Who is on the Lords side?
Who are the true followers of God?
Can we see the Lord going before us to prepare the hearts of people
in our city?
When we lift up the name of Jesus, a powerful transformation of attitude
should come into the presence of our conversations. One can't help but
be overcome and love struck, from our love for His loving presence and
from the power in this name. If a person is at all realizing and desiring
to know truth about the existence of God! When that person kneels down
and humbles themselves and prays to the Almighty God, He begins to draw
them by His Spirit.
As I share my experience and testimony, I hope it encourages you. I
started by asking "God if your real, I'll need you to teach me. Please
help me understand your Holy Bible".
In September of 1979, I was starting my journey to discover truth.
The Lord was already drawing me and my heart had already started to soften
toward believing in Him. I had already had a supernatural experience in
my life that I needed an answer for. The next step was to start reading
His Holy Bible. I began reading in the New Testament. I recall to mind
how easy it was ton understand. I was told by others, the word of God was
hard to comprehend, but I was not finding it hard at all.. I remember how
I felt when the word convicted me. I started to pray and ask Jesus to clean
up my life. I started to remove all the presence of sin in my life. I quickly
removed all influence of ungodliness from my life, and repented of my sins
once I realized I was a sinner. I remember the experience God gave me when
the Holy Ghost came upon me in my room. All of a sudden a sound filled
my ears as of a rushing overflowing of voices all worshiping God. I received
the Holy Ghost and started praising God in a beautiful language. I fell
down to the floor with my face down in reverence of Him. I began to ask
other people about the way they felt about the scriptures? Most soon revealed
they really didn't know what great truth was inside the pages of the Bible.
I felt alone in a world of unbelievers. I started to search out other people
to find fellowship, only to realize nobody here believed this gospel message
the way I felt it was saying. Sure there were so many churches around,
but none preaching the whole truth. None baptizing in the only name given
among men whereby we must be saved! Jesus Christ! After all the whole Bible
is centered on the man Christ Jesus. Why not then find He is at the head
and the center of the churches? I felt after looking, well it's not the
Pope (whom some on the earth call their holy father) nor the long robed
ministers, no not the Jehovah Witnesses, no not the Mormons, man the list
goes on and on of all the man made churches and religions throughout the
earth.
I wanted the official, authentic, pure and only church. Centered upon
the experience which came from the faith building Word of God! If the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ isn't being worshiped, it isn't His church. I
met a certain man, while I was living in Galgary Alberta. I had moved there
in the first part of 1980. When I asked him if he believed in God? replied
"oh yes". Then continued to explain how he was a deacon in his home church.
Next he told me that he was department head over their Sunday school. I
then listened while we drove down the highway together as he continued
to start to tell me a dirty joke. Needless to say I was shocked. Here this
man who was the sales manager of the tractor dealership, (which had just
hired me to sell equipment) was talking filth. I stopped him and said "shame
on you". I told him he was one of the biggest hypocrites I had ever seen,
and asked him how could he dare to teach children about the Lord, when
he was such a hypocrite. It cost me my job but then God moved me back to
BC, and new things opened up. I have by the grace of our Lord learned a
bit more tact now. However when we see how the Lord addresses people that
were hypocrites during the time he was on the earth. He sternly warned
them woe, woe, and because they were two faced. They didn't live the talk,
and walk the walk.( Matthew 23:13) But woe unto you scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither
go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. It
continues in verse 15 to say Woe unto you scribes , Pharisees, hypocrites!
For ye compass land and sea to make one proselyte, and when he is made,
ye make him twofold more a child of hell than yourselves. This is so powerful
an observation from the Lord Jesus Christ, about all the so called religious
churches of the day. They are all working as hard as ever to make new converts
but, Jesus declared" they make them twofold more a child of hell than themselves"!
I feel today as the word teaches, unless we find within us a pure desire
to lay aside every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us (Hebrews
12:1), and put Jesus Christ first in everything, that we can't expect Him
to receive us upon His return.
(II Timothy 3:5) many have a form of godliness, but deny the power
thereof; from such turn away. How many people sit in the church pews and
listen to a preacher, but withhold themselves from the power of the Holy
Ghost? They don't want to obey the word so they simply trust in the vanity
of their own mind. It is a sad shame for the ones who are genuine. The
others can quench the moving of the Spirit by their rebellion or unbelief.
(Hebrews 3:12) says Take heed brethren, lest there be in any of you an
evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. People can sit
in church all they want and still be backsliding from the truth in God.
One sure thing we see in our cities and churches today is a dividing from
those that serve God with a willing heart and those who don't or refuse
to. I can see as I travel about, the plan in the Word of God as dividing
the believer from the unbeliever so to speak. The true worshiper from the
bench warmer. The Lord plans to let them both grow up together in the church
until the end time, when the angels come forth and sever the two, but I
submit that now God is working in the churches to make a people ready to
meet Him. People in the world either hate God or to hear about God and
his gospel, or they want to hear about God and put into practice his entire
word for their lives. Jesus warns in the bible ( Revelation 3:16) (referring
to the Laodicean church) if we're lukewarm He would spue us out of His
mouth. Thank God for preparing the hearts of people for us to be able to
witness to, and share the gospel message with. (Matthew 13:15) For this
people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and
their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their
eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should
be converted, and I should heal them. (Verse 16 ) but blessed are your
eyes, for they see; and your hears for they hear. I submit to you that
by sowing the seed, we see how people of the world around us respond. The
Word of God gives us as His saints, spiritual oneness, and manifestations
of the gifts of His Spirit to see and understand and know each other. It's
so exciting to see the face of a person while the grip of conviction moves
on them. Especially If they instantly change and repent and soften towards
God. Next if they believe the gospel that leads them on to obeying the
plan of salvation, commencing the journey towards heaven. Being Baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins. Then watching
as God fills them with the baptism of His Holy Spirit. Oh what joy to see
a person surrender their life to the Lord Jesus Christ! What freedom to
experience the Holy Ghost power to strengthen us against doing any sin.
What cleansing from within comes to those who have a pure heart and intention
towards the Lord God. Great grace has poured out upon the people of God.
No more straining to get through to keeping the victory! If one is bound
in another church not yet having the fulfillment of the promise of the
Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38 ) and not hearing the whole gospel message, it's
time to look into your Bible for truth! Jesus gives us His powerful Spirit
to lead us and guide us. His word is Spirit and it is Truth! Yes, but also
to this is the Spirit which was in Christ, will come and reside within
us. All a person needs is found in the scriptures. When one obeys the teaching
of Gods word and lives the life so to speak, they receive a fulness of
joy that this world can't give nor take away! (John 7:37) In the last day
of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him
come unto me, and drink. (38) He that believeth on me, as the scripture
hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (39) (but
this He spake of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive;
for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified.)
What a precious promise from the Lord to those that believe on Him.
The church which follows the leading of His Spirit is the only place to
be. You and I need the church to be saved. You and I need the preaching
of the Word of God to be saved. (1 Corinth.1:21) for after that in wisdom
of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe!. Us, and all other people that
are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to fellowship with a body
of believers. We need an anointed pastor to preach the Word of God to us.
We need to have the unity and contact to build upon our faith. We need
to be an example to the ones looking to get in. We receive more spiritual
blessings and experiences in the Spirit. Our lives are healthier and happier.
We have a sure thing in the church of the living God! I pray the Lord Jesus
Christ anoint your mind and heart to receive always His Word of truth.
May you grow in understanding and be a soul winner for the Kingdom of God.
May the light of righteousness and holiness radiate and be shining
that others will want that same light. May you behold the beautiful work
of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
Rev. A. B. Christensen, UACI
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