A COURSE IN
BASIC
THEOLOGY
By
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
Preface
The little book I wrote in 1980 was called The Truth Shall Make You Free! We printed 10,000 copies of that edition, which were given out as quickly as we could supply them. Now, 18 years later we are reprinting this fine booklet, under a different title, since it covers a larger area of theological study.
I felt that A Course in Basic Theology
was a more appropriate title. May the
Lord bless this book and use it to bring salvation, deliverance and divine
healing to multitudes.
~ Max Solbrekken, Edmonton, AB (New Edition 1998)
DEDICATION!
DEDICATION!
I wish to dedicate this book to all serious Bible students who desire God’s power in their lives with which to bring liberation, divine healing and deliverance to their fellowman!
My
prayers go to God for all who are hurting because of Satan’s snares,
entrapments and torments. May each
reader appropriate the promises of God found in this book and be liberated from
sin, fear, sickness, disease, poverty and untimely death. And from the real or imagined torments of
demon oppression, vexation and possession!
May God
bless, save, heal and deliver you, my dear friend, who is calling upon the Lord
at this very moment for an answer to your prayer! Please agree with me for your
miracle as you study this book! Amen.
THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE!
"Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)
"Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)
The truth liberates the soul, the
conscience and the mind of man! The truth
breaks the chains of darkness, superstition and fear. The truth
opens the prisons of doubt and unbelief! The truth removes mountains of discouragement, negativism and
oppression!
The truth defeats giants of despair, heartbreak and loneliness. The truth opens within us wells of joy,
rivers of peace and flood tides of love!
Jesus said, "Ye shall know
the truth and the truth shall make you free!"
Many years ago, God gave me a song about
an elderly lady in India, whom I spoke to about Jesus! She had not before heard
His name. Here is the chorus of the song: ‘An
Old Lady in a Land Far Away’:
‘FREE FROM ALL BONDAGE AND
SICKNESS AND SIN
FREE FROM THE FEARS AND
THE TROUBLES WITHIN:
FREE FROM THE DEVIL AND
HIS EVIL POWER
DELIVERED BY JESUS IN
THIS VERY HOUR.’
In His High Priestly prayer, Jesus
said: "Thy Word O Lord is Truth."
(John 17:17) Our Lord declared: "I
am the Way, the Truth and the Life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." (John 14:6)
The Bible teaches that the Word of God is
Spirit and Life, (Phil. 2:16) and that Jesus also is the Word of God. (Rev.
19:13). The Bible and our Lord Jesus Christ are both referred to as the Word of
God, and only Jesus and the Word has the power to make people free!
The
Bible is the written Word of God and Jesus is the Living Word of God! And if you will believe it my friend, Jesus
Christ will come out of the pages of the Bible and enter your heart!
Jesus Christ made the statement,
"Whosoever commiteth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house
forever, but the son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free,
ye shall be free indeed." (John 8:34-36)
The Bible states that anyone who commits
sin is the servant of sin and is NOT FREE, but thanks be
to God, the TRUTH will liberate them! The Apostle John wrote, "If we walk in the light, as He is in the
light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His
Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE TRUTH!
1. WE MUST HEAR THE TRUTH - "So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the
Word of God." (Rom.10:17)
2. WE MUST BELIEVE THE TRUTH - "How shall they
believe in Him of Whom they have
not heard? And how shall they hear
without a preacher?" (Rom. 10:14)
3. WE MUST HOLD FAST TO THE TRUTH - "Prove all things;
hold fast that which is good." (1 Thes. 5:21)
“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the
doctrine; continue in them; for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and
them that hear thee.” (1 Tim. 4:16)
"Buy the truth and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction and
understanding." (Prov. 23:23)
4. WE MUST TELL THE TRUTH - "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables,
when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but
were eyewitnesses of His Majesty." (2 Peter 1:16)
"Preach the Word; be instant in
season, out of season; rebuke, reprove, exhort with all longsuffering and
doctrine. For the time will come when
they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap
to themselves teachers, having itching ears." (2 Tim. 4:2-3)
"If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
5. WE MUST OBEY THE TRUTH - “If ye love Me,
keep My
commandments.”
(John 14:15); “If ye abide in Me and My
words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto
you." (John 15:7)
"Then said Jesus to those Jews which
believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples
indeed." (John 8:31)
"If ye continue in the faith
grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which
ye have heard…" (Col. 1:23)
SATAN IS A LIAR AND THE TRUTH IS NOT IN HIM!
Jesus called the devil a liar and a murderer:
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye
will do. He was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth, because
there is no truth in him. When he
speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: "for
he is a liar and the father of it." (John 8:44)
Satan is
a colossal liar, counterfeiter and masquerader. He is an experienced LIAR,
having done so over the ages! He may tell some truths or half - truths in
order to deceive and enslave the human race, but he himself is total darkness and there is no light in him!
When you receive Jesus Christ as your
personal Saviour, you say farewell to the ‘Kingdom of Darkness’ and you are
automatically translated into God's glorious Kingdom!
“Who
(Father God) hath delivered us from
the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son:
In Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”
(Col. 1: 13, 14).
Anyone who believes the
Gospel and receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour immediately passes from death unto life, from darkness
to light because Jesus is the light of the world! (John 3: 18-21; 1 John 3:
14; Heb.2: 9)
The Bible says, "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. And the light shineth in darkness; and the
darkness comprehended it not." (1 John 1: 1-5)
“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)
God’s Word states that sinful men rejected
Him because their deeds were evil! They
hated the Light and loved darkness. (John 3:19); "In
Him (Jesus Christ) was Life and the
Life was the Light of men." (John 1:4)
Again the Scripture says, "He that believeth on the Son hath
everlasting life: and he that believeth
not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John
3:36)
When
the light is switched on, the darkness flees.
And when Jesus comes into a life in His great power, all sin,
oppression, fear, sickne
There are five glorious truths that
I wish to set forth in this lesson, to help build your faith! As a stone - mason lays block upon block, so
I present these truths ‘Scripture upon
Scripture’, knowing that the Word of God creates faith in our hearts and
faith gets the job done! Praise God!
NO. 1 – GOD HAS NOT CHANGED,
HE
CANNOT CHANGE AND HE WILL NOT
CHANGE!
Almighty God states: "I am the
Lord, I change not." (Mal. 3:6). Here, the Living God makes one of His
most significant statements of fact. He
is changeless,
always constant and timeless!
Nothing can alter that great truth!
Men are born, live, pass on and are gone like the grass of the field,
but God remains the same!
The Bible says, “And Thou, Lord, in the
beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works
of Thine hands: They shall perish; but Thou remainest; and
they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt Thou fold them
up, and they shall be changed: but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall
not fail." (Heb.1:10-12)
Here are some of God’s attributes!
(1) GOD IS ETERNAL - He is without
beginning or end, everlasting and always God! The Psalmist David wrote: "Lord, Thou has been our dwelling
place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or
ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to
everlasting, Thou art God...
“For a thousand years in Thy sight are but
as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." (Ps. 90:1-4)
"The
Eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms..." (Deut. 33:27);
“But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever …And, Thou,
Lord, in the beginning hast laid the
foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thy hands:
Addressing His Son, Jesus Christ our
Lord, the Father stated: “They shall
perish, but Thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
And as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but Thou
art the same, and Thy years shall not fail.” (Heb.1: 8-120
(2) GOD IS OMNIPOTENT - He is all -
powerful!
"I am the Lord, and there is none
else, there is no God beside Me: I
girded thee, though thou hast not known Me:
That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that
there is none beside Me. I am the Lord, and there is none else."
(Isa. 45:5-6)
"I have made the earth, and created
man upon it: I, even My hands, have
stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.” (Isa. 45:12) Jesus said: "All power is given unto Me in heaven
and in earth." (Matt.28:18)
(3) GOD IS
OMNISCIENT - He is all wise and all knowing!
"For the preaching of the cross is to
them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of
God. For it is written, I will destroy
the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
“Where is
the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this
world?
“For after that in the
wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
“But we
preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks
foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of
God. Because the foolishness of God is
wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Cor.
1:18-25)
"To God only wise, be glory through
Jesus Christ forever. Amen." (Rom. 16:27)
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men
liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)
(4) GOD IS IMMUTABLE – His Word is permanent as
is His character. He is perfect in all things; totally truthful, and since He
never makes a mistake He doesn't need to apologize for error. There is no error in God. If He has said it, that settles it. God is God and is changeless and unalterable.
The “immutability
of His Word” speaks of the permanent character of His Word. Since God and His Word are one, He is
permanently error-free, unchanging, righteous and perfect! Glory to His Name! You can believe unreservedly on Him with
total trust! (Heb. 6:13-18)
(a)
GOD HAS NOT
CHANGED: From eternity to eternity, He is God! He was the same in the beginning of man’s
existence, He is the same today and He will be the same throughout
eternity! Praise God!
(b)
GOD CANNOT
CHANGE: It is impossible for God to be anything but
Who and What He is today – powerful, wise, kind, righteous, loving, generous,
good, holy, just and true. He declared: “I am the Lord, I change not.” (Mal
3:6)
(c)
GOD WILL NOT
CHANGE IN THE FUTURE: The Bible says: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the ending, saith the Lord, which is,
and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." (Rev.1:8)
“And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast
laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine
hands: They shall perish; but Thou remainest; and they all shall
wax old as doth a garment;
“And as a vesture shalt Thou fold them
up, and they shall be changed: but Thou
art the same, and thy years shall not fail.” (Heb. 1:10-12)
BECAUSE HE HAS NOT CHANGED:
1. God still answers prayer: “Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and
show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” (Jer. 33:3) “Offer
unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon Me in
the day of trouble: I will deliver thee,
and thou shalt glorify Me.” (Ps. 50:14, 15)
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek
and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he
that seeketh findeth; and to him that
knocketh it shall be opened.
“Or what man is there of you, whom if his son
ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a
serpent? If ye then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more shall your Father in heaven give good things to them that ask
Him?” (Matt. 7:7-9)
2. God still forgives the sinner:
"And it shall come to pass, that
whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Acts 2:21);
"But if we walk in the light, as He
is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
“If
we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in
us. If
we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness." (l John 1:7-9)
3.
God still brings peace to troubled souls and removes guilt:
"Let not your heart be troubled; ye
believe in God, believe also in Me. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the
world giveth, give I unto you. Let not
your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:1, 27)
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ. There is therefore
now no condemnation to them which
are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after
“How much more shall the blood of Christ,
Who through the Eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot, purge your conscience from dead works, to
serve the living God.” (Heb. 9:14)
“And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all
things to Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in
heaven.” (Col.1:20)
(4) God still cares:
“And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people which
are in Egypt, and have heard their
cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know
their sorrows; And I am come down to
deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of
that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and
honey.” (Ex. 3:7-8)
"Casting all your care upon Him; for
He careth for you." (1 Peter 5:7)
5) God still meets our financial needs:
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house. And prove
Me herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of
heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that
there shall not be room enough to receive it.
“And I
will rebuke the destroyer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the
fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time
in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Mal. 3:10-11);
"But
my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ
Jesus." (Phil. 4:19)
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken
together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom. For with the same measure as you meet
withal it shall be measured to you again.” (Luke 6:38)
He has promised: “Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither
have storehouse or barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than
the fowls?
“Consider
the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto
you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But
rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto
you.” (Luke 12:24,27,31)
(6) God still heals the sick:
“…I am the Lord that healeth thee.”
(Ex.15: 26); Bless the lord , O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who
forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who
healeth all thy diseases.” (Ps. 103: 2, 3).
"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 they drink any deadly thing, it
shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover." (Mark 16: 17-18
Please read: Isa. 53: 4, 5; Matt.8: 16,
17; 1 Pet. 2: 24).
IS ANY SICK AMONG YOU?
“Is any sick among you? Let him call for
the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil
in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the
Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be
forgiven him." (James 5:14-15)
(7) God still fills believers with the Holy Spirit:
"Then Peter said unto them, repent,
and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins, and ye shall receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost.
“For
the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off,
even as many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts 2:38-39)
"If ye then, being evil, know how much more shall your heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Luke
11:13);
“Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today
and forever.” (Heb. 13:8)
(8) God still blesses and loads us with benefits:
"Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all
that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O
my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who
healeth all thy diseases." (Psalm 103:1-3)
“Beloved, I wish above all things that
thou mayest prosper and be in
health, even as thy soul prospereth.” (3 John 1:2). “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and
with the first fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with
plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” (Prov.3:9, 10)
(9) God still protects us from danger, evil and
Satan:
"There shall no evil befall thee,
neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give His angels charge over
thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." (Psalm 91:10-11)
Fear
thou not; for I am with thee: be not
dismayed; for I am thy God: I will
strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right
hand of My righteousness." (Isa. 41:10); "Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee
with loving kindness and tender mercies." (Psalm 103:4)
“No
weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall
rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the
servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord.”
(Is. 54:17)
“And the seventy returned again with joy,
saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through Thy name.” (Luke
10:17)
(10) God still leads, guides and directs us:
“For as many as
are led by the Spirit of God, they are
the sons of God. For ye have not
received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit
of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
“The
Spirit (Himself) beareth witness
with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God,
and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may
be also glorified together.” (Rom. 8:14-17)
NO. 2 – GOD HAS NOT LIED.
HE CANNOT LIE AND HE WILL NOT
LIE!
(a) We know what God will do in the future
by what He has done in the past, because He has not changed.
He has always told the truth, for He is the TRUTH and since it is impossible for God to lie,
we know we can put our trust in Him as God.
(b)
He is too good to do anything wrong.
He is too wise to make a mistake.
He is too powerful to allow Satan to harm His children who call upon His
Name in faith and who trust in His truth.
(c) He is
too conscientious and correct to lose our number, forget us or leave us to
aimlessly drift on the sea of life and death without His divine guidance and
direction.
(d)
The Scripture emphatically declares:
"God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that
he should repent; (change his mind) hath
He said, and shall He not do it? Or hath
He spoken, and shall He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19)
Samuel the Prophet declared: "And
also the Strength of Israel will not lie or repent: for He is not a man that He should
repent." (1 Sam. 15:29)
GOD IS
CONSTANT!
You can believe the Word of God because it
is ever and always the same. St. James
said, "A double minded man is
unstable in all his ways!" He
admonishes us to ask God for our needs, in faith. And He assures us that our needs will be met,
because we are dealing with the One, Who
is always the same and is liberal in His giving!
"Every good gift and every perfect
gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning." (James 1:17)
St. Paul, in writing to Titus made the
great declaration that I am now making: "God
cannot lie." (Titus 1:2)
Since it is impossible for God to lie, His
nature is totally against falsehood and His commandments all demand truth and
condemn lying, we can therefore rest assured that His promises are trustworthy.
Period!
The Word of God
states: “God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He
should repent; hath He said, and shall He not do it? Or hath he spoken, and
shall He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19
THE BIBLE SAYS: "I hate
every false way." (Psalm 119:104)
"Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are His
delight." (Prov. 12:22)
God has not lied, cannot lie and will not
lie, for He not only speaks the Truth, but HE IS THE TRUTH! The Holy Record says, "And He that sat
upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."
(Rev. 21:5) Our Lord Jesus Christ
stated, "I am the Way, the Truth
and the Life." (John 14:6)
THERE IS NO TRUTH IN SATAN:
HE IS A LIAR EXTRA-ORDINAIRE!
Jesus Christ’s description of the Evil One
was an indictment:"He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth,
because there is no truth in him." (John 8:44)
False teachers who give themselves over to
Satan become perverted, because he is
perverted! "And even as they did not like to retain God in their
knowledge, God gave them over to a
reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient. (Not proper, not appropriate)" (Rom. 1:28)
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart
from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot
iron." (1 Tim. 4:1-2)
The Holy Scripture makes it very plain,
that the Blessed Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth: "But when the
Comforter is come, Whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which
proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me." (John 15:26)
"...the
anointing of God teacheth you all things and is truth and is no lie”. (1
John 2:27)
WHO IS A LIAR? HE THAT DENIES CHRIST’S DIVINITY!
St. John declared, "I have not
written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and
that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus
is the Christ?
“He is
antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not
the father: but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also." (1 John 2:21-23)
All who advocate teachings, ideologies and
doctrines that disagree with the Holy Bible - the Divine Infallible Word of God
- were labelled liars, by the Apostle Paul, when he wrote:
“For
what if some did not believe? Shall
their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid:
Yea, let God be true, but
every man a liar...” (Rom. 3:3-4)
It matters not what men say about the Word
of God. It will stand the test of both time and eternity; never swerving nor
changing, but always constant and firm. Praise God!
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE
FOR GOD TO LIE!
The writer to the Hebrews (probably St. Paul) declared without
hesitation, citing two proofs that God can be trusted to be absolutely
steadfast, trustworthy and honour.
“For when God made promise to Abraham,
because He could swear by no greater, He
sware by Himself, saying, Surely, blessing I will bless thee, and
multiplying I will multiply thee.
“And so, after he had patiently endured,
he obtained the promise. For men verily
swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
“Wherein God, willing more abundantly to
shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability
of His counsel (the permanent
character of His Word) confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was
impossible for God to lie, we might
have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope
set before us:
“Which we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast and which
entereth into that within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered,
even Jesus, made an High Priest forever after the order of Melchisedek."
(Heb. 6:13-20)
NO. 3 – GOD IS NO RESPECTOR
OF PERSONS, PLACES OR TIMES!
What He has done for one, He will do for
all who believe! WHY IS THIS? He is no
respecter of persons. The only thing that God answers to is
sincere belief and faith in Him! If
we mean business with God, calling upon Him in humility and faith, He will
answer.
Jesus often said to those whom He saved,
healed and delivered: "Thy faith
hath saved thee; go in peace." (Luke 7:50); "Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole."
(Luke 17:19); “According to thy faith,
be it unto thee." (Matt. 9:29) "If thou wouldst believe thou
shouldest see the glory of God? (John 11:40)
Faith stirs the heart of
God and causes Him to work on our behalf! Yes, indeed, Faith Works Miracles!
The Scripture says, "Whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved." (Acts 2:21) "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see
life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3:36)
THEE, THEM, THEY, WHOSOEVER,
ANY, EVERYONE, YE, ALL PEOPLE!
The Bible says, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that
believeth not shall be damned”. (Mark 16:16)
“These signs shall follow them that believe; In My Name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall
not hurt them; they shall lay hands
on the sick and they shall recover”. (Mark 16:17-18)
THE HOLY RECORD states: “Whosoever believeth in Him should not
perish, but have eternal life”. (John 3:15)
“Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and
let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the
sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they
shall be forgiven him." (James 5:4)
St. Peter said, "Repent and be
baptized every one of you in the
Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you and to your
children and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall
call." (Acts 2:38-39)
The Angel said, "Fear not; for behold
I bring you tidings of great joy, which
shall be to all people." (Luke 2:10)
Jesus said, "Blessed are
they which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness: for they shall be
filled." (Matt. 5:6)
The Scripture says, "He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the
rich he hath sent empty away." (Luke 1:53)
James declared, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, Who
giveth to all men liberally, and
upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)
SUBMIT YOURSELF UNTO GOD!
Here is an important key to receiving from our blessed Lord: "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you." (James 4:8); "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:6)
The weapons of our warfare are for ALL Christians and are provided for ALL who will put
them on and use them.
"For
the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strongholds." (2 Cor. 10:4) "Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against
the wiles of the devil." (Eph. 6:11)
Jesus said, "Go ye therefore and
teach all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." (Matt.
28:19) Again the Bible says, "And
this gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the
end come." (Matt. 24:14)
St. Paul said, "For there is no
difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him." (Rom.
10:12)
GOD IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS!
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and
thou shalt be saved." (Acts 16:31)
All who call upon the name of the Lord are saved! "And
it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall
be saved." (Acts 2:21)
All who believe the gospel, repent of
their sins, and confess them to Christ are forgiven. But, you must call upon
His name. NO OTHER NAME WILL DO! Only the name of Jesus Christ can and will
save sinners from guilt, fear, torment, sin, sickness, death and the devil!
God answers the prayers of all who ask in
faith: "Ask and it shall be given
you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he
that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
(Matt.7:7-8)
The Word of God
declares: "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons."
(Acts 10:34; "God gives to all men
liberally and upbraideth not."
(James 1:5)
God is eternal, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, therefore, it is
no problem for Him to be everywhere at the same time. Since He does not grow old and remains the
same, He can still operate effectively during the totality of our earth’s
history - past, present or future!
And
because God does not change, He will still perform those same great
miracles that He has performed in the past, in any place, any time or for any
one He chooses! He is God and therefore,
has all power, knows all things and can do all things!
Don’t forget this great truth: The Eternal
God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is El Shaddai, Adonai, El, El Elyon, Jehovah Raah, Jehovah Nissi, Jehovah
Shammah, Jehovah Shalom, Jehovah Tsidkenu, Jehovah M’Keddesh and Jehovah Saboath!
He is the GREAT I
AM
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is the God Who saves, heals, delivers
and gives Eternal Life to those who trust in Him and receive His Son as their
personal Saviour and Lord!
I am not speaking of Buddha, the god who never
was or Allah, the Arabian god of the desert (possibly the son of
Alilah), Shiva, the god of the Hindus, Zeus of the ancient
Romans, Baal of the Philistines or Odin of the Vikings, who now has
been proven to be nothing more than a king who was deified by his people, or
the unknown god of the Mormons, whom Joseph Smith
deceptively stated, ‘was once a man who
became God’! My question is: “Pray tell, Who made that man who became
God”?
A similarity exists between Muslim and
Mormon teaching. Muhammed was an
uneducated camel driver and warrior. Joseph
Smith was a no – account drifter, occult soothsayer and swindler!
He
allegedly plagiarized Spalding’s
unpublished novel, which suspiciously disappeared after his death. Hand writing
experts have verified that parts of his novel about the ‘History of the American Indians’ ended up as part of the Book of Mormon!
Muhammed
claimed that Gabriel dictated to him the words of the Quran, even though it
contains many serious contradictions, carries many plagiarized portions of the
Old and New Testaments and spurious writings from known enemies of the Gospels.
It also contains direct passages from known ancient writings of Jewish Talmuds!
The Quran erroneously calls Miryam the
sister of Moses, the virgin mother of Jesus! Muhammed was so untaught in the New Testament that that he didn’t know
the difference, and so confused Miriam the sister of Moses (who lived 2,000
years earlier) with Miryam (Mary) the virgin mother of Jesus! At first,
Muhammed believed that the Christians taught that the Holy Trinity was
comprised of God the Father, Mary the Mother and Jesus the Son!
TWO OF THEIR GREATEST ERRORS ARE: They place the 7th century camel driver
who conquered and killed by the sword, above Jesus the Christ, Whom they call
only a lesser prophet.
And
secondly, they claim Jesus’ prophecy of the descent of the Holy Spirit referred
to Muhammed, thereby blasphemously declaring that their prophet is the
fulfillment of the Blessed Holy Ghost, the sweet Spirit of Almighty God!
Time does not deter God!
Geographical boundaries give Him no problem, for He created everything
and owns everything. He is not a
stranger to any place, anything or anybody.
What He did when He walked this earth He can and does today through the Holy Spirit working through His servants who comprise His Church!
The colour of the skin, language of the
people, or climatic conditions have no effect on Him. He is true to His Word,
always honours faith, rejects partiality, responds to worship and praise,
delights in the truth and enjoys showing mercy, compassion and tenderness!
He still drives out fears and liberates the slaves of Satan’s bondage and sin. And He desires to heal all the sick and diseased who recognize Him as Lord and Healer!
I repeat, God is no respecter of places,
nationalities or geographic boundaries.
St. Paul stated, "There is
no respecter of persons with God.
For as many as have sinned without the law shall also perish without the
law; and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law."
(Rom. 2:11-12)
Rich and poor, black and white, red,
yellow and brown all stand on even ground in His sight! (There are certain promises made to Israel that do not apply to
the Gentiles. These are an exception,
for Israel has played and will play a special role in the history of God's
dealings with man)
His
love transcends all borders as St. Peter discovered when he and six of his
Jewish brethren went - by the command of the Lord - to minister to Cornelius
and his household.
"While Peter yet spake these words,
the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed
were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy
Ghost. For they heard them speak
with tongues and magnify God." (Acts 10:44-46)
Foolish
men have tried to dictate to God!
You cannot lock God in a time capsule or a straight jacket, dictating to
Him when, where and upon whom He can or cannot work His works! He is God and cannot be bound by our finite
minds and often "wrong thinking", in the natural! Theologians have tried to do this
repeatedly!
Just as they have put a TIMING DEVICE on HIS ABILITY and PREDESTINED HIS WILL in such matters,
He suddenly breaks forth in sovereign and glorious demonstration and does the
unthinkable in the most unusual places and so-called forbidden times!
Revival
after revival have broken loose in nation after nation, century after century,
and will continue to do so until Jesus comes and the Church is translated to
Heaven!
The Pharisees and Sadducees were
disturbed that Jesus broke the Sabbath by healing the sick on that day (John
5:10-18). Jesus said that He had been
sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel (Matt. 15:20-28), yet He was
drawn by human need and went to ‘Jacob’s
well’ in Sychar, Samaria in order
to save an adulterous woman, as well as many of her friends. (John 4:28-30)
A great
revival was the outcome, as He stayed for two days ministering to them!
Almighty God upset Peter by giving him a vision of unclean animals and telling him to
rise up, kill and eat, thereby sending him to the Gentiles. (Acts 10:9-16) Some theologians believe that the two days
Jesus stayed with the Samaritans, is a type of the Gospel Age – two thousand
years preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles! (2 Pet. 3:8)
The Apostles and Disciples of our Lord
continued to preach the Gospel and work miracles in Jesus’ Name, even though
they were forbidden to do so by the religious authorities in the face of
imprisonment and death. (Acts 4:16-21)
God worked miracles through the ministry
of lay people like Stephen and Philip who were only deacons (Acts
7:5-8) and used the common people to spread the Gospel during times of great
persecution. (Acts 8:1-5)
The Early Church grew and multiplied
covering the earth, even in times of poverty, severe testing and great
persecution!
THE REFORMATION BROUGHT
GOD BACK INTO THE CHURCH!
The Protestant Reformation altered the
balance of power in Europe. The Gospel of Christ began to triumph again! Martin Luther shook the Roman
Catholic conglomerate, when he opposed many of its corrupt practices! And great
revivals broke loose, bringing wonderful liberty and Holy Ghost joy to
millions, against the objections of a powerful ruling church and state!
John
Knox, Count Zinzendorf, John and
Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, D.L. Moody, Charles Finney, Evan Roberts, William Booth, Billy Graham and
other great evangelists proved that God was not through working among men,
spearheading revivals that shook the world.
John Alexander Dowie, John Lake, Charles S. Price, William Freeman, Jack Coe, Gordon Lindsay,
Oral Roberts, T.L.Osborn and other great
evangelists led multitudes into the knowledge of God’s healing stream.
At this point in time, millions of people
from all major denominations upon the face of the earth are being filled with
the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues in a great charismatic revival!
German Evangelist, Reinhard Bonnke, who has reached multiplied millions of souls for
Jesus Christ across the African continent, recently conducted a crusade in
Nigeria with outstanding success.
On
November 12, 2000, 1,093,475 souls received Jesus Christ as their personal
Saviour. And during the six day crusade in which six million people heard the
gospel, 3.4 million responded to the invitation to receive Christ!
The June, 2001, ‘Voice of Victory’ magazine reporting on the Lagos, Nigerian crusade, stated: That meeting also marked
Reinhard’s return to Nigeria after a nine - year ban following a Muslim riot
that killed hundreds of people.
Angry at the devil for hindering God’s
plan for Nigeria, Reinhard made a faith demand to receive 900 per cent return
in souls for everything the devil stole during those nine years. “At
first we averaged 100,000 people coming for salvation each week,” Reinhard
said.
“Later the weekly average jumped to a million”
Many
religious leaders would like to stop the revival if they could, but it cannot
be quenched. It burns on in Holy Ghost
flame and fire! God is working His miracles
today, despite and in spite of the foolishness of man's narrow and restricted
vision and misconceptions - Praise the Living Christ!
NO. 4 – GOD HAS NOT FAILED.
HE CANNOT FAIL. HE WILL NOT
FAIL!
Although man has failed in everything he
has tried to do, God is perfect and has never failed. He cannot fail and He will not fail! King Solomon, in his anointed dedicatory
prayer made the statement, “Not one word
of all His good promises has failed”. (1 Kings 8:56)
God has not failed, He cannot fail and He will not fail! It is impossible for God to fail!
HE CANNOT DENY
HIMSELF, FOR HE IS FAITHFUL WHO HAS PROMISED! (2 Tim.
2:13) The Scripture says: “The callings of God are without
repentance”. (Rom. 11:29) When He
gives us something, He does so because He so desires and He does not ask us to
return that gift.
The Bible says: “The foundations of God are sure having this seal, the Lord knoweth
them that are His”. (2 Tim. 2:19) He called SAMUEL by name and he
also knew JEREMIAH and JACOB personally! The Living Jesus met SAUL of Tarsus in a
blinding light and spoke his name!
Since He knows us by name, He is able to
supply our needs as well as keep us in His perfect will! He also sees the sparrow fall, knows the
number of hairs on our head, and clothes the lilies of the field.
YOU CAN’T DIVORCE THE PRESENCE
OF GOD FROM
HIS MIRACULOUS POWER!
Certainly He has enough grace, goodness,
propriety and good sense to look after us!
His wisdom is greater than all, and we are His creation, as well as
members of His body and sons and daughters through the new birth.
BY ADOPTION, we have
become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, (Rom. 8:17) bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh.
(Eph. 5:30) Why is this? We are the body of Christ and members in
particular of His body. (1 Cor. 12:12)
Praise His holy name!
Since He has become so involved in our
lives and invested so much in us, certainly - in His divine wisdom and
understanding - He will not discard us,
as some would have us believe.
Jesus said, “I
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5). Here, Jesus used a double imperative: “I
will never, no never leave thee. I will
never, no never forsake thee.”
He stated that He would be with them unto
the end of the world. (Matt. 28:20) No
wonder St. Peter declared that we are “...kept
by the power of God through faith...” (1 Peter 1:5)
You cannot divorce God’s presence from His
power! Many desire God’s presence with
them, but they do not expect Him to effectively use His power to work a miracle
for them.
You
cannot separate the healing, saving, delivering and keeping power of God from
His ever-abiding presence! You can
always depend upon the Lord because of His faithfulness and dependability!
The song writer
penned the words: “Jesus never fails - Jesus never fails - Heaven and earth shall pass
away, but Jesus never fails!” God
has not failed in the past, is faithful now and cannot and will not fail in the
future. What a glorious truth and what
an Almighty God we serve. Hallelujah!
HE
REMAINS FAITHFUL STILL!
Often among we humans there are gross
contradictions or seeming contradictions as situations change, attitudes change
and positions change to adapt to the new realities of life. Not so with God - He is changeless and His purposes, aims and goals forge ahead unabated!
During World War II we certainly saw evidence of how leaders and nations
changed their positions. Joseph Stalin
fought alongside Adolf Hitler until he
realized the West would ultimately win.
Then, the wily communists left their Nazi bed-partners
and joined with the West.
The Pope blessed Benito Mussolini together
with his war machine to go out in murderous raids against Ethiopia to plunder,
murder and rape. When the Roman Catholic Church saw that
Mussolini would fall, they quickly changed their minds and swung over to the
Allied side.
The U.S.A. was going to keep out of the war
until the Imperial forces of Hirohito’s Japan smashed the U.S. Naval base in
Honolulu. That changed their position
totally and thrust them into the Second World War, bringing ultimate victory to
the Allied forces.
GOD, HOWEVER,
DOES NOT CHANGE and cannot deny Himself. St. Paul declares, "Wherein I suffer
trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds;
but the word of God is not bound." (2 Tim. 3:10)
You cannot destroy, bind or nullify the
Word of God. The Bible says, "The Scripture cannot be broken" (John
10:35); "The Word of God is quick
and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword..." (Heb.
4:12) Certainly we can trust the Word of
God for time and eternity!
Paul continues: "If we believe not, yet He remaineth faithful; He cannot deny
Himself." (2 Tim. 3:13) Even
though we fail Him, His Word is still true and He will not deny Himself or fail
us!
LET GOD BE TRUE!
"For what if some did not
believe? Shall their unbelief make the
faith of God without effect? God forbid:
Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar..." (Rom. 3:3-4)
Does
God fail? Can He fail? Will He fail?
Certainly not! Is He
trustworthy? Can we depend upon
Him? Most certainly we can! The Scripture states that even if some do not
believe, that does not nullify the Word of God!
Then St. Paul comes on strong: "GOD FORBID":
yea,
let God be true and every man be a liar!
Anyone
who denies the Word of God opposes the Word of God or who changes the Word is a
colossal liar and an enemy of the Kingdom of God!
That is the reason God hates the false ways of cults
like the Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses,
Christian Science, Scientology, Armstrongism, Branhamism, the New Age Movement
and others, who have added their own
man-made traditions and teachings to the Word of God!
St. Paul stated: "I
marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of
Christ unto another Gospel; which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the Gospel of
Christ.
“But though we or angel from Heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other Gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed!" (Gal. 1:6-9)
That is strong language, indeed. This teaches us how much God is against lies, falsehood and spurious teachings, which conflict with His holy Word!
THE GIFTS AND
CALLINGS OF GOD
"And
so all Israel shall be saved...for this is My covenant unto them, when I shall
take away their sins. For the gifts and
callings of God are without repentance." (Rom. 11:26, 17, 29)
This Scripture speaks of Israel, who had backslidden and been
judged severely, but who will be saved in the end. We are the bride of Christ (Rev.21:9)
to be married to Christ - the Heavenly Bride.
Israel is the wife of God, Who is
married to the backslidden Israel. (Isaiah 64:6-7). However, because of His
faithfulness, Israel will be given a final opportunity and after He has taken
her through much tribulation, she shall be saved.
In spite of being guilty of rejecting His
Son, condemning Him to the Cross, and embracing the false Christ (John 5: 43)
during the first 3-1/2 years of the Great
Tribulation, God will still forgive Israel and bring them into the fold,
because of His Covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which He will not break under any circumstances. Praise the Lord!
What a great, good and wonderful God we
serve and how thankful we should be for His grace, mercy and longsuffering
towards us!
GOD ALWAYS FULFILLS HIS WORD!
Repeatedly, we
read in the Holy Scriptures: "...that
it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets." (Matt. 1:21;
2:17) You can be absolutely certain that
whatever the prophets declared would come to pass, shall come to pass!
“There is no doubt about the veracity of
God's Word. When you read in the Holy
Bible: "Thus saith the Lord..."
You can be absolutely certain that it will happen - it will come to
pass. Again, we read often "...and it shall come to pass..."
Make no mistake about it, whatever God has
declared, He will do! Let us look
briefly at only a few verses of Scripture to back up these claims.
(I). THE BIRTH
OF JESUS
"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and
bear a Son, and shall call His name Emanuel." (Isa. 7:14) "...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 1:35)
"Now all this was done, that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying…"
(Matt. 1:22); "But when the fulness
of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a
woman… " (Gal. 4:4)
(II).THE DEATH OF JESUS
"Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye
shall be offended because of Me this night: for it is written, I will
smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad."
(Matt. 26:31)
"And forthwith he came to Jesus, and
said, Hail, master; and kissed Him. And
Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then
came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took Him away." (Matt 26:
49-50)
"In that same hour said Jesus to the
multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to
take Me? I sat daily with you teaching
in the temple, and ye laid no hold on Me.
But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be
fulfilled. Then all the disciples
forsook Him, and fled." (Matt. 26:55-56)
"Ye
know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is
betrayed to be crucified." (Matt. 26:2)
"Then Judas, which had betrayed Him,
when he saw that He was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the
thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood.
“And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the
temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took
the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the
treasury, because it is the price of
blood.
“And they took counsel, and bought with
them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.
Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.
“Then was fulfilled that which was spoken
by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they
took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him that was valued, Whom
they of the children of Israel did value; And gave them for the potter's field,
as the Lord appointed me." (Matt 27:3-10)
(III).THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS
“In the end of the sabbath, as it began to
dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
to see the sepulchre.
"And, behold there was a great earthquake:
for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the
stone from the door, and sat upon it.
His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And
for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
“And
the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye
seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is
not here: for He is risen, as He said.
Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
“And go quickly, and tell His disciples
that He is risen from the dead, and, behold, He goeth
before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him: lo, I have told you.
“And they departed quickly from the
sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring His disciples
word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying,
All hail. And they came and held Him by
the feet, and worshipped Him.
“Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell My
brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me.” (Matt.
28:1-10)
(IV). THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
"And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out My Spirit upon all
flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; And also upon the servants and
upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit." (Joel
2:28-29)
"But this is that which was spoken by
the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all
flesh: and your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, and your
young men shall see visions, and
your old men shall dream dreams:
“And it shall come to pass, that
whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Acts 2:
16-17, 21); "For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but
the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the
prophet Joel…" (Acts 2: 15-16)
“This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." (Acts 2:32-33)
(V). SALVATION AND DIVINE HEALING
"And
it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved." (Acts 2:17); "And the same day there were added unto
them about 3000 souls." (Acts 2:41)
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost."
"For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and
to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and
exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
“Then
they that gladly received his word were baptized; and the same day, there were
added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the
apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
“And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And
all that believed were together, and had all things common. And sold their
possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
“And they, continuing daily with one
accord in the temple, and breaking of bread from house to house, did eat their
meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour
with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as
should be saved.”
"But
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." (Isa.53:5)
"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 Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took
our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." (Matt. 8:16-17)
God says in His Word, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble
and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me." ( Ps. 50:15)
NO. 5 - GOD IS NEVER LATE OR
TOO BUSY TO
ANSWER US! HE IS AVAILABLE 24
HOURS A DAY!
God is never late or too busy to answer
us. He is not tired, on vacation, or sleeping! God is not on strike or out of
business. He is waiting for us, ready and willing to hear our prayers and meet
our every need. He is available 24 hours a day. We can come before Him at any hour of the day or night!
Jesus said, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest." (Matt. 11:28)
Hear the Word of the Lord to you, my friend:
Hear the Word of the Lord to you, my friend:
"Let
the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will
have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." (Isa.55:7)
Our Lord invites, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow: though they be red like crimson, they shall
be as wool." (Isa. 1:18).
Here is the Lord's invitation to us all:
"Before they call I will answer,
and while they are yet speaking I will hear." (Isa. 64:24). Our
Heavenly Father is always is always there when we need Him. He is always near and He never sleeps! And He
never dies. He will look after us eternally!
The Bible says: “He never slumbers nor sleeps”. (Ps. 121:4) He is not on strike or out
of sorts. Our Lord is very much in the business of setting people free from
sin, fear, sickness, disease and the power of the devil!
THE BIBLE SAYS, "Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name,
that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask
anything in My name, I will do it." (John14:13, 14)
"Ask,
and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you: For every one that
asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it
shall be opened unto him."
I wish to share one final Scripture before
I close this message: Jesus said, "Whatsoever things ye desire, when ye
pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." (Mark
11:24)
PLEASE REMEMBER
THESE GREAT TRUTHS!
1. God has not changed, He cannot change and He will
not change because it is impossible for God to change!
2. God has not lied, He cannot lie and He will not
lie. You can trust His Word to you
because it is impossible for God to lie!
3. God has not failed, He cannot fail and He will not
fail because it is impossible for God to fail!
4. God is no respecter of persons, places or times!
What He did 2,000 years ago in Galilee, He can do today anywhere in the world
for those in need!
5. God is always on time, always there when you need
Him, always ready to answer your prayer and fulfill His Word in your life. He
is available 24 hours of the day.
DON’T FORGET, GOD CARES ABOUT YOU! Amen.
Dear Friend,
I greet you in Jesus’ dear name! It is with great joy and anticipation that I
pen these words to you. Now that you have read this little book, you must make
a decision to renew your love for Jesus Christ, and your faith in God’s Holy
Word!
It is so important that you put your total
trust In Him, for the Bible says: “Commit
thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass.” (Ps.
37:5). Agree together with me for your miracle, and then write us with the
good news of what God has done for you! I promise to write you back and place
your name on a special list over which we pray.
If you have prayed about a matter several
times and had no answer, don’t stop praying! Jesus said: “Ask and it shall be given you, seek and you shall find, knock and it
shall be opened unto you, for everyone who asks receives, he that seeks finds
and to him who knocks, it shall be opened.” (Matt.7: 7-8)
Keep on praying, seeking and knocking and
the answer will come! After asking, prayerfully search the Scriptures to have a
foundation for your request, as well as your own heart to draw close to God. Then, keep on knocking on Heaven’s door!
-Max Solbrekken
