1 Peter Chapter 3 Verse 15

 I went for a coffee upstairs while waiting for my grandchildren who were at the Church summer club on the ground floor. All the others in the room were women, except for an older man, so I went and sat by him and chatted. He was a retired lorry driver and, like me, was waiting while his grandchildren had their fun at Church club.

He was very friendly; and as we had nearly 2 hours to kill we had quite a long conversation. Somehow we got on to matters of faith. He had attended Sunday School as a lad, like most of our generation, but that was the last of his regular churchgoing.

I explained the steps I had gone through while trying to find out what was ‘real’ in the spiritual realm. I went on to share my testimony in some detail, which caused him to realise that that there were such things as ‘God encounters’. I explained how I had got down on my knees in my bedroom and confessed my sins (repentance) and asked Jesus to forgive me. I also testified how the next day on the way to work everything seemed new – even the colours of the world looked brighter!

A subsequent experience several days letter led to my encountering God’s love in a very powerful and personal way. God showed me how much he loved ME! As I grew in the Christian life God showed me his heart for the poor, the needy and the rejected, which led me to volunteer roles on the street and elsewhere where I encountered those with many kinds of problems. Most of those I met had terrible childhood experiences, leading me to realise that such damage led to severe knock-on effects in later life.

Soon after becoming a new Christian I had had a conversation with a (supposedly Christian) woman who said to me that the miracles that Jesus did as recorded in the Bible ‘never really happened’ – in her view these ‘accounts’ only illustrated ideas or concepts. I had been appalled at this, so much so that I went straight home and cried my eyes out- at this woman’s offence against Jesus and his works. As I was weeping in my bedroom Jesus suddenly appeared in my room, put his arms around me and comforted me. I never saw his face, but I recall thinking afterwards ‘how brown his arms are!’

Back to the present. My wife entered the room, I introduced my lorry driver friend who then said, in a humorous way: ‘your husband’s trying to convert me!’  My wife replied: ‘yes, I can imagine that’

One regret: I had omitted to bring any gospel tracts with me. My friend didn’t use the internet, so a tract would have been a nice parting gift…………..

Before we parted to collect our respective grandchildren, he said to me: ‘I appreciated our chat. You have a very gentle and respectful way of putting these things across’.

Bible: 1 Peter Chapter 3 Verse 15: ‘ But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect’.    

The Need For Repentance Preaching Alongside Signs and Wonders

DISTURBING PROPHETIC DREAM posted by a young Aussie,  Jeremiah Johnson:

“Several months ago while I was extensively studying Matthew 7:22-24 and asking God for increased revelation, I had one of the most disturbing prophetic dreams of my life. The Scripture I was studying in Matthew says,

“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name did we not cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will say to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.”

In the prophetic dream at night, I was taken to hell where I saw all these leaders and individuals who had performed miracles, cast out demons, and prophesied. What I was shown next, I will never forget. The Holy Spirit showed me long lines of people behind all of these leaders. He immediately revealed to me that these were all the people that had received the miracles, prophecies, and had been at one time delivered. As I gazed at the people in these lines, He said to me, “Did they not RECEIVE miracles, prophecy, and deliverance, yet I never knew them?”

I woke up from the dream alarmed and startled. I said to the Holy Spirit, “So there are not only people that will perform signs, wonders, and miracles that will be sent to hell, but also people who receive all these things that will be in hell. Why?”

Immediately the Holy Spirit spoke again to me and said, “Because those that worked miracles, prophesied, and cast out demons never preached the full gospel of Jesus Christ which is the message of repentance. They were so in love with the gifts that I had given them that people became trophies and souvenirs to them.

When My power would manifest in their ministries, they would tell people that I loved them, but never that they needed to repent for their sins. I tell you that a great deception will sweep over the signs and wonders movement in the earth. Beware of the ministries where miracles and prophecies will flow, but the message of repentance is not preached. You have been warned.””

More Healing For My Communist Friend

In May I wrote about our encounter with a Communist and how we ministered healing to the centre of his back.  See the post here: https://jesushealstoday99.wordpress.com/2016/05/25/reluctant-communist-sits-down-for-prayer/

He shared his mobile phone number with me afterwards, which is how I came to be meeting him in town this afternoon. We sat in a pavement cafe and he bought me a cup of tea. He confirmed that the pain had gone from the centre of his back after our ministry some 5 weeks ago. He comes from Transylvania (home of  Dracula) and speaks five languages. He grew up bi-lingual, speaking Romanian and Hungarian. Long story short, he told me he had done some really bad things in the past. He suffers from a number of several ailments, including stress and anxiety.

  He also suffers other pains just above the hip bone, both sides, so we both stood on the pavement at the cafe while I laid hands on both hip areas. First time I did it he got an improvement. Second time it got even better, third time (well, you get the idea!) and fourth time all pain left. He said he could feel heat, also a numbness that was going down his leg. I assured him that heat and a spreading numbness were good, and signs that God was at work. During all this the cafe proprietor was standing six feet away watching me with my hands on another man’s hips, praying out loud – both in English and tongues – clearly wondering what was going on! There were also security cameras on a tall post 20 feet away, so those manning the camera monitors would also have a good view.

He still maintained he didn’t believe in God and compared himself to Doubting Thomas. “If I see, then I believe”. I was praying to think of ways to help him find forgiveness and freedom in Christ. I finally suggested that he make a list in one of his native languages of all the bad things he’d done. He should then meet up with me and we would then set fire to the list. It would be a symbolic way of lightening his load and showing God that he was moving forward, albeit as a doubter. He seemed agreeable, so I suggested a place and time to meet and said I’d bring the matches. He double checked on my suggested meeting point, so I think he’ll turn up. He also has another medical problem and he suggested I might pray for that when we meet.

 

If You Interrupt Me I’ll Punch You In The Face!

  Met a woman I knew some years back on the street as an addict.  She still had a can in her hand, but she certainly needed it. Several days previously both her parents were killed as a result of a car crash. Dad died first, them Mum 24 hours later. She wasn’t sure how they’d pay for the funeral, but an uncle could probably help. Poor woman, I really felt for her! We shared with each other news of some other street folk we both knew who had died from drink or drugs this year.

Next day I was in the town centre with our inter-church Healing Team. At one point this short stocky man of around 60 came up to us and started slagging off Christianity, Jesus and the Virgin Birth. We hadn’t even said anything to him!! He then, believe it or not, said: “If either of you interrupt me I’ll punch you in the face!” We let him rant on about how nonsensical the Christian faith was, then I finally said:”when do we get a chance to reply?” He then looked at my team leader and said:”you’re a disgrace; you’re unshaven and you have dandruff on your coat!” He turned to me and said:”you’re not too bad, but I’m older than both of you!” I replied: “I doubt it, I’m 71″ That surprised him, as he then said:”ok, I’m not older than you” He then ranted to us that there were Jehovah’s Witnesses along the road and we should be going to talk to them. In the end I simply walked away, annoyed he was wasting time we could be using productively to reach out to other people.

On the Street and At The Docks

Went into town on Friday and spotted the homeless guy I met last Friday. What a coincidence! We had a great chat. He told me he’d been to church since we last met. I reminded him of the places where he could get free/cheap food. He hadn’t visited the Homeless Healthcare Team, so I reminded him he should definitely go there as they could offer real help, plus a shower to get himself clean. I also blessed him in a practical way, which again he appreciated.

The next day I was at the local docks area where we had a team offering to pray for people – for healing or whatever their need was. One woman went for prayer, so I was directed to chat to her husband who was waiting a few yards away. He told me he was into “Mindfulness”, which is all the current rage here in the UK. Sadly, it leaves God out of the equation, as I indicated to him. He was obviously reviewing his life, as he admitted to me. I was able to share the gospel in some detail, plus share a lot of my personal testimony, including the time Jesus appeared in my bedroom. He was quite keen to hear what I had to say, and thanked me for sharing. As his wife came over to join him I gave him my card and encouraged him to check out my website New Christian UK   After they left one of our team said that the wife had given her life to Christ during the 10 minute period she was there. Praise God!

Will You Come to Jesus Christ?

In my last post I quoted my conversation with the homeless man where I explained to him that the pass mark for Heaven is 100%.

This 10 minute Youtube video explains why we need the 100% and how to get it:

See also this FAQ on Heaven  http://www.newchristian.org.uk/faqheaven.html

 

Do Christians and Muslims Worship The Same God?

    While doing Healing On The Streets today a Muslim man came over and asked what we were doing. I explained who we were and why we were there. He told me he worshipped not at the local mosque but at a house nearby.  The lady I was with said:”well, we worship the same God, don’t we”.

I then engaged him in conversation and highlighted ( for the lady’s sake) some of the differences that reveal we do not worship the same God. I pointed out that Jesus says:”love your enemies, do good to those that hate you”, whereas Mohammed incited his followers to violence, which the Muslim man didn’t deny. In his defence he went on to point out the violence perpetrated by some prophets in the Old Testament. I didn’t dispute that, but we were comparing Jesus and Mohammed, not Old Testament prophets and Mohammed.

He agreed that Allah was a God of love, and that he is one God. I then asked him “who did Allah love in the millions of years before he created either men or angels?”. Since Allah was “on his own” for aeons of time, he couldn’t love anyone since no-one existed apart from himself. He maintained that Allah loved people before they existed, when he was planning creation. This seemed to me a thin, abstract argument. The Christian God on the other hand had always existed as a plurality, in a family relationship of mutual love. The Bible says: “I, the Lord, do not change”. If our God changes not, then the God Allah who changes to become a God of love after creation is not the same God Christians worship. Other points I raised included: many details such as Jesus’ birth, tribe and place of birth were foretold by prophets. This was not true of Mohammed. Jesus did miracles, Mohammed did not. None of my points found acceptance in his mind, sadly.

We packed up at 1pm and moved to our rendezvous point to be picked up by car. While standing there, a man with a can of beer in one hand and two cigarettes in his other asked us who we were. We told him and he explained he was out of prison on license. He had a injury to his wrist so we prayed for him and blessed him. He appreciated it and went on his way.  

 

 

I Asked God To Use Me – And He Did

 On the way into work I again asked God to use me, that it might be His Spirit at work – “thy will be done” – and not me striving in my own strength to accomplish things.

During my volunteer duty, in the background I heard a client say they had a leg problem. It turned out to be a lad of about 18, who had suffered problems with his left knee for about 4 years. The medics had not been able to cure his condition to date. I told him I’d seen lots of knee problems healed, and asked if he wanted me to pray for him. He was happy to give it a go, so I told him Jesus was the one who healed. I asked if he knew about Jesus of the Bible. He said he had been a Christian when younger, but had drifted away.

I laid hands on the knee, saying:”Father I thank you for Jesus. Jesus I thank you that you are the one who heals, and that you love this man and are drawing him back to yourself.” I spoke out healing, commanding the muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints and nerves to be healed in Jesus’ name. I spoke life and strength to the knee in Jesus’ name. Afterwards I asked him how the knee was. He checked it out and reported: “No change, it’s exactly the same.”

From experience I’ve learned that you keep on pressing in until results start coming. This of course is dependent on the person being agreeable to you continuing. I illustrated this to the guy: “suppose you had an infection, went to the doctor and he gave you tablets to take, two a day for fourteen days. If you took two the first day and threw the rest away, that would be silly, wouldn’t it?” He agreed that would be pointless. I said: “praying for healing is similar; you keep on going with the treatment then you will see results”.

I prayed again, in a similar vein as before. This time I was aware of the Holy Spirit flowing in me in a fairly powerful way. I mention this because many times I pray and see people healed but feel nothing myself while it’s going on. I asked him for an update. He said he could feel something moving down his leg, plus a tingling feeling. I told him that was God at work. I could feel the power flowing for a couple of minutes and he could too. I then asked him to check it out. He walked up and down and reported a significant improvement. I laid hands on him one more time. He reckoned the leg was a good 40% better at the end.

 I then told him the parable of Jesus where the shepherd left the 99 sheep on the hillside to go after the one that was lost. I said: “you’re the lost sheep, and God knew you’d be coming here today, so he planned this encounter to draw you back to Himself” He agreed that seemed quite a likely possibility. I gave him my card and asked him to let me know how he got on. I also gave him the gospel tract “No Satisfaction”.

 

Surely All Religions Are The Same!

When sharing your faith, sooner or later some will say: “all religions are the same”. How do you respond?

One way to approach this scenario is to highlight the facts:

The founder of Buddhism is dead and still in his grave.    

The founder of the Muslim faith is dead and still in his grave.   

The founder of Confucianism is dead and still in his grave.    

The founder of the Sikh faith is dead and still in his grave.    

The founder of the Hindu faith is dead and still in his grave.    

All followers of these religions will agree with the above facts.

However, according to the Bible and the experience of millions of Christians, Jesus Christ rose from the dead and is alive today.    

  Let’s assume you’re out on a hike. You come to a crossroads and you’re unsure which road to take. You notice there are two men by the side of the road. One is alive, the other is clearly dead. Which one would you ask for directions?

Jesus Christ is the living person at the crossroads who can tell you the right road to take.

In all other religions, man points and says: “This is the way to God!”. In the Bible Jesus Christ says:”I am the way to God!”

According to the Bible, Jesus claimed to be able to forgive sins, something only God can do.

Jesus also said: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father, except by me”

For more help on this topic, see this page on the New Christian UK website

 

How To Get Started In Sharing Your Faith As a Christian

It ‘s the nightmare scenario of quite a few Christians. What if someone asks me about my faith??? How do I get the conversation started and what do I say??

If you’ve been born again by the Spirit of God, then you have a story to tell. There is no-one like you and there never will be again. You are a unique “God creation” and your personal story is both special and powerful.

The website New Christian UK has already created a helpful page on the web that will lead you through the steps in sharing your faith and the gospel message. This page is free to reproduce for non-profit use, so let’s look at the advice it gives:

What Is  Witnessing?
a). An overflow. b). One beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. c). “To witness is so to present Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit that men and women shall put their trust in God through Him, to accept Him as their saviour and serve Him as their King in the fellowship of the Church” (Archbishop William Temple).

Why Should We Do It?

a). It brings glory to God – John 15:8. b). We are commanded to do it – Matthew 4:19. c). People are lost without Jesus – I John 5: 11-12. d). The love of Christ constrains us – 2 Corinthians 5: 14. This love is expressed, not by the emotions, but by THE WILL. We should never wait for our emotions to make us feel like witnessing.

Why Might We Not Do It?

a). Embarrassment – if I talk about what I believe I will feel silly. b). Fear of rejection – I might be rubbished and rejected. c). Inadequacy – I’m afraid I won’t know the answers to people’s questions and I will lose out, let God down and wish I’d never started the conversation.

It’s OK – Our Inhibitions Are Biblical!

a). Even the Apostle Paul shares our experience of feeling foolish – I Corinthians 4:10. b). Jesus’ own neighbours take offence at him and reject him – Mark 6: 1-6. c). Jesus promised the disciples that if they trust God, the Holy Spirit will speak through them when they are tongue-tied.

We Need To Remember…..

It’s possible to have faith without having all the answers. If we can have faith while still having problem areas, so can other people! Most people’s faith is like a set of balance scales. Faith comes when the reasons for believing outweigh the problems. Like the blind man in John 9:25 we can say: ” I don’t know, but this I do know…..” You can always offer to come back to someone with an answer if you don’t know it off the cuff.

We Need To Pray For People And Opportunities     

God loves those He made more than you do and doesn’t want any to perish. Someone once said “Prayer is not conquering God’s reluctance but laying hold of God’s willingness.” We can therefore pray boldly and with assurance that God is with us in our witnessing. Having prayed, expect to see the opportunities that God will provide.

Make Sure There Is No Unconfessed Sin In Your Life

Repentance applies to Christians as much as to unbelievers. I need to take time before God to address those actions, attitudes and behaviour patterns in my own life that offend God. I cannot expect God to bless my witnessing or any other activities if I am knowingly disobedient to Him in some area of my life. Look at the promise in I John I:9.

  We Need To Go Out In The Power Of The Holy Spirit   

When you came to Christ you were sealed with His Spirit. To be effective witnesses, overcoming the hindrances of the flesh mentioned above, we need to go out in the power of the Holy Spirit. If we feel lacking in this area, we need to appropriate by faith the fulness of the Holy Spirit which is ours by right, by virtue of what Jesus’ accomplished through his death and resurrection. Jesus promised “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem; and in all Judea and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Look also at the parable of the Friend at Midnight in Luke 11: 5-13, in particular the promise in verse 13. Finally, I John 5: 14-15 says :”This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we ask of Him”. It is God’s will that we witness to Jesus, not in our strength alone, but drawing on the Lord’s resources to enable us.

WRITING YOUR TESTIMONY

Before You Start

Ask God to guide you in your preparation. Be honest in your statements and don’t exaggerate either the positive or the negative aspects of your story. Don’t criticise other people or denominations or make any other negative remarks in your story. God has lifted YOU up, so don’t bring anyone else down. Don’t use any religious jargon. Aim eventually to have two versions of your story; a two minute one and a ten minute one. You can than adapt to the circumstances, according to which version is appropriate for the occasion. Make sure both versions are concise and to the point! When you have written your story, practice reading it over in front of a sympathetic friend who can give you positive feedback.

First Part – My Life Before I Became A Christian

Some people have a sudden conversion experience. For others, it can happen over a period of time without a clear pinpointed date.Whichever way your conversion occurred, try and recall here what your life was like before. What attitudes did you display? What were your behaviour and feelings about life?

Second Part – How I Came To Realise I Needed Jesus

Include here what made you turn to Jesus. Did you have a need that Jesus met? Were you at the end of your tether and couldn’t go on? Was the process a long or a short one? Make it clear in your story that becoming a Christian was entering into a relationship with Christ, not just subscribing to some set of principles or way of living

Third Part – How I Became A Christian

Explain exactly what brought you to the point where you gave your life over to Jesus. What specific step did you take to become a Christian? Was it a sudden transformation or was it a long process?

Last Part – What Being A Christian Means Now

What difference has becoming a Christian made to your life? What are the highlights? Has there been a price to pay in relationships? Based on your experience to date, explain why you would encourage others to become a Christian too.

SHARING THE GOSPEL MESSAGE     

Is there a simple gospel message that you could get started with? Again the website New Christian UK has a useful page on this, as follows:

1. The Bible tells us all men and women are separated from God because of their sin  (Book of Romans Chapter 3 verse 23).  Therefore you are separated from Him.

2. There is a judgment to come when Jesus Christ will be the Judge of all, separating good and bad people. (Book of Acts Chapter 17 verse 31)

3. God wants to be friends with you so that you will no longer be separated from Him because of your sin.(Book of Romans Chapter 6 verse 23)

4. Jesus came from Heaven to solve this separation problem and to offer you forgiveness for your sins. (John’s Gospel Chapter 14 verse 6)

5. Although Jesus was innocent of all sin, God allowed Jesus to die on the cross for your sins, in your place, thereby solving the separation problem. Jesus became a scapegoat, taking the rap for you. (Book of Romans Chapter 5 verse 8)

6. After his death, Jesus rose from the dead and is now alive forever. His resurrection from the dead means you can put your trust in him as God’s answer to your separation problem.
(Colossians Chapter 1 verses 21-22)

7. Jesus is a friend of sinners. Therefore he is YOUR friend.
(Mark’s Gospel Chapter 2 verses 13-17)

8. Jesus is now offering you forgiveness for all your sins and a place in God’s kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven.
(John’s Gospel Chapter 14 verse 6)

9. If you want to accept his offer, tell him so. He will not reject you.
(Book of Romans Chapter 10 verse 13)

For in-depth study of the gospel used in evangelism, check out the British website What Is The Gospel?

In another post I’ll look at some questions you might get asked as you share your faith.