WHY
REMAIN IN BONDAGE:
GOD WANTS TO HEAL US?
By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
“What then, shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under
grace. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants ye are to whom ye
obey; whether to sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6: 15,
16).
“For
we have not an high Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let
us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15, 16)
CHRIST CRUCIFIED,
RISEN & COMING!
Our agenda is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to as many as
possible, as quickly as possible and in every way possible. We believe that Christ
is not only the Hope of the world, but His Gospel is the remedy for the many problems,
fears, addictions and diseases that are plaguing mankind! And we know that we
have a limited time to get the job done, because surely our Lord will SOON return!
It is therefore essential that we utilize
every possible means available to make Christ’s name known, loved and trusted,
while we have the opportunity. By means of the internet we can reach behind the
communist walls, iron curtains, Islamic torture regimes and capitalist nations!
In the April 2002 issue of the Cry of His Coming magazine, p.16, now on the internet,
is the wonderful testimony of Healing and Deliverance in the life of Svein Erik Aasmul of Lyngdal, Norway:
“When
I was about 15 or 16 years of age, I got hooked on heroin and for 10 long
years, I was in and out of institutions and prisons because of my addiction to
drugs. Nothing helped and my addition grew worse and I would use any drug I could
get my hands on – heroin, amphetamine as well as alcohol.
MAX SOLBBREKKEN CRUSADE!
One day in March 1998 I heard about a Max
Solbrekken Crusade in Bergen and somehow in my stupor of drugs and alcohol I
got to his meeting. A group of Canadian Indians called the ‘Resurrection
Band’ led by Len Laboucan, were singing and playing their instruments.
Pastor Max preached about Jesus Christ
and His power to save, heal and deliver. He told in graphic detail how Jesus
had suffered for our sins. I went forward to receive Jesus as my Saviour, and to
be healed of my terrible addictions! After the meeting I went outside to take a
fix, but the needle didn’t work. Then, I realized that I was free from all drug
addiction.
Later, I checked myself into the Evangelistic
Rehab Centre. After a year there, I moved to Tonsberg and began to work, something
I had hardly ever done in my life. There, I met a lovely young lady named Gunhild
and we got married. We are now living in Lyndal and are awaiting the arrival of
a baby this summer.
I have been drug and alcohol free since March
1998 (4 ½ years) and all the glory and honour goes to Jesus! And I have a good
job as a welder. It’s good to have a new foundation in life, one that you can
trust in all situations. All honour and glory to Jesus!
GOD ANOINTED JESUS OF
NAZARETH!
The Bible says: “How God anointed Jesus
of Nazareth who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of devil;
for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things which He did
both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a
tree:
“Him God raised up the third day and showed Him openly; not to all the
people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and
drink with Him after He rose from the dead. And He commanded
us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is He which was ordained
of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
“To Him give all the prophets witness,
that through His Name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of
sins.” (Acts
10: 38-43). St. Peter declared: “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with
corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by
tradition from your fathers: but with the precious blood of Christ,
as of a lamb without blemish or spot:
“Who verily was ordained before
the foundation of the world but was manifest in these days for
you, who by Him do believe in God, that raised
Him up from the dead, and gave Him glory: that your faith and hope might be in God.” (1 Peter 1:18-21)
St. Paul declared: “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead
our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of
the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His
will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus
Christ; to Him be glory for ever and ever.” (Hebrew 13: 20, 21)
In His great wisdom to redeem Adam’s fallen race, Almighty God entered human
history through the incarnation of His only begotten Son Jesus
Christ and His sacrificial death for the sins of the entire world, past,
present and future!
The
Apostle Paul unveiled for us, that in the council of Heaven, before the world
was created, the Triune God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) made
the “Blood of the Everlasting Covenant”, for the Redemption of Mankind!
FOR THIS PURPOSE!
St. John declared: “He that committeth sin is of devil: for 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
very purpose of His Incarnation was to save us all from spiritual
death and deliver us from the Wicked One. Our Saviour said: “The thief cometh
not, but for to steal, and to kill and to destroy: I am come that they may have
LIFE, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
Jesus Christ, God the Son was manifested
to destroy Satan’s works of sin, fear, disease, death, poverty and demon possession,
and to destroy him as well.
St. Paul declared: “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of
flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through Death
He might Destroy him that had the power over death, that is the Devil.
And Deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage.” (Hebrews 2: 14-15)
JESUS not only preached repentance
and healed the sick and cast out devils, but He commanded His disciples,
apostles and followers to do the same. Here is His Great Commission: “And He
said unto them, 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 (like Paul in Malta); 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: 15-18)
“And
being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from
Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which
sayeth He ye have heard of Me. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall
be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
“But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and
ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1: 8)
“So
then after the Lord had spoken unto 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.”
(Mark 16: 19, 20)
GOD
SHOWED UP IN POWER!
Did JESUS keep His Word? The answer is a resounding, ‘Yes’! He kept His
Word to them, and He still fulfills His Word today. He cannot make a mistake. He cannot fail. He cannot
lie. “Jesus Christ the “same, yesterday, today and forever.” (Hebrews
13:8). He said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No
man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6);
The Bible says: “And when the Day of Pentecost had fully come,
they were all of one accord in one place. And suddenly there came
a sound from Heaven of a Rushing Mighty Wind, and it filled all the house where
they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven
tongues as of FIRE, and it sat upon each of them.
“And they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost, and began to speak in tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And
they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are all these
Galileans in our own tongues, wherein we were born? …we do hear them speak the
wonderful works of God…
Three thousand souls believed and were
born again after hearing St. Peter’s great Pentecostal Message, on Jesus of
Nazareth’s sacrificial death and glorious resurrection from the dead three days later, according to the Holy Scriptures!
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be
baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,
and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Then they that gladly received
His word were baptized and the same day there were added unto them about three
thousand souls.” (Acts 1: 4-8; 2:1-44)
WITH SIGNS FOLLOWING!
“Now Peter
and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth
hour. And a certain man lame 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 it the temple; Who seeing
Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
“And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him
with John, said, 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 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 and 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 walking and leaping, and praising God.
“And they knew that
it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were
filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him. And as
the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together
unto them in the porch called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.
GOD HATH GLORIFIED HIS SON!
“And
when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people. Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye
at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or
holiness we had made this man to walk? The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God
of our father, hath glorified His Son Jesus: whom ye delivered up, and denied
Him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go.
“But ye denied the Holy One and the Just and desired a murderer to be
granted unto you. And killed the Prince of Life, whom God hath raised from the dead;
whereof we are witnesses, And His Name through faith in His Name hath made this
man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by Him hath
given Him this perfect soundness in the
presence of you all.” (Acts 3: 1-16)
What had happened there? The Church which Jesus Christ established when
He poured out the Holy Spirit was functioning as it was designed to do! The
birth of the Church on the Day of Pentecost had set a great revival in motion! It was functioning in perfect harmony with the
promise Jesus Christ had given!
He said: “REPENT ye therefore, and be ye converted,
that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from
the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ which before was
preached unto you: Whom the Heaven must receive until the times of restitution of
all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since
the world began.
“Unto you first God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless
you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” (Acts 3:19-21,26)
JUSTIFIED BY JESUS’
BLOOD!
The Bible states: “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by
His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being
reconciled, we shall be reconciled by His life.” (Romans 5: 8-10)
We are forgiven, pardoned, cleansed, liberated, delivered, and born
again through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. He graciously bestows upon us
total freedom and liberty in the Holy Spirit, and through His stripes we are divinely
healed from all sickness and diseases!
“He
(Abraham) staggered not at the Promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in
faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that what He had promised,
He was able also to perform. And therefore, it was imputed to him for righteousness.
“Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
But FOR US ALSO, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that
raised up Jesus Christ from the dead: Who was delivered for our offences, and
was raised again for our justification.” (Romans 4: 20-25)
Herein lies the Key! Do we fully believe that Jesus Christ was fully
God who was INCARNATED (God in human flesh) and became fully man
so that He could suffer, bleed and die to redeem us by meeting the righteous
demands of divine justice to satisfy the wrath of God against the sins of Adam
and the human race?
If we by God’s grace and through divine faith reach that threshold of
fellowship with the Father through His Son, the Holy Spirit will lead us into a
place where the impossible becomes possible.
I believe that is when the Faith of Jesus supplants our imperfect faith!
I DIDN’T HAVE THE FAITH!
During our crusades in Eastern Europe in the early 1990s, a
Ukrainian team and I were ministering in several towns and villages. The Norwegian
Pentecostals had donated a large tour bus to a group of young preachers in
Truskevets which we used on several occasions while ministering across Ukraine.
The authorities were very helpful as we were able to set up our PA equipment and
conduct services in desirable locations.
Many happily made decisions to follow Jesus Christ and there were some
notable answers to prayer among the sick and suffering.
On one occasion we had a very significant experience. The town had a population of 2,000 and a large crowd attended, seated on the grass or on chairs they had brought. During my message, a young lady jumped to her feet and rushed forward with her 3-year-old son in her arms, followed by her husband and about 16 other people. She blurted out, “My son has just died.”
On one occasion we had a very significant experience. The town had a population of 2,000 and a large crowd attended, seated on the grass or on chairs they had brought. During my message, a young lady jumped to her feet and rushed forward with her 3-year-old son in her arms, followed by her husband and about 16 other people. She blurted out, “My son has just died.”
I
asked my interpreter if he knew those people, and he replied: “Yes, they
are the only Protestants here and their church with 22 members is called ‘The Believers’.
The parents have attended several of our crusades, begging us to have a service in their town because their little son was incurably sick. He was born with a congenital heart disease and they have been told by the doctors repeatedly, to stop rushing him into the hospital, because he is beyond hope! They would say, “He will die tomorrow. Don’t bother us!”
The parents have attended several of our crusades, begging us to have a service in their town because their little son was incurably sick. He was born with a congenital heart disease and they have been told by the doctors repeatedly, to stop rushing him into the hospital, because he is beyond hope! They would say, “He will die tomorrow. Don’t bother us!”
I asked the mother if everyone there knew them, and she replied that
they did. Then I asked the congregation if they knew that couple and they shouted that they knew them.
I asked, “Do you believe the boy is dead and did they believe that God would bring him back to life.”
I asked, “Do you believe the boy is dead and did they believe that God would bring him back to life.”
They
said that little boy should have died earlier and that they believed
God would raise him up. They emphasized that the parents told them that their son would
be healed, and that is why they came to the meeting!
I asked everyone to stand to their feet, lift their hands toward God
and pray after me. We prayed the Sinner's Prayer asking God for forgiveness and
inviting Christ to come into our hearts. Then we prayed the Lord’s Prayer.
After that, we made the Confession of Faith and the Prayer of thanksgiving!
I prayed in earnest that God would intervene. I prayed for mercy and grace and for faith to believe that God would grant a miracle. I was overwhelmed by the great challenge, as I had never before been in such a situation. They had come to see God heal the little boy and now it was too late!
I prayed in earnest that God would intervene. I prayed for mercy and grace and for faith to believe that God would grant a miracle. I was overwhelmed by the great challenge, as I had never before been in such a situation. They had come to see God heal the little boy and now it was too late!
Up to this point, I did not have the faith to command the little boy to
come back to life. In desperation, I began to praise God for His faithfulness
while confessing my weakness and lack of power.
Suddenly, something happened to me and I felt God’s power moving in me. I reached over and touched the little boy, commanding the spirit of death to leave and his spirit to come back into him. I asked God for a miracle of healing in his body, in Jesus’ mighty Name!
Suddenly, something happened to me and I felt God’s power moving in me. I reached over and touched the little boy, commanding the spirit of death to leave and his spirit to come back into him. I asked God for a miracle of healing in his body, in Jesus’ mighty Name!
At that moment, his left leg moved out and so did his right arm. I asked
for a cup of water and in the name of Jesus Christ, I threw it into his face.
His eyes opened and almost immediately he was on the floor walking about.
The whole crowd came alive and were excitedly rejoicing and worshipping God. Jesus had performed a mighty miracle and proved to them that He is Alive! To God be all the honour, power and glory!
The whole crowd came alive and were excitedly rejoicing and worshipping God. Jesus had performed a mighty miracle and proved to them that He is Alive! To God be all the honour, power and glory!
TO BE CONTINUED SHORTLY - M.S.
