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. 

Suffering can become a Blessing.

 A Peruvian man had a hunger for adventure. Adventures can be exciting but they can also be fatal.

This man lost his way in the Amazon jungle. His family was sure he was dead, but he was adopted by an indigenous tribe and learned to live in the jungle. He not only learned their language and customs, but he learned to use jungle plants to treat tropical diseases. 

After seven years, he somehow found his way back to his own people, but he found a community in a tragic crisis. People were in the grip of an epidemic. Modern medicine was not working and many people were dying. 

He was not a doctor but he applied his knowledge of natural medicine he had learned in the jungle. It proved so effective that many lives were saved. 

The news of this success spread far and wide. Many botanists and medical experts came to learn from him. 

This man, who had been given up for dead, lived to the age of 91.

I have never known anyone who was lost in the jungle, but there are different kinds of terrible experiences which can lead to great blessings.

I have met people who have come out of prostitution, long prison terms and terrible drug addictions, but they have found faith in God and become a life saving help for many people.

I had a Christian conversion experience in my twenties but the first church I joined turned out to be a cult, where people were brainwashed and spiritually abused. After I was expelled from the cult, I spent a whole year in intensive full time psychiatric treatment.

It took me many years to recover, but God did not give up on me.

Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch Christian woman whose family protected Jews in the wartime Nazi occupation. She and her sister were captured and spent nearly a year in German prisons and concentration camps. Her sister died in the camp but she was released due to a clerical error. 

After this terrible suffering, she toured the world, bringing faith and hope to people without hope.

What kind of suffering have you been through? Prison, domestic violence, rape, human trafficking, cult brainwashing, severe mental illness?

No matter where you are, God loves you and has a plan for your life. In heaven there are murderers, ex prostitutes, people who have been witches, and also victims. 

In heaven there are babies who were aborted and mothers who aborted their babies.

No matter what you have been through, no matter what you are going through now, never, never, never give up.

Gaby Wentland is a German missionary preacher. She ministers to prostitutes and victims of abuse. She says there is more prayer in brothels than in many churches. 

God loves you no matter where you are, who you are, what you are doing, what you have done or what has been done to you.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NRSVue

No matter whether you are the worst abuser or the most broken victim, Jesus died to take your punishment on himself. He hung naked on the cross to bare your shame.

But there is a condition. You must be willing to turn away from your cruelty, your selfishness and dishonesty. God loves you but you must be willing to change.

Call to me, and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. Jer 33:3 NRSVue

God is waiting to hear you cry for help.

Not only does God want to save you from guilt, from shame and abuse. He wants to use your painful experiences to help others. I have been wonderfully encouraged by people who have been in very dark places. 

The Peruvian man learned jungle medicine to save lives. If you have been in prison, in psychiatric treatment, in drug addiction or prostitution, God can use your experience to help people with similar experiences.

Disasters. Mercy or judgement of God?

 So many people want to sit on the judgement-seat of God, declaring that the fires in Los Angeles are God’s punishment for the sins of Hollywood.

God does sometimes punish sins, but not every disaster is directly inflicted by God.
How dare anyone pronounce the judgement of God without directly receiving revelation from the throne in heaven.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Mt 7:1–2 NIV

Supposing you do get a reliable revelation from God, that he is inflicting disaster. Should you self-righteously gloat over the suffering of sinners, as some Christians do, particularly in social media?

Two days before the fires started in Los Angeles, I had a dream from God. I looked up at the dark night sky in my dream. The sky was not black but very dark red. I received a very clear interpretation from the Holy Spirit. The whole world was covered by the blood of Jesus, the blood that flowed from Jesus on the cross 2000 years ago.

This was not a message of judgement but of mercy. The mercy of God is still covering everyone on earth. Of course, the forgiveness of God is not automatically given. Each person must choose to believe and ask for mercy. It is a choice.

A week later, also on a Sunday morning, I heard sad funeral music playing in my head. It would not stop, and I started to realise that God was speaking to me. God mourns and grieves over the suffering of the people in California. He wants us to be praying for mercy for the rich as well as the poor.

If you pronounce judgement over Los Angeles but feel no grief or compassion, you are not speaking for God. You should be ashamed of yourself.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 1 Co 13:2 NIV

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 Jn 4:8 NIV

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 1 Jn 4:16 NIV

If you have declared judgement on California without feeling sorrow and compassion, please ask God to forgive you. If you have publicly judged the fire victims, please post an apology publicly.

Repentance and Mercy

 There are Christians who want to think positively, but their thinking is not Christian.
Someone is involved in porn and they are trying to think positively.

‘God is merciful. I am saved by God's grace alone. Jesus promised never to condemn me. I can stay in my filth, but I expect a heavenly future.’

What does the Bible say about this?

Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites,

thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor 6:9–10 NRSV

Jesus and Paul were extremely positive.

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

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Rom 5:1 NIV

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Rom 8:1 NIV

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? Rom 8:31 NASB95

But Jesus did not come to comfort us in sin and misery, but to save us from sin and misery.

Did Jesus view sinners negatively? Not at all.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Mt 11:28 NASB95

Prostitutes are also stressed and often traumatised. All troubled women and men are invited without reservation. Jesus also loves Nazis and human traffickers.

Jesus sees wonderful potential in every person.

“For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Lk 7:47 NASB95

Jesus cast hundreds of devils out of a wild demonised man. He immediately became an evangelist.

Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him.

He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!”

For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” Mk 5:5–8 NIV

Immediately the poor man was set free and became completely normal.

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him.
Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. Mk 5:18–20 NIV

God Wants to Give you a New Life

 Religious duty can be a slavery. Religious guilt can lead to madness.

Fifty years ago I was a student. In my summer holidays I worked for a few weeks as an unqualified assistant in an old-fashioned psychiatric hospital. In those days, many patients were in permanent care in large hospitals.

One day I accompanied a group of chronically ill patients on a walk with a nurse. I struck up a conversation with a man who would probably stay in the institution for the rest of his life.

He told me how, as a devout Catholic, he felt obliged to pray almost all the time. This devotion to prayer had become an addiction for him. He was good for nothing other than repeatedly falling to his knees and praying in all kinds of situations.

Religious duty can be a slavery. Religious guilt can lead to madness.

There are feelings of guilt that lead to insanity, but there are also real feelings of guilt that come because of our sin. They don't need to destroy you, because God gave his only eternal Son as an atoning sacrifice for you on the cross.

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

What does it mean to believe? Fulfilling religious duties like slaves? Jesus did not die on the cross in terrible pain just to found a religion.

Buddha, Mohammed and the Hindu gurus founded religions. In these religions, their followers must strive to attain some kind of holiness, but they are constantly plagued by insecurity.

A Buddhist or a Hindu hopes to have a better destiny in his next life. A woman in these religions can hope to return as a man in her next life. A Hindu woman must serve her husband well to earn this supposed promotion.

Muslims hope to escape the flames of hell, but they are never sure if their virtue is enough to outweigh their sins.

Jesus said God's salvation is a free gift that we cannot earn. Those who surrender their lives into God's hands are forgiven and have eternal life.

Paul knew he could never make up for his offence against Jesus. He knew that Jesus had died for his sins.

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

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
not by works, so that no one can boast. Eph 2:8–9 NIV

We can't earn this new life, but that doesn't mean we don't have a purpose in life.

A well known preacher once said:

‘Jesus did not accomplish everything, so that you could accomplish nothing.’

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Eph 2:10 NIV

When we receive the New Life from Jesus, prayer is no longer a religious duty, but a communication with the kind God who loves you from the heart.

Power of Hope and Gratitude

 Hope opens the door to God's help. Gratitude releases God's spirit.

God is sovereign, isn't he? But in the Bible, I see that our attitude can influence God's actions.

God saved the Hebrews from brutal slavery in Egypt. He also rescued them from Pharaoh's army and led them across the Red Sea.

God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and caused supernatural food to appear in the wilderness.
Despite all this, many Hebrews were ungrateful.

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.

“They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshipped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’ ” Ex 32:7–8 NASB95

But Moses stood up in the gap. He begged God not to kill all the Hebrews, not to condemn them. And God answered.

At the end of the war, there was a miraculous revival in Germany. God also worked miraculous healings. There were huge crowds at the church services. But who remembers that today?

In Nuremberg, the Allies organised trials for Nazi war criminals. The Nazis had acted like devils, but many were still nominal Christians.

The Americans sent a Catholic priest and a Protestant pastor to help the prominent prisoners with pastoral care.

Some of the worst criminals in the Nazi leadership genuinely repented. When Hitler's arrogant ex-foreign minister went to the gallows, he begged his wife to raise their daughters as Christians.

But how many remember that? We humans tend to think negatively and ungratefully.

Since the war, God has blessed Germany amazingly. The Americans and British helped a lot in the beginning and the Germans themselves worked very diligently with wise leaders.

The economic miracle was a real miracle, but the basis of the miracle was the grace of God, the God of the Jews, the God who forgives.

God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. Rom 5:20 NLT

God spared the Hebrews when Moses pleaded for their lives. Who prayed for Germany during the war? Who prayed for mercy before and after the war?

We know a few names, some British intercessors and also some faithful German Christians. We think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, of course. God answers our prayers when we pray for our nation, for our world and for our enemies.

Hope opens the door to God's help. Gratitude releases God's spirit.

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ Jer 33:3 NIV

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.

You are a Precious Jewel in the Heart of God

 The high priest in Israel wore a breast pocket (or breastplate). There were 12 precious stones on this breastplate. Each gemstone corresponded to one of the tribes of Israel. This meant that the high priest wore all the tribes of Israel on his heart.

And they mounted four rows of stones on it. The first row was a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald;
and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond; Ex 39:10–11 NASB95

Not all high priests were loving and faithful, but Jesus is now our high priest in heaven.

Jesus carries not only all Jews on his heart, but all people. Every person who trusts and loves Jesus is a jewel in God's heart.

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Heb 4:15–16 NLT

And the lost people? The deceived atheists, Hindus and nominal Christians?

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

No one is excluded from God's loving heart.

You are like a precious stone in God's eyes. You can also pray for your family and your adversaries. God loves your enemies too.

Last Minute Mercy for the Dying

 I know a faithful Christian woman who loved her nephew dearly, and she prayed for the rebellious teenager.

One day the woman was sick in bed and dreamt of a terrible dark cave. This was death itself.

In her dream, she heard a voice telling her that someone in her family was in mortal danger and she had to pray fervently. She prayed until she felt relieved.

It was only later that day that she heard how her beloved nephew had died in a car accident.

God answers prayers.

So many young and old people meet the Saviour in the last moment of their lives, meet God's Son who died on the cross for them and never wants to give up his saving mission for everyone.

Never give up. God is at work.

You may not be a hero of faith, but God can call others to stand by your loved ones with strong faith.

Do not give up. Your prayers are not in vain, either.

A friend of mine was a nurse. She told me about an old lady in the ward where she worked. This old lady was about 90 years old and had been at death's door for months.

She was also very lonely because she didn't speak any English. But she spoke good German.

I went to the chaplain and got permission to visit the old lady. I sat next to her bed and read German Bible texts to her. She listened attentively, and God helped me to make the way of faith clear.

During my last visit, she stared around her room. I thought she had dementia, but maybe she was seeing angels.

I read the following words:

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Jn 11:25–26 NRSV

I asked: ‘Do you believe this?’
She answered with an amazingly firm voice.
‘Yes, I believe!’

I didn't see her again, but I was at the funeral. Everyone was crying. They were not sure that the old woman was in heaven.

Who have you lost?
Maybe all is not lost. What can you do?
God hears even your weak prayers.

If you can't do anything yourself, God will answer your prayers.

‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ Jer 33:3 NASB95

Failure is not Final

 You failed. Perhaps you tried your best, but you failed.

We are all flawed, even when we want to do the best we can. Then your friendship, your job, your love relationship, your ministry explodes. You can now see how you went wrong.

But something is broken. You are suffering. The people you care about are suffering. What can you do?

We can cry out to God for help. Only God can knit your heart together. Only God can repair broken friendships.

Jesus died to reconcile you with God. He also wants to reconcile you with your neighbour.

Are you now ready to recognise your mistakes? Then God can help you in a marvellous way.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Ps 147:3 NIV

Jesus came to save sinners. No one is excluded. Jesus is also the good shepherd who restores his already saved sheep when they go wrong.

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? Lk 15:4 NIV

Perhaps you are already a faithful disciple, but you have failed.

You have gone astray, but perhaps not too far. Nevertheless, you are hurt, and you have hurt your friendship or family too. You are devastated, but Jesus loves you no less.

Jesus still remains your good shepherd.

Even if you have truly sinned wilfully, you must know that Jesus wants to give you grace to repent and receive his forgiveness.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 Jn 1:8–9 NIV

Healing from God.

God promised the Jews health and healing in the Old Testament.

He said, “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.” Ex 15:26 NIV

This promise was not unconditional. The Jews had to obey all of God's commandments.

But then we come across an exception, Naaman.

Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. 2 Ki 5:1 NIV

He had a Hebrew slave girl. She was a young woman with a good heart. Jesus later taught that we must love our enemies, and she cared for her master who had enslaved her as a captive.

She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 2 Ki 5:3 NIV

The general went to Israel to look for the prophet Elisha.

Elisha sent his servant to Naaman with instructions. The general was to dip himself seven times in the Jordan River.

This hurt the general's pride.

But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.

Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. 2 Ki 5:11–12 NIV

Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 2 Ki 5:13 NIV

The general thought again and went to the Jordan River. When he emerged from the water for the seventh time, he was completely well.

Naaman was a pagan and worshipped other gods, but God spoke through the prophet and he obeyed.

Today, many Muslims are healed supernaturally in the same way. Many convert only after their miraculous healing, and others never convert.

It was similar in the New Testament. Many received miraculous healings from Jesus, and not all repented of their sins.

Jesus lamented this tragedy. He loved his countrymen with all his heart. His heart was broken.

And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.

But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgement than for you.” Mt 11:23–24 NIV 

In the New Testament, healing is an effect of the love of God, who loves everyone, and not a reward for virtue. Likewise, salvation and eternal life are a free gift from God.

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

God promises in Psalm 103 that he will forgive all your trespasses. In the same verse in the same psalm, he promises to heal all your diseases.

He forgives all your iniquity; he heals all your diseases. Ps 103:3 CSB

Some Christians think that the gift of miracle healings was only for the first apostles. But this misguided teaching is clearly contradicted in the New Testament.

Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.

And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Jas 5:14–15 NIV