and the
CALL
OF THE SPIRIT
By
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D God’s love permeates the world. His presence is everywhere. Every breath
we take proves that He exists, because He is the giver of Life. Without oxygen we
could not survive and if Jesus Christ took His hands off the controls there
would no longer be a solar system, and we would no longer exist!
The Holy Bible states: “God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners
spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days
spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed all things, by whom
also He made the worlds.” (Heb.1: 1,2)
“For by Him were all things created, that are in Heaven, and that are in
earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And
He (Christ) is before all things, and by Him all things consist.” (Colossians
1: 16-18)
The
sun comes up every morning, the seasons change as they always have, bringing
severe cold and heat in different parts of the world. And the youth are still struggling
against the evil in their hearts, ever since Adam and Eve’s rebellion. And
there is usually a rainbow in the sky after a storm, just like the Bible states.
GOD’S COVENANT
WITH US!
After Noah’s Flood, Almighty God made a
covenant that remains until today: “And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and
the Lord said in His heart, I will not again curse the earth for man’s sake; for
the imagination of his heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite
any more every thing living, as I have done.
“While the earth remaineth,
seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and
night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8: 21, 22)
“And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between Me
and you and every living creature that is with you for perpetual generations:
I do set My bow in the cloud and it shall be for a token of the covenant between
Me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over
the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud.
“And
I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature
of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all
flesh. And God said unto Noah, This is a token of the covenant, which I
have established between Me and all flesh upon the earth.” (Genesis 9: 12-16)
Speaking to the king, the prophet Daniel said: “And thou his son, O
Belshazzar has not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; but thou
hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of Heaven…and the God in whose
hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified.”
(Daniel 5:22-23)
Only an idiot would believe that all the intricacies of our world and
the millions of heavenly bodies in outer space along with our own solar system
only happened by chance should have a good talk with his shrink!
Albert
Einstein stated, “I do not believe that God plays dice with the universe.” And Werner von Braun, a German aerospace engineer
and architect of rocket and space technology in USA said: “The farther we
probe into space, the greater is my Faith in God.”
ATHEIST CONVERTED TO CHRIST!
When American soldiers marched into central
Germany in May 1945, they found that Werner von Braun had
organized the surrender of 500 of his top scientists, along with plans and test
vehicles.
Von Braun and his German scientists were
relocated to the United States, where they became indispensable to the
development of American military and space programs. Von Braun’s life had
changed drastically within the course of a year.
But
it was in a little church in El Paso, Texas, that von Braun experienced a
spiritual transformation that would change him from the inside out. In Germany,
von Braun had been nominally Lutheran but functionally atheist. He had no
interest in religion or God.
In Texas, while living at Fort
Bliss, a neighbor invited him to church. He went, expecting to find the
religious equivalent of a country club. Instead, he found a small white frame
building with a vibrant congregation of people who loved the Lord.
He
realized that he had been morally adrift and that he needed to surrender
himself to God. He converted to Christ and, over the coming years, became quite
outspoken in his evangelical faith and frequently addressed the complementarity
of faith and science.
Dr. C. M. Ward’s 1966 interview of von
Braun took place in Huntsville, Alabama, at the George Marshall Space Flight
Center (NASA), where he served as director. Von Braun contrasted the large
empty cathedrals of Europe to the large numbers of churches he found in Texas,
many meeting in temporary buildings, pastored by “humble preachers
driving second-hand buses,” who led “thriving congregations.”
The German scientist was impressed and
noted: “Here is a growing, aggressive church and not a dignified,
half-dead institution. Here is spiritual life.”
Ward published von Braun’s story and his
thoughts on faith and science in an article in the June 2, 1966, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel, as well as in a 15-page booklet, The Farther We Probe into Space, the Greater My Faith (Gospel
Publishing House, 1966), of which almost 500,000 copies were published – From This Week in AG History — June 26, 1966
GOD REACHES OUT TO MAN!
The Bible says: “And the Spirit and the bride
say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst
come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely. He that
testifieth these things saith, Surely, I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come,
Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:17,20)
All through the Holy Bible we read of Almighty God reaching out to
mortal man! In the Garden of Eden, the Creator walked and talked with the
man and woman He had created. There was an intimacy between God, and Adam and
Eve, like a father and his children.
The Lord God took of earth’s soil to form Adam, and then blew His own breath
into Adam making him a living spirit! He removed a rib from Adam’s body, from which
He fashioned Eve.
“And
the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought
her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my
flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” (Genesis
2:22, 23)
Even after their disastrous ‘fall’ God
graciously provided for the human family, through the sacrificial system which pointed forward to the sacrifice of His own dear Son, Jesus of
Nazareth, who would die on a rugged cross to meet the righteous demands of Divine
Justice, and appease the wrath of God against mankind’s sin.
Addressing
Satan, the Lord God said: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman,
and between thy seed and her SEED; it shall bruise (crush) thy head, and thou
shall bruise His heel.”(Genesis 6: 15). He was declaring that the SEED of the woman,
Jesus Christ, would through His vicarious death on the cross, destroy Satan and
his domination over mankind!
By that declaration, God promised a Deliverer who would crush Satan and
his evil power.
That great deliverer would be His own dear Son who would be incarnated (God in
human flesh) to meet the righteous demand of Divine Justice in payment for Adam’s
colossal Sin of high treason against the Almighty!
PRESERVING MESSIAH’S BLOODLINE!
God sent the Flood to save the righteous bloodline of the Messiah! The descendants of
Adam and Eve had corrupted the entire earth. They had heard the message of
coming judgment from NOAH, as they watched him build the Ark. The tragedy is
that the entire population had been polluted by evil spirits, so that only one family,
that of Noah had remained true. They alone, carried the bloodline!
Satan had planned to stop the Messiah from being born, but was too
late. When the Flood had destroyed all the wicked, the righteous bloodline was
preserved! And in due time, Christ would be born in Bethlehem of Judaea!
MERCY,
GRACE & LOVE!
A few years ago, a missionary lay dying in
Denmark. With his relatives gathered near his bed, he said: “For
many years I have preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a missionary. Now has
come the time for me to die. I have gone bankrupt in everything. I have no
earthly goods. All I have left is the Blood of Jesus and with
that I will approach God.”
And
in the final analysis, that is exactly what is needed to enter Heaven’s gates:
Nothing more and nothing less! An old Gospel hymn says, “Nothing in my hand
I bring. Simply to Thy cross, I cling. Take me as I am. My only plea, Christ
died for me. Take me as I am.”
Here is my question? Why would a man
from Denmark spend his time, resources and his entire life preaching and
ministering in pagan nations and die in a bankrupt state?
Here is another question: Why would Saul of
Tarsus, a murderer and enemy of Jesus Christ, suddenly convert and spend the rest
of his life preaching the same Gospel that he had bitterly opposed? And die as
a martyr?
And why did Sadhu Sundar Singh work tirelessly for Jesus Christ
spreading the Gospel in India. Planning to commit suicide at 6:00 AM one
morning, Sundar Singh was awakened by Jesus Christ, who shewed him His nail
scarred hands and feet, saying, “How long will you reject Me?
His conversion was
immediate, and he became known as the ‘Apostle with bleeding feet’.
He refused to wear sandals, to suffer a little for Jesus, who had suffered so
much for him!
WE ARE FOLLOWING JESUS!
Why have millions
of true believers in Christ, from Steven the martyr in the First Century
until today, where Christians have been tortured, beheaded and crucified by Islamist
terrorists, stood true for Christ rather than deny Him!
For the same
reason that the Son of God left Heaven’s glory to die as a common criminal on
Mount Calvary, paying the ransom price for mankind’s sins against Almighty God!
To suffer, bleed and die for a lost world and appease God’s wrath and satisfy
the righteous demands of Divine Justice for Adam’s sin of high treason!
Here is my position on Jesus Christ and His Gospel: I am a
disciple of Jesus Christ and a Soldier of the Cross. I am an Ambassador of the
Kingdom of God to the poor, lost, sick and suffering of this world, liberating
them from servitude to the world, flesh and the devil.
Upon the
authority of God’s Word, by the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant, through the
Eternal Holy Spirit and in the all-powerful Name of Jesus Christ, I charge
every evil spirit to relinquish its hold upon those reading these lines and all
who call upon the Name of Christ our Saviour in faith!
The Bible says: “For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosever
believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not
His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him
might be saved.” (John 3: 16, 17).
JESUS
ANOINTED TO SAVE & HEAL!
“How God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing
good and healing all that were oppressed of devil: for God was with Him.
“To Him give all the prophets
witness, that through His Name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive
remission of sins.” (Acts 10: 38,43); “…The devil sinneth from the beginning.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the
works of the devil.” (1 John 3: 8)
The devil heard the news
of His birth, when the Angel choir sang the glad tidings to frightened
shepherds keeping watch over their flocks at night.
He was agitated and
tried unsuccessfully to kill the infant Jesus, through King Herod. And he
trembled when he heard John the Baptist say: “Behold the Lamb of God
which taketh away the sins of the world.” (John 1: 29).
He thought back
to the Garden of Eden and remembered the words of the Almighty: “The
seed of the woman will bruise (crush) your head.” (Gen. 3: 15). This
is what he had dreaded ever since. Now, he couldn’t hide in a snake.
He would have to meet the Son of God face to face.
He must
have trembled when he saw the Holy Spirit descend like a dove upon
Jesus of Nazareth at the River Jordan and heard the voice of God the Father,
saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:
17)
St. James says: “Thou believest
that there is one God: thou doest well; the devils also believe and tremble.”
(James 2:19)
JESUS SAID: IT IS WRITTEN!
Satan failed again in the
Wilderness temptation, when Jesus refuted him repeatedly, saying, “It
is Written.” Oh, how he hated those powerful words knowing they were
true. He had to leave when the Lord said, “Get thee hence, Satan for
it is written. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou
serve.
“Then the devil leaveth Him, and angels came and ministered
unto Him.” (Matthew 4: 10,11). The Greek word diakoneo is to
wait on a table, to serve.
Seeing the angels minister
to Jesus, angered the Wicked One. Oh, how he hated the holy, pure angels of God. He must have
remembered how different things were before he had led the rebellion against Almighty
God!
Now
Satan was now an outcast, hated and despised. He is the doomed despot! He
is called the devil, the liar!
He had to agree
with the Word of God which states: “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6: 23).
Satan is spiritually dead. His sins have destroyed him for time and
eternity! He is ultimately heading to the Lake of Fire.
“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Revelation
20: 10)
Satan had
observed how Jesus of Nazareth had cast out evil spirits. They begged JESUS
not to torment them, before their time! The case of two thousand demons driven
out of the man from Gadara at once and the hogs drowning, was certainly shared
among Satan’s demons!
Hearing Jesus
cry out from the cross, the word tetelestai must have unnerved the
devil.
Speaking in Greek, Jesus said, ‘It is finished; it is fulfilled; it is
paid.”
Jesus had finished His work; He had brought to an end Satan’s dominion
over mankind. He had fulfilled all the Scriptures about the Messiah. He had
paid for all our sins. It was over!
HE IS NOT HERE: HE
IS RISEN!
I believe
that Satan would have been nearby, when God’s angel came down from Heaven and
rolled away the great stone on that first resurrection morning. He saw the
Roman guards fall to the ground like dead men, and heard the
angel speak to the
women, “Why seek ye the living among the dead. He is not here. He is
risen, like He said.”
Satan must
have been nearby to hear Jesus share His last words: “Go ye into all the
world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
“And these signs
shall follow them that believe; in My name shall they cast out devils; they
shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink
any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; They shall lay their hands on the
sick and they shall recover.” (Mark 16: 15-20)
Did the
devil get wind of Jesus’ ascension to Heaven? I believe he would have had demon
spies alert him of that great event. How he must have remembered the good life
in Heaven, the love and goodness of God. I believe he will remember that
throughout eternity and it will haunt him forever!
MY FRIEND DON’T FOLLOW
SATAN!
He must have
observed the strange behaviour of the group of about 120 believers receiving
the Baptism of the Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost. He had seen
prophets in ecstasy, but what was that? They were staggering
around like they were drunk. Then he heard them speaking in tongues. What was
all that?
And he observed Peter preach
Jesus Christ’s vicarious death and resurrection from the dead and invite the people
repent of their sins and receive Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Seeing about
3,000 men in that great crowd that had gathered, cry out for mercy and be
saved, must have blown him away!
What would
he do? He had a greater challenge that he thought. And then a short while later
to see Peter and John raise up a man born lame, in the name of Jesus. And
another 5,000 men getting saved. He had seen enough, and he had to get away to
think about his failed mission. And get his gang of demons together for a
tongue lashing and new orders!
JESUS THE GREAT GIFT OF LOVE!
Jesus is the Great I AM, and
I am only a sinner saved by His Grace; only by the Mercy of God; only by the
Love of God will I stand before the Ancient of Days, an unworthy vessel,
redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.
He was manifested through the Blessed Holy Spirit in these latter days
for the honour of His Kingdom; which will last forever. World without
End! This earthly vessel is only a very small footnote in this great
work of Jesus Christ, the propagation of His merciful Gospel toward sinful
mankind.
William Gladstone, statesman, Prime Minister and unquestionably one of
Great Britain’s most noble, and greatest legal minds in the 1800’s stated:
“Talk about the questions of
the day! There is but one question and that is the gospel. That can and will
correct everything. I am glad to say that about all the men at the top in Great
Britain are Christians. I have been in public positions fifty-eight years, all
but eleven of them in the cabinet of the British Government, and during
these forty-seven years have been associated with sixty of the master minds of
the century, and all but five of the sixty were Christians.”
Someone
said, “Christian: Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your
words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your
habits; they become character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
Edith Brock wrote:
“Sailing across the trackless Atlantic, the sailors with Columbus rose up in
rebellion and demanded that he turn back. But the undaunted words of Columbus
will always be inspirational as he cried out, “Sail on, sail on.
sail on.”
“Even
though the future is overcast, the New Year is saying, “Sail on.” Perhaps
there were failures and mistakes in the past. Let no mistake or failure stifle
your efforts as you begin the New Year.
“Learn the
lessons of your failures and sail on. No failure need to be final. One’s face
should be always be kept toward the future, and he should never cease to
believe that that his visions and dreams will come true. Keep the faith,
and sail on, sail on. - From the Church of God Evangel
With
gratitude and godly fear for His goodness to me over the past many years, I now
make my testimony and put pen to my prayer in Jesus’ Name. –
Max Solbrekken
Almighty Eternal God:
If it were not for the mercy of God upon a poor lost soul like me, I would not
be here today! When I think of the way He has protected me for so many years,
spiritually, mentally, physically and materially, it is pure compassion, love
and grace!
His gift of mercy,
wisdom and protection is beyond compare and understanding. If it were not for
His great love, where would any one of us be? His grace goes beyond the limits
of human comprehension!
How could I ever thank
Him enough for saving me, filling me and keeping me? It was my Saviour’s love
that drew me to Him, unworthy as I was. He not only died for my sins, but He
put His blessed Holy Spirit within me.
I was nothing when He
found me. And I am still nothing without Jesus my Saviour. I don’t deserve any
of His goodness, mercy or spiritual gifts which He has bestowed upon and
showered me with.
Thank you, Heavenly
Father, for being so merciful and kind to me and my family! By your grace I
will continue to serve you in whatever capacity you see fit. Lead me by Your
precious Holy Spirit.
Thank You for opening
Your Holy Word to me in such marvellous and copious ways, which truly amaze me
for in myself, I know nothing as I should know it. Your imparted wisdom
astounds me and the knowledge You have opened up to me, continues to bless me!
Please grant unto
me Your spiritual gifts in a greater measure, as You see fit. Lead me, precious
Holy Spirit into a deeper walk with you, for the honour and glory of my Saviour
Jesus Christ.
I will continue to praise You
for time and eternity, for the great compassion and care You have so graciously
blessed me with over these many years of serving You!
Please continue to
bless my precious wife Donna and me with health and strength and guidance in
all things! Please bless, protect and heal our children, grand and great
grandchildren with your great mercy, grace, love and spiritual gifts! And may
Your saving, healing and guiding hand bless all my friends and others who read
these words. In Jesus’ blessed Name!
“Nothing in my
hands I bring. Simply to Thy Cross I cling. My only plea, Christ died for me.
Take me as I am.” Amen. - December 11, 2019
