Encounter God Personally

 Many years ago a nurse I knew told me of a very old lady dying in hospital. She was very lonely because she couldn’t understand English. She was Hungarian and she also knew German well. 

I wanted to help her, so I got the permission of the Anglican Chaplain to visit her and read the Bible to her in German, a language I know well.

I visited her every day and read the German Bible to her. She listened intently, although she was demented and her eyes and her mind would wander at times.

Finally, one evening I read her the promise of Jesus to give eternal life to all who believed.

Jesus said to her, “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. Do you believe this?”  John 11:25-26 ESV

Suddenly her eyes stopped wandering and she became clearly focused on the question.

“Yes, I believe!” she answered in a strong clear voice.

I never saw her again because the next day she was dead.

A nurse told me the old lady appeared to be dying six months before but she started reviving. God preserved her life until she could hear the message of life and then He took her to heaven.

There are many people out there ready to believe the message of Jesus but they just need you or me to tell them in a loving way.

This old lady was a Roman Catholic, so she knew about Jesus, heaven and hell and eternal salvation. She just needed to hear a simple clear Bible message.

But there are also people who have heard but are not ready to believe.

Many have been abused or bullied by priests, pastors or religious teachers. Others have seen loved ones torn apart by unhealthy Christian religion.

In recent years bishops, priests, pastors and preachers have been ducking for cover because the scandal has been all over the media. You can tell many people about God, but they will not believe until they encounter God personally. 

Where are your Roots? Your life is from God.

 In many churches, you hear a call. The preacher issues an invitation to all who do not know Jesus personally to accept Jesus as their Saviour and Lord. 

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— Jn 1:10–12 NIV

Many pray with the pastor and ask Jesus to come into their lives and forgive all their sins. Then we see how some experience a whole new life. They think differently. They speak differently and they live differently.

But unfortunately, we see others who do not change. Some stay in the church for a while and then disappear. 

Others stay in the church, learn to fit in and become religious, but their colleagues at work see no trace of God's love in their lives.

What is the difference? 

Jesus explained that the message of God's grace is like a seed. The seed must fall into the ground and take root. 

Are you ready to let God's Spirit work deep within your soul? Jesus is no longer physically on earth, but He has sent His Holy Spirit to us. 

• The Holy Spirit wants to help you.

• The Holy Spirit wants to heal the wounds and scars in your soul.

• The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of love.

• The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus Christ. He is like Jesus Himself, but invisible and close to us.

 
When you give the Holy Spirit space in your soul, you will be able to read the Bible in a new way. God's Word will come alive for you.

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 

Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” Jn 7:37–38 NIV (from their heart or from their inmost being)

You are like a plant in God's garden. Without roots and water, you will die. 

Where are the roots of your life? In your job? In your family? In your church?

God gives us work, families and churches. These are gifts from God, but only God Himself is the source of your eternal life.

And now just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust him, too, for each day’s problems; live in vital union with him. 

Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done. Col 2:6–7 The Living Bible, Paraphrased

Witch Set Free from Demons

 God created you. Your birth was planned and wanted by God because He saw you and loved you before the creation of the world. 

No matter whether the circumstances of your birth were favourable or not, God simply loves you.
No matter what you have done or what has been done to you. God simply loves you.

This creation is corrupt, but not completely ruined.

God has a cruel enemy who wants to poison and destroy all of God's works, and he has done a lot of damage, perhaps even in your life.

No matter what has happened in your life, God has a plan to give you a good future.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 NIV

I once saw a preacher from Brazil in a video recording. She told how she had been dedicated to demons from birth because her whole family worshipped the devil.

As a toddler, she was tormented by demons. She couldn't sleep without terrible nightmares. 

At the age of twelve, she became possessed by demons who drove her to live as a prostitute on the streets. Gradually, she learned to live her life as a witch with magical powers. She became a notorious witch, and Christians prayed for her.

She herself became cruel, but was also terribly tormented. The devil is very cruel, even to his slaves. Her suffering became unbearable until she desperately sought help. She did not know which spirit was stronger, the devil or God, but she prayed for help.

Jesus then visited her and she saw a vision from God, like in a video. She saw Jesus suffering and dying on the cross, taking the punishment for her sins upon himself.

She converted to Jesus, but then her little daughter fell ill. The devils sought revenge and her daughter died, but she herself was forgiven and freed by Jesus.

Then God raised her up to give her testimony. Many prostitutes and occultists were converted. As a witch, she was very dangerous, but as a Christian preacher, she became a powerful weapon in God's hands.

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. Jn 3:16 NIV

For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Rom 5:10 NIV

New Life with Jesus

 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 one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

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 there was no longer any sea. Rev 21:1 NIV

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” Rev 21:5 NKJV

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?

If you have believed in Jesus and you are on your way to heaven, it is time to talk seriously to God about his wonderful plan for your life. Jesus wants you to know him personally and to follow His leading in your life.

How a Muslim Girl became a Christian

 She was the baby of a large Muslim family in Central Asia. When the communist government collapsed, a terrible civil war broke out. There was hunger, murder and chaos. Women and girls were abducted, raped and murdered on a daily basis.

Her parents were educated and good people. She was tenderly loved by her parents and siblings and she wanted to honour her parents and their God.

Despite the genuine love in her family, she learnt that women were second-class people in Islam. She always aspired to become a virtuous Muslim woman in the hope of not suffering in hell.

She had a teacher at school who gave her a children's Bible. She was fascinated by Jesus, especially by the signs and miraculous healings.

Then she began to dream about Jesus. These dreams were real visitations and they kept coming back. She could feel the unspeakable love of God as Jesus explained how He loved her and that He was the only way to God.

She was very lively and loved sports and she learnt karate at school because martial arts were useful in a civil war where women and girls were always at risk. But then she could no longer pay for karate lessons.

Then came Americans who taught martial arts for free. It was Taekwondo, a martial art from Korea. She was thrilled.

The teacher explained that not only the body is important in martial arts, but above all the mind and soul. He was a Christian and boldly proclaimed the love and power of God.

She was deeply touched. She heard, ‘God is love’. In the Koran, Allah has 99 names, but no name speaks of love.

She heard that God is the Father, but she had learnt in Islam from an early age that Allah has no children.

She heard that God created men and women in His own image, but this was unheard of in Islam. She had always learnt that as a woman, she was only a second-class human being. Now she heard something totally different and immeasurably better.

She was still a Muslim. She asked the second coach if he believed that Jesus was the Son of God. This idea is blasphemous to Muslims, and the missionary already knew this.

He gave her the Gospel of John and said she would find the answers she was looking for in this little book.

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. Jn 3:16 NIV

When she read these words, she was touched, but she was still on her journey of discovery.

She still prayed her Islamic prayers five times a day, but Allah never answered.

As a Muslim woman in a religious civil war, it was life-threatening to attend a Christian service.

Nevertheless, she wanted to attend the service with the missionary, even though she feared not only persecution and murder, but also the flames of hell because of Allah's judgement.

She could not say a word to her family. She said she went to a training session with the martial arts trainer, but she said no more.

During the service, she immediately felt the overwhelming love of God and also the love of the Christians. The light did not come from countless candles, but from the hearts of the Christians. Here was something completely different from the old Christian religion she had seen before.

Allah had never answered her daily prayers. So she had the pastor pray for her in Jesus' name. The loving touch of the Holy Spirit came upon her and she could no longer stand on her feet.

As she lay on the floor for hours, she saw Jesus on the cross in a vision. God spoke to her for hours.

‘When I was finally able to get up again, I had become a new person.’

Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love Kindle Edition. by Bodie Thoene, Samaa Habib

Deep Personal Connection with God

 In many churches you hear an altar call. The preacher issues an invitation to all those who do not know Jesus personally to accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord.

He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, Jn 1:11–12 NASB95

Many pray with the pastor and ask Jesus to come into their lives and forgive all their sins. Then we see how some experience a completely new life. They think differently. They speak differently and they live differently.

But sadly, we see others who do not change. Some stay in the church for a while and then disappear.

Others stay in the church, learn to adapt and become religious, but their colleagues at work see no trace of God's love in their lives.

What is the difference?

Jesus explained that the message of God's grace is like a seed. The seed must fall into the ground and take root. Are you ready to let God's Spirit work deep in your soul? Jesus is no longer on earth in the flesh, but He has sent His Holy Spirit to us.

• The Holy Spirit wants to help you.

• The Holy Spirit wants to heal wounds and scars in your soul.

• The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of love.

• The Holy Spirit is the spirit of Jesus Christ. He is like Jesus himself, but invisible and very close.  

If you give the Holy Spirit space in your soul, you will be able to read the Bible in a new way. God's word will come alive for you.

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.
Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. Jn 7:37–39 NIV

You are like a plant in God's garden. Without roots and water, you will die.
Where are the roots of your life? In your job? In your family? In your church?
God gives us jobs, families and churches. These are gifts from God, but only God himself is the source of your eternal life.

You have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord; now also live in fellowship with him.

And now just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust him, too, for each day’s problems; live in vital union with him.
Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done. Col 2:6–7 The Living Bible, Paraphrased

You are the Light of the World

 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jn 8:12 NIV

Light is sown like seed for the righteous And gladness for the upright in heart. Ps 97:11 NASB95

When you receive the New Life that can only be found in Jesus, God transforms your heart and soul. God comes into your life.

God is light and he wants to shine in you. He wants to make your whole life shine.

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 2 Cor 5:17 NRSV

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. Is 60:1 NRSV

Sometimes this transformation is immediate and dramatically visible, but sometimes a newly converted Christian changes step by step.

I know a Christian woman in Germany who used to visit brothels. She invited a prostitute to a church service. In the middle of the service, the prostitute suddenly stood up. She shouted loudly: ``Now I believe in Jesus. I want to be baptised now.

Another prostitute started attending a church. She began to believe. She tried to be kind, sincere and gentle.

Then she started donating in the church. Finally she plucked up the courage to leave the brothel behind.

When did she actually become a Christian? Only God knows.

Will you allow Jesus to love with you and through you to reach the lost people around you?

You may want to genuinely love other people like Jesus, but you cannot love like Jesus without receiving the love of God from Jesus himself.

In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 Jn 4:10 NRSV

The heart of the Christian life is to receive God's love every day and to pass it on every day.

Condemned Man Refuses Pardon

 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Heb 4:15 NIV

We have a wonderful high priest. He continually cares for you. He never stops thinking about you.

All his thoughts about you are loving and kind.

You can't stop God from loving you.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Rom 5:8 NIV
 
For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God's goodness into us! 2 Corinthians 5:21 (TLB)

God wants to grant you a complete pardon and give you a whole new life.

God's love is unconditional. He loves you as you are and he loves you because he loves you.

But God grants his pardon with one condition. You cannot earn God's forgiveness, but you must accept his mercy.

In 1830, a criminal in the USA was sentenced to death, but the president wanted to pardon him.

The man, however, refused the presidential pardon and he had to die.
That was his God-given freedom of will.

You and I also have this freedom of will. We can gratefully accept or reject God's grace.

Jesus sees all your offences and failures, but he also sees your despair and feels your suffering.

His heart beats for you.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. Rev 3:20 NIV

A woman in Iran was watching a banned Christian television program. She heard the preacher quoting this invitation from Jesus. Then she heard a knock. She went to the front door and she saw Jesus. She invited him in and she immediately believed in Jesus.

Do you want to invite Jesus in too?

God will not reject you. It's up to you.

God has Better Plans

 Are you discouraged? Disappointed? Frightened?
Are you completely dejected?

Before the Last Supper, the apostles were disappointed and deeply shaken.

But how was that possible? They were Jesus' closest friends. They believed he was the Son of God, their Saviour and Redeemer. He was with them in the flesh. And they were dismayed?

A few days ago, Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem. The crowds had recognised him as the Messiah with jubilation.

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Mt 21:9 NIV

The Jews, and probably also the apostles, expected that Jesus as the Messiah would then establish the kingdom of God in Jerusalem, that Jesus would rule the world.

But Jesus did not do this. Everyone was disappointed. The religious leaders were now able to manipulate the disappointed Jews.

Instead of the expected triumph, the disciples were staring disaster in the face.

What did Jesus say?

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. Jn 14:1 NIV

You expected a great revival, prayed for it for years, heard wonderful prophecies.

Nevertheless, the corona catastrophe came. Then came the war in Ukraine, and another war in the Middle East.

Where is God? You no longer understand anything.

What does Jesus say now?

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. Jn 14:1 NIV

You were expecting something wonderful from God. You have waited a long time for it and now you are shaken.

My father was 70 years old. He had smoked 40 cigarettes a day for many years and his lungs were almost destroyed. I had prayed for him for years but there was no sign of faith. But he was plagued by emphysema. That's a death sentence.

Then I started praying in a completely different way. ‘Please let my father live until he comes to faith.’

He made his peace with God at the age of 88. He was very weak but there was no sign of emphysema.

Finally he turned 91, he was nearly blind and life had become a burden to him.

Then I read in the Bible:

With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Ps 91:16 NIV

I thanked and praised God. I then prayed boldly.

‘Dear God, you have answered my prayer. But now life is a torment for my father. How would it be if my father could pass away peacefully exactly 16 days after his 91st birthday?

Exactly 16 days later, Jesus took my father to heaven without pain.

“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.

“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. Jn 14:2–3 NASB95

God has good plans for us, including you.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. Jn 14:1 NIV

A Muslim Girl Discovers Jesus

 She was the baby of a large Muslim family in Central Asia. When the communist government collapsed, a terrible civil war broke out. There was hunger, murder and chaos. Women and girls were abducted, raped and murdered on a daily basis.

Her parents were educated and good people. She was tenderly loved by her parents and siblings and she wanted to honour her parents and their God.

Despite the genuine love in her family, she learnt that women were second-class people in Islam. She always aspired to become a virtuous Muslim woman in the hope of not suffering in hell.

She had a teacher at school who gave her a children's Bible. She was fascinated by Jesus, especially by the signs and miraculous healings.

Then she began to dream about Jesus. These dreams were real visitations and they kept coming back. She could feel the unspeakable love of God as Jesus explained how He loved her and that He was the only way to God.

She was very lively and loved sports and she learnt karate at school because martial arts were useful in a civil war where women and girls were always at risk. But then she could no longer pay for karate lessons.

Then came Americans who taught martial arts for free. It was Taekwondo, a martial art from Korea. She was thrilled.

The teacher explained that not only the body is important in martial arts, but above all the mind and soul. He was a Christian and boldly proclaimed the love and power of God.

She was deeply touched. She heard, ‘God is love’. In the Koran, Allah has 99 names, but no name speaks of love.

She heard that God is the Father, but she had learnt in Islam from an early age that Allah has no children.

She heard that God created men and women in His own image, but this was unheard of in Islam. She had always learnt that as a woman, she was only a second-class human being. Now she heard something totally different and immeasurably better.

She was still a Muslim. She asked the second coach if he believed that Jesus was the Son of God. This idea is blasphemous to Muslims, and the missionary already knew this.

He gave her the Gospel of John and said she would find the answers she was looking for in this little book.

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. Jn 3:16 NIV

When she read these words, she was touched, but she was still on her journey of discovery.

She still prayed her Islamic prayers five times a day, but Allah never answered.

As a Muslim woman in a religious civil war, it was life-threatening to attend a Christian service.

Nevertheless, she wanted to attend the service with the missionary, even though she feared not only persecution and murder, but also the flames of hell because of Allah's judgement.

She could not say a word to her family. She said she went to a training session with the martial arts trainer, but she said no more.

During the service, she immediately felt the overwhelming love of God and also the love of the Christians. The light did not come from countless candles, but from the hearts of the Christians. Here was something completely different from the old Christian religion she had seen before.

Allah had never answered her daily prayers. So she had the pastor pray for her in Jesus' name. The loving touch of the Holy Spirit came upon her and she could no longer stand on her feet.

As she lay on the floor for hours, she saw Jesus on the cross in a vision. God spoke to her for hours.

‘When I was finally able to get up again, I had become a new person.’

Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love Kindle Edition. by Bodie Thoene, Samaa Habib

A Brutal Alcoholic Saved by a Lamb

 When another customer blocked the entrance to the shop, Kheylam struck out with his fists. His opponent fell back, but then he went berserk. He attacked Kheylam savagely with a broken bottle.

Wild fights like this were normal for Kheylam, but this time it seemed to be the end of the line. His enraged enemy tore the artery in his arm.

As he was travelling to the hospital in an ambulance, he heard the voice of a nurse.

‘Kheylam. You need Jesus Christ now.’
But Kheylam had no desire for God.

Shortly afterwards, he was in a horrible place. When he looked down, he saw countless people being tortured in the flames of hell.

He recognised some deceased acquaintances. He was gripped with panic. There was no hope here. He realised that he was a very bad person. He deserved this fate.

He screamed desperately for help.
Then he woke up in hospital.

He was clinically dead for 26 minutes and was shocked six times with the defibrillator.
After a long battle, the doctors at the hospital managed to revive him.

Nevertheless, he could find no joy in his new life. Every minute was agony. He could think of nothing but hell. He knew that this was his fate.

Instead of changing his way of life, he tried to numb himself with drugs and alcohol, but he couldn't get the agony of hell out of his mind.

From an early age, he was brutally bullied by his alcoholic father. He was only familiar with cruelty.

When he was in hell, he looked back on his miserable life and could find neither love nor joy, only misery.

But perhaps he had forgotten something. Maybe it was too traumatic to think about.
A kind neighbour had given him a baby lamb. The lamb was his only comfort, his only friend. The lamb loved him and he loved his lamb.

At the age of ten, he came home from school looking for his lamb. His drunken father had angrily slaughtered his lamb.

Then the light went out in Kheylam's life.

At the age of twelve, he could no longer bear the bullying at home. He ran away from home, but his life didn't get any better. His many years in boarding school and prison were cruel and miserable.

He married, but as a husband and father he became like his own father.

His life couldn't seem to get any worse, but after his short time in hell, it was much worse.

When he returned home three months later, he experienced something completely new.
His wife was beaming with joy and greeted him with tender love.
She told him how she now believed in Jesus. She was completely different.

When his wife asked him to go to church with her, he was finally ready, even though he still didn't believe.

The sermon was meaningless to Kheylam, but then the preacher said something that pierced his heart.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! Jn 1:29 NIV

The moment the pastor pronounced the word ‘lamb’, I was mesmerised. Nothing he had said up to that moment was of the slightest importance to me, but with that word he had my full attention. It reminded me of my childhood, when I was ten years old.

Toscani, Gabriel. And then there was light: 35 people, all clinically dead, tell what they saw and experienced ‘on the other side’. Some were in paradise, others in hell. (German Edition) . Kindle Edition.

Kheylam went forward and poured out his broken heart in prayer.

The Spirit of God moved deep within his soul. He was completely transformed. From that day on, he was a completely different person, without hatred, without bitterness, no longer the cruel husband and father.

Let the Roots of your Life be in God

 In many churches, you hear a call. The preacher gives an invitation to all those who do not know Jesus personally to accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.

But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, Jn 1:10–12 NRSV

Many pray with the pastor and ask Jesus to come into their lives and forgive all their sins. Then we see how some experience a completely new life. They think differently. They speak differently and they live differently.

But sadly, we see others who do not change. Some stay in the church for a while and then disappear.

Others stay in the church, learn to adapt and become religious, but their colleagues at work see no trace of God's love in their lives.

What is the difference?

Jesus explained that the message of God's grace is like a seed. The seed must fall into the ground and take root.

Are you ready to let God's Spirit work deep in your soul? Jesus is no longer on earth in the flesh, but He has sent His Holy Spirit to us.

• The Holy Spirit wants to help you.

• The Holy Spirit wants to heal wounds and scars in your soul.

• The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of love.

• The Holy Spirit is the spirit of Jesus Christ. He is like Jesus himself, but invisible and closer than breathing.  

If you give the Holy Spirit space in your soul, you will be able to read the Bible in a new way. God's word will come alive for you.

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me,

and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ ” Jn 7:37–38 NRSV

You are like a plant in God's garden. Without roots and water, you will die.

Where are the roots of your life? In your job? In your family? In your church?

God gives us work, families and churches. These are gifts from God, but only God himself is the source of your eternal life.

And now just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust him, too, for each day’s problems; live in vital union with him. 

Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done. Col 2:6–7 The Living Bible, Paraphrased

Threshold of Eternity

We are on the threshold of eternity.

We are surrounded by invisible beings at all times. God's spirit is almighty and omnipresent around you. Don't be distracted by the intrusive visible world. God wants to meet you, but often waits for your attention.

There are certainly exceptions. Sometimes God reveals himself in a dramatic way. That happens more often in these end times.

I know a Jewish woman from America who was driving her car one day. Suddenly, without warning, she saw a vision. She saw Jesus, who appeared huge on the horizon. She saw his loving face and his hands with the scars from the cross. She believed immediately and her life was transformed from that moment on.

Milly Bennitt is a British preacher, but she was once a party girl. Her parents were faithful Christians and prayed for their daring daughter. When her father was dying, she came home to say goodbye.

Her father was extremely ill and very weak, but just as he was dying, he lifted up his hands. His face shone with heavenly glory. Milly saw the reality of Jesus in her father, and she believed instantly.

A few years later, she became a missionary on a tourist island in Thailand.

The heavenly love that radiated from her had a very strong effect on people, including Muslims. The fanatical Muslims felt threatened and tried to catch her in an ambush. When she was suddenly surrounded, she naturally prayed and became invisible on the spot.

God can act very dramatically, but often he is not dramatic at all. As I said, he is waiting for your attention. No matter how threatening your circumstances are, he means well with you.

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. Je 29:11 NKJV

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. Jn 10:10 NKJV

God sent his Son into this world to save us, not to condemn us. We were all condemned anyway without Jesus because we all went wrong.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. Jn 3:16–17 NKJV

God is at your side. He looks into your heart and waits for your cry for help.

Miraculous Death Bed Conversion

 Has your life never gone wrong? I've often messed up and often had bad experiences. You probably have too. When we seem like innocent angels as babies, we don't stay that way for long.

Before my conversion, I was in a fix with no way out.
Many people come to faith in a crisis.

But after we discover Jesus, are the crises finally gone for good? Unfortunately not.
But we have to learn to trust God even in crises. Yes, we can learn to thank Jesus for the hard times. Why?

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

perseverance, character; and character, hope.

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Ro 5:1–5 NIV

I came to Jesus at a traumatic time and I have also come closer to Jesus through suffering.
Jesus is very familiar with crises and trials and he knows very well how to lead us through the darkness.

Jesus was rejected, despised, lonely, tortured and unjustly executed. He understands all our difficulties and disappointments.

My father was 70 years old and his lungs were dangerously damaged. He had been smoking 40 cigarettes a day for years and he had been suffering from emphysema, where you slowly and irresistibly lose your breath.

The lungs no longer work and you are suffocated by the disease. My father had two older brothers who had the same disease. One died at the age of 59 and the other at 65.

He was not yet a believer and had no hope in heaven. I begged God to save my father. Finally, I began to ask God that mine would not die until he believed.

He retired at the age of 79. At 85, he had to be cared for in a nursing home. At 88, he believed and made peace with God.

When he was 90 years old, I asked God to finally let my father die because he was partially blind and demented and his life was full of suffering and pain.

When he turned 91, I thought of Psalm 91:16.

‘I will satisfy him with long life and let him see my salvation.’ 

Then I said to God, ‘What if you could take my father to heaven exactly 16 days after his 91st birthday.’

And that is exactly what happened.

A Hindu Woman saw Jesus

 A young woman of Indian descent attended a church in Australia.

The pastor gave her a Bible and she read the New Testament every evening. A few weeks later, JESUS came into her room and spoke to her. HE told her to take a pen and paper and write the following message. Until then she had been a Hindu, but that night she became a follower of Jesus, the Son of God.

King of kings
Priest of priests
My Lord, you are the only way
through which I can attain (get) eternal life.
You are the light of my life
with you in my life,
the darkness cannot settle here
You are my worship;
You are my salvation;
Lord, your grace and greatness shall never be forgotten
Lord, you laid down your life for us
You accepted that you were crucified
So that the holiness of your blood washes away our sin
JESUS, King of Jerusalem

I will praise your name forever
For You are our God and Saviour (Redeemer)
JESUS, I will sing and praise your name
For your holiness and great love for mankind
Are worthy of praise
LORD, I will dwell in your light forever
LORD, receive my humble obedience.

Amen.

THERE MUST BE SOMETHING MORE

There are deep longings inside you. There must be something more to life. Something in you says: 

“Is that all there is?”

Here and there some light bursts through the clouds of routine life and daily frustrations. Music lifts you up; a friend cheers you up; you enjoy some breakthrough or achievement; you fall in love or you have a baby. 

But then the daily wear and tear returns and in some quiet moment the voice inside whispers again: 

• “Is that all there is?”

Where does this question come from? 

• Where did you get the idea that there could be something far better than what you experience and what you see around you? 

Every day you see unbearable tragedy. It is on the TV news every evening. You watch it but you only feel a little of the agony. 

We are numb. Death is always there but we push it away. It is somewhere else. It is someone else. 

From time to time we go to a funeral. 

Somehow we feel there must be another world. That loved one must be somewhere up there looking down. It is so hard to believe in a final end.

“Dust to dust, ashes to ashes..” and that little voice asks again, 

“Is that all there is?”

Some people try very hard to believe there is actually nothing more. 

They make up a new religion called “ATHEISM.” That means NO-GOD-ism. 

• It is so hard to believe in nothing but atoms and things, so hard that those people cannot find words to define their belief without using that word GOD, the God who loves them, the God they don’t want to believe in.

There was a young Jewish man in Romania. He was an atheist. 

The faith of his forefathers made no sense to him. But he had an empty place in his soul. He had a spiritual hunger inside. One day he saw some traditional Christians in a church service and something inside him was drawn like a magnet. He joined the praying believers out of curiosity, or so it seemed to him. 

Then he prayed, if you could call it prayer.

• “Oh God. I don’t believe you exist but if you do exist, it is not my duty to believe in you but your duty to make yourself known to me. If you exist, please show yourself to me.”

He went his way, with his lonely heart still unsatisfied. That question was at the back of his mind.

“There must be more than this. Is this life all there is?”

He didn’t hear the voice but somewhere in his unconscious mind he felt it.

One day he was on a journey in the country. He stopped in a village and looked for a place to sleep. He asked an old man who invited him to stay with him.

This old man deeply loved Jesus and for years he had cried out to God. He had prayed over and over for the blessing of leading a Jewish man to faith in the Jewish Messiah. 

• When he discovered his young guest was Jewish, he burned with excitement. He treated his guest with the respect and kindness due to a king or to his own son. Then he gave the young man a Bible to read.

When the young man read the Bible, he felt such a love and such a spiritual power that he could not stop weeping. Jesus appeared in the stories as the most wonderful person he ever knew or could ever know. 

If you have some doubts about God, why not challenge God Himself to make Himself known. 

• If you are sincerely hungry for reality, he will hear you. 

Are you willing to let the reality of God change your life? That is the question.

Jesus said:

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26 (NIV)