Thoughts about joy.

James 1:2 says “Consider it pure joy, my brethren, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” (NIV)

That verse doesn’t say that whatever is going on will feel joyful. Trials don’t feel joyful but despite that, we should act as though they did. It will strengthen our faith (and will certainly drive the enemy crazy too!)

Well, I know by my own experience that that’s easier said than done. This lesson is for me.

John 14:1 – Jesus said “Let not your heart be troubled.” If Jesus said for us to do it, then we can do it. It is our job to prevent our heart from worrying.

Here’s one way: consider whatever is troubling us in the light of his power. His power, not ours. With the Holy Spirit living in us we can do it. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13)

John 15:11 – Jesus said “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” Can you imagine Jesus being joyful? Obviously he was. Luke 10:21 tells us that Jesus “rejoiced in the Spirit,” because he had sent out the seventy to minister in his name and they had returned successful.

What had he told the disciples? Here are some of those things:

John 15:7 – “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you.”
John 16:24, “Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”
John 16:23 – “My father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”
John 8:31-32, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Set you free in the Greek means to ‘free you’, make you delivered, at liberty, free from bondage. Many people misquote those verses by leaving out the first sentence. But it’s a prerequisite for the second sentence — only if you are really a disciple of Jesus, holding to his teachings, will you know the truth and be made free.

Nehemiah 8:10 says “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Not your joy, God’s joy. They could be strong now because God was joyful over them. He wanted them to be joyful too!

The people had returned from years of captivity in Babylon. On this day they were assembled in Jerusalem to hear God’s word read for the first time in a long time, and as they heard and understood it they began to weep.

But Ezra and Nehemiah told them not to weep, not to mourn but to celebrate. This was a sacred day! They were being given back their lineage, their family tree and the temple itself. They were moving back into and living in the city of Jerusalem as their home. They could once again worship in God’s temple. God was joyful about that!

Zephaniah 3:19 says, “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” (KJV) Some of these words have interesting definitions in the original language:

Save = deliver, defend, rescue, avenge; to be open, wide, free, safe.
Rejoice = to be bright, cheerful, glad; make mirth.
Joy (noun) = glee, mirth, pleasure, gladness.
Joy (verb) = to spin around, rejoice.
Rest = to keep silent (secrecy); to let alone. God’s love keeps our sins hidden. What a wonderful thought!
Love = affection.
Singing = shout, cry, a creaking or shrill sound, triumph. This isn’t a sweet harmonious melody, this is the shout of the warrior, the triumphant battle cry.

Can you imagine Father God being full of this kind of joy? Twirling around and shouting in triumph over his people? He did, and he still does.

In John 17:13, as Jesus faced his arrest and crucifixion, he prayed this for the disciples: “… that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.” Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus, “for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross.” That was some kind of joy!

Despite the ordeal facing him, that wasn’t a prayer born out of grief but triumph! God’s joy is triumphant, a mirth-filled celebration of victory no matter what the circumstances look like.

That’s God’s joy; Jesus’ joy! I certainly need it. We all need it and we can have it. It’s one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit! (Galatians 5:22)

Why do we celebrate Christmas?

It was only a beginning, but the beginning had an end… Praise God!

End of the Beginning

Prayers unanswered?

One reason Christians don’t get answers to their prayers may be that they are only praying and not “speaking the word.”

In Matthew 8, Jesus commended a Roman centurion for his faith. Why? The centurion recognized authority when he saw it.  He acknowledged Jesus’ authority over sickness and disease and he knew the enemy – disease in this case – would also.

He said to Jesus, “speak the word only and my servant will be healed.” So he did – Jesus said “Go, it will be done just as you believed it would.” And it was – “his servant was healed at that very hour.”

James 5:17-18 recounts the story of Elijah, Ahab, drought and rain. These verses talk about prayer and faith. But take look at the original story in I Kings chapters 17 and 18. This shows something unexpected: Elijah didn’t pray for God to stop the rain or to re-start it.

He himself spoke the words that stopped the rain, and three years later re-started it. He said to Ahab “As the Lord God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” (17:1) And there wasn’t.

Well then, did Elijah pray at all? Obviously he did, but I think his prayer went something like this: “Oh God, what can I do!” (About the evil king Ahab.)

God answered with a set of odd instructions:  Go see  Ahab.  Speak to him about rain…

Odd or not, Elijah obeyed. Now, did it take a lot of faith to go tell King Ahab there would be no rain – or even dew – for several years, unless he himself, Elijah, said so?

I don’t know about a lot of faith, but it would sure take guts!

Yet James 5:17 says Elijah was a man just like us. Human, not superhuman. His faith was demonstrated by his obedience; by the words that he spoke.

Matthew 28:18-20 is the “Great Commission,” Jesus’ instructions to the apostles to make disciples of all nations. Not just converts – disciples. Students. Followers. Obeyers.  And verse 19 is very specific:  “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

What does everything include? Look at Matthew 10, Mark 6 and Luke 9:  (1) Preach the kingdom. (2) Heal the sick. (3) Raise the dead. (4) Cleanse the lepers. (5) Cast out demons.

Okay, how were they supposed to do all that? He had already showed them how. For three years they had been observing him do those things.  Seventy disciples already had practice (Luke 10).

So they obeyed Jesus and followed his example in doing so.

No matter what else they did, when confronted with people in need they “spoke the word.” They did not ask God to do what Jesus had plainly told them to do. See these examples:

• Acts 3:6 -  Peter spoke to the crippled man,  commanding him to walk, and he did.
• Acts 9:34 – Peter spoke to the paralyzed man, commanding him to get up, and he did.
• Acts 9:40 – Peter spoke to the dead girl, commanding her to get up, and she did.
• Acts 13:11 – Paul spoke to the sorcerer, saying “you are going to be blind,” and he was.
• Acts 14:10 – Paul spoke to the lame man, commanding him to stand up, and he did.
• Acts 28:8 – Paul prayed first, then laid hands on the sick man and healed him.

Many extraordinary signs, wonders and miracles were done when the apostles and disciples obeyed Jesus.  (Stephen – Acts 6:4, Paul and Barnabas  – Acts 15:12.)

Now, we are instructed to pray and most of us have no problem with that – we do pray. But sometimes we only pray about situations when we should also “speak the word.”

Why bother (to get involved)

Why should Christians get involved in issues or politics?

The initial purpose for the title and content of the printed Esther’s Petition newsletter (published in the 1970′s) was to encourage Christians to get involved in the issues of the day, using Esther of the Bible as my role model. I can’t find a copy of that original newsletter at the moment, but the principles are contained in the following Sunday School class notes which I taught back in 2005.

A. Why Bother? (“No need to polish the brass on the Titanic” attitude)

1. God gave His people dominion and responsibility over the whole earth

Gen. 1:26-28 – subdue and have dominion

2. He set us to be watchmen and warners, i.e. made us “our brother’s keeper”

Ezek. 33:1-9 (also 3:17, 62:6-7) -  if we don’t, their blood is on our hands and He will hold us responsible

3. Jesus told us we were salt and light – only things that might decay need salt, only things in darkness need light

Matt. 5:13-14

B.   Who? (Surely not every Christian…?)

1. ALL of us. We are called to be either an Ezra (intercessor) or a Nehemiah (activist) – i.e., primarily a pray-er, or primarily an activist (all prayed)

See Book of Nehemiah, rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem

Neh. 4:16 -  half of them held weapons and stood guard while the other half worked on the wall

2. Some workers were in charge of the whole project, some in charge of a large area, some in charge of a small area

Neh. 4:14-17 -  everyone worked, with a sword in one hand and a tool in the other

3. Regardless of their level of involvement, ALL were informed of the problem, the opposition, and God’s solution

Neh. 2:17 -  after Nehemiah had seen for himself the problem and knew what had to be done, he informed the people and called them to work, and they responded

Neh. 4:6 -  the people had a mind to work, and through various ups and downs, eventually the wall was finished (also see Gal. 6:9, don’t be weary in welldoing)

C.  How?

1. First things first -  pray for government leaders on every level, local to national

I Tim. 2:1

2. Be informed and inform your children of the Godly heritage of our country.  Public schools certainly won’t! (don’t be ignorant of the devil’s devices; God doesn’t admire ignorance)

3. Become and stay informed of the issues facing America, politicians’ stands on those issues, and keep your friends and family informed.  Many Christian organizations exist to help with this, plus many Christian and non-Christian news agencies.

4. Support these organizations with your money and your time -  seek God for your specific areas of involvement

5. Run for office yourself, or help select good, qualified candidates (God will tell you which ones)

My personal calling as a Christian political grassroots activist / consultant -  Inform, inspire, instruct - inform people, inspire some to run for office, instruct them on how

6. Support the godly candidates -  before elections with prayer, money and/or volunteer work -  and continue to pray for them after they are in office

7. STAND UP, SPEAK UP, SHOW UP AND VOTE. In person or by phone calls, letters, emails, etc. to legislators, newspapers, and voting in every possible election, local to national, school board to President

Abraham Lincoln said, “The truth announced in the Holy Scriptures, and proven by all history is that Those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.” (Quoting from Ps. 33:12; Proclamation Appointing a National Fast Day, March 30, 1863)

(Original article publication date July 24, 2005)

Testimony: Adventures with the Holy Spirit, Part I

“April 16, 1974. Last night I went to bed at about 10:00. Usually I pray while lying in bed but I needed God’s help so much just then, I got down on my knees by my side of the bed and prayed. Very simply, I said, Lord, help me. I promised to be still and to wait upon God, asking Him to speak to me if it was His will. Then I got into bed and shortly fell asleep. Paul had not come to bed at that time but did soon afterward.”

These handwritten notes from April 16, 1974 recount the events of the evening of April 15th. Today is June 19, 2011 and my memory of that night is as vivid as it was back then. A little background:

I usually prepared our family’s tax returns, and usually at the last minute. In previous years we had gotten a tax refund on both federal and state taxes and I expected the same for this year — but after calculating all the figures several times, I was dismayed to see that we would owe the government money. I don’t remember how much it was but whatever the amount, it was money we didn’t have.

I was extremely upset. Bills were piling up and as the one who wrote those checks, I knew how much debt we were in. We were supposed to be a two-income family but often Paul’s paycheck didn’t make it home on Friday. A stop-off at a local country store where beer and whiskey flowed freely, a backroom poker game might be going on and if not, several pinball machines were available, sometimes left him broke before he ever arrived home in the wee hours of Saturday morning. That is, if he came home at all during the weekend.

The financial hole we were in kept getting deeper and deeper and I didn’t know how we were ever going to get out of it. I had counted on those refunds; even small ones would help.

So I’d mailed the tax returns without enclosing any checks, knowing the state and federal agencies would soon send me a notice of amounts due, fees and penalties. Maybe we could work out a payment plan, I hoped. Worry, anxiety and depression set in.

I told myself I was a Christian; why weren’t all my needs met?

I gritted my teeth and somehow got through the rest of the normal afternoon and evening routine without the kids seeing me fall apart. I don’t recall what I said to Paul about the taxes, or what his response was. Arguments about his drinking and gambling had led nowhere in the past and I don’t remember us having an argument that night about the taxes.

Thus the unusual (for me) prayer position, down on my knees beside the bed. Back to the events of that night:

Sometime later I was suddenly awakened by the sound of the window, just over my side of the bed, rattling hard. I could hear the sound of a windstorm, also loud. I raised myself up enough in the bed that I could look out of the window. There was a large weeping willow tree just outside the window in the back of the house, and although I could hear the wind blowing, not a branch on that tree was moving.

Thinking I must have been dreaming, I lay back down. The wind didn’t stop, however –  the sound seemed to move inside my head. Suddenly the inside of the bedroom lit up as though someone had turned on a floodlight, and there standing just beyond the foot of the bed was a bright shining, shimmering figure looking over at me. Jesus.

At that instant I felt as though I was floating slightly off the surface of the bed, and my whole body felt on fire.The burning sensation didn’t hurt but I could almost hear my own blood boiling in my ears. Closing my eyes I could still see flickers of light inside my eyelids.

I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if I could only reach out and touch Paul, asleep beside me, he would be healed (lung problems). But my hand wouldn’t move. I opened my eyes again and the wind sound became quiet, the form of Jesus became invisible, the light gone and the room back to its normal darkness.

Realizing that I could move again, I sat up and laid both hands on Paul’s forehead. Looking down at him still sleeping, I prayed for him to accept Christ and to be healed by God’s power.

As I lay back down, suddenly the rushing wind sound returned, the window rattled, the brilliant light came back and Jesus stood beside the bed, smiling. The sensation of my body being on fire returned and then quietly the light dimmed, the visible presence of Jesus faded and he was gone.

I reached for Paul’s arm. He immediately woke up and I thought, how strange that he had slept through the whole event and now that it was over, he woke up. What’s wrong, he asked. And all of a sudden I was afraid. Afraid that Jesus and the Holy Spirit were completely gone. Afraid that without them there, Satan could enter my house and hurt my children. I told Paul that I’d had a dream and I was afraid to let go of his arm.

A clock in the living room began to strike midnight, marking the end of April 15. I asked Paul to please go check on the children. I began to pray for protection for Paul Jr. and Shelby, really for us all. I could almost feel an evil atmosphere out in the hallway, as if evil spirits were close by. He got up, went to the bathroom, checked on the kids and pronounced everything okay, coming back to bed and falling right back to sleep.

I couldn’t do the same, however. The strange threatening fear was still there.

Remembering how Jesus had used scripture as a weapon against the devil (Matthew 4:1-11), I began to mentally sing The Lord’s Prayer. (Matthew 6:9-13) As a pianist and organist, I had played that piece for vocalists to sing at weddings and in church for many years. That night it was the only scripture passage I could remember by heart!

Singing The Lord’s Prayer on a continuous loop in my mind, at last I sensed the atmosphere in the house changing from one of danger to one of peace and finally I fell asleep.

The next morning I wrote everything down, trying not to forget any detail. My notes say “Today I asked the Lord to use that experience for whatever purpose he has. I’m not afraid now.”

On June 30th I copied my handwritten scribbles down into a little green notebook. It contains only one set of notes — those from that time. I have carefully preserved that little notebook from that day to this, thirty-seven years later.
I realized that the events of that night were an answer to my prayer for help. I wasn’t sure exactly what had happened to me, or if anyone else on the planet had ever had a similar experience…

But I was determined to find out.

What then?

A friend came up to me after church one Sunday morning and said, “You know, Jesus could come back any day now, isn’t that exciting?”

I said, “Yes, and what then? What do you think will happen next?”

She said, “Well, we’ll….” and paused. She couldn’t think exactly what would happen next. I reminded her that there will be a thousand years of Jesus reigning on the earth after that. But just before he returns, there will be the battle of Armageddon.

“Oh yes, that’s right,” she replied. For a moment I think she had imagined as soon as Jesus returned some heavenly resort would cover the earth and there would be nothing for us to do for a thousand years except party. Praise and worship and party.

How many Christians wishing Jesus would return today have the same idea, that during the millennium there will be nothing but peace, parties and prosperity everywhere?

Actually many end-time experts don’t believe Jesus could come back today. In Matthew 24:14 he told the disciples, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to the nations (‘ethne,’ people groups) and then the end will come.”

There are still thousands of people groups who haven’t heard the gospel, so Jesus can’t come back yet, according to those experts.

But it occurs to me that the usual idea of that verse being fulfilled is a group of people in their home country somewhere listening to a missionary preaching the gospel.

It doesn’t take that scenario, however; if one or two members of a people group travels outside their normal area and hear the gospel, that verse is fulfilled for them. Or if they hear if by way of radio, television or internet.

The verse doesn’t say the group must become believers, either. It doesn’t say a church must be established there. Whether they accept it or not, hearing the gospel preached fulfills the verse. There may well be fewer people groups who haven’t heard the gospel than the experts think. Jesus’ return may be very soon.

What then?

The verses preceding and following Matthew 24:14 as well as Luke chapter 21 describe vicious wars and destruction, earthquakes, signs in the heavens (word actually means anything in the air and sky from the ground up to outer space), such as volcanos or even solar flares – see image below -  as well as persecution of Christians, false prophets, and believers abandoning the faith.

What will the planet earth look like when Jesus returns?

Certainly not a resort. Think about the news videos after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, or after the earthquakes / tsunamis in Indonesia or Japan. Looked pretty grim to me.

Who will be here when Jesus arrives back with the glorified believers from heaven following him?

Let’s see. The believers remaining on earth will be here. They will be changed at that time so all Christians will have a glorified (enhanced) body like that of the resurrected Jesus (see I Corinthians 15:52). They are going to need it, I think.

And the unbelievers who were not killed in those final days of destruction will be here. We know they will not all be killed because Revelations 20:7-9 mentions nations on the earth during that thousand years.

Some people no doubt will become believers, but the ones that don’t will be deceived by the devil who is released from his jail at the end of the thousand years, and another war will take place.

During that thousand years the glorified Christians will be ruling and reigning with Jesus over somebody. Who? Over each other, and over the unglorified humans who are still here on earth, whether they become believers or not during the millennium.

A government structure with Jesus at the top will take care of all the needed repairs, reconstruction, resupply and order.

What will need to be done?

After any war there is a lot of clean-up needed. Rebuilding. Infrastructure will have to be re-built, communication re-established, medical care, food, clothing, housing, and employment provided. There will be plenty of work to do and none of us will be taking extended vacations.

Instead of complacently anticipating a glorious eternity of rest and recreation when Jesus returns, I think the church should be preparing, training and planning now for those days that will come next.

Otherwise the first thing Jesus will have to build is a kindergarten for his church.

—————————–

Coronal Mass Ejection as viewed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory on June 7, 2011. Credit: NASA/SDO

The Sun unleashed an M-2 (medium-sized) solar flare, an S1-class (minor) radiation storm and a spectacular coronal mass ejection (CME) on June 7, 2011 from sunspot complex 1226-1227. The large cloud of particles mushroomed up and fell back down looking as if it covered an area of almost half the solar surface.

This not-squarely Earth-directed CME is moving at 1400 km/s according to NASA models. The CME should deliver a glancing blow to Earth’s magnetic field during the late hours of June 8th or June 9th. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras when the CME arrives.

Seeds

Reading through Luke Chapter 8, I came to the parable of the sower and the seeds. Curious, I researched “seeds” online and found some new-to-me information.

A seed contains a live plant embryo — a new baby plant, female and male plant cells having combined in the parent plant. The scientific description of this process is fascinating, to say the least.

In order for the baby plant to grow and break free of its container it needs light, water and oxygen, and soil in which to find those things. In Genesis chapter 1, God created the earth (soil), light, water and sky (oxygen) first, and separated the seas from dry land.

In 1:11, “Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.’ And it was so.”

The soil came complete with the necessary ingredients to produce vegetation. The life-forms God created inside the vegetation was self-sustaining and still is, to this day. Seeds planted in soil and provided with proper light, water and oxygen will grow into mature plants, which in turn produce more seeds.

This plant reproductive process is so similar to that of animals it is incredibly interesting to me. How someone can think this all happened randomly?!

Back to Luke 8. As I was reading, the Lord began expanding the story for me.

When the farmer sowed his seeds, he used the common broadcast method still used by many today. Some seeds fell on the pathway where they got trampled underfoot, maybe by the farmer’s own feet (although birds still managed to find and gobble them up).

Some seeds fell on rocks where there was little soil, thus little moisture. Although they sprouted, these seeds couldn’t put down roots and the poor things thirsted to death.

Other seeds fell among thorns, stronger and more aggressive plants which took most of the ingredients for survival away from the seeds. Those seeds both starved and thirsted to death.

Of course, the seeds that fell on the “good ground” survived, thrived and produced a crop. Jesus ended the parable with “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” – i.e., give this some serious thought.

What’s the moral of this story? When asked, Jesus patiently explained the parable. It’s not just the seeds… it’s the soil. Seeds = God’s word. Soil = men’s hearts.

Hard-packed dirt: hardened hearts. Rocky dirt: unstable hearts. Thorny dirt: troubled hearts. The seed is the same every time. But if the soil isn’t properly prepared, the seed can’t produce a proper crop.

In the early 1970′s my family bought a house in the country with a small farm attached. Willow Creek was nearby, and the first time there was a heavy rain for several days the creek overflowed, ran through the field nearest the house and almost to our front door. The water ran right across the top of the dirt – it was hard as cement. It hadn’t been cultivated in a long, long time.

The solution? My husband borrowed a tractor and a “middle buster” plow. He plowed the field several times, breaking up the hard ground to a good depth. The next rainstorm didn’t cause a flood. The soil acted as it should, the water soaked in, and when planted that vegetable garden produced enough butter beans, squash and tomatoes to feed an army.

The difference in both cases, the parable and our experience, was in the ground preparation. A good lesson for preachers and evangelists who wonder why they get such poor responses.

How the ground is properly prepared is a lesson for another day, but keep in mind who the Farmer is.

What I believe and why

John 10:10. Jesus said it.

I made a decision many years ago to believe the Bible, accept it as God’s truth, and base my existence on its veracity and dependability. I accepted Jesus as savior and manager (Lord) of my life, studied what he did here on earth and how he did it. What he said, to whom, and on what occasions. Instructions he gave.

These days I am re-studying the Gospel of John. It’s a fascinating book. Recently I read a statement made by someone that Jesus never claimed to be God so why did Christians think he was? That person obviously never read John’s gospel where Jesus repeatedly claimed to be God, declaring it to followers and detractors alike.

I take Jesus at his word, and these days especially John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Who is they? Verse 9 tells us. “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.” Saved is from the Greek word “sozo,” meaning healed, rescued, kept safe, made whole… a very positive word.

Jesus said he was the gate for the sheep. The sheep are “they.” I’m one of his sheep so I’m included in “they.”

I know full well that human beings have a vicious enemy. He hates all humans but especially believers. After all, if he can wipe out one Christian, he can potentially wipe out many others who might have come to Christ through their testimony.

His specific goals are listed by Jesus in this verse:

(1) Steal — your belongings. Home, car, money or peace of mind. Marriage, children. Health. Reputation. Job, savings or retirement plan. With economic depression, natural disaster, fire, flood, earthquake, whatever.

(2) Kill — you, your family and friends. With whatever weapon he can use. Cancer. Heart disease. Accidents. War. Famine. Murder. Suicide.

(3) Destroy — anything he couldn’t steal or kill. Especially your faith. Whispers of doubt and fear in your ear. Gossip, rumors and uncertainty, and self-confidence erodes. Nullification of your testimony. It’s hard to witness when your mind is full of fear.

The rest of verse 10 tells us that Jesus is proactive. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Not just life, but full life. God-life. Not depressed, not defeated. Overflowing! Abundant!

John 16:33 says, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus didn’t warn us about the enemy so we could worry when he attacks or blame God for the attacks, but so we could stomp the enemy in Jesus’ name. Defeat him. Destroy his works as Jesus did. (See Acts 10:38). Believe Jesus. Worship Jesus. Obey Jesus. Quote Jesus!

John 14: 12, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things that these, because I am going to the father.” Well, what had Jesus been doing?

“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” (John 14:11) Miracles, is what he had been doing. Healing the sick.

Some well-meaning Christians think those particular verses don’t apply today or at least don’t apply to everyone today. If that was true, salvation – from the same Greek word, sozo – isn’t available today, either. But it does, and they do.

Testimony, part four

Miracles in my life

(1) For a time in the early 1970′s my children and I attended Parkwood Presbyterian Church on the Pamplico Highway. The church had an Easter Sunrise Service one year and the weather was beautiful. Several dozen church members assembled outside on the church grounds as the sun came up, and suddenly Jesus stood there facing us, smiling, his arms outstretched. His figure was much taller than any of the people there and translucent, not quite transparent.

After a few minutes the figure faded away and he was gone. After the brief sunrise service we went inside for breakfast before the regular Sunday School classes and Worship service. At first I thought I was the only person who had seen the figure of Jesus, but later several people cautiously asked around, “Did you see anything – unusual – during the sunrise service?” and we discovered that a number of us had seen him.

(2) One morning I was on my way to work at Florence-Darlington Technical College from my home in Claussen, driving down the Old River Road. The children had either caught the school bus or it was summer, I don’t remember which, and I was alone in the car.

Suddenly off to the right down a dirt lane I saw a car speeding toward the road and I realized it was not slowing down. We were already so close that there was no way to avoid a collision even if I stomped on the brakes. I simply said “Jesus” and in an instant my car was hundred of yards further down the road. I glanced in my rear view mirror and saw the other car just coming off the dirt road onto the River Road, behind me.

My car had been transported down the road — not a tremendous distance, but a comfortable distance. I had a hard time driving the rest of the way into town, the energy level and anointing inside my car was so great. I praised my way to work that day!

(3) One day my children and I were driving into town. We were on the Old River Road and had gone through the Claussen intersection when a red dashboard light came on in the Plymouth. The radiator was overheating. We could smell the waves of heat coming from under the hood and I knew better than to keep driving with the radiator hot.

We were near a house so I pulled the car over and hoped someone there could give us some water, but no-one was home. We had nothing in the car to put water in, not even an empty Coke bottle or can, and there was no garden hose in that yard.

So, I laid my hand on the front hood of the car and commanded the radiator to be normal temperature and whatever had caused the problem, whether a faulty thermostat or a leak, to be gone. We got back into the car, I cranked up the engine and the indicator light had gone out. The hot smell had gone away too. We drove on into town and did our errands and never had another problem with the engine overheating.

(4) One day I was frying something when hot grease popped out of the frying pan onto my hand. That spot turned red and burned like the dickens, but I didn’t have time to stop and try to find ice, or salve, or a band-aid to put on the hand. It was very inconvenient.

So I just told my hand to stop hurting and burning and went on with my cooking. After a while I looked down and my hand wasn’t red, it wasn’t painful, in fact I couldn’t tell where that spot had been.

(5) Another time I was peeling or slicing vegetables when I bore down a little too hard with my paring knife and accidentally cut the end of a finger. I hate being cut worse than being burned! I needed to keep working on the vegetables and knew a band-aid probably wouldn’t stay on the finger very long.

I rinsed the finger off, commanded the skin to close up and be healed, wrapped a bit of paper towel or napkin around it and went back to work. When I finished up the vegetables I unwrapped the finger. The skin had closed back up and there wasn’t even so much as a thin line left to show where the cut had been.

(6) In the late 1970′s I was one of the teachers at the Tabernacle Bible Institute. I was walking from the parking lot toward the main building to teach a class one morning and saw one of my students coming toward me. Since it was almost time for class to start, I asked where she was going. She said she had to go to the dentist, she had a terrible toothache.

I told her to let’s pray, then laid my hand on the side of her jaw and commanded her toothache to leave her and whatever was causing the pain to be gone. She thanked me and went on into the parking lot. I went on into the building and a few minutes later assembled with my class. There she was in her usual seat.

I said to her, “I thought you were going to the dentist.” She replied, “When you prayed, my toothache went away so I didn’t need to go to the dentist.” We rejoiced together that God cared even for her teeth.

(7) One evening I was substitute teaching for my brother in the Old Testament Class. The classroom was on the second floor of a building at the intersection of Cheves Street and South Coit and the students were mostly adults who were taking classes after getting off work in the evenings.

We had been discussing a passage of scripture about healing when one of the ladies in the class asked me to pray for her. She said she was deaf in one ear, and would I pray for the hearing to be restored in that ear.

The thought immediately came to my mind — what if I pray and nothing happens? The Lord immediately replied, if you don’t pray, certainly nothing will happen! If you pray, she has a 50-50 chance of being healed, but if you don’t pray she has no chance of being healed. He assured me that He could take care of his own reputation.

So, I simply laid my hand lightly against the lady’s ear and commanded it to be opened in Jesus’ name. And it was. There was no great hullabaloo, just a quiet expectancy of faith in that classroom and she was healed. We took a few minutes to praise the Lord for his goodness and mercy and then I went on with the lesson.

That was the only time I taught that particular class of students and I have no idea who the lady was, but it was a wonderful moment. God made me realize that night that His faith can always overcome my doubts if I will just do what he tells me.

Over the years I’ve prayed for many people and seen most of them healed instantly. Some healings have been more gradual, and some people I never saw again after that occasion so I don’t know their history.

But I don’t need to know. God tells me what to do, I do it, and the rest is His business. His business is destroying the works of the devil, sometimes using me as his hand-tool, much like a carpenter uses a hammer or a saw. If He’s willing – and He is – then I’m willing.

Testimony, part three

Delivered from fear of their faces

I was a member of Parkwood Presbyterian Church in the 1970′s, playing the organ for services and attending the adult Sunday School. I have loved Sunday School all my life, studying the lessons ahead of time, soaking in the discussions and enjoying the fellowship.

Our class at Parkwood was small, only a dozen or so of us who sat around a long conference table. In that small circle there was a freedom to ask questions and express opinions without fear of rejection. As long as I was just one of the circle, I was okay. No “fear of their faces” (see Jeremiah 1:8-9).

Everywhere else, however, was a different story. For years I’d been painfully shy, unable to speak in public even to store clerks. In those days there were small stores on just about every corner, selling milk and bread, soft drinks and candy. You didn’t just help yourself, you walked to the counter and told the clerk what you wanted.

But I couldn’t do that. I had to write out a list and hand it over, I could not bring myself to actually speak to the clerk. That was true in dime stores, drug stores, grocery stores, department stores, everywhere.

If I was forced to speak in public, my heart would pound, my hands would shake, I’d get nauseated and break out in a sweat. I’d be almost physically sick from this unnatural fear. Piano recitals made me nervous but since I didn’t have to talk to anyone, just sit down and play, I got through them. Oral book reports? Forget it. I was probably the only junior in high school who was allowed to write down my “oral” book report — the teacher was aware of my painful problem and had mercy on me.

Then after class one eventful Sunday morning, our teacher who was also the Sunday School Superintendent, asked me to take over the class. He wanted to step down from teaching and thought that since I studied the lessons and asked intelligent questions in class, I would be the logical next teacher.

I stammered, hemmed and hawed and said I couldn’t, no way, never, not me, about a dozen times. “Why not?” he asked. That stopped me in my tracks.

We had been studying about Jesus healing and delivering people from their problems, and I had a problem, no doubt about it. A devastating, hindering, restricting problem, fear of their faces. Could Jesus heal me? Deliver me from this fear? Or had He stopped doing that 2000 years ago?

As the teacher stood there waiting for my answer, I knew I had to find out. With a horrible premonition of disaster, I said I would try the following Sunday and we’d have to see after that.

That entire week I worked on the lesson. I read the student’s book, the teacher’s book, I looked up every Bible reference, made a poster, did an outline, prepared handouts, wrote out Bible verses, illustrations and quotations to use, everything I could think of to make the lesson a success.

I would stand at the end of the conference table with my poster on an easel, distribute the handouts and read from my notes. If I kept my head down and my eyes on the notes I wouldn’t have to look at their faces, and maybe the fear wouldn’t get me. That was my plan.

God’s plan was something else. I arrived early the next Sunday morning, unfolded the easel and propped up my poster, laid the handouts around the table, flipped my Bible open to the first passage and my notebook to my outline, then sat down to wait.

My classmates came into the room as usual, chatting with each other and catching up on news from the week. They took their usual seats around the table and it was time to start.

The Superintendent introduced me as the new teacher, everyone smiled a welcome, my heart pounded and I opened my mouth. For the next hour I taught the lesson, asked questions and directed the discussion — without any memory of it afterward, whatsoever!

The Lord had done it! In an instant He had delivered me from the fear that had tormented me for years. Everyone thanked me, said they looked forward to me being the teacher and headed into the sanctuary for the morning worship.

As I gathered up my materials, I just said “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” over and over. My eyes were full of tears and my heart full of amazement and gratitude.

No-one else in that room knew the struggle I’d had. A grown woman afraid to speak to a store clerk? How ridiculous. That’s what would they have said, I thought, and so for a long time I kept this testimony to myself.

In recent years I have shared this story several times. Sometimes folks who didn’t know me back then are amazed; they think I’ve always “had it all together.” As we talk I’ve learned that many people are tormented and hindered by fear of various kinds, and they need to be delivered too.

I’ve had the privilege of praying with a number of them over the years, affirming that the Lord is both able and willing to deliver us from fear.