1. MY FIRST SONG
When I was twenty years of age, living in Bulawayo, I got my call up papers to do military training in the Rhodesian Air Force in Salisbury. This was a very big shock to me. It meant I would have to go far away from home, to an unknown future. That was very scary. I had never lived away from home before. I remember walking out of the house to a nearby field at sunset, and pouring out my heart to God, asking for His help. That experience led me that night to writing a song called: “Big Daddy in the sky.” It was my way of expressing my feelings and my faith in God, asking Him for His help. Many years later someone told me that “Abba” means “Daddy.” In Paul’s writings he says that we have received the Spirit of adoption, and cry: “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15). In another place he says that God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts crying: “Abba, Father.” (Galations 4:6). So I was like a baby crying out to his heavenly Father for help.
2. THE BIG GIVE-AWAY
During my initial stay in the Air Force, I was shocked at the way the people were using the Name of “Jesus Christ” in a bad way. I grew up in a very religious home where the Name of Jesus was used with great respect. I remember singing a song from childhood that said: “Jesus is the sweetest Name I know.” But these people were using his name in a bad way. This upset me. So I gave away all my pop song books, and switched to singing only gospel songs. In my mind I said to myself: “If these people want to use the name of Jesus in a bad way, then I won’t sing their songs anymore.” So I gave away all those pop song books. It was about a thousand songs that I had hand written out in exercise books from songs I had heard on records and on the radio. When I was nineteen I sang pop songs on TV in Bulawayo for about nine months.
3. I NEEDED MORE STRENGTH
Being away from home and surrounded by worldly people, I felt I needed more strength to carry on in my spiritual life. I felt I needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to his disciples that they would receive power after the Holy Spirit had come upon them. (Acts 1:8). I needed that power. When I was stationed at Thornhill Air Force Base in Gwelo, one guy there told me that there was a minister in town who had a lot of success in getting people filled with the Holy Spirit. So I went to see him, and told him I wanted to be filled with the Holy Spirit. So he said to me: “Plead the blood” and walked out of the room! I thought he was supposed to hands on me, but he didn’t. So I was left standing in his living room. Then I knelt down by a chair in his living room and said: “The blood, the blood, the blood of Jesus.” Then when I said: “The blood of Jesus” the second time, it came out a different language out of my mouth! So I prayed in that language for a few minutes, then got up and walked back to the Air Force Base! In my heart, I felt that God loved me. That was it. I didn’t fall on the floor, or go into a trance, or shake or whatever. In some ways, I was a bit disappointed! I had heard so many stories of tingles up and down the spine, etc., but there was none of that.
4. THE BLOOD, THE NAME OF JESUS, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
I feel I must add a comment here. From my experience mentioned, I feel that the blood of Jesus, and the name of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, all work together. Peter calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Christ. (1Peter 1:7). That can be a thought for you to ponder on. In John`s writings, he says that there are three that work together in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit. (1 John 5:7). (Note: Lots of the Bible translations delete that verse). Then he says that there are three that work together on earth: the Spirit, the water and the blood. (1 John 5:8). These are some points for you to ponder on. It seems like everything in the kingdom of God works together in perfect harmony. They do not fight each other. They work in harmony with each other. For example: The Father uplifts Jesus, and the Jesus uplifts the Father. (Matthew 17:5 and John 14:28). Jesus said: “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.” (John 12:32). Jesus said: “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” (John 20:21).
5. THE DREAM – “WHAT DID YOU DO FOR ME?”
One night I had a dream that changed my life. I dreamt I was standing before the Lord who sitting on a throne, and He said to me: “What did you do for Me?” So I replied: “I went to church.” He said: “That wasn’t for Me, that was for yourself, you are the one that got a blessing out of it. What did you do for Me?” So I replied: “I read the Bible.” He countered with: “That wasn’t for Me, that was for yourself, you are the one that got a blessing out of it. What did you do for Me?”
Then I realized that I had never won any souls for Jesus. The great commission was to go into all of the world and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15). I remember reading that in a Bible verse in children’s church. But I grew up being taught that you only go into the ministry if you are called by prophecy. Barnabas and Saul were called by prophecy of the Holy Spirit to go into the ministry. (Acts 13:2). I remember my mother talking about how the preacher had given a prophecy over three of us saying that on one of us the anointing oil will fall, or something like that. My mother always believed it was for my brother. I remember my brother learning Bible verses about salvation and sharing them with various people and leading them into a ‘sinner’s prayer’ to receive Jesus Christ as their Saviour. I always admired him for doing that. I never had the ‘guts’ to do that. My brother was the leader and I was the follower. I just walked in his shadow (so to speak). I was too shy to talk to strangers.
What the Lord said to me shocked me. I thought I was doing so well. My dad had 5 meetings a week at home, and I went to Scripture class at school, and also went to youth meetings in town. When evangelists came to town, we went to their meetings too. I went to a minimum of 7 meetings a week. I thought God would be so proud of me. In my teenage years I read one chapter a day in the Bible. I thought God would be impressed. But He wasn’t. I knew every key every song was written it. I played guitar at all the services. But I had never won any souls for Jesus. Later, I wrote a song called: “What did you do for Me?” which was on my second little record.
6. ONE SOUL SAVED
I saw a girl at the place where I worked who looked like she needed Jesus. I remember singing with the band at a church where they announced some special meetings. So I bragged to this girl about the band that played at that church and invited her to go with me. She accepted. The evangelist was a Jewish man. His sermon text was: Matthew 3:16, Mark 3:16, Luke 3:16 and John 3:16. Then he asked us to bow our heads and close our eyes. Then he asked who would like to receive Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Then he said that if anyone wants to do that, they must raise a hand. He said: “I see that hand.” He gave some more invitations, but nobody else responded. I was sitting there praying that it might be Margaret. Then he asked something difficult. He asked that the person who raised the hand would come forward. I knew that if it was Margaret, that she would never go forward. I knew how shy she was. Then I felt a movement next to me and I peeped up through my fingers, and saw her walking up to the front. To me that seemed like a miracle. I was half backslidden at the time, and I remember trying to get her to dance at an office party, but she was too shy. Yet here she was walking up to the front of a church full of strangers.
On the way home, she said someone took her hand and lifted it up into the air! She said someone picked her up out of the seat and pushed her all the way to the front of the church! I knew there was nobody behind her because I was peeping through my fingers! Then I thought that maybe it was an angel that helped her? In the Bible it says that angels are ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation. (Hebrews 1:14). I saw her life change in front of my own eyes. She had her own car, and she went back to that church regularly. She started asking lots of questions about the Bible. I remember her asking me: “What are the 7 baptisms?” I didn’t know the answer! Later on she got baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. Her getting saved changed my life. You can find my illustrated version of it on this website: Comic -Top Priority.
7. RUGBY ACCIDENT – PUT GOD FIRST
All different things seem to affect a person’s life, a person’s thinking, perspective, and direction. A guy at my work said that one school’s old boys group needed a rugby player. I enjoyed rugby at school, and although I never went that school, they accepted me. One weekend we were scheduled to play before an international game against the Springboks. It felt so exciting. It made me think of the days gone by when I sang pop songs in front of thousands of people. This was my big break into the rugby world. Then a religious youth group asked me to be a counsellor at their youth meeting on the same day. But I couldn’t let the team down, so I went to play rugby. I thought it was my big ‘break.’ I went dilly for a couple of days, and never played rugby again! The doctor told my mother it was concussion. I remember driving to the game. Then I woke up the next morning in my mother’s bed. I looked at one of my paintings on the wall, and didn’t know if it was real, or if I was dreaming. I saw a clock ticking at the side of the bed, but didn’t know if it was real or not. Then I remember my mother leading me to my bedroom. I dreamt that the doctor came to see me. I dreamt that a boss from work came to see me. The next morning my brain came right again, and my mother confirmed that the doctor and the boss had come to see me the previous day. That experience was a very big shock to me, and I realized that I must always put God first.
8. “SINGING EVANGELIST”
Later that year I quit my job and went out singing for Jesus. My manager had some leaflets printed and called me a “Singing evangelist.” One time a minister of a church in Phalaborwa asked me where I got that title from. It wasn’t an official title from any religious organisation, but it sure helped me a lot in the beginning. Elvis’ manager was a “Colonel” but it was not an official title from the military.
I have sung in many different countries and in many different churches, and have had a number of very exciting experiences, both in the natural realm and also in the spiritual realm. I will try and share some of the spiritual things with you.
9. DRESSED IN BLACK
I remember singing in a church in Wolmaransstad, where all the people seemed to be dressed in black. During my singing I sang one of my own songs called: “So forgive.” The preacher then suddenly took the microphone and invited the people to come to the front for prayer. It seemed like about 75% of the people came forward crying.
Later on he told me that one of the young men in the church had borrowed another guy’s motorbike, and crashed into a pole and got killed. The whole church was divided over this issue, some siding with the one family, and the rest with the other. The funeral had taken place the day before.
As I thought about this today, I realize that not all of my songs are bad. Some people seem to have been blessed by some of my songs. I personally think that I was led by the Holy Spirit to write some of the songs. Many years ago, some rich people criticized all my songs and my singing, and everything I have tried to do for God. So I stopped writing songs. In the past 20 years I have only written a couple of songs, and I hardly ever sing them. In the “old days” I wrote hundreds of songs and sang every day. Now all I do is sing songs in my head, but hardly ever play any music, or sing for people any more.
10. AN ANSWER TO PRAYER
I remember singing at a church meeting in Grahamstown, and as I was singing, my mind went blank on the one verse. So I just sang whatever came into my mind, and tried to get it to rhyme. After the service a lady came up to me and said she had prayed a prayer to God, and I sang the answer in the song. So I asked her what it was, and she told me. I replied that I don’t know a song like that, but she said I sang it! On the way back to where we were staying, I told my wife about it, and she said she had recorded the meeting on her cassette recorder. When we listened to the tape, it was that verse where my mind had gone blank!
11. “A MURDERER”
One time I was singing at a tent meeting in one of the suburbs of Johannesburg, when, between songs, these words came out of my mouth: “There could even be a murderer here tonight and God wants to save you.” When those words had come out of my mouth, I was so shocked. I thought to myself: “What am I saying?” I felt like such a fool. I wished I could have sucked those words back into my mouth, but it was too late. They were out.
The preacher preached his sermon and gave the invitation for salvation. A group of people came forward to receive Jesus as their Saviour. After a while, the preacher called me over and pointed to a scared looking man. He told me that, that man and two other men had broken into a warehouse. One of the men had killed the night watchman. The police came and caught the other two, but he ran away. One man got hanged, and the other man got 20 years in prison, but he was still on the loose. He had two bullets in his legs that the police had shot at him, but was too scared to go to the hospital to have them taken out. His wife had left him, and he had two small children he was taking care of. But he came out to give his life to Jesus. The preacher wanted him to give himself up through the channel of the church hoping for leniency from the government. However, I don’t know what the outcome was, but I realized one thing – that God had that man’s number. God knows everything! God has got all our numbers!
12. “SPEAKING HELLENIC”
I was invited to sing at a church in Que Que once, and before going to the meetings, the Holy Spirit impressed upon my spirit a verse in the Bible where Paul said that the person who speaks in tongues should pray for the interpretation. (1 Corinthians 14:13). On one night I was praying for the sick, and the last person I prayed for was a lady, and she started speaking in tongues. So I told her to interpret the tongues. There was a bit of a silence, eventually she said: “The Lord has forgiven your sins.” Those were wonderful words, and I gave the invitation for salvation, and I think about 12 people gave their lives to Jesus.
The next morning we were sitting in the living room talking to the pastor when the phone rang. We heard half the conversation. The woman on the phone was a visitor to the church and she wanted to know what languages the lady spoke. The pastor explained that she spoke English and a bit of the local African language, then the pastor asked her why she was enquiring about it. The woman on the phone was Greek speaking, and she said the lady in the church spoke in Hellenic, an ancient Greek language. So he asked her what she had said. She said she had spoken in Hellenic, then, she had said the same thing over again in English. So the pastor explained to her about the Day of Pentecost when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the languages of the people from all different countries. (Acts 2)
Many years later I have often thought about those words: “The Lord has forgiven your sins.” Many times it feels like the devil is speaking in my head to me, and saying that I have been too bad, and will never make it through the pearly gates. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit is a ‘Comforter’, and the devil is an ‘accuser’. (John 14:16. John 14:26. John 15:26. John 16:7 and Revelation 12:10).
13. INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES
When were having meetings in Otjiwarongo, the minister lent me a book by David Du Plessis called: “The Spirit bade me go.” I got to about page 12, when I felt a tremendous urge to pray. So I knelt down beside the bed and started speaking in tongues. This time, the tongues were different to what I had experienced before. It was like it was much bolder. Then came the interpretation. My wife was sleeping on a bed the other side of the room, so I got up and walked outside to give the interpretation. I didn’t want to wake her up. So I walked up and down the dusty streets for about an hour speaking in tongues and giving the interpretation. I didn’t want to stop in case I could never do it again! A lot of the interpretations came from the Book of Isaiah. I was busy studying that book in my private times. I realized afterwards, that if you want to be a prophet, I guess you should study the prophets! That was a strange experience.
Later on, when I gave an interpretation in a church, it was like God would give me a one line message, and then when I had said that line, He would give me the next line, and so forth until the total message had been delivered.
14. CRACKED SPINE – HEALED
Back in the old days when I was doing forced military training with the Rhodesian Air Force, I took the long weekend off to go to a church camp. That weekend I was a passenger in a sports car and the driver rolled the car! I got thrown out. But for the grace of God, I could have died that day. The people in the car behind us told the church people that we rolled about six times. When the doctor in the hospital had x-rays done he told me I that had a cracked spine. I asked him if he could fix it but he shook his head. He said he couldn’t. Six years later when I was singing in South Africa, the pain came back. It was terrible. I thought I would be spending the rest of my life in a wheelchair. By God’s grace I got healed. You can read all about it on this website where I have listed a whole lot of healings that I have experienced: HEALING STORIES 1, 2 and 3.
15. A TERRIBLE DISEASE IN MY FEET – HEALED
This story also involves the leading of the Holy Spirit.
16. CANCER – HEALED
The Holy Spirit led me to say a prayer of thanksgiving.
17. MY HIP – HEALED
When I prayed, the Holy Spirit dropped the solution into my head, and when I put my song: “I remember You” on the YouTube, I got healed.
18. MY TOOTHACHE – HEALED
The Holy Spirit led me to sing about the blood of Jesus, and I got healed. So many of my healing experiences, were the result of the Holy Spirit showing me what to do. I don’t know all the answers to all the problems, but God does.
19. DREAM – THE CIGAR MAN – SUICIDE
One night I had a dream of a guy smoking a big cigar that blew up in his face. I prayed in tongues for a long time for this guy, and I couldn’t sleep. So at 3am I got up and wrote him a letter. He wrote back saying that that very night he was planning to commit suicide. He was going to put his rifle either in his mouth or under his chin, and blow his head off, but something stopped him. Beloved, God knows all about you, and He loves you. Don’t give in to the devil that tempts you to end your life.
20. A VISION – FIGHTING A WHOLE ARMY WITH ONE KNIFE
In 1972 I had a vision of a guy with a knife in his hand. There were soldiers shooting at him with rifles. There was a plane in the sky shooting at him. There were tanks too. In the background of the picture I saw a big city like Johannesburg with an atomic cloud behind it. The Holy Spirit spoke to me and said that it was alike someone trying to fight all the power of the devil with one Bible verse. It made me think of when the devil tempted Jesus, that Jesus answered him by quoting Bible verses. After my cracked spine got healed earlier that year, the pain came back the next day. So I said: “Get thee behind me satan, with the stripes of Jesus I am healed.” Instantly the pain left. Satan tried to steal my healing. The pain came back every day for about 3 months, but when I rebuked satan, the pain left instantly. Glory to God in the highest. Beloved, we are in spiritual warfare, and the enemy is the devil. He comes to steal, kill and destroy. Then I realized that I need to know more Bible verses, not just Isaiah 53:5. That led me into a more intense study of the Scriptures.
21. A VISION OF THE COMING OF JESUS
In 1977 I had a vision of the coming of Jesus, and in one part of the vision, I saw a crowd coming down from heaven. It was like a royal procession. The Holy Spirit spoke to me heart from the left side and said: “The Lord cometh with ten thousands of His holy ones.” (It seems like I have a spiritual ear inside of my heart). Those words are found in Jude 14 of the Bible, and Jude is quoting from Enoch, the seventh from Adam. We do not have those words in the Old Testament part of our Bibles, so I figured that Enoch must have written something and it must have gotten lost over the years. So I filed that thought in the back of my brain. I pictured my brain as having a metal filing cabinet next to the wall, so I pulled open the top drawer and put a piece of paper in there and closed the drawer. It was like a filing cabinet that we had in the government survey department where I worker in Bulawayo. Also, to me, it felt like the Holy Spirit had put His stamp of approval on the writings of Enoch. That will come up later.
22. VISITING ISRAEL
Being in Israel was like a life changing experience for me! When we were in Galilee, I felt so close to Jesus, I wanted to pitch a tent and stay there for the rest of my life. This was where God touched down on planet earth! In the past it was such a thrill to meet famous people, but to feel close to Jesus was greater than all the famous people that we had ever met or been close to. That feeling I had In Galilee inspired me later to draw the Gospel of Mark in pictures.
I remember being in a church service in Jerusalem where a lady gave a prophecy over me and said: “It is not a light thing that I have brought you here.” So I guess it was an appointment arranged by God. At the same service was a lady preacher who later on published my picture Book of Mark in America! Wow. Sometimes, with God, we can be at the right place at the right time!
I remember looking at Calvary, and the old hymn was running through my head. I wanted to stand there for hours to just “drink in” the experience, but the group moved on, and I had to rush to keep up with them.
When we were in the empty tomb, I saw a sign saying: ‘HE IS NOT HERE, HE IS RISEN’ and a feeling of praise and worship came over me, and I guess it came over all the other people too, because we all started praising and worshipping God. When we came out of there, the other people outside were looking at us with BIG EYES, as if to say: “What happened in there?”
When were in the Upper Room, the Holy Spirit came upon one guy in our group, as he sat next to a pillar. He lifted up his hands and started speaking in tongues. There was a group of other people there too, but when he started speaking in tongues, they all rushed out of the room. I never realized before how much people are scared of speaking in tongues. I grew up in a church where that was normal in a worship service. It is normal in the Book of Acts too. What is wrong with the church people today?
Two guys rented a car and invited my wife and myself to join them on a trip to the Dead Sea. That was so nice of them. We also visited Jericho, and I had a drink of the water that God healed through the ministry of Elisha such a long time ago. God is so good.
23. VISITNG ROME
Being in Rome was also a life changing experience. My thinking changed. I remember being in the Catacombs. People had been living under the ground like animals because they believed in Jesus.
When we were in Saint Peter’s Basilica, I stood before a statue of Mary and Jesus. I saw the nail print in Jesus’ right hand, and the veins in his arm, as he lay in the arms of his mother. My mind went back to high school where I studied art, and read the book about Michelangelo called: The agony and the ecstasy. As I stood there admiring the artwork of Michelangelo and thinking about high school, the Holy Spirit said to me: “Thou shalt not make any graven image.” I was so shocked. The Holy Spirit was quoting from the Ten Commandments! I was brought up to believe that the Ten Commandments were now obsolete. In church they used to sing a song that said: “I am not under law, but under grace.”
I tried to reason with the Holy Spirit and said: “But this is Michelangelo.” The Holy Spirit replied: “No. It is wrong.” Who am I to argue with the Holy Spirit? On the church wall in Salisbury behind the pulpit was a beautiful painting of an open Bible with the writing like in the arch of a rainbow, that said: “The word of the Lord endureth forever.” (1 Peter 1:25). I grew up with the idea that we are in the New Testament, so all those laws do not apply to us. That was for the Israelites. So I had to re-think my theology.
24. ENCYCLODAEDIA
One weekend when I was working at an apartment building, I was doing the garbage. I switched off the compacter, unhooked the full dumpster, and moved it away. Then I heard a loud sound coming down the garbage chute. Someone threw out a whole set of encyclopaedia. I quickly took them out, and hooked up the next dumpster. God had sent me a gift from above – my own set of Funk and Wagnall’s Encyclopaedia. So I cleaned them off and took them to our apartment.
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25. “WHAT DOES TUESDAY MEAN?”
One day this thought popped into my head: “What does Tuesday mean?” I believe that thought came from the Holy Spirit. As I started studying the Roman calendar, some words also popped into my head that I believe also came from the Holy Spirit. It was something about not speaking the name of another god. I thought that maybe it was in the Bible somewhere, so I searched the Scriptures, and found it in Exodus 30:13. God Himself said to Moses that he must not mention the name of another god, neither must it be heard out of his mouth. Wow. I had never noticed that verse before. You know Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, and he will guide them into all truth, and bring things to their remembrance. (John 14:26). I had read the Bible when I was a teenager, and had read it again when I studied theology. So those experiences allowed the Holy Spirit to bring things to my remembrance.
So, as I studied the Roman calendar, I was so shocked to see that it is all paganism! It is completely different to what is written in the Bible. Jesus and all his disciples were born and raised in the Roman Empire with Julius Caesar’s calendar, which had the same days and months as we have today, but none of them mention any of those words in their writings. To them the Romans were “the world” and the enemy. Yet today, everybody follows the Roman calendar. I grew up with the Roman calendar the same as everybody else in our society. Actually, at high school, one third of our class was Jewish guys, and they took off every now and then for their Jewish Holidays. They followed a different calendar. If you want to read more about this, go to the menu and click on “Bible lesson – graven image.”
26. THE BOOK OF MARK
When I was a minister of a church, I felt led to do the Book of Mark in pictures as a colouring book, with the idea that the children would show the book to their parents, and that way the parents would get the gospel message. It never quite worked out that way, but as I did it, it felt like I was walking with Jesus. It was a tremendous experience, and changed some of my thinking and beliefs. Later on, it was published in America, but their printing house burned down, so they never reprinted it. I think it was a satanic attack. Some people who have helped me in the work of God have died premature deaths. I think satan killed them. Some people who have been bad to me have also died premature deaths. However, recently I have finished doing a full colour version using the paint program, and it is on this website.
27. A DOG ON A LEASH
My wife gave birth to a baby boy in Toronto. One day there was a knock on the door of our apartment, and a Jewish woman asked me: “What did your wife have?” So I joked around and said: “A baby.” Then she got angry with me and said: “What did you expect, a dog?” Her reaction was such a shock to me. It was like a slap in the face. Then I realized that the Jewish people think of me as a Gentile dog. That was also the way Jesus thought of a Gentile woman from Tyre and Sidon (Lebanon) asking him to cast a devil out of her daughter. Pages 127 – 128 in my Book of Mark – (put in).
I realize, that all my life, it felt like the Holy Spirit had me on a leash. When I was tempted to go astray, the Holy Spirit would pull me back. I have never had a dog, but I have seen so many times people pulling on the leash of a dog when it wanted to go a different way. So I am a Gentile dog, but the Holy Spirit has got me on His leash. In Acts chapter 10, God opened the door for the Romans to get saved.
28. THE OTHER BIBLE
One day we were visiting the World’s Biggest Bookstore in downtown Toronto. (I see they have closed down now). They had a religious section there, and I saw a big display of a book called: ‘The Other Bible.’ I was sceptical, like most people, and thought to myself: “What rubbish is this?” However, when I looked through it, I noticed they were talking about the first and second books of Enoch, and they said that Jude quotes from Enoch. That tied in with the vision I had of the coming of Jesus. But it was bit too expensive for me. With tax it would probably be about $20. I was still trying to pay off my credit card debt. So I didn’t buy it. However, I nearly went crazy with curiosity. About 2 weeks later I went back to the shop, and from a distance I could see only one book where the big display had been. I ran and grabbed it. Holding it to my chest, it now felt like gold.
29. THE FIRST BOOK OF ENOCH
When I read The Other Bible, I discovered it was only quoting from the first and second books of Enoch. Then someone told there was a bookstore downtown what specialized in ordering books for students. I think it was called Britnell’s Bookstore on Yonge Street. Anyway I went see them and got a copy of the First Book of Enoch. This was the Ethiopian Enoch. A Scottish guy found three copies in Ethiopia, and gave one to the British museum in London. It sat there for about a hundred years until someone could translate it. Many years later I found a copy of the First Book of Enoch in the library in downtown Johannesburg.
Peter talks about Scripture in 2 Peter 1:20, then in 2 Peter 2:4, he quotes from Enoch. So Peter doesn’t stick to the Roman Canon of Scripture. Is Peter a bad boy? I had a man once shout in my face because I quoted from other Scriptures. I wonder if he would shout in the face of Peter if he gets to heaven? Many times Enoch calls Jesus: “the son of man.” Once he calls him: “the son of a woman.” Apparently the Roman church had the First Book of Enoch when they were making the Bible, but decide not to take it into the Bible. It got banned and burnt. Apparently 2 Peter and Jude were the last two books included into the Bible, and they both quote from Enoch.
30. LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
One day the Holy Spirit led me to give a book to a guy down the street. It was so urgent, that I grabbed the book and my jacket and I ran down the sidewalk. As I was running, I was putting on my jacket. That’s how urgent it was. On the way I met a guy in a wheelchair who flagged me down and wanted me to push him. So I ended up pushing him and praying for him. Then he said: “I think I’m healed,” and got out of his wheelchair and pushed his wheelchair down the sidewalk. He said he had multiple sclerosis.
Because of that, the church turned against me. In the arguments, one word came up in the Bible that the church disagreed with. It was one of the words of Jesus. The leader of the church told me that the King James Version was “no good” and the Greek Interlinear Bible was “wrong.” So I needed to search for the truth and try and find the “right Bible.” We got a whole lot of writings like: The Archo Volume, The Lost Books of the Bible, The forgotten Books of Eden, etc.
31. THE GOSPEL OF NICODEMAS
When I read this book, I felt in my spirit that there were some hidden mysteries in that book. I read it a few times, but couldn’t see anything. One day, many years later, when we were back in South Africa, I decided to read it all the way through, to see if I could discover any mysteries. I saw nothing. That night I had a dream where a book was opened in front of me, and the Holy Spirit put a spotlight onto the page. My eyes zoomed in like Hollywood camera to see what was in the spotlight. I saw three words: ‘Jannes and Jambres.’ I lay there in bed thinking that I am sure I that had read that they were the magicians in Egypt. So the first thing the next morning, before I even had a cup of tea, I went back to the book, and found that Nicodemas mentioned that they were the magicians in Egypt.
Then my brain went one step further, and I felt like I had read their names in the Bible somewhere, but I couldn’t remember where. So I went to the concordance expecting to find an Old Testament reference, but only found a New Testament reference: 2 Timothy 3:8. As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so do these men oppose the truth. I have loosely translated that from the NIV Bible that I bought in Johannesburg. I was in South Africa at the time, and I had left all my Bibles in Canada. We went on vacation to South Africa, but the day we left, my wife got a note at the door saying that if we came back to Toronto, they would kill our baby. So I didn’t go back. About 2 weeks before that, someone had slashed all my car tyres, so I took that threat very seriously.
As I sat staring at the page, I realized that verse 16 was the main verse I was taught in theology. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” Yet in the same chapter Paul quotes from a different Bible. I wasn’t clever enough to see that on my own. The Holy Spirit is cleverer than any human! Every writer in the New Testament quotes Scriptures from a different Bible. So does Jesus. So nobody even has the right books in the Bible, never mind the right translation. They wanted to kick me out of the church because of one word in the Bible that they said was the wrong translation. If all the churches were to be judged as I was, then they should all close down! They all use words that are not even in the Bible, and nobody seems to mind. (Actually the church building where I pastured is now a furniture store – that’s what hatred produces).
32. THE ENEMY IS SATAN
All my life the devil has been trying to steal, kill and destroy. When we went back to South Africa, someone broke into our home and stole all my master tapes. 15 hours of recordings. Later on someone stole my car. That left me heavily in debt, paying the credit card for a car I no longer owned. Later on the police broke into our house and stole lots of things from us. The devil has tried to kill me so many times, but by God’s grace I am still alive! Actually, I think it is dangerous to have anything to do with me, because lots of people that have helped me in the ministry have died premature deaths. Some people who have been bad to me have also died premature deaths. The devil has tried to kill me physically, financially, and emotionally. They say cats have nine lives, well I have had more. I have had more than nine healings. The devil has crashed my finances more than nine times. He has tried to kill me emotionally too. I refer to that briefly as I am talking about miracles. After the police broke into our house, we decided to go back to Canada.
33. MAKING A FOOL OF MYSELF
When I first started out in the ministry, there was a famous British pop singer who got saved, and I heard he was going to sing at a church in Durban. So I went to see him. I sat in the front row, so I could be as close to him as possible. However, I had never been to that brand of church before. During the service, I heard noises and I looked around to see all the people were standing. That was a shock to me, because in the church I grew up in, they would tell us when to stand or sit or kneel. So I stood up. Later I peeped around and found everyone was sitting, and I was the only one standing. I felt like such a fool. Later I looked around, and everyone was kneeling, so I quickly knelt down. I was listening like crazy to figure out what was going on, until I peeped around and saw everyone sitting. I made such a fool of myself. Many years later a neighbour gave me a prayer book from that brand of church, and it says in the prayer book when to sit, kneel and stand.
34. RAISING HANDS
I have been to a few church churches where they have sung the song: “How great Thou art.” When I sing that song, it makes me want to worship God, and I generally raise my hands in worship. I have been in a couple of churches where I have made a fool of myself by raising my hands in worship, because they don’t do that in those types of churches. Sometimes I have danced in churches or sang in tongues, etc, and have offended people.
35. A PASTOR FIRED
I remember driving up the road once to visit a church that I had never been to before, and I felt a tremendous fear come over me. I thought that maybe the devil was trying to stop me from going, so I broke through that barrier of fear. My wife told me that when I go to a different church I should always sit in the back row so I can see what to do. So we sat in the back row. But during the worship service the Holy Spirit came on me very strongly, and I start quietly speaking in tongues. But then the interpretation came to me. I didn’t want to give it. Then I had an instant vision where I stood before the Lord and the Lord was pointing His finger at me and said I sinned because I wouldn’t give the interpretation. That scared me, so I stood up and gave the interpretation as loud as I could, so that everyone could hear. I sat back down on the seat, with my head in my hands, feeling such a tremendous presence of the Lord. Then I heard the feet going, and almost everyone walked out of the church. We went back during the week and discovered that the church had fired the pastor. He now has his own independent church and said he is happy. Apparently someone had a tape recorder on, and taped the message from the Lord. Many years later he gave me a copy, but unfortunately I gave it away to a critic. So I don’t think I have it anymore.
36. CHURCH CLOSED
A friend invited me to visit their church a long time ago, and as I walked up towards the door, I felt a tremendous fear come over me. Like the previous story, I had to break through that barrier of fear. I can understand now why many people are afraid to go to church. Maybe they also feel that fear. I sang and spoke there once, and there was some trouble afterwards. They did not believe in the Holy Spirit. Some months later, the church closed down. Lots of churches I have been to have closed down. Maybe I am bad luck for churches. I am kind of scared to go to church anymore.
37. MIRACLES
I have experienced miracles too, but I am hesitant to share things that are so precious and holy to me, and later on have people mock me and scorn me. I am too sensitive to share those precious things with people. Jesus said we must not throw our pearls before swine, because they will trample them underfoot and then attack you. (Matthew 7:6). After the police broke into my house in South Africa, we sold the house and came back to Canada. I was a baby when my parents took me from England to Rhodesia, and I spent over 40 years in Africa. But when I was a taxi driver in Canada, so many Canadians called me a liar, and said my skin colour must have changed and all that sort of thing. I met Canadians in Africa, but I never called them liars. Some people who did believe me would say: “I would love to go to Africa and see all the lions and tigers.” There are no tigers running around in Africa. The only tigers you will see in Africa are in zoos. So a lot of Canadians have no clue about Africa, yet they feel so are so clever, when they are actually ignorant. Tigers are from India and Asia.
Sorry that I am ranting, but criticism has affected me badly. THE BIGGEST SATANIC ATTACK AGAINST ME CAME FROM CRITICISM, but don’t feel I should share the story at this time, because I am still trying to overcome the effects. It has been more than 20 years.
As I am writing this, the Holy Spirit is working on me. When Jesus spoke to the churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, the call was always to the individual – “to him that overcometh I will give”…………. (Revelation 2:7). I have the Book of Revelation in black and white pictures, on all of my websites. SO I HAVE TO OVERCOME THE CRITICISMS AGAINST ME.
Even though I have experienced things that are humanly impossible, I am too scared to share, because most people will not believe. If I had not actually experienced the things myself, I too may not have believed. The disciples did not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead, even though Mary Magdalene and other people told them. They only believed when they saw Jesus themselves. It is hard to get people to believe things they have not seen. But I believe that God can do anything. Just read the Bible!
There is a story in the Bible where the Syrians surrounded Samaria. The people were starving. Then 4 skinny lepers walked towards the Syrian camp. God made the Syrians hear the sound of a mighty army coming, so they dropped everything and ran for their lives. The people in Samaria never heard the army! How can that be? Can God give selective hearing? That is impossible! There are so many incredible stories in the Bible. Nothing is impossible with God.
38. THE BOOK OF JASHER
We came back to Canada, and are still experiencing lots of wonderful things. One time in Niagara Falls, New York, a lady we knew told us of an ancient writing someone gave her. I got excited and asked her what it was. She said: “Jasher or something, it is mentioned in the Bible.” So I came back to Canada and found the Book of Jasher mentioned twice in the Bible. (Joshua 10:13, and 2 Samuel 1:18). So, how come that book is not in the Bible? Later on we were at an internet course, and during a coffee break my wife suggested I type in the Book of Jasher in the search engine, so I did, and contacted the first publisher I saw. I cost $20 plus $6 shipping. Today, a lot of these things you can get for free on the internet. I found Jannes and Jambres in chapter 79, verse 27. Apparently there are lots of different versions of all these ancient writings, and some have different chapters and verses too. One thing in the book I personally feel is not right, but there are many things that I think are fantastic. So, who knows what is right or not? Trust the Holy Spirit to guide you.
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39. A GIFT – A VIDEO OF RON WYATT
On one of my singing trips a lady in a far away city gave me a video of Ron Wyatt giving a presentation at a convention in America. The things this guy discovered are really fantastic. I have a whole section on him in my Country Gospel and Bible website, or if you like, do your own research. There are lots of things on the YouTube about him. He discovered the crossing place of the Red Sea to be in the middle of the Gulf of Aqaba. The real Mount Sinai is in Saudi Arabia. (Galations 4:25). All the world maps show Mount Sinai as being in Egypt, but that is the ‘Roman mountain’, chosen by Constantine’s mother Helena. When Moses was at the burning bush, God said He would bring them back to that mountain, which was in the Land of Midian = Saudi Arabia. (Exodus chapter 3). Jesus said you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32) Check it out, specially the Ark of the Covenant and the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus was sprinkled on the Mercy Seat to pay for our sins! All we have to do is to ask for forgiveness!
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40. ‘ALL SAINTS CHURCH’
One day the Holy Spirit reminded me of a church I saw when I was young. It was called: “All Saints Church.” In my mind, I figured that the church was into all the dead people, which sounded really weird! You see, I thought of ‘saints’ as being ‘dead people’. However, when I checked through the whole of the New Testament using the King James Bible, I was shocked to find that in the early church, from Acts to Revelation the word “saints” is found 65 times and they weren’t dead people! “All the saints salute you.” (2 Corinthians 13:13 and Philippians 4:22,) but I have never seen dead people saluting! Or “the camp of the saints” (Revelation 20:9), but I have never seen dead people camping either! So I was forced to adjust my thinking. I guess I was deceived by some churches that make people into ‘saints’ after they are dead. The word “brethren” was found about 190 times (although sometimes it meant as actual brothers as in Joseph and his brothers). The word “disciple” is found 29 times. The word “Christian” is only found 3 times.
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41. THE WORD ‘CHRISTIAN’
When I was in high school a guy in my class said to me: “Are you a Christian?” So I answered saying: “I am trying to be one.” Then he got very angry with me, and said: “You are either a Christian, or you are not one!” If he had asked me if I had received Jesus Christ as my Saviour, I could easily have answered: “Yes.” My mother told me I was eight years old when I received Jesus as my Saviour in a church service. She said it was on their wedding anniversary night. I remember going to the front of the church, kneeling down and praying a prayer to receive Jesus as my Saviour. That is very clear in my mind. However, to be like Christ, I thought of it as growing up spiritually over many years until hopefully I can get much more mature.
There is a verse in Ephesians 4:13 which states: “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:” (King James Version). Then in verse 15 it says: “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:” Please forgive me for quoting from the King James Version, but I grew up in a British colony, and that was the only version we had. I know it is not the perfect version, but I haven’t found the perfect Bible yet.
Over the years, I have had lots of supernatural experiences. I have had lots of healings, visions, dreams, and a few miracles, but I am nowhere near the stature of Christ. Now even in my old age, I have not reached the standard of a “perfect man,” but am still trying to grow up to the “stature of the fullness of Christ.” Jesus had so much power, that he could still the storm, cast out devils, raise the dead, multiply food, curse a tree, heal the sick, know all about people’s personal lives, know the future, etc. I think everybody falls far short of the stature of Jesus!
Now let me talk about that word: “Christian.” Jesus never gave authority for us to put an “ian” at the end of his name. He never gave authority to put a “mas” at the end of his name either! Aren’t we supposed to follow his teachings? In fact Jesus said: “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:5). “I am Christ” = “Christ I am” = “Christian.” People have been deceived.
I too was deceived. When I was young, I remember reading these words in Acts 11:16: “And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” So all my life I used that word until the Holy Spirit ministered to me. When Paul stood before King Agrippa, he said to Paul: “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” (Acts 26:28). Here was an unbeliever using the word “Christian” in front of Paul, but Paul never used that word. King Agrippa comes from a whole line of murderers. King Herod tried to kill baby Jesus. Herod Antipas had John the Baptist killed. Agrippa’s dad had James killed, and wanted to kill Peter. We are not supposed to follow King Agrippa. Jesus said: “Follow me.” Paul and Barnabas were right there in Antioch when the disciples were called “Christians” but Paul never used that word in any of his writings or any of his sermons. I have the Epistle of Barnabas among my ancient writings, so I went and read his writing again to see if he used that word. He didn’t. He used words like “brethren” and “saints.” Those are the two main words Paul used as well.
In the whole New Testament, only one disciple used the word “Christian” and that was in connection with persecution. I am talking about the “correct translations” of the Bible. One translation of the Bible uses the word “Christian” 333 times. Another translation uses the word “Christian” 133 times, but they are not translating correctly.
Peter was the only disciple that used that word. I remember being in a church service back in the late 70’s when someone read that verse from the Bible: “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” (1 Peter 4:16). When that verse was read, I could feel the Holy Spirit was trying to tell me something, but I couldn’t understand what he was trying to tell me. It took about 18 years before the Holy Spirit was eventually able to get through to my brain using the term: “All Saints Church.” If you have to look at things from the law of averages, the word “Christian” does not feature. So, let’s check out Peter.
Peter got beaten for believing that Jesus was the Christ. Here is what happened in Acts chapter 5:40-42: “and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” Jesus means Saviour, and Christ means Messiah.
Peter uses lots of words to describe the believers in Christ. Words like: strangers, elect, obedient children, brethren, newborn babes, lively stones, holy priesthood, chosen generation, royal priesthood, holy nation, peculiar people, the people of God, pilgrims, the servants of God, brotherhood, servants, sheep, the righteous, followers, Christian, house of God, righteous, good stewards, beloved, righteous, elders, the godly, beloved, beloved, beloved, beloved brother Paul, beloved. The only time he used the word “Christian” was in connection with persecution. Can you see the “light” here? Peter never said: ‘love the Christians’ he said: “Love the brotherhood.” I am not familiar with using that “brotherhood” word myself, but that is what is written in the scripture! (1 Peter 2:17).
I want to ask a question. Can speaking the word “Christian” be used as taking the Lord’s name in vain? The worldly people love taking the Lord’s name in vain. One day when I was driving taxi, my customer said: “Jesus f–king Christ.” I don’t believe that Jesus even had sex, although some people claim he had three wives, and a baby by Mary Magdalene, but I think that is all rubbish. People have no respect for the name of God or the name of Jesus or Christ. Lots of movie makers have their actors taking his name in vain as well. One day we all have to give an account of every idle word we speak. (Matthew 12:6). That is very serious.
Let’s examine the evidence. Jesus said: “that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.” (Matthew 18:16).
Witness number 1. Some unknown person or persons called them “Christians.” (Acts 11:26). That is not very reliable witnessing.
Witness number 2. King Agrippa did not believe in Jesus, and comes from a long line of murders. (Acts 26:28). He is not a very reliable witness either.
Witness number 3. Peter associates that name with persecution. In verse 13, he talks about being partakers of Christ’s sufferings. In verse 14, he talks about being reproached for the name of Christ. Then in verse 16 he talks about any man suffering as a Christian. (1 Peter 4:16). In his writing he mentions about 21 times other expressions for followers of Christ.
After writing this story, I went on-line to the Greek Interlinear Bible, and found that where the Bibles translate the word “Christian” in each of the verses, the word under the Greek word is “anointed-ian.” The way I see it in English, it should be translated: “anointed one.” In Matthew 24:5, in the Greek Interlinear it says: “anointed” and under it is written “Christ” in green ink. So maybe the word “Christ” shouldn’t even be there? I don’t understand Greek, so I am left with another question mark.
In Mark 16:17-18, Mark quotes Jesus as saying: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18. They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”
I remember some guy sharing once, a long time ago, that the Lord showed him in a vision that the semi-colon is in the wrong place. He said it should read like this: “These signs shall follow them that believe in my name; ………….”
I think Peter had the right formula at the Gate Beautiful when he said: “In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:6). Then a miracle took place. Paul used a different formula, and said we must thank the Father in “the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20). I said that prayer and got healed of cancer. My doctor said it was a miracle.
So beloved, we must use the Name of Jesus Christ in the right way to get the right results. Of course, I am only human, and I too can make mistakes, but am constantly seeking the Lord’s will and seeking for answers.
When I was a little boy we went to a church in Salisbury, Rhodesia, where they sang hundreds of choruses. This one has popped into my mind, and I hope I have the words right because it was about 70 years ago: “His name is the best name, the best name of them all. Jesus, blessed Saviour, at his pierced feet I fall. Healer, sanctifier, on the Living Christ I gladly call, for his name, is the best name. The best name of them all.”
I watched a video on the internet once, about a girl that Jesus took on a trip to hell, and she saw one of the popes there. She was so shocked, and she said to Jesus: “Why is he here, he is your servant?” Jesus replied: “Because he knew the truth, but wouldn’t speak it.” I saw that pope on TV praying to Mary. So I wrote to him asking how come he was praying to Mary. I got a letter back from the Vatican saying that I should go and see my local priest with my problem. All I needed was a couple of Bible verses. (Two or three witnesses). So I am trying to speak the truth in love. (Ephesians 4:15). God bless you all.
42. ARE YOU SAVED?
Once when I was singing with a band, the lady singer told me she that had been ‘confirmed.’ However, there is nothing in the Bible about being confirmed. In the Bible it talks about being saved. We all die at some time, but the most important thing is to be SAVED before we die. In the Bible, Jesus said that if we believe in him and are baptized, then we will be SAVED. (Mark 16:16). In some of the stories in the book of Acts, when people believed in Jesus Christ, they got baptized the same day! My mother told me that I was 8 years old when I received Jesus as my Saviour, but it was 5 years later that I was told I needed to get baptized! The preacher told us that baptism was a type of Christ dying and being raised from the dead. We get buried under the water, and rise to a new life. (Romans 6:4). Jesus talked about being born again. (John 3:3-8). So we start our new spiritual life as babies, and grow up to be like Jesus. (Ephesians 4:13). When Paul talks about the ‘old man’ he is referring to us before we got saved. (Romans 6:6, Ephesians 4:22, Colossians 3:9, 2 Corinthians 5:17). When we get saved we become a ‘new man.’ Maybe we should say ‘a new person.’ (Ephesians 4:24 and Colossians 3:10).
43. REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED
That seems to be the pattern in most of the stories in the book of the Acts of the Apostles. When Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, he told them to repent and be baptized, and that day about 3000 people believed and were baptized. (Acts 2:38-47) There are some exceptions to this rule, and one is found in Acts chapters 3 and 4. The lame man got healed at the gate Beautiful, and about 5000 people believed, but there was no baptism, because Peter and John got arrested and put in jail for the night. Then they faced the court case the next day.
Check out all the other stories in the book of Acts. In Acts chapter 8 we read of how Philip went to Samaria, and some people believed and got baptized, and also filled with the Holy Spirit. Then he was sent to the Ethiopian eunuch, who also believed and was baptized. In Acts 9 we read of Saul of Tarsus, who believed, got healed, filled with the Holy Spirit and baptized, all in the same day! In Acts 10, the Romans believed in Jesus and got filled with the Holy Spirit, so then Peter told them they must be baptized. In Paul’s journeys, there are many times when people believed but there is no mention of baptism, however in Acts 16, Lydia believed and she got baptized together with her household. Then Roman jailer asked Paul and Silas how he could get saved. They told him to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and he would be saved. Later on that night, he and his household got baptized. In Acts 19, when Paul went to Ephesus, he met some men there that believed in Jesus Christ and were baptized, and also filled with the Holy Spirit. So that seems to be the general pattern.
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44. FALLING OVER
Early this morning as I was lying in bed meditating, I remember back in about 1995, that we visited a church in North Riding, Johannesburg, because I had read that they had the Toronto blessing. A lady prayed for me there, and I felt a sensation coming up from my feet, and when it reached my stomach, I couldn’t stand anymore, and fell over backwards. If I can remember correctly, a man was there to catch me and lay me on the floor. Then the lady offered to pray for me again, and the same thing happened.
I wondered why it came up from the feet. I expected the anointing to flow from my head to my feet. Then sometime I remember reading that when Oral Roberts got healed, it was the same thing. I seem to remember reading that he was brought in on a stretcher to an evangelist’s tent meeting, and the anointing went from his feet up through his body, and he got healed of Tuberculosis and stuttering.
Then my mind went back to the mid 70’s when we were at a meeting in Cape Town. I went on the stage to help as a catcher at a meeting by Pastor Nipper. He came towards the person to pray, and before he even touched the person, the power of God hit so hard, that the person came flying back at me and I caught the person, but the force was so great that we both fell over. I can’t remember if the person was a man or a woman, but I experienced the power of God that flowed from Pastor Nipper’s ministry.
45. MARY, ELIZABETH, AND JOHN (THE BAPTIST)
Then my mind went back to the story of Mary and Elizabeth as found in the Bible in Luke chapter one. There are a lot of incredible things that happened in that chapter. When Mary greeted Elizabeth, the baby in Elizabeth jumped for joy, and Elizabeth got filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. She called Mary: ‘the mother of my Lord.’ It seems to me that the voice of Mary activated John in the womb. Then I got to thinking that Mary must have been filled with the Holy Spirit when she conceived Jesus inside of her. When baby John jumped, that activated Elizabeth.
The angel Gabriel had told Zechariah that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit right from his mother’s womb. It was the same angel Gabriel that was sent to minister to Mary. Then I got to thinking about what Jesus said about rivers of living water flowing from the belly. When these people got filled with the Holy Spirit, they prophesied. So there is something about the belly. I am still searching to try and find where Jesus was quoting from when he said that out of your belly will flow rivers of living water. (John 7:37-39). Jesus said that it is the Holy Spirit that makes people ‘come alive’ and that His words are Spirit and life. (John 6:63). The ‘come alive’ is my own interpretation from what I see in the Greek Interlinear.
Babies can hear before they are born. Elizabeth was six months pregnant with baby John, when he could hear Mary’s voice. Some people believe that it is okay to kill a baby before it is born, but God might think differently.