~ TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY ~
Dear Friend in Jesus Christ,
Donna
and I wish to thank you for your kindness and help during this past year and earlier;
some for many years! It was sixty-one years ago in 1963 we launched the world-wide Ministry for Christ, in
which we are still very active!
My
father’s instant healing in 1956 while listening to Oral Robert’s radio
broadcast, and sudden baptism in the Holy Ghost while singing a hymn, made an
impact upon me. I had drifted from God since my confirmation at age 15 in the
Evangelical Lutheran Church and I was beginning to seriously think about God
again!
In
1957, while Donna and I were visiting my parents in Norquay, Saskatchewan, I
experienced Christ’s forgiveness, and received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost
with speaking in unknown tongues. My life was forever changed. Some time later
Donna was also born again and filled with the blessed Holy Ghost.
As early as 1958 I was sharing Christ on my business
trips and in 1961, I began broadcasting over several Radio stations with much
success. Some wonderful miracles of salvation and divine healing were
happening, which greatly encouraged me and for that I am eternally thankful!
GOD SPOKE TO ME FROM THE BIBLE!
Early
in 1963 God spoke to me from Acts 6: 2-4: “Then the twelve called the
multitudes of the disciples unto them and said, It is not reason that we
should leave the Word of God and serve tables… But we will give ourselves
continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word.”
My
time of serving tables was fulfilled. I
knew God had called me to the Ministry. I worked as a Commercial Traveller and used
my available time studying God’s Word with fasting and prayer. Wanting to be certain,
I asked God for another six months to wrap up my business, find a replacement
and train him.
In
August 1963, we launched into the Evangelical Field to proclaim Jesus Christ as
the Light of the world and the only Hope of Salvation!
Donna
and I had built a new home in Prince
George, where we lived for 6 years. I was in a crusade in Kent, Washington in
December 1963. Our good friends, the Hunters
were pastors at the White Rock Pentecostal Church. They had inquired about a
3-bedroom house for rent. The Assembly of God in Kent were having a wedding on
the Saturday allowing me to drive down to White Rock that afternoon.
The
Hunters stated that there had not been a three-bedroom house for rent for the
last 90 days. As I was driving up Johnson Road, I saw Wolstencroft Realty lights and God urged me to stop there. It was 15
minutes before closing time. I parked and walked inside. A gentleman met me. I
asked, “Do you have a 3-bedroom home for rent?”
He
said that there hadn’t been any for three months, but that a man had been there
30 minutes earlier and put his house for rent. He lived in Prince George and had
bought a new vehicle and had taken it for a spin and would be back in 10
minutes. I asked, “What is his name?” He answered, “His name is Ernie
James.”I said, “I know where he lives in Prince George because we
are neighbours!” We rented his
house for three months and then we made a deal to exchange homes!
MY HEAVIEST CROSS!
Years
ago, I began writing my story called, ‘My Heaviest Cross’ and this is
some of it! Leaving my beautiful wife Donna and our precious children
for long periods of time while I preached Christ’s Gospel has been my ‘Heaviest
Cross.”
Thomas Tutyko and I were away from home for 3 ½ months in 1966. We had great crusades from Japan to the Philippines and India. Thousands of souls were saved, and great miracles performed in Jesus’ name. We had the company of one another, which was a great blessing!
I
have travelled in Crusades for weeks and months labouring for the Master.
Watching the news these days and seeing the awful carnage in Ukraine by the
wicked Russian Military, I can remember the cities where I preached across Eastern
Europe from 1989 to 2005. We had such great blessings especially in the
Ukraine and many of those cities now lie
in ruin!
HIGH COST OF PREACHING THE GOSPEL!
A
few weeks ago, Donna and I were discussing the high cost of preaching the
Gospel. We know that Jesus paid the price for our salvation when He died for
our sins, fears, loneliness, sickness, and disease. And by His stripes we are healed
and have been given power over the devil in Jesus’ holy and matchless Name!
Donna
said, “Of the many times the children and I took you to the Vancouver
International Airport, the children and I were so sad, and I said in my heart,
“If only we had one more night together!” I asked, “Do you really need to leave
today?” Then suddenly you said, “I’m not leaving tonight. I’ll call them that I
have been delayed” and you swung the car around and headed Home. That was the
happiest night I had. After that, it was okay.”
Donna
remembered the time I had said goodbye to her and the children at the Airport,
with the keys to our car in my pocket. Donna ran out to the exit gate shouting,
“My husband has the automobile keys in his pocket. Stop that airplane. I
have four children here and no keys to our vehicle.
”Fortunately,
they got word out to the airplane, and I was able to give them the car keys,
and my precious family were on their way safely home! Whenever I was at home and we could travel in the vehicle, we took the
whole family!
I CALLED KEN MY SHADOW!
Ken
travelled with me a lot, even while I was still a Commercial Traveller. I would
introduce him to my customers. I called him my shadow. He was 3 ½ years old
when I preached a three-week Revival at the Langley Pentecostal Church with
Pastor Erhardt. Ken and I lived in the Attic where a bed had been set up
amidst a lot of other things.
When
I made the altar call and people would kneel at the altar, I would come down
and lay my hands on their heads and pray. Ken followed me and did the same.
Then when I felt my ministry was over and people continued praying, I would lay
my hands on Ken’s head and pray for Him before carrying him up to the Attic.
One
night there was a large crowd and after much prayer, I took Ken with me and was
getting into bed. Suddenly, he said, “Dad, you didn’t pray for me
tonight!” I sensed the presence of God upon him and asked, “Do
you want to give your heart to Jesus tonight, son?” He said,
“Yes, Dad.” We knelt in that little attic at the Langley Pentecostal
Church and my son Ken gave his heart to the Lord.”
GREAT REVIVAL AMONG THE NATIVES!
Every
five weeks I would work my way west calling on every Grocery Store and Logging Camp,
and I would usually be in Hazelton or Prince Rupert for the
weekend.
Pastor
Jack and Irma Williams were doing an amazing
work in the about four or five Indian Reserves. They would ask me to speak and we
would have great outpourings of the Holy Spirit among them as God did miracles
of deliverance and healings for His glory.
Bill
yand Cynthia Legette of the Prince Rupert
Pentecostal Church were excellent musicians and pastors. I had preached in
their church several times.
In
the summer of 1962, Donna and I used our vacation to preach in Edmonton, and
Billy Legette joined us. He was a professional violinist and great song leader.
That 10-day crusade reached many people and 95 answered the altar call for
salvation and many testified that Jesus had healed them. Nine young men from
the Roman Catholic Seminary went forward for prayer!
Ten
Seminarians from St. Joseph’s Seminary in St. Albert, Alberta came to the
meeting to openly challenge me about statements I had publicity made about the
false teachings about the Papacy and the Roman Catholic Church. They made their
plans known to our Head usher, who did not divulge it to me.
As
Billy Legette and I walked onto the platform, I heard the voice of the Holy
Spirit say to me, “Give the Pope a rest tonight, My Son!” God gave me a
powerful message to deliver on the Cross of Christ! The Altar was filled and
among them were nine Seminarians, who asked for an personal audience with me.
They all thanked me and confessed, that had received Jesus Christ as their
personal Saviour!
THE OLD ARMY TENT!
In
1963, we bought an old Army Tent, Semi and Trailer for $2,000. Brother
Casperson, a Norwegian Fisherman in New Westminster gave us the money, and
we used that tent to preach Christ and liberate multitudes of people in the
next two years across Western Canada. The News Press always gave us good
coverage because they realized we practiced what we preached, and the miracles
God performed were genuine!
It
was exciting for five-year-old Ken and me, driving that old rig across the Pattullo
Bridge in New Westminster, B.C. We took a right turn and drove the winding Old
Yale Road bypassing Surrey, toward White Rock. Our good friend T.B. Nash, a
sign painter who was staying with us, painted in large red letters across the
long trailer, ‘Jesus Saves, Heals & Fills
with the Holy Ghost’.
Together
with Don Gossett we put up the tent in Surrey, B.C. in early 1964,
with great success. Our second Crusade was in Edmonton where 14 churches
backed our ministry, and hundreds were converted to Christ. Then on to Winnipeg
and Steinbach and other points! That old Army Tent was held up by
three 45-foot-high telephone poles, and an old Chevy three-ton tractor saw a
lot of action for our Saviour.
And
because I was young and strong and had earlier learned hard work on the farm, I
could swing the heavy Sledgehammer to drive in hundreds of long wood anchor stakes.
Everywhere we set up the tent, we often had great help from local believers.
Bob
Rosin, my great friend who was a Farmer and
former long-haul Trucker found time to transport our outfit from city to city.
And usually, my precious little Kenny was my constant companion!
I
hadn’t planned to write all this, but Donna’s comments brought me to tears and
the book I have always planned to write has just got a rough beginning! I pray
God’s blessings upon all our friends
from Donna and me! Amen.
THE PRAYER CLOTH
For
years we sent out prayer cloths to people who requested them, and the results
were amazing. Testimonies of great miracle healings happened to some people who
used them in faith and prayed in agreement with us in Jesus’ name!
The
Bible says: “And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that
from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the
diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.” (Acts
19: 11,12)
God laid it on my heart to send a prayer cloth over which we
have prayed, for you to use in agreement with us for God’s healing touch upon
you, for His honour and glory! Please request as many prayer cloths as you can
prayerfully us when you write!
Your servants for
Jesus’sake,
Max & Donna Solbrekken
P.S.
In 1989, I had the privilege of preaching in Romania and Ukraine.
The doors had opened across Eastern Europe and thousands of people were
attending. Although I loved being the pastor of Faith Cathedral Edmonton, God
was drawing me to Eastern Europe. Donna and I were ministering in Norway when
we discussed what I was feeling in my spirit. On July 21, 1989, God spoke these words to me:
“My son, your ministry will be greater
from now onward that hitherto. Take My Word to Eastern Europe now!”
Ken helped us organize together with Pastor Laurie Hueppleshizer to amalgamate
Faith Cathedral and People’s Church as one body under their leadership.The
official amalgamation took place on October 27, 1991.
Amazingly, the Edmonton Revival Centre that became
Faith Cathedral was officially opened on October 27, 1969.
…TO BE FOLLOWED SHORTLY
A MAN WALKED WITH ME
By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D
The New Life Mission arranged a special Healing Crusade for me in the city of Aalesund, Norway. Henry Kransberg, Gunnar Johansen and I drove there for the Crusade.
The meeting was filled with God’s presence and many were reached for Christ as He stretched forth His Divine hand to heal the sick!
After we closed the meeting, a precious elderly
woman implored us to bring her home and to pray for her aged husband who was
given up by medical science and the cancer was about to take his life!
Henry and I brought her home and she offered us
coffee while she spoke to her husband
letting him know that we were prepared to pray for his healing. His wife
accompanied me into his bedroom and I asked her to help turn him on the side facing
me.
He was extremely overjoyed that I had come to see
him and quickly grasped the Holy Scriptures I was sharing. His heart was like a
sponge and he quickened when I shared a number of God’s powerful promises of
Divine Healing given us by Christ Himself in His Word.
After declaring that it is God’s will to heal the
sick with the belief that the BLOOD of Jesus Christ shed for us on Golgotha was
the basis for our belief that he would be healed when we prayed!
I quoted James 5: 14,15: “Is any sick among you,
let him call for the elders of the church and 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
they have committed any sins, it shall be forgiven him.”
The very sick man grasped the truth of God’s Word
and together with his wife believed that God would answer our prayer according
to His Own Word,
Henry had gone out to start the automobile because
the weather was cold. As I was about to
leave the little lady asked me to wait a little while she went to get an offering
for our Ministry.
As I stepped onto the steps, Henry was returning but stopped abruptly and burst into tears and immediately went back to the vehicle.
When I took my seat he was weeping profusely. I
asked, Henry what is happening? His words burst though his loud crying, “Max,
when you were walking down the steps you were not alone, another man was
walking with you!”
Then I burst into tears at that supernatural happening,
sensing the awesome presence of God with us in the vehicle. When we arrived at
the Hotel, I went directly to my room and Henry went to the room he was sharing
with Gunnar.
In a few minutes Gunnar was knocking on my door,
saying “Come quickly, the lady that you visited is speaking to Henry. She is excited.
The moment she went in to see him He was sitting up with both feet of the
floor, saying, “I am starved!
She asked what he wanted and he said, “PORIDGE!”
She made it for him and he was on his second bowl and completely well. To GOD
be the glory in Jesus’ name!
WAS IT AN ANGEL OR WAS IT JESUS HIMSELF?
Henry said, “A Man was walking
with you” and the fear of God gripped him and he burst into tears. It took a few
minutes to compose ourselves. Some people believe it was an angel. Others believe
that it must have been Jesus Himself since the dying man instantly revived and
JESUS HIMSLF IS THE HEALER! All I can
say is, “GLORY TO GOD FOREVER! Amen.
Max Solbrekken World Mission Box 44220 RPO Garside Edmonton AB T5V 1N6; Email: [email protected]; comehometojesus.ca; Facebook; Youtube; Blog: MSWM; Donations can be made by e-Transfer. Send your donation to [email protected]. Thank you and may God reward you for your kindness!
