A SKEPTIC OF CYNICS

(…CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY)

One man told me recently, “I consider myself a ‘Chari-skeptic’.” He apparently took great pride in his unbelief – two sins for the price of one. I know people who feel it is somehow noble and a great service to the Body of Christ to question everything that God does. Every healing has to be verified by a doctor, every manifestation needs a logical explanation, and every miracle must be approached with skepticism and cynicism. Their default setting is to doubt their “beliefs”.

While I am certainly not one who endorses mindlessly swallowing everything that comes down the line, I would like to see a new breed of skeptics arise; skeptics that question uncertainty, doubt doubts and are cynical about unbelief.

Jesus was this kind of skeptic. In Mark 6:6, we read that Jesus “…marveled because of their unbelief.” Jesus couldn’t believe that they couldn’t believe. Why are the unbelievers always on the offense and those with faith always on the defense? Isn’t it more logical to trust an all-knowing, all-powerful, everywhere-present God rather than the six inches of grey matter between our ears? I say we should be skeptical of anything that hints of unbelief.

As mentioned earlier, many people ask, “Why do more miracles happen in Africa than in the west?” My response, “Who says that more miracles happen in Africa?” I’m skeptical about the premise of that question.

Here’s another question I get asked often; “Why doesn’t everyone get healed?” My response to that is the same as the one above: “Who says everyone doesn’t get healed?” A valid question might be, “Why didn’t everyone get healed in that particular setting?” But to just assume, based on your own experience or something you have heard, that in every instance, only a percentage of those sick receive a healing, is in my opinion, founded in unbelief.

Another question I often hear is, “Why don’t miracles happen like they used to?” You see, just like it's easy to believe that miracles can happen…somewhere else, it's also easy to believe that something miraculous happened in the past, or can happen sometime in the future. The only thing people have difficulty believing is that God can do it right here, right now…but here and now is all we have.

I think that often these questions, and others like them, are really nothing more than a subconscious attempt to let ourselves off the hook. But Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. His Word, His power and His promises are the same. What’s more, there are plenty of people who are seeing God’s mighty power demonstrated here and now. Bottom line: there is no excuse.

~ By Daniel Kolenda (www.danielkolenda.com)

Are You Limiting God?

Unbelief often infiltrates our hearts in the most covert ways. Sometimes we don’t even realize that it’s there. It is good from time to time to take stock of our own belief system to see what is based on God’s Word and what is simply something that we have heard repeated, even by godly leaders, and accepted as fact.

One of the most common questions that people ask me is, “Why do these incredible miracles happen in Africa but not in the western world?” I have heard very well known and well-intentioned ministers give entire teachings about why God doesn’t do it here. I have even heard one use Reinhard Bonnke’s crusades (where I preach) as an example. Some of the explanations I have heard are actually very rational and really explain in detail why it works this way. I must admit, for a long time I also had various answers to this question. And then one day, it occurred to me…the problem is revealed by the question itself.

Hebrews 11:6 says, “…He that cometh unto God MUST BELIEVE.” Anyone who approaches God with the preconception that God heals there but not here (wherever “here” and “there” may be), has already prophesied the outcome of there own request. You cannot approach God like that. Faith is the fundamental basis upon we can and must approach the Almighty.

Where did we get the idea that God does greater miracles in third-world countries than he does in the west? Many people, in asking this question, have just accepted this notion as fact, but what data is it based on? There is certainly nothing in scripture to support it. I can tell you from my own anecdotal experience, as one who ministers all over the world, that THE POWER OF GOD IS THE SAME in the Western world as it is in Africa, Asia or any third-world country. I just returned a couple weeks ago from a tour in the United Kingdom. We saw incredible miracles in every single service. Tumors were disappearing, deaf ears opening, arms, legs and eyes instantly healed. In fact, given the relative numbers, I would say that in many places in the west I have seen more healings then even in Africa – you can’t tell me that miracles don’t happen in the west!

Psalms 78:40, 41 gives us some fascinating insight on God’s frustration with the Children of Israel in the wilderness. It says, “How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! Yea, they turned back and tempted God, AND LIMITED THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL.”

Of course the Children of Israel had seen great wonders and signs unlike any generation of human beings before them. They knew that God was powerful, but they subjected Him to a set of parameters and constraints based on their own experiences. God was provoked and grieved by their limitations and allowed their doubt to become a self-fulfilling prophecy (ie. Ex. 14:11 the Israelites say, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?” – Num. 26:65, God says, “They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.”)

Even Jesus had a taste of this in His own ministry. When He returned to His hometown Mark 6:5 says, that He was not able to do any miracles there. I can just hear the locals asking each other, “Why do miracles happen in Jerusalem and not in Nazareth?” Their unbelief was literally enough to limit what He was able to do in their midst. Their unbelief had become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The philosophy that God doesn’t do it here, is nothing more than an insidious, demonic doctrine of unbelief, and I, for one, refuse to humor the bogus assumption discretely tucked into the question any longer. How has Satan managed to get us to buy into this baseless lie wholesale? It was in the west that the Great Awakenings took place. It was in the west that people like Smith Wigglesworth, Kathryn Khulmen, William Branham and all of the great healing evangelists of the 30’s 40’s and 50’s witnessed some of the greatest miracles in recorded history. It was in the west that the Holy Spirit was poured out in Wales and Azusa Street and the Hebrides. The Charismatic movement, the Jesus People movement, the Toronto outpouring and the Brownsville Revival, all happened in the west.

It’s worth mentioning that this is not a uniquely western problem…it is a human problem, a problem of unbelief, a problem of limiting God. You see, for some reason, many have subconsciously bought into a philosophy that says miracles can happen everywhere except here. Those in the west find it easy to accept that something miraculous can happen far away like Africa or Asia. But I have also heard those in Africa and Asia talk about the wonderful things happening in America. The voice of unbelief says that anything can happen…somewhere else. This is not faith and it does not please God.

What other notions have we adopted into our belief system that limit God? Maybe we will find that some of our great questions have a very simple solution, one that we have actually known all along, “He that cometh to God must believe…”

(CONTINUED TOMORROW…)

WAKE UP AMERICA!

I'm so sorry that I only came across this after the event was already over, but I still think this video is worth seeing just for the wake up call. Also, I have posted a report from the event that happened on the 25th at the end of this entry. If you want more information about "God Has a Better Way" go to www.voiceofrevolution.com



CLICK HERE TO READ REPORT ON THE EVENT

Healing for You...Now!

This is a teaching that was posted by Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke a couple of days ago on his Facebook Fan Page. I thought it was powerful and worth re-posting. Also, if you are not already one of Evangelist Bonnke's fans, CLICK HERE and you will be able to subscribe. He regularly posts personal messages and powerful teachings that will be a blessing to you. Enjoy...

Luke 8:43-48 tells the story of the woman who touched Christ's robe and was healed of an issue of blood.

This woman's constant hemorrhage was a disaster. It left her anemic, weak, breathless and hardly able to walk about. She was also poor, having spent all she had on physicians. Because she had no money she was no longer able to eat nourishing food to compensate for her loss of strength. Also, she was ceremonially unclean, and because of her illness, everything and everybody she touched would be considered unclean (see Lev. 15:19-30). She had no friends and was unwanted - as much a social outcast as any leper.

Jesus made systematic circuits through the villages, and she knew He would be coming. When He did, she struggled through the crowd and touched the fringe of His robe and was instantly healed. She felt it. So did Jesus. Now comes the point of the story, which was not so much the healing as what happened next.

He asked who touched Him. Well, dozens had. Then the woman came trembling and afraid. Why? Because she had touched Him, and she knew her defilement had defiled Jesus. (Likewise, our defilement of sin defiled Him - He was made sin for us on the Cross (see 2 Cor. 5:21).) All eyes were upon her. The whole crowd was quiet, everybody straining to see who had brought the party to a screeching halt. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was entirely focused on one outcast, a little scrap of unknown humanity. Her loneliness and illness had put all heaven in a rage, and God sent His Son for her alone at this moment. Then came Christ’s verdict. The same One who will one day judge the nations and pronounce His verdict on mighty empires, the Lord and Maker of heaven and earth, paused for a moment and said, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace." (Luke 8:48)

This same Jesus is now knocking at your door. Anybody sick or in bondage? Seize your opportunity!

Nice View!

I have just arrived in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, where we are working hard to make preparations for our Crusade in September. I can see beautiful Copacabana Beach from my hotel...it is a perfect day to be in Rio.

A Great Resource for Bible Study

This is a great resource for Bible study...check it out: www.BibleMap.org

for a sample of how it works, click on the link above to take you to the BibleMap.org website, then select "Joshua 12" and then click on one of the pins that will appear on the map. Enjoy...

Saved to Serve

“If I were to save your life, what would you do?” This was the question that Cyrus, the King of Persia asked to a rebel chieftain named Cagular whom he had captured and was about to execute. Cagular replied, “King, I would serve you the rest of my days.” We would tend to see Cagular’s pledge of allegiance and service to Cyrus as nothing more than a reasonable and expected obligation in exchange for the Kings merciful pardon. Cagular also recognized that because he was saved, he was compelled to serve.

In Matthew chapter 8, we read that Peter’s mother-in-law was ill with a fever. Jesus came to Peter’s house and verse 15 says, “…he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.”

Mothers, grandmothers, and mothers-in-law…I guess they’re all the same. If they’re breathing, they’re working. The moment that Peter’s mother-in-law was able to get up, she was back in the kitchen, serving the guests and “ministering unto them.” I probably would have said, “Relax mama! You’ve just been bedridden…you don’t need to be waiting on houseguests right now! Let somebody else serve the tea and biscuits.” But how could she just lay there? Jesus had touched her and healed her. She felt obligated to get up and serve him. Notice that Jesus didn’t stop her. In fact, perhaps he expected this reaction from the onset.

Paul told the Romans that they should present themselves to God as a living sacrifice, and then he added, “this is your reasonable service.” In other words, this is not some favor that you are doing for God. He purchased you and redeemed you with the blood of His son. He set you free from sin and bondage. He has blessed you with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ. In light of all He has done for you, your reciprocate service to Him is only “reasonable”. You have been saved to serve.

Mordacai told Esther, “Who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion.” In other words, Mordacai explained that Esther had been put in her position of power, prestige, and safety in the Kings palace, not because she was so beautiful or wonderful, but because God had a purpose for her to fulfill. Mordacai added, “If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise for the Jews from elsewhere, but you and your father's house will perish.” Her willingness to do her part in the fulfillment of that divine purpose was not a discretionary benevolence towards God – it was her obligation. She had been saved to serve.

Paul said in Romans 1:14, 15, “I am a debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.” You see the traditional thinking of the Jewish elite was that they were the chosen people and any ministry to the gentiles was a gracious favor given to undeserving heathen. But Paul saw himself as one who was shown great mercy by God, and as such he saw himself as a debtor to the rest of mankind. For him to preach the Gospel to the gentiles was not a charitable handout, it was his reasonable service, because Paul realized that he had been saved to serve.

An American soldier in the Vietnam War was about to step on an anti-personnel landmine that was hidden from his sight. His comrade across the battlefield who could see the impending disaster from his vantage point stood up from behind his protective barricade and shouted a life-saving warning to his friend. At that moment the brave young man received a fatal gunshot wound that would ultimately end his life. A couple of years later, at an honorary memorial service in the United States, the soldier whose life had been saved from the landmine had a chance to meet the family of his deceased friend. The son was only seven years old and had never gotten a chance to know his father. “I want you to know,” the soldier said to the young boy, “Your father saved my life.” The little boy looked up at him with tears streaming down his cheeks. “Sir”, he said, “were you worth it?”

Leonard Ravenhill once asked the question, “Is what you’re living for worth Christ dying for?” Not only did Jesus save our lives, he did so at the expense of His own life. Not only did He rescue us from Hell, He descended to the lowest depths of Hell in our place. He was poor that we could be blessed. He was afflicted so that we could be well. But He didn’t save us so that we could be polished, decorative knick-knacks sitting on his shelf filling space in heaven for eternity. We have been saved for a purpose and the fulfillment of that purpose is the only acceptable reaction that we can have to “so great a salvation.” You have an obligation, a debt, a compulsion and a liability to the One who laid down His life for you. You have been saved not for salvation's sake, but you have been saved to serve. This is your reasonable service.

~By Daniel Kolenda (www.danielkolenda.com)

Hearing God in The Wilderness - (Part 2)

CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY...

I have seen books and teachings and entire courses dedicated to the subject of, “How to Hear the Voice of God”, but I know of no better teacher than, “The Wilderness”. You see, not only is God speaking in the wilderness, but also He is teaching us to hear Him better. When He is speaking comfortably to us in a still small voice our ears become attuned to His words.

Since I travel around the world quite often, I am constantly coming into contact with people who speak foreign languages (you might be one of them). I will often try to pick up a few words here or there and can usually tell from the grins and grimaces on the faces of the locals that I am not pronouncing it right. I am reproducing exactly what I hear, but because my ears are not attuned to the subtle nuances in the pronunciation of particular words, there are certain sounds and inflections that I simply do not hear. The good news is that there is nothing wrong with me. If I had enough time and patience, I could eventually train my ear to hear these distinctions with ease.

Dr. Christophe Schreiner of the W.M. Keck Foundation Center for Integrative Neuroscience at the University of California says, “We go to a foreign country, hear what people are saying, but we can't make subtle discriminations of syllables in order to establish the border between words. With time and experience the brain is adjusting to this, our neurons are becoming more discriminative, and we can distinguish words in what initially just appeared to us as an unbroken stream of sound.”

The moral is this: if you listen closely, over time, your hearing will become more sensitive. We are often awed by the fabulous stories of someone hearing the “audible voice of God”, but the real prize goes to those who learn to hear the subtle whisper of the Holy Spirit.

My father is a pastor, and I think it is fair to say that I was raised in church. I can still remember how my father could be on the platform, behind the pulpit, singing or preaching while I was doing something mischievous. He didn’t need to shout through the microphone at me, all he needed to do was catch my eye. With his eyes he could give me a stern warning that would impress me enough to change my ways.

In Psalms 32:8 God promises, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” Could there be a more striking illustration of sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit? The contrast to this is found in the following verse, “Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.” Some people's spiritual perception is about as sensitive as mule. When God wants to get their attention He has to break out a 2x4 and smack them between the eyes. These people require a bit and a bridle. They need constant external stimuli and are always looking for a sign. The reason is simple..."they have no understanding."

The wilderness is part of God's cure for the "bit and bridle believers." In the wilderness He will break the bucking broncos and bring each of us to a place where we are so sensitive to His Spirit that we can sense and respond the subtlest cue. Don’t fight the wilderness…embrace it and cultivate sensitivity to hear God’s “still small voice”.

Hearing God in the Wilderness (Part 1)

Life is difficult for many people right now. Economic crisis, family problems, health issues or any other combination of difficulties have brought many to a place of frustration and discouragement. Maybe this is why I have been hearing quite often from those who would say they are in a sort of spiritual wilderness.

The wilderness is a lonely place where direction is often hard to come by. In fact the wilderness is a place where God is not speaking…or is He?

Actually, I believe that God is always speaking…even in the wilderness – that will never change. But what may change is His tone. In Hosea 2:14 God, speaking of the prodigal nation of Israel, says, “Therefore, behold, I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness and speak comfortably to her.”

Recently I was sitting in a crowded restaurant trying to hold an important one-on-one conversation with my wife, but because of the ambient noise of people in the room talking, we found ourselves shouting at one another. If you’ve ever had a similar experience, you will agree that this kind of communication gets old after a while. If you really want to have meaningful communication with someone, you need to go to a quiet place where you can speak comfortably.

This is what God was saying to Israel, “I am going to take you into the wilderness, but not because I hate you or am angry with you, but because I want to speak comfortably to you.” Sometimes, I think that God gets tired of trying to shout over all of the noise in our lives. We are so often addicted to the business and commotion of our incessant activities that when we are drawn out of the busy restaurant of our lives into the quietness of the wilderness, we think that God is angry with us. And because He is not shouting over all the noise, we think He is not speaking. But it is here in this quiet place, this lonely place, this sometimes-uncomfortable place that He speaks the most precious things to us, if we care to listen to Him rather than straining to get back inside the restaurant as soon as possible.

MORE TO COME TOMORROW...

A Death in the Family

Yesterday my Father-in-Law had to put down the family pet. Daisy was a cute little silky haired terrier that was 15 years old. In dog years that would make her…um…really old! Her poor little body was starting to break down and putting her out of her misery was the only humane option. When my 4-year-old son, Elijah, heard the news over the phone he began to cry. “Daddy”, he said as he climbed into my lap, “I miss Daisy.” I must admit, it was a bit of an emotional moment. I was heartbroken to see his little heart broken. Even though a pet is just an animal, there is some strange bond that develops in our hearts as we become familiar and acquainted with it. This anthropomorphic, emotional attachment is very illogical, but it is an inherent human propensity that can be traced back to the earliest times of our history.

It is interesting that in Exodus 12, God gives very specific commands about the preparation of the Passover sacrifice. In verse 6 He gives a most curious instruction regarding the sacrificial lamb: “And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month…” Literally they would take this small, one year-old, little lamb out of the flock and bring it home for fourteen days until Passover. During that time the family would have undoubtedly become attached to this cuddly, little fur ball. The kids would play with it and sleep next to it and name it. The parents would feed it every day and clean up after it. The price of a lamb could be measured in silver shekels, but once it had become a member of the family, its value transcended money…it was priceless.

Then Passover came. They took the little family lamb and killed it. The blood was painted on the two vertical, side posts and on the horizontal, upper post of the door to the house. The children probably stood by weeping, and buried their faces in their mother’s apron as the father with a heavy heart, brushed the blood on the posts. But where the horizontal and vertical strokes met, on the upper corners of each doorframe they formed a cross. Unknowingly, with this priceless sacrifice, they had painted a timeless symbol of the glorious salvation to come.

The Passover lamb had to be more than a gyro and lamb chops because it was a prophetic foreshadowing of Jesus Christ – the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. The death of the Passover lamb needed to have profound meaning in the hearts of the family that it died for. They needed to somehow experience some sense of loss, of pain and of sorrow. For this sacrifice was a type of the day when the Father Himself would be separated from Jesus for the first time in eternal history. He would watch as His beloved Son was sacrificed before His eyes on a cruel cross and His precious blood shed for the sins of the world. God wanted Israel and us to know that Calvary was not some religious, liturgical formality. It was a deeply personal and painful experience for all of Heaven's family. He paid so high a price for us…I’m sure that we will never fully understand.

Spirit of Truth vs. Spirit of Seduction

My heart is overwhelmed when I think back on the last few days and the incredible services we had throughout the United Kingdom and Norway. The Holy Spirit moved in such power and now in the afterglow of it all I am experiencing something that I often do. I find that when I am in the presence of the Holy Spirit in a significant way, I come out of it having fallen more in love with Jesus! I think that this is a characteristic of a genuine Holy Spirit encounter…our love for the Son will grow and blossom. I don’t understand people who have “revivals” and conferences where they are obsessed with spiritual things and even the "Holy Spirit", but don’t even acknowledge Jesus. They sing songs about glory, power, anointing and never mention the name of Jesus. They talk about angels and miracles, visions, encounters and third Heaven experiences, but never talk about Jesus. How can this be? The Holy Spirit does not come to speak of Himself…He points away from himself to another – Jesus!

John 16:13,14 says, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for HE SHALL NOT SPEAK OF HIMSELF…HE SHALL GLORIFY ME: for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you.”

It is impossible to have a genuine encounter with the Holy Spirit and not have an encounter with Jesus. If you ever see this happening be very careful, because while there are many spirits in the world, there is only ONE HOLY SPIRIT!

In Genesis Chapter 24 we read the story of Abraham sending his servant Eliazar to find a wife for His son, Isaac. It is Eliazar who brings Isaac and Rebekah, his bride, together. In this story we see so many types. Abraham is a type of God the Father. Isaac is a type of Jesus. Eliazar is a type of the Holy Spirit, and Rebekah is a type of the Church. There are many spiritual truths that can be drawn out of this story, but there is one that jumped out at me as I just read this verse recently.

Even though Rebekah had never seen Isaac, she seemed to love him greatly. She chose to leave her father, mother and family to be with him. As soon as she saw Isaac, she jumped off her camel and went to meet him. When they met face to face there was an instantaneous bonding between them. There were no dates, no courting, no prenuptial agreements or arrangement…they went straight to the honeymoon.

How is it that Rebekah loved Isaac even though she had never seen him? I think you can blame this on Eliazer. I think that from the moment he met Rebekah, he began to talk about his master and brag about him telling Rebekah how wonderful he was, how handsome, kind and gentle. On the entire camel ride back to the south country, Eliazer told Rebekah stories about Isaac and described him in detail. Rebekah was infatuated with this incredible man and could not wait to meet him face to face.

1Pet. 1:8 says “and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory…”

Verse 53 says that Eliazer, “…brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold and raiment and gave them to Rebekah…” These gifts that Eliazer lavished on Rebekah are types of the gifts of the Spirit. They were not Eliazer’s, they were Isaac’s and were a sign of Isaac’s love. Of course they made Rebekah look beautiful as well, but the real purpose was to cause Rebekah to fall more in love with her groom…and it worked! When the Holy Spirit is moving and the Gifts of the Spirit are in operation we can expect to find people falling more in love with Jesus.

But consider this: what if Eliazer had flirted with Rebekah and tried to attract her with is own charm? What if Eliazer had given her his own gifts and told stories about his own life to win her over? What if Rebekah had become infatuated with and fallen in love with Eliazer instead of Isaac? He would have been a wicked, unfaithful and seductive servant.

Paul warns us that in the last days there will also be “seducing spirits” in operation. A seducing spirit is one that would seek to divert attention from Jesus and unto itself. Where people love the gifts more than the groom there are seductive spirits in operation. Where people seek manifestations more than “the man”, there are seductive spirits at work. Any time Jesus is not the main focus, the supreme attraction, the ultimate fascination, the crowning prize and the preeminent desire – WATCH OUT! The Holy Spirit has nothing to do with it!

The Holy Spirit will always speak about JESUS, reveal JESUS, exalt JESUS, promote JESUS and magnify JESUS…nothing else and nothing less than JESUS!

“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeded from the Father, he shall testify of me.” (John 15:26)

God's Bench Press

There was a time in my life (not so long ago) that I was quite a faithful little “gym rat.” Every morning I would show up and put in my time sweating, heaving and grunting until I had exhausted an entire day’s worth of energy before the sun had even come out. The bench press was my favorite exercise, and that’s where I could really shine. I would lie down on the bench, and my workout partner would put a couple of weight plates onto the barbell. I would press it once and ask for more. At my request he would slide another 44-pound disc onto each side and then I would press it again. “Give me a couple more,” I would say, and he would add more still. I would keep adding weight until my arms and chest felt like steam-rolled gummy worms. At the peak weight, I would say, “Stop…I can’t lift any more.” Believe it or not, my record was 300 pounds!

There were a couple of times, however, when I miscalculated and ended up under a load that was simply too heavy. I can remember once when this happened, and I had no spotter. It was a pretty helpless feeling. I watched in horror as the weight was slowly sinking down to my chest as though it was happening in slow motion. I was pushing with every ounce of strength I could muster, but there was absolutely nothing I could do. Finally the bar came to rest somewhere between my chest and my neck. I’m not sure whether I was more concerned about potentially suffocating or just looking completely ridiculous while doing so. My lower half was flopping around like a flounder while my jellified arms were trying desperately to keep the bar off my neck just long enough for me to grunt a pathetic distress signal of some sort. I think the other guys in the gym were debating over whether to help me or just laugh.

I was quite happy with my 300 pound record, but it seems pretty puny when compared to Ryan Kennelly (pictured left) who holds the world record in bench-press for lifting 1,075 pounds…an unthinkable amount of weight for any half-way normal person. But as remarkable as it is, even the mightiest person in the world has limitations. At some point we all will cry out, “Stop…I can’t bear any more.” At some point even Ryan Kennelly could be crushed under a load too heavy for any man.

But consider the infinite burden that Christ lifted at Calvary. He was beaten, whipped, and tortured before they nailed His mutilated body to the cross like a mangled piece of meat. But it wasn’t only physical pain that He endured. He bore the betrayal by Judas, the denial by Peter and abandonment by the rest of His closest friends. He bore slander and false accusations of His enemies. He bore the knowledge that he had been completely misunderstood by the angry mob full of people who He loved and had to endure the sight of his grief stricken mother as she was forced to watch His torment.

“Enough!” you can hear her say, “That’s my son…He’s done nothing wrong. Leave Him alone…this is one hundred times more than any man can bear.”

But He seems to look up to His Father through the blood and thorns and ribbons of lacerated flesh and say, “Don’t stop…give me more…lay it all on Me. Give Me the sins of the entire Jewish nation. Give Me the sins of all the Gentile heathen. After that lay on Me the iniquities and wickedness of every person who has ever lived since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden 4,000 years ago. All the murder, the genocide, the rape, the wars, the human sacrifices, and the idolatry…the burden of all of history…drop it on Me.”

“Stop,” the Angels cry as they shield their faces, “That is enough…He is the darling Prince of Heaven. Don’t torment Him…this is one thousand times more than any man can bear.”

“No, don’t stop,” you hear Him say through bloodstained teeth, clinched in unwavering resolve. “Give Me more. Give Me the burdens of every person who has not yet been born. Lay on Me the sins of every future generation for the next 2,000 years: the burden of the prostitute, the drug addict, the adulterer, and the thief. Lay on My back the stripes of every slave, the chains of every prisoner, the darkness of every madman the bondage of every demoniac. Lay on Me all the anguish of hell’s most agonizing torment.”

God the Father turns His back on the unbearable sight of His Son. The sky turns dark as though the very door of heaven itself were slammed shut. He is utterly alone and completely forsaken by God and man. Never before has a human being experienced such emotions…emptied of all but love. Thunder peels in the distance the earth splits and the temple veil rips. The whole world seems to bend and creak as it’s laid upon His bloody shoulders.

“No more!” you cry. “Lord you’ve already done enough. This is a million times more than any man can bear.”

“Not yet,” you hear Him say, “I’m not finished…not until I’ve taken every sickness. Lay on Me the obscurity of all the blind. Lay on Me the brokenness of every cripple. Lay on Me the rottenness of every leper. Lay on Me the isolation of every deaf mute. Give Me the grief of the AIDS victim and the sorrow of the barren woman. Give Me the hurt of every child with cancer. Give Me the convulsions of every epileptic. Give Me the pain of every sick and suffering man and woman boy and girl: every affliction, every fever, every spasm, every injury, every pang, every wound and every illness. And give Me the very sting of death itself…I will bear it all”.

The world and everyone in it would have surely been crushed and suffocated under the unimaginable weight of our own sin. We were hopeless and helpless as the burden of it all was slowly sinking into our chest, and there was nothing that anyone could do about it. That’s when Jesus stepped in and rolled our burden onto His back. Finally, the weight of the world with its mountains of putrefying sin, sickness and bondage had been placed squarely on His shoulders. Not one burden remained that He had not lifted. It was a billion times more than any person could bear.

“That’s enough,” He cried. “I have it all…'IT IS FINISHED!’”

This is why Isaiah said that He “bore our sins and carried our sorrows.” This is freedom to the fullest. This is abundant life. This is joy unspeakable and full of glory. “Burdens are lifted at Calvary; Jesus is very near.”

~ By Daniel Kolenda (www.danielkolenda.com)

The King Who Dug His Own Grave

Have you ever heard the scripture found in II Chronicles 16:9, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and from throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him…” It may surprise you to learn the context of that verse and the fascinating circumstances surrounding it.

Baasha, the King of Israel came up against Judah in war and tried to starve the people out by besieging the Ramah. So Asa, the King of Judah, “…brought silver and gold out of the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria…saying, ‘Let there be a league between me and you…break your league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.'” (v. 2,3).

The Syrians, whose allegiance Asa had bought with gold from the Lord’s house came down and rescued the southern kingdom from the hand of Baasha. But the Lord was not pleased.

God sent a prophet named Hanani to king Asa with this message, "Because you relied on the king of Syria and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war."

Asa grew afraid in the battle and chose to trust in the king of Syria rather than in the Lord. As a result of this the Lord gave him over to the very thing he feared most, “…from now on you will be at war.”

What is so amazing is that Asa makes the VERY SAME MISTAKE again only 3 verses later: “In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa was diseased in his feet – until his disease became very severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but relied on the physicians. And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign.”

Asa trusted in armies and obtained war. He trusted in doctors and obtained death. The final verse of the chapter sums Asa’s life up with an almost contemptuous caption: “And they buried him in his own tomb which he had hewn out for himself…” In essence, Asa dug his own grave because he insisted on trusting in the arm of flesh rather then on the Lord. God was insulted by Asa’s disregard and gave him over to that which he feared most.

I wonder how many Christians are suffering today because they didn’t trust in and seek the Lord in the midst of their trial. Faith often seems like the more difficult option. It is so much easier to trust a lawyer, a doctor, a colleague or a counselor. But after trusting in all of these other things, so many people find themselves given over to the very thing that they fear and in that moment they cry, “Why God!?!” Don’t wait until your wheels have fallen off before you cry out to the Lord. Seek the Lord while He may be found and call on Him when He is near. View your difficulty as merely an opportunity for the Lord to receive Glory.

The eyes of God are going to and fro throughout the earth looking for someone through whom He can show himself mighty. He wants to receive glory through your sickness. He wants to receive praise through your financial emergency. He wants to receive honor through your family situation. Don’t deprive Him of the opportunity to be your “very present help in trouble.” Don’t lean on the arm of the flesh…don’t dig your own grave.

~ By Daniel Kolenda (www.danielkolenda.com)

Sarons Dal - Norway

We’ve just left beautiful Sarons Dal in Norway where we had a full and blessed day of ministry. This afternoon Evangelist Bonnke and I spoke, and then again in the evening service Evangelist Bonnke preached a powerful message about the Holy Spirit and called the young people forward for prayer. They responded with such hunger, some even jumping over obstacles and running forward to receive prayer. Now we are on the road. It is 11:00 pm and we still have two hours before we reach Stavanger where we will catch a flight home. Over the past 7 days I have preached 15 times and been in 8 different cites. I am returning home physically drained but spiritually energized. I pray that the people of the UK and Norway who have received something special this past week may continue to be faithful to the Lord. And I know that He that began a good work in them will be faithful to complete it – in Jesus name.

Triumph in the midst of Tragedy

Yesterday we concluded our tour of churches here in the U.K. with a dynamic day of ministry in Ayelsbury, just outside of London. Less than 48 hours before our meetings began, this city was rocked by a horrific tragedy that has stunned this small, close-knit community and especially the local body of believers. A young lady was stabbed to death outside her home by a crazed teenager with no apparent motive as she walked her dog on Saturday. This young lady was the wife of the worship leader of one of the local charismatic churches. Members of this church were present in both our morning and evening meeting and the obvious grief of every local believer presented a difficult context for an outsider to minister in. The evening evangelistic meeting was packed out with mostly young people. I told the people that in the midst of all the bad news, I had come with some very good news. I preached my heart out and then gave an altar call. The altars were packed...so many young people received Jesus! It was fantastic. In the face of the most poignant example of devilish destruction and death, a parallel reality; the overwhelming light of salvation from the cross flooding darkened hearts and changing lives for eternity.

During the prayer for the sick, once again, there was a tremendous move of the miraculous. Many received instantaneous healing and some received multiple instantaneous healings. One lady came to the meeting deaf in her right ear and had a lump growing on her neck beneath that ear. During the prayer for the sick, her ear popped open and her lump vanished. Arthritic pain vanished in one lady. Another person's frozen shoulder suddenly had full range of motion. A man with a back injury who was unable to lean forward for the terrible pain could touch his toes with incredible flexibility...all pain was gone. The miracles kept coming until the moment the service dismissed late in the evening.

I am now sitting in the airport in Birmingham preparing to fly to Norway for meetings with Evangelist Bonnke. I leave the United Kingdom having received a sure confirmation of the prophetic word the the Lord had given me before I came; "THE TIME IS NOW!" I am confident that a new season has begun in the UK, and God's purpose for this nation will prevail. I'll share more thoughts about this later.

Ealing Christian Center & Revelation TV

This morning I preached at one of London's greatest churches - Ealing Christian Center pastored by Rev. Richard Buxton. The church has a highly multicultural congregation with nearly 100 different nations represented. Services are held in a beautiful facility which was once a famous theater that has been converted and claimed for the Gospel. This morning the Holy Spirit fell in a powerful way in the packed sanctuary. I laid my hands on several hundred people and many received an impartation of Fire.

This evening I preached at Ealing again, but this time I got to do what I love most...preach the Gospel and pray for the sick. There was a wonderful response to the altar call and many received Christ. Quite a few also lined up to testify of miraculous healings that took place during the prayer, but I never got to hear the testimonies since I had to rush to the Revelation TV studios where I was interviewed for an hour by Gordon Pettie on their live Sunday night show. On the program I had a chance to minister on healing and pray for the sick who sent in a barrage of prayer requests from all over the globe as they heard the live broadcast. I look forward to hearing many wonderful testimonies of what the Lord did tonight, both at the church and around the world by way of television.

Tomorrow we leave early for Aylesbury for morning and evening meetings where we expect great things once again before heading on to Norway.

MIRACLES IN WESTMINSTER CHAPEL!

I just finished preaching in Westminster Chapel of central London - 200 yards from Buckingham Palace. This historic church is the very one once pastored by R.T. Kendall and Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Needless to say, it is a landmark, not only of England but of evangelical history as well.

Tonight the Holy Spirit moved in mighty power and many were saved and healed. One notable miracle took place for a lady who has been on the front page of British newspapers. You may have heard of Nadia Eweida who is embroiled in a lawsuit with British Airways for refusing to allow her to wear a cross. Mrs. Eweida recently said to the press, "I will not hide my belief in the Lord Jesus. British Airways permits Muslims to wear a headscarf, Sikhs to wear a turban and other faiths religious apparel. Only Christians are forbidden to express their faith. I am a loyal and conscientious employee of British Airways, but I stand up for the rights of all citizens." (You go girl! CLICK HERE to read the story on the BBC website)

Tonight Mrs. Eweida testified to having received a healing in her back along with many other people who were also healed. Just in case you haven't heard: Jesus heals...not only in Africa but in London, in England, in Europe and everywhere!

Tomorrow I will preach at Ealing Christian Center in the morning and evening services with an interview on Revelation TV in between. More to come...

Oh Happy Day!

I have just returned back to the hotel room after a very full and very fulfilling day of ministry here in the United Kingdom. This morning I had the privilege to minister in the UCB television and radio headquarters. I ministered on the Holy Spirit, and then He fell in such a powerful way right there in the studio. It was recorded for international broadcast on television, radio and web. I pray that it might be a blessing to many people around the world.

Tonight we held an evangelistic meeting in Wulfrun Hall in Wolverhampton. I preached the Gospel to a packed house and then prayed for the sick. The Lord confirmed His Word with many wonderful healings. One lady began to go down a list of the various ailments that she had been suffering with...I lost count after the sixth one. She said that suddenly realized that she had been healed and began to jump...something she hadn't been able to do in nine years. The band began to play, and the whole room was bouncing and dancing with her as we sang, "Oh happy day, happy day, you washed my sin away...". That song seemed to describe the way that everyone was feeling quite nicely...there was a palpable, tangible sense of happiness and joy that only comes from the presence of the Lord. It was a powerful night.

Tomorrow we move on to Ilkeston for morning and evening meetings there. Please continue to keep our entire team in your prayers.

The Genealogy of Eternity

If you are honest, you will probably agree with me, that reading through the genealogies in the Bible is not exactly the most riveting past time in the world. “So-and-so began so-and-so, who begat so-and-so and so-and-so.” Before you know it your mind has wandered to some other topic, and you are just reading on autopilot. But if you are careful, you will uncover some incredible lessons in the genealogies.

Recently as I was reading the second chapter of I Chronicles, I noticed something very interesting. I was going through the rich, complex and often, scandalous family tree of these ancient patriarchs when suddenly I noticed that out of all the names and “begats”, one woman seemed to stand out like a sore thumb. Her name is Seled. Unlike most of here contemporaries, listed along with her in this chapter, the Scripture takes time to give us a little bit of extra information about her. This small, parenthetical insertion next to her name is the only information that we know about her. We don’t know if she was good or bad, ugly or beautiful, rich or poor. We don’t know about any of the things she may have accomplished in her life. Her only enduring legacy is this: “Seled died childless.” (v.30)

For a woman in Seled’s time and culture, to die without bearing children was possibly the most humiliating stigma possible. If she had a choice, I’m sure she would rather have her disgraced name taken out of the Bible, but instead this epitaph will forever be her claim to infamy.

Revelation 20:15 tells of another book of names that is written in heaven…the Lamb’s Book of Life. I wonder if it also reads like the genealogies: connecting spiritual mothers and fathers with spiritual sons and daughters. I wonder how many Christians will have only one eternally enduring legacy: “So-and-so died childless.” What utter humiliation it would be to meet Jesus, to see the scars in his hands and feet, to know that He paid the ultimate price for your salvation, but to stand before Him alone. Having received eternal life, but never having shared it with another. To think that you were so self-conscious that you could not even talk about Him, yet He was willing to hang on a cross for you naked. To be a part of the Bride of Christ, but to have died barren and unfruitful; this must be eternity's ultimate disgrace.

But notice that the Bible does not say that “Seled WAS childless”, it says, “Seled DIED childless.” You see, even though as she grew older, the biological clock was working against her; as long as she was alive there was still hope. Consider Sarah, the wife of Abraham, who was 90 years old when she had her first child, Isaac. She may have gotten a late start, but her posterity became as numerous, and her name as illustrious, as the stars of heaven.

You may have never won a single soul for Jesus in your life, but if you are reading this article, it’s not too late. Today you could tell someone about Jesus. Today you could share your testimony. Today you could lead a person to salvation. Today you could start a new spiritual legacy that will endure for eternity. “…Those who lead many to righteousness [will shine], like the stars forever and ever.” (Daniel 12:3)

~ By Daniel Kolenda (www.danielkolenda.com)

All Nations Church

Well our UK tour has officially begun today in Wolverhampton. This morning I met with a group of pastors from all around the "Black Country" region of the English West Midlands at All Nations Church pastored by Rev. Steve Uppal. I preached the Word that the Lord laid on my heart about Esther, and there was a strong presence of the Holy Ghost with many touched powerfully at the altar. Tomorrow we will hold an evangelistic campaign in this same church, and I am expecting mighty things from the Lord. The Time is NOW! and I am sure that the city will be shaken with salvations, signs, wonders, healings and miracles confirming the preaching of the Gospel. PLEASE KEEP US IN YOUR PRAYERS! More to come...

WE'RE BACK! (in the U.K.)

My plane touched down in Birmingham just a few minutes ago. My feet are now on the ground in the U.K. and I am ready for a Holy Ghost explosion this week! Over the next 7 days I will be in Wolverhampton, Ilkeston, London, Ealing, and Aylesbury. For complete itinerary information please visit http://www.cfan.org.uk/events/

The Lord has laid a burden upon my heart and a fire in my bones for the UK, and I am SURE that "The Time is Now!" For the benefit of those who may not have already seen it, I am reposting here the message that the Lord laid on my heart in preparation for this trip. I have also included a special treat at the end. I hope to see you soon!

THE TIME IS NOW!

Esther was a young Jewish woman that was born as a minority in an oppressive society into a broken family situation; the odds were against her right from the start. But virtually overnight, Esther went from rags to riches, from poverty to the palace, and became the wife of King Xerxes I, making her one of the most powerful women in the world. 



Irony seems to fill the pages of the book of Esther. Just as a Persia has unknowingly crowned a Jewish queen, the king's vizier, Haman, is plotting a diabolical scheme to exterminate the Jewish race through a bloody genocidal slaughter. There is only one Jew in the land who is in a position to intervene on behalf of her people...Esther.

Perhaps the pleasures of the palace had begun to intoxicate Esther. We see in chapter 4 that she begins to struggle with what course of action to take though it should be obvious. It would be a tragedy for her to rise from the gutter to the palace only to lose her head in a misguided attempt at heroic glory, she thought. Taking this matter to the King was a risk of everything that she had...including her very life. Perhaps a more subtle approach would be best. Maybe she should just lie low and continue to be a good friend of the King and if an opportunity presented itself, she could plant a seed in his heart on behalf of her people without jeopardizing herself. After all what good would she be to anyone if she were dead?

In Esther 4:13, Mordecai (Esther’s cousin), sensing her internal struggle, sends to her this stern message: "Do not flatter yourself that you shall escape in the king's palace any more that all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise for the Jews from elsewhere, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion." In other words, Mordecai said, Esther, You have been placed in the position you are in because you are a strategic part of a divine purpose that is much larger than yourself. If you try to protect your position at the expense of the divine purpose, God will drop you and replace you. Had Esther chosen to try to protect herself at the expense of her people, God's purposes would still have been fulfilled, but she would have been the one destroyed.

In July, I will be traveling to the UK with a great sense of urgency. Over that last few months I have sensed in my spirit that the UK has reached a critical inflection point. We need a spiritual revolution: a Holy Spirit tidal wave, an unleashing of supernatural intervention…and I believe that the time has come. This is not the time to keep silent. This is not the time for watered down methods and seeker-sensitive, friendship evangelism. If we ever needed something radical, reformational and revolutionary it is now. God has placed His church in a strategic position and will use His fire-infused people to push back the darkness. This mandate is not an incidental auxiliary to our “real” church activities and programs. It is the very purpose that we exist on the earth. We have come into the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion!

God's purposes roll through the earth like a freight train that cannot be stopped. The most dangerous place in the world is in the way of those purposes. If you doubt this, just ask Pharaoh. If God can’t use your church, He’ll find another one. If He can’t use you, He’ll find someone else. The question is NOT, “Will God accomplish His purpose?” The question is, “Will you have the unparalleled privilege of partaking in the highest honor of man - the reason you were born and the reason you were saved - to assist God in the fulfillment of His purpose in the Earth? Leonard Ravenhill once said, “The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized during the lifetime of the opportunity.” I believe that this is the UK’s moment in history. If we miss it now we will live with eternal regret. That’s why I want to stand shoulder to shoulder with you and seize it for Calvary’s sake. The time is NOW!

~ By Daniel Kolenda (www.danielkolenda.com)

Methuselah Mercy

My skin crawled when I heard Richard Dawkins read a quote from one of his books during an interview with Ben Stein in his documentary called “Expelled” (an excellent documentary by the way). Dawkins says, “The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”

While the Old Testament does spend a great deal of time describing God’s utterly ruthless judgment of evil, if you are not careful you will miss the whole point just like Dawkins did. The Old Testament is really a mind-boggling exposition of the incredible mercy of God. I could site dozens of examples of this, but one of the most fascinating comes from an unlikely source… the genealogies; which outline the family tree of Noah, all the way back to Adam (ch.5).

In Genesis 6 we read about a widespread corruption of the human race that had taken place. The possible implications of this corruption are staggering, being physical as well as spiritual (but that is for another discussion). The Bible says that “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth…for it repenteth me that I have made them.” (6:5-7)

God, in His justice, had determined that He must send severe judgment upon the earth for its rank and exhaustive corruption, but if you look below the surface, you will see that there is another story here…a story of God’s incredible patience.

When Enoch was 65 years of age, we read that he had a son and named him Methuselah (5:21). Enoch was a man who walked with God in an extraordinary way (5:24), and a careful look at the Hebrew text reveals that the name that he gave to his son was more than a meaningless moniker…it was a prophetic prediction. “Methuselah” means, “It shall not come till he die.” (Lange’s Commentary). More interesting still is the fact that the Great Flood came right after Methuselah’s death in THE VERY SAME YEAR!*

Methuselah lived 969 years…in fact, the extraordinary length of his life has become proverbial. But his incredible longevity was not due to some nutritious, vegan diet or robust workout routine. It was God’s grace that allowed Methuselah to live so long. If the flood is a symbol of God’s wrath, Methuselah is a symbol of God’s patience. God said, I won’t send judgment until he dies and then, in mercy, He allowed Methuselah to live longer than any other person in history!

Along side every Biblical story of wrath and judgment is a story of incredible longsuffering, mercy and patience. Richard Dawkins may look at the Bible and see a God who is an “unjust, unforgiving control-freak”, but even as he utters those slanderous words, he opens his mouth and draws his next breath from the life-force of the very God whom he curses. What incredible mercy! Every time the heart of Richard Dawkins’ beats in his chest, it is the most profoundly undeniable evidence that, “The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.” (Psalm 145:8).

~ By Daniel Kolenda (www.danielkolenda.com)

*(5:25) “When Methuselah was 187 years old, Lamech was born to him”. (5:26) “Methuselah lived after the birth of Lamech 782 years.” (5:28,29) “When Lamech was 182 years old, a son was born. He named him Noah…” (7:6) “Noah was 600 years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth.” If Methuselah was 187 years old when he had Lamech, he would have been 369 when Noah was born (187+182=369). If Methuselah was 369 when Noah was born and the flood came when Noah was 600, that means Methuselah was 969 when the flood came (369+600=969) – the same year he died.

Way-Side Evangelism

Salvation Articulated

The Angel in Acts 10&11 told Cornelius to send for Peter “Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.” There is an incredible power in words. James says that “Life and death are in the power of the tongue…” and in no context is this more explicit than in the preaching of the Gospel. On Peter’s words hung the eternal destinies of Cornelius and his entire family. What a solemn and most severe responsibility we have to communicate the Gospel with clarity and irresistible persuasion.

In Matthew 13:19, Jesus is telling the parable of the sower. He says, “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom the seed was sown by the way side.” This is what I call, “Way-Side Evangelism”. Some preachers preach to hear themselves talk. Paul said that the time would come when people would want their ears tickled, but I think some preachers only care about tickling their own ears. These “Way-Side” preachers are infatuated with their own brilliance and charmed by their own eloquence. They love to impress people with their deep insight and advanced theological understanding. Meanwhile those listening to their message are as confused as a rabbit at an Easter egg hunt. What good is a message like that!? Preacher - save your cacophony of hermeneutical mendacity for the elephant-waxing tournament. We want to understand what you are trying to say!

Jesus said that when a person hears our message, but cannot understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. The Gospel is salvation articulated. If the world could only understand it, I am sure that they would find it utterly irresistible. But if we don’t make it plain someone listening to our message might walk right past the narrow gate to eternal life and never know that they missed it! It happens everyday…what a crime. We must not give the Devil an opportunity to snatch the seed away by preaching a Gospel that is confusing or hard to understand. When we preach with clarity, with poignancy and with precision, we stomp on the Devil’s grubby, pilfering fingers, the sown Word takes root and produces fruit that will remain in the lives of those to whom we minister.

Arriving on the Battlefield

I would be remiss however, if I failed to address the other, equally significant, side of this coin. It is not only the message that is important, but also the medium. For much of the world’s history the major medium for communicating thoughts and ideas was verbal transmission; anecdotes and proverbs passed down from one generation to another. This began to change however around time of the Protestant Reformation. Neil Postman points out that, 1“Beginning In the sixteenth century, a great epistemological shift had taken place in which knowledge of every kind was transferred to, and made manifest through the printed page. ‘More than any other device,’ Lewis Mumford wrote of this shift, ‘the printed book released people from the domination of the immediate and the local;…print made a greater impression than actual events…To exist was to exist in print…’ 2” The Church was on the cutting edge of this shift with the very first printed book being the Gutenberg Bible. The following generations would see the Bible translated into more than 2,000 different languages and become the best selling book of all time.

In our generation there is another shift occurring. Today, electronic forms of communication are the dominant voice in the world. In the U.S. nearly 100% of households have a television and on average each dwelling has more than 2. More than a trillion Internet URLs are indexed with Google alone, which performs over 2 billion searches daily. Consider that if Facebook were a nation, it would be the 8th largest in the world with over 150 million members. Everyday over 100 million videos are viewed on You Tube and the list goes on. In America we have seen a striking example of the power of electronic media in our recent presidential election. It has been said that President Obama won the election, “because he understood new media.”3

A couple of years ago the Lord spoke prophetically to me and said, “Every generation has a battlefield. If the Church fails to arrive on that battlefield, she will lose that generation. Your generation’s battlefield is the world of media.” President Obama showed up in that battlefield and won because his opponent didn’t even know what the battlefield was. Francis Schaeffer said, “Each generation of the church in each setting has the responsibility of communicating the gospel in understandable terms, considering the language and thought-forms of that setting.” Our responsibility of making the Gospel understandable goes beyond simply saying the right words…it demands that we show up in the right forum. As a street preacher I used to look for the most populated place in town to go preach…a park or a street corner, anywhere the people were. I would have been an idiot to set my soap-box up in an deserted parking lot.

Not only must we communicate in a way that the people can understand. We must also take the Gospel to where the people are! Can I tell you where they are? They are in front of the Television and the radio and the computer. But for too long we have downplayed and even demonized these electronic communication mediums.
And even those who have taken advantage of them, for the most part, have done so poorly (don’t get me started on Christian television). How can we win the battle, if we are not on the battlefield? How can we reap a harvest if we are not on the harvest field? Reinhard Bonnke says, “If you want to catch fish, don’t throw your net into the bathtub.” The seed of the Gospel is too consequential to be cast by the way side.

In the days of oral tradition, many generations faithfully communicated, with solemn commitment, the substance of the scriptures that we still cherish today. In fact it is evident that Biblical oral tradition has been among the most enduring in history. In the sixteenth century, the new world of printed literature was dominated by Christians who seized this medium for God’s glory. Now it’s our turn to communicate the Gospel to a new generation in the ways and means that are most effective, and I fear that we are not doing as well as our predecessors. We must trouble ourselves to communicate the Gospel with clarity to our generation where they are - that we “…may by all means win some.”

~By Daniel Kolenda (www.danielkolenda.com)

1 Postman, Neil. Amusing Ourselves to Death. New York: Penguin Group 1986
2 Mumford, Lewis. Technics and Civilization. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World 1934
3 Lewin, James. http://www.podcastingnews.com/2009/04/16/