GUNTUR A.P. INDIA 1966
Max Solbrekken & Sadhu Vandenam, May, 1966
Thousands attend Freedom Park Crusade, Guntur, A.P.
40,000 attend 1986 Ahmedebad, Gujarat, India Crusade
Powerful Report of Manila, Philippines 1966 Crusade
WAITING
FOR THE MOVING OF THE WATER
By
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
“Now
there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in
the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great
multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for
moving of the water.
“For
an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled
the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water
stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.” (John 5:
3,4)
From
the account of Jesus Christ's healing of an impotent man who had
waited for thirty eight years at the pool of Bethesda, we glean some
great truths:
We
learn the great desire of our Heavenly Father to alleviate sickness
and disease by sending an angel to trouble the waters to bring
healing. It was a foretaste of His Son's miracle ministry to heal
everyone who came to Him for His healing touch.
It was
also a picture of the Church healing the sick and suffering and
pointing to freedom from sickness and death in the Millennial Reign
of Christ. What strikes me so profoundly when studying this portion
of God's Word is the great needs of the sinful, sick and suffering
all around us, and their intense desire to be healed.
MIRACLES
GET PEOPLE'S ATTENTION!
Secondly,
a supernatural move of God is necessary to get people's attention to
“wait for the moving of the waters.” When authentic miracles
begin happening in a Church or through a preacher's ministry, people
will begin to congregate in that place. Wherever Jesus went He healed
the sick and performed miracles and multitudes attended His meetings.
The
Bible records: “And a great multitude followed Him because they
saw His MIRACLES which He did on them that were diseased.” (John 6:
2); “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their
synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all
manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
“And
His fame went throughout Syria and they brought unto Him all sick
people that were taken with diverse diseases and torments and those
which were possessed with devils, and who which were lunatic, and
those that had the palsy, and He healed them. And there followed Him
great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from
Jerusalem, and from Judaea and from beyond Jordan."
(Matt.4:23-25)
“Now
when the sun was setting all they that had any sick with diverse
diseases brought them unto Him and He laid His hands on everyone of
them and healed them. And devils also came out of many, crying out
and saying Thou art the Christ the Son of God. And He rebuking them,
suffered them not to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.”
(Luke 4:40-41)
GREAT
MIRACLES OPENED HEARTS!
The
same was true in the lives and ministries of the Early Church: “Now
Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of
prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain lame man from his
mother's womb was carried whom they laid daily at the gate of the
temple which is called Beautiful to ask alms of them that entered
into the temple; who seeing Peter and John about to go into the
temple asked an alms. And Peter fastening his eyes on upon him with
John said unto them, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them,
expecting to receive something from them.
“Then
Peter said: “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have, give
I unto thee; In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and
walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and
immediately his feet ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up
stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking,
and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and
praising God.
“And
they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful Gt of
the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that
which had happened unto him at that which had happened unto
him.”(Acts 3: 6-10)
What
was the outcome of that great miracle which God performed as Peter
and John exercised faith in the Name of Jesus Christ to raise up that
impotent man! Here it is: Howbeit many of them which heard the Word
believed, and the number of the men was about 5,000. Hallelujah and
Amen.
ST.
PAUL SAW GOD'S MIRACLES & REVIVAL!
“For
I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not
wrought by me, to
make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed, through mighty Signs and
Wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem,
and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the Gospel of
Christ.
“Yea,
so have I strived to preach the Gospel, not where Christ was named,
lest I should build upon an other man's foundation.” (Rom.
15:18-20). What a statement from a former persecutor of believers in
Christ!
Here
was a man who met Jesus Christ the Crucified, Resurrected and
Glorified Son of God on the Damascus Road and who died as a MARTYR
after founding Christ's Church in the Gentile world!
Repeatedly,
God has triggered genuine Revivals through Signs and Wonders and
Gifts of the Holy Spirit. St. Peter writing about Jesus of Nazareth
stated:
“How that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy
Ghost and with POWER Who went about doing Good and HEALING all who
were oppressed of the Devil for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38)
Who
can forget the great Revival that God brought to the city of Samaria
through the ministry of Philip, the deacon? St. Luke writes about it:
“Then
Philip went down to Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the
people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip,
hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits,
crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with
them; and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.
And there was great joy in that city.” (Acts 8: 5-8)
JESUS
USED HIS HUMBLE SERVANT!
By
God's great grace, I have seen this phenomenon in my own Ministry
around the world for more than fifty years.
When
Jesus performed staggering miracles in the Manila, Philppines Crusade
in 1966, word spread and about 1,100 souls joined Bethel Temple (now
Cathedral of Praise).
When Sal Marisigan's leg - stunted by polio -
grew out more that 12 inches, it caused 100 members of his extended
family to come to Christ and join the Church.
During
our 1966 Gospel Crusade in the Freedom Park in Guntur, A.P. India,
when Jesus Christ liberated a demon possessed woman in an awesome
display of Holy Ghost power as I cast out the demons in His holy
name, the crowds surged from 2,000 upwards to ca 15,000.
And
Dr. Serala Elisha the Head medical physician of the Kugler Lutheran
Hospital publicly confirmed that a 13 year-old-boy who earlier had
an eye removed by surgery, three days after prayer in Jesus' Name a
new eye appeared in that empty eye socket and continued growing to
normal size with perfect vision! The crowds continued to grow!
One
day, Six Circle Inspectors came to see me. They handed me an official
letter with these words: “Rev. Max Solbrekken: We the Circle
Inspectors of the Police Force request you come to the Guntur
General Hospital to “Heal the Inspector General of the Police Force
in the Name of Lord Jesus.”
The
Inspector General had suffered a stroke and was paralyzed on the
right side. He could speak only with much difficulty, as the right
side of his face was drooping. His right arm was drawn up in a ball
on his chest. The six Circle inspectors stood at attention in his
room. His wife and another lady were present, as well as my associate
Thomas Tutyko.
I
pulled up a chair near his bed. I said, “Sir, you sent for me.”
He spoke very slowly, “Yes. I want you heal me Name of Lord Jesus.”
I
said, “Since you want me to heal you in the Name of the Lord Jesus,
I must tell you why His name is so powerful.” He nodded that he
understood. For about fifteen minutes I expounded unto him the Holy
Scriptures about Jesus Christ. I asked him to follow me in the prayer
of repentance and confession of faith for salvation. He struggled but slowly got the words out.
The
anointing of God came upon me, as I commanded the evil spirits of
sickness, disease and infirmity to leave him. I called upon Almighty
God in the Name of Jesus Christ, to heal the Inspector General.
When I was finished, I saw an immediate change in his face. I said,
“God has healed you.” He spoke normally, and said, “Yes.”
I took
his right fist and pulled it out, saying, “In Jesus' name be
loosed.” It became normal! I said, “Sir, you are healed. What are
you going to do?” He said, “I'm going to get up and walk.”
He
threw back the blanket and I took his hands and helped him out of
bed. He and I began marching back and forth. Then, he shook his hand
free from me and marched back and forth perfectly normal.
He
marched up to me and saluted, saying: “Whom do I thank for this,
Sir?” I answered, “Lift up your arms in the Royal Salute and
say, Thank you Lord Jesus.” As He did, the six Circle Inspectors
and other Policemen standing up and down the corridor, lifted their
arms straight in the air, saying, “Thank you Lord Jesus.”
GUNTUR CITY
COUNCIL INVITES US BACK !
What
was the outcome of that miracle? Any policeman who had sick family members got the day off so they could bring them to me for prayer, And that
is what I did throughout the afternoon.
The Guntur City Council
begged us to stay another five days, but the weather was so hot (140
F and 100 F at night with no air conditioning) that we deferred.
The
Crusade in Guntur was so successful that the City officials formally
invited us back to their city in December of that same year. Both
Prime Minister Lester Pearson and the Right Honourable John
Diefenbaker wrote me letters congratulating us for our successful
time in India.
During the December 1966 crusade in Guntur, AP India, we attended the Annual
Police Sport's Day. They announced that the one mile race was open
to anyone. Since I had won the Half-Mile for Saskatchewan in 1951,
Bob Hoover, Thomas Tutyko and Missionary Lawson Barbour felt that I
should compete to get exposure for the CRUSADE.
I
finally agreed and the announcer excitedly said, “You remember the
Miracle Man from Canada who held the crusade at the Freedom Park in
May. He is back for another crusade this week. He has not run for 16
years. If he wins it will be a miracle. If he does not it will still
be a miracle. Rev. Max Solbrekken the Miracle Man is competing in the
One Mile Race which begins now.”
I was
number three when we came around the track at the half way mark, when
I decided to graciously pull out of the race. We got the publicity
for JESUS and they were thrilled that I had participated. All glory
to God!
WHAT
CAN WE EXPECT IN THE FUTURE!
Here
are some very important questions: “Are the promises of God for
only a limited duration or are they eternal? Does God change His
eternal purpose and plan to conform to the whims and fancies of a
jaded and perverted society who feel strongly that their opinions are
on par with or greater than God's Word, the Holy Bible?
And
how much longer will the mercy and grace of God be extended to a lost
humanity which has locked the Creator and Life - Giver out of their
lives? Is there hope that righteousness will rule over
unrighteousness and that the will of God will also become the will of
His creation? And, how can sinful man approach a thrice Holy God,
which demands repentance, faith and worship? Finally, how does Jesus
of Nazareth fit into the Salvation Plan of Almighty God, the Ancient
of Days?
First,
the promises of God are sure and certain. They are as reliable as God
Himself. He has placed His Word above His Name. (Ps. 138: 2)
He
said: “So shall My Word be that goeth out of My mouth. It shall not
return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please and
it shall prosper in the thing where unto I sent it.” (Is. 55: 11)
“Heaven
and earth shall pass away, but My Word shall not pass away .”(Luke
21:33): “For the Word of God is quick (alive) and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit, and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart.”(Heb.4:12)
“I
am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I
girded thee 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. Look unto Me and be ye saved,
all the ends of the earth: for I am God and there is none else.”
(Is. 45:5,6, 22)
The
Bible says: “The Lord is my light and salvation: whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? For
in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the
secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me upon a
rock.” (Ps. 27:1, 5)
The
Rock, of course, is Christ Himself. Jesus said: “Therefore,
whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken
him unto a wise man which built His house upon a Rock. And the rain
descended, and the floods came and the wind blew, and beat upon that
house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” (Matt 7:
24, 25)
St.
Paul believed God's Word: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek
those things which Above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of
God. Set your affection on things Above, not on things on the earth.
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ, in God.” (1
Cor.3: 1-3)
Second,
the Holy Bible says: “ But we are all as an
unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags...”
(Is.64: 6). There is nothing good within mortal man. The Bible says:
“All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his
own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
(Is. 53: 6);
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no not
one: there is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh
after God. (Rom. 3: 10, 11)
St.
Paul introduces the Saviour, Jesus Christ our Lord, Who paid the
price for our emancipation from death to life, through His
incarnation and vicarious death for us on the cursed tree, where He
became a curse for us to meet the righteous demands of Divine Justice
for our sins! He became the propitiation for our sins and for the
sins of the entire world.
JESUS'
VICARIOUS DEATH SATISFIED GOD!
The
Bible states: “In this was manifested the love of God toward us,
because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we
might live through Him. Herein is live, not that we loved God, but
that He loved us, and sent His son to be the propitiation for our
sins.” (1 John 4: 9, 10). The word propitiation means
satisfaction, mercy seat, expiation.
The
sacrificial, vicarious death of Jesus of Nazareth satisfied the
demands of divine justice in the courts of Heaven to atone for the
sins of Adam and Eve and their sinning progenitors, for all time.
John the Beloved wrote: “My little children, these things write I
unto you, that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous: And He is the
propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but for the sins of
the whole world.” (1 John 2: 1,2).
St.
Paul wrote: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of
God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that
is in Christ Jesus; Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness; for the
remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.”
(Rom. 3: 23-25)
WILLIAM
COWPER tried several times to commit suicide. He tried to drink a
glass of hemlock but his hand trembled and he dropped the glass. He
put a gun to his head but was unable to pull the trigger. He ran onto
the bridge overlooking the Thames River in London to jump to his
death, but “a strange power restrained me”, he said.
He
tried to hang himself, but someone rescued him. Finally, he was taken
to St. Alban's Asylum. According to Gilbert Thomas: “William Cowper
was melancholy and introspective believing he was beyond hope,
believing Christianity was true, but was not capable by faith to
believe for himself. He felt rejected. Then, one afternoon in the
Garden of St. Alban's Asylum he picked up the Bible and read Romans
3: 25.
He
wrote: “Immediately, I received strength to believe it, and the
full beams of the Sun of Righteousness shone upon me. I saw the
sufficiency of the atonement He had made, my PARDON sealed by His
BLOOD, and all the fullness and completeness of His justification. In
a moment, I believed and received the Gospel...
“Unless
the Almighty arm had been under me, I believe I should have died of
gratitude and joy. My eyes filled with tears, and my voice choked
with transport; I could only look up to Heaven in silent fear,
overwhelmed with love and wonder.”
This is a
favourite Gospel Hymn by William Cowper:
There
is a fountain filled with blood, Drawn from Immanuel’s veins,
And
sinners plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty
stains:
Lose all their guilty stains, Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains
Lose all their guilty stains, Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains
The
dying thief rejoiced to see, That fountain in His day;
And there
have I, though vile as he, Washed all my sins away:
Washed all my
sins away, Washed all my sins away;
Dear
dying Lamb, Thy precious blood Shall never lose its pow’r,
Till
all the ransomed church of God. Are safe, to sin no more:
Are
safe, to sin no more, Are safe, to sin no more;
Till all the
ransomed church of God. Are safe, to sin no more.
And now, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
The Love of God the Father, the Fellowship and the
Communion of the Holy Spirit, be and abide with us all
Until Jesus Comes to receive us into His Heavenly Kingdom. Amen.
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