Walk This Way

Gal 3:1-7,

2 Cor 7:1 Since these promises are ours, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates and defiles body and spirit, and bring consecration to completeness in the fear of God.

We are the children of God if we believe and receive Jesus Christ. We also by faith perfect our walk, our conduct and behavior to match the inward reality. The best cup of coffee will be unappealing when it comes to us in a dirty, cracked cup. We believe and let the Holy Spirit work His will, His nature into our hearts. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil 1:6

Phil 2:13 God works in us both to do and will… Our will is freed. We allow ourselves to co-labor with God in order that we may look and act/behave more and more like our Father. We grow up into this. We embrace the lessons by faith, believing, receiving His nature, we let it grow into fullness within us. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. Eph 3:20-21.

Each of us have a garden inside of us. Each of us are responsible for what grows and are allowed to flourish in our garden.  Our job is to “let” and “let not”. Romans 6 says that we are no longer slaves. We have been freed to make choices, to make righteous choices. 1 Peter 2:16 Act as free men, and [fn]do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.

People ask why God allows the evil in the world. He gave us the job of taking care of this world and we allow the evil to flourish. When good people are only concerned about their own little circle, their own comfort, their own ease, then evil flourishes. When we do not take responsibility for the world we were given, we have wickedness in charge. We have the job to yield to God and not to evil. Yet we yield to evil, we refuse to fight it. We choose the easy, lazy way. We choose the path of least resistance and reap a dust storm.

We can through faith combat evil/sin/wickedness in our own personal lives; in our family, in our neighborhood. We have the authority from God, as kings and priests to say “NO” to wickedness and evil but “YES” to righteousness, goodness and godliness.  We are NO LONGER slaves. We have been freed. We have choices. Ro 6:14 says that sin/evil shall no longer have dominion over us. Eph 4:14-16 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Being under grace does not mean that you park your blessed assurance in a rocking chair or hammock and hang a sign that reads: “Don’t bother me. I’ve arrived.” Because of this grace we have received we persuade others. What do we persuade them of? What is our message? That the emancipation proclamation has been made! You and I have been freed from sin. Receive your freedom and take the responsibility to live like those who are free. You are redeemed in Jesus Christ. You are Kings and Priests. You are citizens of God’s Eternal Kingdom! Now live like it. Eph 2:10 says that we are God’s handiwork/ His workmanship recreated in Christ Jesus, that we may do the good works which God has purposed for us.

This does not mean that we earn salvation by works. It means that because we are free to serve God, free to be His ambassadors, free to be His kings and priests, we do those things that bring Him glory and honor. We are His temple, His habitation, His body, His bride, His people, His army and we are to be busy doing His work. Col1:10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;, Eph 3:10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places..

Jesus, at the age of 12, told his mother and Joseph. “I need to be about my father’s business”. How about you?

Time for Another Reformation by Marietjie Chase

On the 31 of October, 1517, Martin Luther wrote this pre-face to the 95 thesis' that he nailed to the church in Wittenburg. "Out of love for the truth and from desire to elucidate it, the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and ordinary lecturer therein at Wittenberg, intends to defend the following statements and to dispute on them in that place. Therefore he asks that those who cannot be present and dispute with him orally shall do so in their absence by letter. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. "

It seems now just like then, that there are many practices entered into the church, global and as a whole, as well as doctrines that cannot be found in the Bible. What will Martin Luther say if he would do this in our time. Maybe it is time for another Reformation.

This is what I think will have to be written:

God

1. Man is NOT at the center of the gospel, God is. [Genesis 1:1, Isaiah 46:9, Acts 17:28, Romans 9:16, 2 Corinthians 4:6, 1 Timothy 6:13]

2. We serve, love and worship God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The name of the son is Jesus, the Christ, the Lord.(Jesus of Nazareth)[Genesis 1:26, Matthew 28:19, 1 John 5:7, Ephesians 1:17, 1 Peter 1:2, I Corinthians 6:11, Luke 12:12, John 14:26, Acts 5:3, Acts 28:25, 2 Corinthians 13:14] 

3. In the beginning God, in three persons, created everything. God reveals Himself  first as creator. Humanity owes our creator:  honor, respect and homage. [Genesis 1 - 3,  Isaiah 40:28, Isaiah 42:5,  Romans 1:25, Ecclesiastes 12:1, Psalms 104:30,  Malachi 2:10, Ephesians 3:9, Colssians 1:16, Revelations 4:11 and Revelations 5:13]

4. God is omnipresent… everywhere and everywhen. He is outside of time as we know it. He is not bound by our perception of time. The sun, moon and stars came into being on the fourth ‘day’ of creation yet God was already there from ‘day’ one. He is eternally in the present since past, present and future is all open and the same to Him. He is everywhere, in all times and in all places. [Psalms 139, Exodus 3:6 , Revelation 4:8, Titus 1:2, Genesis 21:33, Jeremiah 23:24]

5. God is omniscient… all-knowing.  He knows everything. There is nothing hidden from Him.  That is why the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. All knowledge NOT based on faith in God is therefore only supposition and not the truth. We know Him as He reveals Himself to us.  [Luke 12:6-7, Psalms 147:5,  1 John 3:19-20, Hebrews 4:13]

6. God is Omnipotent… All powerful, almighty… God can do anything, anything. Nothing is impossible for Him. The only limitations He has, He placed on Himself. [Genesis 17:1, Mark 6:41, Luke 18:27, Revelations 19:6]

7. God is just… “Vengeance is Mine.” says the Lord. Because He knows everything, because He is everywhere, He is the only One who can truly judge properly. Humanity needs God’s intervention in our affairs in our judicial systems. God reveals truth.  God hates injustice. [2 Thessalonians 1:6-9, Psalms 25:8-14,  Psalms 7:11, Romans 12:19]

8. God is love… self sacrificing, giving love. He is the originator of love. He does not love, He is love. True love comes from God. Without knowing God no-one can truly love. [ I Corinthians 13, I John 4: 8-9 , John 3:16, Romans 5:8]

9. God is light… There is no darkness in God. Neither is He fickle. He does not change who is. He is ever the same, not grey. He is light in His being, both literally and figuratively. We see clearly because of His light.  [James 417, 1 John 1: 5, John 9:5, Isaiah 60:19, John8:12]

10. God is unchangeable... He is all that He is all the time. He does not suspend a part of Him to be something else. He is not fickle and does not evolve. He needs nothing and is not growing, diminishing or changing in any way at any time. He is what He is. That is why He introduced Himself to Moses as "I am". [ Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8, Hebrews 1: 10 - 12, Acts 1:11, Exodus 3:14]

11.We worship and pray to God, through Jesus Christ [Ephesians 2:18, Romans 1:8, 1 Peter 2:5, John 14:6 and 13] by the Holy Spirit. [Romans 8:26, John 4:24, Philippians 3:3, John 16:13-14]

12.  Jesus did not use any of His divinity when He was on earth. What He did, He did through the power of the Holy Spirit which is available to every believer as well. He came as man, lived as man, died as man and was resurrected as man. [John 3:34, Luke 4:1, Matthew 8:20 amp; 16:13 & 17:9 amp; 26:64, John 6: 53, Acts 2:22, Romans 8:11, I Corinthians 12, - compare with all Jesus did, Philippians 2:7]

13. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven waiting for His enemies to become His footstool. [ Luke 22:69, Colosians 3:1] The person of the Godhead that is now on the earth is the Holy Spirit, [John 14:26 & 15:26] indwelling every born again believer and the church as a whole. [ Galatians 4:6, Romans 8:14] We are not to usurp the role of the Holy Spirit in one another's life. It is the Holy Spirit's job to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement. [ John 16:8-10,]

Salvation

14. There is NO other way to God but by Jesus Christ, His Son. There is no true worship of God, apart from Jesus Christ. [John 3:16, John 10:1, John 14;6, Acts 4:10 -12, Acts 16:31, 1 Thessalonians 5:9, 1 Timothy 2:5, 2 Timothy 2:10, Galatians 2:16 ]

15. God hates sin.  All acts of disobedience is sin. All actions based on unbelief, doubt and lies are sin. All sexual behavior, apart from between husband and wife in marriage, is sin. The law was given to teach us about sin. [Genesis 3, Leviticus 18, Exodus 20, Romans 14:23, James 4:17, 1 John 5:17, Romans 7:7 ]

16. Jesus paid the full price and penalty for all the sins of all people, eternity past and eternity future. The removal of sin is complete. There is nothing that can be added to it. His work is complete. It is finished. Once and for all done.[John 1:29, Matthew 1:21, Hebrews 10:12, 1 Peter 3:18, 1 Corinthians 15:3, Galatians 1:4, 1 John 3:5,  Hebrews 7:27, Hebrews 9:28]

 17. Salvation is available to all. Not all are saved and not all will be saved. By saved I mean Born Again.[1 Peter 1:23, Hebrews 7:27, Titus 2:11] 

18. There are only two kinds of people: the saved ones and the unsaved ones. All other distinctions, discrimination's and segregation's are wrong and un-biblical. [ Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11, Titus 2:11, Hebrews 5:9, John 3:15-16, Acts 2:21, Romans 10:11-13, 2 Peter 3:9]

19. There is only one plan of salvation for all humanity. No-one is "borned"(in this flesh) into God's kingdom. God does not have grandchildren. All have to repent and believe. All have to be born again. .[Romans 3:23, John 3:5-21, Romans 14:12, Ezekiel 18, Jeremiah 31:30, ]

20. Only those who have given their lives to God have the right to be called sons, children of God. The only way to become a son/child of God is to be born again by accepting the life - eternal life - of Jesus Christ and also giving, dedicating, one's life, as a response to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to God. [ John 1:12, Romans 8:1 and 16, Galatians 3:26, 1 John 3:2]

21. When our Lord  Jesus Christ said, ``Repent'' (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. Inner repentance is worthless unless it produces various outward mortification of the flesh. Repentance is more than a simple change of mind. If you think it is as fickle and inconsequential as choosing what to have for dinner, it will have no eternal weight. It is the admitting of one's error, the resolution and determination to turn away from it and turn toward God in humble contrition. Repentance is deep sorrow, compunction, or contrition for a past sin, wrongdoing. True repentance will have fruit, evidence manifested. It will bring about change. To the extent of the transgression, to that extend, should be the restitution and repentance.[Matthew 3:8, Mark 1:15, Luke 3:8, Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19, Acts 20:21, Acts 26:20, Romans 2:4, 2 Corinthians 7:10]

22. Salvation is an experience that includes emotion. We experience God in our lives but do not make doctrine based on experience. Experience and emotion follows doctrine, not proceed it.[Deuteronomy 28:7, Nehemiah 8:10, Luke 15:7, John 15:11, Galatians 5:22]

23. We are brought into this Kingdom of God for a purpose. We are saved by grace, a gift of God, not by works but after salvation we are designed for good works. We are not to settle in hammocks, rocking chairs and couches to await a reward of salvation. Laziness is not godliness and apathy and in-action as sinful as rebellion.[Ephesians 2:10,  Titus 2:7, Titus 3:8, Hebrews 10:24, 1 Peter 2:12] 

 24. The salvation of the soul, sanctification, is a process that lasts a lifetime. While the human spirit is made alive at the moment of new birth, the human soul are being changed from one degree of glory into another as we behold Jesus. The soul are generally accepted to be the person or mind, emotions and will. [James 1:21, Galatians 3, Colossians 2 and 3, ]

25. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit does not end with the speaking in other tongues/languages. The evidence of power, divine ability, to be a witness is. (or martyr) Any manifestation of the Holy Spirit has a purpose. He is not an entertainer or into showmanship. [Acts 1:8, Luke 24:49, Luke 4:14, 1 Corinthians 2:4, Matthew 3:11]  [1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12] 

26. Healing, miracles and signs and wonders are still the children's bread. It is as part of our salvation as the saving of our souls. Miracles, signs and wonders will follow those-who-believe, those-who-believe do not follow miracles, signs and wonders. [Isaiah 53 :5, Matthew 21:21, Mark 16:17 and 20, Acts 2:43, Acts 5:12, Acts 15:12, Hebrews 2:4, 1 Corinthians 12,  James 5:16, 2 Peter 2:24]

27. Water Baptism follows repentance and is a sign of the covenant of the New Birth. The ritual of Baptism is as the ritual of marriage, yet not bride and groom but God and believer. In water baptism one identify with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ making a public display of an inward reality. [Acts 2:38, Acts 8:12, Romans 6:3, Galatians 3:27]

28.  God is never going to change His mind about sin. God does not change. The best way to deal with sin, is to agree with God about it and accept His answer for it. No matter how good we excuse or dress up sin, it will never be acceptable to God. God hates sin, all sin. Addictions and controlling, manipulating spirits are sins like any other sin. It should be repented of and deliverance sought as with any other possession. There is no big and small sin. Sin is sin.[ Deuteronomy 12:31, and 16 :22, Isaiah 43 : 24, Isaiah 59:2 ]

29.  One cannot serve God and sin, satan and self at the same time. Death to sin, satan and self will mean life in the spirit. One cannot be friends with the world and a friend of God all at the same time. One will hate the one and love the other. Trying to be acceptable to the world is not Christianity. By it's very essence, Christianity is offensive.[Matthew 6:24, James 4:4, 1 Corinthians 1:23, Galatians 5:11]

30.  Holiness is still the requirement to see God. Sanctification is still the will of God for us all. When we see the reality of our own crucified life, [Galatians 2:20 etc] this becomes a side effect of our relationship with Him. As He is, so we are in this world. Outward appearance does not make one holy. One cannot become holy by the way one dress, walks, worships or talks. One's actions will change but it does not in itself make one holy. Character means something. Being a Christian means being good as God is good. [Romans 6:22, 2Corinthians 7:1, 1 Thessalonians 4:7, Hebrews 12:14]

31. Our Citizenship is not of this world. Therefore politics, customs and traditions mean little in the Kingdom of God. It can actually become a hindrance and distraction. The church does not belong in politics other than praying for the leaders. The resources wasted on political interests would be better spent in fulfilling the function of the church in society. [1 Timothy 2:1-2,  Philippians 3:20, Hebrews 13:14,  John 14:2]

 32. The Bible is the word of God. You may not believe all of it or understand all of it. But changing it will not change the reality of it being the Word of God. Attempting to know God without knowing the Bible will lead to heresy. The Bible is to be understood literally unless it says not to.  No man's word and will is above the Word of God. [Matthew 4, Mark 14:27, Psalms 119, Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16, Galatians 3:8, Proverbs 30:5, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, 1 Peter 1:23]

33. Relegating any part of the Bible as outdated or not for today, unless the New Testament repealed an Old Testament law, is to preach something other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the Gospels we often read: "so that the scripture will be fulfilled.." Jesus also refer to the Law and the Prophets.  [ John 13:18, Luke 16:31, Matthew 5, Revelations 22:18]   

34. God speaks in many various ways by dreams, visions, other people, allegory, music, pictures etc. But it all have to agree and NOT disagree with the Bible.Those who are born again hear the voice of God. It is the leader's and spiritual overseers' job to help them recognize this. [Genesis 37 :8, Daniel 5:12, Hebrews 1::1, Joel 2:28, Numbers 22, John 10, Psalms 95:7, 1 John 4:6, Luke 8:21, ]

35. It is the will and way of God that we ask. Without prayer, individual and corporate, no-one will know the will of God. There are many different kinds of prayer. Without prayer we lose the essence of our faith. Pray in the Name of Jesus to receive anything from God. God does answer prayer. God moves on behalf of those who seek Him in prayer. [Luke18:1,  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18,  Ephesians 6:18, Rom. 12:12; Col. 4:2; 2 Tim 1:3]

36. Fasting still benefits a believer and the abstaining from food and drink will not kill your body but do wonders for your prayer life. It is one of the treasured mysteries of those who desire a deeper life with God. [Nehemiah 1:4, Daniel 9:3, Matthew 4:2, Acts 13:3, Mark 9:29, 1 Corinthians 7:5]

37. Suffering will come to those who desire to live Godly lives. It does not need to be sought, it will come by itself. There will be suffering. To deny this reality or to dismiss this reality is heresy. [1 Peter 2:19, James 5:10 and 13, Romans 8:18, 1 Peter 4:13]

 38.  Revival is not an end in itself. It cannot, must not be a goal. We will never experience revival by seeking it or praying for it. Revival happens when a people seek the face of God with the overwhelming realization that they have no-where else to go. Desperate people begging God to intervene, desperate determined people, who will not take no for an answer... So revival is the side effect of people seeking the face of God. [Luke 2:36 - 38, Acts 3:19, Psalms 69:32, Psalms 27:8]

39.  Faith is the currency of the Kingdom of God. Yet, it is a gift received from God. Faith always includes risk. Unbelief is the opposite of faith, not fear. You can have faith and fear at the same time. It is not mutually exclusive. [Judges 6, Hebrews 11:6, Luke17:19,  Galatians 3:14,  Ephesians 3:12 and 17, Hebrews 11,  Romans 4]

The Church

40. Alone, as an individual, we are not the Body/Church of Jesus Christ but only part of it. We need one another for the full expression of the Church. We will spend a life time doing all the “one another” s in the New Testament. [ 1Corinthians 10:16, Ephesians 4, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 5:19 and 21, Colossians 3:9,13 and 16, Hebrews 10]

 41.  It is God's church. It does not belong to a man, men. It is His responsibility and He is able to take care of it. [1 Peter 2:25, Matthew16:18, Acts 2:47, Acts 8:3withActs9:5, 1 Corinthians 1:2 and 10:32,  1 Corinthians 15:9, Ephesians 5:23-32]

42. Church is not a democracy.  It is a Theocracy. Find the will of God and do that. No matter how long it takes. [Acts 15:28, 1 Corinthians 12:28,  Hebrews 12:23]

43. All believers in a city is the church in that city. Denominations are not Biblical.

 [1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 4:4, Philippians 1:27, Ephesians1:1, Revelations 1-3]

44. Our unity comes from the one God we all serve and not by any other means, conviction, tradition or doctrine. We are one because we worship one God. We ought to question anything that brings a spirit of division into the Body/ Kingdom/ Church/ Bride of Christ. [Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:12-20, Colossians 3:15, Ephesians 4:3-4]

45. Church is not business. It is ministry. There is no CEO's only servants. [ Galatians 5:13,  Luke 17, Mark 9:35, Mark 10:43, Acts 4:30, 1 Corinthians 9:19]

46.  “Love God and love one another” is the only New Testament command. [1John 4:20, 1 John 5:2, Matthew 22:37,  Ephesians 5:2, John 13:34, 15:12and 17, Romans 13:8, 1 John 3:11]

47. Tithing is an Old Testament concept that has never been repealed in the New Testament.  It holds manifold blessings for those who keep it God's way. The tithe is God's portion and should only be used as He purposed. Tithes can only be used to take care of God's ministers and the needy in the family of God.
Giving one's all is the New Testament concept. We give in the same measure Jesus gave: all. In the Kingdom of God one grows and matures by what one gives out. Give money and lay up for oneself treasures in Heaven. Give energy and worship and prayer and grow in one's intimacy with God and knowledge of Him. Give ministry and service and grow in one's stature as an ambassador of the Kingdom.

 [Genesis 14:20, Leviticus 27:30, Numbers 18: 26, Deuteronomy 26 : 12-13, and 14:24-25, Malachi 3:10, 1 Corinthians 9 :7-14, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, 1 Timothy 5:17-18, Philippians 4:16-18, 2 Timothy 2:6-7, Galatians 2:9-10, Luke21:1-4]

48.  We do not serve God to get rich. This is heresy. Giving God, or the person who supposedly stand in the service of God, money will not make one rich. [1 Timothy 6:4-6, Luke 11:39,  Luke 12:33, Acts 8:20, 1 Timothy 3:3, 1 Timothy 6:10, Matthew 23:14]

49. Poverty has no glory. Godliness is not poverty. God does not want us poor and miserable. Piety is not equal to being miserable. We are instructed to take care of the poor. How are we going to do that if we are the poor? [Amos 4:1, Zechariah 7:10, Matthew 19:21, Luke 7:22, Romans 15:26, Galatians 2:10, James 2:5-6]

50. It is the churches responsibility to take care of the poor, widows and orphans, but first to those who are believers. [Romans 15;26, Galatians 6:10, Acts 6, 1 Timothy 5:3,  James 1:27]

51. Evangelism, the proclaiming of the Good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is the churches primary responsibility to the unsaved.  A watered down gospel, is not the Gospel. Making it easy creates "fake Christians" who will never stand. Rather have 5 who are truly born again and sold out for God, disciples of Jesus, than 50 who only care for God a little and honor Him as it pleases them. [Romans 10, Acts 10:36, Acts 4:12,  Romans 1:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:9, Titus 2:11, Jude 1:3, 2 Timothy 4:5]

52. If you are not being equipped or equipping the saints for work of ministry, you are failing to use the gift that Jesus Christ gave to the church, the Body, the Kingdom of God. [Ephesians 4:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:11,  Romans 14:19, 1 Corinthians 12,  Romans 12]

 53. There is no Biblical foundation for the "five-fold-hierarchical" system based on one single scripture verse, Ephesians 4:11, amidst a chapter dealing with unity. Apostles, Prophets, Shepherds, Teachers, Evangelists, Helpers, Healers...etc are not titles.. These are gifts/anointing and functions in the Body/Church of Christ. These are received from the Lord.[Acts 20:24, 2 Corinthians 4:1, Colossians 4:17,Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12-14]

54.  Eldership is always plural. Even Moses had a team. There is no Biblical president for a single shepherd over a congregation.[Titus 1:5, James 5:14, 1 Peter 5, Acts 20:17]

55.  There are only two offices in the New Testament Church: Deacons whose primary function is to take care of physical, temporal needs and elders/overseers/bishops whose primary responsibility is of taking care of spiritual matters. [Acts 6, Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1:7]

56. Authority is received from God. It cannot be assumed or taken or cajoled or manipulated or bought. Those who abuse their place of trust and authority will be exposed and brought to judgment. God is a righteous judge. Respect is earned not demanded. Manipulation is witchcraft. Manipulation is not godly authority. [Matthew 8:9, Matthew 20:25-28,  Matthew 28:18, Romans 13:1]

57. Submission is not a dirty word. Submitting to God first and then to one another. When submission to God contradicts submitting to people, we are to submit to God. [James 4:7, Ephesians 5:21, Romans 13:5, Titus 3:1]

58. Worship (the music part of a meeting) is to honor God. It is never sensual or for the reason of a show or a party. It is always God-focused, God-centered and God-directed. ( God in three Persons) If it is not, it is not worship. [Revelations 19:10, Exodus 34:14, Psalms 29:2]

59. We always have a choice. Christians become slaves to what they yield to. As a believer our will has been freed to choose and we live as the result of our choices. [Romans 6,  2 Timothy 2:25-26,  Hebrews 2:15,  Romans 8:15, Galatians 4]

60. We cannot judge one another's relationship with God. All we can judge is the fruit, whether it is good or bad. [John 15,  Romans 6:21-22, and 7:4-5,matthew 7 ]

61.  It is right and proper to question words and practices that does not line up with the Bible. The only reason why these are allowed to continue is because believers do not have the fortitude to stand up against the arguments and persecution that will follow. The truth is mostly simple and will stay the same no matter how many times it is repeated. Heresy, on the other hand, is often very complicated and becomes even more twisted with every time it is retold. Truth pressed to the extreme and to exclusion becomes error.[Matthew 7:15, Matthew 15:7-9, Acts 20 :29,  Titus 1:11, Colossians 2:21-23, 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, Galatians 1:7]

62. The supernatural is real. Angels and demons are real. Yet, we do not seek these or worship these. We deal with these when they show up and seek God. [ Genesis 16, Genesis 22:15, Exodus 23, Numbers 20 and 22, Judges 6, Zechariah 3, Matthew 1 and 28, Acts 5, 6, 7 and 12]

63. Deliverance is part of the ministry of the church. Possession/oppression is real. Jesus did it. The apostles did it and so should we. The enemy/devil/satan/ is a vicious legalist. He has been around for many years and although he has limited power, he still has power. [Job 1 and 2, Zechariah 3, Matthew 4 and 12, Luke 22:3, Romans 16:20, 1 Corinthians 7:5, 2 Corinthians 7:14, Ephesians 4:27 and  6:10- 18, I Timothy 3:6-7, Hebrews 2:14, James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8, Revelations 2 and 20, Matthew 8, 9:33, 10:8, 12, Mark 16:17, Luke 11:18-20, Revelations 12:9]

64. Discernment is a must. If it waddles, swims and quacks it is most probably a duck. Just the same as when it exhibit a few different signs and actions of possession, it is probably a demon. We need to know why we do things and where the traditions come from or we will inadvertently pay homage to idols and pagan gods. Sincere people can be sincerely deceived. [1 Kings 3:19, Ezekiel 44:23, Malachi 3:18, Matthew 16:3, Hebrews 5:14, Philippians 1:9]

Family

 65.  Marriage, one man and one woman for life, is still a God-idea. God hates divorce. All sex outside of marriage is sin. Husbands are to love their wives as Jesus Christ loves the church and gave Himself for her. Wives are to respect and submit to their husbands as the church respect and submit to Jesus Christ. [Genesis 2, Psalms 128:3, Malachi 2:16, Matthew 19, Hebrews 13:4, Revelations 19:7, Ephesians 5, Colosians 3:17-19, 1 Peter 3]

66. Training of the children is the parent’s responsibility. It cannot ever be handed over to the church or the state. Children have to obey their parents, respect and honor them. [Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16, Matthew 15:4, Colossians 3:20 - 24, Psalms 78:4, Psalms 103:13, Psalms 127:3-4, Proverbs 13:22, Proverbs 17:6, Ephesians 6:1-2] 

Faith of our Fathers by Marietjie Chase

So often we are amazed at the testimonies of those who were ill for years and then healed or of those who lived decadent lives and then saved. We are in awe at the escapes from death and the ones who survive horrible ordeals... but today I was thinking of another kind of hero. The kind who fought the good fight of faith every time sickness or decease came knocking at their door. The ones who raised their kids and paid the bills and cannot tell you how because on paper the figures says that it is impossible. The hero's when presented with the temptation to loose their lives in sin and darkness, said "no" and by God's grace stayed the course. These are the living stones who have gone before us, building a habitation for God.


If we want to know about these we have to dig a bit. These are not easy testimonies, short, one page stories. These are the ones where you read an entire Biography and get the feeling that it is still only part of the story. These are the hero's we will only honor in front of the Throne when all will be uncovered and even then we will not know of their sin - that was covered by the Blood of Jesus.

Thinking about all those whose prayer and faith paved the way for us as we stand before God, so many scriptures come to mind. Paul, talking to Timothy about the faith that was in His mother and grandmother and also in him; Hebrews 11 that says that all those hero's of faith are part of us and we are their victory. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob keeps covenant to the fourth and fifth, and yeah even thousands of generations, of those who fear Him and keep His commandments. What spiritual heritage have been handed down in your generations? Memories of Mamma praying for a pair of black shoes, of Pappa praying over me when my head was delirious with fever, of Ouma Maggie sitting on her bed, awake from pain, yet praying for each of her six children and their many children, all by name. Memories of Ouma Maria sitting at her window, drinking coffee from the saucer relaying a dream or vision or insight she had. Memories of Oupa Gert's Bible with his sermon notes in it. Memories of the twinkle in Father's eyes when he told of the souls being saved at their church and of Mother praying still. What spiritual parents can we honor? What heritage we have received? When in our stupid immaturity we are embraced by Mothers who adopted us and Fathers who accepted us. We are what we have received. And when I look at scripture: He used Angels as messengers only to sent people to "birth" people. How foolish we are sometimes to think we are our own? We are the sum of many lives and much faith.

Everyone of us, whether we admit it or not, are in the Kingdom of God because someone somewhere took a hold of God's promises and in faith and prayer fought a battle on our behalf. We are not of our own making. God have worked in many lives over many years to bring His purposes in our lives to fulfillment. Maybe we can pause and thank Him for those who have kept the faith, paved the way and shined the light for us. Maybe we can remember the parents or grandparents who were married, not always happily, for 30, 40, 50 and 60 years. Maybe we can remember the faith of the ones who taught us to pray. Maybe we can remember the ones who instilled the love for God and His word in us. Maybe we can look away from ourselves and realize, we are not our own, we belong to a whole. We are part of something greater, bigger and more enduring than our fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty or ninety years.

We owe it to these, we owe it to those for whom we are clearing the brush for; to fight a good fight of Faith; to finish well.

Steve Green used to sing:

We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace


Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness
Passed on through godly lives


Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful


After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover
And the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them
To the road we each must find

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

"Find Us Faithful" Words and Music by Jon Mohr

SPIRITUAL SURVIVAL -------


In our days, I dare say the last days, we arrived at the edge of a precipice that the church has never before experienced. It seems some have gone to sleep and are letting the political tide drift them to who knows where. Some of us are fighting a battle we feel we cannot win. Some see the danger and are ringing the bell. People are like animals in a fenced yard sensing the eminent danger and circling but all we accomplish is to kick up the dust.





When Jesus' time here on earth drew toward the end, he became increasingly concerned for His disciples well fare. We read His prayer in John 17 and the last teaching to the disciples/apostles that span from chapter 13 through 16. This was His farewell address to them and if we read this and meditate on it we see a few survival techniques that He brings to their attention.


First: Let's wash one another's feet. What does that mean? In one of Paul's epistles he wrote, in love (agape) serve as slaves to one another. This is practical. There is no reason, we, Christians cannot be a village, a community. Do we even know the practical needs of those we are in the Body of Christ with us.

Don Fransisco sang it years ago: "I don't care how many buses you own, or the size of your sanctuary, it doesn't matter how steep your steeple is, if it's sittin' on a ceme- tary I don't care if you pave your parking lot, or put pads upon your pews, What good is a picture perfect stage, if you're missin' all the ques I don't care if your pastor's super powered, and your program's always new What you need is love and truth Men are gonna come to you, It doesn't matter that you know the Bible, if it's all just in your head, the thing I need to ask you, is that have you done the things I've said: Do you love your wife For her and for your children, are you laying down your life What about the others Are you living as a servant to your sisters and your brothers, Do you make the poor man beg you for a bone Do the widow and the orphan cry a-lone."

Jesus said that even as He loved us, we need to love one another. How did He love us? He gave His life for us. That means His all. BY THIS shall all men know that we are His disciples, if we love one another. Jesus comes back to this point over and over again: Love God and love one another.





Second: Believe! Believe in the Father, Believe in Jesus. Believe means to trust and obey. Jesus said we will do the same works that He did if we believe. Unto believers it was given in Mark 16 to lay hands on the sick , to do signs and miracles etc. We who believe are suppose to do these things, not a select few. Be foolish enough to take God by His word and act on it. Lay hands on the sick and heal them. It is the least we can do. Stop running all over the place and do it yourself. Like when the disciples came to Jesus with the complaint that the 5000 plus followers were hungry in the wilderness and He said: " You feed them." This is not the time to debate doctrine and pontificate the pro's and con's. Do the stuff. If you believe, do it!





Third: Jesus introduce the Holy Spirit to them and explain the purpose and the place of the Holy Spirit to them. The orphan spirit that have christians live as though our God is dead, has permeated the church because we do not know how to draw on the Holy Spirit. We have this Holy Spirit right here upon the earth. We have Him living inside of us. Learn to rely on Him. Yes, it is by trail and error and we look and sound like fools while we are learning but the alternative is even more disastrous. We are so inclined to have a human Moses, - pastor, prophet, teacher, - that we have not learned to discern His voice. Come on Church, get of your lazy lowers and start getting into God so that you also can hear His voice and OBEY it. You will not hear if you are not willing to obey.





Fourth: Jesus said, if you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you will and it shall be given unto you. We have to know the Bible more deeply than just what we hear in church. You and I need to know the book. It is very simple. Read it, meditate on it and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. Let it settle in your heart. If you have to memorize it for this to happen then do it. This is your civil defense. This is your "Boot Camp". The Word and prayer. Yes, it sound so simplified but it is still true. Get on your knees and pray. Pray the scripture if you do not know what else to pray. Pray through the New Testament. Let the Holy Spirit lead you through it. Learn to pray. Learn to seek God's face in prayer.





Jesus warns of coming persecution. The warning is going out again! Troubled times is at our door. Get ready! it is not time to go hide in a hole. It is not the time to reach for more entertainment. Get ready! Prepare yourself, for "in the world you have tribulation but take courage; Jesus overcame the world."

FEAR!!! by Marietjie Chase

In times like these we need to deal with fear. It is a mistake to think that fear is the opposite of faith. true that fear can keep and stop people from obeying the will of God but we never see Jesus being very harsh with anyone who feared. He encouraged them." Don't be afraid", "Fear not."

When it comes to unbelief it is quite another story He rebukes them for unbelief. Unbelief is faithlessness, uncertainty or distrust. The negative of being persuaded and convinced. It is closely related to doubt and disobedience which is to be without persuasion. Heb 3:18-19, John 3:36. Doubt and unbelief is the opposite of Faith, not fear. Fear's opposite is courage.

Unbelief brings judgement John 3:18 and is called evil Heb 3:12.

Fear and faith can exist simultaneously in a person, Mark 5:33-34 and I think of Gideon who obeyed scared. It is possible to obey afraid. It is possible to belief while being afraid. Faith gives us confidence but during the process we can still be afraid. Fear does not necessarily cancels out faith. II Cor 2:3, Ephesians 6:5, Heb 4:1.

God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, timidity or cowardice, but if we find fear in us, it does not mean that we have no faith. It simply means that we lack courage. Fear is cast out by love (agape). John 4:18. Fear is our indication that we lack a revelation of God's perfect love. Do not throw away your confidence, it has great reward, Paul warns. We need to be persuaded of the integrity of God, but we also need a revelation of His love. If we are sons and the spirit of adoption is in us and the spirit of love (agape), then we will get rid of the spirit of fear.

Faith comes by the voice of God and to gain faith we need to spend time seeking His face. Prayer and fasting may help with this. We need to seek His presence, we need to behold Him. No amount of repeating scriptures, or looking at our past, shaky future or the terrible odds against us will build faith. We find faith only one way, "by the Rhema word of God" Remember what happened to Peter, once he took his eyes of Jesus, he sank. Keep our focus on Jesus. Keep our faces locked into His face. Let the things of the earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

How will you hear His voice if you do not seek out His presence?Spending time in His presence will also bring us to a greater revelation of His Love. For God is love and abiding in Him is also abiding in love. As we pursue God we will also be filled with His love.(agape) God is love and the one who lives in God lives in love. Fear, fearfulness, timidity, cowardice, the spirit of slavery will fall off like the access baggage they are.

Eph 3:14-21.

I pray the Father, from whom every family in heaven and earth derives it's name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power - dunamis- divine inherent ability Acts 1:8- through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you being rooted and grounded in love (agape) may be able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love (agape) of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power - (dunamis- divine enablement- Acts 1:8) - that works within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Addressing Some Basics... by Marietjie Chase

Two problems in the church that needs addressing. We cannot keep fighting about "who -is-right" and "who-is-wrong' until we have or because we have to address these two things.

Number One: Most born again believers, Christians, Kingdom believers, saved, baptised and filled-with-the-Spirit, children of God do not know how to recognize His voice. We have no ear to hear and most have no heart to hear. A heart to hear is a heart set at attention to obey. Even if we were aware of His voice our inclination is to dismiss it and stay in our safe little comfort zone. This needs to be addressed. We need to learn how to hear His voice for ourselves. We cannot run to Kim Clement, Chuck Pierce, Barbara Yoder or Pat Holleran if we need to know whether we should buy a new car or fix the old one up. We need to hear Him for ourselves.

Learning to obey Him comes very much like walking to a baby. First you sit, then, crawl, then walk. In every stage you stumble, fall, get hurt, look like a fool and move on. We cannot love ourselves and our reputation and still learn to obey God. Every one who knows His voice and hear Him; yes even the world known prophets; will tell you of the times they were " flaky" because they were learning to hear God. Missing God is part of the process. People who are in the process of learning to hear God looks foolish. They may announce something and two months later turn back. We need to support and love them. They are in the process of learning. No one has ever walked on water by staying in the boat.

The second and just as important issue that needs to be addressed is the process of getting from the promise to the fulfillment. Steve used to say that between the prayer and the answer God makes the saint. Once we are sure it is a word from God there is some response required. Most of the time we need further instruction. Even Mary, the mother of Jesus, asked: How can this be? The further instruction most often has to do with time, place and method. Once Gideon was sure of the instructions He worshipped. He did not abandon His relationship with God for the task. Give God what He wants first.

Sometimes God says: Wait. Just as conception and gestation takes time, some time we have to wait to see the fulfilment of God's promises. We cannot become distracted and chase butterflies. We got to stay focused and let the vision shape the man (or woman). Jesus already knew at the age of 12 that He had to be about His Father's business but did not start His ministry for another 18 years. Joseph knew at a very young age what his destiny was suppose to be but it took 13 years of slavery and imprisonment before the fulfilment. Yet, Joseph kept his heart set upon God.

It is impossible to live out the Second without the First, since we need to know His voice to do His bidding. It goes without saying that both these are faith issues. It is impossible to hear and obey consistently without faith. It is also a self-sacrifice issue. There is no hearing and obeying if we are still loving our lives.

This Thing Called Faith. 

While praying for my brother I was talking to God about the covenant of our fathers and mothers and grandparents. Remembering my maternal grandmother's prayers in her last few years for each of her seven children, their spouses and children, as we shared a room and she presumed me asleep. I started telling God how I don't believe in the blessing from and of people anymore because of experience and history. From inside my spirit, His Spirit spoke, " Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Faith is conceived at intimacy with God. Great faith comes from great intimacy with God. Jesus knew this and as a man, He spend great amounts of time with God alone. You cannot be intimate, open and honest in trust with someone if the two of you are never together alone. David became the person he was because of the years alone with God behind the sheep.

I have to hear to see. Seeing is never a prerequisite of faith, but hearing is. Faith is a substance of things unseen, and if you believe you will see God. Seeing is revelation. Revelation is the result or outcome or culmination of faith not the cause of it. If we believe we will see. If we believe we will receive. If we believe we will....

Mystery is part of who God is. We can only know Him by revelation. Revelation comes from the Holy Spirit. There is NO revelation without the Holy Spirit and that requires faith. You have to faith it to let the Holy Spirit teach you.

Faith, believe, comes from hearing the living, "now" word of God. That is why Jesus said, "Those who have ears let them hear" and not those who have eyes let them see. With words God created the universe and with words we preach in such a way that people believe. Words, living words, "now" words, spoken in faith, which in turn brings revelation.
Faith comes from "hearing" not having heard. We need a fresh word. Jesus was constantly in communion with the Father. A fresh word from the Father infuse us with faith. - Faith is the currency of the Kingdom -

Seeking to see in order to believe is creating a horse-behind-the-cart situation. We walk by faith and not by sight 2 Cor 5 v 7. Faith comes from the Rhema - living, alive, spoken by a voice - Holy Spirit-inspired, word that has the power to create, by growing like a seed - the seed of Mark 4 and Luke 4. There is an internal faith that comes from hearing. This faith is the kind that grows inside of us and brings the God of Heaven here to the earth. True faith, authentic faith does come from hearing and it becomes an inward reality.

Untill now I believed that it was okay if people's faith comes from miracles, healings, signs and wonders but I now understand that this is why the multitude left Jesus. Their faith was a seeing faith. The substance was not there. Seeing faith is external faith. It is faith that you do not own. It makes people run from event to event, trying to see a new thing and basically being entertained. This kind of faith does not last. It has no more substance than the emotional high or low we get from a Holywood movie. It needs to be kept amazed and in wonder. It makes the poor pastor work hard to keep them interested and it gave birth to the "seeker sensitive" idea.

Those that have faith that comes by the living word of God, have an internal, lasting, growing faith. This is the kind of faith that is able to save, sanctify and reveal God to us and through us. This faith will transform our inward man daily untill we also glow with His Divine presence and carry with us the aroma that brings change.

Where I see no evidence in my experience or history of the value of human blessing... Where I saw the flaw of the human factor... Where people's blessing meant pain... God says, "Have faith, when there is no evidence that can be seen." Faith is the substance when the facts or history shows no substance. Have Faith!

Only Believe.....




All that is required of us to be saved is to believe. We believe in the name of Jesus and we are born again. This is a reality as real as the sun that shine or the love in our hearts. No-one will argue with you if you say you are in love, lonely sad etc.... and just like that we are born again. And according to John 1 we are born into the family of God and become children of God and have a whole new future. All this blessings and inheritance because we believed.

For most people christian and non-christian this is not so far fetched anymore. "Believe" has became a term people can relate to. But now we have to go and look at the rest of the commission. Jesus did not only commission us to go and make disciples. He also said something will accompany those who believe.... Signs, wonders and miracles...

Somewhere else He said: this same things I do you will do and greater. What did Jesus do and say? Luke, who wrote both the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, said in the opening statement of Act: The former things I wrote about what Jesus of Nazareth both did and said. If your belief does not reach into your experience it is worth nothing. James wrote a letter about this. We are so familiar with it that we have lost the meaning of it. This was not and is not given so that we can have some doctrinal dispute about faith and works. We have to understand that faith has to affect our experience. Our behavior, our habits, our day to day, rubber meets the road has to be changed by what we believe or it is dead. It means absolutely nothing.

An experience without the faith is worthless as well, according to James. So it is when the two are well mixed that we get what Jesus had. He had faith in God and walked it out. Remember while walking on this earth He walked as man; filled, after His baptism, with the full measure of the Holy Spirit; but still as man. He modeled a way of life for us. He preached a message: The Kingdom of heaven is here! The Kingdom of God has come! Then He modelled what it looks like when the Kingdom is here. He brought Heaven to earth. The Kingdom of God is perfect and there is no death, decease, poverty and lack. This is what Jesus came to show us. And even more. There is a reality that supersedes the one we are in. There is another, matrix, another level of existence that faith in God and Jesus Christ is suppose to bring us into.

Most of us give lip-service to it and think that it is done. It is not done until it changes our reality. You can say that you believe Jesus heals the sick a million times while walking around with a cancer hanging of your ear. It means nothing until that thing falls off in the Name of Jesus. Now your faith has affected your experience. This is why so many people who dramatically were healed become healing evangelists. They now are convinced that faith in God heals the sick because they have experienced it.

Our Kingdom reality must change our way of life. Our belief must change our way of life. Driving for a year on one dollar of gas is possible if we are willing to live, and let God put us in the vice of living, between the prayer and the answer. There is a tension, most of us wants to avoid, when you step out in faith. We read and like to tell and study the history of the hero's of faith but what we miss in all the excitement, is the process.

Most of the people we venerate and esteem as great spiritual giants did not do any of this overnight. Most failed miserably for long periods of time but kept going until they experience that for which they had been arrested by God's Spirit. We cannot assume to come into their slip stream without at least having the same tenacity and fire in our bones.

"If you can believe," Jesus told the distraught father, "anything is possible for those who believe". We call ourselves Christians because we think that it defines us as disciples of Christ. Christians, the anointed ones, but what we ought to be are believers. "Those who believe" the scripture calls us over and over again. Called to believe... When the disciples asked Jesus: What must we do to do the works of God? He answered: Believe in God and in His Son whom He send.

That seem to be to easy. Well, do it then! Believe!

Believe that Jesus meant what He said, about Himself and about us: the ones who believe in Him. Believe that He said that whatsoever we ask in His name believing we shall receive. Believe that He said we can speak to the mountain... Believe that He will give you all things... Just believe!

But do not say that you believe and then your actions make you a liar. If you believe in Jesus like He said, rivers of living water will flow out of your inner most being and a multitude will come to you to quench their thirst. The multiplication of the five loaves and two fish seemed to be an important event in the gospels. It is recorded in all four. It is here where Jesus gave the disciples the opportunity to put faith in action. He looked up to heaven, broke the bread and fish and divided it among the disciples etc. What did Jesus do... He took the reality of the Kingdom and imported it into this life. He demonstrated the reality of Kingdom of Heaven here in this place.

As He is so are we in this world. As the head goes, so goes the body. We are to do likewise.
We are believers. All that is required of us is to believe and let the believe permeate our action, experience and life.


Mark 16:14-18, John 1:12, John 3:16, Rom 4:11, 1 Tim 1:16,
John 14 :12, Phil 3:12, Mark 9:23, John 6: 28-29,
1 Tim 6:17, John 4:10-11 & John 7:38,
Matt14, Mark6, Luke9 and John 9,
1John 4:17, Col 1:18, Col2:19
James 2

Prayer That Avails Much....

The following is a chapter from

Preparing The Way by Cal Pierce.

May it speak to your heart as it did to mine.

The Genesis of the Burden: David's Heart

Many people ask me how I happened to receive a burden for reopening of the Healing Rooms in the first place, and I have to admit that it didn't begin in my own heart. It actually came from the heart of David, our youngest son.

When David was just seven years old, he was diagnosed with Duchenne type (pseudohypertrophic) muscular dystrophy, a disease whose common symptom is the weakening and wasting away of healthy muscle tissue. Duchenne affects children, and those who have it typically do not survive to become adults. By the time David was ten, he was already confined to a wheelchair, and he needed our help to do most things.

Michelle and I divided the labor in this regard. For instance, it was her job to get David up in the morning and get him ready for school, and it was my job to put him to bed every night. He had a motorized wheelchair and was able to get around at school and to wheel himself around the house. During the night, we would take turns getting up to turn him over every two hours so that he would not develop bedsores. By the time he was sixteen, David could move only his hands and his head.

As his physical condition deteriorated, however, David began to develop a heart after God. This was interesting, because my wife and I were stuck in a sort of religious mode at the time. We were Christians, but we were not very excited about the Lord and were not really praying like we should have been. We went to church on Sunday mornings and took David with us, but we were not interested in other services. Suddenly, David wanted to be in every service. He didn't want to miss the Sunday evening service or the youth service. I would load him up in the van and drop him off at church, and then I would go somewhere to have coffee, do some shopping or just walk around until he was finished. Then I would pick him up, and we would go home.

David's passion for God increased to the point that he would call me to his room each evening to help him get ready to read the Bible. I had built a special table for him that he could wheel his chair under. When he was ready, I would help him get his arms and hands up onto the table and then put the Bible where he could manipulate the pages of it. He would sit there and study the Bible for the next several hours.

After David had read the Bible for two hours or more each evening, then he would begin to pray. We always left his door open so that we could hear him if he needed anything, and occasionally throughout the evening, when I would pass by on my way from the television to the bathroom, I would hear him praying. He was actually interceding for others. He was praying for America, for his classmates, for our neighbors and for us, his parents and siblings. David had a heart for people who were hurting, and he felt their needs.

When I would hear him praying like this, my heart would break. Why didn't I know God the way my son did? He had such passion for the things of the Lord. Why didn't I share that passion? We had often given him opportunity to do other things, but this was what he wanted to do. In fact, this was all he wanted to do. Knowing God better was his sole desire. He wasn't interested in other things. He wasn't even interested in his sickness. It did not consume him, as is the case with many sick people. He was consumed with the desire for God.

Occasionally, as I was heading to work late in the morning, I would see David and his classmates in the school yard as I drove by. Most of the children were playing on the courts, but David was always sitting over by the gymnasium alone in his wheelchair. The thought of my son not being able to be involved in the activities of other children was one that devastated me personally. From David's perspective, however, this wasn't bad at all. Being alone and apart from the rest of the group, he could talk to the Lord. I had a hard time understanding his way of thinking, but I was deeply convicted by his deep devotion to God.

We had a large deck that wrapped around the house, and David was able to maneuver his chair out there into the fresh air when the weather permitted. We would hear him out there, going back and forth, talking to God.

One evening my wife and I heard David crying and rushed to his side. He had wheeled himself into the hallway. "What's wrong?" we asked. He said that he had a bad thought, and it was easy to see that this had broken his heart.That deeply sincere confession crushed me. I had many bad thoughts, but I had grown so calloused that I never let that fact bother me. David loved Jesus so much that having one bad thought had brought him to tears. Again, I felt ashamed of myself.

One day we asked David, " If you could have any wish, what would you ask for?" I was sure that he would say that he wanted to get up and walk like other kids and do things they were doing. That would have been very normal for any boy David's age. He didn't answer quickly. His eyes moved up and to the ceiling, and he looked there for a few minutes, obviously searching his soul for the answer. When he finally answered, it surprised both of us: " Nothing!" he said.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My son, who was practically helpless and had very little to look forward to in life, did not feel the need for anything at all. How could that be? I thought about all the things for which I might have asked, given the same opportunity, and they were many. But David was sufficiently filled by his knowledge of and his love for Jesus so that he didn't need anything else. How utterly amazing!

Throughout the seventh and eighth grades and on into high school, every paper David wrote for class was about Jesus. Jesus was his life, and everything he did was about the Lord.

Then, for a period in 1989, each evening, when I would go into David's room to get him ready for bed, he would ask me if he could stay up a little later because he had more that he wanted to pray about. Even though he had school the next day, each evening he wanted to extend this time even more. "Can I please stay up just a little later," he would plead. I think he would have prayed all night, if I had let him, but around 11:30 I would go in and insist that he just had to get some sleep so he could go to school the next day. David reluctantly agreed.

When I finally did start getting David ready for bed each of those nights, I would find that his clothes were wet from perspiration because of his exertions in prayer, so wet that they stuck to his body. Even his socks and shoes were wet.

After this had gone on about ten days, I asked David one night what was so important that he was exerting himself so in prayer. His answer amazed me. " We've been studying Russia in class, and I'm praying that the walls of Communism will come down so that the Gospel can go into that country and the people can be saved."

My God, I thought, how could such a young man have a burden like this? I had never prayed for the Iron Curtain to fall, and yet my sixteen-year-old son was doing it, and with such fervency. What motivated him?

Not more than thirty days after that happened, the lead story on all the news programs was that the Berlin Wall had been breached, and I saw the East German people pouring through it and tearing it apart piece by piece. I was overcome with emotion and began to weep. If the prayers of a teenager could have such an effect, surely God would hear me too. If David's prayers could shake a nation and tear down a wall, then I must begin to do my share.

Suddenly I desperately wanted to know God as David did. I cried out to God, "God, I want to know You, and I will know You in the way David does." The change I sought as a result of David's impact on my life did not come immediately, but it would come.

A few years later, before his twenty-first birthday, David slipped away from us and went to be with his Savior. One moment he was here, and the next he was gone. In one sense, Michelle and I were devastated. We had loved him so much. But in another sense, our cup was full. We felt very privileged to have had David in our home. He had left us with a vision, a vision to work toward the saving of America, a vision to bring healing to our nation and our people. In time, that vision would become clear.