Greater is He who is in you.

The message from the evening service.

The Bible gives us hope for overcoming anything in this world: John wrote in his epistle: ‘Greater is He who is in you than He who is in the world.’

I John 4:4-6

⁴ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. ⁵ They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. ⁶ We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. ^[1]

In the Kingdom of God the little children overcome the world because they have a greater One living inside of them. It is the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit of the Living God. The Holy Spirit reveals the truth to us. The Holy Spirit is not a spirit of error. And those who are of God hear the truth. When we preach the truth those who are of God hears us. The world cannot hear God’s voice because they do not have the Holy Spirit. They first have to be born again so that they have the Spirit of Truth.

Jesus obtained this remarkable feat on our behalf.

Hebrews 9:11, 12

But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; ¹² Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.^[2]

The heavenly tabernacle is greater than the tabernacle Moses erected in the wilderness for the Jews. Moses’ tabernacle was a copy of the heavenly tabernacle.

Which is greater: the real thing or a copy of the real thing?

The real tabernacle is not made with man’s hands. It is an eternal tabernacle and Jesus entered that tabernacle with His own blood that He shed on Calvary for the remission of our sins. There he obtained eternal redemption for us!

What a glorious revelation the writer of Hebrews had!

In the Old Covenant the High Priest had to enter every year into the holy place to obtain forgiveness of sins for the people. But he could not make himself free from sin nor could he make the people free. It was a covering. The blood of bulls and goats was simply a covering for the sins of the people. He could not perfect either himself or the people. But Christ perfected both Himself and those who put their trust in Him.

Then Christ asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Him. The Holy Spirit came to take up residence within our spirits. He is inside of us. He is greater than he who is in the world.

So no matter what you face in the world, the Holy Spirit is greater! He can help you overcome anything in this world.

If you have to overcome sin; He can do it.

If you have to overcome sickness, He can do it.

If you have to overcome rejection, He can help you do it.

If you have to overcome persecution, He is able to help you overcome.

Even though we are ‘little children’ we can overcome the world.

We overcome the world by our faith in Christ Jesus.

If you have to overcome your own weaknesses, He provides the necessary strength to do it.

If you need strength of mind to overcome a battle in your mind, He can do it.

If you have to overcome hurts in your emotions, He can do it.

If you have to overcome a broken heart, He can heal the broken hearted because Jesus was anointed to heal the broken hearted and set the captive free!

He is greater than the poverty you face.

He is greater than the hardships you go through.

He is greater than your iniquities.

He is greater than your failures.

He is greater than all the things that try to overcome you.

Greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world!

We have a great Redeemer and He gives great redemption!

God is greater than what you fear.

God is greater than what people try to do to you.

God is greater than your disappointments!

God is greater than your grief.

God is greater than your ambition and He can do what none other can ever do!

Have you any rivers that you think are uncrossable?

Have you any rivers that you can’t tunnel through?

God specializes in things thought impossible

And He can do what no other power can ever do!

Have you affliction that you think is incurable

In spite of what the doctors can do

God specializes in things thought impossible

And He can do what no other power can ever do

My God can do anything, anything, anything

My God can do anything

He made the earth and all its fullness
And all that time can bring

My God can do anything

Greater is He who is in you

Greater is He who is in you

Greater is He who is you

Than He who is in the world

Faith in God can move a mighty mountain

Faith can calm the trouble sea

Faith can make the desert like a fountain

Faith can bring the victory

Have faith in God

Have faith in God

Have faith in God

For deliverance

Have faith in God

Oh Lord my God when I in awesome wonder

Consider all the works your hands have done

I see the stars I hear the rolling thunder

And I proclaim: My God how great Thou art

Then sings my soul my Saviour God to Thee

How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul my Saviour God to Thee

How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

It is no secret what God can do

What He’s done for others He can do for you

With arms wide open He’ll pardon you

It is no secret what God can do!

Reasons why we can always be confident.

1.   Confidence must have a permanent source

Confidence must have a permanent source if it is always going to be available. Self confidence soon runs out, but there is a source of confidence that will never run dry. Gideon found that source and defeated the Medianites with 300 selected men; Joshua discovered it and caused the walls of Jericho to crumble! Saul of Tarsus found it and escaped death and incarceration; Peter tapped into it and made the cripples walk!

In the face of great odds these men realised they could tap into that eternal source of confidence and overcome their opponents. There is an unlimited source of confidence available to all who will believe in Jesus Christ!

The question is: can one always be confident? The answer is: Yes!

Most people gain confidence from achievement, wealth, position or the favour of man. You can gauge their source of confidence by what they say:

‘Success breeds success!’ or ‘Only associate with positive people!’ or ‘I am a winner!’ or ‘I am a positive faith person!’ or ‘Don’t spend time with losers!’ these slogans give them away.

Most people lack confidence because they have not achieved much in life and are not wealthy, do not have an important position and do not know influential people.

Most people resort to self-motivational seminars to boost their confidence. They listen to egoistical salesmen that hype them up with slogans and sales pitches such as ‘you cannot afford not to buy my books and CD’s!’ and hear how that course will ‘transform your life and make you super successful!’

Pyramid sales companies as well as many church growth schemes based on pyramid systems, use multi-level selling techniques to boost their sales and promote their products. Ignorant people are deceived and told that they will be just as rich as the guy at the top of the pyramid within 6 months and drive the same smart car, but what they are not told is that the pyramid widens out at the bottom and soon the bottom falls out and people are hurt and lose their investment.

In difficult financial times people cannot find loans at banks so they resort to loan sharks that demand high interest or they log on to multi-level selling schemes. They end up losing all they have.

Get rich quick schemes always have a catch. Sometimes Christians run these companies and tell ill-informed believers: ‘first pray about getting involved in this scheme. If the Lord tells you to get involved then get involved, but if the Lord does not tell you, do not get involved.’ It sounds so spiritual, but of course the people who are desperate will ‘hear’ the Lord telling them to get involved.

People are drawn by the seeming confidence of the presenter of the course or the director of the scheme and because they lack confidence they latch onto the confidence of the one they follow. People who promote these deceptive products and courses normally tell everyone how they take their families to Disneyland and other expensive holidays and they are very outspoken about their financial success. But when the plug is pulled on these schemes the confidence level drops to betrayal and many people are hurt and often end up bankrupt.

I Timothy 6:9, 10

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’

I Timothy 1:19

‘Having faith and a good conscience which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck.’ They shipwreck their faith!

2.    You can only put your trust in one thing at a time

I have warned people everywhere not to place their confidence in money or in people, but in the Living God. (I Tim 6:17-19)

You cannot trust money and God at the same time. You cannot trust people and God at the same time. You can only put your trust in one thing at a time!

There is nothing wrong with making money, but when you put your trust in it, you no longer trust God. The first sentence in Napoleon Hill’s book, ‘How to think and grow rich!’ is, ‘if you want to make money you must love money!’ That is where it goes wrong: from the first sentence. Yet, many believers use that book like a Bible because they read that Mr. Hill also did some charitable works!

Only the blessing of God makes rich and adds no sorrow to it. (Prov 10:22)

(Deut 8:18)

Jeremiah 17:5

‘Cursed is the man who makes the arm of flesh his confidence. But blessed is the man who places His trust in the Lord his God.’

People do not realise that their source of confidence can change overnight! Banks can go bankrupt and companies cease to exist and human beings pass away. When Wall Street crashes people commit suicide, because their trust was in their wealth.

Self Confidence has a limited life span: beauty passes away, skills cease, ability fades. You have to learn how to put your confidence in God.

Isaiah 30:15 – In quietness and confidence shall be your strength

Hebrews 3:6 – whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of hope firm to the end

3.   Jesus Christ’s amazing confidence

Jesus Christ’s amazing confidence had no limits because he was hooked up to the eternal source of confidence: he trusted His heavenly Father and did what He showed Him to do. Even in the worst moments Jesus was confident that He was doing the will of His Father. When Judas Iscariot betrayed Him Jesus remained confident. When He died on the cross He was confident and forgave His detractors. His confidence lay in knowing His Father’s will for His life. When you know what you are about to face you can face it boldly. God gave Jesus grace to face denial, betrayal, persecution, execution and crucifixion!

Hebrews 12:2 - 4

‘Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our salvation, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and having sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed striving against sin.’

4.   The secret of divine confidence

The secret of divine confidence is laid up in II Corinthians 5:6 - 9:

‘Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. Therefore we are always confident knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim whether present or absent to be well pleasing to Him.’

God prepares you for something before it happens. So our confidence does not lie in our own effort or ability, or in the support of other people, nor is it a hyped up self motivational false confidence – but it is a source of confidence that will never run dry based on the sure knowledge that He who prepared us for this very thing is God!

So when an opportunity arrives, you know already that God prepared you for it otherwise He will not allow it to come your way. When a trial comes, you know that you have been prepared to face it. When you are honoured, you can handle it with humility. When you are rejected by people you know you are well accepted in the Beloved, in Christ and you can face the rejection with confidence. Whatever you have to face, the knowledge that God first prepares you for it, gives you confidence that you can trust in God for whatever He allows in your life!

This kind of confidence has no pride or arrogance attached to it, because it is a humble dependence on someone greater than you!

5.   Be confident that God will complete the good work in you.

Philippians 1:6

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ

Reasons why we can be confident all the time is because we can have confidence in Christ who tasted death for everyone and became the author of eternal salvation to all who put their trust in Him. He sanctifies them completely because He has destroyed the devil’s power to overcome them and He releases them from bondage of sin and fear of death. He is merciful and faithful to complete the good work He begun in those who believe in Him.

The Hebrew words for confidence:

Batach – run for refuge and be secure because you are sure in whom you put your trust

Mibtach – assurance

The Greek words for confidence:

Parrhesia – outspoken, frank, blunt

Peitho – convince by argument

Theriheo – exercise courage and be of good cheer

Tolmaho – to dare to act and to venture out

Now we can understand that the Book of Acts describes Paul’s witness in Rome and ends with: ‘preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.’

Despite all his hardship, suffering, rejection from the Jews, shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonments, losses and betrayals, Paul remained confident throughout his life, because he opened up the divine source of confidence, knowing that God Himself prepared him for what he was about to face. Therefore his epistles are still read today, 2 000 years later and we gain confidence from them! We have discovered the same source of confidence as Paul, as Gideon, as Moses, as Joshua, as Peter and as Jesus Christ our Lord!

(First preached by revelation in 1997, contained in the manual: ‘Building the Church’, by Andre Pelser)

Realities of the Integrity of the Word

For 1000 years the Word of God was hidden in monasteries and in a language people could not understand. Then the Reformation came, then doctrines and creeds.

1. The Word of God is speaking to you (Heb 4:12)
2. God’s Word is forever settled in heaven (Ps 119:89)
3. Walk in the light of what it says
4. Become Word-inside minded (Jn 8:31 truth sets you free; Jn 15:7 abide in the Word)
5. Born again of incorruptible seed (I Pet 1:23)
6. Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Mat 4:4)
7. The inward witness grows to maturity as we train our senses (Heb 5:13, 14)

How to communicate with God

God is invisible. It takes faith to contact God. Jesus Christ is the Way to God. Through faith in Christ we connect with God our heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit is given as our Helper to help us communicate with our invisible God. He knows the mind of God and he understands us so He acts like a Go-Between or a Mediator between us. Jesus is the Mediator of the New Covenant and makes sure it works on our behalf because we believe in Him.

How the Old Covenant High Priest communicated with God:

The Breastplate of the High Priest had a pocket (Lev 8:8) where the Urim & Thummim were placed. These tablets of destiny or ‘lights & perfections’ were part of Aaron’s dress code when he went before the Lord (Ex 28:30) It was the medium through which the High Priest ascertained the will of God in regard to important matters. (Num 27:21)

God is called the Father of lights (Jam 1:17).

The author of Hebrews talk about ‘just men made perfect’ (Heb 12:23)

The Linen Ephod that Aaron wore had the colours gold, blue and purple and scarlet threads with two shoulder straps. There were two onyx stones on which the names of the sons of Israel were engraved, six on each stone set on each shoulder. Chains of gold fastened the settings. It was known as the Breastplate of Judgement, whereas in the New Covenant we have the Breastplate of Righteousness!

Num 27:21 – Joshua the son of Nun, shall stand before Eleazar, the priest, and inquire before the lord for him by the judgement of the Urim; at his word they shall go out and at his word they shall come in. Moses laid his hand on him and inaugurated him. Joshua, a man in whom is the spirit, was set over the congregation.

In the New Covenant we have the Word of God and the Spirit of God to lead and guide us into all truth and to show us things to come. We need to know how the Word of God produces, and how God speaks to us.

1. Receive the engrafted word with meekness (James 1:21)
2. Mix it with faith in your heart (Heb 4:2)
3. The Word of God will never return void but will accomplish the thing for which it was sent (Isa 55:11)
4. The Word of God produces according to the condition of the heart of the one who receives it:

• Hard hearts– indifferent hearers, refuses to accept the word
• Emotional hearts – lacked root in themselves, no depth, shallow life
• Anxious hearts – carnal Christians, thorns are worries, the deceitfulness of riches and the desire for too many other things that choke the Word
• Receptive understanding hearts – honest and good heart, keeps the Word until it brings forth fruit with patience, 30/60/100 fold.

God’s Word is a seed (Mark 4:14). Take heed how you hear it!

God is keen to perform His Word (Jer 1:12: ‘koom’ – confirm, raise up)

Deut 9:5 (endure, lift up, establish, stir up, strengthen, succeed)

The Word of God will help you endure, it will lift you up, it will establish you, it will stir up the gifts of the Spirit in you, and it will strengthen you continually until you finally succeed! Hallelujah!

I will give you rest

Exodus 33:14

Here are some godly principles that bring rest to the soul.

In a time when the earth is filled with war, violence and corruption the Lord says He will give His Church rest.

• God is looking for someone to walk with Him, talk with Him, to be justified by faith in Christ Jesus. In order to walk and talk with God we need to recognise and hear His voice before we can obey Him. We get to know God’s voice through an open Bible.
• God is looking for a man of rest: Noah means rest. The wicked know no rest because they have no Covenant with God. Jesus invites us to learn meekness and humility from Him in order to find rest for our souls. (Mat 11:28, 29) The Good Shepherd leads His sheep to quiet waters to restore their souls. The proof of God’s presence to Moses was the fact that God gave them rest.
• Noah sent out a dove and a raven out of the ark to see if the waters abated on the earth. The raven never came back because it fed on the dead carcasses of animals and people drifting in the flood. The dove is a pure animal and did not defile itself with the putrefying flesh of dead beings and returned to the ark. We need to deny our old raven nature that feeds on putrefying things and learn to obey our new creature in Christ dove nature. Isaiah prophesied in returning and rest shall be your strength. (Is 30:15) and in Job 22:21 we read: ‘Acquaint yourself with Him and be at rest.’
• When you get into rest the battle is over!
  • Self-effort does not bring rest. When you trust in God you can find rest. God wants to bring you into a mature relationship with Him before He will change your circumstances. If you are out of rest you make people nervous and jittery around you. Rest is based on relationship not circumstances. He makes us uncomfortable until we submit to His ways. An acronym for REST is Relying Exclusively on Spiritual Truths! Then pressure from the outside can no longer disturb your rest because you trust in God. Then God can give you clear strategy. Then God can give you power to create wealth!
  • God rested from all his labours on the 7^th day. He is the Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus is our Sabbath Rest. We enter in on it by faith in Christ. When you are at rest you trust that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose to be conformed to the image of His dear Son Jesus Christ. (Rom 8:28, 29)

Application of these principles of rest

Repent and admit that you are not in the rest of faith. Repent and admit that you are not seeing God’s perspective in your circumstances. Ask God for wisdom that you lack. Take your eyes off your circumstances and keep your eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of your faith. Stop relying on your own self-effort; do not put your trust in people, but in the Living God. He promised Moses: ‘I will be with you and give you rest!’ God is the same, yesterday, today and forever. He makes that same promise to you today!

The Good Shepherd will restore your soul and lead you in paths of righteousness for His sake; you’ll fear no evil. His rod and His staff will comfort you; He will prepare a table before your enemies and make your cup run over! Surely goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever! Amen.

Redeemed from the curse

Foundation Scriptures:
Deut 28: The blessings and curses
Gal 3:13, 14: By dying on the cross Jesus destroyed the curse for us
Gal 3:29: We who believe are Abraham’s seed
Gen 17:7: God made a Covenant with Abraham
Gen 22:16, 17: Covenant reiterated including multiplication.
(I first learned these principles from Kenneth Copeland)

1. The Covenant
A. I am the El Shaddai God – the Almighty Breasty One
B. I will be a God to you
C. The strength of the Covenant – God consulted Abraham before He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

2. The Law – Its blessing and its curse
A. The blessing – Deut 28:1-14
B. The curse – Deut 28: 15-68
C. In Deut 28 ‘to smite’ should have been translated, ‘allow to be smitten’ because God is not the smiter.
D. Deut 28:47 – God is totally good; He provides the abundance of all things.
3. Jesus came to fulfil the Abrahamic Covenant (Mat 5:17; Rom 10:4)

4. We have been redeemed from the curse and made heirs to Abram’s promise (Gal 3:13, 14 & 29)

5. Luke 13:11-17 – Jesus delivers the bowed woman from Satan on the grounds that she is a daughter of Abraham. If she could be delivered
because she was Abraham’s seed, so can I on the same grounds according to Gal 3:29.

The routes to Miracle Land

(Elbert Willis first taught Nola and I these lessons about Miracle Land)

Everything in the Bible began and will end with a miracle.

Ex 14:1-31 Moses at the Red Sea

We are in this world but born into another realm as sons of God. God wants you to choose the realm you want to live in! In spite of your situation, God is in charge. God is confident in the power of His Word. When you hear the Word of God it stirs up faith in you to believe for a miracle.

The routes to Miracle Land

1. Miracles are your birthright and your inheritance

John 3:3

The greatest natural miracle takes place when a baby is born. To be born again also takes a miracle.

Once you know this truth it is a route to Miracle Land.

2. God’s ways are higher than our ways

When God told Moses to command Pharaoh to ‘set My people free!’ the only weapon Moses had was a rod. When Joshua faced the great wall of Jericho God told him to command the people to shout and the walls will come down. God’s ways do not fit logic and reason. God’s ways are not even common sense. It is supernatural sense! Jesus was born of a Virgin!

Moses knew the ways of God but Israel only saw His acts. (Ps 103:7) When they were trapped between the Red Sea and the pursuing Egyptian army, Moses cried out to God and God asked him, ‘what is in your hand?’ Then God commanded Moses to stretch out his rod over the Red Sea. It is such a meaningless act in the natural, but because God commanded it, it became a supernatural act that opened the Red Sea so that the people could pass through on dry land! When the Egyptians tried to do it, they were all drowned, because they did not have faith in God.

Most people want a miracle before they really need it. We must learn to trust God long enough to give us a miracle when we really need it. That place is called Miracle Land. Knowing the ways of God is another route to Miracle Land.

The Hebrew children did not need a miracle until the oven door of the fiery furnace was shut and they were in the fire!

Miracle Land is not in the boat, but on the water, walking with Jesus like Peter did! Most believers are jockeying for a better position in the boat instead of stepping out and risking to become a wet water walker with Jesus! Everything on the outside says, ‘No!’ but on the inside everything says ‘Yes!’

God’s power overrides the laws of nature! When Jesus returns we will be caught up to meet Him in the air! If you believe God raised Jesus from the dead, then you can believe in the Rapture. Most people try to explain it away and say there will be no rapture. But the Bible is clear on it and I have no doubt that it will be as the Scripture tells us it will be.

Faith for miracles comes by preaching and teaching about miracles. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Our minds are enlightened and we begin to believe and operate according to God’s Word.

It is countdown time for the King to return! The archangel has his trumpet in his hand. He is about to shout with a loud voice! The heavens are about to open up and the Son is about to appear!

3. Miracle Land is where you can only do one thing: believe God!

It’s no use to keep a back door open because of doubt and unbelief! People come for healing, but they have already decided, ‘if it doesn’t work, I will go to the doctor!’ A double minded man cannot receive anything from God. He is unstable in all his ways.

4. Miracle Land is a place where you stand alone.

The enemy will attack you through your friends. All the ones Moses led murmured against him. In Exodus 13:14 Moses told the people: ‘Fear not! Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord! You will never see the Egyptian army again!’ When he stretched out his rod over the Red Sea, many must have thought it was a foolish act. But what they did not know was that Moses was doing exactly what God told him to do! God acted on his behalf because a man believed God! 

When you can see no way out, it is time to shout and expect God to do something supernatural! When the doctors tell you it is over, the Word declares you healed by the stripes of Jesus! Don’t walk out of Miracle Land – stay there till you have your miracle! It is God’s territory! God is raising up an army of miracle beings! We are learning to believe God at all cost! We are learning to believe God against all odds! We trust God for our daily bread, for our healing, for our protection, for guidance and for prophetic insight into the future! God is our source for everything! He is Jehovah Jireh, the all sufficient One! We are learning that God cares for us!

5. We follow those who through faith and patience inherit the Promises and entered Miracle Land

We serve a miracle working God and we enter Miracle Land by following the routes laid out for us by those who inherited the Promises of God! It is no secret what God can do. What He has done for others, He can do for you. With arms wide open, He’ll pardon you! It is not secret what God can do. The man who wrote that song was down and out and struggling financially. Then these words came into his being and he sat down at the piano and composed that song that brought faith in God to millions of people around the world. It made him a millionaire!

We serve a miracle working God.

He made night and day and the sun and the moon and the stars.

He made the heavens and the earth and all that is in them

He made all the trees of the field and every kind of herb and caused them to multiply

He made all the animals and the creatures in the sea and the air and caused them to multiply

He created man and woman and caused them to multiply

He gave Abraham and Sarah a son in their old age to make them mother and father of many nations

He brought ten plagues on Egypt when Pharaoh refused to let His people go to worship Him

He opened the Red Sea for His people when the Egyptian army pursued them

He gave His people manna to eat in the wilderness and caused water to gush from a rock to still their thirst

He opened the Jordan River before them when they passed into the Promised Land

He caused Jericho’s walls to crumble and fall so that they could go in to conquer the great city

He subdued kingdoms before them so that they could possess the Promised Land

He made the sun stand still so that Joshua and the army could finish the battle and defeat the enemy

He raised up prophets to show them things to come

He gave them judges to lead them

When they wanted a king he gave them kings, and gave them David a man after His own heart

He gave David the courage of a lion to kill a giant and to free Israel from the oppression of the Philistines

He gave Solomon wisdom that no man ever possessed and riches that no one ever dreamed of to build a temple to God

He raised the dead when His prophets prayed

He made an axe head float 

He multiplied flour and oil for a widow and it lasted three years during a famine

He saved Daniel in the lion’s den

He walked with three Hebrew men in a fiery furnace

He gave visions and prophetic words explaining His redemption plan to Isaiah and the other prophets

He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life

He was born from the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Ghost

Jesus went about doing good healing all who were oppressed of the devil for God was with Him

Jesus taught many parables about the Kingdom of God

Jesus blessed the little children and laid His hands on them

Jesus walked on water and calmed the troubled sea and stilled the wind

Jesus multiplied bread and fish for 5 000 men to feed them

Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding when they had no more wine left

Jesus healed ten lepers and opened blinded eyes

Jesus delivered the demoniac of the Gadarenes

Jesus forgave the sins of people and told them to go and sin no more

Jesus chased the money changers and businessmen out of the temple and said His Father’s house should be a house of prayer and not a den of thieves

Jesus rebuked the Religious Leaders for misleading the people

But Religious Leaders hated Jesus and crucified Him

But God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day and He appeared to His disciples

Jesus told His disciples it is better that He goes away for if He goes away His Father will send the Holy Spirit to be with them

He told His disciples to go and wait until they are endued with power from on high and then they will be His witnesses unto the ends of the earth

He promised to confirm His Word with signs and wonders

Jesus ascended up to heaven in a cloud as the disciples watched and the angels that appeared told them He would return in the same way

On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out and the disciples spoke in other tongues and prophesied about the great things of God

Three thousand people got saved on the same day and were baptised in water

Jesus promised to build His Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it

The apostles went out to all the nations and preached the Gospel of the Kingdom

God worked with them to confirm His Word and signs and wonders were performed in Jesus’ Name

Saul was converted on the way to Damascus and stopped persecuting the Church when He realised it was Jesus he was persecuting and became an apostle of the Lord, writing many epistles that we still read today

John had a revelation of Jesus and wrote it in coded form for us to read

Jesus promised to return again to take us who are still alive to be with Him forever

Maranatha! Jesus is Coming Soon!

Henoch the 7^th from Adam saw a vision of the return of Christ in the clouds long before Christ was born! Many other holy men and women of God saw the same vision.

Our God is a miracle working God! 

He is still working miracles today! 

If you believe nothing shall be impossible!

The Holy Spirit imparts to us the gift of the working of miracles, the gift of faith and the gifts of healings! In My Name those who believe shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover! Jesus healed them of all their diseases. By His stripes we are healed! Hallelujah!

There is power in the Name of Jesus! He still works miracles when we believe on His Name! The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation!

We serve a miracle working God!

The Four Spiritual Laws

This is an updated version of a previous post on the Four Spiritual Laws.

Dr. Andre Pelser

19.04.09

At Miracle Valley Bible College in Arizona every student was thoroughly trained in soul winning. We had to memorise the four spiritual laws and the accompanying scriptures. Then we were given opportunities to go out into the streets of neighbouring towns to present the Gospel to anyone that would listen. Many souls were saved as a result. I have used the Four Spiritual Laws throughout my life to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to strangers everywhere I go. It works!

As believers we all need to know how to present our faith to other people. The Four Spiritual laws is a handy tool in the hand for every believer, young and old that helps us to share our faith effectively by acknowledging the good things Christ has done in us. (Philemon 6)

1. God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life (John 3;16/Rom 8:28, 29)
2. Man has been separated from God through sin (Rom 3:23)
3. Jesus Christ died for our sins and reconciled us to God (Rom 6:23/II Cor 5:21)
4. Everyone that accepts Christ shall be saved and receive eternal life (John 1:12)

Those four spiritual laws can be presented in less than a minute! One can of course expand on them by adding scripture verses and explaining them if you have more time, but knowing those four spiritual laws and practicing them you could present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone you meet wherever you are: at a bus stop, in a train, on a plane, at school, at play, at work, during lunch, in a shop, to friends and family members.

There is a harvest out there!

The harvest out there in the world is great – but the labourers or harvesters are few. We need a new resurgence of energy to win souls for Christ in these days. We have a lot of knowledge and we have a lot of ideas, but we need to focus on presenting Christ and Him crucified. Jesus said, ‘If I be lifted up I will draw all men to me!’

Household groups should be 50% care groups and 50% soul winning groups. Without soul winning the group stays the same year in and year out. The Dead Sea is dead because it only received water and never gives out. Without new souls the household stagnates. We need fresh souls in the Church. We need fresh salvations.

Heaven rejoices at one sinner that gets saved. How many times have you made heaven happy this year? How many times does heaven rejoice about your household group?

Jesus said, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men!’ The Four Spiritual Laws serve as a hook to catch the fish.

We need to see the need of people to get saved. Without Christ they will go to an eternal hell and be damned forever. When we see the urgency of winning souls we will gladly begin to use the Four Spiritual Laws wherever we go to present the wonderful Gospel to everyone we meet, without being ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16).

Jesus and the Harvest

Jesus had to go to Samaria because the Spirit prompted with strong urges to go to Samaria. He did not go just to minister to the woman at the well, but to sow the seeds of faith in the lives of many Samaritans who would later on be reaped in a great harvest when Philip the evangelist held a crusade in that city. Jesus explained the task of every Harvester in a very clear way by describing the process of sowing and reaping to his disciples. There are several lessons we can learn from His teaching to inspire us to fulfil our task as Harvesters in His harvest field.

I.          The Spirit led Jesus to go to Samaria

John 4:1-4

2.         Jesus Sowed the Seeds for a Harvest

John 4:32-42

32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. 36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37 And herein is that saying true,  One soweth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

3.         Philip reaped the harvest where Jesus sowed the seeds.

Acts 8:3-8

3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.

4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. 5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 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. 8 And there was great joy in that city.

The King James Version

4.         There was no formula or church growth system employed by either Jesus or Philip

5.         The quality of life in Jesus and Philip was the only draw card to win the lost

6.         The one that sowed had to lift up his eyes to see the future harvest

7.         The one who reaped the harvest had to lift up his eyes to see the one who sowed

8.         The Holy Spirit leads and guides those who are willing to be prompted by Him in all aspects of life, not just when it comes to soul winning

9.         Jesus called the process of reaping and sowing, ‘His Work’, referring to His Heavenly Father

10.       There are definite wages for those who would enter into this labor to bring people to faith in Christ Jesus

I am not ashamed of the Gospel

Romans 1:16

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

The King James Version

Romans 10:9-13

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

The King James Version

Conclusion: People are fearful and frustrated, confused and bound for hell and don’t know it. God wants you and me to throw them a life jacket before they go over the cliff! Grace is available, love abounds and faith is given as a gift: all they are waiting for is someone to have compassion on them!

Instructions to win the lost

As pointed out to me by Elbert Willis

Luke 14:16-26

What to do: GO!

Where to go: OUT!

When to go: QUICKLY!

What to do: SEEK & SAVE THE LOST!

How to do it: BRING & COMPEL THEM!

Why to do it: THAT MY HOUSE MAY BE FILLED!

Jesus told a parable about a man who prepared a great feast and invited many guests but they all made excuses not to come. Have you ever prepared a meal for friends and then they fail to pitch up?

Sharing your faith in Jesus Christ with others is not an option as many believers think it is. It is your care thermometer. It is proof of your unselfishness. Seek out the poor, the maimed, the blind the cripple, in other words, the neglected and needful ones in your area of influence and bring them in. No one is beyond reach. Each one of us can make an effort to reach someone else.

Ask two simple questions

Rev Tony Louch (Go Tell Communications that I worked for as a young man) taught us to ask two simple questions: ‘Do you know Jesus Christ?’ and then to follow it up with, ‘Are you prepared to meet Him now?’ that is evangelism in a nut shell!

Those who mock and reject you now, will thank you later on once they are saved!

There are tremendous blessings for obedience to win souls. There is great joy in heaven when one sinner repents. You will have the joy of soul winning in your heart. The Lord of the Harvest will say, ‘well done, good and faithful servant, enter the joy of your Lord!’

Those who sow in tears will reap with joy. When last have you sown tears for the sake of lost souls?  He that goes out bearing precious seed will doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalm 126:5, 6)

Four Spiritual Laws

1.God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.

God is love and he proved His love to you by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for your sins. Then He raised Him up on the third day to be alive forever more. Because He is alive, you can have everlasting life if you believe in Jesus Christ and accept His sacrifice on your behalf.

2.Sin has separated man from God.

God’s hand is not short that He cannot help, nor is His ear deaf that He cannot hear, but our sins have separated us from God. The end of sin is death: eternal separation from God. Sinners are destined to be under condemnation of hell fire. There is none righteous, not even one, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus.

3.Jesus Christ paid the price to reconcile us with God

God made Jesus who knew no sin, to become sin on our behalf so that we can be the righteousness of God through Christ. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. Jesus shed His precious blood to pay the ransom for our souls and to redeem us from hell. If anyone believes in Jesus Christ and accepts His sacrifice for our sins, he receives power to become a son of God.

4.By believing in Jesus Christ you can be reconciled to God

If you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess Jesus as Lord with your mouth, you shall be saved; for with the heart we believe unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. There is no time like the present. When you hear His voice, do not harden your heart. Now is the best time for salvation. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour right now. Pray this prayer and believe that God hears and answers your prayer:

‘Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in Jesus’ Name. Forgive all my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Make me a child of God. Give me your Holy Spirit to lead and guide me into all truth. I confess Jesus Christ as my Lord. Amen.’

Now look for a church where the whole Bible is preached. Search the Scriptures to see if what is being preached is in the Bible or not. The next step is to be baptised by full emersion in water and then to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Dealing with negative emotions

The Lord gives new hope, new dreams and a new reason to live to all who call upon His Name in truth. The Lord’s Prayer deals with negative emotions that destroy our sense of self-worth.

• Inferiority

When we say ‘our Father’ we are part of the greatest family in the universe. We become honourable sons and daughters of the family of God our Father. We realise our potential and discover undeveloped possibilities. God removes all inferiority. To whoever believes on His Name and accepts Him, He gives power to become sons of God. (John 4:12)

• Depression

Depression comes as a result of anxiety in the heart. (Prov 12:25) Things we constantly fret ourselves over, worry about and fear make us anxious and because we cannot deal with those things it turns into a depressed state. Depression leads to self-pity and self-pity can lead in the worst cases to suicide. But a good word from the Lord makes the depressed heart happy again! We learn to cast all our cares upon Him for He cares for us. (I Pet 5:7) When we announce and pray: ‘Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth on earth as it is in heaven,’ we realise we are part of something far greater than our personal world. God inspires us with dreams for the extension of His Kingdom. As we serve God and humanity it generates a healthy self-esteem. If you can say, ‘I have a part to play in God’s Kingdom,’ it removes depression from your life. You have something worth living for.neil

• Anxiety

Fear or anxiety quenches our faith. We are anxious about things that have not happened yet. Fear is a thing in the future. The more we dwell on what we fear the larger it gets. We are anxious that we will not make it, that we do not have what it takes to fulfil our God-given dreams. Fear of failure is crippling. We need to learn not to be anxious in anything but through prayer make our requests known to God with thanksgiving, and the peace of God that passes understanding shall keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:6) When our hearts do not condemn us we know we have the petitions that we asked of God. (I John 5:15) Therefore we can pray: ‘Give us this day our daily bread’. God is ready to provide for us, daily, in every way, to meet the demands of life.

• Guilt

Guilt is a polluting emotion that brings condemnation. There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. (Rom 8:1) Guilt and condemnation stops our divine adventure. Sometimes people who are tempted to perfectionism feel guilty because they cannot make everything perfect all the time. This is not realistic. They are constantly using self-flagellation to make penance for their imperfections. They ask themselves a hundred times a day, ‘why didn’t I?’ They live in a continual state of regret. Jesus made provision for us to deal with guilt and condemnation. Whether it comes by sin or by mistake, we can pray: ‘forgive us!’ We learn to appropriate God’s forgiveness for Christ sake, by faith. We must believe God forgives us every time we ask, because He has made provision for forgiveness through the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

• Resentment

Once we accept forgiveness we must also give it: ‘as we forgive those who have trespassed against us’. Learning to forgive others becomes a shield against resentment. We receive forgiveness by faith and we forgive others by faith. Nobody deserves forgiveness. It is by grace through faith that we are saved.

• Fear

Fear unravels self-esteem and robs us of courage. We can pray: ‘deliver us from all evil’. Authentic divine love casts out all fear. John the Apostle of love tells us that we need to know and believe the love of God. God is love and we learn to love once we accept His divine love for us. He gave Himself for us. There is no greater love than to lay down your life for others.

One of the keys of dealing with negative emotions in life is to pray daily. When Jesus said we should pray, ‘give us this day our daily bread’, He referred to the way the Jews had to pick up Manna in the wilderness, daily. If they tried to pick up two days’ bread it became rotten! We can pray these prayers daily and the Lord will daily provide for us. What a confidence we should have in our Heavenly Father! What a joy to have an elder brother like Jesus to show us how to pray! What a comfort to have the blessed Holy Spirit to lead and guide us and show us things to come!

Let us go out and share this good news with someone who is struggling with negative emotions. God will do a mighty work in their lives.

To God be all the glory, for His is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever, Amen!

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