YOUR GOD IS
TOO SMALL!
By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
"For we heard them speak in tongues and magnify
God." (Acts 10:46)
One of
the things that impressed me greatly about Pentecostal,
Full Gospel and Spirit-filled
Christians was the way they worshipped, praised and magnified God!
In the Evangelical Lutheran Church we sang all
the wonderful hymns of praise to our Lord and heard sermons extolling God, but
to hear individual believers voice their praise to the Almighty in thanks for
His miraculous intervention in their lives was foreign to me.
It was like reliving the Book of Acts to hear testimonies of
conversions from alcohol and drug addiction, gambling and false religious
cults. Add to that, miraculous healing from tumors, cancers, blindness,
deafness, arthritis, ulcers and other diseases was mind - boggling!
I knew
that God had healed my Mother in 1920 under the ministry of Evangelists Storm and Monson in Norway.
Other gifts of the Holy Spirit like prophesying and speaking in tongues,
however, were totally foreign to me.
MY DAD WAS INSTANTLY HEALED!
When my
Dad was instantly healed of serious gallbladder problems and heart disease in
March 1956 through Oral Roberts’
radio Ministry, the Holy Bible became alive to me!
It is
quite possible that if I had not seen the reality
of the Gospel working in my Father’s miraculous healing and transformation
through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, I would not be in the Ministry today!
Although
the Holy Spirit strove mightily with me during Revival Meetings in 1951 with Pastor Sylvan Johnson at S.L.B.I (now Lutheran Collegiate Bible Institute)
Outlook, Saskatchewan, I did not have the courage to totally follow Christ!
In 1957,
following my Father’s amazing experience of the Baptism of Holy Spirit, I was again drawn by God’s love and mercy to the Cross of Calvary in total repentance
and submission to His will, and call on my life! For the next six years I
devoured God’s Word and prayed much for the Holy Spirit’s guidance as I worked
in the secular world, while preparing for the Ministry of Deliverance into which He was divinely leading me!
THEY SPOKE IN TONGUES
AND MAGNIFIED GOD!
I believe in speaking in tongues like St. Paul, St. Peter, D.L. Moody, Charles Finney and Oral
Roberts. And I believe in Divine Healing through faith
in Jesus Christ and His finished work on Calvary’s
Cross, and that “By His stripes we are healed.” (Is. 53: 4, 5;
Matt.8: 16, 17; I Peter 2: 24)
It
is such a blessing to have received the gift
of prophecy (1 Cor.12: 10) in
order to exhort, edify and comfort God's people. Praising and magnifying
God,
however, is an absolute essential in the Christian life in order to keep up a
vital contact with our Heavenly Father!
Our
lives are like a body of water. If water
flows in but has no outlet it becomes stagnant, and all life there ceases to
exist. Then death takes over. The Dead Sea is a good example of that!
The movement of
water into and out of a body of water creates an atmosphere conducive to life. The constant intake and outflow causes a
cleansing action, making the water fresh.
This analogy shows us that receiving from God without praising Him and
sharing His goodness with others makes us stagnant, and spiritual death ensues!
The Bible
says, "He that offereth praise glorifieth Me". (Ps. 50:23); "God inhabits the praises of His
people..." (Ps. 22:3)
The
Scriptures are filled with praises to God.
Repeatedly, David declared, "O that men would praise the Lord for His
wonderful works to the children of men". (Ps. 107:8)
King
David was a man after God's own heart and knew how to praise and bless the
Lord! He even encouraged himself to
praise God: "Bless the Lord, O my
soul: and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name. Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget not all
His benefits..." (Ps.
103:1)
PRAISING GOD ESSENTIAL
FOR COMMUNION WITH GOD!
"Praise ye the Lord.
Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in the firmament of His
power. Praise Him for His mighty acts:
praise Him according to His excellent greatness.
“…Let every thing that hath breath praise
the Lord. Praise ye the Lord." (Ps. 150:6)
It is
incumbent upon us to thank and praise God for His gifts to us, as well as TESTIFY to others of His great goodness, mercy, love and power.
The
Bible says, "Forbid not to speak
with tongues". (1 Cor.14: 39)
And St. Paul
declared emphatically, "I speak
with tongues more than ye all". (1 Cor.14: 18)
St. Paul prayed in the
Spirit, speaking and singing in unknown tongues on a daily basis. He writes: “What is it then? I will pray with the
Spirit and I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the
Spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.” (1 Cor.14:15)
I can’t
imagine many of today's Evangelical preachers meeting the old ‘Apostle to the Gentiles’ and spending
a few hours or days with him!
They would have to ask him to leave, put him in a basement room and
shut the door and stop preaching from the Epistles he wrote. Or they would have to repent of their
ignorance, stupidity, hardness of heart, and be filled with the Holy Ghost
themselves.
St. Paul would certainly
have to rebuke them and set them straight! It would be a very interesting
meeting indeed!
Even
having them meet Ignatius, Tertullion,
St. Augustine,
Martin Luther, D.L. Moody or R.A Torrey, would change their theology about the Baptism of the Holy Ghost
and fire! (Luke 3: 16; Acts 2: 4)
I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY
GHOST!
The
Church Fathers who formulated the Apostles Creed certainly believed in the Holy
Ghost and in every instance in the Bible where believers received the Baptism
of the Holy Ghost they spoke in tongues and magnified God!
‘I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and
was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven; And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father
Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the quick and dead. I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY GHOST, the Holy Christian Church, the Communion of Saints, the
Forgiveness of sins, the Resurrection of the Body, and the Life everlasting.
Amen.’
St. Paul declared, "He
that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men but unto God; for no
man understandeth him; howbeit, in the Spirit he speaketh mysteries". (1 Cor.14: 2)
Again
the Bible says, "He that speaketh in an unknown tongue
edifieth himself..." (1 Cor.14: 4) Certainly we need
to edify and build up ourselves in Christ, more now than ever, as we approach
the end!
The Word of God
states emphatically: "But ye, building up yourselves in your most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Ghost". (praying
in the Spirit; unknown tongues, worshipping God)
Those who do NOT pray in the Spirit
(unknown tongues) are said to be sensual, having not the
Spirit (Holy Spirit). And, they will ridicule you and separate
you from their company. (Jude 19)
JESUS WARNED: “Verily I say unto you; All
sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever
they shall blaspheme:
“But
he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is
in danger of eternal damnation: Because
they said, He hath an unclean spirit.” (Mark 3:28-30)
THOSE WHO RIDICULE THIS
GIFT ARE ON DANGEROUS GROUND!
The Pharisees accused our Saviour of
healing the sick and casting out devils by the power of Satan. Since He was
doing these works “by the Spirit of God”
they essentially called the Holy Spirit a devil!
Here is my advice: If you cannot
understand some of the things God is doing, don’t fight against Him. Don’t make
the mistake the Pharisees made!
Thank God, for the many
preachers of the Gospel today who declare with St. Paul: "Forbid not to speak with tongues.” (1 Cor. 14:39); "Quench not the spirit. Despise not prophesyings." (1
Th. 5:19-20)
Also remember, the ‘gift of
tongues in concert with the ‘gift of interpretation’ is equal to
prophecy!
St. Paul writes: "I would that ye all spake with
tongues, but rather that ye prophesied; for greater is he that prophesieth
than he that speaketh with tongues, EXCEPT
he interpret, that the church may
receive edifying." (1 Cor. 14:5)
When a leading Baptist Evangelist, Dr.
Hyman Appelman conducted a glorious revival crusade in our church (1972), I asked him:
"Have you been filled with the Holy Ghost? Do you speak in tongues,
Brother Appelman"?
He answered in the
affirmative: “Yes, I have been filled with the Holy
Ghost. Yes, I speak with other tongues!” I asked, "How is it that you - the preacher that most
Baptist and Evangelical preachers greatly respect - speak in tongues, when they
put so little stock in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?”
My
good Jewish friend, Dr. Hyman Appelman
replied, "The Holy Ghost got to me before the Baptists did.” No wonder Billy Graham stated: "Dr.
Hyman Appelman is one of the most powerful preachers I have ever heard"!
When that mighty man of God, Dr. Richard Wurmbrand spoke our Church in Edmonton in the 1970s, I asked him a very
personal question. I said:
“Brother Wurmbrand, I was raised in the Lutheran Church but I have been filled with
the Holy Ghost and I speak with other tongues. You are a Lutheran Pastor who
has been tortured and suffered terribly for Jesus Chris. Have
you been filled with the blessed Holy Ghost and spoken in other tongues?
He
said: “As you know the Communists brainwashed,
tortured and beat me constantly. After some time, I could not remember the
Lord’s Prayer, the Twenty-third Psalm or John 3: 16. All I could do was say: 'Jesus
I love you. You know that I love you. Please show me your love.'
"They had beaten me so severely that the blood ran down my legs unto the
ground. Suddenly the power of God came upon me and I began to sing in a
language I did not know and I danced in the Spirit for four hours and felt no
pain. My blood spattered onto the walls of that dungeon as I danced and sang
and spoke in unknown tongues.”
THE WORK OF A BELIEVER:
TELLING OTHERS ABOUT JESUS!
One
of the first Gospel tracts I published in 1958
was titled "Victorious Christian Living". In it, I outlined three
very important and imperative steps to follow in order to live a consistent,
victorious Christian life. They
are as follows:
- Read
the Bible regularly.
- Pray
often with praise & thanksgiving.
- Witness
at every available opportunity with wisdom & God's leading.
Another
thing that has set ‘Spirit-filled, Full Gospel people’ apart from other
Christians, is the fact of a POWERFUL PERSONAL WITNESS to
their fellowmen, of the crucified and risen Christ Who is the same yesterday,
today and forever!
The angel of God spoke to the women at Christ's
empty tomb on that great resurrection morning, thusly: "...Fear not ye:
for I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen, as He
said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell His disciples that
He is risen from the dead; and, behold, He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him: lo, I have told
you". (Matt. 28:5-7)
COME AND SEE:
GO QUICKLY AND TELL!
The
Bible records that they went with great haste to bring His
disciples word of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. They went with great haste
because they had an urgent message to tell!
What a
message we have to tell the world! Our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ died for our sins and rose again for our justification, and is even now
alive, interceding for us at the Father's right hand. Hallelujah! There
is no secret, hidden agenda in God's Word.
Everything is open and above board with our Lord.
There
is plenty of proof for sincere truth seekers.
The angel said, "Come and see. Go and tell". I say to skeptics: “There is plenty of viable evidence
to prove the existence of God and the validity of the Holy Bible. And as far as God’s love for mankind, Calvary proved that!”
The
message is clear. Once we have heard the
truth and experienced the blessings of Christ's salvation, we are duty bound to
go and tell someone else the Good News!
THEY MAGNIFIED GOD!
The Bible
states that they returned to Jerusalem
and were constantly in the temple praising and blessing God. They also went from house to house - with
great joy and gladness - breaking bread and fellowshipping around God's
Word.
The
Scripture says they were continually magnifying God. To MAGNIFY
GOD means
to not only glorify and worship Him, but to lift Him up so high that He appears
larger in the eyes and ears of the hearers than He had seemed to them earlier.
Most Christians make God look very
small. We are to magnify Him so that everyone may begin to understand how
marvelous and wonderful our Lord really is. Oh, how GREAT is the LORD our GOD!
Only Spirit-filled people really and truly praise
and magnify God with all their hearts!
Only those who have been “born of the Spirit” and filled with
God’s presence, feel at home in His presence!
After
listening to the dry, dead, monotone sounds of the average Jehovah Witness or fundamentalist preacher, you certainly wouldn't
be convinced that God is alive, real and moving by His mighty power in this
generation! Much of the theology that is expounded
has to do with the past and future, with
a glaring omission of today!
Especially
is this noticeable in regards to the present day ability of the Omniscient,
Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Eternal God to work miracles among His people on
earth in this Twenty-First Century! It's the same old story as that of Mary and
Martha.
THE FAITH OF MARY & MARTHA
Regarding
the death of her brother, Martha said, "I know if you had been here (4
days ago) my brother would not have died". (past)
Jesus
said, "Your brother shall rise
again"! She answered, "I
know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day". (future) (John 11:24) Jesus answered her, "I am the resurrection and the life" (NOW). (John
11:25)
Although Martha was upset that Jesus had not been there
before her brother died and she expressed faith for his future resurrection,
she nevertheless kept the door open for a present day miracle:
She stated: "But I know that EVEN NOW, whatsoever Thou wilt ask
of God, God will give it Thee." (John 11:22) Praise God for an open mind!
Most religionists and false cults are so steeped in their false doctrines that
their attitude is: “Don’t bother me with the truth and the facts; My mind
is set; I have been brainwashed; I am a Watch Tower Slave, a Joseph Smith, Two
by Two or Mary Baker Eddy puppet; I cannot think for myself!”
For
years, Herbert W. Armstrong called his radio and TV talk show The World Tomorrow! Others like the Jehovah’s Witnesses speak constantly about the
coming New World or Kingdom Age!
While
we are thrilled about the Millennial
Reign of Jesus Christ and Life Everlasting with Christ, we have something
to offer people who accept His Gospel, here
and now! The Eternal God is the God of the NOW!
MAY WE BE LIKE THE FIRST
FOLLOWERS
OF JESUS: NOT LIKE THE
SUBSTITUTES OF TODAY!
My
heart's desire is that God will raise up an army of people who will say, like St. Paul: "...I believe God"! (Acts 27:25)
In
the face of persecution, temptation, sickness or death, let us hold onto our
confession of faith and belief in Christ
Jesus our Lord! Let us constantly
practice what the Bible teaches, glorifying and magnifying God!
When
doubters, skeptics and unbelievers scorn us for believing in and proclaiming a Risen Saviour, Who still forgives
sinners, brings peace to the troubled and healing to sick, as well as baptizes
with the Holy Ghost and power, let us tell them, "YOUR GOD IS TOO SMALL"!
In
the 1960s as a Commercial Traveller I met a variety of people in my travels and
when they heard that I was “Religious” we often had animated discussions
about the Bible.
A
fundamentalist preacher who was rabidly anti-Pentecostal, made this fervent
statement: "Divine healing is not for me and the
Baptism of the Holy Ghost is not for me.” I replied:
"You are right
Sir, these gifts are not for you, but they are for me because I believe. Since you do not believe and desire these
gifts, God will not force them upon you".
In a desperate attempt to prove his point he made
this ridiculous statement: “We
don’t need any miracles today because everybody knows that Jesus rose from the
dead!”
IF THERE WAS A TIME WE NEEDED GOD’S
MIRACULOUS WONDERS IT IS TODAY!
I REPLIED: “Sir,
of all the statements you have made, that is the most ignorant. We live in a
world where anti-God Communism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Animism, Pagan
Religions, False Cults and Secular Humanism are covering much of the earth and
you say that everyone knows that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.”
We serve a
great big, wonderful God Who keeps His Word. And since Jesus Christ died and
rose again for our total salvation, we are recipients of His goodness, mercy
and love!
There were
many reasons why Jesus healed the sick, including His great love and compassion
for suffering humanity! He also healed
the sick and performed miracles to prove His Divinity! (Matt.9: 28; Mark 2: 10; John 2: 11; 4: 16; 5: 10 –
23; 14: 11; 15: 24)
If ever
there was a time when Christ’s Church needed to ‘stand up to the plate’ and
prove to the world that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God and the ONLY
Saviour of the world, it is TODAY!
The “enemies
of the cross” have gathered a cacophony of the ‘weird and wonderful’
across the spectrum of left wing Christ rejectors, New Age gurus, Hollywood
lapdogs and sexual perverts, to publish down right lies, distortions and
manufactured falsehood about Jesus Christ and His Church!
Soldiers
of the Cross, let us to meet this ungodly onslaught head-on by preaching
the Gospel of Jesus Christ and by healing the sick and casting devils. It’s
time that we put the run on ‘Old Slewfoot!’
THE BIBLE
says: “And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with
them, and confirming the Word with SIGNS following.” (Mark 16:
20); “And with great POWER gave the apostles WITNESS of the RESURRECTION of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them
all.” (Acts 4: 33)
There is
nothing impossible with Him Who is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last,
the King of Kings and Lord of lords and the Only Saviour of the world.
1.) TO THE SINNER, let me say unequivocally: God is able, ready and willing to save you! The Bible says, "For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was
lost". (Luke 19:10) Also, "Come
unto Me, all ye who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest". (Matt. 11:28)
2.) TO THE
DISCOURAGED AND WEAK, let me say without fear of contradiction, God will
fill you with the Holy Ghost! Jesus said, "Ye
shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be
witnesses..." (Acts 1:8)
Also,
St. Peter declared, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your
children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall
call". (Acts 2:38-39)
3.) TO THOSE WHO
ARE SICK & DISEASED, I say emphatically, Jesus Christ was "wounded for our transgressions, He was
bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and
with His stripes we are healed". (Isa. 53:5) "That it
might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bore our
sicknesses". (Matt.
8:17)
The
Bible says, "Is any sick among you? let
him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord.
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise
him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him". (James
5:14-15)
4.) TO THOSE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES, remember that God is more
than enough (El Shaddai) to meet your needs! "But
my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ
Jesus". (Phil. 4:19)
"Give, and it shall be given unto you;
good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men
give into your bosom. For with the same
measure that ye mete withal, it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6:38)
St. Paul said, "But
this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which
soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully". (2 Cor. 9:6-8)
5.) TO ALL WHO NEED FORGIVENESS, DELIVERANCE &
ENCOURAGEMENT, Christ Jesus stands ready to
help you. Without hesitation, I invite
you to call upon the Name of the Lord and be saved.
St.
Peter declared, "Whosoever shall
call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved". (Acts 2:21); "Casting
all your cares upon Him; for He careth for you." (1 Peter 5: 7)
He
has the power to make you free! Jesus
said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”. (John
8:32)
There is absolutely nothing
that God is unable to do. He can do all
things He wills to do because He is all powerful (omnipotent), all knowing and
all wise (omniscient) and everywhere present at all times (omnipresent).
Jesus
said, "If
thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth".
(Mark 9:23); “With
men this is impossible but not with God. For with God all things are possible.”
(Mark 10: 27)
THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY
SPIRIT GIVES YOU A NEW
IMPETUS.
“John answered,
saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I
cometh, the latchet of Whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost
and fire.” (Luke 3: 16)
JESUS SAID: “But
ye shall receive power, after that
the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me…and unto
the uttermost part of the earth.”
“Afterward He appeared unto the eleven as
they sat at meat and upbraided them with
their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which
had seen Him after He was risen.
“And He said unto them, Go ye into all the
world and preach the Gospel to every creature…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 their hands on the sick and they shall recover.”
“So then after the Lord had spoken to
them, He was received up into Heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached
everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the Word with signs
following. Amen.” (Mark 16: 14-20)
Jesus
instructed His followers to be generous toward God and fellowman and His
blessings will follow. Here are two of
His promises for us all:
"Give,
and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken
together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal
it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6:38)
"But
seek ye first the kingdom
of God, and His
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matt. 6:33)
If you can send a special
gift for our world-wide work of preaching the Gospel of Christ, you will be
planting a seed in God's Harvest Field. If God is calling you into the work of
the Lord, please write to me and we will seek to help you find your place in
His great End-Time Army of Soul Winners!
Ω
Dear friend:
Please write with your prayer requests. We will
pray for you and I will write you back!
When you write, please ask for a free prayer cloth over which we have
prayed with faith in Jesus' Name, for your deliverance and salvation!
- Pastor Max Solbrekken
,
a well-respected Christian ministry, should be classified as a domestic
hate group because the group advocates for traditional family values.
