Channelofhealing

PROPHETIC PREACHING -by A.W. Tozer.

If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation, it must be by other means
than any now being used. If the Church in the second half of this
century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half,
there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-
synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man
who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions,
nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the
Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried
and found wanting.

Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be
of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and
has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray
God there will be not one but many), he will stand in flat contradiction
to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will
contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn
the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom.
Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, Read the rest of this entry »

Life Changing Sermons by Dr. Jack Hyles, SO YOU ARE OUT OF GOD’S WILL by Pastor Jack Hyles (Chapter 27 from Dr. Hyle’s excellent book, Blue Denim and Lace)

“There came then His brethren and His mother, and standing without, sent unto Him, calling Him.” (Mark 3:31) “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work.” (John 4:34) Most Christians at one time or another find themselves at least a bit out of the will of God. As someone has said, “It is not a sin for a bird to land on your head, but it is a sin for you to allow him to build a nest there.” It is easy to get out of the will of God. It is hard to get back in the will of God. The following thoughts are given to those who have slipped out of God’s will:

1. If the door is still open, go back through it. If a pastor has left a church and he should not have left, and if the church is still pastorless, he may go back. If the job is still open, the one who left may return. If one has gone to the wrong school, he may go to the right school. If one has entered the wrong profession, he may rectify that by entering the right profession. If one is engaged to the wrong girl or boy, he can break the engagement. In other words, if one does not perform wrong by doing so, he should re-enter the door through which he left the will of God. Read the rest of this entry »

PRAISE REPORT.

I thank God Almighty and our Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour for the miracle he performed in my life from mid February till date.

I fell ill and after being treated of Malaria, I travelled home to my hometown for my mothers’ memorial service. On getting home I became very sick, begged God for strength to attend the service which He answered.

After the memorial, I became very sick and was taken to a clinic in Port-Harcourt after visiting my younger sister’s church where their Bishop prayed for me before going for admission. I went for admission twice in a space of one week, the treatment was not working so I discharged myself and told the Bishop that I was going back to Lagos to undergo further test/treatments.

My veins/blood vessels collapsed, my womb collapsed, My Bladder and all organs were falling me for they were no longer functioning as they should and I was in a lot of pain for I was mostly unconscious of where I was during the 2 weeks in and out of hospital, my Children where Praying and crying for me to return home alive . . . and God answered them!

By the grace of God, in Lagos, the test revealed otherwise, that I was suffering from low-blood sugar  instead of what the Doctor in Port-Harcourt record/treated.(it was abnormally low even the Nurses were surprised for they haven’t seen that type of low sugar before now) I have being treated accordingly and I am strong now. God saved me and didn’t let me to go into shock for I was almost dead but God healed me am I am healed by the stripes of Jesus and the words of my testimonies. I shall not die but live to declare the words of the Lord.

My testimony is huge but I give all praise, honor, adoration, thanks to God Almighty. Amen.

February 14, 2009 Terry Neal The Hamilton Spectator(Feb 14, 2009)

A new faith needed to unify humankind as we march into future

We need faith, but the faiths of our fathers are tired now, or are spent forces. We must recognize this.

Barack Obama is now leader of the most influential nation on earth. Are we yet capable of dancing to his song of hope?

Obama was elected by default by a desperate nation drowning in faithlessness and cynicism. He was simply the best bet for change.

This bleak outlook is the chronic disease of our day. We are pessimistic about our economic and ecological futures. We distrust government officials, officers of the law, bureaucrats and the principles of big business (while we scramble to enhance our own bottom line.) We doubt the trustworthiness and ambitions of people of other colours and other religions. We have our phones and e-mails rigged to monitor the fidelity of our mates.

We are a society shorn of hope and faith.

Every past society that devolved to a world view only admitting the materiality of the physical world eventually disintegrated. On the other hand, every political and spiritual genius of his particular time understood human nature and its needs. Those superior minds attempted to unite people "in one mind" — of moral rectitude and faith; of faith in the ultimate triumph of goodness.

The vigour of Zoroaster’s religion propelled ancient Persia to world-class status. Alexander the Great and Ptolemy Soter after him recognized the spiritual need in man and attempted to unite the Greek world with a "universal religion." Later, Caesar Augustus reinvented and reinvigorated the Roman religion, and Rome survived a few more centuries. Constantine recognized this human need and modern Christianity was born. Then came Mohammed, who lifted a fractious and barbarous people into the most civilized and scientifically advanced empire of the age.

We must seek God … or Goodness (or Love, if you prefer) for our own mental health. Belief is our sustenance as much as is the food we eat and the air we breathe. Spiritual food gives us the confidence to walk into the future with clarity and optimism. A healthy individual and a healthy society must have hope and confidence that the ultimate outcome of all things will be for the good. That is the essence of religion and has been since antiquity.

Strong beliefs bond differing minds and group into a working whole. It creates internally integrated morals — internal laws that need no outside coercion to ensure. It gives us the courage to live justly, and to die well.

If Barack Obama is indeed the political unifier that Americans — and us — have put our atrophied hopes in, perhaps he will take the steps so necessary to heal his nation of its distrust and cynicism. Perhaps he will have the courage to harness the will to believe in some transcendent goodness.

But he must lead. He must demonstrate how to believe again in what is demonstrably true: That there is something out there that is greater and grander than the individual.

We need faith, but the faiths of our fathers are tired now, or are spent forces. We must recognize this whether we are Muslims, Sikhs, Jews or Christians. We are now a global village, and only a global world view will suffice.

As in the past, this new and unifying faith must be novel, vibrant and inclusive. In this new global era of widespread education and immediate communication, this new faith must also be credible. It must align with scientifically obtained knowledge yet be aware also of the undiscoverable — the great mysteries that hold us rapt and in awe.

The marriage of a believable faith with the husbandry of government is the union that must be contracted.

Only then can there be a United Nations, only then shall we have peace on Earth and goodwill toward all.

Terry Neal lives in Stoney Creek.

Following a previous post here about the British Nurse that offered to pray for a Patient am glad to announce that has been reinstated after being suspended without pay. I say All glory be to God in the Highest for fighting for His daughter(Caroline Petrie). For She has Victory in Jesus Mighty name Amen!!!

Victory for suspended Christian nurse

Caroline Petrie, who has been reinstated

Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent

A nurse who was suspended without pay for asking a patient whether she would like to be prayed for has been reinstated and will return to work in the next few days.

Caroline Petrie, from Weston-super-Mare, who was subjected to disciplinary action even though the patient did not complain, was told yesterday that she could resume her duties by North Somerset Primary Care Trust.

Mrs Petrie, an evangelical Christian and mother of two, was suspended after her employers discovered that she had asked a patient whether she would like prayers to be said for her. Although the patient was not offended, the incident was reported.

Last week Mrs Petrie, who was supported by the Christian Legal Centre, was summoned to a disciplinary hearing on the basis that she had failed to demonstrate a “personal and professional commitment to equality and diversity” by offering her prayers.

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Last night Mrs Petrie told Channel 4 News: “When I asked her \ the question I saw she didn’t actually look offended at all. Her body language was quite relaxed. She was happy in my presence. It was just basically ’no thank you’.

“I’m happy to pray for anybody. I think the issue is she felt possibly there may be somebody who might be offended by the question of somebody saying would you like prayer.”

When asked if she would do it again, Mrs Petrie replied: “Yes.” She added: “I would like to get this issue resolved and I’m absolutely delighted that I have been offered to go back.”

In a statement last night, North Somerset Primary Care Trust said that it recognised Mrs Petrie had been acting in the “best interests of her patients”, that nurses did not have to “set aside their faith” in the workplace and could “continue to offer high quality care for patients while remaining committed to their beliefs”. The trust also admitted that, for some, prayer is recognised as an “integral part of health care and the healing process”.

Sir Patrick Cormack, the Tory MP for South Staffordshire and a committed Anglican, told Parliament that the case illustrated the “utter absurdities” of political correctness.

Andrea Williams, director of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “This is a great victory for Mrs Petrie and for common sense. It highlights the importance of being able to take personal faith into the workplace.”

The trust’s change of heart comes as the Government is planning to tighten up rules on how far religious believers can go when working in the public sector, or in receipt of public funds for charities in communicating their faith.

According to a document published by the Department of Health last month, any attempt by a doctor or nurse to proselytise at work will be considered harassment or intimidation and subject to disciplinary action.

Religion or Belief: A Practical Guide for the NHS, states preaching or attempting to convert people at work “can cause many problems, as non-religious people and those from other religions or beliefs could feel harassed and intimidated by this behaviour”. The guide says that nurses should be allowed to wear religious dress, symbols and jewellery unless they conflict with health and safety procedure.

Hazel Blears, the Communities Secretary, has told faith groups that the Government is working on proposals that would ban them from using public funds to proselytise. Speaking at the Evangelical Alliance Life Beyond Debt conference in London on Thursday, she said religious charities would be asked to sign a “charter of excellence”.

Patients groups supported Mrs Petrie. George Robins, co-director of Patient Concern, said: “Nurses should do what they think is best for the patient. A lot of people find it very comforting to have someone praying for them.”

By David J. Stewart, 

"The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed… When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel" (Matthew 8:8,10).

The Bible tells us of a Roman centurion (a centurion was in authority over 100 soldiers) who had a sickly servant. The centurion humbly came to Jesus and asked for the Lord to heal his friend. Jesus said he would come heal the sick servant. Then the centurion said something to Jesus that impressed Him greatly. Whatever it was that the centurion said, Jesus told the crowd that He’d not found so great a faith in all of Israel. This is quite remarkable.

Now when Jesus says that He hasn’t found so great faith in all of Israel, we ought to sit at the edge of our chair and pay close attention to what the centurion said. What was it that this man said that impressed Jesus so greatly? Hebrews 11:6 states, "But 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." Since it is faith that pleases God, and this centurion had the greatest faith in Israel, then we ought to seriously ponder over the words that he spoke to Jesus. What did this centurion say to Jesus?

Let’s read Matthew 8:5-10…

"And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." —Matthew 8:5-10

The centurion had so much faith in Jesus that He recognized the power of Jesus’ very Words. This man had faith in the Word of God! The centurion was a man of authority and recognized Jesus’ omnipotence. There is no greater faith than to trust the Words of God, i.e., the Bible.

The Word of God is Above the Name of Jesus

"I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." —Psalm 138:2

There is NO name any greater than the name of "Jesus"; yet the Bible proclaims in Psalm 138:2 that the Word of God is ABOVE the name of God. Philippians 2:9-11 state…

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Why does God elevate His Word above His holy name? It’s because God is only as trustworthy as His Word. We’ve all heard the saying, "A man is only as good as his word." We’ll, the same holds true for God. If God’s Word is not correct and reliable, then God is unfair and dishonest for misleading us. If Jesus wasn’t referring to literal fire and torment in Luke 16:19-31, then He was misleading His listeners. Jesus plainly states in John 14:1,2… "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." Jesus said what He meant, and meant what He said. God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). John 18:20 states, "Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing." Beware of all these quacks nowadays who claim to have discovered "new" and "secret" revelations, codes and hidden messages in the Bible. Not so! Jesus said He spoke OPENLY TO THE WORLD. Amen!

The Bible contains literally THOUSANDS of promises from God, and you can rest assure that He will faithfully fulfill every one of them. God’s credibility is important to Him, which is why He gave the rainbow to mankind as a token of His promise never to destroy the world again by flooding (Genesis 9:12-17). The rainbow is a frequent reminder that God keeps all His promises. Jesus is Precious!

Salvation is of the Heart

There are many naysayers, skeptics and mockers in the world today (as there were in Jesus’ time). They continually place God on trial and demand "proof" of everything. Something is wrong with their heart. Interesting, 2nd Corinthians 4:4 teaches that Satan blinds the MIND on unbelievers to prevent them from getting saved; but the Bible plainly declares in Romans 10:9,10 that salvation is of the HEART…

"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (2nd Corinthians 4:4).

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:9,10).

Salvation is NOT an intellectual experience, nor a philosophy that one adopts; it is trusting in one’s heart upon the Lord Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God Who washes away our sins… "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins."

The Greatest Faith is to Trust God’s Word,  

The greatest faith in the world is to simply trust upon the Word of God, i.e., to take God at His Word. When God doesn’t answer your prayers—trust His Word. When you don’t see God working in your life—trust God’s Word. When everything seems so wrong, and the walls are closing in around you, and you just don’t want to face another day of life—trust God’s Word. When all hope seems lost, and things just couldn’t seem to get worse—trust God’s Word. When people hurt you, and defraud you, and hypocritically judge you—trust God’s Word. When others hurt your feelings and do you wrong—trust God’s Word. When you don’t understand why the world is so messed up and children are starving to death daily—trust God’s Word. Trust what God hath promised and know that He is God. While the heathen world relentlessly places God on trial, let every believer proclaim with the psalmist in 136:1… "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." God is a good God.

I don’t need to see signs or evidences from God, I trust His Word. I don’t need to experience visions or dreams from God, I trust His Word. I don’t need to understand "why" things are the way they are, I trust His Word. I trust God’s Word, and that’s all that matters. If my health is gone, and my wife is gone, and my job is gone, and my happiness is gone… "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him" (Job 13:15).

Halleluyah to the Lamb of Glory

By Pastor Aiden Wilson Tozer

WE ARE A BAD LOT, WE SONS OF ADAM. One convincing proof of our inherent badness is the way we manage to turn good into evil and make our very blessings a curse to us.  Indeed I think a strong case can be made for the belief that sin is merely righteousness in reverse and evil but perverted good.  Sin is at bottom the abuse of things in themselves innocent, an illegitimate use of legitimate gifts.
We Christians are cut from the same bolt as the rest of mankind, and while we have been made partakers of a new nature we have not yet been entirely divested of the old.  For this reason we are under constant temptation to lapse into the flesh and manifest the old nature rather than the new.  I know the arguments against this, but they have never seemed very convincing to me, especially when those who advance them are as likely as not to reveal pretty plain evidences of the old nature before the argument is ended.
Because we are so very human there is real danger that we may inadvertently do the human thing and turn our blessings upside down. Unless we watch and pray in dead earnest we may turn our good into evil and make the grace of God a trap instead of a benefit.
Among the purest gifts we have received from God is truth.  Another gift almost as precious, and without which the first would be meaningless, is our ability to grasp truth and appreciate it.  For these priceless treasures we should be profoundly grateful; for them our thanks should rise to the Giver of all good gifts throughout the day and in the night seasons.  And because these and all other blessings flow to us by grace without merit or worth on our part, we should be very humble and watch with care lest such undeserved favors, if unappreciated, be taken from us.
Men are notoriously lacking in gratitude. Bible history reveals that Israel often took God’s gifts too casually and so turned their blessings into a curse.  This human fault appears also in the New Testament, and the activities of Christians through the centuries show that as Christ was followed by Satan in the wilderness so truth is often accompanied by a strong temptation to pride.  The very truth that makes men free may be and often is fashioned into chains to keep them in bondage.  And never forget it: there is no pride so insidious and yet so powerful as the pride of orthodoxy.
Snobbery is the child of pride.  Pride at first may be eager and ambitious as it tries to make a place for itself or to prove that it has already attained that place.  Later it loses its eager quality and becomes defensive.  Finally it ceases to struggle or defend and accepts its own image of itself as something too well established for discussion and too beautiful to improve.  When it reaches that stage it has produced a snob, and no snob is ever aware that he is one.
The snob whose claim to superiority is her material possessions is a comical figure, but because she is so pathetic she may with some effort be tolerated.  The snob whose glory lies in her ancestors is less easy to endure, but she may be dismissed with the remark that since all she has to be proud of is her forebears the best part of her is under ground. But what shall we say of the intellectual snob? He is unbearable, a man difficult to love and impossible to like.  A new school of evangelical Christianity has come up of late which appears to me to be in grave danger of producing a prime crop of intellectual snobs. The disciples of this school are orthodox in creed, if by that we mean that they hold the fundamental tenets of the historic faith; but right there the similarity of their school to New Testament Christianity ends.  Their spirit is quite other than the spirit of the early church.
This new breed of Christian may be identified by certain field marks.  One is the habit of puffing out the chest and uttering a noise that sounds suspiciously like crowing.  Another is the habit of nesting so high that ordinary Christians have difficulty in locating the aerie, and when they do they are unable to climb to it.  Then, the song is also quite noticeable in that it consists almost wholly of imitations.  Rarely does one of them manage to give forth an original note, but each one waits to hear what Barth or Brunner or Bultmann or Tillich has to say and then imitates it as nearly as possible, only transposing it into the orthodox key.  Their mating call is a shrill "Me too! Me too!" which may be heard any time between September and June ringing through the halls of various institutions of evangelical higher learning.
What is overlooked by this new school is that truth is not mental only but moral.  The Apostles’ Creed quoted in pride, though true, is not true for the one who thus quotes it; one indispensable quality is missing—humility.  A theological fact becomes a spiritual truth only when it is received by a humble mind.  The proud mind, however orthodox, can never know spiritual truth.  Light means nothing to a blind man.
In the Christian life we know most when we know that we do not know, and we understand best when we know that we understand little and that there is much that we will never understand.  In the Scriptures knowledge is a kind of experience and wisdom has a moral content.  Knowledge without humility is vanity.  The religious snob is devoid of truth. Snobbery and truth are irreconcilable.

by David J. Stewart

It is disturbing to find so many people that fail to believe God answers prayer. Several top “authors” and so-called “professionals” being interviewed on TV lately, have claimed that prayer is a great therapy (as an end in itself). You never hear them mention God. It is sad that prayer has been diminished to the status of going to the park to watch the birds. Prayer is not effective because it is a good therapy. Prayer is effective because there is an omnipotent (all powerful) God up in heaven that hears and answers prayer!  I am leery of bumper sticker theology.  I see bumper stickers promoting about the "Power of Prayer," but prayer is nothing without a Powerful Divine God.  I believe in the "Power of God."

Answered prayer can only happen by a miracle of God. A “Miracle” is defined in the Random House College Dictionary as “an event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a divine or supernatural cause”. In other words, GOD DID IT! Everything God does then is a miracle because His power is divine, not human or natural. When we pray, we are petitioning the Creator of the universe for a miracle. If God decides to grant our request (s), it can be nothing less than a divine miracle performed by an Almighty God.

Prayer is not to be taken lightly because God just may give you what you ask. I remember a country song by Garth Brooks, “I thank God for unanswered prayer”. He had been praying, as a youngster, for God to give him a certain girl to be his wife. God didn’t answer his request. He sees this same woman many years later, and then thanks God that his prayers were never answered! So be careful what you pray!!!

Jesus never preached an all night sermon, but he prayed all night! Luke 6:12 says concerning Jesus “He went out into a mountain to pray, and CONTINUED ALL NIGHT IN PRAYER to God.” Jesus disciples could not even watch and pray for “ONE HOUR” (Matthew 26:40,41). Are we guilty of the same negligence in prayer? The Bible says Jesus “continued”, he simply started praying and kept on praying as he felt necessary. Too many Believers center their life around the TV, not Jesus Christ.

Daniel was also a man of prayer! “…he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he KNEELED UPON HIS KNEES THREE TIMES A DAY, AND PRAYED, and GAVE THANKS before his God, AS HE DID AFORETIME” (Daniel 6:10). Daniel had a prayer life. He was about 80 years old now and kept his windows open toward Jerusalem (about 600 miles away) because that’s where his heart was. Jerusalem was his home town. He had been taken into Babylonian captivity as a young lad and longed to be back with his own people again, in the city of his God. We too, are pilgrims passing through this old dark world, and we should open the windows of our heart in prayer towards heaven (home). Daniel prayed morning, evening and afternoon! “Elijah was A MAN SUBJECT TO LIKE PASSIONS AS WE ARE, and HE PRAYED EARNESTLY THAT IT MIGHT NOT RAIN: and IT RAINED NOT on the earth by the space of three years and six months” (James 5:17). What a wonderful truth! Elijah was just a plain, common, everyday human being just like you and me; yet he obtained an answer to his prayer for something VERY BIG! That’s exactly why God is telling us about it, so we will be encouraged to do the same. Even more wonderful is that God is telling us this as pertaining to physical illness and healing. “…PRAY ONE FOR ANOTHER, THAT YE MAY BE HEALED. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous (saved) man availeth (accomplishes) much.” “Effectual” and “fervent” are words meaning ”energy”. In other words, you really mean business and are sincerely pouring your heart out to God the best you know how for a miracle. “…the PRAYER OF FAITH SHALL SAVE THE SICK…” (James 5:15). We need to pray and have “just enough” faith to simply keep praying! It matters not where the faith comes from: a child, someone at church, mom, dad (faith is faith). More than likely it was the elders of the church who had the faith, but not necessarily. It is Jesus Who heals the sick (Matthew 8:16,17), we simply must ask for the healing. “Asking” is faith in itself. One would not ask God for something without at least some degree of faith. Christ is alive today! Go to Him in prayer now.

Now here’s a heart warming truth in Acts 12:1-16. Wicked King Herod had just killed James the Apostle “with the sword”, probably by beheading. Herod saw that “it pleased the Jews”. The Jews were a wicked, rebellious people and most hated Christ. They demanded that the Roman government crucify Jesus, and they did! The persecution continued. Steven was brutally murdered by the Jews in Acts 7:54-60. Jesus, Steven and James had been slain by the Jews, who would be next? Herod now had Peter bound in prison and looked forward to killing him. “…but PRAYER WAS MADE WITHOUT CEASING of the church unto God for him” (Acts 12:5). Guess what? A miracle happened! God answered their prayers and sent an angel to rescue Peter—divine power at work! After Peter was freed, the angel departed. Now Peter comes to the house where everybody was still praying for him (vs. 12). He knocks on the door and Rhoda asks who it is. When she heard Peter’s voice, she was so happy that she ran to tell the others and forgot to open the door! They told Rhoda “THOU ART MAD”. Your nuts! Crazy! Peter was still outside knocking. The Bible says when all those who had been praying opened the door, “THEY WERE ASTONISHED” (vs. 16). “Astonished” means “to put out of wits”. In other words, their minds were amazed! Here’s the beauty of this truth— even though this group of believers didn’t have much faith, God still answered their prayers. They had so little faith that when God did answer their prayers, THEY DIDN’T BELIEVE IT! Wow! What an encouragement to pray! Praying is faith in itself! If you have JUST ENOUGH FAITH to pray (ask) God for something, that’s all the faith God requires. What a Savior! Do you have doubts? Did you know that the more doubt you have, the greater is your faith—as long as you act on the faith! Faith is believing, in spite of the doubts. No matter how much you may doubt that God will answer your prayers, if you simply ask—that’s all the faith needed for your prayer to be answered!

Likewise, all the faith you need to become a born-again believer is JUST ENOUGH. If you have “just enough” faith to “call upon the name of the Lord” (Romans 10:13), you will be saved. “Call” means “to rely upon.” Won’t you make that decision NOW to “rely” 100% upon Jesus Christ as your Savior? Admit to God you’re a sinner, deserving of hell. Ask Jesus to forgive your sins and take you to heaven when you die. Let God work the miracle of salvation in your soul now. God bless!

For Further reading on the subject of Prayer

Read my post on Prayer here

 Please Load the two videos simultaneously so you can listen to the difference in the delivery I made the first one myself from a pics of Keith and the song on my playlist the  second one I got is a live performance on youtube    

Keith Green: Asleep in The Light

Lyrics:

Do you see, do you see, all the people sinking down,

Don’t you care, don’t you care, are you gonna let them drown,

How can you be so numb, not to care if they come,

You close your eyes and pretend the job’s done.

Oh Bless me Lord, bless me Lord, you know it’s all I ever hear,

No one aches, no one hurts, no one even sheds one tear,

But He cries, He weeps, He bleeds, and He cares for your needs,

And you just lay back and keep soaking it in, oh, can’t you see it’s such sin?

Cause He brings people to your door,

And you turn them away, as you smile and say,

God bless you, be at peace, and all Heaven just weeps,

Cause Jesus came to your door, you’ve left Him out on the streets.

Open up, open up, and give yourself away,

You’ve seen the need, you hear the cry, so how can you delay,

God’s calling and you’re the one, but like Jonah you run,

He’s told you to speak, but you keep holding it in,

Oh, can’t you see it’s such sin?

The world is sleeping in the dark,

That the church can’t fight, cause it’s asleep in the light,

How can you be so dead, when you’ve been so well fed,

Jesus rose from the grave, and you, you can’t even get out of bed,

Oh, Jesus rose from the dead, come on, get out of your bed.

How can you be so numb, not to care if they come,

You close your eyes and pretend the job’s done,

You close your eyes and pretend the job’s done,

Don’t close your eyes, don’t pretend the job’s done.

Come away, come away, come away with Me, My love,

Come away, from this mess, come away with Me, My love.

Eritrean Officials Imprison 20 Members Of Underground Church

October 29th, 2008

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

WASHINGTON, DC ANS – The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) says that it has learned that Eritrean officials imprisoned about 20 Christians belonging to the underground Faith Missions Church on Sunday, October 12, 2008, in Deki-Zeru, a town 30km away from Asmara, the capital.

“The Christians were holding a Sunday morning worship service when Eritrean security forces raided the church,” said an ICC spokesperson. “The Christians, including some elderly, are still in prison.

“This is not the first time that the Eritrean officials arrested members of the Faith Mission Church. On eve of Christmas in 2007, Eritrean security forces arrested 35 members of the Church in the port city of Massawa. All the 35 Christians were later released on February 16, 2008.”

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Persecution a “Way of Life” in India

October 27th, 2008

Every day, Gospel for Asia missionaries and Bible college students make a calculated choice to serve Jesus, knowing that they could be beaten or even face martyrdom for their Christian faith.

Raju in Uttar Pradesh is one of them. So are Vikram in Delhi and several Bible college students in Maharashtra.

Anti-Christian extremists do not like the fact that Raju’s church in Uttar Pradesh has grown to more than 150 believers. And two weeks ago, they found a way to let him know it.

Around 7 p.m., returning home from visiting new believers, Raju was attacked from behind by an extremist mob of 10 people piled on three motorbikes. The radicals pushed him down and kicked him repeatedly in the face.

Raju’s own motorbike fell on him, fracturing his hand. He was also left with injuries on his face from the kicks. He was unconscious for about five hours and unable to speak for a while after being admitted to a hospital. He was released several days later and is doing much better, but doctors have advised him to rest for a few more days because of internal injuries.

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Christian Beheaded for Converting from Islam

October 27th, 2008

Compass Direct News reports that followers of the religion of peace beheaded a Somali aid worker last month because he converted from Islam to Christianity.

NAIROBI, Kenya – Among at least 24 aid workers killed in Somalia this year was one who was beheaded last month specifically for converting from Islam to Christianity, among other charges, according to an eyewitness.

Muslim extremists from the al Shabab group fighting the transitional government on Sept. 23 sliced the head off of Mansuur Mohammed, 25, a World Food Program WFP worker, before horrified onlookers of Manyafulka village, 10 kilometers six miles from Baidoa.

The militants had intercepted Mohammed and a WFP driver, who managed to escape, earlier in the morning. Sources close to Mohammed’s family said he converted from Islam to Christianity in 2005.

Read the full story at Compass Direct News.

by C. H. Spurgeon

An evil resides in the professed camp of the Lord so gross in its imprudence that the most shortsighted can hardly fail to notice it. During the past few years it has developed at an abnormal rate evil for evil. It has worked like leaven until the whole lump ferments. The devil has seldom done a more clever thing than hinting to the Church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them. From speaking out as the Puritans did, the Church has gradually toned down her testimony, then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders. Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses.

My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the Church. If it is a Christian work why did not Christ speak of it? “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” That is clear enough. So it would have been if He has added, “and provide amusement for those who do not relish the gospel” No such words, however, are to be found. It did not seem to occur to Him. Then again, “He gave some apostles, some prophets, some pastors and teachers, for the work of the ministry.” Where do entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were the prophets persecuted because they amused the people or because they refused? The concert has no martyr roll.
Again, providing amusement is in direct antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and all His apostles. What was the attitude of the Church to the world? “Ye are the salt,” not sugar candy—something the world will spite out, not swallow. Short and sharp was the utterance, “Let the dead bury their dead.” He was in awful earnestness!

Had Christ introduced more of the bright and pleasant elements into His mission, He would have been more popular when they went back, because of the searching nature of His teaching. I do not hear Him say, “Run after these people, Peter, and tell them we will have a different style of service tomorrow, something short and attractive with little preaching. We will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it. Be quick, Peter, we must get the people somehow!”

Jesus pitied sinners, sighed and wept over them, but never sought to amuse them. In vain will the Epistles be searched to find any trace of the gospel amusement. Their message is, “Come out, keep out, keep clean out!” Anything approaching fooling is conspicuous by its absence. They had boundless confidence in the gospel and employed no other weapon. After Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the Church had a prayer meeting, but they did not pray, “Lord grant Thy servants that by a wise and discriminating use of innocent recreation we may show these people how happy we are.” If they ceased not for preaching Christ, they had not time for arranging entertainments. Scattered by persecution, they went everywhere preaching the gospel. They “turned the world upside down.” That is the difference! Lord, clear the Church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed on her and bring us back to apostolic methods. Lastly, the mission of amusement fails to affect the end desired. It works havoc among young converts. Let the careless and scoffers, who thank God because the Church met them halfway, speak and testify. Let the heavy-laden who found peace through the concert not keep silent! Let the drunkard to whom the dramatic entertainment has been God’s link in the chain of their conversion, stand up! There are none to answer. The mission of amusement produces no converts. The need of the hour for today’s ministry is believing scholarship joined with earnest spirituality, the one springing from the other as fruit from the root. The need is biblical doctrine, so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.

Taken from Entertainment in the Church, edited by David and Tamra Lee

Friend, after listening to this video testimony, sent to me this morning by my very good brother  Sidhart at Imrah Ministries . . .  this was the passage that just resided in my spirit

Psalms 103:1-6 , 1 Let all that I am praise the Lord;
      with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
2 Let all that I am praise the Lord;
      may I never forget the good things he does for me.
3 He forgives all my sins
      and heals all my diseases.
4 He redeems me from death
      and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
5 He fills my life with good things.
      My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! 6 The Lord gives righteousness
      and justice to all who are treated unfairly.

I knew within me that I would not only listen to this, but would also share it on this blog,  for the wonderful people of God to see Gods awesome power. So I plead for you to listen and give God all the Glory for this mans life.

Here is A Testimony from brother Josy Kallor Thomas On how he was healed of Leukemia by our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ let me leave you to listen to him for yourself and I pray the good Lord will “OPEN THE EYES OF YOUR HEART TO SEE HIS POWER”

My journey with my lord

My Prayer for Him [Josy kallor Thomas ] is that, as he has taken the bold step of faith to testify to the healing he received from our Lord Jesus today. It is well with him and all that Jesus has done in his life shall be permanent today and forevermore Amen

THANK YOU JESUS!!!

What Stops You From Going All Out For God? Dear friend, I praise the Lord for a brand new day today, I woke up this morning and as usual I did take some time to ponder on certain issues that have been been troubling me in my ministry and my quest to press forward, right in the middle of my deep thought,  the Spirit of God asked me this question  with this gentle and quiet voice. . . “What Stops You From Going All Out For God?”  I was startled ! the question came at a time, I was considering taking a step further in my ministry and for Channel Of Healing and I thought about all the procedures/processes I would have to face in my quest to move forward. . . that made me little afraid  and I was thinking to myself . . . What if this ,what if that . . . in the course of my head almost exploding with all the fears and questions I had inside, which was been repeated  consciously and unconsciously in my mind . . .then the Voice says to me again “What Stops You From Going All Out For God?”

I knew the answer was rooted to the devil but the devil did not appear in my room to discourage me but, he used my mind and emotions and filled me with doubts/ fears with stuff like, will it succeed? Did God ask you to do that? Is God even interested in what you do?, Can’t you just continue the way you are?  who told you God cares about this part of your life? Must you change it and improve  it? etc, right there as I was laying in bed , I was taken to that scripture in the Bible in Matthew 26:6-11

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

6While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, 7a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

8When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9″This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

10Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.

 

The point of this passage in relation to what I was going through at the time was that Satan was trying to make  me not to take a step of faith in my ministry.  In the passage the disciples looked at what the woman was doing and thought it a waste . They even wanted to be more righteous than the Lord Himself, but the Lord rewarded the woman for her faithfulness to Him even as she went all out for Him  . . . Praise the Lord

I now asked myself, Will God stop me from going all out for Him? my answer was definitely NO!

Therefore I encourage you today to go all out for the Lord, incase you are like me scared stiff, ask yourself “What Stops me From Going All Out For God?”  and throw it away, is it fear, finance, family, issues of life? what ever it is, God is asking you to go all out for Him today

When Next you are planning on doing something or taking a step of faith no matter how difficult. Remember the more you delay or even contemplate further whether to obey the Lord you are opening doors for discouragement to come in. the devil will send his little demons to each ear and keep bombarding you with the endless problems you would face should you go all out for God.  For those of us who have already taken a step of faith in ministry I congratulate an Pray that may our God richly  reward  all your efforts with success in Jesus Mighty Name Amen.  .  . THANK YOU HOLY SPIRIT!!!

God bless

This article caught my attention and am going to try and read this book ” The Pursuit of God” by AW Tozer , I love the quotes by this great man of God and am equally going to try and read up more on him but for now you might want read this post by Mark Earley . . .  it is really a great read.

Possessing Nothing to Possess All

The Pursuit of God’

By Mark Earley Christian Post Guest Columnist  Fri, July. 11 2008 06:54 PM EDT

1948 was the year the “Big Bang” theory was introduced, the game “Scrabble” was first played, and state of Israel was established. It was also the year that A. W. Tozer wrote The Pursuit of God—a small book, but one that has profoundly influenced Christians for the past 60 years. It has challenged me, and I hope this summer you give it a chance to challenge you.

Ken Boa, who features The Pursuit of God this month in his tremendous “Great Books Audio CD” series, says that Tozer was “a modern mystic who had given priority to the lost art of meditation.” Tozer, a self-taught pastor in the Chicago area, was not known among those in his congregation as the most gregarious man. In fact, it was rumored that Tozer rarely visited his congregants unless they were deathly ill. But his aloofness was simply the product of a man relentlessly chasing after God.

Boa explains that when Tozer prayed, he would often put on a ragged pair of pants—what became known as his “prayer pants”—and spend hours in solitude with God. In fact, it was during one solitary train ride from Chicago to Texas that Tozer penned The Pursuit of God—all of it!

Tozer’s behavior might seem a bit strange to us today, but his words offer timeless significance. In The Pursuit of God, Tozer tramples on mediocrity in the Christian life. He wrote: “The way to deeper knowledge of God is through the lonely valleys of soul poverty and abnegation of all things. The blessed ones who possess the kingdom are they who have repudiated every external thing and have rooted from their hearts all sense of possessing.”

Here, Tozer confronts what he called the “tyranny of things”—in other words, the subtle way that materialism can take us captive. He asks readers to consider whether they are willing to walk through sadness, suffering, and solitude in order to know God deeply. This he calls “the blessedness of possessing nothing.”

He explains that man can discover this blessedness only by wholeheartedly running after God. “The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One,” he wrote. “Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness.”

Much of what Tozer had to say slaps modern man in the face. He calls into question the materialism and idolatry that continue to infect our churches and our lives. He asks us to question why we have difficulty spending time in solitude. And, he gives us the opportunity to return to a place of “meekness and rest,” where Christ becomes all that we need.

I highly recommend you pick up this book this summer and read it. It is quite short, but I guarantee you will be surprised by its depth and profundity. But also prepare to be challenged by what it truly means to pursue God.

I would also urge you to let Ken Boa guide you through the depths of Tozer’s thought. All you need to do is subscribe to the “Great Books Audio CD” series. Once a month, Ken will walk you through one of the great Christian works of all time—works like this month’s Tozer’s Pursuit of God. Visit BreakPoint.org for more information and how to subscribe.

The Church and the World

The Church and the World walked far apart
On the changing shores of time,
The World was singing a giddy song,
And the Church a hymn sublime.

“Come, give me your hand,” said the merry World,
“And walk with me this way!”
But the faithful Church hid her gentle hands
And solemnly answered “Nay!

I will not give you my hand at all,
And I will not walk with you;
Your way is the way that leads to death;
Your words are all untrue.”

“Nay, walk with me but a little space,”
Said the World with a kindly air;
“The road I walk is a pleasant road,
And the sun shines always there.

Your path is thorny and rough and rude,
But mine is broad and plain;
My way is paved with flowers and dews,
And yours with tears and pain.

The sky to me is always blue,
No want, no toil I know;
The sky above you is always dark,
Your lot is a lot of woe.
There’s room enough for you and me
To travel side by side.”

Half shyly the Church approached the World
And gave him her hand of snow;
And the old World grasped it and walked along,
Saying, in accents low:

“Your dress is too simple to please my taste;
I will give you pearls to wear,
Rich velvets and silks for your graceful form,
And diamonds to deck your hair.”

The Church looked down at her plain white robes,
And then at the dazzling World,
And blushed as she saw his handsome lip
With a smile contemptuous curled.

“I will change my dress for a costlier one,”
Said the Church, with a smile of grace;
Then her pure white garments drifted away,
And the World gave, in their place,
Beautiful satins and shining silks,
Roses and gems and costly pearls;
While over her forehead her bright hair fell
Crisped in a thousand curls.

“Your house is too plain,” said the proud old World,
“I’ll build you one like mine;
With walls of marble and towers of gold,
And furniture ever so fine.”

So he built her a costly and beautiful house;
Most splendid it was to behold;
Her sons and her beautiful daughters dwelt there
Gleaming in purple and gold.

Rich fairs and shows in the halls were held,
And the World and his children were there.
Laughter and music and feasts were heard
In the place that was meant for prayer.

There were cushioned seats for the rich and the gay,
To sit in their pomp and pride;
But the poor who were clad in shabby array,
Sat meekly down outside.

“You give too much to the poor,” said the World.
“Far more than you ought to do;
If they are in need of shelter and food,
Why need it trouble you?

Go, take your money and buy rich robes,
Buy horses and carriages fine;
Buy pearls and jewels and dainty food,
Buy the rarest and costliest wine.

My children, they dote on all these things,
And if you their love would win
You must do as they do, and walk in the ways
That they are walking in.”

So the poor were turned from her door in scorn,
And she heard not the orphan’s cry;
But she drew her beautiful robes aside,
As the widows went weeping by.

Then the sons of the World and the Sons of the Church
Walked closely hand and heart,
And only the Master, who knoweth all,
Could tell the two apart.

Then the Church sat down at her ease, and said,
“I am rich and my goods increase;
I have need of nothing, or aught to do,
But to laugh, and dance, and feast.”

The sly World heard, and he laughed in his sleeve,
And mockingly said, aside:
“The Church is fallen, the beautiful Church;
And her shame is her boast and her pride.”

The angel drew near to the mercy seat,
And whispered in sighs her name;
Then the loud anthems of rapture were hushed,
And heads were covered with shame.

And a voice was heard at last by the Church
From Him who sat on the throne:

“I know thy works, and how thou hast said,
‘I am rich, and hast not known
That thou art naked, poor and blind,
And wretched before my face;’
Therefore from my presence cast I thee out,
And blot thy name from its place.”

by Matilda C. Edwards
Best Loved Poems (Garden City, NY: Garden City Publishing, 1936), pages 345-347

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