a truly Christian understanding of the Boston Bombings

I believe that the Christian answer to the problem of evil is BY FAR the best answer that any religion, philosophy or theistic system offers, BUT…..

There are "Christian answers" to this question that first of all I would argue are NOT truly Christian and that if true would make Christianity one of the worst 

Thanks again to Roger Olson for defending what I believe to represent the truly Biblical picture of the way God is sovereign and oversees His creation.  This was written before the Boston Marathon bombings, but in God's providence this seems to be a very relevant word.

Here is a summary of his view of "Relational Sovereignty" (contrasting it with the other so-called "Christian" notions of God's Sovereignty).

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogereolson/2013/04/a-non-calivinist-relational-view-of-gods-sovereignty/

former muslim "doin the stuff" in Iran

Less than a week after his baptism, one of the new Iranian believers was in Iran visiting a sick relative who had been in the hospital for 4 months waiting for a kidney to have a transplant.  Nothing was happening, the family was there in mourning.  He asks if he can pray.  He lays hands on him and prays.  One hour later a kidney is found.  The family wants to know what exactly he prayed because they said, "because when we prayed NOTHING happened".  4 months waiting for kidney with the muslims praying continually and NOTHING.  A new Christian arrives, prays and 1 hour later a kidney "unexpectedly" is found!  And the entire muslim family knows that it was due to the prayer.  Eventually one of the older more religious relatives pushes him a bit and he tells them that he prayed in Jesus' Name thereby testifying to his faith in Christ.  Before he leaves Iran, the family thanks him for his prayer and his family and friends are interested in him teaching them about what he has learned.  When he returns in the summer, he will "teach them" what he has learned about Christ!

so HOW did Christianity spread in the beginning?

Adolph von Harnack is widely considered to be one of the greatest Church Historians of all time. Here are his conclusions as to what the "most important" factors were in the spread of Christianity in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. He writes:

"In its missionary activities, the Christian religion presented itself as something more than the gospel of redemption and of ministering love; it was also the religion of the Spirit and of power. No doubt, it verified its character as Spirit and power by the very fact that it brought redemption and succor to mankind, freeing them from demons (see above, pp. 125 f.) and from the misery of life. But the witness of the Spirit had a wider reach than even this. “I came to you in weakness and fear and with great trembling; nor were my speech and preach­ing in persuasive words of wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1 Cor. ii. 3, 4). Though Paul in these words is certainly thinking of his conflict with demons and of their palpable defeat, he is by no means thinking of that alone, but also of all the wonderful deeds that accompanied the labors of the apostles and the founding of the church. These were not confined to his own person. From all directions they were reported, in connection with other missionaries as well...

The variety of expressions here is in itself a proof of the number of phenomena, which emerge in this connection. Let us try to single out the most important of them.

(1) God speaks to the missionaries in visions, dreams, a ecstasy, revealing to them affairs of moment and also trifles, controlling their plans, pointing out the roads on which they are to travel, the cities where they are to stay, and the persons whom they are to visit. Visions occur especially after a martyr­dom...

(2) At the missionary addresses of the apostles or evangelist, or at the services of the churches which they founded, sudden movements of rapture are experienced, many of them being simultaneous seizures; these are either full of terror and dismay, convulsing the whole spiritual life, or exultant outbursts of a joy that sees heaven opened to its eyes...

(3) Some are inspired who have power to clothe their experi­ence in words-prophets to explain the past, to interpret and to fathom the present, and to foretell the future. Their prophecies relate to the general course of history, but also to the fortunes of individuals, to what individuals are to do or leave undone.

(4) Brethren are inspired with the impulse to improvise prayers and hymns and psalms.

(5) Others are so filled with the Spirit that they lose con­sciousness and break out in stammering speech and cries, or in unintelligible utterances-which can be interpreted, however, by those who have the gift.

(6) Into the hands of others, again, the Spirit slips a pen, either in an ecstasy or in exalted moments of spiritual tension; they not merely speak but write as they are bidden.

(7) Sick persons are brought and healed by the missionaries, or by brethren who have been but recently awakened; wild paroxysms of terror before God's presence are also soothed, and in the name of Jesus demons are cast out.

(8) The Spirit impels men to an immense variety of extra­ordinary actions-to symbolic actions which are meant to reveal some mystery or to give some directions for life, as well as to deeds of heroism.

(9) Some perceive the presence of the Spirit with every sense; they see its brilliant light, they hear its voice, they smell the fragrance of immortality and taste its sweetness. Nay more; they see celestial persons with their own eyes, see them and also hear them; they peer into what is hidden or distant or to come; they are even rapt into the world to come, into heaven itself, where they listen to “words that cannot be uttered." 

(10) But although the Spirit manifests itself through marvels like these, it is no less effective in heightening the religious and the moral powers, which operate with such purity and power in certain individuals that they bear palpably the stamp of their divine origin..."(251-2, The Mission and Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centuries).  

Harnack was not a Charismatic. He wasn't even an evangelical. He was a liberal German Lutheran theologian that approached Church History as objectively as possible and these were his remarkable conclusions.

These are the very same conclusions that we are witnessing today. It is powerful manifestations of the Holy Spirit, through prophecies, healings, visions and dreams, exorcisms, trances and/or other supernatural encounters or experiences that are bringing muslims, hindus and followers of other false religions to Christ. In this blog we have recorded literally hundreds of examples that corroborate Harnack's conclusions.

Ripe Fruit - muslim woman comes to Christ

Here is an exciting testimony of a Muslim woman who just gave her life to Christ.

1. I approach N at Starbucks to pray for her because I think she is limping. It turns out I am wrong but that she does have shoulder pain. I pray and God heals her.
2. N is very surprised/excited because she had just got a Bible and was about to start reading it. She declares that this "is no coincidence." It turns out she lives 5 min. away from me.
3. N comes over for dinner and tells me that her older sister became a Christian 11 years ago after she was visited by Jesus in person (he showed up in the flesh in her room). She had to leave her Middle-Eastern country as a refugee and now resides in the United States.
3. N comes to our Friday night worship meeting and gets radically touched by God. She receives several accurate prophetic words and more healing. At the end, God decides to perform a sign/wonder and covers Nr's hands with sparkly gold dust. The gold dust is what touches N most.
4. Throughout the week, N begins asking God to "send her Jesus to tell her the truth."
5. N gets called home to her own country suddenly for five days and discovers that her entire family, including her Muslim brother-in-law turned to Jesus years ago. She is the last one left. They have been very careful about sharing this directly, due to security.
5. N comes back to our country and has a difficult week. She receives prayer and feels the peace and love of God.
6. N comes to Friday night again and again, she has an amazing time. She feels God's presence touch her with peace and she tastes the joy of the Lord for the first time (aka Holy Laughter).
7. A friend asks if N would like Jesus in her heart. Nr shares that she has been inviting him in every single day. The friend explains a bit more and Nr decides that she would like to go through deliverance and get baptized.
8. On the way home, we talk about gold dust again. N says, "This is real. You pray and stuff happens. Why don't more Muslims believe this?"

N will go through deliverance and receive baptism on Easter Sunday.

Please pray for her continued growth.

more healing testimonies

Tonight when we gathered, these were some of the testimonies from this week.

My son saw a man limping and thought, “I should pray for him”.  It was a soccer injury.  He put his hand on it and prayed.  The man got up and tested it – every step, it kept improving.  He felt something happening. And it drastically improved.  He was hardly limping afterwards.

At an Iranian New Year's celebration, a religious Iranian muslim man was told that Isaac of Ninevah could "hear from God" and he was interested to see what God would say to him.  Isaac began to "read his mail "– things about his character.  About family land in Iran and digging up a treasure that was hidden in a field.  It turns out the man had family land and had dug up a gold ring on his family land!  He prayed for him to have a vision – he saw the “outline of a man with no face”.  Isaac felt it meant the Holy Spirit.  He then prayed for him to feel the Holy Spirit.  He also felt the "fire of God" coming from Isaac's hand.  He felt fire in his own hand and said, “it’s getting really hot”.  His son could feel that his father's hand was actually hot!  His hand was healed too. The man went and testified to family about what happened – the prophetic words, the encounter and the healing.  There was actually a lot of prophecy for muslims at this event and former muslims also shared their testimonies to other muslims.

A Sri Lankan Christian maid had had a personal encounter with Jesus when He walked into her room! She was healed during that encounter.  The other day she was sick and came to one of the women in our community for prayer.  She came back later that day testifying to being healed.  Then she was trained to pray for her hindu friend’s healing – and her friend was healed!  She was amazed that she could do the works that Jesus did!

A Indian man with a heart problem was healed. 

Breast cancer was healed – the woman had had a lump.  She was Ethiopian.  It was cancerous.  After prayer, she felt something and when she was tested again it was all clear.  She had just been to France and is verified to be cancer-free!  It totally resurrected her faith.

Dan Mohler on a false grace message being taught today

Dan Mohler (a balanced Grace teacher) has a great quote directed at those distorting the "grace message" - well said by one of the Body of Christ's greatest true Grace teachers!

"There's a movement of grace out there right now that is perverting the grace message; that's just saying "It's a big party and everybody's O.K."

- YOU'RE O.K. WHEN YOU LOOK LIKE JESUS.

- You are O.K. when the dictates of flesh are so crushed by the Spirit of God in you that they have no voice.

- You're O.K. when you've surrendered in the secret place.

There's a [so-called grace] doctrine that's coming out there. It's really spreading out there. Be careful! It says that men don't have to even repent; they're already saved; there's no hell, [because] God's mercy endures forever. And it's sweeping [the Body of Christ] because people want an easy out without the stewardship of life. They just want to party. Be careful! It will be like in the Days of Noah and they'll be eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage and then the rains will come. It's in your Bible. "But haven't we supped with you? Haven't we walked in the streets with you? Haven't we…" It's not about a party. It's about transformation. It's not about 'easy grace'. It's not about saying, "Well, everything's fine. God knows my heart". No, God knows your life! It [the Bible] says you'll be judged for your deeds, for your life before Christ, not your heart BECAUSE YOUR HEART REVEALS YOUR LIFE! It's a cop out. My life lived IS my heart revealed. Hello. I'm not being mean right now; I'm being realistic. I'm being real. Come on, Jesus talked like this because He loved us enough. He says, 'You're either for me or your against me. You're either gathered to me or your scattered'…"

Who was St. Patrick?

On the occasion of St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I would post about the “real” Patrick.  Most of what I have written here comes from a couple of books about his life and ministry – one is a biography entitled Let Me Die in Ireland, The True Story of Patrick by David Bercot (Scroll Publishing, 1999) and the other, “The Celtic Way of Evangelism – How Christianity Can Reach the West Again” (George G. Hunter III, Abingdon Press, 2000).  Many Christians today “claim” Patrick as their own – most are surprised that he doesn’t really fit any modern labels that we might try to put on him or the movement he birthed.

Patrick was NOT a Roman Catholic, but rather a British Roman citizen born in the late 4^th century (AD386) on the West Coast of Britain.  He was a part of the independent British or Celtic Church which did not come under Roman control until the 6-8^th centuries.  His father was an ordained Deacon and his grandfather had been an ordained Presbyter, but Patrick as a young man didn’t show a tremendous amount of interest in the things of the Lord. 

God had a radical way of getting this boy’s attention.  As a 16 year old, he was captured by Irish raiders who took him back to Ireland where he was a slave for six years.  It was during this “captivity” that Patrick really came into a relationship with the Lord.  His role was to shepherd flocks and he became a man of prayer.  In his own words,  

• “After I had arrived in Ireland, I found myself pasturing flocks daily, and I prayed a number of times each day.  More and more the love and fear of God came to me, and faith grew and my spirit was exercised, until I was praying up to a hundred times every day and in the night nearly as often”.

He learned the Gaelic language (the language of the Irish people) fluently and developed a heart for the very people that enslaved him.  After 6 years, God miraculously enabled him to escape.

The Lord spoke to him in a dream - “You are going home.  Look! Your ship is ready”.  The following morning the Lord led him to the coast where he found a ship and sailed away from Ireland.  Upon being reunited with his family in Britain, he never intended to set foot in Ireland again. 

God spoke to Patrick in a dream to return to Ireland to bring the Pagan Irish (who were in bondage to Druidism and other pagan beliefs) the Gospel.  In the dream an Angel gave him letters from his former captors asking him to return and he then heard the Irish calling out to him, “Please, holy servant boy, come and walk among us again”.  It was God who called Patrick to take the Gospel to the Irish, not the Pope of Rome as some have mistakenly taught.  He was ultimately sent out by the independent British/Celtic Church as a pioneer missionary to the Ireland.  Interestingly, the Bishop of Rome had sent a missionary to Ireland about the same time, who lasted about one year before returning. 

At the time Patrick was sent to Ireland, in 432AD, he was a Bishop (or Overseer) of over 40 years of age.  He took with him several younger ordained presbyters, who he had taught Gaelic in Britain.  In the face of great danger, and unbelievable hardship, this band of missionaries began to bring the Gospel to the pagan Druid Irish and God powerfully blessed their work.  In 28 years of ministry which history records was full of Biblical signs and wonders, 30 to 40 of Ireland’s 150 tribes were Christian, between 200 to 700 churches had been planted and over 1000 local Irish leaders had been ordained.  Truly their ministry was both the WORD (preaching) the SPIRIT (signs, wonders and miracles).

The Irish Church became a major missionary Church (arguably the greatest in Church History) in the following few centuries, taking the Gospel to other pagan peoples in Scotland and even Northern Europe.

Patrick was a man of prayer and fasting.  He was a man who lived like Christ – he never married, he forfeit his worldly inheritance (he was from a wealthy British family) and suffered great hardship for the sake of the Gospel.

Patrick’s vision to reach the Pagan Irish was resisted by his own British Church – it was considered too dangerous, an impossible task and it would be an understatement to say that the “civilized” (Romanized) British Christians weren’t racist towards the “barbaric” Pagan Irish.  When the Church today considers the task of evangelizing the Muslim World – (i.e. Arabs, Afghans, Iranians or even followers of ‘Al Qaeda’) or other places full of hostility and conflict, let us remember the fearless commitment of these 5^th century Apostolic teams who literally won an entire nation who the Church in their day didn’t love and considered unreachable.  

Patrick and his spiritual descendants were really a mixture of different Christian traditions – in some ways you could say he/they embodied the “best of” many Christian backgrounds/traditions and yet would serve to challenge all of us to recover things that we may have lost, rejected or deemphasized depending upon our own spiritual heritages. 

On a day when people are caught up in all sorts of twisted St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, may we be reminded of the real man behind the ‘myth’.  May it open doors with others who most likely don’t know anything beyond leprechauns, 4-leafed clovers and pinching people who aren’t wearing green.

God Bless you on this St. Patrick’s Day.

DJ

His final words recorded in his Confessions are humbling:

• "But I pray those who believe and fear God, whosoever has designed to scan or accept this document, composed in Ireland by Patrick the sinner, and unlearned man to be sure, that none should ever say that it was my ignorance that accomplished any small thing which I did or showed in accordance with God's will; but judge ye, and let it be most truly believed, that it was the gift of God.  And this is my confession before I die.

healing testimonies

Tonight a group of us gathered and everyone shared about what had happened this past week.  Here is a summary:

One Lebanese muslim man's back was healed.  Another Iranian muslim woman was healed as was an Iranian muslim man who kept asking, "but how did you know?" because his condition was revealed by a word of knowledge.  Another Gulf Arab muslim student was healed over the phone – pain left her kidney.  Also a Sri Lankan muslim woman was delivered from demonic torment in Jesus' Name.

This was all before an Egyptian muslim man came to our meeting.  He has essentially been crippled and unable to walk except with crutches for 2 years.  He received a significant measure of healing tonight – and could walk around with out the crutches and do things he hasn't been able to do in a couple of years.  He isn't completely healed, but was crying out to Jesus (a muslim!) for healing and thanking Jesus for His death on the cross and for the price He paid for his sins and his physical healing.  We'll see what happens – but if he was sincere about what he was praying tonight, we might have a baptism coming up very soon!

a theology that isn't shaped by circumstances

I was deeply challenged today listening to one of my favorite preachers, Dan Mohler, speak about the recent death of his mother after a 40 year battle with MS. (see link below) Here is a man who regularly sees the sick healed, including having seen MS healed, but lost his mother to an untimely death.

I have watched many Christians radically change their theologies when circumstances challenge their convictions.  Years ago some friends of ours became hyper-Calvinists when their teenage son went of the rails.  It somehow in a twisted way became God's will!  A leading Christian leader in the U.K. changed his position on homosexuality after years of "experience" with Christians struggling with same sex attraction.  Just recently a Christian politician in the U.S. changed his position on gay marriage because his son has come out as being gay.  Circumstances changing people's theology and convictions - it seems to happen all the time.

This never seems to be truer than when it comes to healing the sick.  We all know that Jesus healed everyone who ever came to Him and asked.  It is an argument from silence to say that there were those He didn't heal (but that argument is made all the time).  And yet, a heart-breaking loss of a loved one to cancer or some other disease and people often will begin to allow life and circumstances to shape their theology - it is often subtle, it is often long-term but it for many seems inevitable.

Then there are the world-changers who don't allow adversity and loss to deflate them, or stop them as they contend for the fullness of God's Kingdom to be manifested in and through them.  Lost battles, diseases that aren't healed, deaths that are clearly untimely don't derail these types - they compel them towards greater faith, and an attitude that says "Next time we aren't going to lose this same battle".

There are so few who are like this - so many of our popular pastors, teachers and theologians have made their names by essentially growing into greater and greater unbelief in their respective journeys of faith and they call it "balance"!  I would just prefer honesty.  It is their experience that has dictated their theological conclusions and not the life and ministry of Jesus as our example.  I don't have to name names because it is essentially every single one.

Thank the Lord for men like Dan Mohler who won't sell-out to experiences of life that would lead him to compromise the clear teaching of God's Word.  He is truly one of those world-changer, revolutionaries who isn't allowing loss to cripple his future into a disillusioned, cynical place of the kind of unbelief that the Bible demands we repent of!

You can find the message at this link -  http://www.jesusgarage.com

former Iranian muslim's partial deafness healed

Here's a testimony that I received from one in our community.

I was meeting with an Iranian man (former muslim) who came to Christ when
a man in white appeared in his room 4 years ago. Because I was traveling
to America the next day, he asked me to bring him a nice hearing aid. "I
didn't know you had a hearing problem," I said. He told me that for a long
time he had poor hearing in one ear, and when he had a cold he could
hardly hear anything at all.

I prayed for him 3 times during our meeting, but nothing changed.

At 11pm that night he called me 3 times. I answered the 3rd time, assuming
by then that it couldn't wait. He excitedly told me, "I'm better! I'm
better! I can hear! I don't need a hearing aid anymore!" We rejoiced
together over the phone. God loves his children!

I spoke with him again today and he is still healed!

Saudi Arabian muslim woman encounters the Holy Spirit

DJ got a word of knowledge for a right knee problem for a Saudi Arabian woman. I approached her and asked her if she had the problem in her knee.  She did have a knee problem but said that her neck hurt even more.  She wondered if I did "reike" and I told her "No, this is the power of God". I prayed for her neck first and it seemed to have gotten better because next she is asking me to pray for her sinuses because she couldn't breathe properly.  Something happened – she said she felt like cool air flowing through her – in one ear and out the other!  I told her that that was the Holy Spirit. Then I prayed for her knee.  She looked completely peaceful – I knew she was encountering God. Then she asked if we could get together and asked for my phone number.

I can't wait to follow up with her.

muslim's foot healed over the phone (Part 1)

An Arab muslim man was given my number who needed prayer.  He had a foot condition that had been painful for many years.  I asked if it was possible to meet with him but he worked so much (18 hour days, 7 days a week) that he wanted me to simply pray over the phone.  I had him put his hand on the foot and prayed for him in Arabic over the phone – I released healing and broke of the shock and trauma from the original accident that caused the injury.  After prayer, he told me it was tingling and felt better.  I told him to call me back after the tingling stopped and it would be healed.  Sure enough he calls me back and the pain has left the foot, BUT another pain appeared suddenly elsewhere (I believe it was his leg).  I told him that if in fact a pain has "transferred" to another place inexplicably that we needed to meet in person for it demonic and needed another kind of prayer than simply healing prayer.  We are now working out a way for me to go to his place of employment to lead him through some deliverance prayer to set him free from whatever spirit is afflicting him.

I'll post what happens in Part 2 after we meet.

healings in a coffee shop

As a couple of us were leaving a coffee shop, I asked the two Filipinos who worked there if they had any pain or problems.  The manager had a long-standing throat condition that he told me hurt when we drank cold water.  I asked him to put his hand on his throat and I prayed.  He then tested it by drinking water afterwards telling me it no longer hurt.  Then I prayed for the back of his co-worker.  She had back pain, so I asked her to put her hand where the pain was and prayed for her upper back. She checked it out and told me there was no more pain in the upper back, but there was still pain in another part of her lower back.  I prayed again and all the pain left.  They were both very thankful and expressive of their gratitude.  

مَمْلَكَةِ اللهِ

أَوْشَكَ اللهُ أَنْ يُقِيمَ مَمْلَكَتَهُ

Syrian & Filipino muslims healed

While out today at a Middle Eastern mall, we entered a clothing store and began talking to a Syrian muslim man who worked there.  I had a word of knowledge for a back problem but he didn't have it.  I explained why I was asking and he was interested in how I prayed for the sick.  I shared the Lord's prayer with him and then while talking I got another word of knowledge about a neck problem.  He had pain in the exact spot.  He put his hand on the area, I prayed in Arabic and he was healed.  At that point he asked for my phone number.  I told him that when he found whoever had the back problem could call me and I'd pray with them over the phone.  This encounter illustrates a principle we call "tracing the call".  If  we can engage somebody for a while, the likelihood of getting a word of knowledge or prophetic word for them increases.  As I was talking with the Syrian man, I then got the 2nd word of knowledge which got his attention.  He also knows now who he can call if he, or anybody else needs healing prayer.

In another shop I got a word of knowledge for some type of eye pain or a headache.  One of the employees, a Filipino muslim, had a headache.  I had one of the Christian Filipino employees lay hands on her and I prayed.  After praying once it was better and we prayed one more time and the woman said it was gone.  Then the Christian woman also wanted prayer for her and her husband to conceive.  I called my wife and let Desert Princess pray with her over the phone.  We look forward to hearing what the Lord will do for them!

Muslim woman says, "I know that ONLY Christians can heal people"

This is a testimony shared last night from one of our community - "I went to the clinic on Sunday, January 20 to get my sick leave paper signed. After seeing the doctor, I had to go to the pharmacy to get the medicine that the doctor prescribed to me. When I got to the Pharmacy area, I had to wait in a queue with 10 to 15 people standing in front of me. as I was waiting for my turn to come, an old lady who I believe was in her late 60s/early 70s tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to let her know when my turn was over because she could stand for long as she had bad knees. I said "ok" and I looked away from her. then I thought to myself, "Did she just say that she had a knee condition?" I immediately left the queue and sat down beside her and asked her why her knees were hurting; if she had fallen down or hurt her knees in a way or the other. "No", she said. "I have bad knees because I'm old." I told her that just because she was old she doesn't have to have bad knees. then I leaned towards her and whispered in ears "I'm a healer, I know how to take your pain away." As soon as I said that, she looked in astonishment and asked "Are you a Christian?" "Yes", I said. "I'm going to ask God to take away your pain". then she said, "but I'm a Muslim, can He still do that?" I said "Yes, He loves you and he doesn't want to see you in pain." when I said that, she grabbed my hand and put it on her knee and said "Go ahead, please pray for me. I know that ONLY Christians can heal people." I commanded the pain to leave and released strength over her knees and asked her what she was feeling. she said that she felt something but she couldn't explain it. I told her that it was Holy Spirit healing her knees. I could tell that she was touched by God's love because she kept telling me "You are like my daughter, you are like my daughter, please remember me in your prayers". she stood up, thanked me, got her medicine and left the clinic.

A few minutes later as I was leaving the clinic, I saw her struggling to get down the stairs. I asked where she was going and if I could walk her to that place. she said yes and held my hand and we walked together. as we were walking she asked me "Do you know Isaa?" I answered "Yes I know Jesus". she said, "You call him Jesus but I call him Isaa, I know that Isaa sent you here for me." I said "Yes He did because He loves you." she said "You don't know me but came down sat beside me and prayed for me and now you are walking me to the supermarket. I know that Jesus sent you to help me." she then told me a testimony of her hindu friend becoming a christian.

Her friend is from India, when she was in this Gulf country 2 years ago, someone did witchcraft over her and cursed her with a sickness that deformed her face. she went to different doctors to get treatment but no one knew how to heal her. then someone told her that Christians heal people and that she had to go to a church or meet with a Christian to be healed. she went to the Catholic Church and kneeled down before a statue of Jesus and cried out for help. when she did that Jesus appeared, toucher her face and she was instantly healed. She ran to the priest and told him what had just happened to her. at first the priest did not believe her but she insisted that what she was real. He told her that Jesus wanted her to give her life to him. she gave her life to Jesus and has been following him since that day. Praise God!!!!

After telling me the testimony, she hugged me and said "ONLY Christians heal; ONLY Jesus heals. I don't know you but I know that you are here with me because of Jesus." I said "Yes, I don't know you but I know Jesus and Jesus knows you and He loves you!!" she was so blessed by God's Love.

أَرْسَلَهُ اللهُ لِيَرْفَعَ خَطِيئَةَ النَّاسِ

أَحَبَّ اللهُ كُلَّ النَّاسِ لِدَرَجَةِ أَنَّهُ بَذَلَ ابْنَهُ الْوَحِيدَ لِكَيْ لا يَهْلِكَ كُلُّ مَنْ يُؤْمِنُ بِهِ، بَلْ يَنَالَ حَيَاةَ الْخُلُودِ. لأَنَّ اللهَ أَرْسَلَ ابْنَهُ إِلَى النَّاسِ لا لِيُعَاقِبَهُمْ بَلْ لِيُنَجِّيَهُمْ. مَنْ يُؤْمِنُ بِهِ لا يُعَاقَبُ، وَمَنْ لا يُؤْمِنُ بِهِ فَقَدْ صَدَرَ ضِدَّهُ الْعِقَابُ، لأَنَّهُ لَمْ يُؤْمِنْ بِابْنِ اللهِ الْوَحِيدِ.

5th century blogging of miracles

St. Augustine changed his belief about the continuation of the miraculous gifts (one of the few things I affirm in a man whose theology deviated from that of the Apostles) after he confirmed healing accounts in his area.

A very interesting thing was happening at that time. Christians WERE RECORDING the miracles and keeping a written record. In other words, they were "blogging" in their own 5th century manner!

"before I couldn't do this" (surprised as ankle is restored)

Last night in our encounter God meeting the Lord highlighted a right ankle problem.  I had called it out by word of knowledge earlier in the meeting but no one responded.  Later as we were ministering prophetically to a first time visitor, the word came back to me strongly and she said, "I don't have an ankle problem but I broke it years ago and can't straighten it like the other one".  I knew the Lord was about to do something.  So I had my daughter lay hands on her ankle and we all prayed.  During the prayer the word of knowledge "lifted" from my ankle and I thanked the Lord for what He was doing.  We asked her to test it out and she began to show us what she wasn't able to do, and said, "before I couldn't do this….". At that moment, she realized that the Lord had healed her ankle and restored it to be just like the other AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.

man from Myanmar healed

We are seeing an increase in workers coming from Myanmar (formerly Burma) who are mostly Buddhists but we met some who have come to faith in Christ.  They are very open to the Gospel.  We were at a restaurant and our waiter, from Myanmar, had a back problem.  The Lord had revealed it by a word of knowledge.  I had him put his hand on his back and prayed quickly.  He testified to a tingling sensation going on and whatever pain he had left.  We'll be able to follow up with him as we visit this particular restaurant quite frequently.  I love it how the Lord brings the unreached nations of the earth to our doorstep (even in an unreached muslim nation) to bring them the power and message of Christ's Kingdom

follow up with an Egyptian muslim woman who was healed

An Egyptian muslim woman had been healed after a word of knowledge and received accurate prophetic words back before Christmas on December 23rd.  

Today, my Lebanese friend "Moonbeam" and I went to follow up with her.

We learned that on the day that DJ, Isaac of Ninevah and the others went into the shop she worked in was her lowest point.  She couldn't smile and was depressed when they walked in and began getting words of knowledge and seeing people healed.  Her ankle had been healed that day and was still completely fine 3 weeks later.  She could remember ALL THE PROPHETIC WORDS that Isaac and the others had given to her.  She was scheduled for a surgery the following day and somehow the visit and those prophetic words proved to prepare her for a day she had been dreading in fear.  It was if she was excited about a surgery.  It was remarkable!

During that first encounter, DJ has received a couple of strong words of knowledge about her need for inner healing and heart pain and had explained that it would be better for me to come and minister later.She had also asked DJ if she had been cursed and he explained that we could help her with that.

Today she told us that everything in her life was a disaster and going wrong.  She was desperate for hope and encouragement.  While with her, I got a new type of word of knowledge that there had been "word curses" against her  - at first I didn't know what the word of knowledge meant, but the Lord followed it with a word of wisdom so that we had understanding.  During the time of prayer, we broke off any and all curses.  We prayed that she would feel God's love and for all the heaviness she was feeling to go.

Moonbeam shared many things about the Gospel with her.  She told her about the benefits of the Cross of Christ – basically we shared why we could help her, our authority over the kingdom of darkness and the power of satan.  Muslims know nothing of such authority.

She said she could see "light" while we were praying and experienced extreme peace and hope.  I had some prophetic pictures for her of doors opening and flowers blooming.  I also prayed that she would have a dream.  Moonbeam prophesied a new change was coming to her life regarding her employment.  When we left she said she was excited again about her future.

We are excited to see what God will do next with her.

deliverance AND healing in the mall

I guess we should just call our ministry what it seems to be – Ministry in Malls.  Living in a hot, desert Middle Eastern country it is where many people congregate.  After seeing the Egyptian muslim man's back healed.  I met up with the "Annointed Deacon" (read Acts 6).  We met to see what God would do.  After a bit of a ministry time with a Christian family, we decided to hit a Starbucks.  As I was interacting with one of the staff, I got a word of knowledge for her back.  I had her put her back on her own back and prayed for her healing.  She was a Christian.  However, her colleague was a hindu from N. India.  As she watched, I got another word of knowledge indicating a demonic assignment against this woman.  She was in fact being attacked by some type of demonic presence that manifested in her being choked and constriction in her chest (which was the precise word of knowledge I had received).  I had the Christian woman lay hands on her as I prayed prayer of deliverance declaring this assignment broken by the "power of the Blood and the power of the Cross".  Something lifted and I told her she was now free.  The Christian woman I explained would follow up with her.  I will be sure to encourage one of our community, a former hindu, to stop by and also explain how a hindu can remain free!  Deliverance session in a Starbucks – has a nice ring to it!

The most dramatic healing we saw was in a sporting goods store (the real reason men go to malls).  I was following up with a group that had been healed the last time we were in the mall and met an employee who had "heard" about the healings.  She was a part of Church that didn't believe in modern-day miracles.  That was about to change!  She explained that she couldn't lift her arms since giving birth.   She showed us and could maybe reach high enough that her hands reached only the level of her head.  I had grab her arms (to lay hands on herself) and prayed a quick prayer.  She was completely healed and could lift her arms all the way straight up.  She simply couldn't believe it as she was trying to explain what she couldn't do, she was doing it!!!  I'm sure her Church will try to explain things away, but thankfully Jesus has better theology than they do!

Egyptian muslim's back healed - Coptic Christians to follow up!

As I was walking into a mall two days ago, I was stopped by a taxi driver who wanted to know if I needed a taxi.  I didn't.  I thought he might need something I had though.  I asked him about his back.  Did it hurt?  No word of knowledge needed – most taxi drivers I have ever asked have back problems.  He did.  I asked him to put his hand on his back.  I asked him his name.  I prayed the Lord's prayer in Arabic, substituting "on earth as it is in heaven" with "in Abdullah's back as it is in heaven".  He took his hands away after I said "Amen" and testified to all the pain being gone.  He was visibly shocked by what had just happened.  I shared a bit more with him and then gave him a little bit of a homework assignment.  I asked him if he had Christian friends.  As most Egyptians do, he did.  His assignment was to go and testify to what Jesus had just done to him/for him.  He agreed.  I want to honor and express my gratitude to the Egyptian Christians, in particular the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church.  Many of the muslims that I know who have come to Christ, have done so through the witness and testimony of Coptic Christians.  An uncanny number.  Praying for the sick, handing out Arabic Bibles, casting out their devils.  Thank you Lord for them.  Thank you for their work in the Kingdom.  

from Dan Mohler to those distorting the message of grace

From a leading "Grace teacher", Dan Mohler, taking aim at those who are distorting the doctrine of God's grace.  Thanks Dan for preaching/teaching the WHOLE COUNSEL of God's Word

"There's a movement of grace out there right now that is perverting the grace message; that's just saying "It's a big party and everybody's O.K."  YOU'RE O.K. WHEN YOU LOOK LIKE JESUS.  You are O.K. when the dictates of flesh are so crushed by the Spirit of God in you that they have no voice.  You're O.K. when you've surrendered in the secret place.  There's a [so-called grace ]doctrine that's coming out there.  It's really spreading out there. Be careful.  It says that men don't have to even repent; they're already saved; there's no hell, [because] God's mercy endures forever. And it's sweeping [the Body of Christ] because people want an easy out without the stewardship of life. They just want to party. Be careful! It will be like in the Days of Noah and they'll be eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage and then the rains will come.  It's in your Bible.  "But haven't we supped with you? Haven't we walked in the streets with you? Haven't we…"  It's not about a party.  It's about transformation. It's not about 'easy grace'. It's not about saying, "Well, everything's fine. God knows my heart".  No, God knows your life! It [the Bible] says you'll be judged for your deeds, for your life before Christ, not your heart BECAUSE YOUR HEART REVEALS YOUR LIFE!  It's a cop out. My life lived IS my heart revealed.  Hello.  I'm not being mean right now; I'm being realistic.  I'm being real.  Come on, Jesus talked like this because He loved us enough.  He says, "You're either for me or your against me. You're either gathered to me or your scattered"…"

Dubai malls - Tunisian muslims - Day 4

Not only had we tried to minister to the Emirati men, but I had also spoken with the Egyptian muslim manager of the coffee shop to send us any of his employees (there were probably about 10 or so) to us if they needed healing.  He said he would, but then like some of the managers we make the same offer to, he didn't keep his word.  Later he told me that he was simply busy, but after the Emiratis left, I decided that I would approach his staff independently.  I spoke with one Filipino server and she didn't have a problem but grabbed her co-worker standing next to her and said she had a back problem.  I asked the first woman to lay her hands on the area where the pain was and I prayed a quick healing prayer.  Quick because they were working and the place was busy.  She was healed and they were both thanking the Lord. 

It was like that changed the atmosphere for us in the place.  Sitting next to us was a Tunisian family, who like us had made this coffee shop a bit like their "base" - in other words we had all been there for quite a long time.  I had earlier begun to engage them over their son's interest in professional soccer and after some more small talk, I basically explained that the woman with us (our other female team member was snowboarding) was a healer and asked if they had any need of a miracle.  They were very open and allowed her to pray for the man's neck after we got a word of knowledge.

One of the most in-depth times of ministry we have had in our entire time in Dubai ensued.  We were able to prophesy over them.  The man was extremely touched at one point when one of our team laid hands on him and began to speak in tongues (we wanted to know if he could interpret them).  He used the Arabic word that is equivalent of  the Hebrew word for "shekina" to describe how he was feeling.  He had a profound encounter with the peace and presence of God right in the middle of the coffee place! 

At this point, Isaac of Ninevah who had also been prophesying over him (he described some of his gifts, a situation that he had left in Tunisia, some problems with co-workers and how the Lord was going to give him strategies to solve them through dreams), and got some words of knowledge for his mother back in Tunisia; one was specifically for her right knee which was accurate.   So what could we do???  How about calling her on the phone right then and there and see what God would do.  That was the plan.  So he calls her, and gives me the phone.  I instructed her to put her hand on the affected knee and proceeded to pray in Arabic - a very basic prayer that any educated Arabic speaker could understand as the Tunisian dialect is quite different than the one I speak.  I give the phone back to him and it turns out she didn't understand a single word of what I was saying/praying.  She spoke French and a particular dialect of Arabic but was not educated in Arabic.  So what next?  I come up with another idea.  His father was educated in Arabic and so we call them back in Tunisia and his muslim father becomes my ministry team member!  I have the father lay hands on his wife's knee as I prayed again and released the Kingdom of God in Arabic praying clearly in the Name of Jesus.  I give the phone back to the son and he inquires as to what is happening.  She was feeling heat in the knee and from what the son indicated she was healed.  Obviously I had no way of testing it out or seeing what was happening, but the reason I believe she was healed is because a little while later, we were on the phone to Tunisia yet again to pray for his wife's mother who couldn't walk properly.  We did the exact same thing, because her mother also hadn't been educated in Arabic and this time had the wife's sister lay hands on their mother and I was able to minister again from Dubai, to Tunisia via a Qatar-based mobile phone.  We won't know the extent to which the mother was/is healed until she checks it out on a long walk.  Who says we are limited? 

Beyond that, I told him I would "construct" some French prayers of healing (through some of our community who speak French) so that he could pray over some of his other sick/hurting relatives.  I also told him I would send some of our friends in Tunisia to visit their relatives.

What was crazy is that this muslim family spend the next couple of hours with our team.  Their two young daughters could not stop hanging on the women on our team.  When we were setting up the second phone prayer session, I had left to go get my son and they waited and then brought their whole family across the mall where I was and then because we didn't have good cell phone reception we walked all over the place and ultimately put their phone chip in another phone to make sure we could pray at that time.  I am reminded of the guys who were so desperate that they lowered their friend through the roof to get him to Jesus.  This was truly hunger and desperation in action from this muslim family.

We exchanged contact information and will have people follow up with their relatives in Tunisia and with them in Qatar.  My experience with many North Africans is very similar to this Tunisia family, extremely open to the Gospel and no reservations whatsoever to receive ministry through the hands of Christians.

Our time in that particular mall really ended up becoming about ministering to this one family.  What a blessing it was to befriend them and to share with them the supernatural love of God and to demonstrate the revelation and power of His eternal Kingdom.

Dubai malls again - freedom to say "no" - Day 4

i don't particularly like spending hours and hours in malls, but that is where the nations congregate in Dubai and our intention is to love as many people as we can - so we found ourselves at yet another Dubai mall. While a few of the team went snowboarding, the rest of us headed for another coffee place and that became our little "ministry base" for the next few hours.

At first it was a bit of a slow start. I tried to connect with a group of four Emirati muslim men who were sitting next to us. I had a word of knowledge about a neck problem and yet none of them said it applied to them. As I explained further and spoke about the way we pray for the sick and see all types of conditions healed, they were extremely polite but clearly not interested. They even surprised us by buying a pastry we had ordered after they had recommended it and I offered the Kingdom yet again. Again, no interest in having us minister to them. One of them said a very interesting thing, albeit completely false, when I told them yet again that according to our Christian faith we are commanded to pray for and actually heal the sick wherever we find them (see Luke 10:9). He said, "In Islam we are commanded to do exactly the same thing". I can't tell you how many times I have heard a muslim completely contradict or in this case "invent" an supposed teaching/tenet/belief in Islam after hearing what we Christians believe (famously when I tell them that we are commanded to love our enemies they will often say that Islam commands that as well when in fact the command in the Qur'an is to slay them). After so many muslims have been healed and willing to receive prayer for healing in the past week or more, it was a bit frustrating that these lost men, who undoubtedly had a number of health issues just judging by their ages, were so totally uninterested in receiving from us.

To be fair, muslims consider Christianity to be a corrupted religion and that we are corporately deceived which when I think about it that way I should be more amazed when they do allow us to pray with them and for them. I would never allow a follower of a false religion pray for me or my family. I think also that the encounter with these men illustrates something else. God freely allows His creatures to reject His offer of love because love never coerces or manipulates and His essential nature is that of love. God's love persuades and draws but unlike what some Christian theologians have mistakenly taught His grace is not irresistable. These men were being drawn. God was persuading. In addition to the word of knowledge for the neck (which I believe was actually for one of them but they simply wouldn't acknowledge it) there were other words of knowledge pointing out some of their other pains and conditions. I was probably a bit over zealous to "make something happen" due to their fact that they belong to some of the most unreached and unresponsive people groups (the tribes/families of Emirati Arab muslims) in the world. I guess I was trying to hold the door open and the Lord although grieved was simply allowing them to do what so many of His creation has been doing for thousands of years, resisting Him.

Into the Arabian Desert interior - Day 3

We had been invited to travel into the interior of the United Arab Emirates to minister in a house church in the evening, so we made our way to the oasis city of Al Ain in the morning to see what the Lord would do in the mean time.

Our day began again in a mall. it was quite windy and since it felt like a sandstorm was brewing we decided to take things inside. The first person we ministered to was an Emirati muslim woman. I got a word of knowledge for her and one of our women approached her to pray for her. They needed some help with Arabic and so I came back and we saw the Lord heal her as we prayed for her in Jesus' Name and speak to her about the Kingdom. It was funny when an over-protective, and zealous Egyptian muslim who worked in the shop close to where this woman worked came over to check things out. I knew what he was up to and so I just offered him any healing he needed. He wasn't open at all and actually was a bit sarcastic so we moved on knowing that she would tell him what God had done for her.

Next I asked an Egyptian muslim woman for some directions (she also worked in the mall) and God interrupted with a word of knowledge about back pain in a particular part of her back. she had had a back problem there since her childhood. I began to speak to her about our mandate to heal the sick and how God speaks. she kept saying, "but I'm a muslim". I told her that God loved muslims too :) and wanted to heal them! I shared that we see people from all religious backgrounds healed. one of our women came over and was able to pray for her when she finally agreed to let us pray.

After this we were all enjoying another Starbucks and the team began to minister to the employees. one of them received prayer who also wanted to attend our meeting that night. I saw a group of three Filipinos sitting near to us and decided to inquire about their Christmas and find out if they'd be willing to let me give them a present! (or presents). they had just come from Church and I offered to pray for anything that was hurting or injured. They didn't have any issues but they said they had a friend with a "slipped disc" in the back. I asked if we could get her on the phone. they agreed and soon were calling her at the hospital where she was on-duty. As they were calling, I got a word of knowledge for an additional condition, something in her stomach. They confirmed she also had a chronic stomach issue as well. I took the phone and had the woman lay hands first on her stomach and prayed. Next I had her do the same for her back. I didn't inquire about the stomach after prayer but ALL PAIN left her back and as I handed the phone back she was crying. these friends of hers came over afterwards to our table and thanked us again for bringing healing to their good friend. When I think about their response - I asked THEM if they had any needs and they instead asked for something for their friend instead, it was very Christ-like and in the true Spirit of Christmas to not think about themselves but of someone else in need.

Next a Filipino guy was coming by who had some tattoos on his arms. I asked him to come over and told him that my friend could interpret his tattoos and tell him things about his life. I love having the mind of Christ that sometimes gets crazy thoughts - but I'd heard of Christians doing this before and even though we'd never talked about it, I figured the team could prophesy over him using the tattoos as the launching pad. Sure enough an accurate prophetic word about the kind of guy/friend he was and the role he played amongst his friends. We gave him some further prophetic words to encourage him in his walk with the Lord.

Our next stop was a restaurant in another part of the city for lunch. As we arrived, I noticed two Emirati muslim guys walking to their car and I inquired if the Lord had anything for them. I got a word of knowledge that one of them had a left knee problem and went to inquire. Just as they were getting in their car, I asked them and sure enough the driver had a problem with his left knee in the back. It had been hurting him for a couple of days. I had him lay his own hand on the area and told him that God was going to heal him. I prayed a quick prayer in Arabic and clearly asked in the Name of Jesus. I asked him to take his hand away and it was completely healed! No more pain. I don't know what was more surprising - the healing or the revelation that the Lord revealed to a Christian that he actually had pain in a specific part of his body. He took my number and I told him that I would like him to meet some of my friends who live in his city. Praying for this healing to lead to more interest in the Healer Himself!

In the restaurant, staffed almost exclusively by Arab muslims (Syrians and Egyptians), we offered to minister to anybody who had pain. I had a word of knowledge about back pain and so our waiter went to find one of their employees with that condition. Two of us were able to pray for this man's back and share with him the source of all sickness/pain (the kingdom of darkness) and God's intention to heal the sick out of His great love for people. We didn't really get to pray for any others, but I asked several times. I made it clear that we loved to minister to sick people/hurting people and since our friends visit this restaurant on occasion, there will be opportunity to follow up with these men.

At that point, we broke into three different groups with one continuing on in another mall, where that had the chance to meet with and encourage a local Emirati Christian who I also got to meet later that evening. My son and I headed off to a father/son activity - surfing in the desert at the world's best wave pool and our third group drove up to the top of a 4,000 ft. mountain and although I don't know the details, got to pray for people there and saw at least two people healed.

Our day ended with a house church meeting that included the operation of many of the gifts of the Holy Spirit - there was prophecy, there were tongues and the interpretation of tongues, there was healing, we did some deliverance from demonic torment. It was just an incredible time to be with other believers and to encourage them with some of our testimonies. The Emirati Christian was also there and that was just a huge highlight of our trip to be with one of the few known national believers. He had been tortured for his faith and yet with great boldness he was following Jesus and having an impact reaching others with the Gospel. It is one of the great honors to meet with those who have literally given up everything to follow Christ and who have also been persecuted (in his case institutionalized in a mental hospital and given electric shocks to the head and seriously drugged) for their faith in Jesus. He came to learn from us, but as it ALWAYS the case, I learned by for by being with him and hearing his story. Pray for his continued protection and for God to use him to reach his own people who are deceived and imprisoned in the false religion of Islam.