Dream with Jesus

KNOWING GOD.

2011-12-17T17:12:00.000-08:00

But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (NKJV)
God is searching your heart. Does that mean He is looking for the dark secrets, the hidden weaknesses, the shameful thoughts that sometimes trouble you? No, He knows all about those things and He loves you anyway. God condemned His own Son to die on the cross. He died in your place to pay for all the shameful things in your life. Now He sees you as His dear child, as one who He gave His dear Son for.
If you invited Jesus to come into your life, He came. God is actively involved and lovingly at work in your thoughts, in your feelings and in every part of your being.
All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. John 6:37 (NKJV)
But He will not interfere with your free will. He will not force you to think the way He wants you to. He longs for you to come into harmony with His love and truth. If you have opened your life to Jesus to become His follower, that means God has become your partner in life but not your equal partner, because God is God and He is your Lord and Master. God will direct your life but He is not interested in passive obedient slaves or puppets. What Jesus said to His chosen apostles is what He longs to be able to say to each one of us.
You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. John 15:14-15 (NKJV)
The obedience He is looking for is the active partnership of men and women who want to please God and be led and directed by Him. The Spirit of God is searching your heart in love. He has also opened His heart to you. He is inviting you to search His heart and know His love and understand His ways for yourself.
God is sad when we passively depend on preachers to tell us what to think about Him. I love good preaching but that must never be my main connection to God. In the Old Testament, God gave prophets and priests to stand between God and the people. Now each one of us is invited to enter into deep personal communication with Him.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)
If you have never placed your life in the hands of Jesus who loved you and died for you, now is the time. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Jesus died to forgive your sins but you must receive Him to benefit from His forgiveness.

But this invitation in the Bible was given to church people, people who were complacently depending on what they thought they already knew of God, people who were perhaps passively depending on preachers to tell them what to think and what to believe. God is calling YOU to know HIM, to be like the first Apostles of Jesus, a personal friend of God, purified by His love to become an agent for His glorious Kingdom.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust." Psalm 91:1-2 (NKJV)
I pray God will so bless you this Christmas when we remember the birth in Bethlehem of the Son of God 2000 years ago.

RICK JOYNER'S PROPHECY OVER GERMANY.

2011-12-05T03:14:00.001-08:00

Strategic Prophetic Word - Europe - Germany

by Rick Joyner
May 31, 2002

Germany is one of the most strategic nations on earth, both spiritually and economically, and will again be a great military power. This is a nation of doers that must have a vision. Without a clear and noble vision, racism, national intolerance of others, anger, and cruelty will again sink its roots deep into the German culture and seek to direct its future. Steered with strong and noble leadership, Germany can become a powerful force for good in the world, healing the many ethnic conflicts within Europe and the Middle East. One thing that Germany will not be is neutral.

There is a calling on Germany to continue spearheading the Reformation of the church. Because of this the enemy is seeking to raise the level of religious intolerance and suspicion of all but mainline religious groups to thwart this nation’s ultimate purpose.

Spiritually and politically there are many leaders arising in Germany that are truly a new breed. These have been patiently waiting for their time, maturing in their vision and resolve. They will soon be ready to lead. However, there will be a great battle between the forces of liberty and those of intolerance and tyranny. The direction the government takes in relation to religious liberty will be the direction it takes in regard to political liberty as well. Germany will either have true freedom or again be subject to oppressors.

If Germany chooses freedom, there is a strong enough moral center in the cultural heart of Germany that will not continue to tolerate the moral and spiritual pollution that is now the norm for much of Europe. Germany will then begin to set a separate course from the rest of Europe. Germany has one of the greatest potentials of any nation on earth to build a free society that is not overcome with moral corruption and pollution. Of all the people on earth who have a law in their hearts, Germans are near the top. They want to do what is right, and with the right spiritual and political leadership they can become one of the greatest moral nations on the earth.

The great danger for such a strong and resourceful people is that when the devil sees he cannot stop them in a matter, he will get behind them and push them too far. Becoming reactionary and extremists will always be a danger for this nation, but becoming a nation of noble and decisive action is its calling.

Even though Satan has tried to place his throne in the heart of Germany, Germans will be some of the first to respond to the gospel of the kingdom of God, and to bow before the throne of the King of kings. Germany is called to bring life and healing to all the places the devil has used them to bring destruction and death.

German leaders will one day join with the spiritual leaders of Britain and Russia to form a cord of three strands that will not be easily broken. Germany will also become one of the greatest friends of God’s purpose for Israel and the Jewish people. Israel will love Germany and Germany will love Israel. These two nations are more alike than any two nations on earth at this time, and they will soon "discover" each other in a wonderful and powerful way.

Rick Joyner, 5/31/2002

FINDING DIRECTION IN YOUR LIFE

2011-11-26T21:52:00.001-08:00

Where is your life going?
Are your choosing your direction or are you reacting to life as it comes? Are you navigating towards your promised land or are you serving as a crew member on a ship going somewhere else? Do you know what your destination is or who is directing your course? Is your life being pushed and pulled by your employer, your family or your church?

God designed you to be a unique agent of change, to impact this world for Him. God made you in His own image, not to be a second rate copy of your parents, your teachers or a preacher or leader. If you live to please other people, you have missed your reason for living.
Does that mean you should forget other people and just please yourself? Of course not. When you live only to please yourself and fulfil your own dreams, you make yourself the God of your own life. Any sensible person should realise that this is crazy, yet it is a popular idea today. And look what a mess people have made by playing God!
God created you in His love and He loves you. He has a wonderful plan for your life. He wants you to find Him and to work with Him to live out his plan. He won’t do it for you and He won’t do it to you. He wants to live WITH you and for you to live WITH him.
For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 (TLB)
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. Revelation 21:3 (ESV)
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (ESV)
Why do you and I need Jesus? We have messed up this world. We have all contributed to the darkness around us. We often think there must be something better but we just muddle through by guesswork.

There is an amazingly good God who made this world for Himself. He gave this world to us, to be His sons and daughters but we have taken this world away from Him and messed it up. He wants His world back but He doesn’t want to take it away from us. But we can only share this world with God if we are reconciled to Him as our Father.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (ESV)
You may have heard that Jesus died to pay the penalty of your sins. If you turn to Him in faith, He will forgive your sins and you will have eternal life, and enjoy heaven when you die.
All that is true but God’s plan is much bigger than that.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. Revelation 21:1 (ESV)
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:5 (ESV)
We often hear preachers invite people to turn to Jesus and receive eternal life. God has a wonderful plan for your life.
But after you turn to Jesus and join a church, no one talks about God’s wonderful plan for your life. You find yourself just pleasing people at home, at work and at church. You were saved from sin, from condemnation, from hell but where is God’s wonderful plan?

IT IS STILL THERE AND YOU CAN FIND IT.
But you must find it in God and walk that way with God. Only God can show you and only God can lead you in the way He has prepared for YOU.

Knowing God for Yourself.. No Second Hand Faith

2011-11-18T21:50:00.000-08:00

A church hierarchy sets up a chain of command that separates the so called ordinary believers from the immediate personal direction of the Jesus and His Holy Spirit.
Christianity is either supernatural or it's nothing. We are called to be fruitful and multiply.
There is a Christianity that does not welcome supernatural revelations, healings and the active presence of God doing surprising stuff.
The Reformation achieved some good things in its time. Salvation through faith in Jesus was preached. The Bible was translated and restored to the people.
BUT THE REFORMATION WAS VERY INCOMPLETE. GOD IS THE GOD OF MIRACLES. Faith in a God who only did miracles 2000 years ago will not impact the world today.
When Christianity is truly alive and healthy, every believer hears the voice of God and every believer follows Jesus directly and personally.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27 (ESV)
In the Old Testament, the people of God only heard the voice of God indirectly, through the Bible and the words of the prophets who spoke for God. We still read the Bible and it is God speaking through His perfect revealed word.
But how do you know what God is saying TO YOU NOW?
The Bible says different things to different people in different passages. Is God telling you to rest in His love or to radically change your life?

Is God telling you to hide His truth in your heart or to tell everyone what you believe?
Is God telling you to marry or to stay single?
Is God telling you to preach in Africa or stay at home?
Is God telling you to work in a job or to be a missionary who trusts Him to provide?

Bible reading alone will not answer these questions. Many people resolve this difficulty by putting themselves under the direction of a priest, pastor or spiritual advisor. This is putting a man in the place of God. It is Old Testament thinking but it is common in the church. It is like the old fashioned Roman Catholic system where the priests told the believers what the Bible says and what they should do. I hope you don't think I am against Catholics. Many Catholics love Jesus and listen to the Holy Spirit.

What is God saying TO YOU NOW?
There is nothing wrong with seeking wise counsel and teaching but this must not be a substitute for growing up in faith yourself. A Christian who is spiritually healthy is able to receive direct personal communication from God Himself.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27 (ESV)
And the tempter came and said to him, â€œIf you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.â€ But he answered, â€œIt is written, â€œ â€˜Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.â€™ â€ Matthew 4:3-4 (ESV)

Here Jesus shows His faith in the Written Word of God but also in the spoken word of God. God SPEAKS today and He speaks every day. The Spirit of God brings the written word of God alive, so you know when God is speaking to you personally through a particular Bible text. But the Holy Spirit also speaks to your spirit in many different ways and He does it much more than most of us realise.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20 (ESV)
In the New Testament, every believer is invited to hear the voice of God and to share with others what he hears.
â€œ â€˜And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. Acts 2:17-18 (ESV)

Prophecy is hearing from God and telling others.

2011-10-07T19:30:00.000-07:00

Prophecy is hearing from God and telling others.

Some Old Testament texts would indicate it is better never to prophesy at all than to make a mistake when claiming to speak for God.
But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.' Deuteronomy 18:20
But as we read the New Testament, we see strong instructions encouraging ALL believers to prophesy, not only church leaders.
Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 1 Corinthians 14:1
How strange, that the Old Testament should warn against prophesying unless you know that you know that you are a true prophet who infallibly hears the exact words spoken by God.
How strange that the New Testament inspired by the same Holy Spirit should encourage all believers to prophesy. Surely God knows that we will sometimes make mistakes! Surely He knows that we often only partly understand what He wants to tell us!
Scripture seems to put us in a no win situation. If we boldly encourage everyone to prophesy, are we encouraging false prophecy, confusion and condemnation?
Many Christian leaders today are intimidated by this problem. They teach prophecy is no longer for today. This teaching is without biblical evidence.
Others water down the concept of New Testament prophecy so that is just another word for preaching or general exhortation. There is plenty of New Testament evidence to suggest that God still appoints believers to hear messages from heaven and to tell others what they hear, not with the same authority and literal accuracy as scripture but still representing a direct message from God.
Others only allow pastors, elders or leaders to prophesy. But this too is dangerous. If prophecy comes only from leaders, and church members are not supposed to question their authority, then errors will go undetected and mislead many.

Of course we must distinguish between honest disagreements and abusing leaders. In a healthy family, sons are allowed to disagree with fathers and brothers with brothers. Nevertheless, the freedom to disagree is not a license to start a fight.

But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brothers (and sisters). Mt 23:8
Prophecy is often a problem because so many Pentecostals have not understood the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the OT, true prophets were anointed by the Holy Spirit to prophesy. These men (and sometimes women) were given an extra strong enabling of divine grace to protect them from errors. They had to be accurate because the people they ministered to did NOT have the Holy Spirit and so could find it difficult to discern truth from error.
In the New Testament, ALL followers of Jesus Christ have the Holy Spirit living in them and all believers are called to be FILLED with the Holy Spirit and to seek to exercise the gift of prophecy themselves. This equips believers to hear the voice of God and to discern truth from error in a way which was impossible in the Old Testament.
This makes the Old Testament system of theocratic government obsolete because ALL believers in the New Testament can and should be personally led by the Holy Spirit.
Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Mt 23:9

In fact, this calls into question the entire system of church government practised by many churches, Roman Catholic as well as Pentecostal. In these churches a specially ordained class of people called Bishop, Senior Pastor and Pastor rule over the people in a similar way to the government of Old Testament Israel. Hebrew Prophets, Priests and Kings were appointed by God to exercise spiritual control over the people and to speak for God into people’s lives with the authority of God Himself.
In the New Testament, believers are exhorted to exercise discernment for themselves, to discern between true and false teachers, true and false prophecies, true and false leaders and between accurate and inaccurate teachings even from genuine preachers and leaders.
So seek the gift of prophecy; dare to risk honest mistakes, knowing there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Respect genuinely gifted leaders but question and pray about what you learn from them because no one is perfect.

Finding God's Purpose for Your Life

2011-09-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV)

How can we please God? By believing and obeying the written word of God. How about these two commandments in the Bible?

Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord. Joel 1:14 (ESV)

Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10 (NKJV)

You want to obey God’s word but which of these two opposite instructions should apply to you right now? We can grow in wisdom through Bible study but even that is not enough.

Perhaps it is the job of pastors to decide what applies to a particular congregation in every situation. My experience has taught me that this is a dangerously unreliable way of knowing the will of God.

What does the Bible say?

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 (NKJV)
1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

So how can we understand the times and seasons of God’s purposes? How can you know what is right for you right now?

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. John 16:13 (NKJV)

The Holy Spirit speaks to preachers and prophets to guide the people but all preachers sometimes get it wrong. Even when preachers get it right, they speak to the crowd and different individuals need different guidance direct from God.
It is essential that EVERY believer is personally led by the Holy Spirit.

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Romans 8:14 (ESV)

So if you are a born again believer in Jesus Christ, you can confidently expect the Holy Spirit to speak to you personally in a way that you can understand. If this is not your experience, you can ask God to lead you into this experience and He has promised to answer your prayer.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5 (ESV)

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27 (ESV)

The word PASTOR means SHEPHERD. Following Jesus, the Good Shepherd, may often involve working under the guidance of a pastor. But it can be a serious mistake if you only do this. Pastors make mistakes but Jesus the Good Shepherd never makes a mistake. Pastors usually want the best for their people but no one KNOWS you like Jesus knows you.
Jesus has placed potential in you that only HE can see. Sometimes God uses a pastor to recognise your potential and to help realise that potential but not always.

God has placed a heavenly deposit in your life and He wants a return on His investment, to bless you and to make you a blessing. Only the Holy Spirit knows how to lead you in the secret ways of God to fulfil His divine purpose in your life. ONLY the Holy Spirit knows.

Your first loyalty is not to your church or your pastor. Your first loyalty is to the Holy Spirit

I thank God for the help I have received from preachers and other mentors along the way but most of all for Jesus and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

REFRESHMENT FOR ALL

2011-08-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends
I haven't added to this blog for a while and I asked God what HE wants me to share and I believe the Holy Spirit gave me one word: REFRESHMENT.

People today are desperately in need of refreshment. The world is old, stale and polluted in all kinds of ways.
•    Office workers and professionals are bullied and burdened with regulations, red tape and paperwork.
•    Business people and tradesmen are increasingly insecure as economic systems crack and crumble.
•    Post Christian sexual freedom has left many women as struggling single mothers and so many men heartbroken and separated from their children.

People are stressed, overworked, insecure, bullied, betrayed, exploited and dehumanised.
People are guilty, frustrated, angry and wounded.
People are lonely and despairing.
People are hungry for refreshment and relief.
People turn to drugs and alcohol to ease the pain.
People go to nightclubs, bars and rock concerts to find refreshment.
People go from bed to bed to escape from loneliness and frustration, for refreshment.

God made us to be refreshed. He created these deep needs in us that only HE can satisfy.

John 7:37-39 (NKJV)
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

If we belong to a Christian church, we believe we are connected to Jesus, who is the source of eternal refreshment.
Yet so many Christians are addicted to the same cravings as other people, desperately seeking refreshment in internet pornography, sleazy movies and TV shows, rock music that glorifies anger, despair, suicide and lust.
The addiction to destructive refreshment is an epidemic inside and outside the Christian church.
We think that excellent churches have the answer but striving for excellence may not solve the problem.
People who are stressed out at work often go to church seeking refreshment but are disappointed.
They leave a dogmatic and authoritarian boss at work and they find controlling leaders at church.
In the demanding modern workplace, workers must perform or perish. Then they go to church where excellent performance is constantly demanded. Just as in the workplace, excellent performers rule in church.
No wonder so many committed church people are trapped by internet pornography. Even sincere church leaders are starving for the refreshment that Jesus promises.
But isn’t performance important in the Christian life?
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 1 Corinthians 9:24 (NKJV)
A Christian is like an athlete who loves Jesus and gives himself to the cause of God like an Olympic athlete. Olympic sport requires enormous effort and self discipline but also a great deal of encouragement, rest and high quality refreshment.

Christian meetings are intended to be places of encouragement and refreshment for all. If excellent worship, music and preaching become performances, as they often do, no wonder so many Christians leave church and so many preachers burn out or are trapped by counterfeit refreshment.
I believe God is redesigning and rearranging His church. Many people are leaving over organised, over controlled churches and meeting to drink deep from the River of Life as they bathe in the River of God.
Many are tired of regimented worship and they meet to share informal fellowship and to find real relationships with each other and with God. Many deeply committed Christians find more freedom to share their real thoughts on Facebook than they do at church.
If you are thirsty for God and tired of having your life controlled and organised, why not ask GOD what HE wants to do in YOUR life?

God bless you all and please let me know what you think.
Bill Derham

How God Uses Willing Believers

2011-06-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

BARNABAS, SON OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Barnabas was an exceptional character. He was a Levite from Cyprus whose name was Joseph until he was called Barnabas by the Apostles. Barnabas means Son of Encouragement or Son of Prophecy. This means he had a servant heart to encourage others in an exceptional way. But it means more than that. There is no record of prophecies given by him but he had exceptional supernatural wisdom and discernment through the Charismatic gifting of the Holy Spirit.
The early church remained community of Messianic Jews until persecution drove the believers out of Jerusalem and even then they preached only to Jews as they went.
Acts 11:19-21 (NKJV)
19 Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only.
20 But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus.
21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.
This was a radical revolution, even though it was a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and commanded by Jesus.
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
But it was revolutionary because it was a spontaneous initiative of so called lay Christians, apparently not directed or authorised by the Apostles in Jerusalem or anyone with executive authority in the church.
This should teach us a lesson which many have not been willing or able to receive.
God often directs His church through preachers in official leadership positions but the Holy Spirit also bypasses the official chain of command on occasions and leads Christians who appear to be virtual nobodies to take significant pioneering initiatives, sometimes initiatives of strategic importance. Without this kind of initiative, the mighty Chinese church of today would not exist.

The Apostolic leadership in Jerusalem was wise. They did not reject or criticise this movement because it did not come from them. But they needed to check up to see if it was a true work of God. They needed leaders with exceptional wisdom and discernment to do this job. They chose Barnabas for the work, a Levite with outstanding Christian character and spiritual discernment.
Acts 11:22-24 (NKJV)
22 Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch.
23 When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.
24 For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.
It appears in this brief text that Barnabas was also a gifted preacher and leader with the ability to encourage and empower believers and also to evangelise.
Some preachers in this situation would grasp the opportunity to take over this wonderful church and set themselves up as apostolic leaders. If Barnabas had done this, we might have seen the Gentile church in Antioch converted into “Joseph Barnabas Ministries: Reaching the Nations for Christ.”
But Barnabas did a remarkable thing. He trusted the new church to keep going with the pioneer leaders who had planted it and he set off to find another man of God prepared for this ministry, Saul of Tarsus.
Barnabas was not only a kind, generous and encouraging man but he was also a man who did not put himself first in any way. He sacrificed wealth when he donated his property in Cyprus to the church in Jerusalem and he sacrificed his opportunity to be a superstar church leader when he left Antioch to find and empower another man of God, Saul (later Paul) who was destined to outshine him.

Is your life an adventure?

2011-01-18T18:51:00.001-08:00

Is the story of your life interesting?
A church member once stood up and testified.

“Before I was saved, I was wicked, sinful and boring. I want to thank God I am not sinful any more.”
When you respond to the call of Jesus, God forgives all your sins and changes your character. God’s purpose is to make you like Jesus.
Most of us will never walk on water or die on a cross. But if you are like Jesus, the story of your life will never be boring. If your life is routine, ordinary and predictable, ask Jesus to show you what is missing, and he will answer.
Please don’t misunderstand me. Many people today demand constant entertainment. I am not suggesting every moment must be exciting. We also need to cultivate patience. But spiritual patience is not the passive acceptance of a mediocre life.
Are you actively pursuing a big dream for your life? Are you living an adventure story?
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV)
The peace God gives is not a domestic tranquillity where nothing exciting happens. It is the peace of Jesus who slept through a terrible storm at sea because He trusted in His heavenly Father’s care.
The prophet Jeremiah was in prison when God spoke to him.
'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV)
Prison can be a place of dark suffering because you stand for God in spite of persecution. Prison can also be a life dominated by a grey routine.
God can deliver His children out of both kinds of prison.
"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; Luke 4:18 (NKJV)
Even if you are trapped in domestic slavery with no means of escape, God can give you adventures in the Spirit.
Acts 2:17-18 (NKJV)
'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.

God created you with a purpose. When you repent and believe, you are forgiven. But the plans of God do not stop there.
Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. Romans 8:30 (NKJV)
God has a plan and a destiny for your life. He wants you to experience His glory and to reveal His glory through you.
Why not read the story of Jesus of Nazareth? Fast forward to the book of Revelation and see Jesus in Heaven. Then you will understand that GLORY can never be boring.
If your life has no adventure, ask God to put you on track to glory.
I hope you will allow me to conclude with some essential practical wisdom. One thing which imprisons so many good people is THE TYRANNY OF THE URGENT.
Of course you must not neglect ESSENTIAL practical duties. But are you setting aside time every day to work on your life dream?

For example, if you are called to minister the Good News of Jesus, start a house church or do something special for God, you need to MAKE time to prepare, to read and pray.

What are you doing TODAY to advance towards your destiny?

Jesus. Good vs Evil

2011-01-07T19:55:00.001-08:00

Jesus came to this planet from a better place. He came to bring heaven to earth. He came to destroy evil. Evil was His enemy and He came to win the war. But his primary strategy was not to teach about sin but to teach and demonstrate perfect love and goodness.
... God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38 (NKJV)
The Bible gives us a lot of information about every kind of sin, about murder, lying, adultery and many horrible things. Jesus never sinned Himself and He spoke strongly against sin.
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. John 8:34 (ESV)
He warned of the horrible consequences of sin.
The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. John 8:35 (ESV)
Jesus, as the Son of God, has a permanent home with His Father God in Heaven, where there is no evil, not even human imperfection. But a sinner is a slave of sin and has no place in the Father’s House, no home in heaven.
But Jesus did not stop there. He offered a cure for this addiction to sin. He had a remedy for the hopeless condition of every man and woman without God.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36 (ESV)
Jesus came to set us free from the addiction to bad things that make us unfit for heaven.
The Old Testament tells us a lot about different kinds of witchcraft, sexual perversion, worship of false gods and many other sins. But Jesus did not talk much about these things.

The people who Jesus criticised the most were the religious leaders.

These people were obsessed with avoiding sin and criticising sinners.
They also memorised whole books of the Scriptures and tried hard to live correctly.
They did not worship idols or commit many of the sins that God condemned in the Old Testament.

So why was Jesus so opposed to these righteous Pharisees?
The Pharisees tried to obey the Law of God and taught the people not to sin. So what was wrong with that?
The Pharisees attacked sin but they also oppressed and punished sinners. They opposed sin but they offered no remedy or escape for ruined lives. They hated sin but they also despised sinners.
God hates abortion, witchcraft, pornography, sexual perversion and drug smuggling.
But if we go into battle against these things, we must be sure we are not like the Pharisees.

The Pharisees hated sin but did not love the sinners.
The Pharisees condemned sin with such self righteousness that they were completely ineffective in bringing sinners back to God.
The Pharisees were obsessed with sin but could offer no remedy capable of saving people addicted to sin.

We can talk about sin and repentance and the saving power of God but we must also demonstrate the saving love and power of Jesus. If we only preach righteous words without love and power, we become like Pharisees who tell a drowning man to swim for his life but do not go out to him in a boat to pull him to safety.
"... the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10 (NKJV)
2 Timothy 1:6-7 (NKJV)
⁶Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
⁷For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

You may read this and think you must stir yourself up to be like Jesus. But remember, without HIM you can do nothing. Only in HIM you can do all things.

Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)
28 Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Islam and the Bible

2010-07-11T02:27:00.001-07:00

Devout Muslims desire to know God but they do not believe God is personally knowable. The Allah of the Qur’an is a not person but an unknowable supreme authority, lawmaker and judge.

The Bible tells a different story.

God is love.

1 John 4:8; 1 John 4:16; Ephesians 2:4; Psalm 145:9; John 3:16.

We can know God personally.

Mt 6:9; John 17:3; 1 John 3:1-2;

2010-07-03T23:23:00.001-07:00

God so loved the world...

Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 1 John 5:5-6 (ESV)
When the beloved Apostle John wrote these words, there were false teachers who declared that The Son of God did not really die on the cross.

The “Christ Spirit” came on Jesus when He was baptised in water and the same “Christ Spirit” departed back to heaven before the man Jesus was crucified and poured out his blood. So these false teachers said and they deceived many.

About 500 years later an Arabian religious leader named Mohammed came and taught the Arabs also to honour Jesus (Isa in Arabic). But Mohammed’s Isa is not the Jesus of the Bible.

The Muslim Isa was the son of Mariam and he was a great prophet and miracle healer. But Isa in the Koran was a man and not God. He did not die on the cross. Another man took his place before the execution.

In Islam, Jesus did not die for your sins. Allah has no son. Allah did not sacrifice his son to pay the penalty for your sins. Muslims are taught they must try to be good obedient Muslims in the hope that their good deeds might outweigh their sins. If not, they will burn in hell. This terrible uncertainty is a thousand times worse than the Roman Catholic fear of a time of temporary punishment in Purgatory. In Islam there is only one way to sure you are going to Paradise. You must shed your own blood for Islam.

Mohammed taught a Muslim martyr can go directly to paradise by shedding his own blood in holy battle against the infidels. In the Palestinian territories in the Holy Land, Palestinian televison shows sexy girls calling teenage boys to become suicide bombers or terrorists. The reward is the assurance of a very carnal salvation, the instant transportation to Paradise where they can immediately lose their virginity with sexy girls and continue in the same manner for ever and ever.

But the Bible tells us that salvation comes not by pouring out your own blood but by believing in the Holy Son of God who poured out His blood on the cross to pay the penalty of your sins.

If you believe and trust in the Son of God,

if you are willing to receive the grace of God to transform your character,

if you are willing to receive the supernatural eternal life that God gives as a free gift, you can not only be saved but you can be sure you are saved.

Jesus was born by water and blood. As a natural human baby, he left his mother’s body with the flowing of water (amniotic fluid) and blood. As a Jewish baby boy he shed his own blood when he was circumcised and he was of course washed with water.
As a young man he was baptised in the River Jordan and the Spirit of God came upon Him to empower Him for His supernatural ministry.
As He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, His sweat came as water and then blood. When He was whipped by Roman soldiers, the blood poured from His back.
When they pushed a crown of thorns onto His head, the blood flowed again.
When He gave up His spirit on the cross and died, a Roman solder thrust a spear into His side and out of the wound flowed water and blood, a sign of extreme torture and trauma.

All this is recorded in the Holy Bible, which was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God. Many Muslims have read the Bible and the Koran side by side and decided the Bible is not mistaken. They have been converted to Jesus Christ by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God who inspired the Jewish and Christian Scriptures but who did not inspire the Koran.

Please let me know what you think.

God bless you from

Bill Derham

Loving people where they are...

2010-06-06T04:22:00.000-07:00

How did Jesus reach people?

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.” Matthew 11:19 (ESV)

During His earthly life Jesus of Nazareth was known as a friend of sinners. The strictest observers of the Word of God accused Him breaking God’s law by hanging around with bad people. Were they right?

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Matthew 9:9-11 (ESV)

There are many Christian ministers today who will organise missions and outreaches. Some will invite drug addicts and prostitutes to come to Christian meetings. Why? To preach the gospel and save sinners.

But Jesus went a step further, a very big step further. He accepted invitations to eat and drink with the worst sinners in their own homes. If a notorious gangland boss invited Jesus to a party with underworld people, would Jesus go?

In the New Testament, we read that Jesus not only preached to sinners. He went to their homes and their dinner parties.

Does that mean that Jesus was always available for every invitation from any crook in town? No. King Herod was impressed by the stories of the miracles of Jesus and he wanted to see this new “celebrity” but Jesus avoided him. Luke 9:9 (NKJV)

There are some major Christian leaders today who are campaigning against human trafficking for sex slavery. They are actually going to pick up bars and houses of prostitution to make friendly contact with prostitutes and even sometimes with pimps. There are many hard core sinners and oppressed victims who cannot be reached by preaching but only by believers who dare to do what Jesus did, seek out the lost sheep in the dark places and reach them with genuine friendliness.

I have seen Joyce Meyer on Christian TV, talking to a poor Indian prostitute in her work place. English born minister, Kathie Walters goes out into the streets of American cities to talk to prostitutes. In one city she found that many of the young girls were from Pentecostal Christian homes. After sharing the love of Jesus with them, many turned to God, perhaps for the first time, and many returned to their families.

There was a young homosexual prostitute in Chile who was dying of AIDS. Many people would visit his hospital ward to mock and abuse the dying addicts and homosexuals. But one visitor was different. She was an old woman filled with the Spirit of Jesus. She went to this young man with compassion. She prophesied healing and restoration and he believed. He was raised up by the power of God and completely healed. His testimony reached many in the hospital including doctors who turned to Jesus. The doctors offered finance and help to plant a Pentecostal church nearby. Over time, the young man was restored in every way. He got married and began a ministry by sharing his testimony with many homosexuals, prostitutes and addicts.

But isn’t it dangerous to mix with sinners?

Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits." 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NKJV)

I believe this is one reason that Jesus sent out His disciples TWO BY TWO.

The Apostle Paul was single himself but he usually went on a mission with at least one partner in ministry. At various times these included Barnabas, Timothy, Silas and Luke. With the help of the grace of God, Paul penetrated dark places and planted churches in many previously unreached cities.

But there was one place where Paul’s great spiritual gifts only succeeded in winning a few converts. That was in Athens. In Athens Paul ministered alone and without a partner.

There is a new move amongst the people of God. Many are no longer looking to the priest, pastor or evangelist, the spiritual giant on the pedestal. Many are no longer waiting for the Man of God to move.

Many of us are rediscovering spiritual partnership, personal spiritual experience, spiritual community and teamwork. This is the way hundreds of millions will see that Jesus is alive in His people and many more millions will find God for themselves.

Please let me know what you think.
God bless you from
Bill Derham

Finding your purpose in life.

2010-06-06T03:10:00.000-07:00

God has a good plan for you.. You have a high calling...

For if by the one man's offence death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) Romans 5:17 (NKJV)

The first man was Adam, created by the hand of God. Then God personally breathed His own breath into the first man and he became alive with the breath of God. Adam was created clean and good, in the image and likeness of God Himself.

God is wise and good. Adam was wise and good.

God is love. Adam loved God.

The God who rules eternity made Adam and Eve the rulers of this earth.

Every evening Adam walked and talked with God in the garden of Eden, in the lovely twilight. They were best friends. God commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth with the goodness of God.

There was to be a balance in Adam’s life. He was to live close to God and follow God’s instructions but these instructions included the responsibility to think for himself and make decisions.

The first job that God gave Adam to do was to name all the animals. Whatever word Adam invented for each animal became the word used by God himself.

Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. Genesis 2:19-20 (NASB95)

In obedience to God, Adam made the first free decisions in human history. But God also gave Adam and Eve another choice, to obey or disobey their loving creator. Why? Because God is free to make choices.

Adam and Eve were created in the image of God, so they must also have the freedom to make choices, including the decision to obey or disobey God. We still have that decision to make every hour and minute by minute.

The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." Genesis 2:16-17 (NASB95)

Then Satan, the former chief angel, appeared as a snake to Eve and deceived her.

Satan deceived Eve in the same way he deceives men and women today. He questioned the interpretation of the words of God.

Genesis 3:1-4 (NASB95)
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?"
2 The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;
3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.' "
4 The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die!

So Satan’s demons still whisper in our ears.

“It is not really that bad. A man needs sex after all.”
“God says you are called but do you really think you can do it?”
“The bible says Jesus is your healer but look at all the people who pray and are still sick.”
“The bible says give and God will supply your need but you really can’t afford to give.”
“The bible says you are a priest of God through the blood of Jesus and the Spirit of God living in every believer but aren’t you just an ordinary sinful Christian?”
“The Bible says your prayers can save your children but look how bad they are and you know it’s your fault because you were a bad parent.”

You may not be called to be a platform preacher but you are so loved by God and He has amazing plans for you. Trust Him!

You might be like Mary Magdalene who was delivered from demon possession and was appointed the first witness of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

Please let me know what you think.
God bless you from
Bill Derham

READ the Bible. QUESTION assumptions.

2010-05-22T22:54:00.000-07:00

What does the Bible really say?

Are the preachers and commentators always right?

We must never stop rethinking what we think we know already.

The book of revelation shows four mysterious living creatures before the throne in heaven.

“...the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. Revelation 4:7 (ESV) .”

(See also Ezekiel 1:10)

For nearly two thousand years, bible teachers have told us how Matthew was the story of Jesus the Lion King; Luke was the story of Jesus the perfect spiritual man; John presented Jesus as the eternal Son of God, like the majestic prophetic eagle descending to earth and returning again to His throne above the clouds; Mark presented Jesus as the humble suffering servant, like the ox which faithfully serves and then is killed as the perfect sacrifice.

Matthew wrote for Jews who were expecting a Messiah King.

Messiah would conquer the nations like David of old and rule the world according to the End-Time prophecies which are still unfulfilled. I believe Jesus will come again and fulfil every prophecy when He rules and reigns from Jerusalem for 1000 years, leading up to the last judgement and then the perfect eternal New Heaven and New Earth.

Matthew’s Gospel shows how Jesus fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies and established His credentials as the Messiah King by suffering, dying and rising from death.

Luke shows how Jesus lived as the perfect man of faith filled with the Holy Spirit and power. This introduces us to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Luke’s second book, the Acts, in which we get to walk in the same power of the same Holy Spirit who filled Jesus on earth.

John shows us Jesus as the eternal Word who created all things. In John, Jesus declares who He is and how we can have eternal life through Him. Jesus is God who became man for us.

...“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (ESV)

...“Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58 (ESV)

...“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die...” John 11:25-26 (ESV)

In Mark, Jesus is indeed the servant who suffers and dies like an ox slaughtered on the altar in Jerusalem. Mark is a short book with only 16 chapters. From chapter 12 to 15, we see no miracles, only the journey to the cross and the death and burial of Jesus as the perfect sacrifice.

But what of the rest of Mark’s Gospel?

Here I must seriously challenge traditional teaching.

In Chapter 1, Jesus appears casting out demons. In Mark Chapters one to three and chapters five to ten, we see Jesus like an Imperial Roman general conducting a brutal military campaign against his enemies, the spirits of darkness. We see little teaching in words but repeated supernatural confrontations with the forces of darkness, casting out demons, healing the sick and working miracle after miracle.

Jesus was demonstrating in action the kind of Christianity which He called us to practise in Chapter 16 after His miraculous resurrection.

...“Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ...they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:15-18 (ESV)

This is so controversial that many Bible scholars want to leave it out of the Bible. I believe this is nothing but intellectual unbelief. I believe this unbelief was already evident in scholars producing manuscripts 300 years after Jesus rose from the grave.

However, without this ending, Mark’s Gospel is an incomplete fragment, like a story with no proper conclusion.

For a scholarly discussion, see the following web page:

http://apologeticspress.org/articles/2780

Jesus always stood by the absolute authority and infallible truth of the scriptures but He was always challenging the way people understood these scriptures. We must do the same. It is easy for us Pentecostals to criticise the religious traditions of other churches but if Jesus of Nazareth was with us in the flesh today, He would also challenge our Pentecostal traditions and practises.

Please let me know what you think. I treasure every message I receive.

God bless you from
Bill Derham

2010-03-06T05:50:00.001-08:00

Dear Believing Friends
Wonderful things are happening. Prepare to be surprised.

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19 (ESV)

If we belong to Jesus, we believe in a God who delights to do new things.

“You have heard; now see all this; and will you not declare it? From this time forth I announce to you new things, hidden things that you have not known. Isaiah 48:6 (ESV)

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:5 (ESV)

God is bound to be true to His wonderful and perfect character but He has never restricted Himself to merely repeat what He has done before.

Some people get upset when Christians report miraculous experiences which are different from the miracles recorded in the Bible.

Two preachers were having a meal in a café in Berlin. A pile of gold dust appeared under the table. A preacher in America was upset about such stories because there is no record of gold dust appearing in the Bible. He preached a sermon against gold dust but the babies in the church creche were covered in gold dust.

Some people are afraid of “lying signs and wonders.” The bible warns of lying signs and wonders but the only reference is in the story of the Anti-Christ in the book of Revelation.

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 2 Thessalonians 2:9 (NKJV)

The only protection against being deceived in spiritual matters is to stay close to Jesus, to be led by the Spirit of God, to live in faith, hope and love, to obey God and to live by His Word.

Does that mean we should only believe in miracles if they are exact copies of miracles recorded in the Bible?

Why?

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. John 14:12 (ESV)

How many of the people who criticise contemporary miracle stories are working the signs and wonders that Jesus did on earth? None that I know of.

If God is only allowed to repeat what He did in the Bible, how can it be possible for us to do GREATER works than Jesus did?

If God is only allowed to repeat what He has already done, how then can Bible prophecy be fulfilled?

But weren’t the miracles of Jesus all practical acts of mercy, like healing the sick and raising from death the son of a widow?

I wonder what was the practical benefit of Peter walking on water?

If the prophecy of Jesus is to be fulfilled, then people in these last days will see manifestations more amazing than Peter walking on water. If that does not happen, then the prophecy of Jesus will not be fulfilled and that would make the Son of God a false prophet.

But why should God be doing these things?

At the birth of Jesus, the wise men from the pagan east brought Jesus wonderful gifts, GOLD, frankincense and myrrh. If mankind gives God a gift of gold, should we surprised if a gracious God gives gold to mankind?

And what about the jewels?

“O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of agate, your gates of carbuncles, and all your wall of precious stones. Isaiah 54:11-12 (ESV)

But doesn’t this refer to the jewels in Heaven itself? Of course it does. But did not Jesus announce the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven? Did not Jesus teach us to pray: “Your will be done on earth AS IT IS IN HEAVEN?”

If the first visit of the Son of God was heralded by human gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, why should the approach of the return of Jesus not be heralded by supernatural gifts from the Heavenly Bridegroom to His Bride to be, the Church. What could be a more appropriate gift to a bride from her husband to be? Does not a man announce his intention to marry a woman with a gift of a diamond ring?

Please let me know what you think.

God bless you from
Bill Derham

2009-12-26T00:54:00.000-08:00

Dear Believing Friends

If you grew up after the war in Australia or another English speaking country, you may remember a conversation like this.

“Mummy, where do babies come from?”
“Babies come from Mummy’s tummy.”

Of course we know that the tummy or stomach is for digesting food and babies grow in the womb, or uterus, a totally different thing.

But in all three languages of the Bible, Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic, there is an interesting word which can be correctly translated as stomach, belly or womb.

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his BELLY shall flow rivers of living water. John 7:37-38 (KJV)
But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:39 (NKJV)

The word BELLY is the translation of the Greek KOILIA. The equivalent Hebrew word is BETEN. When Jesus spoke these words in the temple, He may have been speaking Aramaic. The Aramaic Bible uses the word: K'aRSeH, which can also mean BELLY or WOMB. These words are often interpreted figuratively as HEART or INMOST BEING.

In the flesh, the womb and the stomach are quite distinct and only a woman has a womb. But in the spiritual realm it is a different story.

Jonah went down into the belly of the great fish or whale. When he came out of the fish’s belly, it was like a resurrection. The belly of the fish was like the womb giving birth to a new man.

The satisfaction of hunger and thirst sustains life. This is the function of the BELLY, to convert food and drink into life, to keep us alive and refresh us.

But the function of the WOMB goes further. The WOMB is the place where a seed sown grows into new life until a new person emerges. The stomach sustains life but the womb reproduces and multiplies life.

The inmost being of every born again Christian believer is potentially both a spiritual stomach and a spiritual womb. In this spiritual dimension there is no male or female. God desires to fill us with the Living Water of His Spirit to nourish, sustain and refresh us but He desires more. God fervently desires to satisfy our thirst but then to take us further, to make us bearers of new life for others.

To hunger and thirst for new life and refreshment in your own soul is not selfish. It is essential. But it is not enough. God wants his people to be like healthy young mothers, reproducing, multiplying, bringing new born again believers into the world.

The conversion of unbelievers is the birthing of new life. Nothing is more wonderful than the restoration of a sinner to the heart of the Father in Heaven.

But evangelism is not the only way to birth a work of God’s Spirit. To sing an inspired song, write a book or paint a picture with God requires a joining together of the Spirit of God with the human spirit in an intimate connection like a husband and wife producing a new person. Every work of faith involves the bearing of living fruit, like giving birth to a child.

Have you been feeling tired and heavy lately? Maybe you need to stop struggling in your own strength. Get filled with the Spirit who can produce new life in you and then through you.

Or can it be that you are heavily pregnant in the Spirit?

Do you have a vision for a ministry, a mission, a book, a business, a child, a family revived and restored, a move of the Spirit in your city?

You may feel heavy because the baby is nearly due.

Be encouraged!

Christmas and New Year are seasons of New Birth, New Life, New Beginnings. Some of you are in labour now and your dream or vision is about to be transformed from faith into sight.

Please let me know what you think. I would love to hear some inspiring testimonies.
God bless you from
Bill Derham

Brotherhood and Sisterhood of Believers

2009-11-05T04:22:00.000-08:00

Dear Believing Friends
It is often said that when God wants a great work done, He chooses one man to pioneer and lead. It is not difficult to find examples in the bible or in history. It is easy to conclude that God’s operating principle is always to appoint a hierarchy and a clear chain of command. Most of our churches operate this way.

But when we read the New Testament, we encounter something new and strange. Jesus selected twelve apostles and He favoured three above the others, Peter, James and John. But there is something about the story which is so weird, that it is like something from another planet.

Jesus did NOT appoint one successor. Abraham appointed Isaac; Moses appointed Joshua; Elijah appointed Elisha and David appointed Solomon but Jesus did not appoint a supreme leader to take over after He returned to Heaven.

The Bible tells us a lot about the sins and faults of the Apostles and preachers love to make sermons about them.

A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest.
And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. Lk 22:24-26 (ESV)

What were the Apostles disputing? Was each of the twelve claiming to be number one? That would be absurdly childish. I have never heard a group of men or boys being so silly.

What most preachers fail to notice is this. Jesus had not conformed to the perfectly reasonable expectation of any group of leaders. Jesus had not appointed a single successor to be supreme leader after His departure. Peter was an obvious candidate but he could be impulsive and make mistakes. John was especially favoured and loved but he was the youngest. James was also a serious candidate. But who was the chosen one? Since Jesus had not told them, they did what any group of men would do. They tried to work it out themselves.

After Jesus returned to heaven, Peter seemed to take the lead in Acts chapters 1 to 3. Nevertheless, the writer of Acts emphasises the collective leadership of “The Apostles.” In Acts 2, Peter preached the first sermon but the main emphasis is on the inspired and inspiring unity of all the disciples.

All this is not because of any neglect or forgetfulness of Jesus or the Father in Heaven.
Jesus declared a whole new approach to leadership in Matthew 23.

But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. Mt 23:8-10 (ESV)

This is so radical, that most Christians and most Christian leaders have not even begun to understand it. I have been a member of Pentecostal churches for 35 years and I have never heard any preacher, any teacher or any pastor seriously attempt to explain this vitally important text.

The mystery does not end here.

The first witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ was not an Apostle, or a Pastor or even an Elder.

It was Mary Magdalene, a woman with a sinful past and a testimony but not office or position in the church. When she told the Apostles, they did not believe her. Then Jesus came and rebuked the men of God for not receiving her testimony!

Leadership remains important but God’s way is somewhat different from what we normally expect in churches.

The founders of the first mission to the non-Jewish pagans were not Apostles and they were not appointed or sent by the Apostles.

Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. Acts 11:19-21 (ESV)

If all this raises more questions than answers, that is OK. The New Testament text does the same.
I am not preaching Christian anarchy. I really admire great Christian leaders and many inspired preachers. But Christianity is not all about priests and people or shepherds and sheep. Coaches don't win football matches; the players do.
Jesus called a brotherhood of mighty believers who change the world. We must not rely on Pastors or leaders to do everything important and take all the initiative.

Please let me know what you think.
God bless you from
Bill Derham

Darkness to light. What message to preach?

2009-11-01T05:47:00.001-08:00

Dear Believing Friends
There are preachers who always concentrate on positive messages. They speak constantly about the love and favour of God, about success and answered prayer and about reaching your potential in life. They present and important aspect of God's truth and I like to listen to some of that preaching.

But if that is all you listen to, you could become complacent about sin. The cross could begin to lose its meaning. After all, Jesus, the Son of God, had to suffer the cruelest possible death to pay the penalty of your sin and my sin. He was demonstrating not only the depth of God’s love for you but also the intensity of God’s hatred of evil.

On the other hand, there are preachers who constantly preach severely about sin, repentance and holiness. We cannot deny that there is always sin for them to preach against but which kind of preaching is more biblically correct?

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:6-7? (ESV)

Yes, we should preach against sin but the main emphasis must always be on the power of the grace of God to save and heal us from ALL sin. The blood of Jesus saves you from your own sin and heals you from the damage caused by the sin of others.

If we preach about sin and repentance, we must also emphasise the amazing glory of God’s purpose for forgiven sinners.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. 1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)

For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17 (ESV)

Once our sins have been forgiven, we are transformed into saints, priests of God, sons and daughters of the Father in Heaven, kings who rule and reign over sin, demons, sickness, poverty and even death.

In preaching about the light, let us not be satisfied with a gospel of positive thinking and successful living. Let us preach the full extent of our glorious destiny in Christ. There is no such thing as an “ordinary Christian”. There are no common citizens in the Kingdom of God. Either you are an alien and an enemy of God or you are a Son or Daughter of the King of Kings. There are simply no ordinary citizens in the Kingdom. They don’t exist.

We honour Apostles and Pastors as special people and that is good. But two of the most highly honoured saints in the New Testament were Mary the Mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Neither of these women was an apostle or a pastor.

But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Matthew 23:8-9 (ESV)

When Paul wrote letters to the early churches, he did not address them to the pastors, elders and then members. He began his letters like this.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Ephesians 1:1 (ESV)

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are a son or daughter of God; you are a saint; you are a holy priest; you are a king; you are an ambassador or official representative of God on earth.

If you are not all of these things, you are not a Christian at all. You are either a citizen of heaven or a citizen of hell and there are no common citizens in God’s kingdom, only royal priests.

Please let me know what you think.

God bless you from
Bill Derham

Finding God's GOOD PLAN for YOUR life.

2009-10-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Believing Friends
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." John 8:12 (NASB95)

Just find the path in life that GOD leads you into and HE will give you grace and help and guidance.

To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Luke 9:59 (ESV)

If you follow the path in life determined by the expectations of others, you will have frustration after frustration and your Christian life will be little better than hanging on until you get to heaven. Find God's plan for YOUR life at all costs!

Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. MY YOKE IS EASY AND MY BURDEN IS LIGHT.

It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others. Ephesians 2:10 (TLB)

For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

Find the good works that GOD has prepared for you!!! (Ephesians 2:10)

Go and find your destiny. Your destiny is written in heaven but you have to find your script and live it out. It is not automatic.

Please let me know what you think.

God bless you from
Bill

YOU ARE UNIQUE.

2009-10-11T00:08:00.000-07:00

Dear Believing Friends

CS Lewis was an English scholar at Oxford University. He was an expert in ancient languages and old English Literature. He was also an atheist until he had a powerful conversion experience. What should a new convert like this do if he wants to win thousands of souls to Christ and save even millions from damnation? Obviously he should use his talents to study theology, Hebrew and Greek and maybe Chinese, so he could be a pastor, a missionary or an evangelist.

He did none of these things. He continued to write scholarly articles about old literature and then God raised him up to write paperback books to stimulate people to think about God and the truth of the Bible.

His books are nothing like the books written by pastors, evangelists or theologians. Thank God they are unique and different! CS Lewis’s unique way of thinking has drawn thousands or perhaps millions of people to Christ.

Supposing CS Lewis had been converted in his twenties. And just imagine he had suffered a terrible mental breakdown. Suppose he had been torn apart by trauma and suppose he had been mentored by disciples of Kenneth Hagin or CH Spurgeon or by this or that anointed ministry. Supposing this broken young man had laid everything on the altar for Jesus. Supposing he had abandoned his passion for literature and original writing. Supposing he had used his great talents to become a good imitation of Kenneth Hagin or Charles Spurgeon or some other gifted writer. HOW TERRIBLE!

Who are YOU?

If you belong to Jesus, you are a son or daughter of the Most High God. You are a representative of Jesus Christ on earth. But so are we all. I am these things and so are you.

But WHO ARE YOU?

Luke was not Paul but thank God they were different.

The great missionary who laid the foundation for the glorious Chinese church of today was Hudson Taylor. When he went to China, the missionaries lived in an English community separated from Chinese society. They won few converts and when a Chinese person came to Christ, he had to leave his people and become a second rate imitation of and English Christian. Hudson Taylor lived amongst the Chinese. He spoke Chinese and dressed like a Chinese man. He was criticised by both the Chinese and by the English missionaries but he sowed the seed for the mightiest national church on Earth, over 140 million Chinese Christians serving God today in spite of persecution.

Are you trying to fit in with the vision of someone else, a pastor, a parent, a Christian leader? If you never discover your unique personal calling and gifting, you will be devastated when you arrive in heaven.

Suppose you play soccer and you are gifted to be a wonderful goalkeeper. But your father and your coach was a great striker and you look up to him. You may waste your life trying to be a striker.

Suppose your father was a wonderful doctor but your passion is art or poetry and you have an outstanding talent. What if you waste your life trying to be a good doctor. How terrible!

Do you have the courage to be different?

Ask God who you are! Listen until GOD tells you! We often hear of VOCATIONS which means CALLINGS. You have a calling if you hear GOD CALLING! Ask and listen. Maybe you already know but you are not following your calling. Maybe you are following someone else’s calling. It is time to change.

Seek and you will find.

'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV)

Please let me know what you think.

God bless you from

Bill Derham

Go to where God is moving.

2009-10-02T21:17:00.000-07:00

Are you praying and waiting for the Spirit of Revival to come to you?

Could it be that the Spirit HAS ALREADY COME to your city with fresh power?

Maybe HE is waiting for YOU to come and seek Him out?

PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD!

John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Mark 1:4-5 (ESV)

Supposing the Jews had heard of John but continued their religious routine, attending the synagogue and the Temple as usual.

Supposing they waited for this new preacher to come to their synagogue (their “local church”). They would have missed the purpose of God for their life.

Later Jesus came and He ministered in the wilderness but also visited local congregations and preached in the Temple.

What if Jesus called a man to follow Him...

What if that man told Jesus he should remain loyal to his local Rabbi ...

What if he decided to wait for Jesus to visit his local congregation to minister once in a while....

Could that man be a disciple of Jesus?

When the Spirit of God moves in an exceptional way, He has a purpose.

We must adapt to fit His purpose.

We need to fit in with His choice of time and place.
We need to go where the wind is blowing.

The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8 (ESV)

We can learn a lot from surfers.

A mediocre surfer only goes to a beach near his home. If the waves are bigger, he has a good day. If the waves are smaller, he has a bad day or he doesn’t go.

Really serious surfers travel long distances to the best surf beaches with the biggest and best waves.

There are so many Christians who rarely go to a meeting outside their local congregation. There may be a world class preacher visiting a neighbouring suburb. There may be great miracles and healings but Christians who seriously need healings don’t go.

Some may be stuck in the routine of their local church activities. Some are actually taught it is their duty NOT to seek signs and wonders outside of their church or denominations!

What is the LOCAL CHURCH?

When Paul wrote his letters to local churches, he wrote to “The Church in Rome,” or “The Church in Corinth,” or “The Church in Philippi.”

Your local church is the community of all believers in your city, Perth, Sydney, Durban, Berlin, Auckland, Orlando Florida, or wherever you are.

This is the New Testament concept of the local church. Where is your local church? Jesus said this:

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20 (NKJV)

If you have a Christian workmate, neighbour or friend and you meet for fellowship or prayer, that is a branch of your local church. It does not matter which denomination we belong to. That is not an important issue.

If we are hungry and thirsty for God, we must be like the wise men from the East who followed the star to Bethlehem to find Jesus; we must be like the shepherds who left their sheep in the care of the angels to worship the Son of God in the stable.

We must be like the crowds of Jews who left the daily routine of their jobs, businesses and local congregations to go out into the wilderness. Why did they go? They went to be challenged with a life changing message from God through John the Baptist.

In our generation there are inspired preachers doing the ministry of John the Baptist and many people are going to their meetings and conferences. But there are other people who are stuck in a rut in their local congregations waiting for revival to drop on them where they are.

It is time to wake up and MOVE.

Some people might find this message controversial or difficult. I make no apology. I feel a strong touch of the Holy Spirit on me as I write and I believe this is a message from God.

Test all things; hold fast what is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NKJV)

Please let me know what you think.

God bless you from

Bill Derham

2009-03-05T06:18:00.000-08:00

Here are some thoughts which I find inspiring. I hope they encourage you too.
Please let me know what you think.
God bless you from Bill

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (ESV)
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;
5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;
6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

God gives different gifts and abilities to different people. In this passage, Paul tells us that God gives special gifts and abilities to EACH believer. That means God has a special plan and purpose for EVERY human being. WHY? Because God sent His only Son into the world, so that every person would have the opportunity of deciding whether to believe and trust in Him.

The choice is yours but it is the intention of God that you will come to know the Father in Heave who sent His Son to live and die for you.

When you believe in Jesus as the Son of God and you become His disciple and follower, you are called by God to make an impact on the world. You are not called to be an “ordinary Christian” because in God’s mind there is no such thing as an ordinary Christian.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ and you don’t know your unique calling and purpose in life, you have an exciting discovery ahead of you and a life of adventure.

The Apostle Paul also said:
Philippians 2:12 (ESV)
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

We do not work FOR our salvation because the favour and forgiveness of God is a free gift which can never be earned.

Romans 6:23 (NIV)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is an old Easter Hymn which says it very well.
“There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin.
He only could unlock the gates of Heaven and let us in.”

God does not want us to accept His love and then spend our lives in fear of His anger and condemnation.

1 John 4:18 (ESV)
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

The great hymn goes on:
“Oh dearly dearly has He loved and we must love Him too,
And trust in His redeeming love and try His works to do.”

It is sad to observe how few Christians shine with the glory of God. So often we do not appreciate how great and wonderful it is to have the Spirit of God living in us. If we would appreciate hour by hour the true reality of “Christ IN you, the hope of glory,” we would really shine and reveal the glory in us.

But there is another secret which we must rediscover, although God has not hidden this truth. Rather it is religious tradition which as deceived us with the lie that we should demonstrate our humility by thinking we are insignificant or ordinary. This idea does not come from God.

You are a potential champion in the Kingdom of God. But what kind of champion are you?

In a champion soccer team, every player is not only excellent but excellent in a unique way. One is a champion goal keeper and another is a champion goal scorer. Every player is different. Until you discover the particular way God created you to excel, you have hardly begun to live.

Why should we work out our salvation
with fear and trembling?

Imagine how terrible to live an ordinary life and then arrive in Heaven (assuming you make it to heaven) and then discover the amazing adventure and achievement that God had planned for you, but you missed it!

GOD ALONE KNOWS HOW YOU ARE MADE
AND WHY YOU ARE MADE
BECAUSE HE MADE YOU.
Don't let any fear, shame, guilt or doubt
keep you from finding your dream

and living it.

GOD KNOWS YOUR WONDERFUL DESTINY BECAUSE HE PLANNED IT.
DARE TO ASK HIM TO REVEAL IT TO YOU!

2009-02-28T22:13:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends

We can get so involved in so many religious issues, that we can forget the basic truth. Jesus came to tell us and to show us that GOD IS LOVE. Jesus lived and died to transform us into the image of God, that we might love as God loves and live forever with our loving Heavenly God.

Here are some thoughts from the Bible to remind us of the most wonderful reality of our faith.

God bless you from Bill

Colossians 1:8 (NIV)

and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

What is LOVE IN THE SPIRIT?

We cannot love with the purity and intense goodness of the love of God. Adam and Eve chose to go their own way. Since then we have all had a measure of love in our human nature. The purest expression of this is the love of a good mother for her children but even this love is imperfect

John 3:16 (NIV)

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

God’s love is pure, intense and infinitely great. We know the love of a mother who sacrifices her life for her children but this is a pale reflection of the love of God for every human being. But if we believe and receive the life of Jesus, we have a new life. We can be filled with the goodness of God, filled with the Spirit of Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit.

1 John 3:1 (HCSB)

Look at how great a love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children. And we are! ...

1 John 3:14 (NIV)

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.

1 John 3:16 (HCSB)

This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers.

1 John 4:8-12 (NIV)

8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

How does God change our faulty and often selfish nature into His own loving nature?

Romans 5:5-8 (NIV)

5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.

8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:5 (NIV) ...God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (TLB)

For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us!

God will satisfy your hunger and thirst.

2009-02-24T05:55:00.000-08:00

John 7:37-39 (ESV)
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.
38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”
39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Jesus is still speaking to day. “Come to me all you who thirst and I will fill you. But why will you come with a small cup or perhaps a bottle? I will fill your cup and your bottle. If you bring a bucket, I will fill that. But have you not read the scriptures that speak of rivers? Why will you be satisfied with a cup when you can have rivers? Whatever you bring, I will fill. Why will you bring so little to Me?’

Think about large tanks. Think about trucks that deliver petrol to garages. If you take a small can to fill up with petrol, it will fill in a few seconds. If you bring a small car, it will fill in a couple of minutes. If you bring a large four wheel drive vehicle or a truck, it will take some time.

If you want to expand your capacity for God and His blessings and supply, you need to spend serious time seeking and receiving the Spirit of God. How thirsty are you?

We cannot earn God's favour or His blessings. Everthing we have from God is a free gift. Everything is from God's grace. That means God's favour which can never be deserved. But it takes an act of the will to open yourself to receive from God and it takes time to receive and absorb God's blessing. God's blessing is not just something He adds to you that leaves you the same. When God blesses you deeply, His blessings change you and make you like Jesus.

John 4:13-14 (ESV)
¹³Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,
¹⁴but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Romans 6:23 (ESV)
²³For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2009-02-21T00:14:00.000-08:00

Jesus is waiting.

We pray to God, "Save the lost! They are going to hell." Jesus says to us: "Go and find the lost and make friends for My Kingdom."

We ask God to grow our church.

Jesus says to us: "Go out and pray for the sick, HEAL THE SICK, RAISE THE DEAD."

We are waiting for Jesus to heal.

Jesus says:

Mark 16:15-18 (ESV)
^{15 ...}“Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
¹⁶Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
¹⁷And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
¹⁸they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

God's plan works like this. If we will do what He says, He will do what He promised. If we pray in the Holy Spirit with a sincere heart, He will build up our faith.

If we lay hands on the sick with a heart of obedience and trust in the words of Jesus, we will start to see the results that He promised.

The other day at church, someone said: "The people here are not ready for healings and miracles."

If we want people to be ready to receive what God has promised, we must boldly declare the promises of God and keep speaking and declaring and praying in faith until faith comes to us through the hearing of our words and our hearers start reaching out and receiving.