This is a follow up to the story called: “Wheelchair”
That night in church I shared with the people how the guy climbed out of his wheelchair and walked. To me, that was so exciting that I blurted out: “We can expect miracles!”
Apparently, that was my big sin. Notice this – I didn’t say that I could do miracles. One woman in the church took offence at what I said, and replied: “Only Jesus can do miracles!” Perhaps she didn’t hear clearly what I said, because I never said I could do miracles. I have never claimed to do miracles, or to heal the sick. Some people that I had prayed for in the past had been healed, but I give God the credit, not myself. I want to emphasize that point because she came against me as if I had claimed that I could do miracles. I know how weak and useless I am.
Jesus told his disciples: “Without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Jesus himself said: “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do:” (John 5:19) Again Jesus said: “I can of my own self do nothing:” (John 5:30)
The woman kept arguing and arguing, and eventually she said: “Jesus could do miracles because he was perfect.” I responded with this: “Jesus didn’t consider himself perfect” and quoted his words in Luke 13:32: “Behold, I cast out devils, and do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.” I suggested that Jesus was perfected on the cross.
In the Book of Hebrews, that is what is suggested there. “To make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” (Hebrews 2:10) Another two verses say this: “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him:” (Hebrews 5:8-9)
So the one word “Perfected” caused the big blow up in the church. I didn’t mean anything bad towards Jesus himself, I was quoting his own words. The leader of the church came against me and said that the King James Bible was “no good” and that the Greek Interlinear Bible was “wrong.” In South Africa I was told to use the King James Version, and was introduced to the Greek Interlinear New Testament. So although the two churches were supposed to be joined together, they didn’t believe the same!
For those people who like to fight about Bibles verses, I am going to throw this into the mix. That one word in the Gospel of Luke caused my problem, but remember this, Luke also wrote the Book of Acts.
Many years before that, I did a comic story of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus from Acts chapter 9, using the Revised Standard Version. (I do not possess a copy of the comic anymore). In verse 7 it said these words: “The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.”
Later on Paul gave his testimony in Jerusalem before the Jews and said: “And they that were with me …. heard not the voice of him that spake to me.” (Acts 22:9) (KJV)
When Paul spoke to King Agrippa he said: “And when we were all fallen to the earth,” (Acts 26:14) (KJV)
So, for those people who love to fight, let’s check what went on. Did the men with him all stand or did they all fall? Did the men with him all hear the voice of Jesus or didn’t they? You can fight and split churches on this issue. You can fight and split churches on a hundred and one stories in the Bible if you want to. Everybody believes whatever they want to believe, regardless of what is written in whatever translation they choose to believe in.
I personally like peace, but I believe very strongly in things that the Holy Spirit has taught me.
Jesus made this statement to his disciples: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14:26)
The Holy Spirit is a Comforter. Satan is the accuser. (Revelation 12:10) When you have peace in your heart, you will know it is the Holy Spirit. When you have turmoil, then it is probably Satan. We have authority to command Satan to leave us. I have been accused by lots of church people and by ministers of religion, and by leaders of churches.
Beloved, stay close to Jesus and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. One time Satan used Peter, and Jesus said to him: “Get thee behind me Satan.” (Matthew 16:23) (Mark 8:33) Satan used Job’s wife to try and get him to curse God. (Job 2:9) Satan will try and use any human to bring you down, and destroy you.
I have said this before, but I have found that whenever God blesses me, Satan attacks. When Paul cast a devil out of a fortune teller, Satan attacked. Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned, etc. (Acts 16) When Paul got a guy healed in Lystra, Satan attacked and he got stoned to death. (Acts 14)
It is the same pattern all the time. When you work for God, Satan gets angry and will try to destroy you. But they overcame the devil by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. (Revelation 12:11)
To cut a long story short, I resigned from the church, and later on I got a letter from the head office in the USA to say my ministry had been revoked. I took it as a joke at the time, because the church didn’t give me my ministry, Jesus did. I was in the ministry before I joined the church. I joined the church because the South Africa government had me on a 6 month temporary visa, and I thought that if I join a church that the government would give me permanent residence. My home country Rhodesia was going through terrorist warfare, and they kept calling my mother wanting me to go and fight for the country. I didn’t want to fight and kill anyone, I was trying to save souls.
However, I joined a church and was forced to study theology and become a minister of religion. The government still kept me on a 6 month visa. There came a time that I got scared, and applied to come to Canada. Just before leaving South Africa, the government gave me permanent residence, but it was too late to change plans. Everything went wrong in Canada, and we went back to South Africa.
The church in South Africa couldn’t accept me back until they heard from the church in America. They put me on probation, but it was never lifted, so I couldn’t get a job working for the Lord. We came back to Canada, and my desire was to work for God in America, but it never worked out. So in between things I have had lots of different jobs.
My burden is still to try and reach the whole world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is why I now do web sites. Jesus told his disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15)
Beloved, try and do your part in getting people saved. It is the responsibility of every believer to spread the gospel in whatever way we can. Eternity is forever. God doesn’t want anyone to perish. (2 Peter 3:9 ) He wants us all to have eternal life. May the Lord be with you all.
PS
The other day when I looked at the word “perfected” in the New King James Version, there was a footnote that said: “resurrected.”
It is amazing how one word can cause so much trouble. However, I am reminded that when we were in England on the way to Canada, that my wife had a vision, and she said she saw the leader of the church come against me. When we arrived at the airport in Toronto, the leader of the church came to pick us up. From a distance, as we were pulling out suitcases towards his car, my wife said: “That is the man I saw in my vision!” My heart just sank. I don’t like any trouble. I thought if I don’t believe it, then it won’t happen, but it happened anyway. So I just have to believe that all things work together for good. (Romans 8:28)
Actually, as I was in the park early this morning talking to the Lord, I was asking him to heal me. I thought of years ago when I had cancer, I prayed a prayer in that same park thanking the Lord for everything that had happened in my life, and I got healed of cancer! My doctor said it was a miracle.
So I am back to square one again, accepting that everything that has happened in my life is God’s will for my life. When I prayed that prayer in the park early this morning, it was then that I thought I should write this story, to try and get the churches of the world right. None of us are perfect. We all have to try and believe right, and do right. Amen.
PPS
There is another spin off to this story. The leader of the church said my Bible was “no good” so since then I have been trying to find the “right Bible.” That is going to be a big story for the future.
PPPS
There is also another spin off to this story.