What's Your Lucky Shamrock?

I just heard a news report out of Bernalillo, New Mexico where police interviewed a man who had been involved in a bizarre single car accident. When they asked him what had happened he told them that he had swerved off the road and wrecked his car while trying to attach a lucky shamrock emblem to his key ring. I guess it’s official…lucky charms aren’t so lucky (although the edible ones are very yummy☺)

Most of the “gods” in ancient heathen religions were hardly more then a lucky shamrock. They were personifications of some particular thing; usually a human interest, passion or fascination, in which people put confidence and trust. For instance there is Hike, the god of magic and medicine. There is Imhotep the god of science and thought. Thoth is the god of wisdom. Eros is the god of passion and lust, Ares is the god of war…and the list goes on and on.

Our ancestors served these patron gods and goddesses and then trusted them for help, provision, safety and protection, but they were terribly disappointed. Gods of war were smashed in battle. Gods of prosperity were abandoned in famine. Gods of health were forgotten in sickness. You may notice that nobody worships these gods anymore. In the end they found them all to be as worthless as a lucky shamrock because they could do nothing to help them when it really mattered.

If we are honest, we will admit that modern man has not advanced so far beyond these superstitious ancients. While men may no longer bow at the altar of Eros, they still worship their lust and passion with religious zeal. While there is no longer a temple to Imhotep, people still worship science and knowledge as though they were divine…perhaps now more then ever. While most people don’t know the name of Hike, many trust the doctors prescription more then God himself. We are all serving something, worshipping something and living for something.

When Daniel was thrown into the Lions Den in Daniel chapter 6, the Bible says that the next morning King Darius came and called down to Daniel to ask him this question, “O Daniel…is your God, whom you serve continually, able to deliver you from the lions?” (Dan. 6:20)

Babylon was a land of many gods; gods of war, of sex, of power and of money. These gods had beautiful temples filled with golden artifacts. The idols that represented them were ornamented with precious jewels that were polished until they sparkled. Yet in the moment of trouble, when it came down to the wire, there was only one thing that really mattered. Darius wanted to know, “…is your God whom you serve continually, able to deliver you?” Perhaps we should ask this of all the things we are serving. In the end will your money save you? Will your doctor save you? Will your lust, your pride, your warring or your intelligence save you?

Daniel replied to the king, “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths.” David said in Psalms 37:25 “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” In Psalm 36:5 he says, “…your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” Paul says that all of God's promises in Christ are “Yes and amen”. Billions throughout history have attested to His utterly dependable faithfulness and power. It's no wonder He's still around when the other "gods" have all faded into the oblivion of ancient history. I can personally say with great confidence that Jesus has never failed me. I proved his faithfulness over and over and I am sure that I can trust him.

What are you living for today? Where is your passion? Where are you investing your money? Where are you spending your time? In what have you put your trust? And then the most important question: in your moment of need, when it really matters, can you trust in your god to save you? If not I suggest you trade your lucky shamrock for a real God.

~ By Daniel Kolenda

Pass the Salt Please!

I've just finished reading a fascinating article in the June 22, 2009 edition of NEWSWEEK. The author, Fareed Zakaria, is tackling the multi-faceted complexities of the recent, international economic meltdown. The article addresses many challenges within capitalism, democracy, the financial system and government regulation. But what intrigued me most is the conclusion that this secular columnist reached. “What we are experiencing is not a crisis of capitalism”, he says, “it is a crisis…ultimately of ethics.” It goes on to say, “No system - capitalism, socialism, whatever - can work without a sense of ethics and values at its core. No matter what reforms we put in place, without common sense, judgment and an ethical standard, they will prove inadequate. We will never know where the next bubble will form, what the next innovations will look like and where excesses will build up. But we can ask that people steer themselves and their institutions with a greater reliance on a moral compass.”

Imagine that…the world is crying out for a “moral compass”. Let the nation whine about the right-wing fanatics who cling to their guns and religion, but it turns out…we NEED a moral compass after all. We need a sense of ethics. We need a voice of conscience.

Maybe our modern, seeker-sensitive, friendship evangelism approach has been wrong all along. All this time, we've been concerned with not “shoving our beliefs down people's throats” and being tolerant and not seeming fanatical. We've worked so hard to assimilate in the culture and tried so hard not to annoy the world when that is exactly what they have needed from us. A patient may whine when the doctor stabs him with the needle but in the end the patient prefers the needle to death by some terrible disease. It seems that the world needs our annoying, prophetic voice of conscience after all. If we don't provide it, they are going to point their fingers at us and ask, “Why didn't you speak up?”

Jesus said in Matthew 5, you are “the light of the world”, “a city set on a hill” and “the salt of the earth”. We have a Divine assignment to be the world's voice of conscience. Some statistics place America's Christian population as high as 224,457,000…that's nearly 85% of the nation claiming to be “Christian”.

Jesus went on to say in Matthew 5, “If the salt has lost its taste [its strength, its quality]…It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men." If America has an ethics problem then I would say that means that it also has a Church impotency problem. Can it be that we are not doing our job? Have we lost our saltiness? What good are we if we are not confronting and influencing the moral climate of our land?

The article ends with this statement, “We are in the midst of a vast crisis and there is enough blame to go around and many fixes to make…but at heart, there needs to be a deeper fix within all of us, a simple gut check. If it doesn't feel right, we shouldn't be doing it…” This is where I disagree with Mr. Zakaria. I'm afraid that this “gut check” approach simply doesn't work. All the ways of a man are right in his own eyes (Prov. 21:2). Everyone's “guts” have a different idea of what is right. But perhaps a gut-check is in order for those of us who call ourselves Christians.

It's always easy for would-be prophets to talk about all the problems with “the Church”, but what about me personally? What am I doing to influence society? Is my light shining? Is my voice being heard? I hear people shouting for civil-rights and animal rights and women's rights, but where is the voice shouting for WHAT IS RIGHT? It's time to get salty; to wake up, stand up and speak up; to be a city on a hill, a light in the darkness and a voice of conscience in a wicked world.

~ By Daniel Kolenda

The Case of The Purple Polka-Dotted Elepotamus

By Daniel Kolenda

He’s half Elephant, half Hippopotamus, all purple and sports bright yellow polka dots…he’s the Purple Polka-Dotted Elepotamus. Some people say that he doesn’t exist, but I challenge them to prove it. It would be impossible to conclusively certify the non-existence of such a creature with scientific certainty, no matter how obviously ridiculous it may seem. In order to do so, one would have to be able to observe every inch of every corner of the entire cosmos all at the same instant.

This is what is referred to as a “Universal Negative”. Simply stated, it is scientifically impossible to prove the non-existence of anything…if this is true in the natural world, how much more in the invisible world of the supernatural. Perhaps this is the reason that there have been so many supposed "gods" in the world throughout history.

How could one prove that the Baals of the Old Testament, or the Titans of Greek mythology or the ornate idols of the Egyptians were not really gods at all? How could you prove that there are no divine personalities that reside in the oaks, rocks and rivers as alleged by ancient pagan religions? How could you prove that there are not thousands of Gods or even millions as believed by the Hindus? THERE IS ONE WAY.

If you could find someone who could see everything, even what is invisible, in every corner of the cosmos all at once, he would not be restricted by a finite power of observation and thus able to confirm a Universal Negative. Fortunately for us, we know just such a person. He is omnipresent...meaning that He is everywhere at once and nothing is hidden from His eyes (Jer. 23:23, 24). But what’s more, He is also omniscient...meaning that He is also all knowing and of infinite understanding (Ps 147:4,5). This One who is everywhere present and knows everything there is to know asks, “IS THERE A GOD BESIDE ME? YEA, THERE IS NO GOD: I KNOW NOT ANY.” Isaiah 44:8.

Dear searching soul, listen to the creator of the universe who has sees all and knows all and save yourself the pointless frustration of a life filled with endless, futile searching. He has examined the furthest reaches of the universe and, explored under every rock and tree. He has investigated the deepest depths of the Marianas Trench and scaled the highest peaks of Mt. Everest. He says, "I've looked everywhere. I've seen everything. I know the every answer to every question and yet I don’t know of any God beside me. There is no other God...trust me, I've looked.”

His infallible testimony is all the evidence I need. I may not be able to prove the Universal Negative of the Purple Polka-Dotted Elopotamus, but one thing is conclusive; there is no other God besides our God.

Final Meeting in Spain - Iglesia Salem

Sunday I had the privilege of preaching in one of Spain's best churches and definitely one of its largest; Iglesia Salem, pastored by Rev. Marcos Vidal, a well known worship leader and minister, who also interpreted for Evangelist Bonnke and me in the crusade meetings. I could see that the message was really touching many hearts...some wept through the entire service. Because of time constraints I was unable to pray for the sick in that service, but still I heard wonderful testimonies. One precious woman told me that she was mostly deaf in both ears, but she could only afford one hearing aid. As I was praying for the sick in the crusade meetings both ears popped open completely. She was not wearing the hearing aid and spoke of it as something from her distant past even though it had been an indispensable part of her life just two days earlier. It is these testimonies that make the trip worth while. I look forward to our next visit to Spain.

Spain Shall Be Saved!

I've just finished preaching the final service of our campaign here in the bullfight stadium in Madrid, Spain. As I was going up to preach I started to feel drops of rain. I was not sure if I would be able to make it to the altar call, but as I got into the message the rain stopped...PTL!

The message went out strong and clear to the thousands gathered in the stadium as well as unknown thousands more that watched live via TBN throughout Europe. The response was again overwhelming. As the people were streaming forward by the hundreds, one young local evangelist said, "I have never seen anything like this in my life."

We heard a testimony of a man who was on his way to commit suicide when he saw one of the posters for the meeting. He came to the service last night and was dramatically born again.

One lady said that she had never been in a service like this before, but last night she had a dream in which she clearly saw me and the stadium. Tonight she received her healing along with many others including many deaf ears that were opened.

One young boy said that he was deaf in his left ear. He came forward when I gave the altar call and after he had received Christ suddenly his ear popped open...he was healed. I would say he received a double miracle tonight.

Another young boy was brought up by his cousin. Both of his feet were twisted and pointing inward. During the prayer he told his cousin that something was happening to him. She looked at his feet and realized that they had straightened out. He demonstrated his healing on the platform, and she said she had never seen him walk like that before. What a dramatic conclusion.

Tomorrow I will preach in Spain's largest church before heading home. I look forward to returning one day for another mighty harvest. Spain shall be saved!

Good News in the Bullfight Stadium

Last night we had quite a fascinating cultural experience. We were able to attend a bullfight in the very arena where the Gospel campaign was held tonight here in Madrid, Spain. I told the people tonight as I stood on the arena floor that I am glad they removed the bulls before sending me into the ring. Our struggle is not with flesh and blood, but we wield the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God and we have come to cut down every demonic stronghold through the preaching of the Gospel.

Tonight was the first evening of the evangelistic campaign, and we were so blessed. I preached on Romans 13:14, "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ" and when the altar call was given the people poured in from all sides until there was no more room...and still they came. Although there are many religious people here, religion has never saved a soul...only Jesus saves. At the altar I was touched to see so many people weeping tears of repentance. I am sure that salvation had begun flowing through that stadium before the prayer of salvation was even prayed.

Then mighty miracles began to happen. One woman came to testify with both of her children who were deaf. Jesus healed them BOTH tonight! They were all so overwhelmed by the miracle. As they held each other and wept the people shouted for joy...what a mighty God we serve! There was an extraordinary sense of presence of the Holy Spirit on the platform that seemed to impact every person on it...including myself. We are not in Africa now, but we are seeing the same results - salvation, signs, wonders, miracles and healings.

Tomorrow morning will be the final FIRE Conference meeting, and then tomorrow night will be the final crusade service...we are all looking forward to hearing Evangelist Bonnke preach the Gospel like no one else can.

FIRESTORM USA

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Jesus the Life Saver

I wanted to share this with everybody. Below is an audio file from a message that Evangelist Bonnke preached just recently in Cape Town, South Africa. It is a powerful and exemplary evangelistic message that resulted in a massive altar call followed by signs and wonders. To hear it, simply click the audio player below. I encourage you to listen to it and share it.

Hallelujah...You Have Won!

The final night of our meetings here in the Singapore Indoor Stadium was indeed a Grand Finale. The "Planet Shakers" group from Australia opened the meeting with high praise and world-class musical excellence. The crowd was enraptured as thousands of voices filled the stadium:

*"Hallelujah, You have won the victory
Hallelujah, You have won it all for me
Death could not hold you down
You are the risen King
seated in majesty
You are the risen King"


The cadence was almost martial and as the strong, steady rhythm thundered through the hall - the voices seemed to get stronger. Faith was rising...Jesus is alive and everyone knew that soon we would see the evidence.

Evangelist Bonnke and I ministered together and finally he issued the invitation: an urgent call for salvation to which the multitude responded overwhelmingly. Once again the altars were packed with those giving their lives to Jesus. The crowd was a melting pot of individuals from such a wide cross-section of backgrounds, cultures, nationalities and languages. The counselors at the altar were broken into sections by language, leading people to the lord in Cantonese, Thai, Tamil, Sinhalese, Spanish, Basha, and Hokkien. It is always incredible to me how easily the power of the Gospel translates so naturally into every culture and language. It is evidence to me that the Author of the salvation is also the Creator of mankind. He has made us for the Gospel...all of us. Evangelist Bonnke often says, "The Gospel is like water; no man invented it, but no man can live without it."



Then came the prayer for the sick and mighty miracles followed. One young man who had a crippled foot shouted into the microphone as he enthusiastically told the crowd how Jesus had healed him. Then, to demonstrate his healing, he started doing back-flips on the platform! Now that is my idea of a good Easter service!

How I love evangelism! We don't come with flowery speeches and wholesome, sensitive entertainment; inspirational orations about a religious, historic event. Our Easter is not about bunny rabbits, chocolate eggs or even flower-petal-ornamented, decorative church crosses. We come with a demonstration, with power, accompanied by the risen Christ Himself. It is Good News (not history), for it is happening even now...Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. He needs no one to prove that He is alive...we know it is true because He shows up in person. Happy Resurrection Sunday everyone!!

Tonight we gather with some friends here to celebrate Evangelist Bonnke's 50th year in ministry. Tomorrow we head to Indonesia. More to come.






* Music: "The Anthem" by Plantshakers off their "All for Love" Album

Good News Singapore

Tonight was the second of two incredible nights of the "Good News Singapore" campaign in the Singapore indoor arena. The stadium was packed, Evangelist Bonnke preached the Gospel with authority; the altars were flooded, and miracles were popping up everywhere. One lady said tonight, "We have never seen anything like this in Singapore." Tomorrow morning, the Planet Shakers band will join us, and then we have one final crusade meeting tomorrow night.