Books Written By Dr. Johnson Cherian MD. PhD.

Water Baptism For Believers (7 Baptisms Explained)

2009-02-10T04:40:00.000-08:00

If you read the New Testament of the Bible it speaks of 7 Baptisms:
1)Baptism into Moses
2)John’s Baptism
3)Baptism by the Holy Spirit into Jesus Christ & into his Body
4)Water Baptism for Believers
5)Baptism with the Holy Sprit and with Fire
6)Baptism in Suffering
7)Baptism for the Dead

Since there is confusion among believers regarding some of these baptisms, I have ventured to do a small study of these 7 Baptisms and put them in simplified form for easy understanding and application in life wherever it is needed.
Please read the pages of this study with an open heart keeping man-made doctrines aside for a while and the Holy Spirit will guide you into the truth.7 Baptisms have been described in this booklet. For more on Holy Spirit baptism refer to my booklet “Baptism in the Holy Spirit”
“Water Baptism for believers”or “Believer’s Baptism in water”is the topic of much discussion & argument. You can read about this first and then go through the description of the other Baptisms. This is just a personal study of what the Bible says. It’s my prayer that many may benefit from this study.
May the Lord Jesus richly bless you.

Water Baptism for Believers or Believer’s Baptism in water
This is very important because the New Testment speaks in very much detail about this subject. If it was unimportant there would have been only a passing reference of it here or there but that is not the case. Let’s study the topic together.If you have any doubts you can stop ay any point and check your Bible and then continue.

1)Water Baptism for Believers :Baptism after Believing in Jesus

There is hardly any passage/verse in the New Testament which speaks of a person taking water baptism before believing in Jesus Christ. The Bible does not advocate it.
“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”(Mark 16:16)
“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do? Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”(Acts 2:36-38 )
“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”(Acts 2:41)
“But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.”(Acts 8:12)
“Have you been water baptized after believing in Jesus?”

2)Water Baptism for Believers:Commanded by Jesus Christ“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”(Mathew 28:18-20)
Although “Water Baptism of the Believer”is considered a trivial act by some ,the fact is just the opposite .It is a public proclamation of faith in Jesus Christ .
Remember what we read in Colossians 2:15
“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
It’s not only a proclamation to people around us, but also denouncing Satan publicly that we believe in the one and only One who made a public spectacle of Satan and his evil armies by the victory on the cross.
So to uplift the name of Jesus you should be baptized in water after you receive Christ as your Saviour”

3)Water Baptism for Believers : An act of obedience
“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”(Mark 16.16)
Some say that this part of Mark (16: 9-20) has been added to the Bible and that it was not part of the early manuscripts.Well if it’s still there in your Bible it’s genuine for God the Holy Sprit wouldn’t put any unwanted material in God’s Book.
And if it’s still there in your Bible it’s better to obey than to reject. God loves obedient children. Before God pronounces most of his blessings in his Word he always commands obedience.
“If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God.”(Deuteronomy 28:1)
You can check your life to see if some blessing that you desire has still not come your way because of your reluctance to obey God’s Word in taking water baptism after believing in Jesus Christ.
“Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”(John14:23,24)
God wants to have a closer fellowship with you dear Brother, dear Sister So obey him in water baptism if you have still not.

4)Water Baptism for Believers:Apostolic doctrine for New Testament Church“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do? Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”(Acts 2:36-38 )
Peter preached at Pentecost,”Repent and be Baptized”and we read ““Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”( Acts 2:41 )
It’s those who accepted the Word who were baptized ; those who could not understand or accept it with faith were not baptized AND so it should be even today.
This was same even in Samaria where Philip preached,
“But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.”(Acts 8:12)
Also we read of certain disciples who were ignorant during Paul’s time too.
“While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”“John’s baptism,”they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.”(Acts 19:1-6)
Is ignorance regarding the Word of God hindering any blessing in your life? Have you been following man made doctrines all along? Search the Word of God-the Bible that is with you and the Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth.

5)Water Baptism for Believers: Pledge of a good conscience “ For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God.”(1 Peter 3:18-21)
8 people were saved in the ark Noah built on God’s command ; very few when compared to the great population on earth then .Peter says they were saved through water and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves us, not the removal of dirt from the body (sinful nature) but the pledge of a good conscience towards God
In all major game competitions like the Olympics, a pledge is taken by a representative for all the players involved .This is an outward symbol that each player would take part in the games in the right spirit and play fairly according to the rules
The flood symbolizes baptism & baptism symbolizes salvation .Baptism is a symbol of salvation in that it depicts Christ death, burial & resurrection and our identification with him in these experiences. (Romans 6:4).
In reality ,believer’s are saved by what baptism symbolizes : Christ’s death and resurrection .The act of baptism is a commitment on the part of the believer in all good conscience to make sure that what baptism symbolizes will become a reality in his /her life.
Have you pledged a good conscience toward God by being baptized? if not : “Now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’”(Acts 22:16)

6)Water Baptism for Believers:Outward profession of faith in Jesus Christ
Baptism is the outward sign of an inward work of grace.The Bible says,
“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.”(Romans 6:3-5)
There verse give a clue to the “how”of water Baptism .It’s says, “buried with him through baptism”.That means totally immersing the person being baptized into the water indicating the death, burial & resurrection of Jesus Christ.(The going down into the water indicating the death on the cross, the immersion part indicating the burial and the coming out part indicating the resurrection )
The word Baptize comes from the Greek word baptizein which means to immerse; baptize, substituted for earlier baptein, to dip (used in post-classical Gr chiefly in sense “to dip in dye”)
Also concentrate on this passage in (Acts 8:35-39)
“Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized? And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.”
Here both baptizer & the person being baptized go down into the water; then the person is baptized.
Now let’s concentrate on 2 passages that causes rifts as to who can & who cannot be baptized.
“At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.”(Acts 16:33-34)
“Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.”(Acts 18:7-8)
In both these verses we read of whole households believing in Christ and the jailer and his family being baptized.
There should be no controversy as such; if children have knowledge and are at an age where they can consciously accept Jesus Christ as Saviour & Lord by understanding his work on the cross they can be baptized. But that leaves out infants & small children whose mental faculties are yet to develop. Infants & small children are innocent and they are justified and righteous in God’s sight.
Accepting Jesus is an act faith which one has to do by oneself & not by force or external pressure from friend or family members.
Children brought up in the right knowledge of the truth of the Gospel respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and when He thinks it is the right time, then by faith they come forward to accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord .

7)Water Baptism for Believers: Fulfilling all righteousness
There are a few instances in the New Testament where believers received the baptism with Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues before they were baptized in water.
“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said,”Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.”(Acts 10:44-48)
Being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues does not mean that one does not have to take water baptism.
It’s very clear in the above verses that Peter saw it right to baptize in water people who had received the Holy Spirit baptism & were speaking in tongues
Some say that these people were baptized because they were originally gentiles and not Jews.
Look at Saul of Tarsus who was a Jew;Jesus struck him down & he became blind ; for 3 days he neither ate nor drank anything.
Then in Acts 9:17-19 we read
“Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord-Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here-has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.”
Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit , received his sight and then he got up and was baptized in water.
Jesus the son of God need not have been baptized in water by John yet he wanted to fulfill all righteousness so he went down into the water and submitted to His heavenly Father’s will.

8)Water Baptism for Believers : An act of faith
In Colossians 2:11,12 we read
“In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.”
Water baptism is an act of faith (in the power of god) on the part of the person taking water baptism, wherein one declares that God will also raise us up as He raised up Jesus from the dead.

So water baptism after one accepts Jesus Christ as Saviour is a must for the following reasons:
1) It is the Lord’s command (Mathew 28:18-20)
2) It is an act of being obedient to God (Mark 16:16)
3) It is an Apostolic Doctrine for the New Testament Church (Acts 2:36-38,41)
4) It is a pledge of a good conscience (1 Peter 3:18 -22)
5) It is a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ &his victory over Satan(Romans 6:3-5)
6) Its is fulfilling all righteousness ( Acts 10:44-48) (Mathew 3 13-17)
7) It is an act of faith (Colossians 2:11-12)

Baptism into Moses
The apostle Paul while writing to the believers in Corinth, reminds them of some very important Old Testament truths.
We read in 1 Corithians 10:1-5,
“For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.”
After the Lord had delivered the Israelites from 430 years of Egyptian bondage, when they journeyed through the wilderness to the promised land Canaan, God was with them as a pillar of cloud during the daytime and a pillar of fire during the nights .The pillar of cloud was over them guiding them along for 40 years.The Lord split the Red sea for them and led them through the sea on dry land. God destroyed Pharoah and his armies that chased the Israelites by drowning them in the Red sea.
15-20 lakh people submitted to Moses and did what he said, crossing the Red sea and living and travelling under the cloud .
No one objected to walking through the sea or following the cloud (God’s guidance).
In verse 3& 4 we read,
“They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.”
The Israelites who were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink from the spiritual rock Christ who accompanied them. Miraculously for 40 years they were fed by God with the bread of angels (manna) and they drank water from the smitten rock too.
Now observe verse 5:
“Nevertheless,God was not pleased with most of them ; their bodies were scattered over the desert.”
Do you know why God was not pleased with them ?
Do you now why their bodies were scattered in the desert ?
Do you know why most of them did not enter the promised land ?
Because they sinned against God and paid the price for it .1 Corinthians 10:6-10 describes the sins that the Israelites did in the wilderness:
Idolatory, pagan revelry, sexual immorality, testing the Lord and grumbling.
The Lord’s anger burned fierce against them because of these sins and many were destroyed. Except Joshua and Caleb, no one over 20 years of age entered the promised land of Canaan.
Kindly note-After escaping from Egypt,all these people were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea .But they were destroyed by God because they rebelled against him. Paul warns the Corithian believers that these things happened to the Israelites as examples and were written down as warnings for them .(1 Corithians 10:11) and he cautions them that they may not be overconfident of their spirituality and fall from grace.

John’s Baptism
John was a forerunner to Jesus Christ and his earthly ministry. He came to prepare the way for the Master. He preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. W e read in Mark 1:4,5
“And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.”
John rebuked the crowds and called them broods of vipers (Luke 3:7) and told them the plain fact that being baptized was not enough; they were to produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
He told them that self righteousness had no value and that judgement would come on all who did not produce any fruit.
Amazingly we read that Jesus too came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”(Mathew 3: 13-17)
Jesus was holy, without sin and didn’t need to take this baptism of repentance, yet in his own words we read he had come to be baptized to fulfill all righteousness (verse 15)
This was very important because after Jesus was baptized and he went up out of the water, heaven was opened and John saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. John was waiting for this sign all the while that he baptized people for repentance of their sins because he had been told by God that “ the man on whom you see the spirit come down and remains is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit “(John 1:33).
In verse 31 of John Chapter 1 we read John saying this- “ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
John’s message to the people was clear “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance or judgement will come on you.”

Baptism by the Holy Spirit into Jesus Christ and into his Body
The “one baptism”of Ephesians 4:4-6(5) refers to this baptism.
“There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
This is the 1st baptism a person undergoes when he comes to the knowledge of salvation through Jesus Christ and accepts Jesus as his/her saviour on the basis of Romans 10:9,10
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
If we read the verses 4-6 of Ephesians chapter 4 carefully we can understand some great truths
Firstly it speaks of “One Body”
“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”(Ephesians 1:22,23)
The “one body”is not a denomination or few denominations, but the true church which is Christ’s body [all who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and are doing the will of God. ( 1 John 2:17)
Secondly it speaks of “One Spirit”
1 Corithians 12:13 explains this: “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”
The Holy spirit is the one who baptizes a person into the “one body”or “true church”or “Christ’s body”at the time of accepting Jesus Christ as Lord And Saviour
Thirdly it speaks of “One Lord”
Essential to every Christian is the confession that there is only one Lord.
Only “one lord”means that Jesus Christ’s work of redemption is perfect and sufficient and no other person can give eternal life other than him.Also “one lord”means that there is no other alternative or authority higher than Christ (either secular/religious)
Fourthly it speaks of “One Hope”
The blessed hope for which every Christian should long is “the glorious appearing of our great God And Saviour Jesus Christ “ and our union with him for eternity. (Titus 2:13) (Titus 1:2)
Fifthly it speaks of “One Faith”
One faith here refers to us not witnessing the crucifixion, death , burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ yet believing the same and waiting for His return and our gathering to Him by believing His Word which says so .
Sixthly it speaks of “One Baptism”
This “one baptism”is the baptism of all who accept Jesus as the Lord and Saviour by the Holy Spirit into Jesus Christ and into his spiritual body.
Seventhly it speaks of “One God and Father of all”
This term is self explanatory: Omnipotent , Omniscient, Omnipresent God.
Now lets concentrate on another verse: “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”(Galathians 3:26,27)
It says that all of us who are baptized into Christ have (or are to )clothe ourselves with Christ.
What does that mean?
It simply means to have “the attitude of Christ”
Philippians 2:5-8,Romans 13:14,Colosians 3:12 and 1 Peter 5:5 can edequately describe this.
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross!”(Philippians 2:5-8)
“Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”(Romans 13:14)
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12)
“All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”(1 Peter 5:5)
It is God’s will that all mankind be baptized by the Holy Spirit into Jesus Christ and into his body. Not only that but all who are baptized into Christ should clothe themselves with Christ.

Baptism with the Holy spirit and with Fire
John the Baptist emphasized this baptism in his preachings. Even Jesus before his ascension after the resurrection told his disciples of this .The following verses indicate the Baptism with the Holy Spirit that was to come and finally did come at Pentecost.
“For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”( Acts 1:5)
“The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ( Luke 3:15,16)
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”(Acts 2:1-4)
The “with fire”part in Luke 3:15,16 indicates the “authority”that comes with the “anointing”. Bible scholars are divided over the “with fire”part of the statement by John the Baptist.Some say it refers to the “judgement”that would come upon those who would not repent of their sins despite knowing the truth .They say”with fire”refers to judgemental fire (fire of hell) because in the very next verse of the passage in Luke 3:15,16 John continues by saying “His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”(Luke 3:17)
This need not be true because in this passage John indicates that the baptism with the holy spirit and “with fire”go together.
Perhaps Psalm 104:4 can shed some light,
“He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.”
Here the servants of God (His ministers) are compared to flames of fire .The coming of the anointing makes them powerful to withstand and destroy the schemes of the wicked one.
Some also say that the “with fire”part refers to the passage in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15:
“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”
It is doubtful that this fire is the ‘with fire”that John the Baptist meant.
Perhaps the “with fire”part can also be the power of the Word of God that can achieve great things (healings , miracles, deliverances) when it is ministered/spoken with faith by God’s servants.
A clue to that is Jeremiah 23:29 which declares,
“ Is not my word like fire,”declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”
In 1 Thessalonians 5:19 we read.
“Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.”
The apostle paul indicates here that one can put out the Spirit’s fire with the rejection of the Holy Spirit’s supernatural manifestations such as miracles, healings and prophecies. Rejecting the gifts of the Holy Spirit can result in the loss of any of supernatural manifestations of his divine work too.
“Baptism with the Holy spirit and with fire”then would most probably mean the authority to perform supernatural manifestations as one is led by the Spirit of God.
This includes supernatural healings and deliverances, prophecies and miraculous intervention brought about by the Lord Jesus when faith is exercised.
For more on Holy Spirit Baptism refer to my booklet “Baptism in the Holy Spirit”
Baptism in Suffering
This is what Jesus underwent on the cross and before that when he was rejected by his own people . In Luke 12:50 we read Jesus saying,
“But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed.”
Jesus wanted to get over with the plan that God the Father had sent him to earth for.He knew he had to suffer the painful torture both physically and mentally and only then he could get victory .And he did just that.
Compared to what believers suffer, the sufferings of Christ was horrendous because he was carrying on himself the sins, pains, curses, sicknesses, rejection and weakness of the whole mankind.
A few years back I suffered from a problem in my chest for about 4-6 months. It was a bad time of suffering and one night I complained bitterly to the Lord.
In reply he showed a vision of the cross and Him on it and then asked me “It’s not as bad as this ,is it?”
No! Definitely not! I replied and took solace in the fact that the Lord had suffered worse.Finally I received healing but only by His stripes.
In another passage of Mark chapter 10 we read of Jesus telling his 2 disciples of certain future realities.
“Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,”they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”“What do you want me to do for you?”he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”“You don’t know what you are asking,”Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
“We can,”they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with.”(Mark 10:35-39)
John the Apostle whom Jesus loved dearly had to suffer on the island of Patmos for his faith and testimony. (Revelation 1:9)
James his brother was killed by Herod for his faith. (Acts 12:2)
They both truly did undergo the Baptism in suffering that they and Jesus said they would.

Baptism for the dead
“Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?” (1 Corinthians 15:29)
At Corinth people were at that time (when apostle Paul wrote this epistle) being baptized for the dead. But because Paul does not give any more information about the practice, many attempts have been made to interpret the concept. Three of these are: 1. Living believers were being baptized for believers who died before they were baptized, so that they too, in a sense, would not miss out on baptism.2. Christians were being baptized in anticipation of the resurrection of the dead. 3. New converts were being baptized to fill the ranks of Christians who had died. Paul only mentions this custom almost in passing, using it in his arguments substantiating the resurrection of the dead, but without necessarily approving the practice.
It is a law of scripture that every doctrine must be proved by 2 o r 3 scriptures (2 Corinthians 13;Deuteronomy 19:15-18) but this verse is the only one casually mentioning the subject.The Corinthians were in many errors and heresies (1 Corinthians 11:19).Baptism for the dead was only one of them.There is no command or example of baptism for the dead in scripture.Salvation is a personal matter and cannot be obtained by proxy.Baptism in water does not save a living man who repents and meets the gospel conditions of salvation.Therefore it could not save a dead man who did not meet the conditions for being saved while he was alive.The apostle Paul here is showing the inconsistency of false teachers at Corinth in denying the doctrine of the resurrection and yet accepting the fallacy of baptism for the dead.

Conclusion
Water Baptism by itself does not guarantee a place for the believer in heaven. In other words one does not take water baptism to go to heaven.
The Bible says,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast”(Ephesians 2:8,9)
But that doesn’t mean one should not take water Baptism. Water Baptism is taken by the believer for reasons already mentioned in this booklet. It’s a must. Some say, “Let God speak to me directly, then I’ll submit to this. He has spoken about it clearly in His Word. Perhaps He has been speaking but they are not hearing.
Let me give you an example.
One day as I travelled to my clinic in my car, I heard the still small voice of God telling me, “Sir has not taken Water Baptism yet.”Very unusual I thought because I hadn’t been thinking about that man or praying for him. God was referring to a man who left his vocation in teaching and administration to serve God. He is a good believer working for the Lord in his capacity; often I had been telling him for the past 2 years that Water Baptism is important and that he should take it. And now the still small voice tells me “Sir has not taken water baptism yet”
I parked my car and walked to the clinic; got busy with seeing my patients. After I had seen a few, guess who walked in? “Sir & his Wife.”After exchanging pleasanteries I asked him why he had come. And he said, “Doctor, did you forget? You told me to come here today. I was surprised. I asked him. “When did I ask you to come?”“Yesterday Night”he said.
“But I didn’t meet you yesterday night.”I replied smiling. “Well, I called you at 8.00 p. m. and you told me that I can come and meet you today at 10.00 a. m.””. It couldn’t have been. I was preaching at another place yesterday at 8.00 p. m. “But that’s impossible! I called you at home and you gave me an appointment today.
“Sir! I came home at around 10.00 p. m. yesterday and there were no phone calls after I had left home according to the servant of whom I enquired when I came back. “Look! He said; Isn’t this your number? You gave it to me three months back when I saw you last. When I saw the number, I immediately knew what this was all about. The number that he showed was of my phone which I had already cancelled and given back to the exchange. This was an astounding miracle that God had done just to bring this man once again to me so that I tell him to get Water Baptized. Sure, he must have dialled the number that he had. But perhaps God or his angel answered him on the phone and said “Come tomorrow, 10.00 a.m.”I laughed and told him the thing that God had spoken to me while I travelled to the clinic that morning. God’s voice being very clear “Sir has not taken Water Baptism yet”
He and his wife listened very intently as I once again spoke to them about Water Baptism; They left after a while astounded at what had happened. But the tradedy of it all
I met this man after about 3 months and while conversing I asked him, “Sir, so did you finally take Water Baptism?”
“No he said, God has yet to speak to me about it”.
Jesus once said, “In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving”(Matthew 13:14)
It is my prayer that you who read this booklet will obey the Lord and take Water Baptism after accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.
If you have already taken Water Baptism, kindly give this booklet to someone who has not yet understood the importance of “Water Baptism for Believers”so that he/she may take a decision and do the Lord’s will.
“Praise the Lord”

Rapture

2009-02-10T02:54:00.000-08:00

In the year 1994, one night I had a dream. In the dream, I am walking along with a very close friend of mine on the road near my clinic. Nothing spectacular happening. The usual buzz of people going about their businesses and traffic plying by. We seemed to be discussing some recent events in our lives, enjoying the good sunny weather as we walked along. We both had umbrellas to shield us from the slight drizzle that ensued. Suddenly it started getting dark. Still walking along we did not seem to be disturbed by the rain as it was very mild;but the darkness seemed to be getting worse. A very strange fear gripped me as the darkness increased. My steps faltered. I told my friend,”I feel something terrible is going to happen.””I can’t go any further.”My friend ressured me,”Why do you worry?The Lord is with us.”The darkness not only increased but there were lightnings and thunders. Never in my lifetime had I heard such thunders. It was terrible. It almost seemed to break my back. My friends’ poise renewed my inner being. He said,”Come, let’s praise the Lord. No evil will befall us. The lightnings were now striking very near us.”Despite the terrifying atmosphere, we started praising the Lord whole-heartedly and took giant strides forward.”Praise The Lord, Praise The Lord”we shouted in unison.
And then it happened. In a flash, in the twinkling of a eye, a huge lightning came right upto us and sucked us up into the skies. As we ascended into the skies, unspeakable joy filled our hearts. We were still praising the Lord. And there the dream ended.

If you saw a dream like that , what would you make of it?What would be your interpretation? That dream made me think a lot and I delved deeply into the scriptures to find it’s meaning. I found that the Lord Jesus Christ has a unique plan for my life and hopefully as you leaf through the pages of this book you will discover that He has a unique plan for your life too. So read on and may the Lord richly bless you.

Now, very carefully read the following passages from the Holy bible.
“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”(1 Corinthians 15:51-54)

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”(1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17)

These are the two most significant passages from the Holy Bible that speak of an event called “Rapture”. This word brings indescribable hope and joy to some and confusion to others. Rapture should be nothing less than the ultimate blessed hope and eager expectation of every true Christian. It is what the early church longed for and through the centuries has continued to be the hope of many who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. In God’s Word it was the Apostle Paul who explains the Rapture to us. He describes it as a “Mystery.”(1 Corinthians 15:51-53) The word in the original Greek is ‘Mysterion’ which meant he was revealing a new truth, not known before.

The word ‘Rapture’ does not appear in the English Bible. The word “rapture”is derived from the Latin word “raptu”, which means “caught away or caught up.”This Latin word is equivalent to the Greek “harpazo”translated as “caught up”in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. This event, described here and in 1 Corinthians 15, refers to the catching up of the church from the earth to meet the Lord in the air. It involves only the faithful of Christ’s churches. It literally means that when it is the Lord’s time, He will take born again believers away from this earth to be with him forever while the earth enters a phase of terrible persecution and judgement called the “Tribulation”.

The timing of the Rapture has long been the subject of much debate among Christians. When the Rapture will occur is NOT the most important issue. Knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and being ready WHENEVER it may occur is what is most important.

The different timings of the Rapture as argued by different Bible scholars are
PreTribulation- Where Christ will Rapture the church BEFORE the Tribulation begins. This event is imminent and is the next major event on God’s calender for earth.
MidTribulation- Where Christ will Rapture the church at the MID-POINT of the Tribulation. This is not possible because the tribulation is caused by the absence of the church. Midtribulation theory also violates the scripture in regard to the surprise element-the imminency of His return.
PostTribulation- Where Christ will Rapture the church at the END of the Tribulation. Not only is this contrary to scripture but is an impossible event; no one would be left to be raptured. From Revelation 13:15, we know that the existence of believers on earth by that stage becomes an impossibility.
“He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.“
Just prior to the rapture, as Christ is descending from heaven for his church, the resurrection of the “dead in Christ”will occur (1 Thessalonians 4:16). This is not the same resurrection described in Revelation 20:4, for the latter is an event occurring after Christ returns to earth, destroys the wicked and binds Satan (Revelation19:11-20:3). The resurrection in Revelation 20:4 relates to the martyred dead of the tribulation and possibly to old testament saints.
At the same time as the dead in Christ rise, living believers will be transfigured; their bodies will be clothed with immortality (1 Corinthians 15:51, 53). This will happen in a very short time, “in the twinkling of an eye”(1 Corinthians 15:52).
Both the resurrected believers and the transfigured believers will be caught up together to meet Christ in the air, i. e. , in the atmosphere between earth and heaven.
They will be visibly united with Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), taken to his Father’s house in heaven and united with loved ones who have died (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
They will be removed from all distress (2 Corinthians 5:2, 4; Phillipians 3:21), from all persecution and oppression , from the entire realm of sin and from death (1 Corinthians 15:51-56); the rapture delivers them from “the coming wrath”i. e. from the great tribulation.
The hope that our Savior will soon return to take us out of the world to “be with the Lord forever”is the blessed hope of all the redeemed (Titus 2:13). It is a major source of comfort for suffering believers.
Paul uses “we” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 because he knows the Lord’s return could have happened in his own lifetime, and he communicates this same anticipation to the Thessalonians. The Bible insists on a continual waiting with eagerness for the return of our Lord. Believers today must be ever watchful and hopeful for Christ’s return to take them to himself. The portion of the professing church that fails to abstain from evil and is unfaithful to Christ will be left behind. They will remain as part of the apostate church. Following the rapture is the day of the Lord, a time that brings distress and wrath to the ungodly (1 Thessalonians 5:2-10).
That will be followed by the second stage of Christ’s coming, when he comes to destroy the ungodly and to reign on earth.

As a proof of this, here is a dream that a man named Ken Peter saw sometime ago.
He was not a born-again, spirit-filled Christian at the time of the dream, nor was he a biblical scholar, but he knew the dream was from God!At the time of this dream he was a sinner, rebellious of God’s ways with no desire to serve or follow any Christian doctrine.
He was a semi-practicing Roman Catholic, but did so out of obligation to family traditions. Being Irish and Portuguese, he was obligated to follow family beliefs or be disowned by all loved ones. He at no time did ask for, or seek any dream. He was just living his usual worldly life. One night as he slept he saw this dream:

The Dead in Christ Rise First. TV & Radio shut down for several Weeks.
The dream began with an extremely loud noise. He saw the dead in Christ rise from their graves. [1Thessalonians 4:16] He saw people instantly come out of their graves. They were dressed in glimmering, glowing white clothing. Then they instantly vanished.
This created mass hysteria, pandemonium, despair and chaos permeating all of the worldly society. In the dream he could supernaturally see many regions of the earth and this chaos filled the whole planet.
Everyone wanted to know what happened and where did the people go that came out of the graves and in the air?
Absolute hopelessness was in every heart, people were totally perplexed. The whole world was in absolute disarray. Television and radio communications were completely shut down for several weeks.
TV & Radio return: Antichrist promoting world citizenship 12-14 hours/day.
He walked the streets in shock. Everywhere there was absolute fear and lawlessness. Looting and murdering everywhere. After several weeks, television and radio communications began to slowly come back on line; however, all radio and television broadcasts were of the same man promoting a “New Government and Leadership”.
This new man, whom he believes was the Antichrist, was emerging to lead everyone.
This man, with olive skin and dark hair, spoke with great eloquence and charisma. He was soothing and promised answers to all the problems. This man was smooth and extremely convincing ;he was a master communicator.
He explained how this removal of people was God’s judgment upon them.
He began to communicate through large, flat screen televisions strategically placed nearly everywhere. Everywhere Ken looked, radios and televisions on all channels and frequencies broadcast his speeches. That is all there was on all radio and television channels; twelve to fourteen hours a day. This man (antichrist) was immediately accepted by almost all people.
He gave new directions for the whole world. He spoke of the “new times” upon them as human beings, new directives for global peace and the need to give up current citizenship for “world citizenship”. This man constantly spoke of “World Order” and the benefits of all men dwelling together in peace. This alarmed Ken when he thought of relinquishing his US citizenship, He was not convinced of this man’s “New Order”. People around the globe in staggering rates accepted his new plan.
Ken was amazed to see how quickly and without resistance people surrendered their rights. He became depressed. How could this be? Was this the so-called “End of the World”? he wondered.
Searching for Answers leads to accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord & Savior.
Nearly hopeless, He began to search for answers. While walking the streets one day, he met an elderly gentleman. Everyone else was in despair but this man was friendly looking. Ken asked him if he knew what was going on in the world?
He told Ken the end was coming and that he had not prepared for the time of the Lord. At this statement sadness filled his countenance. He told him that he had not been right with the Lord and began to tell Ken of God’s plan for man’s salvation. He carefully pulled a small Bible from his back pocket and began to show Ken scriptures revealing his need for a Savior. His heart began to fill with joy as he asked Jesus Christ to forgive him for his sinful ways.
This man had a small following of others who had accepted the message of Jesus Christ. Even though they were a small group, they began to make significant progress in spreading the gospel and meeting the physical needs of others.
Their spreading the gospel seemed to work out in the most unusual ways. They could tell God was with them. This small band of Jesus followers had faith.
Worldwide Earthquake kills millions of people.
One day a great earthquake shook the whole earth with extreme magnitude. Millions of people were killed and the whole world was stunned by the devastation and loss of property and life. Ken saw a tall triangular building with a glass exterior fall and kill two hundred people. Ken says that this building was not in existence when he had this dream, but it is now in the very place he saw it fall. The earthquake was worldwide and he had never heard of such an event reaching global proportions.
Weather chaotic: Crops perish, Droughts, Famines, Pestilence.
The weather completely changed. He saw winter weather in the summertime, summer weather in the winter. Winter became summer and summer became winter. No one could predict weather patterns. All weather forecasts proved useless, it was as though the weather now had its own mind. Crops perished. Droughts brought famines and deaths. Deaths brought global pestilence.
Local Police replaced by World Military Police.
Local police departments were replaced with world military police. They drove very unusual looking vehicles. The men that were in them were dressed in all black uniforms with powder blue helmets.
Military Police & TV Sets track and monitor Everyone & Everything.
The new leader and his laws were not resisted. There were no longer any elected officials. The Constitution was not the law of the land. It was shocking how easily every Constitution was replaced with a peaceful “martial law”. There was no privacy. Military police were everywhere, tracking and monitoring everyone and everything. All were totally monitored and tracked. As time passed Ken and other Christians with him came to realize that their television sets not only broadcast to them but also transmitted signals back to the military about their whereabouts. Television continually explained to them that they were now being saved from all their troubles by aligning themselves with this “New Order”. The “New Order” was said to have all the answers to everyone’s problems. This new leadership was necessary to bring change, to finally bring in the “New Order” of envisioned global peace.
For a while, many “Christians” return to Jesus Christ in total surrender.
Ken’s work with the “Evangelist man” continued to increase. Many so-called “Christians” were being changed by the power of the Gospel this man taught. These backslidden Christians explained how they had once had a relationship with Jesus but became cold in their faith and fell away from a life of holy, passionate, pursuit of God.]

Avoid getting the Mark, Regardless of the Consequences!
One day a man approached Ken and told him that he should get his identification mark. He told Ken they could no longer conduct business transactions without this identification mark on their right hand or forehead. It looked like the sun with a hand in the middle. Flames could be seen coming out from it. It was about the size of a nickel and was located in the web of the right hand between the thumb and first finger. He encouraged Ken to get his identification mark to avoid the hassle. At that very instant a very strong impression came to Ken, emphatically telling him not to get this mark under any circumstances. His mind began to hear a word directly from Revelation 13:16-18.
“He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.”

This was to his utter amazement, seeing that he had never read the scriptures nor had heard of such an identification mark. The New Order began to recommend people to get their identification mark. They sold the idea to the people much the same way the idea of using checks and credit cards convinced the public of their value. Soon pressure was increased to the point that you could not buy or sell without this mark of identification.

The voice of the Lord tells Ken not to return to his home.
More words rang in his mind, this time from Matthew 24:15-22
“So when you see standing in the holy place `the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel let the reader understand then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”
Ken knew the end was coming fast and he needed to get to his wife. A strong internal voice was trying to lead him along. A voice kept telling him not to return to his home but he ran to his home to check on his wife. When he arrived shock and fear overwhelmed him. He began to understand what was happening on the earth. He reached for the door knob, and saw the door lock had been replaced with new locks. His privacy was totally violated. He was locked out of his own home.
Again a voice spoke to him saying, “Don’t open the door.” He did not recognize the voice of God. In fear, He opened the door and was greeted by a devilish, sinister looking being. It was a demon. He screamed in great fear and shut the door.
The dream ended here and he woke up terrified at what he had just seen. Petrified and paralyzed from fear, he found himself lying in a pool of sweat, drenched from the agony of what he had seen. It was three o’clock in the morning and he was in anguish. He woke his wife looking for solace, but she said it was just a nightmare and told him to go back to sleep. He knew God was trying to tell him something, but he didn’t know why? He got up and began to pace the floor of his living room but peace was not to be found. He was impressed to read the Bible. Finally after a lot of searching he found one and began to read the book of Revelation.

Dread, Suicides, Nations loose sovereignty, Evil pervades, Spiritual Darkness.
As soon as he fell asleep, the dream began again exactly where it stopped. Once again he was facing the sinister being. He was gripped with tremendous fear and ran off. He began walking the streets. Everyone was spiritually dead. Men’s faces everywhere were filled with the dread. They looked as though they were in a catatonic state. Suicide rapidly became the answer to the dread surrounding mankind, men’s hearts were literally failing from fear. People by the thousands were committing suicide. The huge screen televisions kept broadcasting world events as though they were local news. By now nearly all nations were in the New Order. This was very strange. There were almost no sovereign individual nations. The world was now divided into global regions;no longer as continents and countries.
The awareness of God being on the global scene was nearly impossible to detect. Evil had pervaded all aspects of society; gross spiritual darkness was covering the earth. The actual gravity of despair and hopelessness was seen on every face. People acted as robots, the love of many had waxed cold, showing little or no emotions.
The Lord’s people do Awesome Miracles worldwide for a short period
The old Evangelist launched into what he called the final allout thrust, speaking the Word of God with reckless abandon. In pockets all over the earth, others began doing the same. Ken was able to see this awesome display of Almighty God’s power at work in his dream. He could see the Global scene in full demonstration of who Jesus was and just what He could do. He saw miracles everywhere. God’s people were doing awesome miracles; the dead were raised to life, and healing after healing of incurable diseases occured. This was happening all over the world. It was as though Jesus himself was everywhere doing His work through ordinary people.

This great outpouring of God’s Spirit was tremendous and very widespread. Whole nations were being brought into the Kingdom of God. It only lasted a very short time. Then gross darkness once again began engulfing the minds of all who would not hear the message of hope.
The “New Order” plan is revealed: Totally eliminate all Christians.
Not long after the evangelistic thrust began, Ken and other Christians were captured by “military” agents. They were taken into custody and questioned regarding their dealings. Those agents had firsthand knowledge of all their actions. The questioning was kind at first. They were given an explanation of the “New Order” and it was stressed to them the need for their allegiance. The men speaking to them were very polished in their delivery and quite convincing about the need for their cooperation. They were eventually told that they must not propagate the Gospel. When they refused to stop their evangelism , they were taken to another level of interrogation.

The true heart of the “New Order” was finally revealed. The threats and taunts were now at full power. It was frightening. They told us their plan was to totally eliminate all Christians. They said their outdated religious practices were futile and that many Christians had cracked under the pressure of the “New Order”, thus proving the emptiness of their faith. Mockery and insolence was the scheme of the interrogation, which lasted for hours. They began to ask them to deny “Him”. They would never say the name “Jesus”, they called Jesus, “Him.” They could not say the name!

Ken knew now that the only way to be saved was to die for Jesus.
Ken and his Christian friends were given divine strength and courage and would not back down at their threats. Finally, after many hours of interrogation, they were led down a very long corridor. Hundreds of people were in a single line. Several doors separated this long corridor and at random times, more interrogators would burst forth and more in the line would fall away. He saw many step out of the line. As they stepped out of the line they would begin to cry. They began to realize this was a line of Christians on their way to some type of torture.
After many hours Ken reached the last visible doorway. The door opened revealing an executioner and several agents. Now the full realization of what this was came to him. Fear gripped him! Never before had he experienced such fear! He began to shake. It was not shaking as if he were cold. He was shaking violently. He could barely stand. His jaws became locked! The executioner had a black hood with holes for the eyes and mouth. He had a large sword in his hand. The presence of evil was thick, it was literally tangible. The whole experience was horrifying and he knew now that the only way to be saved was to die for his faith.
Only a few times had he heard the term “martyr” and now he was about to become one.
Tormenting voices: You will deny ‘Him!’ You are a coward! Give up and live!
He began to hear loud voices around him shouting, “It is not too late. Deny your faith in ‘Him’ and you may live! Deny Him and you will live! Deny Him and you will live!”
He did not know what would be better , to live in the earth the way it was, or to die. Confusion assaulted his mind. His old evangelist friend was executed , right before his eyes. He knew the end was coming, one way or another. The old man was not fearful at all. Next was Ken’s wife; he could not bear it anymore. He was tormented by the voices saying, “You will deny ‘Him!’ You are a coward! Give up and live!”
“Lord save me, I don’t want to deny you!” was his call to the Lord for help.
His mind was in complete hysteria and worst of all, he could not even speak out loud! He was emotionally paralyzed. His wife was now about to die. Suddenly the door shut and Ken knew that she too was gone. It felt as though he would freeze; it was so cold and dreadful. He began to fear that he would deny Jesus and renounce his faith in His Lordship. He felt completely hopeless. The reality of denying the Lord was overwhelming! He could not speak to call on the Lord for help, so deep inside he cried,
“Lord save me, I don’t want to deny you!”
Instantly he felt a hand touch his right shoulder and great warmth and peace flooded his whole being. He looked back to see who was with him, and there stood Jesus. Ken wondered how He got there, but there He was and He was glorious! His eyes were like fire, blazing lamps looking deep into his soul. Strong yet comforting, He spoke to Ken and told him,
“Fear not, for death shall never hold you, my son.”
All at once courage and boldness took hold of Ken and he declared, “I shall never deny Jesus Christ, for He is Lord of all and desires you to be saved from your sin!”
His execution was painless:... absent from the body... present with the Lord.
The door opened again. This time it was his turn. He was laid face up on a table in the shape of a cross. His body was strapped to the table on what would be the vertical part of the cross and his arms were strapped to what would be the horizontal part.
The executioner stood to take his life. He saw the sword raised. He saw it fall, but as soon as the blade of the sword touched the front of his neck he was gone, literally gone from my body. He felt no pain!He was instantly standing beside Jesus looking upon the whole scene. He saw his body bleeding profusely. The executioner and the agents made several comments about how much more he bled than the others. He bled so much that the executioner took off his mask shouting, “I will not kill another one of these people.”
Ken awoke from the dream, very, very shaken and needing many answers from this dream.
This dream gives us some very important facts. At the time, Ken saw this dream he was not born again, though he was a Christian for name sake. He witnesses the “Rapture” and then the beginning of the Great Tribulation. During the tribulation, the Antichrist rules the world and it is during this period that he and other name sake Christians and backsliders trust in Jesus, but finally they are martyred for their faith. This is the true sequence of events that is described in the Bible regarding the end time events. At the end of the Tribulation period, Jesus comes to earth (the second coming ) to destroy the Antichrist and his armies at Armageddon;satan is then bound for a 1000 years and Jesus establishes His millennial kingdom.
There are distinct differences in God’s Word between the description of the Rapture and that of the Second Coming of Christ. These are two totally different events.
Here are the differences:
T h e R a p t u r e
-Seen Only by Believers... (1 Corinthians 15:52)
-It’s a Mystery - revealed by Paul in the New Testament (1Corinthians 15:51-53)
-In a Twinkling of an Eye ( 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 )
-Believers are Going “UP” - Meeting Jesus in the Air ( 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)
-Christ Comes for His Own (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
-Believers taken to Father’s House ( John 14:3)
-No reference to Satan
-Earth not judged
“Rapture” and the “Second coming”are 2 distinct events sepearted by a gap of 7 yrs.
During “Rapture” Christ comes amidst clouds in mid-air and not to the earth while at the second coming he comes to the earth.

The Second Coming
How is he coming?
”with brightness” (2Thessalonians 2:8)
”seated on a white horse” (Revelation 19:11)
”with his holy angels” (Mathew 25:31)
”in the clouds of heaven” (Mathew 24:30)
”with power and great glory” (Mathew 24:30)
”as the lightning” (Luke 17:24)
”with ten thousands of His saints” (Jude 14)
Why is He coming?
”In righteousness to judge and make war” (Revelation 19:11)
”To smite the nations who have rebelled against Him” (Revelation 19:15)
”To smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem”(Zechariah 14:12)
”To destroy the Antichrist, the False Prophet and his armies”(2 Thessalonians 2:8, Revelation 19:20)
”To gather His elect” (Mathew 24:31)
”To be king over all the earth”(Zechariah 14:9)
”To reign on earth for a thousand years with His Saints” (Revelation 20:4, 6)
The facts now are plain and simple;
a. He will surely come,
b. After the tribulation
c. In the clouds of heaven with his saints and angels seated on a white horse with great power and glory,
d. To destroy the Antichrist and his armies at Armageddon,
e. To reign on earth for a thousand years with His saints.

At the Second Coming, He is not coming alone. Rather those who had been raptured earlier are coming back with Him.
“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”.. ( Revelation 19:11-16 )

When Jesus returns at the end of the Tribulation, He will be coming for war.
“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.” (2 Thessalonians 2:8)
“But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” (Revelation 19:20)
On what day or at what time after the tribulation the second coming will occur-no one knows except God. Scripture is very clear in stating this fact that no one except God knows the exact day & time of the 2nd coming of Christ. All Speculation is useless.
So what is Jesus command to us in our present day?

In Luke 21:36 he says, “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
So are you ready to escape? Are you worthy “to escape” and stand before Him?

How can you be worthy “to escape”? The solution is very simple. In John 5:24 Jesus says
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”
In John 4:10 Jesus says that if any one asks of Him “living water”, He would surely give it and in v. 14 he says, “But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.

Dear friend, are you dead in your sins? Are you perishing in your iniquities? Come drink the living water today! Jesus gives this opportunity to all of us. This is your chance. Grab it. You will never regret it.
Here are some of the passages which indicate that believers of this Church Age will not be left to suffer the outpouring of God’s wrath:
“Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:36)
“And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead-Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1Thessalonians 5:9)
“If he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment”. (2 Peter 2:6-9)

The belief that the church will be delivered from the Tribulation is based in part on the Biblical pattern that when God pours out His wrath He always gives opportunity for the righteous to escape it. This was true of Noah and his family, of Sodom and Gomorrah in the days of Lot, and even of the pagan Ninevites to whom Jonah was sent.
The church is the Bride of Christ. God intends that she join her Bridegroom for a great wedding feast and after that share with Him in ruling the nations. Allowing His bride to suffer through the tribulation is inconsistent with the specific purposes for which He has called out the church from the world, why He has rescued her “from the coming wrath.” (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
Antichrist will not be revealed until hindering force removed
In 2 Thessalonians we are told that the “man of sin (or lawlessness)” will not be revealed until “He who now restrains” is taken out of the way.
“Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-8)
In John 16:7-8 we are told that it is The Holy Spirit who will “convict the world concerning sin...” God The Holy Spirit can never be removed from the earth, but, in the sense that He is effectively restraining sin through Christians in whom He dwells, the time will come, once those Christians are gone, that wickedness will abound. Today Christians are everywhere: in their occupations, in the market place, in the schools, even in government halls. But during the Tribulation, true believers will be persecuted and either killed or driven underground, so that their godly influence will not be felt in the world. When the church is taken in the Rapture, the world will be ripe for Antichrist to step forth with his ungodly plans. True, multitudes of people will turn to Christ and will become true believers in the tribulation period. They will also be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but they will not be permitted to take the place of the missing Christians in society. They will be outcasts, and therefore the Holy Spirit will not have the same restraining influence on the world that He now has. Most, or even all of them, will be quickly put to death by the man of sin.
So the question to you now is:Are you ready for Rapture?
“Are you sure you are ready to go with Him if He comes today?”
”Are you born again?”
”Are you saved?”
Have you taken Christ in your heart? Is he your personal Saviour? Friend, there are only 2 categories of people in the sight of Christ. Not Black/White, Not Jew/Gentile, Not Indian/Pakistani, Not Russian/American, Only LOST and SAVED. That is All. Nothing less. Nothing more.
We are all born in sin. Nothing can change that status of ours other than Jesus Christ. He died for our sins on the cross. Not for some sins, but all our sins, ALL! that’s the key word. In 1 John 2:2 we read “ He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
It never matters to Him in terms of how great your sins are, if your are ready to accept Him. Murderer / Adulterer / Liar / Fornicator / Thief / Sorcerer. It does not matter to Him if you are ready to accept Him.
AS SOON AS YOU BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT JESUS DIED FOR YOUR SINS & YOU ASK FORGIVENESS FROM GOD WITH A CONTRITE HEART, HE CLEANSES YOU FROM ALL YOUR SINS; ALL THE FILTH THAT YOU ACCUMULATED IN & AFTER YOUR BIRTH.

In 1 John 1:9 we read, “ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
ALL sins, ALL unrighteousness are cleansed. You are a new being then. A new soul. You are washed. Washed in the blood of the lamb. i. e. Jesus Christ. You are a believer then. In Ephesians 2: 8, 9 we read, ” For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.”
These are very important verses. No man is saved by his work on earth. However good/generous you are, unless you are saved by grace through faith it does not count. But once you are saved by grace through faith, your deeds sustaining your faith count a lot for they receive rewards ultimately. There is no judgement for your old sinful life once you are born again; once you are a believer, once you have been washed by the blood of Christ. You have to build on your foundation now. The foundation that you’ve laid in your heart - JESUS CHRIST.
Just think of it dear friend! Would you prefer to ascend with Christ during Rapture and be in heaven forever or subject yourself to the trying times during the tribulation. Wars; famines, persecution, earthquakes, hailstorms, pestilences and many more catastrophies are soon coming upon our world.

A few dreams of “Rapture” seen by people around the world:
(In their own words)

1. John MacHaffie (May 29, 2002)
I went down on my knees on Wednesday Evening May 29, 2002, asking God for some revelation, a sign or whatever to help me about this Rapture belief - Is is true or what? After my tearful prayers and asking Him for a sign, I fell into a blissful sleep. My dream was spectacular. I vividly saw and felt myself raised vertically right out of my body flying upright at about a 80 degree angle to the earth. As I went up I looked around and saw the most beautiful ‘bright’ blue sky and flown above the most beautiful sandy beaches, aqua blue waters with christine clear surf. I was amazed at how warm and welcoming I felt. I then was headed up to some grey ceiling clouds which as I got closer- I felt a strong feeling. Not a voice, but just definitely a message - “the Rapture Is True and time is almost now”. I got to within several feet of the clouds and then I woke up!

2. Mrs. Linda (October 25, 1997)
Let me begin by introducing myself. I was raised in the Baptist church and have been a Christian for 25 years. During this time I have been involved in various Christian service: teaching Sunday School, leading youth discipleship groups, participating in mission trips, participating in prayer groups, involved in women’s ministry, etc.
“Having been raised in church, I have heard Revelation taught many times and have been taught about the Rapture. My entire teaching, AND belief has always been that the entire church, the Bride of Christ, all genuine believers in Jesus, will be raptured either prior to the tribulation or certainly before the worst of the tribulation. ”Early in the morning of October 25, 1997, I had the following dream.... ”I was driving home, alone in a Volkswagen van, down a country road bordered by farmland. Ahead of me on either side lining the road were large eucalyptus trees. I looked ahead of me and saw a beautiful house that sat on the right hand side of the road just before the line of eucalyptus trees started. As I was looking at the house I saw, with my peripheral vision, to the left, on the horizon, what appeared to be a eucalyptus tree that was so large it reached all the way from the horizon as far into the sky as I could see. (I could see this far because the land was very flat. ) When I looked closer I saw that it wasn’t a tree at all but thousands of people in white moving up into the sky. I knew it was the rapture and I was terrified. I slammed on the brakes; the van turned end over end. I remember thinking, ‘I should be hurt or killed’ but instead I was standing on the side of the road with my arms in the air crying out to Jesus. Then I woke up, very shaken.
”I went downstairs to ask God what the dream meant. I couldn’t understand why I was not in the rapture because I know I am a Christian. God showed me that on the side of the van was written the word ‘carnality’. Then He reminded me of the Parable of the Ten Virgins. He told me several things and said, ‘Do not listen to Satan’s whispers. There are not many days left. ’

3. Binoy Samuel (March 13, 1995)
I found myself standing outside somewhere during a very cloudy day, and I had the sense that something exciting was going to happen.
“I don’t know how to explain it, except that I did not have to hear with my physical ears to know what was happening; rather, I could sense it. And then it struck me - a wonderful thought, revelation, call it what you will - that Jesus was coming back, and in the time frame that I was in, it was NOW!
“You can imagine how excited I was; I started to wonder what would happen and kept looking up. I knew within my heart that I would be taken up: I did not know how, however. The moments, which must have passed by furiously, seemed to tick slowly in my anticipation.
“Then, I heard a shout (I could not see what was happening exactly, and if I did, such a memory has been taken from me). Actually, it seemed to get louder in intensity, and more widespread, until it seemed to me like a giant stadium full of people shouting - only far more wonderful, uplifting and intense.
“Yes, it was uplifting. In fact, I became so caught up in it, that I began to shout - and with so much happiness! I didn’t care one bit if anyone heard me!
“And then a burst (or was it a beam?) of energy seemed to explode straight out of my forehead, and I was beginning to be overwhelmed by its power. It seemed to spread out beyond my head to my neck, shoulders and beyond; in the meanwhile, I had a sense that I was being translated at a tremendous speed.
“All this was so overwhelming that I found myself being jolted back into my physical body which left me getting up and - in spite of my weariness - smile a huge smile of happiness, and although a little surprised that the vision was not happening in the NOW still, hoping in my heart “I hope that’s the way it’s going to be when He comes back!”
What does the ultimate future hold for the believer? And what does it hold for the unbeliever? For the believer in the Triune God, God promises Eternity in the New heaven, New Earth with the holy city Jerusalem in it. (Revelation 21:1, 2). God will then live with all who have believed in His name and have been faithful.
The Bible says “ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4, 5)
But what about the unbelieving? The Bible says in Revelation 21:8,
“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, themurderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” For eternity they burn in the lake of fire. What a pity that would be! But it is a just judgement of a just God

Three Things to end this book with:
1. An open invitation from Christ to all “lost” to be saved”The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” (Revelation 22:17)

2. “A word of caution from Christ to all “ saved””I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” (Revelation 3:11)
3. A “repeat call” from Christ to the “backslider””Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. (Revelation 2:5)

PRAYER
If You Are An Unbeliever ( One who has not yet accepted JESUS CHRIST as your Lord and Saviour ) Make Jesus your Saviour now.
The Bible says, That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:9,10)

PRAY THIS PRAYER OF ACCEPTING JESUS CHRIST AS SAVIOUR
Dear Father in Heaven,
I confess that I am a sinner and that I will perish in my sins if I do not accept Jesus as my Saviour and Lord. Forgive me all my sins and unrighteousness and wash me with the blood of Jesus and make me a new person this day. I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your son and He died on the cross at Calvary for my sins and that He was resurrected and ascended to heaven and sits at your right hand with all authority given to Him by you. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and let Him guide me through your Word to live a life, holy and pleasing to you.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen

Jesus said, If you love me, you will obey what I command. (John 14:15)
This does not mean only the 10 commandments, but all apostolic doctrines given to the New Testament Church. Believers should:

1. Take water baptism by immersion.
2. Be baptised in the Holy Spirit
3. Separate from idol worshippers and worship God in Spirit and in Truth.
4. Partake of the Holy Communion regularly.
5. Live a life holy and pleasing to God, keeping oneself free from the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and pride of life.
6. Read and Meditate God’s Word regularly.
7. Pray and Fast regularly.

Your Future

2009-02-10T02:53:00.000-08:00

Most of us are eager to know about our future.A few of us desperate.What will tomorrow bring? Will there be blessings coming my way or will I suffer loss?These thoughts keep plaguing many minds.
To know their future, people run to & fro, searching for those who can predict their future. Some consult astrologists, some read their horoscopes carefully.There are many who claim they can predict ones future. Some read the lines on the palms, some look at the furrow lines on the forehead, others look at the position of the stars and predict the future. (The Bible does not approve of such methods of predicting the future)

In 1990, while travelling from Haryana to Mumbai by train, a fellow traveller began predicting the future lives of our co-passengers by reading their palms. People surrounded him like bees in a hive, eager to know their future. Finally he turned around and asked me, “Dont you want me to predict your future, show me your right hand.”
Without showing him my hand, I smiled and said, “I know my future very well. There’s nothing new that you can say.”He looked displeased and left me to attend to others who flocked to him.

When I was studying in the 8th standard (long before I knew Christ) a man once took my hand and began reading my palm. “I dont see you studying farther than 10th standard. Very bleak job prospects too. May be a job just enough to earn a livelihood!”he said shaking his head in dismay.
Time itself is witness to the lies that he said. I finished my post graduation in medicine and by the Grace of God have completed 17 years of fruitful work as a doctor.

Are you really eager to know your future?
If you were taken to a place with a flower garden and a field on fire standing side by side, which would you choose to behold ? Flowers are beautiful to behold, to touch and we enjoy smelling their sweet fragrance.
But, what about fire? Some of us are afraid even to look at blazing fire from close quarters. Thats because we know that fire can hurt our bodies if we go too close.
Let me again ask you. Imagine the place with flowers and fire to be 2 lands where you can set up home and live.
Will you prefer to live in a land full of flowers or will you prefer a land with fire every where?
Without answering, we all know the answer to this, if one is of a sound mind. We know that fire can harm us, so our decision to stay away from such a place.

Have you ever seen a fire that keeps burning and does not die nor can be put out?
You may most probably reply in the negative. In 1990 during the Gulf war, certain oil rigs that were destroyed kept burning for several months. But finally they were put out and they died.
Some forest fires kept burning for several months in America and Australia last year. They caused a lot of destruction but finally these fires subsided.

To know about a fire that burns continually we need to read a few verses from the Bible.
“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where “their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” (Mark 9:43-48)
In these verses, twice Jesus Christ very clearly mentions of the place where the fire does not go out but keeps burning continually. That place is called HELL.
A place of eternal torment, pain and weeping. Merely mentioning “HELL”brings fear to many.
In stark contrast to this place of eternal torment ,the Bible mentions about a place of eternal peace, comfort and rest. That place is HEAVEN.
There is no death, sorrow, pain or worry in Heaven. Only peace, joy and satisfaction.

What after death on earth? is a question that plagues many minds continually.
Some say there is reincarnation, but there is no proof or basis for that. Others say the wicked will suffer torment. Still others say that all created beings will return to their creator and be with him. All these suppositions have no basis.

The Bible is the place where we find the answer to the question - what happens after a person dies on earth?
Those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and live according to His Word will gain entry into Heaven after they die and that will be their eternal home, but those who reject Jesus Christ and the salvation that he freely offers will suffer eternal torment in Hell after they die.
A servant of God named Lester Sumrall, while attending his Church in Tennessee, was shown a vision by God as people praised and worshipped the Lord Jesus.
Thousands of people were walking on a road going in one direction. People from many nations were walking together. He saw Americans, Indians, Australians, Japanese and Chinese walking together.
Then the Lord spoke to him,”These people are on the road of life, walking towards eternity.”
Never having seen a movie before, this servant of God was excited seeing all these people from different countries.
“Would you like to see their end?”the Lord then asked him. When he replied positively, in the vision, the Lord took him above these people walking on the road to eternity. After walking for some distance, many people left this main path and walked on to another path.
“Where are they going?”The servant of God asked the Lord. The Lord said, “These are the righteous. They are going into eternal life. They are leaving the life on earth and entering in to my life.”
The people who did not turn to this path from the main path kept walking and reached the end of the path which now ended in a bottomless pit. There was blazing fire in the pit. People falling into the pit screamed and abused and blasphemed. Unbearable pain caused them to pull out their hair and they dug their nail into their flesh and blood flowed out.
The servant of God who saw this vision was greatly troubled witnessing the torments of HELL.
Heaven and hell are not just fanciful stories dear friend. They are realities.
Any person who dies on earth, goes to their eternal home, either in Heaven or in Hell. Every person who lives on earth has 3 distinct parts - Body, Spirit and Soul. After death, the body disintegrates when buried or is burnt. The spirit and soul live forever. The soul is the part of a person called mind or intellect or decision making part.
Life in Heaven or Hell is the eternal future of every person born on earth.
For which life are you (or have you been) preparing yourself?
Eternal joy in heaven or eternal torment in hell? Whether you believe it or not, this is the future of every person who has been born or will be born on earth. This is not my personal opinion, it is the truth that is mentioned in the ‘Word of God”- “The Bible.”

Pastor Daniel from Nigeria died in a road accident on November 30th 2001. For 3 days he was kept in a mortuary. God raised him up from the dead miraculously after that. The Pastor describes what happened between his death and being raised up.
As he was being transported in an ambulance,he died and 2 angels carried him to a very beautiful place. The angels told him that that place was Paradise.
There he saw a great throng of people worshipping God in unison and he too worshipped. He did not feel like leaving that place where there was total peace and joy. But the angels told him that he had to see other places too. They took him to the place of torment called Hell. People in hell were in torment physically and mentally. They spoke to him about their eternal sorrow. There seemed to be no end to their pain and grief.
Heaven and Hell are realities dear Brother, dear Sister. Just to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of today and tomorrow, do not lose your place in heaven. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life,these all take away the love of the Father from within us. So Beware.

From the beginning of creation, man has been in contact with earth and the first heaven i.e. the sky (Mathew 6:26)
The 2nd heaven (Psalm 19) which has the sun, moon and stars came in the reach of mankind with the wisdom God gave him. Space shuttles and rockets have helped mankind explore these realms. The 3rd heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2) is the place where God has his throne; where God, the angels and the saints abide. Man cannot get there with his human wisdom. Entry into the 3rd heaven is only through the blood of Jesus.

Some Bible scholars interpret 3 heavens in another way. Heaven itself has 3 sections one above the other according to some.
Sadhu Sunder Singh describes this is his experiences of the heavenly realms.
Saints in the highest section of heaven (3rd heaven) are the one who have lived very close to the Lord while on earth. They have sacrificed much on earth for the Lord and thus this is their great reward.
The saints in the lowest section of heaven (1st heaven) cannot bear the great glory that surrounds the saints in the highest section of heaven (3rd heaven) and so the ones who visit them from the 3rd heaven have a veil over the face as Moses did when he came face to face with Israelites after being with God for 40 days.
The city of New Jerusalem is situated in the 3rd heaven according to the Bible. This beautiful city is not only the abode of God but also of the believers who have lived a life faithful to God and His Word on earth. The Bible describes this city in detail in its last book, the book of Revelation.

A Christian doctor named Richard Eby met with an accident and suffered terrible head injuries. His skull had many fractures and his brain suffered concussions. Lying unconscious in the ICU,the Lord took him in the spirit to heaven and showed him the glories of that divine place.
His spiritual body rejoiced in heaven. The doctor who was later miraculously healed by the Lord found his spirit in heaven very different from his earthly existence. In the spirit realm in heaven nothing is destroyed or rusts or decays. Everything is new, fresh and pure. He tells of walking through a garden and seeing angels singing heavenly songs, some playing harps, others just singing. He stepped on the grass but saw that not one blade of grass was destroyed. The grass was visible through his spiritual body as if it had entered his body. The flowers and the whole atmosphere exuded the presence of God.
He heard heavenly music which had no equals on earth. Angels and saints worshipped, praised and glorified God.
Not everyone has an experience like this, but these are the foretastes of the glory to be revealed to those who are faithful to Jesus. Some people say there is no hell and no heaven. Everything ends with death on earth. This is not true. Believe it or not, Hell and Heaven exist.

Many preachers these days do not preach about Hell in the church. They dont want to bring discomfort to the people in the church. But Jesus, in his ministry on earth, preached more about Satan and Hell than any other topic. You must be knowledgeable about Hell and Heaven.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus speaks about the Rich Man and Lazarus. In Chapter 16:19-31, Jesus spoke about the final state of the spirit and soul of both. This is not merely a story that Jesus said. It is a reality. Those who reject Jesus and his offer of salvation through him go to the eternal place of torment called Hell. At the white throne judgement, we read that Hell too is finally thrown in to the Lake of fire. (Revelation 20:14)
The Old Testament saints (i.e. upto the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ) after death went to the place of rest called ‘Paradise.’ They could not enter heaven as Jesus’ blood had not yet been shed as the perfect sacrifice to relieve mankind of eternal death. We read Jesus telling Nicodemus,
“No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven-the Son of Man.”(John 3:13)
Not only that, we read in Ephesians 4:8-10, that Jesus delivered these Old Testament saints from Paradise and took them to Heaven. In Luke 16, Jesus said that Lazarus’ spirit and soul went to Paradise (Abraham’s bosom) and that of the rich man went to Hades, the place of torment.(v. 23-25)
In Hades, the spirit of the rich man suffered pain, thirst and sorrow according to these verses, while in Paradise Lazarus had peace and joy.
Read carefully what the rich man says,
“So he called to him, `Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ “(Luke 16:24)
Every person who does not accept Jesus as his Saviour will suffer thus according to the Bible.
We read in the Bible,
“As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”(Romans 3: 10-12)
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. “(Romans 3:23)
If you die in your sinful state, you will finally become prey to the fire in hell according to the Word of God.
When I was doing my post graduation in Medicine in Gulbarga, the summers were very hot. The temperatures rose to 45 - 50 degrees C. The thirst was bad too. Even after drinking 3-4 liters of water every day the thirst remained. Sitting in front of the cooler or fan gave only temporary relief.
If we cannot tolerate the heat and thirst on this earth, just think of how hell will be.
Unbearable thirst but not a drop of water.
Unbearable pain but not a thing to relieve it.
Unbearable sorrow but not a word of comfort.
Is this going to be your future?
Our loving God says,
“See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction”(Deuteronomy 30:15)
Which will you opt for?
If heaven is to be your eternal home, you have to confess your sins to God and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Some say, “I have no sin.”“I have not sinned.”
The Bible says,
“If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”(1 John 1:10)
If you have not yet confessed your sins to God, you can do it now by praying the prayer at the end of this book
After you have accepted Jesus as your Saviour, you must live for him. The triune God (Father, Son and The Holy Spirit) loves you.
How can you live for Jesus?
You must read and mediate on the Word of God-The Bible. Not only read and mediate, you must follow the apostolic doctrines that are mentioned in the New Testament of the Bible and live according to them.
The Bible says, you must be born again with water (the Word of God) and Spirit (the Holy Spirit of God) to enter the kingdom of God.
You must take baptism in water by immersion after accepting Jesus as your Saviour. By this you are fulfilling all righteousness, you are obeying Gods Word, you are identifying yourself with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
To live a strong Christian life, you need the filling of the Holy Spirit (Baptism in the Holy Spirit)
Pray to God everyday to fill you with His Holy Spirit i.e. the Spirit of power, love and a sound mind.
You must conquer the lust of the flesh, the lust of eyes and the pride of life by regular prayer and fasting. Overcome satanic attacks using the Word of God with faith against him. Prayer and fasting are very important here too.
You must separate yourselves from idol worshippers and worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth. Regularly partake of the Holy Communion to proclaim the Lords death till He comes again.
The Lord Jesus says,
“Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. “(Revelation 2:10)
Your eternal future is in your hands. If you reject what you have read here, the loss is no one elses but yours. If you accept it, heaven will rejoice about you.
You must take a new decision today, if you have not yet accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.
God has prepared a wonderful future for you in Heaven.
The Bible says,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”(John 1:12)
Believe in Jesus, dear friend.
Receive him into your heart. Live for Him. It will be the greatest blessing of your life.

A Christian named Rebecca Springer, was taken to Heaven in the spirit when she underwent a period of great physical and mental stress in her life.
She saw little children playing gleefully under wonderful trees in Heaven. She observed that every one there wore white dresses. Great and beautiful mansions never seen on earth built for the believers were located in one section. The streets were paved with gold. There was peace and joy everywhere.
She was taken to the river of life. As she swam under water, there seemed to be no difference between water and air. Swimming under water seemed like walking on land. She could hear,breathe, talk and laugh under water too. Swimming in the river of life refreshed her spiritual body and mind greatly like no other comparable experience on earth.
The fleeting pleasures of this world are insignificant compared to the glories of heaven that God will give to his faithful. Prepare yourself for these great riches dear friend.

A servant of God named Rasmussen describes a vision that he saw during the days that he was consecrating himself for the work of God.
He saw himself standing in an open field which had just been harvested. The night air was calm. Stars shown brightly in the sky. He praised God for the peace. Then he heard some voices coming from a distance. He could not hear what was being said. When he listened carefully, the voices seemed to be calling for help -”Please save us”“Please save us”. As he went closer and closer to the place where the voices came from, the voices grew louder. People were screaming for help. The voices reverberated in his head. When he came very close, the scene that he saw shocked him. A pit so huge that no one could measure, with blazing fire rising up and going down in it. Immunerable people screaming because of unbearable pain.As the fire rose, they rose up with the fire, when the fire went down they too sank with it.
Suddenly he noticed that he too was standing at the edge of the pit. He could fall into it any moment. He cried out loudly, “Lord. Save me.”“Lord, save me.”The Lord took him up in His arms and placed him back in the place where he stood at the beginning of the vision.
He asked the Lord, “Dear Jesus, what must I do to escape that awful experience?”
The Lord told him, “Believe in me, live for me and follow this person whom the Father has appointed to be your Counselor to lead you till eternity.” When he looked before him, he saw a great and mighty Godly form walking ahead in front of him. He ran ahead to keep pace with him; looking back he asked the Lord; “Who is that dear Jesus?”
To that, Jesus replied, “He is the Spirit of truth; he will lead you into all the truth.”
Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit invite all of you who read this booklet to follow him now and enter into his eternal rest when the time comes.
Will you accept God’s call?
Remember your eternal future. Either in Heaven or in Hell. You can choose for yourself. God bless you.

Jesus Our Healer

2009-02-10T02:51:00.000-08:00

There are several promises in the Word of God (The Holy Bible) regarding healing of sicknesses which have been included therein by our loving Heavenly Father for us to believe in them and receive divine healing.
Are you suffering from sickness today?
Are you weak and tired?
Are you in pain?
The Bible says, Jesus carried all your infirmities on the cross.
Jesus has the power and authority to heal you, if you believe in him.

In Matthew Chapter 14 & verse 14 we read,
“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick”

Will you submit yourself into the loving arms of the Savior Jesus Christ? He will not only heal you, but give you new strength. He will renew your body and mind in a way that you have never known before.
Before you pray the prayer for healing, check yourself whether you have asked for forgiveness of your sins from the Heavenly Father. If you have not yet repented of your sins and received Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you can pray this prayer now.

Dear Father in Heaven,
I confess that I am a sinner and that I will perish in my sins if I do not accept Jesus as my Savior and Lord. Forgive me all my sins and unrighteousness and wash me with the blood of Jesus and make me a new person this day. I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your son and He died on the cross at Calvary for my sins and that He was resurrected and ascended to heaven and sits at your right hand with all authority given to Him by you. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and let Him guide me through your Word to live a life, holy and pleasing to you.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen

Once you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you can approach the throne of grace with confidence and pray and receive healing from him.
One of the important verses regarding healing of sicknesses is found in the book of Exodus.

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

The Israelites were delivered in Egypt from Pharoah and his armies by God and as they travelled through the wilderness they reached a place called Marah where God performed a miracle for them by turning the bitter water there to sweet. It was here that God gave them this great promise of healing and health.

Yes! He is truly the God who heals you.
Can you confess that with your mouth?

There is great deliverance for your body by confessing God’s promises of healing. So confess these healing promises audibly as you read them.
In Matthew chapter 8 we read,

“When he came down from the mountain side, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,”he said. “Be clean!”Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them”(Matthew 8:1-4).

Dear Brother, Dear Sister,
Jesus is eager to heal you. Believe in him. Once my 2 year old daughter suffered greatly because of incessant vomiting. She became very weak and tired because of this. The medicines that we gave her had very little effect. As she lay very tired one night, God reminded me of a wonderful promise from His Word.
Believing that promise in my heart and keeping her condition in my mind, I confessed that single promise one whole night in prayer to God. And God did a wonderful miracle. He healed her totally and gave her new strength.
That promise is found in Psalm 46.

“God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day”(Psalm 46:5).

What I believed and confessed with my mouth was this,
“God is within her, she will not fall;God will help her at break of day”
You who are suffering from sickness, can now confess this with your mouth.
If you have lost your ability to speak because of sickness, you can meditate on these verses in your heart and say it in your mind.
That too will bring healing. If your children are sick, lay your hands on them and confess these healing promises for them and receive healing from Jesus for them too. God will honour your faith.

In Psalm 103, we read
“Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases”(Psalm 103:3)
There are numerous sicknesses that afflicts human beings while they live in this world and it is only Jesus who can heal them of each and every one.

We read in the Word of God,
“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.”(Mathew 4:23,24).

Did you notice?
He healed every disease and sickness among the people.
However great your sickness be, Jesus is able to heal you. Believe in him.
Once when Jesus came to Capernaum, a centurion came to him and told him of a terrible sickness that his servant was suffering from.

We read,
“Lord”, he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.”Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him”. The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”“When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”“Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.”And his servant was healed at that very hour.”(Mathew 8:6-8, 10, 13).

Jesus is willing and ready to honour your faith too. Believe firmly in Him as the centurion did.

In the Gospel of Luke Chapter 4, verse 40 the Bible says
“When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.”

When you pray today, believe that He will touch you with His nail pierced hands. His touch will remove every trace of sickness from your body and you will be free.

The Bible says,
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed”(John 8:36)

Yet another promise of healing is found in Psalm 107:20
“He sent forth his word and healed them”

You may have heard of and seen missiles and bombs destroying buildings and cities. But here is a weapon, sharper than any double edged sword, able to destroy disease germs and bondages of sicknesses put on you by the enemy.
This unfailing weapon called “The sword of the Spirit”is the mighty “Word of God”.

Our loving Heavenly Father says,
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it”(Isaiah 55:10, 11).

Praise be to the Lord who sends his Word and heals us.
Many years back, I suffered from severe tonsillitis for 6 yrs. Atleast twice a year this sickness used to trouble me and when it happened, I found it very difficult to swallow food and even water for atleast a week. I used to sit up all night with fever. My throat used to dry up and I would walk here and there in my room, not knowing what to do. Medicines only had a temporary effect on my sickness but no cure. My medical college professors said that it was due to allergy that this happened.
In 1992 I suffered greatly because of this ailment. I did everything that I could. I had my medicines regularly, I prayed with fervour. Those were the days when I had started learning the Word of God and knowing of what faith in God can do for me. I used to hear a lot of Christian Radio Programmes. One evening someome gave me an audio cassette titled “Living stone and success”. The preacher spoke authoritatively from the Word and then said that he was going to pray for the sick and that those who needed healing may come forward.
I thought in my mind, “It’s true that this message was preached 10 years ago. But if God healed people then, he was able enough to heal me now”
The preacher said, “Lay your right hand on the part of your body that is sick and now let’s pray!”
Quickly I laid my hand on my throat and cried out to God, “God, have mercy and heal me;I am suffering greatly”. “Be healed in Jesus Name”, the preacher said as he prayed. Suddenly I felt a warmth come all over my body. All the pain in my throat vanished. All the fever departed. I felt a new power surge through my body. I knew God had healed me. I praised him loudly, giving thanks for his wonderful love.
It’s been 10 years since the Lord healed me of tonsillitis and till today it has never recurred. Great is his faithfulness.

Do you know why I write this testimony? As I believed and received healing, today you too must believe and receive.
Healing is your’s because God says it is yours. Believe in Him.

We read of another great promise of healing in Isaiah chapter 53, verses 4 and 5
“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him,and afflicted.But he was pierced for our transgressions,he was crushed for our iniquities;the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,and by his wounds we are healed.”
Did you observe ?
Jesus took up your infirmities,
Jesus carried your sorrows,
Jesus was pierced for your transgressions,
Jesus was crushed for your iniquities,
Jesus took the punishment to bring you peace,
By Jesus wound’s you are healed.
Now believe this and confess it with your mouth.
As you confess these healing promises, you can receive peace, healing and comfort from the Lord.

The Bible says,
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”(Hebrews 13:8)
He is an unchanging God
His love for you is great. He wants you to be healed and living a healthy life. So trust in Him and His promises.

In 1996, for 3 months I suffered greatly from a chest ailment. It all started with an allergy to petrol fumes. On inhaling that I used to feel breathless and a tightness in the chest. This increased rapidly with allergy to other smells too and day in and day out I used to feel breathless. To add to this I had a problem of acidity in my stomach. I did not have peace of mind and had very little sleep. I could not work properly at the clinic and could hardly preach. The suffering was terrible. I got some relief from my chest problem on having medicines but the medicines increased the problem in my stomach. This made me quit taking medicines. I prayed and fasted but to no avail. The problem persisted and increased. After one month of suffering thus, one night as I prayed, the Lord spoke to me saying, “You will suffer from these sicknesses for 3 months. After that I will heal and deliver you totally.”
Another 2 months of suffering! I became dejected, but there seemed to be a glimmer of hope. I waited expectantly for the next two months to get over.
The sickness had started on September 16. I kept praying and reminding God often, “Lord remember your promise, You must heal me on December 16th”
The next two months were difficult to get through. It was by sheer grace that I made it to December 16th.
Here was the day that I waited for so anxiously. December 16th came and went but I did not receive the healing.
On 17th I was at my wits end. Anger and grief flooded me.
I told the Lord, “Look Jesus, you said 3 months and now my condition is just the same!”
That night as I sat to pray, I heard the still small voice of the Lord say, “You have forgotten to praise me all the time that you were sick”It was around 11.00 p. m. that I heard the Lord say that. I started praising him, one by one for everything and everyone that my mind focussed on. I kept praising him till late at night and went to sleep praising Him.
In the morning when I woke up, God had worked another great miracle in my life.
Healed and Delivered from 3 months of bodily suffering and mental agony. All gone, when praise ascended to heaven. Praise the Lord!

Dear Brother, Dear Sister, Praise the Lord for a while. Give him thanks for sometime. If you have never praised him, you can do that for the first time now.
Praise Him from your heart. Give thanks to your Master and King.
He loves to hear you praise him. It brings glory to him and victory to you.

In Psalm 147, verse 3, the psalmist says,
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Are you broken hearted? Are you tied up with a problem that people cannot redeem you from?
In Luke chapter 7, a few verses from verse 11 speak of Jesus’ compassionate nature for the broken hearted
“Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out , the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry”(Luke 7:11-13).
Jesus will comfort you from the mental agony that you are going through today. He says,
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”(Luke 14:27).

The Apostle Paul writing to the Phillippians says,
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”(Philippians 4:6,7).

Jesus will heal your broken heartedness. That is his promise. He will bind up your wonnds. That is his word for you.

Once Jesus told his disciples,
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me”(John 14:1).
Yes! Believe in Jesus. Believe in the father. Believe in His Word. That will bring healing.

My wife came to know Christ through the healing that she received from Him.
She had experienced the love of God in a great measure from her childhood onwards. Abundant blessings materially and physically and great peace of mind were gifted to her from God. Her friends and teachers were always eager to know the secret of her all round success.
As she grew up she often used to ask God, “God, why is it that others around me do not experience this great peace that I have? God what is your intention regarding this world filled with unrest and sorrow?”
To her persistant questions to Him, God decided to show her what will happen if he removed his abundant love upon her life.
On March 13th 1983, almost suddenly her mother fell ill. Her life which was a bed of roses till then fell apart almost immediately. She hoped that everything would comeback to normal but things started worsening. She cried to God but he seemed to keep very silent. Every new day brought new troubles. She lost her peace of mind. She felt as if her prayers would never be heard by God again. She started experiencing throbbing headaches.
She wondered, “Is this God’s wrath upon me?”“Perhaps I am very sinful in God’s sight”“Why is God allowing all this?”
She used to vomit all the food that she ate. This made her very weak and tired.
She couldn’t concentrate on her studies. The medicines that she took made her more weary. One evening, after a few months of bodily and mental agony, her friend called her to play.
She thought in her mind, “I’ll play as much as I can today and then die.”For 2 full hours she played badminton. After that her condition worsened. She couldn’t breathe properly. She could not bring words to her mouth to express herself. She felt as though her head would burst any moment because of the headaches. Her surroundings seemed to be blurring. Clutching the walls, she climbed the stairs to her 2nd floor flat with much difficulty and flung herself upon the bed. Death seemed to be very close to her. Panting heavily and suffering greatly, her thoughts shifted once again to God. She said to herself,
“If God heals me now, I will know that he exists, otherwise I will believe that what I thought of him till today was all a lie.”
While she lay thus, her eyes fell upon a new testament lying close to her on the bed. She reached out and opened it. The verse that she read made her laugh inside her.

It said
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you”(John 14:18).
All these days she was crying for a healing which never came and now this verse was promising someone coming close to comfort.
Her eyes fell on another verse, It said,
“You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it”(John 14:14).

She read the verse more carefully. Who is this who promises to give anything? What is this name that promises this? When she read a few more verses the knew that it was Jesus, the son of God who promised to give anything that was asked in his name. Till now in her life she had never asked anything in Jesus’ name. She had known God and prayed to him, but due to the lack of knowledge of the Word, never known that Jesus was the cornerstone of her faith and that it was Jesus’ name that mattered most. A new hope sprung up in her. She said to herself,
Jesus says, “If I ask anything in his name, he will give it to me”
“Dear Jesus, she cried, my body and mind need healing. Kindly let this headache go away. I cannot bear it anymore. Kindly heal me dear Jesus.”Time seemed to stand still.
Then she said, “I have done what I had to do, now you must do what you say dear Jesus.”
She started counting the moments in her mind. As she counted to 5, she heard a clicking sound on the right side of her head and the headache disappeared immediately. A great change came over her body and mind. She felt like a new strength coming into her body. Her whole being was flooded with his presence.
Her heart swelled with praise and gratitude towards him. She praised and thanked God for his loving kindness.
That very evening, she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Saviour.
Thus she realized a great truth that day, that the King of kings and Lord of Lords still lives and has all authority with him to heal and deliver.

Yes! Even today there is deliverance in the name of Jesus. Whatever you ask the Heavenly Father in Jesus’ name will be given to you. That is His promise.

In Mark chapter 10, verse 41 onwards we read like this
“Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?”Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see”. “Go”, said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.”Immediately be received his sight and followed Jesus along the road”(Mark 10:46-52).

When you pray to Jesus for healing, people may discourage you or mock you. They may say that there is no meaning to all this; nothing will result from this. But do not lose heart. Do not listen to them who undermine your faith.
Cry out to Jesus like the blind beggar Bartimaeus. The merciful Lord will honour your faith in him.
You’ve read the promises of healing. Believe in them from the depth of your heart. Confess them once again with your mouth.
(Say) Jesus is my God who heals me
Jesus heals all my sicknesses
Jesus sends his Word and heals me
Jesus took up my infirmities
Jesus carried my sorrows
Jesus took the punishment to bring me peace
By Jesus wound’s I am healed.
Jesus binds up my wounds
Jesus heals my brokenheartedness
You can confess them again
And then pray this prayer for healing.

PRAYER

Loving Heavenly Father,
I come into your holy presence believing in your promises; have mercy on me and heal me. If there is anything in my life displeasing to you, kindly forgive me the same. Wash me with the blood of Jesus and make me pure, O Lord. I believe that you are the Lord who heals me and that you are all powerful to heal all my sicknesses. Send your Word and heal me now O Lord. Bind my wounds and heal my broken heart dear Lord.
I believe that by Jesus wounds I am healed. Because of your great love and mercy for me, kindly heal me and glorify yourself dear Father.
In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Please Note
Meditate regularly on the promises of healing that you have read in this chapter.
After Jesus healed the man lying by the pool of Bethesda for 38 years, he said to him
“See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you”(John 5:14).
Be faithful to God after your receive your healing. Live a holy life according to the Word of God.
Those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour must take baptism by immersion in water, must worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth, be filled with the Holy Spirit, take Holy Communion regularly, meditate on the Word of God and make prayer and fasting an integral part of their life.
May the Lord richly bless you!

Baptism In The Holy Spirit

2009-02-10T02:46:00.002-08:00

Are you baptized in the Holy Spirit? In other words, are you filled with the Holy Spirit?
Some say that they don’t need to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Baptism in the Holy Spirit) because they already received the Holy Spirit when they accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour and that itself is enough for the rest of their lives.
Some possibly look at others who say they are filled with the Holy Spirit (Baptized in the Holy Spirit) but bear little fruit in their christian lives and the former say,”If that’s the result of being filled with the Holy Spirit, better not to have it.”
Some even deny that there is anything called “filled with the Holy Spirit”.
To clarify these and some other points, let us look to the Bible for the answers.
Hope this study convinces you of the need for the “Baptism in the Holy Spirit”

As a case study, let’s take a look at the life of Peter, one of Jesus disciples.
Peter and his brother Andrew were fishermen when Jesus invited them to be his disciples.

We read in Mathew 4:18, 19
“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,”Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

I wonder what must have gone through Peter’s mind when Jesus told him “I will make you fishers of men.”He must have been perplexed and confused at this unusual man Jesus and his most unusual but authoritative statement.
“I will make you fishers of men!”
Peter must have asked himself,
“Where in the world do you fish for men?”and “With what nets?”
Still we read
“At once they left their nets and followed him.”(Matthew 4:20)

Interestingly Luke records Peter’s call by Jesus in a different fashion.
“One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the Word of God, he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners”(Luke 5:1-10)
.
From these verses we can infer that Peter realized his sinfulness and also that Jesus was Lord (Luke 5:8)

Now the question comes :Who made Peter realize his sinfulness and who made him know that Jesus is Lord?
In John chapter 14, verses 16 & 17 we read Jesus telling his disciples
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you known him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

Did you notice that?
“But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you”
Could that mean that it was the Holy Spirit living with Peter who gave him the knowledge that he was a sinful man?

The Apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians says,
“Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed”, and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,”except by the Holy Spirit”(1 Corinthians 12:3).

So definitely, it was the Holy Spirit who made Peter say that
“Jesus is Lord”.
Note Jesus telling his disciples
“... But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”(John 14:17)
He is “with you”- Present Tense
He will be “in you”- Future Tense
And when could the Holy Spirit possibly be “in”a person?
When a person is saved of course!
And when is a person saved in Biblical terms?
In Romans 10:9, 10 we read,
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”“For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
Notice the phrase : Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead”
The disciples including Peter also had to believe in the resurrection, which they hardly did, till they saw the resurrected Jesus with their own eyes. That was possibly because of their unbelief and also because they really didn’t understand what “resurrected”meant.
“They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.”(John 20:9)
That;s why Jesus told Peter and the other disciples
“But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”(John 14:17)
With you (Now)
In you (Later)
Can we say that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit was “with him”?
After Jesus rose from the dead we read in John Chapter 20
Again Jesus said,”Peace be with you!As the father has sent me,I am sending you.”And with that he breathed on them and said,“Receive the Holy Spirit.”(John 20:21-23).
Luke also adds,
“Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written : The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem”(Luke 24:45-47).
Here the disciples were truly saved as for the first time as they received the Holy Spirit’s regenerating presence and new life from the risen Christ.
“The Holy Spirit in them”
Can we say that Peter was “filled with the Holy Spirit.”because the Holy Spirit was “in him”?
Keeping Luke 24:45, 46 and John 20:19-22 in mind, we read 2 startling statements made by Jesus.
“I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high”(Luke 24:49).
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”(Acts 1:8).
Hearing this Peter could have said,
Lord Jesus! what more power do I need?
I’ve driven out demons
I’ve healed the sick
I’ve walked on water
I’ve preached repentance
I’ve seen your glory on the Mount of Transfiguration.
I’ve seen Elijah and Moses
I’m the one who had the revelation that you are God’s son.
I even caught a fish with a coin in its mouth
Now that you’ve breathed the Holy Spirit on me, “I am saved.”
“Why do I need more power?”
But none of the 11 disciples argued with Jesus like some of us do.
Not only the 11, but 120 of them got together to receive “Power”
Since we have taken Peter as a case study, let us imagine the resurrected Jesus telling Peter,
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”(Acts 1:8).
Note the words, “The Holy Spirit comes on you”contrasted to “with you”and “in you”in John 14:17.
Imagine Peter calling the others after Jesus was taken up before their very eyes and the angels told them that Jesus will return later in the same way he was seen going.
“Hey guys”, let’s do what the Lord said.
And off they went to Mark’s upper Room
We read
“They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”(Acts 1:14)
And then in Acts Chapter 2, we read of an event that changed the whole perspective of their lives
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”(Acts 2:1-4).
Later in the Chapter we read,
“Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine”(Acts 2:13).
Acts 2:14-41 speaks of a new Peter (now filled with the Holy Spirit) bombarding his fellow Jews with Old testament prophecy and New testament reality and the result was what we read in Acts 2:37.
“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
They were cut to the heart!
Imagine Peter’s words cutting through their hearts. (That’s something quite amazing)
One can imagine pre-pentecost Peter cutting ears with swords, but cutting hearts with words and the people crying out,
“Brothers, what shall we do?”
And Peter’s prompt reply,
“Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, everyone of you,in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2 :38)
And the result - 3000 Brand New Converts
What a baptism ceremony that must have been!
Peter, Andrew and John and the others immersing them 1 by 1 and Peter now getting the real meaning of Jesus’ words when he first called him.
“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.”“Come, follow me,”Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”(Matthew 4:18, 19).
I guess Peter would have slept that night after praying thus, “Lord Jesus, thankyou for the 3000 that I caught today.”
You can’t stop post-pentecost Peter. He’s fellowshiping, breaking bread, doing wonders and miraculous signs, meeting together in the temple courts, praising God, enjoying the favour of all the people and fishing for men and getting them too”(Read Acts 2:42-47).
Thomas Ball Barratt , a servant of the Lord traveled from Norway to the USA in 1906 to raise funds for the Methodist Church. While in New York, someone asked him,”Did you know there is a revival going on in this country?”. When he searched for the same, he was astounded by what was happening; people were receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and he too wanted the same. Their response was for him to tarry and wait on God, seeking the baptism of the Spirit daily. On October 7,1906, he received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Baratt later said he must have spoken in 7 or 8 languages that night. Barratt went back to Norway, called the Methodist clergy together, and said, “Brethren, I’ve got it.”They thought he had received a lot of money and asked,”How much did you get?”He replied,”All I could hold.”When they asked him to tell them the amount he got, he replied and told them of Acts 2 and it’s fulfillment in his life. When they heard that he spoke in tongues, he was removed from the clergy.
In to Acts chapter 3 we go and meet Peter and John again at the temple. A 40 year old lame man begging for alms and Peter’s bold remark.
“Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk”(Acts 3:6).
Hearing Peter’s remark, some of us would have said (if we were nearby)
“What Arrogance!”
“What Pride!”
But Peter knew what he was saying and doing and the result was
“Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God”(Acts 3:7, 8).
Imagine you standing there and you are as filled with awe and amazement as the people who saw this great miracle with their eyes (Read Acts 3:9, 10).
Later you call Peter aside and you have a tete-a -tete with him.
“Hey Peter, how did you manage that?”
“That’s Pentecost Power Man! he replies coolly.
“You mean it wasn’t fixed?”
“Fixed!”he smiles. I don’t do that anymore! I’m filled with the Holy Spirit. I’m baptized in the Spirit.”
“Now, Now, don’t give me that jargon of being filled with the Holy Spirit.
I too have the Holy Spirit”
“Not as I have”, Peter would say.
I am filled with the power of God
The Holy Spirit told me “Say this and do this”and I just obeyed.
“The Holy Spirit told you? Well, that’s preposterous.
“Nothing preposterous Brother”
Jesus my Lord had told me before he went to the cross,
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you”(John 16:13-15).
“You mean the Holy Spirit speaks to you? you ask, rather amused by all this.
Well; my Lord said,
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever”(John 14:16).
You then try to discourage him reminding him about his old life.
Say, aren’t you the one who denied Jesus?
Well, that was some time ago and I was not yet filled with the Holy Spirit.
I am not the same Peter anymore.
“I was very impulsive earlier. I said and acted first and only later thought of what I said and did.
I tried to walk on water in the early hours of the morning;
I had only earthly thoughts when the Lord was transfigured and I said, “Let us build 3 booths here.”
I cut off Malchus’ ear without a thought.
I even discouraged the Master from going to the cross.”
I went back to fishing because I didn’t know what happened to my Lord after he died.”
Well, I’m no more like that. I’m different now. I’m baptized in the Spirit. I am led by the Spirit of God now.”
Acts Chapter 3 records another bold sermon by Peter to the onlookers who witnessed the miracle of the lame man being healed (Acts 3:12-26).
The result was that he was jailed along with John (Acts 4:3)
More astonishingly 5000 belived in the Lord Jesus. (Read Acts 4:4).
God said He would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh in the last days. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came in power. This was the “early rain”that God had promised. The 20th century saw the beginning of the “latter rain “stage of of God’s pouring out His Spirit upon all flesh and it is still continuing. The “latter rain”began in a small way in a Bible school in Topeka, Kansas when a man Charles Parham sought the Holy Spirit’s gifts. Then it spread to Texas where William Seymour took it to Los Angeles and it became a full downpour. People came to Azusa Street Mission from all over the world and the movement spread all over the earth.
The next day Peter and John were questioned by the rulers, elders and teachers of the law; Annas and Caiphas were also present and they asked them.
“By what power or what name did you do this?”
And Luke records another sermon by Peter glorifying Jesus.
Interestingly Luke starts verse 8 of chapter 4 like this,
“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit............”
Later they were released after being given warnings and further threats.
“Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.”(Acts 4:18).
Let us read Peter and John’s reply to their command.
“But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God.”For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard”(Acts 4:19, 20).
My word! What boldness!
This is the same Peter who ran away with the other disciples when Jesus was arrested by the soldiers and remember his comment to Jesus before that event.
“But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death”(Luke 22:33).
Peter and John later went back to their friends and reported all that had happened. They prayed to the Lord for more boldness (Acts 4:29) and for the Lord to heal and perform miracles and wonders (Acts 4:30).
In Acts 4:31 we read
“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”
Did you observe that?
They were again filled with the Holy Spirit
Victor Plymire, a missionary, while on the mission field was told by the Lord,”Leave your family here and go to Los Angeles.”He asked,”What for?”but the Lord did not tell him. He left his family on the mission field and went to Los Angeles where he received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. As a result his denomination cut off his support. Plymire then became a faith missionary in Tibet where he took the power of God to thousands of people. in the Himalayas.
In Acts chapter 5, Luke records the account of Ananias and Sapphira and the discerning power that God gave Peter to detect the false lives that they were living.
The extent to which Peter grew close to the Lord can be understood from these verses in Acts chapter 5.
“As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jersalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed. (V. 15, 16).

After Stephen was murdered, we read
“Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. So there was great joy in that city”(Acts 8:1, 4-8).

Later in the chapter we read of a few astonishing verses.
“When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit”(Acts 8:14-17).
Philip was also present on Pentecost day with the other 119 when the Holy Spirit came upon them, but we see in this chapter that though Philip brought many to Christ and did great miracles, he was not able to witness them being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Verse 16 says that the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
From this we infer that the Holy Spirit was “in them”when they accepted Jesus and were baptized. i. e. They received the regenerating presence of the Holy Spirit and new life.
If only this was enough, (as some say) there was no need for the apostles in Jerusalem to send Peter and John to Samaria where Philip was evangelizing.
But that was not the case. The Aposltes knew that the people who accepted Jesus as their Saviour need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
We read in Acts 8:17
“Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit”

Astonishingly Philip was not able to do what Peter and John did.
The explanation here is that
1) Philip was not yet as filled with the Holy Spirit to impart it to others as Peter and John were
2) Philip was not yet given this gift of imparting the Holy Spirit.
(Remember how the Lord took a portion of the Holy Spirit that was on Moses and gave it to 70 others (Read Numbers 11:25) and the result was that they all prophesied)
In Acts chapter 9; We read of Peter telling a paralytic, bedridden man called Aeneas “Jesus Christ heals you.”and another miracle taking place.
At Joppa, Peter prayed and the Lord raised a woman name Dorcas from the dead (Read Acts 9:36-41).
In Acts chapter 10, we read of a centurion named Cornelius, who was devout and God fearing, one who gave generously and prayed regularly.
He was told by an angel of the Lord to send for a man named Peter and when Peter came and preached, we read that the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message and they spoke in tongues. (Read Acts 10:44-46).
So even a devout, God fearing and praying man like Cornelius needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit. That was God’s Soverign plan for him and his family I guess.

Let’s see if we have any conclusion from all this.
1) Peter had the Holy Spirit with him (Luke 5:8)
2) Peter had the Holy Spirit in him (John 20:22)
3) Peter had the Holy Spirit upon him (Acts 2:4)
4) Peter could impart the Holy Spirit that was on him to others (Acts 8:17)

All this occured step by step in his life and not all at once.
The gift the Father promised (Joel 2:28, 29, Matthew 3:11) is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The fulfillment of that promise is described as being “filled with the Holy Spirit”(Acts 2:4).
Thus “baptized in the Spirit”and “filled with the Spirit”are one and the same.
The preposition “with”is the translation of the Greek word en and is often translated as “in”. The “Baptism in the Spirit”is for all who profess faith in Christ, have been born again and have received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is distinct and separate from his work of regeneration
“Baptism in the Spirit”occured only at and after Pentecost. Concerning those filled with the Holy Spirit before Pentecost (Luke 1:15, 67), Luke does not use the term baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Some Points to note
1)The Baptism in the Holy Spirit will bring the personal boldness and power of the Holy Spirit into the believer’s life in order to accomplish mighty works in Christ’s name and to make his or her witness and proclamation effective (Acts 2:14, 41; 4:31; 6:8).
2) In the book of Acts, speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance is the initial outward sign accompanying the baptism in the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:4, 10:45, 46, 19:6).
3) Baptism in the Holy Spirit also results in spiritual growth and desire to become like Christ. It is God’s will and purpose that Christ in us must be fully developed and formed (Galatians 4:19) and this can occur only through the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
4) When we receive the Holy Spirit during our salvation experience, we are blessed, we are comforted, we are convicted, we are healed, we are delivered, we are edified; but only when we are filled with the Holy Spirit we can become a true channel of blessing to others.
5) To fulfill God’s plan in our lives, we need the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
6) We need the baptism in the Holy Spirit to do the works that Jesus did.

In 1906, Charles Parham, the man who helped birth Pentecost into this century, visited Zion city where F.F.Bosworth was living at that time. Parham preached a message on being filled with the Holy Spirit. Bosworth acknowledged that Parham had something he wanted for his ministry to be successful. Bosworth was Baptised in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Bosworth went on to become one of the great healing evangelists of his times.

Finis Jennings Dake, the author of the Dake’s Bible was born again and baptized in water at age seventeen. He yearned for a closer walk with God after being born again. Three months later, in May 1920, Dake received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Immediately, Dake said that he became aware of an ability he did not previously possess. He could quote Scripture verses by the hundreds although he had read little of the Bible upto that time. This was a definite gift from God. Dake authored several books, tracts, and pamphlets, although he is best known for his Annotated Reference Bible.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father”(John 14:12).
When Jesus commissioned his disciples to go into all the world, to preach the gospel (Mark 16:15) and to make disciples of all nations (Mathew 28:19), he told them first to wait in Jerusalem until they were endowed with power from on high (Luke 24:49).
7) Baptism in the Holy Spirit gives us the power to overcome the power of the enemy and live a victorious life. (Luke 10:19).
8) After the baptism in the Spirit, believers are equipped for the ministry. God’s power, God’s love, God’s wisdom, God’s spiritual riches and God’s workmanship are imparted to them who are filled with the Holy Spirit.
9) Baptism of the Holy Spirit causes the believer to have an enhanced seusitinity to sin that grieves the Holy Spirit, a greater seeking after righteousness and a deeper awareness of God’s judgement against ungodliness.
10) Because of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, various gifts of the Holy Spirit are manifested in the life of a believer.
These are for personal edification, for the growth of the church and building up of God’s Kingdom on earth.

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues”(1 Corinthians 12:4-10).

Lam Jeevaratnam, an Indian had gone to England to make money as an artistic entertainer, but God’s plan prevailed. He was saved in an open air meeting in Leeds, then went to Bible school where he was baptized in the Holy Spirit. He gave up his worldly belongings and began preaching Christ with signs and wonders following. In his meetings the dumb spoke, the ears of the deaf were opened, the lame walked, and the blind received their sight. The true power of the Gospel was so visibly evident.

11) Baptism in the Holy Spirit brings a greater desire to pray and a deeper love and understanding for God’s word.
12) The Bible teaches that there may be new fillings with the Holy Spirit after the believer has been baptized in the Spirit. (Acts 4:31, 13:9) (Ephesians 5:18)

Q. Who can receive the “Baptism in the Holy Spirit”?A. Anyone who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour by faith and turns from sin and the world and is determined to obey God by surrendering to Him. If you have not accepted Jesus as your saviour, pray the prayer at the end of this book to make Him your Lord.
(Acts 2:38-40, 5:32; 8:12-17)

Q. How can we receive the “Baptism in the Holy Spirit”A. To receive we must hunger and thirst for it; desire and ask for it; believe we will receive it and be willing to use it for God’s Glory!(Luke 11:9, 10, 13; Matthew 21:22)

Q. How can we sustain the baptism and receive more fillings?A. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is sustained in the believers life by prayer (Acts 4:31), witness (Acts 4:31, 33) worship in the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18, 19) and living a sanctified life. To receive more, ask, seek, knock the doors of heaven.

Mark the great change in the life of the disciple Peter after he was baptized in the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Peter before Peter after
1.Limited Power 1.Unlimited Power
2.Poor or little discernment 2.Greater discerning power
3.Immature 3.Mature
4.Impulsive 4.Spirit controlled temperament 5.Tendency to backslide 5.A genuine leader
6.More of worldly desires 6.God’s kingdom oriented life
7.Unable to comprehend 7.Focused to do his his Master’s will
8.Little or no faith 8.Full of faith
9.Could not impart
the Holy Spirit 9.Laid hands on others and they received the Holy
10.Fearful 10.Fearless and Bold.
Now, would you like to receive the “Baptism in the Holy Spirit?”
or
If you are Baptized in the Holy Spirit would you like to be filled more?Then Go for it. And let the Lord richly bless you.

Jesus said, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.”“Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”(Matthew 7:18,20)

If you see or know a person who says he/she is baptized in the Spirit or filled with the Holy Spirit, doing great works for Christ and not bearing good fruit (Galatians 5:22, 23), know that he/she is a counterfeit believer.
Paul the apostle writes to the Corinthains,
“And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light”(2 Corinthians 11:14).

That should not stop you from asking for the genuine Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Think about it like this.
You go to buy fresh flowers for your life partner; but all you find in your initial search are plastic ones which resemble the genuine ones but are not real for that matter. Would you just pack up and go home? I guess you wouldn’t. A little more search and there you are: genuine, fresh, sweet smelling flowers. You got your heart’s desire.
So forget the counterfeits!
Ask, seek, and knock the doors of heaven for a geniune experience. Be filled with the Holy Spirit and tell others about your experience.
“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”(Psalm 34:8)

Prayer to receive filling of the Holy Spirit.

Dear Father in Heaven,
Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
So kindly fill me with the Holy Spirit this day dear Lord. I believe that He is my Counselor and Comforter as I have accepted Jesus as my Lord. Grant me the gifts of the Holy Spirit to live a strong Christian life and to serve you better. Let the Holy Spirit guide me through your Word to bear fruit abundantly.
Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer,
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Fear not, I am with you

2009-02-10T02:46:00.001-08:00

Fear has gripped mankind like a mass epidemic. Failures of the past, problems today and the uncertainties of the future, all bring fears inside us.
One man’s fear may not be another mans’; meaning, the fear of one who has fallen into a furnace of fire is blazing fire and the fear of one who has fallen into a lion’s den are lions. Perhaps one who has fallen into the fiery furnace may not understand the difficulties of the one fallen into the lion’s den. He may thus say,” That’s nothing so painful, look at my condition.” Like wood is heavy for the elephant to carry, so is a grain of rice for the ant.
People near and dear to you may not understand the fear or problems that are troubling you. They may ridicule you, but remember Jesus loves you and He wants to deliver you from the fears and worries that are destroying your life today.
Many of the prominent characters in the Word of God, the Holy Bible had fears in their hearts because of the problematic circumstances in their lives. Abram, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua and Gideon in the Old Testament and Joseph, Mary, Peter, Paul and John in the New Testament were fearful because of certain difficulties that they faced. Though the circumstances bringing fear in each of their lives were very different, God’s promise to all were the same-“Fear Not, I am with you.”
Is there fear in your heart today? Are you troubled because of trying situations in your life?
God’s promise to you is the same, as it was to them- -“Fear Not, I am with you.”
Because Jesus loves each one of us, He wants to give us the peace that passeth all understanding. He wants to comfort us in our painful circumstances. He says,
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”(John14:27)
When I was a child, I was very fearful of the night times and darkness. Till around 16 years of age I suffered greatly because of this. I had to have someone in my room as the night approached. After the lights were switched off, great fear came upon me and I could not sleep properly. I felt like something would come out of the darkness and attack me. Often I would just look into the darkness and lie awake all night. For almost 10 years, the devil tormented me in this way. My Lord and Savior Jesus miraculously delivered me from this satanic torment when I was 16 years old. Praise the Lord.

I believe that if I had sufficient knowledge of and faith in the Word of God then ,I would not have had to wait so long a time for my deliverance. In Psalms 91,verses 5 and 6 we read,
“You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.”

But do you know for whom God has given this wonderful promise?
In the same Psalm, we read from verse 1 onwards,
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”(Psalms 91:1-4)

To have continual protection from God from the wiles of satan, you must continually dwell in the shelter of the Most High and rest in His shadow. Are you living like that?
You may ask, what do I mean by saying,
“Continually dwelling in the shelter of the Most High and resting in His shadow?”
“How will such a person be living?”
Well, in brief, such a person will have accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior, will have taken water baptism by immersion after accepting Jesus, is filled with the Holy Spirit, is worshipping God in spirit and in truth, is regularly reading, meditating and living the Word of God, is not unequally yoked with unbelievers, is partaking of the holy communion and praying and fasting regularly to conquer his fleshly and worldly desires.
Are you living like this?
If not, you need to take a new decision in your life this day itself.

A youth once consulted a spiritist fortune teller (a medium) to know his future. The lady told him that in 6 months time, he will make a great fortune by gambling and in 1 years time his money will have multiplied several times and he will build for himself a palatial house. But she also told him that after 2 years, he will die suddenly as a result of an accident. The youth was overjoyed at the sudden prospect of growing rich and he occupied himself with playing cards and gambling in a big way. In 6 months time, he was a rich man. In another 6 months his wealth grew to such an extent that he built himself a palatial house. It was then that he suddenly remembered the third thing that the spiritist had told him i.e. he will die after another year of building the house.
Fear gripped him soon and his mind was filled with thoughts of death always. He couldn’t eat or sleep well because of his fears. His mind was tormented continually with thoughts of accidents. Just after 5 months of building his house, suddenly one day he passed away from this world because of a severe heart attack.

In the Old Testament of the Holy Bible, in the book of Leviticus, Chapter 19 and verse 31, the Bible says,
“Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.”
In Chapter 20 and verses 6 & 7,the Bible says,
"I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people. Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.”
Some people can predict your future with the power of the devil. But according to the Word of God, going to such people to know your future is a sin. God hates such things as is written in the verses above. You may come to know certain things about your future through such people, but if you receive a prophecy of death, you may not be able to free yourself from that bondage. Several people are gripped with fear after visiting spiritists and often this can lead to premature death, like it happened in the case of the youth described above.
If you have visited such people to know your future, do repent of that sin to God immediately before you proceed with your reading.
Servants of the true God (Jesus) can prophecy about your future by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. That is compatible with the Word of God (1 Corinthians Chapter 14).
In the Old Testament of the Holy bible, in the book of Daniel, we read of the Hebrew youths Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who defied the kings’ order of worshipping his idol and thus were thrown into the fiery furnace bound with ropes. But King Nebuchadnezzar who ordered that they be thrown into the fiery furnace was astonished at what he saw after they were thrown in. We read in Daniel 3:24, 25,
“Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied, "Certainly, O king."
He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."
Did you notice? Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who were thrown into the fire were walking around in the fire with Jesus unbound and unharmed. They were already unbound while walking in the fire.
The prophet Isaiah writes God’s words to us,
“In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you.”(Isaiah 54:14)
Are you being hindered by satan in the work that you are doing for God? Do not fear, it will not last for long. If you are living in submission to God, with faith you can subdue your enemy and carry on with the great commission that God has given you. God will remove every obstacle satan has placed in your path. Remember his promise;
“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”(Matthew 16:1
James Salter, a missionary to Congo in Africa, encountered cannibals when he first went there for gospel work. They used to shoot at him and his co-workers with bow and arrows. When they traveled on bicycles through the forests, the cannibals ran after them shouting,” White meat, White meat.”Travelling through dangerous forests, he suffered from many sicknesses, some of which almost killed him, but God delivered him miraculously from all of them. God performed great healings through James Salter in the forests of Congo and many of the cannibals were saved and healed. For years, he and his friends labored for God in the forests and established 28 churches. Now there are no cannibals in those forests. Praise the Lord.
When the apostle Paul traveled to Rome, the ship that he was sailing in was struck by a hurricane wind “the northeaster”; when everyone thought that the ship and all in it would be destroyed by the hurricane, God told his servant Paul,
“Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.”(Acts 27:24)
God’s love for us is great. He knows our sorrows, our pains, our worries and our fears.David,the king of Israel has sung like this,
“Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand.”(Psalms 20:6)
How wonderful this statement is. David had many enemies. Goliath, Saul, the Philistines and even his own son Absalom. Even though all of them fought against him, they did not prevail against him. God gave David grace to defeat all his enemies.
In Psalms 34 and verse 4 we read,
“I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”
Are you afraid that that sorcery, witchcraft or black magic done against you by others will destroy your life? Perhaps you are afraid that curses uttered against you by people will destroy you. The Word of God says,
“There is no sorcery against Jacob, no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, `See what God has done!”(Numbers 23:23)
Be hopeful. God will fight for you against your enemy satan. He will be a shield and buckler for you. He will save you from the wiles of the wicked one.
Jesus protects and delivers his children wonderfully, covering us with His blood, by sending angels and with a wall of fire.
If you are being tormented by thoughts of fear from the enemy, Jesus has this to say to you,
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."(Deuteronomy 31:6)
God knows all about the fears in our minds. He is able enough to deliver us from all these fears.
He says, “Fear not, I am with you.”

You can pray this prayer if fear of any kind has gripped your life.

Prayer
Dear Father in Heaven,
“I praise and glorify you for your promises and assuring verses that say,” Fear not.”
Kindly deliver me from this fear (tell God your fear) that is troubling me today.
I believe that if your Son Jesus sets me free, I will be free indeed.
Deliver me from this fear O Lord, by the blood of Jesus and by your Word.
Fill me with the power of your Holy Spirit, O Lord.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen.

A Rich Man

2009-02-10T02:45:00.001-08:00

In the gospel of Luke Chapter 12, verses 16-20, we read of a parable told by Jesus. “And he told them this parable: The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink and be merry.”
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”

There are many rich people around us who think and live like this man in the parable. There may be someone in your family who lives like that. May be you, yourself. Think about it.

The rich man that Jesus spoke of in the parable had only worldly thoughts about today and tomorrow, but no thoughts about the never ending eternity.

Once a rich man came to me for treatment of his illness. When he saw the advertisement of my first book “Jesus is coming soon,”he mocked and asked me. “Is this the place where you issue tickets to heaven?”Since he was mocking I did not reply to his question. That year he again came to me once or twice for treatment. He lived a life of luxury. He had 2 vehicles, lots of property and of a lot of money. He had no thoughts for God or eternity.
If you talked to him, he had no desire to listen to it. I did not see him for quite sometime after that. After 2 yrs, he again visited me. Very sad, sulken face, he sat before me with a file in his hands. He was panting when he spoke. “I had been sick; cough, expectoration and wheezing”. I took the file from him and examined it and saw that he had been on various treatments for the past 1 year. Because he did not get any relief from the treatment that he received in Kerala, he had gone to Vellore Medical College for treatment.
After investigation there, he had been diagnosed to be suffering from a medically incurable lung disease. He was just prescribed some medicines for temporary relief.
I looked at him, and thought in my mind, “Unless Jesus does a miracle, this man has no hope for healing now.”
I tried to initiate talks about spiritual matters but even now he did not show any interest. After sometime he departed. About 2 weeks later he passed away from this world.
When I heard that, I remembered the question that he had asked me 3 yrs. back, “Is this the place where you issue tickets to heaven?”

Dear Brother, Dear Sister, In the Holy Bible in the book of Isaiah Chapter 55; verses 6 & 7 the prophet says,
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”

In the year 1967 when America went to war against Vietnam, a 17 yr old youth named John Steer joined the American Army because he was fed up of his life due to family problems. After his training for war, filled a anger, hatred and pride this aethist youth had only one aim in mind as he traveled to Vietnam for the war and that was “to kill”. He wanted to kill ruthlessly. He wanted to destroy the Vietnamese army. After reaching Vietnam, he got lots of opportunities to kill and he did just that.
Travelling through forests, he faced many troubles, suffering from Malaria, diarrhea and bamboo poisoning. The surprising fact is that through all this he never even once thought about his own death.
One night hiding in trenches there was intense shooting between the Americans and the Vietnamese army.
The American army had received instructions like this, “At 1.00 am, an American plane would fly past them and throw flaming torches in the place where the Vietnamese were hiding. The plane coming second would bomb the place lit up by the thrown torches.”At 1.00 am John and his fellow soldiers heard the sound of the 1st plane coming. As the plane came near, by mistake the flaming torches were thrown in the place where the American soldiers were hiding. The pilot of the second plane that followed, seeing the flaming torches and being given orders to bomb that place dropped many bombs on the Americans themselves.
In a matter of moments, pieces of flesh started flying here and there. They all, including John were screaming, bombs were exploding every where. John screamed as a bomb fell near him and then he lost consciousness.
When he regained conciousness after a few hours, he lifted his head and saw the Vietnamese checking some dead American soldiers far away. As he felt like something was moving on his face, he tried to bring his right upper limb to clear it; but to his dismay he found that he had no right upper limb.
His left leg had no movements. Because he had no water to drink, to remain alive he drank his own blood flowing down his face and quenched his thirst. Sure that he was going to die, this youth who had never called upon God cried out loudly;
“God save me from hell”
“God save me from hell”

Dear Brother, Dear Sister, are you waiting to call God for the first time when death stares you in the face?
Are you waiting to call upon God for the first time after being struck by an incurable sickness and death stares into your eyes?
Are you waiting to call upon God for the first time after drinking alcohol and your liver swells and you start vomiting blood?
Are you waiting to call upon God after chain smoking for several years and you are diagnosed to be suffering from lung cancer?
It must never be like that!

Remember what God tells the rich man in the parable that Jesus told.
“You fool, this very night your life will be demanded of you”
I keep advising many people, “Alcoholism destroys the body. It brings eternal judgment.”

I advised a man to stop his alcoholism many times, for 8 years as and when he came to me for treatment. “I drink only 2 pegs at night, and that too with my own money”Is that alcoholism? he used to laugh and ask me.
After 8 yrs. he came to me with swelling all over his body. I checked his liver function and the tests showed that his liver had failed almost totally. Death was not very far from him then.

Dear Friend, the Bible says,
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple”(1 Corinthians 3:16,17).
Are you destroying your body by smoking?
Is it by alcoholism?
Is it by taking drugs?
God hates all such things!
All this is sin in God’s presence.
Are you living as a slave to sin?
Sin is the way to death dear Brother, dear Sister, Not only bodily death, but eternal death.
Remember, there is an eternity after your life on earth.
When you die on earth, though your fleshly body becomes nonfunctional, your spirit and soul lives on forever either in heaven or in hell.
To all who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and live a holy life according to the Word of God, God has prepared eternal joy in heaven which will be their permanent home.
To all who rebel against God and His word eternal pain and sorrow awaits for them in hell.
What will you choose? Today is your day of decision!

In March 1994, a man came to visit me. He was very rich, had a big bungalow and several acres of land in Trivandrum, Kerala. He and his wife lived a high society life, went regularly to parties and gave parties often. He was eager to listen to the gospel message but always had a habit of postponing in taking a decision to accept Jesus as His Saviour because of his rich life style. As he entered my room he saw a beautiful picture of a house on the calendar hanging on the wall. He was fascinated by the picture and immediately asked me to give him that picture.
I asked him, “Why do you want this picture?”
“I want to build a house like that, he said”
“But you have a bungalow in Trivandrum, a big house here, then why do you want to build another house? I asked him.”
“It’s so beautiful”, he said, “I will build a house just like this. Kindly give me this picture.”
I told him, “This page of the calendar is of the month of March. You can come on April 1st and I will tear this page and give it to you as soon as March ends.
When I talked about God and Eternal Salvation he, said
“We can talk of that some other time.”
While going his eyes were still on the picture on the wall.
I forgot this matter totally because of my hectic work. On April 1st when I glanced through the paper, I was shocked to see his photo in the column for the deceased.
He had died of a heart attack on March 31st. I remembered his words, his worldly desires and his habit of postponing in making a decision for accepting Jesus.What a pity!

Remember what God told the rich man in the parable that Jesus said.
“You fool, this very night your life will be demanded of you.”
God loves you! Jesus loves you!
Do not delay in accepting Jesus as your Savior.
God is calling you today!
Jesus is calling you today!
Accept his call today and be blessed!
You heard about the life of the American youth John Steer.
In an emergency situation, battling with death, he cried out to God
“God save from hell, God save me from hell”
God heard his cry.
An American helicopter came through intense firing and saved him miraculously.
Soon he accepted Jesus as his Savior, renounced all his sinful ways and started living according to the Word of God.
God blessed him spiritually and materially.
Dear Brother, Dear Sister,
This is the day of decision in your life.
Are you ready to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior?
Are you willing to give up all your sinful deeds?

If you read Galatians Chapter 5 verses 19-21 the apostle Paul says,
“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Today are you willing to give up any of the sinful deeds mentioned above that you may be doing?
If yes, you can pray the prayer after reading these verses which speak about salvation
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”(Romans 3:23).
“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered”(Psalm 32:1).
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved”(Acts 4:12).
“If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”(1 John 1:9).
“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved”(Romans 10:9, 10).

PRAY THIS PRAYER OF ACCEPTING JESUS CHRIST AS SAVIOUR

Dear Father in Heaven,
I confess that I am a sinner and that I will perish in my sins if I do not accept Jesus as my Saviour and Lord. Forgive me all my sins and unrighteousness and wash me with the blood of Jesus and make me a new person this day. I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your son and He died on the cross at Calvary for my sins and that He was resurrected and ascended to heaven and sits at your right hand with all authority given to Him by you. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and let Him guide me through your Word to live a life, holy and pleasing to you.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen

Poison

2009-02-10T02:44:00.001-08:00

The year was 1986. I was working as an intern in a general hospital after completing my MBBS. In the general wards that I worked for 6 months, we took the opportunity to train ourselves to give injections & dress wounds of the patients, reducing some of the nurses work load. Sterilizing spirit was used as disinfectant to clean wounds and as antiseptic agent on the skin before giving injections. The spirit bottles would usually be empty when we checked them each morning though we would have left enough in the bottle when we left the previous evening. On several such occasions we enquired of the staff what the matter was but instead of getting an adequate reply to our question the spirit bottles would be filled once again. We decided to get to the bottom of the matter and finally discovered that a certain wardboy was using the bitter drink to whet his appetite for liquor. Poverty and low wages seemed to have forced him to the habit of stealing spirit from the different wards rather than buying better drinks outside. The fellow was just 25 years of age but had all the bodily signs of a chronic alcoholic –lean and thin body, unsteady gait, trembling fingers, a bloated abdomen and the rest. No one seemed to bother and he seemed to be enjoying himself when suddenly one day we found him on one of the hospital beds vomiting blood. There was not much that anyone could do those days considering the facilities and his poverty and all that was done proved futile and he died an untimely death very soon.

This story can be written thousands of times with the characters changed but with a similar end in many cases.

Alcohol has been a major cause of morbidity and morality in our country. Premature deaths, unproductive lives, destroyed families are the usual end result.

Most people start out to have a drink casually for pleasure, for enjoying company or for relieving stress. But once the habit catches on, it threatens to destroy a persons’ body, soul & spirit. Some never realize unless it too late and at that stage they are helpless because death would have already grabbed them with its deadly tentacles.

So, have you been drinking lately?

It’s better to stop before its too late. Perhaps you may laugh at my advice telling me to mind my own business. But wait a minute! Let me tell you some interesting stories about people who took to the vice and destroyed themselves and their families.

But for a moment, read this verse from the best selling book on earth – The Bible.
“Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.”(Proverbs 20:1)

How interesting isn’t it?
This verse from the Bible describes the nature and potential evil of fermented drink. As you gulp it, it’s constantly mocking you of how it can overpower you soon and make you do things it wishes.
If that is the case, then the intoxicating drinks that you drink, have a power of their own. It’s an evil power or a power of darkness or evil spirit actually that mocks you as you have the drink. The evil spirit of Alcoholism has many slaves and perhaps you are one of them. There are 1 peg slaves, 2 peg slaves and bottle slaves.
The “evil spirit of alcoholism”challenges the one drinking the intoxicating drink to do things that person would not even imagine of doing when he is sober. The Bible says “Beer is a brawler”
That proverb is self explanatory and has been acted out millions of times in all ages. Brawls, fights and killings all have resulted after people have temporarily ceased to think and reason properly because of the effect of alcohol on their brain. Once sober, many who drink are remorse and guilt ridden that they have hurt others – perhaps the wife or the children or friends. This guilt and repentant behavior lasts for varying periods in the person’s life and then once again the story runs the same course. The “evil spirit of alcoholism”is cunning and catches its prey by the throat and will not usually let go unless God intervenes.
And God is always wishing to intervene if you go to him in all humility and tell him,
“Dear Jesus, I have a problem with alcohol. Help me and free me from its clutches.”
The Bible says,
“So if the Son (Jesus, son of God) sets you free, you will be free indeed.”(John 8: 36)
Just for fun! People say, just for fun! But finally the fun is over when Cirrhosis (degeneration of liver cells ) or Cancer sets in.
A 35 year old man walked into my clinic one day for minor pain in the abdomen and indigestion. I got his story for the records – he had been drinking for 10 years just to get an appetite ( otherwise I have no appetite for food, he said ). He seemed to be fine as he sat next to me, normal pulse, B. P. and clear chest on examination. Just to get the examination overwith and prescribe some medicine, I asked him to lie down on the examination table. As soon as I placed my hand on his abdomen I was shocked and knew the diagnosis – Cancer of liver. His liver was enlarged and hard as stone. I felt pity for him. I sent him for a scan the same day. Advanced cancer was reported. He lived barely 3 months after that.

Remember the Bible says clearly.
“Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.”(Proverbs 20:1)

Dear Brother, take a decision today. Say “I will touch that thing no more.”It will save your life and save trouble for your family too.
Some people think that intoxicating drinks are acceptable, good, healthy or safe when taken moderately. But that is a lie because not many know the difference between mild, moderate and severe.

Here’s a warning found in the Bible for those who consume such intoxicating drinks –
“Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging.”(Proverb 23: 29-35)

Have you been mixing drinks just for gaining popularity or is “on the rocks”your favorite?

The Bible says that though it goes down smoothly, in the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.
And the poison gets deposited in every part of the body, right from the hair on the head to the soles of the feet. Are you experiencing the poison of this ‘viper’ called ‘alcohol’ in your body these days? It’s time to take a firm decision. No more of it. You may not be able to subdue this “evil spirit of alcoholism”by your human power but there is a person called JESUS who has all authority in heaven and on earth. He will defeat this devil that is tormenting you. Are you willing to give your problem into Jesus’ mighty hands? He will set you free!

You may experience withdrawal effects on stopping taking alcohol but you can get through that phase too if you cling to Jesus.
One of my patients who was an alcoholic died because of the toxic effects of the drinks on his liver. A few days later a young man came to see me for complaints of dizziness and headache. On enquiring he told me he was so and so’s son ( the alcoholic who had died). On enquiring further he told me that he had been drinking alcohol heavily since his father’s death. What a pity! Like father, like son! He had taken to the habit on seeing his father enjoying drinks with his friends.

The Bible says,
“He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”(1 John 3:8)

The son of God, Jesus appeared to destroy the devil’s work. Through alcohol has the devil been working in your life, destroying your body, your business, your family? If yes, then cry to Jesus. He will set you free. He will destroy the destroyer that is playing havoc with your life.
Remember, a day will come when you will have to stand in front of your Creator and give an account of your life to Him.

The Bible says,
“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God”(1 Corinthians 6:9, 10)

You may say, “I don’t care.”“ Hell is fine for me”
No; dear friend. Never say that! Imagine getting 95% of your body getting burned , being conscious & not dying. That‘s hell in more simplified terms.

Mel Trotter who established 66 rescue missions in leading cities of America had a life transforming experience and is an example of how Jesus can change a person’s heart and life by the regenerating power of His Holy Spirit.
In his youth Mel considered education unnecessary for success. His parents did their best to get him to go to school but he was more interested in his father’s saloon and the gambling den. Mel followed in his father’s footsteps. Early in life he experienced the taste of liquor and like his father became a drunkard by the time he was 20 years old. He was desperate to drink every day. Sometimes he was broke and that was a terrible time. Once he sold his shoes to buy whisky. For 10 years the devil made him live this life of drunken hopelessness. Mel despised himself for his weakness and again and again begged for his wife’s forgiveness and promised never to touch liquor again. But each promise was followed by another drunken spree.
One wintry, snowy night, he left his wife and 2 year old son at home and went away to satisfy his awful craving for drink. He came after drinking heavily for 10 days only to find his wife in their cold bare home and saw her clutching on to their dead son. He looked at his heartbroken wife and the dead child and then he could think of only one thing-that he was a murderer. He decided to commit suicide. He turned away in despair and headed to Lake Michigan to drown himself. On the way to the lake his walk was made difficult as a blizzard raged on the town. It was snowing heavily and his progress to the lake was hampered. The snow bit into his foot through his torn shoes. He found a small shelter and walked into it, helped by a man who stood at the door. The man who helped him was a preacher. Once inside the shelter, he squatted in a corner, a hopeless and defeated soul, but as the meeting started and progressed, God worked a great change in Mel Trotter’s heart. God’s Word when spoken by the preacher not only brought comfort to his soul but at the same time made him acknowledge in his heart that he was a bad sinner. At the close of the service the preacher said, “Put up your hand for prayer, let God know you want to make room for Him in your heart.”Mel Trotter raised his hand and the preacher putting his arm around him told him the story of God’s redeeming love for mankind by sending His only son Jesus to die on the cross for everyone’s sins. Mel cried out for mercy and forgiveness from God and God saved his spirit and soul from eternal destruction that night. Not only did God redeem his spirit and soul that night but He also broke the fetters which the evil spirit of alcoholism had bound him with. He never touched another drop of liquor from that time.
Instead he started to witness about the lifesaving power of Jesus to every one around, especially to alcoholics like he was, He went on to become one of the great evangelists of America in his time.

Dear friend, are you in despair this day? Have you been trying to quit drinking, yet failing repeatedly? Look to Jesus this day. For you, Jesus gave his life on the cross. He carried your sins, your pains, your worries and weaknesses on the cross.
He will surely set you free if you ask Him to free you.
Call out to Him today. You will not be disappointed.
There are some who accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour and then fall into this sin of drinking intoxicating drinks and other sins like sexual immorality.

The Bible says they will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.“ (Galathians 5: 19-21)

A man had a close relationship with Jesus Christ and was faithful to Him regarding everything for several years. On his way to work he had to go past a hotel with a bar serving alcoholic drinks. Every time he passed by that place, satan (the devil) would whisper in his mind, “Come in here and enjoy life’s pleasures.”He would rebuke that thought and walk ahead enjoying his joyful life with the Lord. He was faithful in prayer, fasting, meditating on God’s Word and worshipped God with a whole heart. A few years went by. This man’s spiritual life started dulling as he spent less time reading God’s Word, worshipping and praying. Every day now as he passed by the bar, the temptation in his heart grew; satan tormented his thoughts –- come and enjoy, come and enjoy, he used to say. Finally he gave into the thought. He went in and drank to his heart’s content one day. Suddenly all the heavenly joy in his heart disappeared; he felt as if the Lord had left him. His mind was overcome with guilt. He cried and cried but to no avail. The peace that passes all understanding seemed to have left time. He cried, “ Jesus forgive me, Jesus forgive me “ but there was no answer for a while. No peace, no joy. It took 8 years of fervent crying to the Lord ; finally the Lord gave him back the joy of salvation because he truly repented. You may ask why Jesus forgave only after 8 years.
My friend, Jesus forgives immediately as we cry for forgiveness but the evil effect that sin leaves takes time to go away and only true repentance can remove that.

So once you are delivered from this evil of alcoholism, be faithful to Jesus. Read and Mediate on God’s Word-The Bible regularly. Pray and fast regularly and be involved in a Holy Spirit led worship. Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with which comes power to resist all the wiles of wicked one.

Now are you ready to call out to Jesus for deliverance? If so, then pray this prayer with a contrite heart after meditating on these verses.
Come now, let us reason together,”says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. (Isaiah 1:18)
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”(1 John 1:9)
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”(Romans 10:9, 10)

Dear Father in Heaven,
I have sinned against you by polluting my body which is your temple by consuming alcohol. I have hurt others by my drunken behavior. Kindly forgive me my sins. Wash me with the blood of Jesus. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, was buried and was resurrected. You have given him all authority on earth and in heaven. Dear Lord, your Word says that if Jesus sets me free I will be free. Through Jesus, deliver me from this evil spirit of alcoholism this day dear Lord according to your promise. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me to live a life, holy and faithful to you.
Lord, let your Holy Spirit strengthen me in body, mind, soul and spirit so that I can resist all temptations for consuming alcohol in the coming days.
Keep me from falling dear Lord and let your name be glorified.
In Jesus name, Amen.

“To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy-to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”(Jude 24, 25)