SIGNS AND WONDERS

SIGNS AND WONDERS

“These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name,    and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”  Mark 16:17-18 (NLT)

Not all churches agree that ‘signs and wonders’ exist in the church today.  Many believe they were only in use with the disciples and after they were gone nothing happened again.  However, nowhere in the Bible does it say it will end.  In fact we can read in many places where miracles took place and if everyone wrote down their healings, their deliverance and other spiritual things that have happened, there wouldn’t be enough books to hold it all.

The same people who deny signs and wonders, but believe with all their heart the first part of Jesus words.  Verse 15 says, “And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.  Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.”  All of these words are part of Jesus’ Great Commission and every ‘born again’ Christian believes that.

I have personally seen people who have had demons, or spirits, controlling their lives and when they have been prayed for, their entire life changed.  I also know the controversy over whether people can speak in other languages.  I also believe that Jesus said that for a reason and He knew it would be a choice for Christians to either want to or not.  The Holy Spirit works in many ways that you might not understand or agree with.

Others have trouble with the, “handling snakes with safety”. Right away some began to think about those people who have churches that handle snakes to prove their faith.  That is testing God too far and some of those people have died from snake bites.  What it really means is that if you accidentally get bitten by a poisonous snake, God can heal you.  Look at Acts 28:3-5 when Paul was shipwrecked and was on the island of Melita, he was bitten by a snake and suffered no effects from its deadly poison. 

If you are traveling in other countries and become ill from food or drink, God can and will raise you up.  Then the last of this verse tells us we can lay hands on people and pray that they will be healed.  Many are healed today, but some are not.  Perhaps they don’t have enough faith and yet there are those who have no faith and God heals them. Healing only comes from God and no person can heal another in the spiritual realm.

God will use certain people to administer the gift of healing. “Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, and those who speak in unknown languages.” 1 Corinthians 12:28 (NLT)  Our pastor has the ‘gift of healing’; God uses him many times, but it is God who does the healing and our pastor will tell you this himself.

When people get into big discussions or arguments about signs and wonders, or talking in tongues (other languages), they get side tracked from the real goal of the Great Commission.  The Gospel is to be spread for one reason only; to get others to become believers and be saved by asking Jesus into their hearts.  This should be the goal for every preacher, evangelist, missionaries, and every Believer.  If other gifts are used to help people believe, then ‘Praise the Lord’. 

Whatever it takes to save the lost – do it.  In Jude 1:23 the Bible goes so far as to say, “Others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.”  Some may be on their death bed, but they can still accept Jesus as their Savior. 

Remember when Jesus hung on the cross, a thief hung on either side of him and one of them asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His kingdom.   And Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”  This man was saved at the last minute.  Jesus used this to show the importance of several things here:  1) The man was lost, 2) Jesus saved him, and 3) he could only enter the kingdom of God with Jesus, if he repented. 

Jesus died on that cross to save the whole world if the world received him as King of King and Lord of Lords!  It is up to us as Christians to continue the work that the Savior commanded us to do in Mark 16:15-16, “And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.”  Jesus said it and I believe it; if this part is true, the rest of this scripture must also be true.  If it takes signs and wonders to accomplish this, so be it.

 

 

Second Chances

Second Chances

“But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house,        dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.        Acts 8:3 (NLT)

Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt worthless?  Perhaps you once knew what it meant to live a good, moral life, but circumstances made you turn away and follow a different road.  Have you ever felt God calling you to a better life and you shut it out and kept going away from Him?  Today, do you feel like it’s too late to change because you had your chance and flubbed it?

There is such a thing as “Second Chances” and it can happen this very minute.  If you think you’re bad, let’s go to the Bible and take a look at Paul (Saul).  In the book of Acts, we read where Saul, as he was called then, was set to persecute the Christians.  Stephen, a man of great faith, was accused of blasphemy against God because he preached about Jesus.  So the leaders chose to stone Stephen to death and Paul stood there agreeing as he watched him die.

He set out to kill and destroy all Christians, as they called themselves, after Jesus’ death on the cross.  The Jewish leaders did not believe Jesus was the Son of God.  Paul had studied the scriptures and was taught by a famous teacher, Gamaliel.  Paul knew the law backwards and forwards.  He was totaling set on following God, so he went about murdering the disciples of Jesus.  He had his chance to understand the truth, but was bound up by the law; he saw nothing wrong in killing innocent people.

As bad as Paul was, Jesus loved him and saw Godly potential in him; he was given a second chance to serve the Almighty God.  On his way to Damascus to do more destruction to followers of Jesus, Jesus, himself appeared to Paul and spoke to him, telling him to stop persecuting Christians and to follow Him. Paul was struck blind and those who were traveling with him led him to the place Jesus had given direction to go to.  

Paul was healed, forgiven and converted; he became an apostle for Jesus Christ and an untold number of people became Christians as he traveled around the known world spreading the Gospel. Paul wrote a great part of the New Testament in the Bible under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and has been the inspiration of many to follow Christ.

This same Jesus who gave Paul a ‘second chance’, is waiting for you.  You probably won’t have the dramatic conversion that Paul did, but God does have a plan for your life.  He had a plan for you before you were even born and this is what He wants you to know.  “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

Remember this; just as God was with Paul thousands of years ago, He is there with you now.  He wants you to come to Him, tell him the sin in your life and ask His Son, Jesus to forgive you of those sins; to come into your heart and change you.  It’s probably your second chance to redeem yourself to Him, but make sure it isn’t your last chance.

As for myself, I had heard the Gospel all of my life, but never received it into my heart.  Then one day I saw the truth and as I knelt on the floor in my bedroom, something in my heart said, “This is your last chance.  If you don’t ask me into your heart today, you never will.”  I knelt there and with many tears asked Him into my heart.  I promised Him that I would serve him the rest of my life.  That was 40 years ago and I have never regretted making that decision, not even one time.  Just like the scripture, His plans for me were good and I still have a future and a hope.  Don’t miss this chance.

It may be that the decision you make today will show your future in eternity, and that is either Heaven or Hell.  What’s it going to be, your plans or God’s plans?

 

The Message of the Wise Men

This is Fifth in a series of five about the messages that God sends to us through the Christmas Season.  The first four are still available for reading on my blog.

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The Message of the Wise Men

“Where is He who has been born King of the of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:2

Almost everyone knows the story of the star shining over the stable in Bethlehem where Jesus was born.  While it’s a wonderful story regarding the birth of our Savior, there is more to it than that.  It brings up many questions; where did the star come from; why was it so big and is it even true?  The scriptural truth is that there was no star over Bethlehem on the night Jesus was born.  However, a great star appeared to some Wise Men in the Far East on the night Jesus was born. It signified that the King of the Jews was born. 

Tradition shows that the wise men came at time of Jesus birth, however this is not true; they came at a later time; possibly a month to over a year or more later.  We know this from ancient studies and charting of the stars.  We also know that these Wise Men had to travel, many months or years by camel, to reach Bethlehem from the Far East.

Some traditional views say there were three wise men, but no one really knows how many there were; only that three gifts were mentioned.  We also know they followed a Star.  Bible scholars as well as scientists have studied this phenomenon for uncountable years and all have different opinions and possibilities.  However, if you believe the Bible to truly be the Word of God, there is no doubt in my mind that it happened the way the Bible says it did. 

One source, the Bible itself, may hold one clue.  In Numbers 24:17 (NLT) is a prophecy that God told Balaam speak:  “I see him, but not here and now. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel.”  This scripture tells us some interesting facts; far in the future from Balaam’s time, something was going to occur and a “Star” was going to appear and it would come from the line of Jacob.

In Matthew beginning in chapter one, tells the genealogy of Jesus Christ and part of that is Jacob, grandson of Abraham.  Fourteen generations later, Jesus is born in Bethlehem.  Then, in Numbers 24, it speaks of a scepter, which the dictionary describes as a symbolic staff or wand held in the hand by a ruling king as an item of power and a sense of divinity.  This scepter will come out of Israel.  Written centuries before Jesus was born, totally covered what happened that night in Bethlehem. 

At the time of Jesus birth, there was no mention of the shepherds seeing a star; only about the angel of the Lord and then a multitude of angels all praising God. Apparently, the star did not appear until we read about the Wise Men in Matthew 2, beginning with verse one. These men came from the East which was far away from Bethlehem.  They studied the stars and discovered one star that stood out from the others. This star, which they called “His Star”, proclaimed a King was born in Bethlehem of Judea.  They left their country and the star appeared to go before them.

They stopped at King Herod’s palace and asked him if he knew of a new king that was born.  Herod was evil and told them to continue their search and come back to him so he could go and worship him.  Herod really wanted to kill the new born King, but God warned the wise men in a dream to go back to their country another way. When the Wise Men didn’t return after a length of time, King Herod sent his soldiers to Bethlehem to kill all the babies under two years old.  This is another clue that by the time Herod heard about it, Jesus may have been closer to 2 years old.

When the Wise Men left Herod, they continued their search and the star went before them until it came to Bethlehem and stopped over the place where Jesus was. The Bible says they came to the house where Jesus was and fell down and worshipped Him.   Their search was ended; it had been a long journey, but they had searched until they found the Child.

This is the Message of the Wise Men, “Search for Him until you find Him!”  Then worship Him!  Friends, we all need a Savior; this whole world needs a Savior.  If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, search for Him.  He is not hiding, but is waiting for you at this moment.  Call to Him and he will come to you.  It is your heart that needs to search for him and not your feet.  When you find him, He will be with you forever and ever.

May this coming year be one of peace, love and contentment and the joy of knowing the Lord of Eternal Life.                                                                                                                                          Happy New Year



The Night Before Christmas

The Night Before Christmas

T’was the night before Christmas and all through the house,

Not a creature was stirring; not even a mouse?

Wait just a minute; I know it’s not true;

There was one little mouse who appeared out of the blue.

It was not quite Christmas; I was alone in the house

Except for my cat, who I know smelled a mouse.

I rose up from my chair; around the corner I peeked

Took a quick look and started to shriek.

My cat’s tail was whipping as he lay on the floor;

He kept sniffing and looking at my stove’s oven door.

As I stood there staring, beady eyes appeared,

Above the stoves drawer was a sight that I feared.

I shrieked once again and ran out of the room;

And quick as I could I picked up the broom.

I first called my husband who was working that day;

There’s a mouse in the house, “I may pass away.”

I then called my sister, “I am trapped in my house.”

What’s wrong?” she asked. “We have a mouse!”

“Oh, no,” she said, “Just stay on the phone.”

Feet in chair, till my husband got home.

He did what he could to catch that nasty mouse,

He chased it this way and that, all over the house.

“Buying a trap,” he said, as he walked out the door,

Just then that mouse began running all over the floor.

Gracie, our cat was running hot on its trail,

While I, with feet in the air, let out a loud wail.

My husband came home and with help from the cat,

Finished that mouse with a broom and a bat.

We were all exhausted and I was suffering from trauma

So we readied for bed after all of that drama.

We climbed into bed and pulled up the covers

We each said our prayers and kissed one another.

And I heard him exclaim as he rolled over in bed,

Sleep well, my darling ...... the mouse is dead!

 

 

 

 

The Message of Jesus Birth

The Message of Jesus Birth

             “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields,                  

keeping watch over their flock by night.”  Luke 2:8

Almost everyone knows the story of the birth of Jesus Christ, Savior of the world.  We know how and why Jesus and Mary traveled to Bethlehem and how Jesus was born in either a stable or a cave.  We know it was a place where animals stayed because the Baby Jesus was placed in a manger.  While it’s a wonderful story regarding the birth of our Savior, there is far more to it than that.

If you really want to think deeper on this, imagine being in a place where animals stayed.  The smell was surely heavy with animal dung.  I’m sure fresh hay was put in an empty manger and no doubt covered with some kind of covering, and this newborn was wrapped in swaddling clothes.  It must have been cold and probably all they had to cover themselves for warmth, was a cloak.  I often wondered if someone from the village came to help deliver Jesus or did inexperienced Joseph help Mary to deliver the Child.  It was surely a traumatic event in the life of a teenage girl and a man who knew he had not fathered this baby. 

Mary and Joseph must have tried to settle down for the night when they heard a commotion outside the entrance.  They must have been frightened, because robbery was a common thing in those days, although this young couple certainly had nothing of value.  There must have been some conversation between Joseph and the shepherds before they entered the place where baby Jesus lay. Perhaps the shepherds told them what happened out on the hillside.  The shepherds were excited as they related the event that brought them to see the Baby. 

 “Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger. Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”   Luke 2:9-14 

 

There is no mention of the shepherds seeing a star; apparently the star did not appear the night Jesus was born and we hear nothing about its appearance until we read about the wise men, whose story will be told next week.

 

The one thing they did was to see the Babe themselves and everything was just as the angel had told them.  They told everyone they saw about the angelic visit and the baby that was born.  When they returned to the fields, they were praising and glorifying God.  This is what really happened the night Jesus was born.  Movies, books, pictures and Christmas cards give a different story of a stable; shepherds and wise men all kneeling around baby Jesus and a big star shining down on the stable.  It makes a lovely picture, although not a true one. 

Let’s look into the Old Testament at the prophecies that were fulfilled when Jesus was born.  Isaiah 7:14 tells that Jesus mother will be a virgin, Micah 5:2 says the Jesus would be born in Bethlehem; Genesis 49:10 tells us that he would come from the tribe of Judah.  Prophecy also tells of his life, death by crucifixion, resurrection and ascension into heaven. These things were foretold hundreds of years before Jesus birth.  These are just a few of many prophecies in the Bible that came true with the birth of Jesus.

Now, let us go deeper into the Message of Jesus Birth.  The message is this:  God sent his son, Jesus to save the world and set sinners free!  John 3:16, “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.”   This is the message of the birth of Jesus Christ. 

There is no other way to be in heaven when you die, except to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and confess our sins, asking Him to forgive us.  The Bible says we must be “born again” and that means that after we invite Jesus into our spiritual heart, we change the way we lived in the past.  We put aside the worldly things that have kept us in place of discontent and unhappiness and turn to trusting in the Lord who gives us joy and strength.  You can receive this new life right now by asking Jesus to come into your life and heart.  This is the best Christmas gift you’ll ever have and it lasts for eternity.

Merry Christmas

 

The Message of the Tree

This is Third in a series of five about the messages that God sends to us through the Christmas Season.

 The Message of the Tree

“For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”   Isaiah 55:12

God created trees as part of his plan and as with all his creation, they also praise him.  I love trees and am always amazed at their changing through seasons.  You may think all trees are green, but riding along a road, you will find they are such a variety of green that you can’t describe the true color. In the fall, the colors are so amazing, you may wish you were an artist to capture it on a canvas.

However there is one tree that does not change year around and that is the fir tree.  The Psalms even speak of fir trees: “Where the birds make their nests; the stork has her home in the fir trees.” (Psalm 104:17)  God knew the importance of the trees and throughout the Bible they are mentioned many times, such as the ‘Cedars of Lebanon and the use of making musical instruments.  In the early 1800’s, Germany being one of the first, began decorating trees with fruit, candies and candles, and putting them in their homes. Eventually the practice moved to Canada and then to the United States.

It soon became a tradition to have Christmas trees in homes around the world.  The star on the top represents the birth of our Savior and a tree top angel reminds us of the angel’s proclamation of Jesus being born.  Any other reason to have a Christmas tree is strictly a decorating idea. There was a period of time that Christians were told it was evil to have a tree in their house. It came from a scripture in Jeremiah 10:3-4, “For the customs of the peoples are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple.”  Now the problem was that they didn’t read on, because in verse 5, scripture tells us to not be afraid because they can’t do any evil. 

Christmas Trees are not idols, nor are they evil; they are a tradition that brings joy to children and adults as well.  The tradition is for us to enjoy God’s creation of the fir tree and sing carols and traditional songs.  I don’t see that singing I’m ‘Dreaming of a White Christmas’ is wrong.  All carols we sing were written by men; not God.

I want to share a poem written in the 1800’s by Joyce Kilmer.

Trees

I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree

A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree who looks at God all day, and lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear, a nest of Robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain; who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree. 

I have loved this poem since my mother read it to me as a child.  I do not worship trees and I don’t know of anyone who personally does.  God gave us trees for many uses and one is to enjoy.  So as you decorate your tree this year, remember that God is sending you a message and it is this; we should be filled with joy, clapping our hands and singing praises to God our Father, for sending us his Son, Jesus Christ.  God has created all things for our pleasure, even the fir tree.

 

 

THE MESSAGE OF THE GIFTS

This is second in a series of five about the messages that God sends to us throughout this wondrous Christmas Season. 

The Message of the Gifts

 “And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”                                                                                                  Matthew 2:11 (ESV)

This time of year is noted as part of celebrating Christmas.  We wander through stores, search the internet and use our skills to make gifts for others.  We tend to spend money we don’t have; use credit cards, or whatever it takes to find the perfect gifts for family, friends and co-workers.  Why do we do this?

Gift giving originally was part of honoring God.  From the days of Adam and Eve, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.”   Hebrews 11:4 (NKJV) We read where Abraham gave gifts and so on through the Bible gifts were given; not only to honor God, but to others.

When we come into the Christmas season, we think more about the visit of the Wiseman after the birth of Jesus.  They came bearing gifts for the newborn King.  Those gifts were very costly and truly fit for a King, but that is not why we give gifts at Christmas.  As Christians, we give because it is a way to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  For those who are not Christians, they give just to give; they have parties, drinking and carousing just for the fun of it.

 Giving gifts at a time of celebration began with the Jewish Feast of ‘Purim’ and is still honored by Jews today.  In the book of Esther in the Old Testament, Queen Esther’s husband, the King of Persia set the Jews free after an evil plot to kill all of them.  This celebration is in memory of their freedom and was part of feasting, music and gift-giving to each other and to the poor.  You can read about this in Esther, Chapter 2.

God believes in ‘gifts’ because the Bible tells us that God, the Father has given many spiritual gifts to us, his children.  Some ignore these gifts, but praise the Lord for those that are open to using the Gifts God gave to them. In Matthew 7:11, the Bible tells us how much God wanted you to have his gifts:  “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”

Now, back to the question above, “Why do we give gifts at Christmas?”  For some, it’s to show off by giving the most expensive gifts, and for some, they give because it’s expected by them.  While others search and search to find the ‘right’ gift that they think the recipient would like to have; some just give without thought.  Many agree that homemade gifts are the best, because it takes effort, thought and time to make them.

The truth is, that giving to those who can’t return the favor is really part of God’s plan, because it honors Him.  There are many organizations such as ‘Toy’s for Tots’ that need your help, or places like the Salvation Army.  Perhaps your church has a program to give Christmas boxes, or a family you know of that needs help.  There is no greater feeling than helping others.  Let your heart guide you this Christmas even if you don’t have much to give.  God is honored with all of it, big or small.

As for me, I love my family so much and I find such joy in giving to them of what I have. The greatest gift I can give is my love and my prayers to each of them and to my friends as well.  I would encourage you to think carefully about what gifts you are planning on giving this year.  Sending a card with kind words to those who are bound in their homes, or those far away, is a gift of love. Find someone to share with, of what God has given you.

The message of gift-giving is, or should be, all about sharing the Love of God.  Happy giving!