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 were 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 follow us 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 only speak 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 to slowly get
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 was 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.”
What
was the outcome of that miracle? Any policeman who had sick
family 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 on our successful time in India.
In
the December 1966 crusade in Guntur, AP India, we attended the Annual Police
Sport's Day. It was announced that
anyone could compete in the one-mile race. Since I had been Saskatchewan's half
mile winner in 1951, Bob Hoover, Thomas Tutyko and
Missionary Lawson Barbour all felt I should compete to get
exposure for the Crusade.
I
finally agreed and the announcer excitedly said, “You remember the
Miracle Man Max Solbrekken from Canada who had 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 halfway mark, when I
decided to graciously pull out of the race. We got the publicity for Jesus and
the Crusade, and they were thrilled that I had participated. All glory
to God! Amen.
Max
Solbrekken World Mission Box 44220 RPO Edmonton AB T5V 1N6; Email:
[email protected]; comehometojesus.ca; MSWM; Facebook; Youtube; Donations
can be made by e-Transfer. Make donation to [email protected]; May God
bless you!
