“What
then, shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace. Know ye
not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether
to sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6: 15, 16).
“For
we have not an high Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let
us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15, 16)
CHRIST CRUCIFIED,
RISEN & COMING!
Our agenda is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to as many as
possible, as quickly as possible and in every way possible. We believe that Christ
is not only the Hope of the world, but His Gospel is the remedy for the many problems,
fears, addictions, and diseases that are plaguing mankind! And we know that we
have a limited time to get the job done, because surely our Lord will SOON return!
It is therefore essential that we utilize
every possible means available to make Christ’s name known, loved and trusted,
while we have the opportunity. By means of the internet we can reach behind the
communist walls, iron curtains, Islamic torture regimes and capitalist nations!
In the April 2002 issue of the Cry of His Coming magazine, p.16, now on the internet,
is the wonderful testimony of Healing and Deliverance in the life of Svein Erik Aasmul of Lyngdal, Norway:
“When
I was about 15 or 16 years of age, I got hooked on heroin and for 10 long
years, I was in and out of institutions and prisons because of my addiction to
drugs. Nothing helped and my addition grew worse and I would use any drug I could
get my hands on – heroin, amphetamine as well as alcohol.
MAX SOLBBREKKEN CRUSADE!
One day in March 1998 I heard about a Max
Solbrekken Crusade in Bergen and somehow in my stupor of drugs and alcohol I
got to his meeting. A group of Canadian Indians called the ‘Resurrection
Band’ led by Len Laboucan, were singing and playing their instruments.
Pastor Max preached about Jesus Christ and
His power to save, heal and deliver. He told in graphic detail how Jesus had
suffered for our sins. I went forward to receive Jesus as my Saviour, and to be
healed of my terrible addictions! After the meeting I went outside to take a
fix, but the needle didn’t work. Then, I realized that I was free from all drug
addiction.
Later, I checked myself into the Evangelistic
Rehab Centre. After a year there, I moved to Tonsberg and began to work, something
I had hardly ever done in my life. There, I met a lovely young lady named Gunhild
and we got married. We are now living in Lyndal and are awaiting the arrival of
a baby this summer.
I have been drug and alcohol free since March 1998 (4 ½ years) and all the glory and honour goes to Jesus! And I have a good job as a welder. It’s good to have a new foundation in life, one that you can trust in all situations. All honour and glory to Jesus!
GOD ANOINTED JESUS OF NAZARETH!
The Bible says: “How God anointed Jesus of
Nazareth who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of
devil; for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things which
He did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and
hanged on a tree:
“Him God raised up the third day and showed Him openly; not
to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did
eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead. And He commanded us
to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is He which was ordained of God
to be the Judge of quick and dead.
“To Him give all the prophets witness,
that through His Name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of
sins.” (Acts
10: 38-43)
St. Peter declared: “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with
corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by
tradition from your fathers: but with the precious blood of Christ,
as of a lamb without blemish or spot:
“Who verily was ordained before
the foundation of the world but was manifest in these days for
you, who by Him do believe in God, that raised
Him up from the dead, and gave Him glory: that your faith and hope might be in God.” (1 Peter 1:18-21)
St. Paul unveiled for us, that in the council of Heaven, before the world
was created, the Triune God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) made the “Blood
of the Everlasting Covenant” for the Redemption of Mankind!
He declared: “Now the God of peace,
that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the
sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect
in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing
in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to Him be glory for ever and ever.” (Hebrew
13: 20, 21)
In His great wisdom to redeem Adam’s fallen race, Almighty God entered human
history through the incarnation of His only begotten Son Jesus
Christ and His sacrificial death for the sins of the entire world, past,
present and future!
FOR THIS PURPOSE!
St. John declared: “He that committeth sin is of devil: for the devil sinneth
from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested
that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John
3:8).
The
very purpose of His Incarnation was to save us all from spiritual
death and deliver us from the Wicked One. Our Saviour said: “The thief cometh
not, but for to steal, and to kill and to destroy: I am come that they may have
LIFE, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
Jesus Christ, God the Son was manifested
to destroy Satan and his works of sin, fear, disease, death, poverty, and demon
possession!
St. Paul declared: “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of
flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through Death
He might Destroy him that had the power over death, that is the Devil.
And Deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage.” (Hebrews 2: 14-15)
JESUS not only preached repentance
and healed the sick and cast out devils, but He commanded His disciples,
apostles, and followers to do the same. Here is His Great Commission: “And He
said unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every
creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but He that believeth
not shall be damned.
“And these Signs shall follow them
that believe; In My Name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new
tongues; they shall take up serpents (like Paul in Malta); and if they drink
any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and
they shall recover.” (Mark 16: 15-18)
“And being assembled together with them, commanded
them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the
promise of the Father, which sayeth He ye have heard of Me. For John
truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many
days hence.
“But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and
ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1: 8)
“So
then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into Heaven, and
sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached everywhere,
the Lord working with them, and confirming the Word with signs following.”
(Mark 16: 19, 20)
GOD SHOWED UP IN POWER!
Did JESUS keep His Word? The answer is a
resounding, ‘Yes’! He kept His Word to them, and He still fulfills His Word today.
He cannot make a mistake. He cannot fail.
He cannot lie. “Jesus Christ the “same, yesterday, today and forever.” (Hebrews
13:8). He said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No
man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6);
The Bible says: “And when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were
all of one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of
a rushing Mighty Wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And
there appeared unto them cloven tongues as of FIRE, and it sat upon each of
them.
“And they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost, and began to speak in tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And
they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are all these
Galileans in our own tongues, wherein we were born? …we do hear them speak the
wonderful works of God…
Three thousand souls believed and were
born again after hearing St. Peter’s great Pentecostal Message, on Jesus of
Nazareth’s sacrificial death and glorious resurrection from the dead three
later, according to the Holy Scriptures!
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be
baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,
and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Then they that gladly received
His word were baptized and the same day there were added unto them about three
thousand souls.” (Acts 1: 4-8; 2:1-44)
WITH SIGNS FOLLOWING!
“Now Peter
and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth
hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid
daily at the gate of the temple which is
called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered it the temple; Who seeing
Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
“And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And
he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said,
“Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee; In the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.
“And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up: and immediately
his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked,
and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping and praising God: And
all the people saw walking and leaping, and praising God.
“And they knew that
it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were
filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him. And as
the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together
unto them in the porch called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.
GOD HATH GLORIFIED HIS SON!
“And
when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people. Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye
at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or
holiness we had
made this man to walk?
“The
God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our father, hath glorified
His Son Jesus: whom ye delivered up, and denied Him in the presence of Pilate,
when he was determined to let Him go.
“But ye denied the Holy One and the Just
and desired a murderer to be granted unto you. And killed the Prince of Life,
whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses, And His Name through
faith in His Name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the
faith which is by Him hath given Him
this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” (Acts 3: 1-16)
What had happened there? The Church which Jesus Christ established when
He poured out the Holy Spirit was functioning as it was designed to do! The
birth of the Church on the Day of Pentecost had set a great revival in motion! It was functioning in perfect harmony with the
promise Jesus Christ.
He said: “REPENT ye therefore, and be ye converted,
that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from
the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ which before was
preached unto you: Whom the Heaven must receive until the times of restitution of
all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since
the world began.
“Unto you first God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless
you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” (Acts 3:19-21,26)
JUSTIFIED BY JESUS’
BLOOD!
The Bible states: “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, 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 reconciled by His life.” (Romans 5: 8-10)
We are forgiven, pardoned, cleansed, liberated, delivered, and born
again through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. He graciously bestows upon us
total freedom and liberty in the Holy Spirit, and through His stripes we are divinely
healed from all sickness and diseases!
“He
(Abraham) staggered not at the Promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in
faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that what He had promised,
He was able also to perform. And therefore, it was imputed to him for righteousness.
“Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that raised
up Jesus Christ from the dead: Who was delivered for our offences, and was
raised again for our justification.” (Romans 4: 20-25)
Herein lies the Key! Do we totally believe that Jesus Christ was fully
God who was incarnated (God in human flesh) and became fully
man so that He could suffer, bleed and die to redeem us by meeting the
righteous demands of divine justice to satisfy the wrath of God against the
sins of Adam and the human race?
If we by God’s grace and through
divine faith reach that threshold of fellowship with the Father through His Son,
the Holy Spirit will lead us into a place where the impossible becomes possible. I believe that is when the Faith of Jesus supplants
our imperfect faith!
I DIDN’T HAVE THE FAITH!
During our crusades in Eastern Europe in the early 1990s, a
Ukrainian team and I were ministering in several towns and villages. The Norwegian
Pentecostals had donated a large tour bus to a group of young preachers in Truskevets
which we used on several occasions while ministering across Ukraine. The authorities
were so helpful as we were able to set up our PA equipment and conduct services
in desirable locations.
Many happily made decisions to follow Jesus Christ and there were some
notable answers to prayer among the sick and suffering. On one occasion we experienced
an amazing miracle. The town had a population of 2,000 and a large crowd
attended, seated on the grass or on chairs they had brought. During my message,
a young lady jumped to her feet and rushed forward with her 3-year-old son in
her arms, followed by her husband and about 16 other people. She blurted out, “My
son has just died.”
I
asked my interpreter if he knew those people, and he replied: “Yes, they
are the only Protestants here and their church has 22 members and is called ‘The
Believers’.
The
parents have attended several of our crusades, begging us to have a service in
their town because their little son is incurably sick. He was born with a
congenital heart disease and they have been told by the doctors to stop rushing
him into the hospital, because he is beyond hope! They would say, “He
will die tomorrow. Don’t bother us!”
I asked the mother if everyone there knew them, and she replied that
they did. Then I asked the large congregation if they knew that couple, and
they shouted back that they knew them. I asked, “Do you believe the boy
is dead and did they believe that God would bring him back to life.”
They
said that little boy should have died before and that they believed God would
raise him up. They stated that the parents told them that their son would be
healed and that is why they came to the meeting!
I asked everyone to stand to their feet, lift
their hands toward God and pray after me. We prayed a lengthy prayer
asking God for forgiveness and inviting Christ to come into their hearts. We
prayed the Lord’s Prayer. After that, we made the Confession of Faith and the Prayer
of thanksgiving!
Then, I prayed for mercy and grace and for faith to believe that God
would grant a miracle. I was overwhelmed by the great challenge as I had
never been in such a situation before. They had come to see God heal the
little boy and now it was too late! Up to this point, I did not have the
faith to command the little boy to come back to life.
In desperation, I began to praise God for His faithfulness while
confessing my weakness and lack of power. Suddenly, something happened to me and I felt
God’s power moving in me. I reached over and touched the little boy, commanding
the spirit of death to leave and his spirit to come back into him. I asked God
for a miracle of healing in his body, in Jesus’ mighty Name!
At that moment,
his left leg moved out and so did his right arm. I asked for a cup of water and
in the name of Jesus Christ, I threw it into his face. His eyes opened and
almost immediately he was on the floor walking about.
The whole crowd came alive and were excitedly rejoicing and worshipping God. Jesus had performed a mighty miracle and proved to them that He is Alive! To God be all the honour, power and glory! Amen.
