of the Father."

    What that term means is, that the relationship between Jesus of Nazareth and His Heavenly Father had NOT been broken when He was incarnated to die as God's Pascal Lamb for the sins of the world! He was still in His Father and the Father was still in Him through the Blessed Holy Spirit!

    Dr. Henry Morris writes: “In that wonderful O.T. prophecy about His coming human birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5: 2) we are told that His ‘goings forth from the bosom of the Father.’

    “As noted in John 1: 18, He was still in the bosom of the Father” even while He was on earth manifesting the Father. These truths are beyond our full comprehension, of course, for they are all part of the great mystery of the Triune God.”

     Concerning Micah 5: 2, the Pulpit Commentator states: “Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting…The Fathers see in it a declaration of the eternal generation of the Son: He who was born in time at Bethlehem hath an eternal existence…

    “To Christians, who believe in the mystery of the Holy Trinity, the plural would express the continual generation of the Son from the Father from everlasting and to everlasting, never beginning and never ending; as the Council of Lateran says,         "Without beginning ever and without end, the Father begetting, the Son being born (nascens), and the Holy Ghost proceeding."

  The bosom is where the heart is and from which Love is generated. The BOSOM is a place of rest and peace. The name of God, El Shaddai has the meaning, "the Breasted One". He is our sustenance and nourishment. He feeds, heals and keeps His mighty hand of protection and love upon us!

    The union between God the Father and His Only Begotten Son during His earthly ministry is a Mystery. Some misguided theologians believe that Jesus emptied Himself completely during His incarnation, but that would have destroyed the UNITY of the Godhead.

    That teaching is not biblical. It is spurious and utter nonsense! How could Jesus, Who was TRUE God from eternity and TRUE man by His Virgin Birth, suddenly no longer be God?

   The Bible says that He created the worlds and keeps the solar system functioning perfectly by His WORD. If He abdicated the throne for three years, there would no longer be a cosmos or a liveable earth!

    “God … hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom He had appointed heir of all things, by also HE MADE THE WORLDS; Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His Person, and UPHOLDING ALL THINGS by the Word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High.” (Heb: 1-3)

JESUS WAS FULLY GOD & FULLY MAN!

    Jesus Christ never stopped being God the Son! He was in the BOSOM of His Father from Eternity, during His INCARNATION (God in human flesh) and is now and forevermore! During His time on earth, He was Fully God and Fully Man!

    St. Paul stated: “Jesus (Who) being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion of a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Phil.2: 6-8)

    Jesus CONCEALED His divinity even to His disciples for a time, so that He could finish His work before His sacrificial death for us all. His true identity was revealed to Peter, James and John on the Mount of transfiguration, when Almighty God stated: “This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him.” (Matt.17:5)

    The Bible records: “And (He) was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light... and when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 
   "And Jesus came and touched them, and said arise, Be not afraid....Jesus charged them, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man is risen again from the dead” (John 17: 2-9)

    JOHN CALVIN stated: “He continued to retain His divinity entire though it was concealed under the veil of flesh. There are good reasons why He enjoined His disciples to keep silence, til He be risen from the dead...And indeed, the disciples would not have believed it, if Christ had not given a more striking PROOF of His glory in the resurrection.

     “But after that His divine power had been openly displayed that temporary exhibition of His glory began to be admitted so as to make it fully evident, that even during that time, that He emptied Himself.”

    Jesus Christ never stopped being God the Son! He was in the BOSOM of His Father from Eternity, during His INCARNATION (God in human flesh) and is NOW and forevermore! During His time on earth, He was Fully God and Fully Man!

   This same union exists between Jesus and “the sons of God” through the New Birth. He is in us and we are in Him. (1 Jn.3:1, 2; Rom.8:15-17). And in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, between the Bride and the Bridegroom.

    The Church is the Bride and Jesus is the Bridegroom. John the Baptist stated: “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which stands and heareth Him, rejoices greatly because of the Bridegroom’s voice: This my joy therefore is fulfilled.” (John 3:29)

    JESUS is also pictured as the Good Shepherd. He said: “I am the Good Shepherd and know My sheep, and am known of Mine. As the Father knows Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep.” (John 10: 14, 15)

     He told the parable of the sheep lost in the wilderness, which the shepherd searched for and found: “And when he had found it, he laid it upon his shoulders, rejoicing.” (Luke 15: 4-6)

    The Bible states: “He shall feed His flock like a Shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His BOSOM, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” (Is.40:11)

    Here is another Scripture that modernist theologians have used to diminish the truth of Jesus of Nazareth being fully God and fully man. And, unfortunately, many unknowing preachers have fallen for it!

"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON into the world, that we might live through Him." (I John 4:9). We have life though our Lord Jesus Christ, Whom God sent "to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4: 10)

  The word propitiation means satisfaction, covering and expiation. This means that the sacrificial all-atoning death of Jesus Christ, satisfied the Demands of Divine Justice to appease the wrath of God against the sins of a rebellious human race from the time of Adam.

THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD!

    We find the unique phrase, "the only begotten Son", also in John 1: 14, 18; John 3:16 in the Authorized King James Version, New King James Version, Amplified and the New American Standard Bible. Unfortunately, most of the other versions have exchanged the original words to unique Son of God, only Son of God, One and only Son of God.

    The Bible states: “"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:1-3)

    These verses inform us that Jesus Christ is the Creator of the worlds and all things therein! St. John states: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the ONLY BEGOTTEN OF THE FATHER, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

     Again St. John writes: “No man hath seen God at any time; the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him" (John 1:18)

   DR. HENRY MORRIS states: “The Greek word for "only begotten" is monogenes, the very form of which clearly denotes "only generated." As monotheism connotes only one God and monosyllable means a word of only one syllable, so monogenes means only one genesis or only one generated--or, more simply, only begotten. It does not mean "one," or even "one and only." It is worth noting that, although Christ is called the Son, or Son of God, frequently in the New Testament, He is never (in the Greek original) called the "only" son of God.

    The fact is, that to call Him the only Son of God would make the Bible contradict itself, for He is not the only Son of God, and certainly not the "one and only" Son of God. Angels are several times called the sons of God (e.g., Job 38:7) since they had no fathers, being directly created by God.

   Likewise, Adam was called the son of God (Luke 3:38), because he was directly created. The same applies even to fallen angels (Genesis 6:2), and even to Satan (Job 1:6), because they also were created beings. The term is also used in a spiritual sense, of course, for those who have become "new creations" in Christ Jesus by faith (II Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10; etc.).

     In this sense, we also are "sons of God" (e.g., I John 3:2) by special creation? not physically but spiritually. But it is never applied in this sense to Christ, for He is not a created son of God (as the Jehovah's Witnesses and other cultists teach), but a begotten Son of God -- in fact, the only begotten Son of God.

    He never had a beginning, for He was there in the beginning (John 1:1). In His prayer to the Father in the upper room, He spoke of "the glory which I had with thee before the world was" (John 17:5).

BEHOLD, A VIRGIN SHALL CONCEIVE!

     Nothing could be clearer than Dr. Henry Morris’ Commentary on the unique phrase “only begotten” which can used for Christ Jesus alone!

   Seven hundred years before the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, Isaiah prophesied his VIRGIN BIRTH: “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Is. 7: 14)

    St. Luke chronicles the glorious Christmas Story of Archangel Gabriel’s visit to a Jewish Virgin called Miriam (Mary) to inform her of God’s great plan of Redemption that would involve her.

    He said: “Fear not, Mary: For thou hast found favour with God. And, behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: And the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His Father David:

    “And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:28-35)

    To confirm His Words to Mary, God sent His Angel to Joseph, her fiancé. Naturally. he was upset and confused at the news of Mary’s pregnancy.

JESUS CHRIST SAVIOUR SON OF GOD!

    The Angel of God reassured him: “Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shall call Him JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sins.

   “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matt.1:20-23)

    John’s Gospel is about God the Son becoming a man through the INCARNATION (God in human flesh) which is the greatest miracle this world has ever witnessed. More than 700 years before His Virgin birth in Bethlehem, the prophet Isaiah made this prophetic utterance:

    “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign, Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

    Leading Hebrew scholars state that “a virgin” is better read “the virgin”. The Hebrew definite article ha indicates that a specific woman is in view. The word virgin used here is the unique Hebrew term ‘almah.’ A comparison of the six other instances where it occurs (Gen.24:43; Ex. 2:8; Ps.68: 25; Prov. 30: 19. Song 1: 5, 8) shows that it is the most precise term the prophet could have chosen to indicate that the young woman in view was indeed a virgin. The more common word betulah is used twice to refer to a married woman (Deut.22: 19 and Joel 1: 8)

   Thus the Septuagint Translation of ‘almah’ as Parthenos (virgin) is correct, as is Matthew 1:23. Shall conceive is a feminine adjective connected with an active participle (“bearing”) and should be translated “is pregnant”.

    Thus the scene is present to the prophet’s view and he sees the pregnant virgin about to bear a Son. That this prophecy must refer to the virgin birth of Christ is obvious since the virgin is pregnant and is still a virgin. Immanuel is a symbolic name meaning God is with us. He is the incarnate Son of God Who is further pictured as the Christ-Prince in Isaiah 9:6. –Taken from Nelson Study Bible

NO-ONE ACCEPTED LUTHER’S CHALLENGE!

   MARTIN LUTHER threw out this challenge: “If a Jew or a Christian or a Mohammedan can prove to me that in any other passage of Scripture ‘almah’ means a married woman, I will give him a hundred florins, although God only knows where I may find them.”

      No-one took him up on his challenge!

    Never in the history of mankind has a virgin given birth to a baby without a man’s seed through sexual intercourse or artificial insemination! Of such importance was the sign that God gave concerning the birth of His Son that the prophet emphasized: “The Lord Himself shall give you a sign.”

     The Holy Scripture says: “Behold while he (Joseph) thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream saying, Joseph thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

   “And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins. Now, all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the LORD by the prophet, saying, Behold a VIRGIN shall be with child, and shall bring forth a SON, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, GOD WITH US.” (Matt.1: 20-25)

    Jesus of Nazareth was born to die. He was born crucified! Facing the humiliation of the cross, He said: “Now is My soul troubled’ and what shall I say, save Me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.” (John 12: 27)

                          THE MAN WHO STILL LIVES!

     After his much-publicized conversion to our Lord Jesus Christ, 

Malcolm Muggeridge - former Marxist, celebrated writer, 

broadcaster and actor - poured his time and talents into writing 

Christian apologetics which portray a Living Saviour! In his book 

‘The Man Who Lives’ Muggeridge wrote:

“That the resurrection happened, and that in the consequence of it 

Jesus’ followers who had scattered drew together again, and 

resolved to go about their Master’s business, seems to me 

indubitably true.

“Likewise Jesus claims to be the Light of the World and His 

related promise that through Him we may be reborn into new men, 

liberated from servitude to the ego and our appetites into the

 glorious liberty of the children of God…

“If the story of Jesus ended on Golgotha, it would indeed be of a 

Man Who Died, but as two thousand years later the Man’s 

promise that ‘where two or three are gathered in My Name, there 

I am in midst of them’ manifestly still holds, it is actually the 

story of a Man Who Lives.”

 Muggeridge’s counsel to a troubled world is worth listening to. He 

writes: “Christ is the only answer to an insane world…they will not

 understand that the trouble with the western civilization is not 

economics, but more – good and evil! They are thinking they can

 make things work by policies, inventions, but man will never live 

on this planet without God.”

JESUS CHRIST IS DOOR TO GOD!

    Jesus Christ stated: “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:32, 36); “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth give I unto thee. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)
     Jesus said: "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father but by Me." (John 14: 6): "I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and kill and destroy: I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly." (John 10: 9,10)

    He wants to be your Lord and Saviour! Open your heart to Him

and He will come into your heart and life. He will forgive all your

sins and take away the condemnation in your conscience. He will 

heal the hurts in your spirit, soul and body because He is the Great

 Physician!

 He invites: “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear

 My voice, and open the door (of his heart) I will come in to him 

and will sup (fellowship) with him and he with Me.” (Rev.3: 20)

     He is the Sin Bearer. He is the Heart Healer. He is the Mind

 Restorer. He is the Great Physician. He is the Demon Expeller. He 

is the Holy Ghost Baptizer. He is the Joy Bringer. He is the Fear 

Remover. He is the Prince of Peace. He is the Liberator of 

mankind and the Saviour of the World! Amen.