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TIMES
UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES
&
WHAT TO DO
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken
"And
the children of Issachar, which were men who had understanding
of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of
them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their
commandment." (1 Chronicles 12:32)
WHERE
ARE THE MEN AMONG US TODAY?
WHERE
are the men among us today who understand the times and who know
what we ought to do? The ability to understand 'the
times', is undoubtedly a rare ability. And to know
how to be proactive or reactive in each situation is equally
important. There is a natural ability which comes
from genetic inheritance, experience or observation!
GOD
HAS GIVEN TO HIS BODY, WHICH IS THE CHURCH,
NINE SUPERNATURAL GIFTS
There
is also the spiritual gifting which comes
directly from the Holy Spirit! God has given to His body,
the Church, nine supernatural spiritual gifts which include the
unique 'Gift of the word of knowledge' and the 'Gift of the word
of wisdom'.
"For
to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the
word of knowledge by the same Spirit." (1 Corinthians
12:8) The 'gift of the word of knowledge' is the
supernatural ability to know things that are not naturally known
and the 'gift of the word of wisdom' is the
supernatural ability to know how to act or react to that
knowledge!
God
has so equipped His Church with these safeguards and tools to not
only protect it but to thrust it forward in its task of building
His Kingdom! Whether the ability to "understand the
times" and to "know what to do" come to
us through natural ability or supernatural gifts is immaterial.
The important thing is that we are apprised of the situation, our
eyes are wide open and our minds are alert to know, see and do the
right things!
I
pray for each one reading these lines that our dear Lord will
grant unto all the ability to "know Him who to know is
life eternal" and the desire to walk with Him in truth,
sincerity and humility, trusting only in His merits for time and
eternity!
And
that we may understand the times and know what to do in order to
keep our families safe from the filth and gutter slime so
prevalent in our disintegrating society. To keep our
children safe from this corrupt, wicked and perverted world?
(2 John 1:1-9)
AWAKE
THOU THAT SLEEPEST!
The
Bible admonishes: "Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that
sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light.
See then that ye walk
circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise;
"Redeeming
the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not
unwise, but UNDERSTANDING what the will of God
is. And be not drunk with wine wherein in excess, but be
filled with the Spirit." (Ephesians 5:14-18)
You
may ask: "Where are the Men?" We have
a real problem because we live in a society where many younger men
have had no role model due to broken homes and absent Dads! The
rage these young men have developed, because of the ache in their
hearts for a father, often surfaces against their wives and
children!
And
it is even worse in common-law arrangements, hopping from one
relationship to another, leaving behind bruised and
hurting women and children, as well as heart broken
men!
Large
numbers of families are hurting because of stubborn
foolish pride, self-centeredness, and demons of lust let
loose through immoral movies, alcohol, drug abuse and pornography!
I
BLAME THE DEVIL!
I
blame the Devil who has blinded the eyes of religious leaders
who have been asleep at the switch and didn't see the approaching
train filled with worldly pleasure, compromise and lethargy!
Some blame must also go to parents who have allowed their children
to change the rules and call the shots!
St.
Paul stated: "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them
that are lost. In whom the god of this world hath blinded
the minds of them which believed not, lest the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine
unto them." (2 Corinthians 4:3,4)
I
blame our Politicians who have listened to the voices of the crowd
crying: "Give us the Murdered Barabbas"
and "Crucify Jesus the Christ: We won't have Him to
rule over us." (Matthew 27:20-26)
Amazingly,
politicians are often allowed to pass laws that are unhealthy,
immoral and ungodly and believe that they can go scot-free, that
there are no further consequences!
A
good example of this is the 'same-sex marriage' or as it has been
aptly called 'man-on-man' marriage, which our former corrupt
Government pushed through against the wishes of the majority of
Canadians. Do they think that they had the last word on
that? Do they think that they can get away with it?
Well,
they won't! It will come back to bite them in this life and
the next! One day
every lawmaker, politician and judge that has contributed to the
breakdown of society, destruction of marriages through perverted
laws, knowingly releasing pedophiles and murderers into society to
molest rape and kill, will stand before the greatest Judge of all
to hear His verdict.
God's
Word states: "For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold
the truth in unrighteousness." (Romans 1:18)
WHAT
DOES THAT MEAN?
It
means to suppress the truth and hide it from the people, to cover
it up or water it down. It means to lie about the truth and
promote the very opposite. It means to substitute another
agenda that is carnal, fleshly and untruthful.
St.
Paul warned: "Because that when they knew God, they glorified
Him not as God....but became vain in their imaginations, and
their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves
to be wise, they became fools. Wherefore GOD
GAVE THEM UP to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts,
to dishonour their own bodies between themselves. Who
changed the truth of God into a lie...
"For
this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their
women did change the natural use into that which is against
nature. And likewise also the men, leaving the natural
use of the woman, burned in their lust, one toward another...
"And
even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God
gave them over to a REPROBATE MIND, to do those things which are
not convenient." (Romans 1:21-28)
STRONG
WARNING: "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled:
but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." (Hebrews
13:4)
The
Bible warns perverts: And Jesus called a little
child unto Him and set him in the midst of them.
And said, "Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted and
become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of
Heaven.
But
whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me,
it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck
and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
(Matthew 18:2, 3, 6)
THE
GREAT DAY OF JUDGMENT!
Every
philosopher, theologian and preacher
who suppresses the truth and perverts the teachings of Jesus
Christ will have to stand before the Eternal Judge on the 'Day of
Judgment'. Unbelievers
will appear at the Great White Throne presided over by our Lord
Jesus Christ:
"And
I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose
face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no
place for them.
And
I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the book
were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of
life: and the dead were
judged out of those things which were written in the books,
according to their works.
And
the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and hell
delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged
every man according to their works. And death and Hell were
cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15)
BELIEVERS
AT THE BEMA SEAT JUDGMENT
Believers
in Christ will all appear at the Bema Seat Judgment.
It is where followers of Jesus Christ will be judged for rewards
or lack thereof depending on their works: Here are the words of
Holy Scripture on this matter:
"Wherefore
we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of
Him. For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every
one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he
hath done, whether it be good of bad." (2 Corinthians
5:10)
The
Bible commands believers to turn from sins that war against the
soul and flee from the wrath to come, by abiding in Christ the
sure rock of our salvation! St. Paul admonishes the church
thus: "If so be that ye have heard Him, and have been taught
by Him, as the TRUTH is in Jesus:
That
ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which
is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the
spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man which after
God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
"Wherefore
putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for
ye are members one of another. Neither give place to the
devil." (Ephesians 4:21-27)
GIVING
HEED TO GOD'S WORD!
"I
beseech ye therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that
ye present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto
God, which is your reasonable service;. And be not conformed
to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable and perfect
will of God." (Romans 12:1, 2)
"Wherefore,
seeing we also are compassed with so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin which both so easily beset us, and let us run
with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith;
"Who
for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand at the throne of
God." (Hebrews 12:1,2)
There
are three things we must do: Consider Jesus: "Wherefore,
holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the
Apostle and High Priest (Hebrews 3:1): There is no-one like
Him; Saviour, Redeemer, Healer, Friend, God! Look
unto Jesus: "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher
of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the
Cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of
God (Hebrews 12:2): Don't
just look at Him but look unto Him for forgiveness, counsel,
comfort and healing. Go to Him with your needs and watch Him
work in your life.
WE
MUST FOLLOW JESUS!
We
must Follow Jesus:
"Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing
His reproach.."(Hebrews 13:13). Take up your cross and
become His Disciple. Serve Him and live for Him. Look
for His return! (Matthew 11:28)
You
will then become like the Sons of Issachar who understood the
times and knew what Israel had to do.
May
God richly bless you as you draw near unto Him, for He has
promised to draw near unto you! (James 4:8) He will accept
you when you call upon His name in sincerity and faith. (John 6:7)
Amen.
JUDGMENT
IS COMING:
It's Time for Revival
By Pastor Max Solbrekken,
D.D.
On
a Sunday morning in February 1977, I awakened with a stirring
message burning in my soul and spirit.
The
Holy Spirit had been speaking to me while I was yet sleeping and
the words, "Canada - Turn Around" were on my
lips.
In
an instant, the voice of God came to me saying, "Son,
bring a message to the nation of Canada". He instructed
me to spread the message by television, radio and printed page.
The message 'Canada - Turn Around, Canada - Come Back to God'
would be a message from God to all Canadians.
There
was an urgency in my spirit as I thought about the other times God
had spoken to me to bring a message to our nation. The first time
was in 1967. I delivered a powerful Centennial message entitled,
"A Salute to Canada."
This
message stirred a lot of Canadians. It also brought a personal
greeting and thanks from our Justice Minister, the Honorable
Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Then in 1972, I was given a word from God
to deliver a hard hitting message by radio and printed page
called, "My Message to Prime Minister Trudeau" in which
I warned all Canadian and world government leaders across the
world to turn to God for direction and help, both for themselves
and for the people.
I
gave Biblical examples of what happened to kings and heads of
government who became proud and egotistical and served pagan gods
and bowed down to idols and images.
That
message was sent to world leaders as well as Canadian Members of
Parliament (MPs) in Ottawa and Members of all Provincial
Legislatures (MLAs). I received a lot of mail thanking us for that
very direct and stirring prophetic message. CANADA - ITS TIME
TO COME BACK TO GOD!
During
1977-1978, I immersed myself in the words of Jesus Christ
regarding God's coming Judgment on all ungodliness, as well as His
message of grace and mercy toward all who repent of their sins and
return to our Heavenly Father!
My
heart was aflame with God's love and compassion with a burden for
those who are still in heathen darkness, perversion and deception.
And for those who are backslidden and lost, both in the church and
the world.
God's
Word is crystal clear. God hates our sin but LOVES US! We cannot
judge His Word, but His Word judges us. We cannot expect God to
change His Word to please us. We must change to please Him!
The
Bible says, "For the Word of God is quick and powerful, and
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews
4:12)
And
by God's grace I shared the message "Canada Turn Around"
to multitudes across our wonderful nation of Canada and around the
world, personalizing it for those countries, with great
blessing.
God
granted us many revivals during that time period! All glory to His
name. Now, God has spoken to me again!
During
the last few months of 1998, God stirred my soul to again crusade
across our nation with the gospel of Jesus Christ, I had been
invited to again preach at the large interdenominational crusade
in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
They
were expecting crowds to reach over 200,000 people. Before I was
able to respond to the affirmative, God instructed me to decline
the invitation. I asked Him, "Why"? He said, "There
is more revival in Africa than in Canada. Your own nation needs
you NOW. Take the message of Jesus Christ to Canada before it is
too late."
WHAT
DOES REPENT MEAN? The definition of repent is: “To be
sorry for your sins and a determination to turn from sin; to
change one's mind."
Jesus
is calling you. It is time to answer the call of Jesus. Christ is
calling the world to turn away from sin, Satan and rebellion, and
to turn to Him, our Saviour and Creator. The LORD is calling for
you to repent and to completely reject the god of the world, Satan
(the devil).
St.
John declared, "For this purpose the Son of God was
manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil." (1
John 3:8) Jesus said, "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish." (Luke 13:3).
We
have turned our backs on God and have become self-centered,
selfish and spiritually dead. During the past 30 years or more,
our nation has taken a major turn away from God.
At
present, we are a people divided, despondent and depressed;
politically, economically and spiritually. Unhappy, fearful and
depressed people are the norm these days, without hope for the
future. To say we are living in a very dangerous and frightening
time is an understatement.
We
are living in the end times and are facing world war and one
crisis after another. The Bible clearly draws timelines with world
events, and we are drawing ever nearer to the Second Coming of
Jesus Christ and the Tribulation. IT'S TIME TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT
THE CONSEQUENCES OF REJECTING GOD.
We
need to get serious about the consequences of rejecting God. A
divine call, however, has gone out to our Nation and the world to
repent. Now is the time to turn around, to repent to Christ Jesus
and forsake sin. We MUST surrender our wills to God and give up
the futile effort of "doing things our own way."
It's
time for our NATION to turn from all rebellious ways in repentance
and confessing to Christ sins of unbelief, pride, immorality,
jealousy, envy and prejudice. The time has come for a complete
rejection of Satan and evil in total repentance.
The
Bible says, "Submit yourselves therefore unto God. Resist the
devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7) It's time to
confront the devil (who is our enemy) and call upon the name of
Jesus Christ.
We
must resist Satan and turn away from lust, greed, hatred,
selfishness, anger, bitterness and deceit. Jesus Christ our Lord
has given us power over the devil.
We
are instructed to confront the devil - in the Name of Jesus Christ
- telling him that he's not welcome in our lives! It's time to
WAKE UP and think about eternity and where you will spend
it.
We
must reject and renounce the many dangerous, deceptive and
occultist doctrines of the New Age Movement. As well as the cult
of Secular Humanism that teaches, 'man ascended from the world of
monkeys and apes, is self sufficient and is his own God'.
WHAT
DOES GOD REQUIRE OF US?
 We
must humble ourselves and pray.
We
must call upon the Name of the Lord and turn away from evil.
Satan
(the devil) is the creator of evil, death and destruction and
wants to destroy you and all things around you. St. Peter warned,
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that
He may exalt you in due time: Casting all of your care upon Him,
for He careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant: because your
adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking
whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith..." (1
Peter 5: 6-9)
The
Bible speaks about humility, repentance and submission to the
Almighty God and a total rejection of Satan, who is the god of
this world!
St.
James states, "Submit yourselves therefore unto God. Resist
the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)
It's
time to come home and be reconciled to our Heavenly Father,
through Jesus Christ our Lord; to accept the invitation of our
LORD Jesus Christ to talk things over. We need to straighten out
past failures and right wrongs. We need to receive total
forgiveness and assurance, with new direction for the
future.
The
Bible says, "Let the wicked forsake his ways, and the
unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord and
He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will
abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55:7)
The
divine call of God does not differentiate between rich or poor,
educated or illiterate, men or women, young or old. There is no
class distinction or favoritism due to race, color, nationality or
culture with the Almighty. ALL MAY APPROACH GOD’S
THRONE!
The
invitation of salvation is available to all. Every person
alive may approach the throne of God and repent of their sins. We
all can receive the mercy and grace of the LORD. We all receive
Jesus Christ as our Saviour, through faith in His finished work on
Calvary's cross.
How
is this possible? The Gospel is free to everyone! We are saved
by Grace through Faith. The Bible says, "For by grace are ye
saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of
God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians
2:8-9)
Christ
is calling you and waiting for you to answer Him! There is no
entry fee, cover charge or red tape to delay our coming to Jesus
Christ and repenting of our sins. There is nothing to stop the
process of salvation from functioning in our lives.
Christ
waits for you to repent. Christ Jesus our Lord is willing to
accept all that will repent and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and
Saviour! The prophet invited, "Lo, everyone that thirsteth,
come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy,
and eat; come, ye, buy wine and milk without money and without
price." (Isaiah 55:1)
And
Jesus assures us: "All that the Father giveth Me shall come
to Me; and him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast
out." (John 6:37)
OUR
FREEDOM WAS PURCHASED BY JESUS CHRIST!
The
enormous cost of our freedom - redemption from sin and the power
of Satan - has been paid for us on the Cross, through the
substitutionary death of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "...except
ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." (Luke 13:3)
The
Bible says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16); St. John
declared, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested
that He might destroy the works of the devil." (1 John
3:8)
St.
Paul emphasized, "That through death, He (Jesus Christ) might
destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and
deliver those who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage." (Hebrews 2:14)
God
is waiting for you to turn to him, ask for forgiveness and be
cleansed in the Blood of the Lamb. The good news is that God wants
us. He wants you and me. No exceptions, and no questions
asked.
We
come just as we are. He knows all about us and yet He wants us,
even though we are sinners. WHY? He is a specialist in the field
of cleansing, reconciliation and re-birth!
The
Bible states, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteous." (1 John 1:9)
JUST
AS I AM AND WAITING NOT! "Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me And that Thou bidst me come to
Thee. O Lamb of God, I come. I come!
Just
as I am, and waiting not, To rid my soul of one dark blot Because
Thy blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come. I come!
Just as I am; poor, wretched, blind, Sight, riches, healing of the
mind All that I need, in Thee to find, O Lamb of God, I come, I
come!
Just as I am, Thou wilt
receive, Wilt welcome, pardon,
cleanse, relieve Because Thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I
come. I come!"
The Bible says: "For the eyes of the Lord
run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong
in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him..."
(2 Chronicles 16:9)
And God's Word says: "The eyes of the
Lord are over the righteous and His ears are open unto their
prayers, but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil." (1 Peter 3:12)
The very first sermons preached by our
LORD were the call to repentance and salvation: "Repent and
believe the gospel." (Mark 1:15); The same was true of the
great prophet, John the Baptist, "And he into all the country
about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the emission
of sins." (Luke 3:3; Matthew 3:2), as well as all the Apostles:
"And they went out and preached that men should repent. And they
cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick,
and healed them." (Mark 6:12)
And St. Peter declared,
"Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of
the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38)
WHAT DOES REPENTANCE MEAN?
To
repent means to turn, to change course! Repenting is godly sorrow
for sin. Repentance means, being sorry enough to stop committing
sin, and to change your life.
After St.
Paul's letter reached
the Corinthian Church, they were sorry for their sins and
repented, changing their evil ways. He writes: "Now I
rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to
repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye
might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh
repentance to salvation..." (2 Corinthians 7:9-10)
Repentance
is a forsaking of evil, unrighteousness and unbelief. It is
casting yourself into the loving arms of God, renouncing the works
of the world, the flesh and the devil. When you repent you turn
from darkness to light, from Satan to Christ, from condemnation to
total peace. It is placing your life under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit!
Jesus said, "Except ye repent, ye shall all
likewise perish." (Luke 13:3). In his Mars Hill sermons, St.
Paul shared with pagan Greek intellectuals the Gospel of Jesus
Christ and His glorious resurrection from the dead. Then he
challenged them: "And the times of this ignorance God winked
at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because He
hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in
righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath
given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the
dead."
There will be two Judgments
Seats! Don’t let anyone
deceive you, my friend, there is going to be a 'Great Day of
Judgment’' when all of us will stand before Almighty God to give
an account of our lives.
We are living in the end
times, the
second coming of Jesus and rapture of the Church is near.
THE
GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT!
There will be two judgments: the
first judgment is called, 'The Great White Throne Judgment'
where all sinners and unjust persons shall be judged in relation
to their acceptance or rejection of Jesus Christ the Jewish
Messiah.
Here is Christ Jesus' solemn warning: "And I saw a
great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from Whose face the
earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for
them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and
the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the
book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which
were written in the books, according to their works."
"And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and
hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were
judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were
cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast out
into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15)
BEMA SEAT
JUDGMENT OF THE SAINTS!
The second one is called the Bema Seat
Judgment of the Saints. That is where all believers who have
trusted in Jesus Christ as personal Savior will be judged for our
works.
St. Paul warns: "For other foundation can no man lay
than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. “Now if any man build
upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay
stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the he himself shall be saved; yet so as by
fire." (1 Corinthians. 3:8)
In his defense before King
Agrippa, the great Apostle rehearsed his Damascus Road conversion
experience, and the words of Jesus Christ to him: "Delivering
thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send
thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light,
and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive
forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are
sanctified by faith that is in Me." (Acts 26:17-18)
So urgent
is the call for people to repent of their sins, the Bible says:
"Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men." (2
Corinthians 5:11)
The Bible specifically declares: "All have
sinned and come short of the glory of God". (Rom. 3:23)
SIN
MUST BE PAID FOR UNLESS YOU REPENT!
"The wages of sin is
death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord." (Romans 6:23).
The great apostle wrote to the
church in Rome concerning those committing sinful acts and others
who condemn them, being guilty of the same sins. "But we are
sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them
which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that
judgest them which do such things, and doest the same that thou
shalt escape the judgment of God?
But after thy hardness and
impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the DAY
OF WRATH and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;" Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them
who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor
and immortality, ETERNAL LIFE: But unto them that are contentious,
and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation
and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that
doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;"
(Romans 2:2-9)
GOD'S GOODNESS & PATIENCE CAUSES US TO REPENT
& TURN TO HIM
Jesus said, "Behold, I come quickly" -
literal Greek: Without delay, at once, soon. (Revelation 22:12).
St. Peter gave two reasons why Jesus had not yet returned:
1. One
thousand years with us is like one day with the Lord!
2. God's
mercy is reaching out for more sinners to be saved. "But,
beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with
the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
The
Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count
slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2
Peter 3:8-9)
The Bible says, "Repent and be baptized...and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38-39).
"Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be
blotted out..." (Acts 3:19) And Jesus says, "As many as
I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice,
and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him,
and he with Me." (Rev. 3:19-20)
May the Lord bless you and
give you peace. Write me a letter if you have accepted the LORD
Jesus Christ as a result of reading this message.
FACING
THE FUTURE WITH FAITH
By Pastor Max Solbrekken,
D.D.
"Finally,
brethren, pray for us that the Word of the Lord may have free
course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: And that we may
be delivered from wicked and unreasonable men: For all men have
not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and
keep you from evil." (2 Thesssalonians 3:1-3)
St.
Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica: "For what is our
hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing: Are not even ye in the
presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For ye are our
glory and joy."(1 Thes. 2: 19, 20)
"Remembering
without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and
patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and
our Father." (1 Thes.1:3).
They
were converted through the awesome power of the Holy Spirit:
"For our Gospel came not unto you in Word only, but also in
power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. And ye became
followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the Word with
much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost."
"So
that ye were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
For from you sounded out the Word of the Lord, not only in
Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to
God-ward is spread abroad, so that we need not to speak to any
thing. For they themselves had turned to God from idols to serve
the living and true God; And to wait for His Son from Heaven, whom
He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the
wrath to come." (1 Thes. 1: 5-10)
CHRIST
SHALL RETURN FOR HIS CHURCH!
St.
Paul had earlier revealed to the Thessalonians the truth of
Christ's return in the Parousia, the Rapture of the Church:
"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,
concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as
others, which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and
rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring
with Him.
"For
this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are
alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent
them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from
Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever
be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these
words." (1 Thes. 4: 13-17).
St.
Paul commended them for their patience and faith during the
difficult times they were going through in persecutions and
tribulations.
He
revealed God's judgments which will come upon unbelievers when
Jesus Christ returns to judge those who have rejected His love and
mercy: "To you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord
shall be revealed from Heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming
fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not
the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from
the glory of His power.
When
He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in
all them that believe, because our testimony among you was
believed, in that day." (2 Thes. 1:7-10)
THE
ANTICHRIST: MYSTERY OF INIQUITY!
The
Word of God warns concerning the coming of the Antichrist who will
deceive the entire world with his deception and lying wonders:
"And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed
in his time.
"For
the Mystery of Iniquity doth already work: only He who now letteth
will let, until He be taken out of the way. And that Wicked shall
be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the breath of His
mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming:
"Even
him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and
signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish, because they received not the
love of the truth, that they might be saved.
"And
for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they
should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed
not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2 Thes.
2: 6- 10)
The
Holy Bible is the final Word of God on all matters concerning the
deception of Satan and the truth of God!
There
is no middle ground! They who believe that Jesus Christ of
Nazareth vicariously gave His life for us on Golgotha's Cross and
arose from the dead for our justification, are Saved! Those who
reject the Word of God and Christ's offer of salvation and agree
with Satan, the liar and deceiver, will be Damned forever. They
will be deceived by the Antichrist and his lying supernatural
wonders and are Lost for eternity. Period!
ALL
KNOWLEDGE HID IN CHRIST!
St.
Paul warned those in Colosse and Laodicea: "That their hearts
might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all
riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the
acknowledgement of the Mystery of God, and of the Father, and of
Christ: In Whom are hid all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge.
And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing
words.
"Beware
lest any man should beguile you through philosophy and vain
deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the
world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness
of the Godhead bodily.
And
ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and
power: In Whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made
without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by
the circumcision of Christ.
"Buried
with Him in baptism, wherein ye also are risen with Him through
the faith of the operation of God, Who hath raised Him from the
dead.
And
you, being dead in you sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all
trespasses; "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that
was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the
way, nailing it to His cross; and having spoiled principalities
and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in
it." (Col.2: 8-15)
In
the final analysis, when all the battles are over, the Body of
Christ wins. We win because Christ spoiled all principalities and
powers, making a public display of them before the hosts of
Heaven, the demons of Hell and all of humanity!
His
vicarious death for us on Golgotha sealed Satan's doom, and His
triumphant resurrection from the dead made JESUS CHRIST forever
the Lord of lords and King of kings.
WORTHY
IS THE LAMB WHO WAS SLAIN!
"And
I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book
written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I
saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to
open the Book, and to loose the seven seals thereof?
"And
no man in Heaven, nor on earth, neither under the earth, was able
to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much,
because no man was found worthy to open and read the book, neither
to look thereon. And one of the elders said unto me, Weep not:
behold the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of David, hath
prevailed to open the book, and to loose the the seven seals
thereof.
"And
I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four
beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a LAMB as it had
been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven
spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And He came and took
the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the Throne.
"And
when He had taken the book, the four beasts and our and twenty
elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps,
and golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of
saints.
"And
they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book,
and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain and hast
redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue,
and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings
and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I
heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the
beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand
times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
Saying
with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour and glory,
and blessing.
And
every creature which is in Heaven, and on earth, and under the
earth, and such that are in the sea, and all that are in them,
heard I saying, “Blessing and honour, and glory and power, be
unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever
and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty
elders fell down and worshipped Him that liveth for ever and
ever." (Rev.5:1-14)
THE
LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN IS ALIVE!
What
an amazing and glorious truth. The Lamb that had been slain was
alive and standing. He alone was worthy to take the book out of
the Hand of Almighty God on the Throne in Heaven. Only Jesus
Christ had the right to open the book, for He alone had paid the
awesome price for our redemption!
His
BLOOD alone purchased our eternal salvation. Pointing to Jesus of
Nazareth, John the Baptist declared, "Behold the Lamb of God
which taketh away the sins of the world." (John 1; 29).
Exalting
the Name of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ, St. Peter
stated: "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there
is none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must
be saved." (Acts 4: 12).
Proclaiming
the Gospel, St. Paul said: "For there is One God and One
Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave
Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." (1
Tim.2: 5,6)
The
Bible states that Jesus Christ, "by Himself purged our
sins." (Heb.1: 3). He did it all by Himself. His vicarious
death on the cross for us has sealed our eternal destiny.
It
is Christ alone; not Christ and the Church; not Christ and the
Pope; not Christ and the Virgin Mary!
The
Bible teaches the Christ alone Doctrine! JESUS CHRIST. GOD'S SON.
SAVIOUR! According to tradition, ancient Christians, during their
persecution by the Roman Empire in the first few centuries after
Christ, used the fish symbol to mark meeting places and tombs, or
to distinguish friends from foes!
The
Greek word for fish is "ichthys." As early as the first
century, Christians made an acrostic from this word: Iesous
Christos Theou Yios Soter, i.e. Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour.
ΙΧΘΥΣ (ichthys): .Iota (i) is the first
letter of Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς),
Greek for "Jesus" .Chi (ch) is the first letter of
Christos (Χριστός), Greek for
"anointed" (of the Lord) .Theta (th) is the first letter
of Theou (Θεοῦ), Greek for "God's",
the genitive case of Θεóς .Theos, Greek for
"God" .Upsilon (y) is the first letter of (h)yios[10] (Yἱός),
Greek for "Son" .Sigma (s) is the first letter of sōtēr
(Σωτήρ), Greek for "Saviour"
whose verses are an acrostic of the generating sentence.
The
statement "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour" affirmed
the belief of early Christians in the two-fold nature of Jesus
Christ being both fully human and fully divine.
PEACE
THROUGH THE BLOOD OF HIS CROSS
The
Bible states: "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made
us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath
translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son: in Whom we have
redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins."
(Col. 1:13, 14)
"And
having made PEACE through the blood of His cross, by Him, to
reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say to reconcile all
things to Himself; by Him I say, whether they be things in earth,
or things in Heaven.
And
you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by
wicked works, yet now has He reconciled. "In the body of His
flesh through Death, to present you holy and unblameable and
unreproveable in His sight: if ye continue in the faith grounded
and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the
gospel..." (Col. 1: 20-23)
"Be
careful (anxious) for nothing: but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known unto
God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall
keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4;
6,7)
FACING
THE FUTURE WITH FAITH!
Faith
is a gift to the searching heart, to the sincere seeker after God
and His righteousness. Faith is believing that God's Word
is true, in spite of what others say.
Faith
is believing that Jesus Christ is Whom He claimed to be, the Word
of God made flesh, God incarnate!
That
He is True God from eternity and True man by His Virgin birth!
That He alone purchased our eternal life through shedding His pure
and sinless blood on the cross, and that His blood is ALIVE today
in the Holy of Holies in Heaven. And that Jesus Christ our
Heavenly High Priest is interceding for us before His
Father.
The
Holy Bible declares: "Wherefore He is able also to save them
to the uttermost that come to God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to
make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, Who
is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made
higher than the heavens." (Heb. 7: 25, 26)
The
greatest reason for believing that the Bible is true, is that
Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God, believed the Holy
Scriptures. He quoted and preached from them, lived by them.
He
died and arose from the dead, according to the Word God and by
that same Word will return for us all who waiting, watching and
working for Him! Amen.
HONORING
MY PARENTS
Anne
& Ingvar Solbrekken
Pastor Max Solbrekken writes of his precious parents who pointed
him to Christ by word and example. May these words strike a
chord in others to be an influence to family members.
Anne & Ingvar Solbrekken, 1957
Anne & Ingvar Solbrekken, 1925
GOOD
TIMES GROWING UP!
As
the years come and go I find myself thinking about the good times
I had growing up in a loving family with a precious mother and
father who cared about our well being. Although we went
through the depression of 'the thirties', we lived on the farm and
had enough food and plenty of work to do.
Ingvar Solbrekken, 1970
Anne Solbrekken with her guitar, 1964
We
all had our duties and didn't complain and that is the way we were
raised. Getting up early to milk the cows before going to
school was par for the course. Being the second youngest, I
got off easy with only one cow to milk.
Until
my fifth grade we had 2 1/2 miles to go to school. In the
summer we would ride our bikes or travel in a one horse buggy, and
in the winter we would make our own track and all six of us would
go single file on skis. Dad built a one-horse covered sleigh
with a little heater to keep us warm on extra cold days. He
made the skis as well!
We
acquired more land 1/2 mile from Norway, Saskatchewan, so that we
could attend High School. We would ride our bikes or walk to
school. I enjoyed running and found myself often running to
school in the morning, home for lunch and back to school at 1:00
pm, and home after 4:00 o'clock.
Our
mail arrived at the post office three times a week, so we would
often run to town for the mail on Monday, Wednesday and
Friday. When I won the Senior Men's 880 yard race at the
Saskatoon Provincial field day in 1951, I did not realize that I
was already a trained runner.
(Back
to the beginning in Norway)
MY
MOTHER BECAME SERIOUSLY ILL !
My
mother, Anne Nikoline Hestikind was trained in Specialty Cuisine
and was often called to prepare dinners at high class
events. One day she became very ill. The doctors could
not diagnose her illness. For six years she as constantly
having fevers, more fevers and recurring fevers. She had
lost her balance and was very weak. Then, one day there
arrived in the mail a little magazine from the Storm-Monsen
Mission, inviting sick folks to visit the Betesda
Healing Home on the outskirts of Olso, Norway.
She
was taken by horse and wagon to a level railway crossing.
Her brother traveled with her by train to the Betesda Healing
Home. For seven days my mother listened to teaching from
God's Word, prayed and worshipped Jesus Christ in preparation for
her healing. On the final night before her healing, she and
others heard a constant noise like someone cluttering up and down
the chimney. She was told that Satan often tried to scare
the people, but to ignore him!
On
the seventh day, they were taken to a bath house at the waters
edge of the North Sea. The nurse handed my mother the key to
open the door. As she stood in the middle of the room,
suddenly a beautiful warm feeling surged through her and she was
instantly healed, walked into the water and back out again.
The next day, she took the train and walked 21 kilometers to her
home. As far as we know, she was the first person to be
healed in that community in Valdres, Norway.
One
of my Dad's sisters wrote him about the great miracle that Anne
had experienced. He wrote back saying, "I know Anne
Hestekind and I would like to hear from her of how she got
well." When he had some free time, he and a friend
decided to visit the young lad who had been healed.
My
dad asked, "Did God heal you or did you just get well
naturally?" She told them that she had been born again
and healed supernaturally, and called to proclaim the
gospel. Dad stated that the Holy Spirit touched him when she
spoke the name of Jesus and he felt like crying. They both
became deeply convicted and left.
MOM
& DAD IMMIGRATE TO CANADA!
My
Mother was a very musical person, played the violin, piano and
guitar. She belonged the Lutheran Home Missions and often
sang and spoke to the children in schools. When my father
had finished his 'three year tour in the Army' he became a
conductor on the Olso Street Car system. After some time,
his father became ill abd he had to go home to look after the
farm.
He
enjoyed his works as a Street Car conductor, but was happy to be
able to see Anne Hestikind again, because he was secretly falling
in love with her, but was afraid to tell her. He felt drawn
to her and visited her often.
Even
though my mother was seven years older than my dad, he asked for
her hand in marriage but was refused unless he became a 'Personal
Christian' (born again). He asked her to explain what it
meant to be born again. After some time, he made a
confession of faith. Later, they were married.
My
mom and dad owned a general store in Etnedal, Norway and were
doing well, however, word came to them about great opportunities
in Canada. My grandfather had immigrated to Canada years
earlier and was getting old. He wanted his daughter Anne to
have his half section of farm land in Norquay, Saskatchewan.
In
1927 the Solbrekkens embarked for Canada aboard the Bergenshaw.
Martin was 2 years old and Astrid 6 months. Traveling from
Montreal to Saskatchewan on the Canadian National Railway, they
were involved in a horrific train collision when two locomotives
met head to head at top speeds in the dead of night, near Quebec
City. Many were killed and others injured. My father
suffered a broken neck and spent 3 weeks in a hospital
there. It was a shocking entrance for them in their new
Country!
Dad
was unable to work for 2 years and was awarded $750.00 ($10,747.00
today) from CNR with which he was able to buy a team of horses,
some cattle, furniture, farm implements and a Model T
automobile. Mom and Dad were young and strong and toughed it
out, and so life began on the farm 4 miles north of Norquay in the
province of Saskatchewan. Four more children were born to
Ingvar and Anne Solbrekken in the next 10 years: Mekkal, Fred,
Emil and myself.
Fast
forward to March 1956
For
30 years Dad suffered with an infected gallbladder, but being a
farmer he couldn't find the time to have an operation.
Finally, he ended up in the hospital. Many tests were taken
and he was very concerned. He also suffered with a racing
heart and anxiety. There were 4 men in the ward when my Dad
heard a voice in the Norwegian language saying, "Go
home and listen to Oral Roberts."
He
looked around to see who had spoken to him, but he was the only
Norwegian in the room. Again the voice said, "Go
home and listen to Oral Roberts." He asked the
nurse to call Dr. Duncan, who gave him permission to go home,
under his own recognizance. He was very weak as he walked to
the bus depot and had to lie down on the grass, however, a taxi
came by and took him to a hotel until the bus arrived.
DAD
HAD A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE
My
mother was surprised when he returned. He said that God had
spoken to him, to which she replied: "That is good. I
have been praying for that for 35 years." In his book 'My
Experiences with God', my Dad wrote: "I continued to be
very weak and sickly. One day I said to my wife, "I
will take my Bible and start seeking God for a miracle healing in
my body."
My
oldest son Martin had sent me some Oral Roberts magazines which I
hungrily read, together with my Bible. I would rise early
and have my devotions. Faith began rising in my heart.
How long this continued I can't quite remember, but I do know that
I began to believe that God would heal me.
One
night I had a strange dream and in it I saw a 'Chariot of Fire'
traveling at a terrific speed. I awakened and knew I had
dreamed something supernatural.
I
asked my wife what this dream could mean. She had no answer
to give me since we were Lutherans and had not had any real experiences
with the Holy Ghost. My wife was a spiritual person, but
besides being a Lutheran I was a 'dead Lutheran".
A
few nights later I had another dream. In this dream I was
walking down a newly constructed road which ran east and
west. It was a dry, rough road as it was still
un-graded. I had a hard time to walk but I struggled
on. Finally I came to a hill. I took a little rest
before I tackled this hill. I wasn's sure that I could make
it because it was very steep besides being rough. I kept
pushing forward and finally made it.
When
I stood at the top of the hill I was very happy. There were
no buildings, but there was a strong light there and many tall
trees that seem to almost smile down at me. I had such a
wonderful feeling of joy and I was extremely happy. Just
then a voice spoke to me and said, 'You will see greater
things than these.' When I awakened I wondered in my
soul what these things could mean.
I
HEAR ORAL ROBERTS ON RADIO!
A
week after this great experience, I was up early having my
devotions, and tuned in to hear the Oral Roberts radio
broadcast. I had been reading my Bible a good deal and
prayed much during the week in order to prepare myself for God's
healing power. As Oral Roberts began to preach I sat very
attentively listening to his sermon.
He
said: "If you want to know if God lives or not, lift
your hands up toward Heaven and ask God to reveal Himself to you
and show you if He lives or not."
In
obedience I did exactly what the Man of God asked us to do.
I do not hesitate but quickly raised my hands toward God and
sincerely prayed, 'O God, show me if You live or not.'
Immediately
I felt God's power come down over me. It was like a charge
of electricity coming down on my body. God's presence not
only came upon my body but into my body, soul and
mind.
I
became very afraid as I thought that I was dying. I felt my
pulse but could feel nothing. The power of God was all over
my body.
As I was prostrate under the mighty power of God, I finally
called out to my wife and said, "God
has healed me and filled me with the Holy Ghost."
My
wife who was still in bed came running and said, "Papa,
have you had a stroke?"
I
answered, "No,
Mamma. I have not had a stroke, but I have been filled with the
Holy Ghost." I
then asked my wife to open her Bible at random and wherever it
falls open, put your finger on that verse and read it to me.
Here is what she
read, "Give ear, O ye Heavens and I
will speak, and hear, O Earth, the words of My mouth, My
doctrine shall drop as the rain, My speech shall distill as the
dew, as the small rain upon the grass. Because I
will publish the Name of the Lord, ascribe ye greatness unto our
God. He is the Rock. His work is perfect for all His ways are
perfect. For all His ways are judgment: O God of Truth and
without iniquity, just and right is He." (Deuteronomy 32: 1-4)
STAMMERING
LIPS & OTHER TONGUES
One day I was sitting in the easy chair singing an old Norwegian
Hymn and the Spirit of God was upon me. I was filled with great
joy as I sang about the Church all over the world. I was lost in
the Spirit and began singing different words with the same tune.
Then I began to speak fluently in other tongues with great peace
and joy.
My wife was taking a little nap and came running, asking what
had happened with me.
I answered, "God
has filled me with the Holy Ghost." She answered, "I
have been a Christian
all my life and I don't have this. And you
have been a backslider."
I
asked my wife to read Isaiah 28:
11, 12. "For
with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this
people. To whom He said, This the rest wherewith ye may cause
the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing, yet they would
not hear.
She had never seen that before in the Bible. She fell to her
knees and said, "This
is the power of God."
Then she confided in me
that she wanted this great experience also. I laid my hands on
my wife and prayed that she would receive the Holy Ghost. Two
days later she received the Holy Spirit of promise and spoke in
unknown tongues glorifying God.
One of my boys was asleep in his bedroom and when he heard me
crying out to God,
came running and in a concerned voice said: "You must be suffering
from a nervous breakdown."
I answered him:
"No
my son, I have just received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and
have been healed miraculously by His Divine power."
I had been totally set free from darkness and brought into the
light of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. The glory of the Lord
was so strong that I could scarcely bear it. I could see with my
visible eyes the 'shekinah
glory' and the anointing was so strong that I could
hardly walk. The mighty power of Grace and Glory was upon me for
more than one month.
The same night that I received the Holy Ghost I was
sitting in an easy chair worshiping God when suddenly a vision
came to me. A
cup was set to my mouth and I was given two sips out of this
cup. I have never in my life tasted anything so
wonderful as what I drank out of that cup. I
believe it was a little taste of Heaven with God's grace and
mercy that I was allowed to partake of.
Hallelujah!
While I was kneeling on the floor in our living room seeking God
during the radio broadcast I heard Oral Roberts singing 'Amazing
Grace'. The next night I said to my wife, Tonight I am going to
go on my knees and ask God to stay His hand because the
anointing was so strong that I could hardly contain it.
When I
knelt to pray the anointing came over my head and stayed there
for about two hours.
One day while I was lying down on my bed resting, I
saw a coal of fire coming from the window and it touched my
lips; it did not enter my mouth, however.
In that
moment, I thought of Isaiah's experience and I trembled at the
thought of God's
holiness and nearness.
"Then
flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his
hand, which he had taken with tongs from off the altar: And he
laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips;
and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is purged."
(Isaiah 6:6,7)
I
knew that my lips had been cleansed because I had been a sinful
man. The first person I told me experience to was my own
doctor. I told him that I was healed and filled with the Holy
Ghost. I told him that I didn't need any more pills. That I was
born again and changed by God's power.
After he examined me, he
noted that not only was I well in my gallbladder, but also that
my heart was normal.
Dr. Duncan looked me straight in the eyes and said: "Mr.
Solbrekken, you are a very lucky man."
From that time and onward I began testifying publicly for
Christ, telling of my experiences with God and inviting them to
accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour and receive the Baptism of
the Holy Ghost.
I soon realized that I had received an
experience from God which seemed to be foreign to those with
whom I conversed. Some people had the knowledge of sins forgiven and a personal
experience of salvation but no one in our area had received the
Baptism of the Holy Ghost.
Some old time Christians had sought
the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and still others were afraid of it
because of wrong teaching in their churches.
I also noticed that I soon became a marked man and if I would go
into a public building in my town and people were blaspheming or
swearing when I entered, they would abruptly discontinue that
foul language and calm right down. They must have felt the
influence of the Holy Spirit within me. I also learned that I
had received great power over demons and evil spirits as I would
seek God in prayer.
PROPHECY FROM GOD!
The Holy Spirit would speak to me regarding things to come.
Usually this would come at night. I would pray to God concerning
certain matters and ask Him to reveal His will to me and grant
me His wisdom and understanding in many matters. Then the Holy
Spirit would speak to me through dreams or deep impressions.
God spoke to me declaring that He had given me power over
diseases and demon spirits and that even cancer could not stand
against me when I came against it in Jesus' name, with complete
faith. He also reassured me that He would never leave me nor
forsake me but would be with me always even to the end of the
world.” (Matthew 28:20)
I noticed when the Holy Spirit wanted to speak to me, I
would become very tired and would lie down to rest. Then the
Spirit would begin to reveal many things to me about things to
come. He showed me that a tremendous destruction was going to
come as a result of a great world war, and the aggression would
come from the Northern part of the globe.
In the spring
of 1956, I was having my crop spayed by a neighbour. In
prayer the night before I asked God about my neighbour. He
assured me that he was a born again Christian.
The next morning
as we met on the field, I shared with him concerning the Baptism
of the Holy Ghost. He asked me to pray for him. I asked him to
remove his cap. Then, I laid my hands on his head in Jesus' name
and began to pray for him to receive the Holy Spirit. I
commanded him to receive the Holy Ghost in Jesus' name.
The mighty power of God came upon him and he fell down, overcome
by God's presence and began to speaking in tongues as they did
in the Upper Room in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. This
continued for about fifteen minutes as we worshipped God in the
open field. Then, I helped him to his feet. I asked him what had
happened to him.
The first thing he said was, “I
am not afraid of war any more.” Then he
continued, “I
had a wonderful experience with God and had a vision of three
bright lights. First, I saw a small light coming towards me and
then a second larger light and finally a third light that I
could not look upon it and there was no strength in me.
Hallelujah. This is the power of God. Glory to His name; Now I
know Heaven is for me and that I will make it there.”
One
week later, I met this same neighbour again and he gave the
following testimony. He had been deaf in one ear for quite some
time but his ear had opened up and he could hear perfectly from
it, since his wonderful experience in the field.
I
AM SO THANKFUL TO THE LORD!
Before my healing, I had a difficult time to walk the half mile
from our home to town but after my healing I could run to town
and back, and felt that I was almost more in the air than on the
ground. Since my healing, I have had absolutely no trouble with
my heart. Praise God.
There are two things that I could not understand. First,
why would God love me and want to give me His gifts when I was
such a sinner?
God spoke to me through the Scriptures and showed
me that Jesus Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5: 6).
And that He had come to seek and to save that which was lost.
(Luke 19: 10).
Jesus said, “They that be whole need not a
physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that
meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I not am come
to call the righteous , but sinners to repentance. (Matthew 9:12,
13)
Second, I did not know how easy it was to receive
from God. As I read the Scriptures, I realized that all a person
has to do is to believe the Word of God completely and in simple
faith, trust and obedience reach out and take whatever you need
from His hand, because He stands ready and willing to give it to
you.
Jesus said: "Ask
and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it
shall be opened." (Matthew 7: 7,8).
Then, thank, praise
and glorify God for sending His Son Jesus Christ to save, heal
and fill you with the blessed Holy Spirit.
In closing, remember
my friend that Jesus Christ died for you and that God loves you
and wants to forgive you, heal you and fill you with the Holy
Spirit and power. May God bless you. Amen.
LETTER FROM MY MOTHER!
Below is a personal letter written by my Mother Anne, regarding
her experience of being filled with the Blessed Holy Spirit.
This letter was written in Norwegian and sent from Norquay, SK
and translated into English. - Max Solbrekken
March 29, 1956
Max and Donna,
Thank you so much for the phone
call - it was so good to
hear your voices. I must tell you a little about the wonderful
things which have happened to us here on the farm in
Saskatchewan.
It began with Dad receiving a wonderful spiritual experience. He
sat in the big chair and listened to Oral
Roberts on Sunday morning and was expecting to receive
healing from the Lord.
This was the third Sunday morning he had
risen early to hear this radio broadcast.
Oral Roberts said we should ask God to show
us that He is God!
Dad told us later that he had done just that.
The first I heard was when Dad began to groan and it sounded as
though he could not breathe properly and then he began to cry.
I
jumped out of bed and ran to the front room, thinking that Dad
was dying or had become terribly sick.
You have probably not seen Dad cry; in over 31 years of
marriage, I have never seen him cry before.
I asked him
if he was sick and he barely managed to answer, "This
is God's power.
When
I heard this I let him alone thinking, if it is God's power then
it is nothing to worry about. I fell to my knees and prayed.
Dad seemed to be completely overtaken with this wonderful power
of God which was upon him – he had just sat down in his big
chair again when this great power came all over him again and
seemed to take complete control of him.
It all began when Dad sat praying, and there appeared
something like a pillar
of fine rain or mist above his head and enveloped him - he
just breathed in the wonderful presence of God and he was so
thrilled with the nearness of the Lord and the beauty of this
great spiritual experience. Then this great power seemed to fill
his body, soul and mind.
Naturally, I became very surprised at all this and many
thoughts crossed my mind, perhaps Dad was going to die. I could
not really understand what this was! Such a change came over Dad
and it caused me to really wonder about it all.
He was
completely taken up with spiritual things and wanted to talk
about God and the Bible and also to pray a great deal.
In other words, he had become a new person! He
only wanted to do that which was right in all matters and he had
such a burden for all those who were not saved.
I was overjoyed at the change in him, a short time later, perhaps one week, Dad had lain down to rest on the bed, when
suddenly he began to speak in a foreign language, clearly and
distinctively, and for a long time.
I became so
surprised that I began to cry as I had never heard or seen
anything like this before. Dad continued to speak in these
foreign tongues several times a day and continued praising and
magnifying God.
All of this greatly surprised me as I could not understand
it, but I knew it was the working of God, since I had observed
the great spiritual change in Dad for the better!
You
know, he had never been a church man.
So Dad rejoiced and spoke in tongues daily and worshipped
God; I had always been against those things, but now when I saw
it in reality, I realized it was a great power from God. I
certainly could see that from Dad's experience!
Then, I began to consider the possibility of receiving the Gift
of the Holy Ghost also, but I was afraid, afraid to pray for
this mighty Gift and afraid to ask the Blessed Holy Spirit to
come and dwell within me.
Since
I had these fears within me, the devil didn't waste any time in
trying to rob me of this great gift from God.
Finally, however, God gave me grace to pray for the blessed Holy
Ghost to come and take His abode within me.
For
three nights I prayed earnestly to be filled with the Holy
Ghost, but became rather discouraged because nothing happened.
The presence of God, however, was so real in our home that
many times I would tremble and shake as I sensed God's power all
over me – it seemed I could just breathe in of God's goodness
and power.
Then one morning I woke up with strange heavenly
words on my tongue which I spoke fluently. I thanked God as I
felt a deep peace and tranquility fill my chest.
The next day, I lay down for an afternoon nap as I was tired.
Suddenly, I felt a trembling in my hands and a quivering in my
mouth as my tongue begin to move.
The blessed Holy Spirit had
taken possession of my tongue and I heard myself speaking out
loud in distinct and clear words, praises unto God in other
tongues.
After this had passed I became so overjoyed that God
had visited me that I began to cry. Dad came running into my room, praising and magnifying God
because I had also been filled with the Holy Ghost.
It still
thrills me to think that the Holy God would touch the lives of
sinful humanity. It is all the grace of God through faith.
Seek
God and receive the Holy Ghost, Max and Donna. It is a great
blessing.
Love, Mamma
PLEASE NOTE: In July, 1957 I surrendered my life to the Lordship of Jesus
Christ and was born again and baptized with Holy Ghost and fire.
In 1961, we started our radio ministry and in August 1963 I
resigned from my lucrative position in the business world and
launched out in World Evangelism, which continues until today!
Together with my precious wife Donna, we have stood in the
forefront for Jesus across the world! I want to say that had it
not been for my Dad's great miracle and changed life, I do not
believe I would have ever entered the Gospel Ministry for Jesus
Christ!
Max Solbrekken
November 18, 2018
ANIMUS
AGAINST CHRISTIANS PERMEATE ADVOCATE REPORT
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken,
D.D.
When
you compare the hostile treatment given to St. Paul at the hands
of the Roman Empire, the biased and totally unfair report carried
by the 'Athabasca Advocate' newpaper on the recent Big Tent
Revival, is only a minor distraction.
In
fact, it is a blessing and a 'wake-up call' to Bible believing
Christians in Alberta and our nation of an insidious campaign that
has already begun against freedom of speech and religious liberty
in Canada.
When
I saw the headline, 'LGBT community concerned by Big Tent
Revival', I was shocked! I thought, "Has FAKE NEWS
pervaded a small Alberta town newspaper?" I was raised
near a small village in Saskatchewan and we trusted the local
newspaper to be truthful and respectful. 'Why not a headline
like: 'Love, Compassion and Healing at Big Tent Revival!'
We
enjoyed the amazing F.I.R.E. Band of 15 highly trained young
Aboriginal singers and musicians, David and Gloria Seabrook Family
Worship, Alfred Anderson, Eleanor Whittaker and Terry Ford from
the Black Community and the powerful preaching of Rev. Earnest
Mountain and Rev. John Okemow, both who were converted from
alcohol and a life of sins years ago through our ministry. No,
that wasn't newsworthy!
I
had come to Athabasca to dispense the Good News about the Saviour
who took upon Himself our sins, sicknesses, pains and sorrow.
Not one word was spoken or one piece of literature given out to
disparage anyone wanting to change their sex.
When
the Advocate reporter spoke to a few men at the tent, he didn't
ask rational questions like, "Why did a Minister who
has preached to multitudes across the world accept an invitation
to preach in Athabasca?" or "Does God
still answer prayer?" or "Can anyone
attend the crusade?"
An
unbiased reporter with no hidden agenda would have at least read
our Mission Statement which was printed on the advertisement in
the Advocate. It states: "All people of all
races, faiths and religions are welcome to these Gospel services
where Jesus Christ will be proclaimed as the Saviour of the world
the Great Physician who heals hurting people. Through His
vicarious death on the Cross, He paid for the forgiveness of the
sins of mankind. His resurrection from the dead has
purchased our justification."
The
reporters' burning question apparently articulated his agenda.
He asked, "What are your beliefs about LGBT?"
We
are preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My call and
duty is to share God's love and blessing toward everyone!
Imagine if in our crusades in Spain someone asked, "Are we
allowing the gypsies to attend? Don't you know that they
steal?" I would have said, "All are welcome."
Or while preaching in the Ukraine directly after the dissolution
of the Soviet Union, someone would have said, "Should we
allow the Russians to attend? You know how they mistreated
us for 70 years!" I would have said, "All
have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. They are
welcome!"
In
1966, when arrangements were being made for me to preach in Eli, a
headhunter village north of Tabuk in Kalingo Apio, Northern
Luzon, people in Manila shockingly said, "The Manila
Times have reported that two men and a boy that were working on
the road detail were beheaded." I answered, "If
they will have me, I will go to them." And I
won the headhunter tribe to Christ.
The
headhunters had a belief that if a woman had twins, the devil must
be the father of one of the children, and not knowing which child
was fathered by the devil, they left the babies in the forest for
animals to devour. We opened an orphanage in the area
and took all the twins being born to those tribes.
That Orphanage is still operating today!
In
1984, God directed me to call Mr. Agostini with an
offer of writing a weekly column for the Edmonton Sun, to help
bring respectability to that newspaper. He agreed and I
wrote more than 300 columns from 1984 to 1990. When I
returned to Edmonton, Graham Hicks wrote this report on
Thursday, September 19, 1996 on Hicks ON SIX:
 PREACHING
TO THE MAX
After
six years of preaching the Gospel in Eastern Europe and
Africa, Pastor Max Solbrekken's come back home. "I
stepped down from the People's Church pulput", says Max, who
thanks to his column in The Sun, from 1984 to
1990, was the most visible preacher in town during the '80s,
"The Lord called me to Eastern Europe."
Max
kept his home here but spent most of his time on his Norway based
'Europe for Christ' movement. Max has been evangelizing in
Poland, Romania, Ukraine and other parts of what was the former
Soviet Union. "We won Mikhail Gorbachev's sister
Galena to Christ," he says proudly. Now, says
Max, the Lord's brought him back to Canada.
"Canada's
almost a non-Christian country", he says sorrowfully.
Canada's been so good to me, but it's going down the tubes
morally." Always a master marketer of His Master's
Word, Max has a radio and TV show on the go, and its preaching
among Canada's Natives. He'll be guest preaching at People's
Church a week from Sunday, at 6:30 pm.
"Locally,
a big picture of Jesus Christ has appeared in about 50 bus stop
ads with the "Max Solbrekken World Mission" name
across the bottom, and a phone number. "I just wanted
to give Jesus a boost," says Max. Welcome back, Max.
We do need our voices of conscience. - From the Edmonton Sun
Referring
to an article I wrote 15 years ago when 'same sex marriage'
was being hotly debated, your reporter printed only a part of what
was in that piece. I wrote: "The fallout from same-sex
marriages would create a community of dysfunctional people with
enormous emotional and psychological difficulties, requiring our
help for years to come! We must all be prepared to
love them unconditionally and share with them the saving,
healing and redeeming grace of Jesus Christ our Lord."
Amen.
When
I visited Chernobyl is 1992, a leading journalist seeing God's
power in our meet in Truskavets invited me to Chernigov where I
preached to an overcrowded Summer Palace with 5,000 people.
I was taken to the large Media Centre, surrounded by TV, radio,
newspaper, magazine and print buildings.
After
being introduced, I shared a little about what I had seen in
Chernobyl and my visit to the hospital to pray for more than 100
babies with blood disorders. I was prepared to answer their
questions, but they had none. They wanted me to preach to
them.
They
said, "We are now free and there are no KGB agents here.
Please speak to us from the Bible." Out of about 275
journalists, TV and radio operators, truck drivers, print men and
janitors, 176 answered the altar call to receive Jesus Christ as
their personal Saviour.
I
was invited to preach to about 300 high school students in
Chernigov. When my interpreter and I had delivered the
message 'How to Be Born Again', the entire class
rose to their feet and prayed the sinner's prayer inviting Jesus
Christ into their hearts. The Principal asked me into her
office and said, "Dr. Max, when you invited the students to
receive Jesus Christ personally into their lives, I thought that
perhaps 6 people would respond. And yet, the entire class
followed you in the prayer for salvation. Why?"
I
answered, "I'll let you tell me the reason."
She answered, "Because they were empty!" I
said, "That is a very good answer. How about you?
Are you also empty inside? Will you also pray that
same prayer?" She said, "Yes."
And we prayed together and another soul was added to the Kingdom
of God.
WITH
RAY TORGRUD AT CKY WINNIPEG
For
years, I was interviewed by that great gentleman, Ray Torgrud at
CKY TV in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Once near the end of his show
he asked me, "Pastor Max, did you know that I am an
atheist?" At that moment, the Holy Spirit came upon me
and I said, "Ray,, when you were a little boy you believed in
Jesus, but something happened to turn you away. But before
it's all over you will come back to Him." He asked,
"Do you really believe that?" I answered,
"Yes."
By
that time, we had almost lost track of where we were. He sat
up erect and looking into the TV camera said, "This has been
the most illuminating and interesting time I have had in 30 years
on television, and Pastor Max you are welcome on my show whenever
you visit Winnipeg." About 10 years ago, as I
spoke to my friend by telephone he shared with me that he had
returned to Christ, after a life time of atheism. He is now
in the presence of Jesus in Heaven. Thank God.
Amen.
 THE
SECRET OF
POWER WITH GOD
by:
Pastor Max Solbreken, D.D.
1.
Through COMMUNION WITH GOD, we are filled with the life of
God. Without the life of God we are in total spiritual
darkness. The Bible says: "In Him was life; and the
life was not the light of men. And the light shineth in
darkness and the darkness comprehended it not." (John 1:4,5)
2.
Through COMMUNION with God, the Holy Spirit reveals the
will of God. The Bible says: "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth
our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we
ought: but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered." (Romans 8:26)
Often,
we do not know how to pray intelligently so are at a loss to know
how to pray. But when we pray in the Holy Spirit, He comes to our
rescue and prays through us to the Father. The literal Greek says,
'The Spirit Himself takes a hold of against our infirmities and
prays through us to the Father.' This often happens when we pray
in other tongues. The Holy Spirit prays through us to the Father.
3.
Through COMMUNION with God, the Holy Spirit changes us
into the image of God. The Bible says: "And He that searcheth
the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the spirit, because He
maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed
to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn
among many brethren." (Romans 8: 27, 29)
Now
the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is liberty. But we all with open face beholding as in a
glass the glory of the Lord, are changed in the same IMAGE from
glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2
Corinthians 3: 17,18)
4.
Through COMMUNION with God, we are led by the Spirit to go
forth with the power of God. It was the Holy Spirit that filled
Jesus of Nazareth during His water baptism in the Jordan River.
Immediately thereafter, our Lord was led by the Holy Spirit into
the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (Luke 4: 1-13)
IN
THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT!
And
Jesus returned in the Power of the Spirit into Galilee; and there
went out a fame of Him through all the region round about. And He
came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and as His custom
was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up
for to read. And there was delivered unto Him the book of the
prophet Esaias.
"And
when He had opened the book He found the place where it was
written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He hath
anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor, He hath sent Me to
heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and
recovering sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are
bruised." (Luke 4:14-16)
St.
Peter stated: "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy
Ghost and with Power: Who went about doing Good and healing all
that were oppressed of the Devil: for God was with Him." (Acts
10: 38)
In
His book titled Prayer, James H. McConkey wrote, "Communion is the daily looking unto Jesus for the continuous
inflow of His divine life." And that is the key to power with
God. It is the mystery that our Heavenly Father had kept hidden
for ages and generations but was given to St. Paul, who revealed
it to the Church.
Almighty
God walked with Enoch, He communed with Moses as face to face, He
called Abraham His friend and David was called a man after God's
own heart, yet He did not reveal the Mystery to them. And when
Jesus walked with His disciples and apostles, He did not disclose
the Mystery to them, either.
WHY
SAUL OF TARSUS?
He
waited until He had the right man in place, a man feared by the
church and revered by the enemies of the cross. Saul of Tarsus was
a man God could trust, a man deeply committed and so dedicated to
the Jewish Laws that he would put wrongdoers to death believing he
was pleasing God.
Here
was a man who would obey God, once he heard the truth. Here was a
man who would carry the name of Jesus Christ and His Gospel to the
Jews and who would establish the church in the Gentile world.
St.
Paul reveals the hidden Mystery: "How that by
revelation He made known unto me the Mystery; as I wrote before in
few words. Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge
in the mystery of Christ. Which in other ages was not made known
unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles
and prophets by the Spirit:
That
the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same and partakers
of His promise in Christ by the gospel. And to make all men see
what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of
the world hath been hid in God, Who created all things by Jesus
Christ." (Ephesians 3: 3-6, 9)
What
was this great MYSTERY which our Heavenly Father had kept
hidden from the beginning of the world and was revealed to St.
Paul? It was Christ living in the believer, His body. His Church
would consist of Born Again, Spirit-filled Gentiles and Jews,
making us into new creatures in Christ.
"Even
the mystery which hath been hath been hid from ages and from
generations, but now is made manifest to His saints: to whom God
would make known what is the riches of His glory of this mystery
among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
(Colossians 1: 26, 27)
The
Bible states: "And He is the HEAD of the Body, the Church: Who
is the beginning, the first born from the dead; that in all things
He might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in
Him should all fullness dwell. And having made peace through the
blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself;
by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in
Heaven. " (Colossians 1:18-20)
IS
IT POSSIBLE TO BE LIKE JESUS?
How
is this possible? The Bible clearly gives us the process
through which this is possible: "Now the Lord is that Spirit:
and where the Spirit is, there is liberty. But we all, with open
face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed
into the same glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2
Corinthians 3:7,8)
James
H. McConkey writes:
"You have heard the story of the sea and the cloud. The sea
looked up into the heavens and saw the beauty of the great white
summer clouds, and longed to become a cloud. So it struggled, and
strove, and tossed itself into the air, and dashed itself against
the rocks, but all to no purpose.
And
then the sun looked down upon the sea, and said: "Be
quiet; be still; and just look unto me." And then the
tossing sea grew quiet, and ceased its striving, and lay there
with open face beholding the glory of the sun. And as it did so,
the sun steadily, moment by moment, drew and changed, and
transformed the sea, until bye and bye, in the heavens was another
cloud in all its beauty.
What
the sea could not do with all its striving, the sun did, simply
through the sea's looking unto it. And so too we struggle and
strive, and work to be like JESUS, but somehow - we do not
know how; we do not understand anymore than we understand how as
we look to Jesus in the place of prayer; as we look unto Him in
the place of communion; as our souls cease their striving and
their vain struggles to make the old flesh life like Him, which
can never be, and just look helplessly, to Him, somehow we are
changed into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.
"As
we look unto Jesus we come to look like Jesus. Those
who wait upon Him shine with His glory. When Moses came out of the
mountain, his face was shining with the glory of God. Why? Because
he had gazed into the face of God for forty days. And when he came
down, he stood a transfigured man before the people, with the
image of God in his face, so that he had to cover it, for they
could not bear looking upon it.
How
beautiful then is it that as we look unto Jesus, we are
transformed into the image of Jesus. Then even down here in the
dark night of faith, somehow or other, we GROW like Him. The
moment a man perfectly sees Jesus, that moment a man is going to
be perfectly like Jesus."
WHEN
JESUS RETURNS FOR US!
St.
Paul wrote: "Wherefore seeing we are also compassed about with
so great a a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight,
and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with
patience the race that is set before us.
Looking
unto Jesus the author and finisher (perfecter) of our faith; Who
for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of
God." (Hebrews 12: 1,2)
Let
us seek God to be filled with the blessed Holy Spirit and power.
Remember that Jesus had to pour out His BLOOD on the cross, so
that He could receive the promise of His Father to pour out the
Holy Spirit on His church!
That
Christ will return to take us all home is guaranteed. Jesus
promised: "In My Father's House are many mansions: if it were
not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will COME again, and
receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
(John 14: 2,3)
When
we see Jesus face to face we shall truly be like Him. How
wonderful. The Bible states: "Beloved, now are we the
sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we
know that, when He shall APPEAR, we shall be like Him; for we
shall see Him as He is." (1 John 3: 2)
For
now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I
know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." (1
Corinthians 13: 12); "And now little children, abide in Him;
that when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be
ashamed before Him at His coming." (1 John 2:28). Amen.
February,
2018
Dear
Friends in Christ,
For
our friends in Saskatchewan, Donna and i will be ministering at Christ
the Healer Gospel Church on December 31 (Sunday) at 10:30 am &
6:30 pm.
After
more than 10 years in Saskatoon, we felt led of the Lord to invite
Rev. Terry and Shelly Severson to take the reigns of
leadership and build on what we started in Saskatoon on September
26, 2007.
On
Monday, January 1, 2018 at 2:30 pm, we will have a special New
Year's Rally where we will officially transfer (without charge)
the property of Christ the Healer Gospel Church at 136 Ave F S,
Saskatoon, SK to the TORO Ministries of Saskatchewan, in the
precious name of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
 This
move will give me the opportunity to pour myself into our
Missionary work, publishing a number of books I have written and
do more radio and TV work in order to reach a larger audience with
Christ's Gospel.
On
October 26, 1991 (after 22 years) Donna and I turned over the
large, beautiful Faith Cathedral church and property, located on
2.5 acres in Edmonton, Alberta, to Peoples Church, giving me the
opportunity to reach multitudes for Christ all across the Soviet
Union (Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia,
Latvia), Sudan, Egypt, Uganda, Tanzania, Europe, Norway, Brazil
and the Philippine Islands.
On
April 13, 2005, I had the privilege of preaching to circa 300,000
people at a large Assembly of God Crusade at the Parquie Brasil,
Paulina, SP, Brazil.
Today,
People's Church, Edmonton is a strong Church with people from
dozens of nations of the world. Pastor Laurie and Iris have
thanked us over the years for our amalgamation in 1991.
Thank
you so much for your prayers and support over the years. Our
prayers are for God's blessings upon you and your family.
With
much love in Jesus,
Pastor
Max & Donna Solbrekken
2 Corinthians 4:5/Hebrews 13:8
THE
INCARNATION:
ACID
TEST OF TRUE FAITH
by: Pastor Max
Solbrekken. D.D.
"In
the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word
was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All
things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that
was made. In Him was life and the life was the light of
men."
"Which
were born, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will
of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-4, 13,
14)
There
is a serious misunderstanding among many Bible scholars and
preachers due to an incorrect translation of John 3: 13, which
says, "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, but of
God." Most Bibles have us believing that this
Scripture text is referring to those who receive Christ, because
of the plural 'which' when
in fact, the original Greek uses the singular 'He' which refers to
Christ!
This
passage must be taken in context with the rest of the Scripture
text about Jesus the Word of God; not about believers. It is about JESUS OF NAZARETH, not
about us! The Bible states: "He (Christ) was
in the world and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him
not. He came unto His own and His own received Him not.
This
is the PROPER TRANSLATION: "But as many as received Him, to them
gave He power to become the sons of God, even unto them that
believe on His name. He
(Jesus) was born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor
of the will of man, but of God. And the WORD was made
flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of
the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John
3: 14)
TERTULLIAN
SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT
Quintus
Septimius Florens Tertullianus (160-220
A .D.)
of Carthage Africa known as Tertullian, was an
early Christian author who was martyred for his faith. He stated: "The blood of the martyrs has become the seed of the church."
In
his book, 'The Incomparable Christ' (1902) - which I have enjoyed for
decades - J. Oswald
Sanders brings out a truth that has eluded far too many
theologians and preachers for hundreds of years!
He
states: Samuel Zwemer commenting on John 3:14, writes: "Here those
who believe the Word are those who were begotten, not of
bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of
God".
But
according to the express testimony of TERTULLIAN there was an
early second-century reading of this text which had
the singular instead of plural. It would then
read, He(Christ) was
begotten not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man, but of God.'
In
his de Carne Christi Tertullian wrote; I
shall make more use of this passage after I have confronted those
who have tampered with it. They maintain it was written in the
plural, as if designating those who before mentioned as believing
on His name.
"But
how can this be when all who believe
are by virtue of the will
of the flesh and of the will of man? - as indeed as Valentinus
himself. The expression is in the singular, as referring to the
Lord. He was born of God,
As flesh, however, He is not of
bloods, nor of the will of man, because it was by the will of God
that the Word was made flesh.'
"In
his Confessions, ST.
AUGUSTINE quotes John 3:14 in the singular in reference
to Christ's Virgin Birth, as follows: "Also
I found there that God the Word was born not of blood, nor of the
will of a husband, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God."
St.
Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Blessed Holy Spirit thus: "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His
Son, made of
a woman, made under
the law." (Galatians 4:4)
Commenting
on this verse, J.
Oswald Sanders writes: "In this chapter he uses the
word 'born'
three
times, but in speaking of Christ's
birth he uses a different word (made) from
the implied when speaking of Ishmael and Isaac."
(Galatians 4: 23, 29)
CULTS
PREACH A DIMINISHED JESUS!
It
is not surprising that Satan tried to diminish the stature of
Jesus Christ early on by involving an Old-JW-New-Modernist tampering
with the Holy Scriptures. What does surprise me is that for
hundreds of years theologians have missed what is OBVIOUS, that
Jesus of Nazareth was not born of human blood or the will of
either Joseph or Mary but of GOD and by HIS will alone!
Every
one of us were born by the will of our fathers and mothers and
carry our father�s blood in our veins. To
force a Scripture text to mean something different than it was
meant is totally wrong!
Let me repeat, by using
this Scripture text to prove that sinners are born again by the
will of God and not of man may sound good to naive Christians,
but that is not what this Scripture says! This
is a foundational doctrine which refers to Jesus of Nazareth alone!
THE
ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD!
The
Bible states: "For God so loved the world that He gave His ONLY
BEGOTTEN SON that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life." (John 3:16)
Right
from the very beginning, SATAN has had his loyal humanistic
minions on board, to pervert the sacred Scriptures. They come in a
variety of knowing and unknowing fellow travelers, but his main
goal is to weaken the faith of believers and giving false cults
the ammunition they desire in gaining converts, through tampering
with the Scriptures!
Hundreds
of false cults have arisen through that method of deception, among
them the Jehovah's
Witnesses, Mormons and Christian Scientists. Their main
deception is that Jesus of Nazareth was not truly God in the
flesh, that He is a lesser god, an arch angel or something else.
According
to Holy Scripture, those who REJECT the
Deity of Jesus Christ cannot and will not be saved, unless they
repent of that grievous SIN of unbelief and blasphemy:
"Hereby
ye know the Spirit of God: Every Spirit that confesses that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that
confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is NOT of
God: and this is that SPIRIT of ANTICHRIST, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world." (1
John 4: 2, 3)
Presently,
there are more than seven billion people alive and we have all
come in the flesh, born naturally of a mother and father. Although
childbirth is a miraculous phenomenon that happens every second
around the world, Jesus of Nazareth was conceived by the Holy
Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He
was incarnated, God in human flesh!
IN
THE BOSOM OF THE FATHER
All
those who reject Jesus Christ as God the Son Who came to this earth to
save lost humanity by the Sacrifice of Himself and to meet the
demands of Divine Justice, will
not be saved. And all those who receive Him as the Christ the
King, their Saviour and Lord will be saved!
When
the Eternal Son of God was born of a human mother without the aid
of a human father that is the miracle of INCARNATION, meaning 'God
in human flesh'.
Jesus
Christ was True God and True Man while He walked this earthly sod!
The Word of God states: "No man hath seen God at any time; the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON,
which is in the BOSOM of the Father, He hath declared Him." (John
1: 18) The Apostle John was a young man who had absolute faith in
Jesus of Nazareth. He was the closest to our Lord and is called
the 'disciple whom
Jesus loved.' (John 20: 2; 21:20)
"Now
there was leaning on Jesus' BOSOM one of His disciples, whom Jesus
loved." (John 13: 23). John understood the fact that Jesus
had come from God and is always in the
"Bosom of the Father."
What
that term means is, that the relationship between Jesus of
Nazareth and His Heavenly Father had NOT been broken when He was
incarnated to die as God's Pascal Lamb for the sins of the world! He
was still in His Father and the Father was still in Him through
the Blessed Holy Spirit!
Dr.
Henry Morris writes: "In that wonderful Old Testament prophecy
about His coming human birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5: 2) we are told
that His 'goings
forth from the bosom of the Father.'
"As
noted in John 1:18, He
was still in the bosom of the Father even while He was
on earth manifesting the Father. These truths are beyond our full
comprehension, of course, for they are all part of the great
mystery of the Triune God."
Concerning
Micah 5:2, the Pulpit Commentator states: "Whose
goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."
The
Fathers see in it a declaration of the eternal generation of the
Son: He who was born in time at Bethlehem hath an eternal
existence"
"To Christians, who believe in the
mystery of the Holy Trinity, the plural would express the
continual generation of the Son from the Father from everlasting
and to everlasting, never beginning and never ending; as the
Council of Lateran says,
"Without beginning ever and without end, the Father begetting, the
Son being born (nascens),
and the Holy Ghost proceeding."
The
bosom is where the heart is and from which Love is generated. The
BOSOM is a place of rest and peace. The name of God, El
Shaddai has the meaning, "the
Breasted One". He is our sustenance and
nourishment. He feeds, heals and keeps His mighty hand of
protection and love upon us!
The
union between God the Father and His Only Begotten Son during His
earthly ministry is a Mystery. Some misguided theologians believe
that Jesus emptied Himself completely during His incarnation, but
that would have destroyed the UNITY of
the Godhead.
That
teaching is not biblical. It is spurious and utter nonsense! How
could Jesus, Who was TRUE God from eternity and TRUE man by His
Virgin Birth, suddenly no longer be God?
The
Bible says that He created the worlds and keeps the solar system
functioning perfectly by His WORD. If He abdicated the throne for
three years, there would no longer be a cosmos or a livable earth!
"God
hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom He had
appointed heir of all things, by also HE MADE THE WORLDS;
Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of
His Person, and UPHOLDING ALL THINGS by
the Word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat
down on the right hand of the Majesty on High." (Hebrews:
1-3)
JESUS
WAS FULLY GOD & FULLY MAN
Jesus
Christ never stopped being God the Son! He was in the BOSOM of His
Father from Eternity, during His INCARNATION (God in human flesh)
and is now and forevermore! During His time on earth, He
was Fully God and Fully Man!
St.
Paul stated: "Jesus
(Who) being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal
with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being
found in fashion of a man, He humbled Himself, and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians
2: 6-8)
Jesus
CONCEALED His divinity even to His disciples for a time, so that
He could finish His work before His sacrificial death for us all.
His true identity was revealed to Peter, James and John on the
Mount of transfiguration, when Almighty God stated: "This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him." (Matthew17:5)
The
Bible records: "And (He) was transfigured before them: and His
face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the
light... and when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face,
and were sore afraid.
And
Jesus came and touched them, and said arise, Be not
afraid....Jesus charged them, Tell the vision to
no man, until the Son of man is risen again from the dead" (John
17: 2-9)
JOHN
CALVIN stated: "He continued to retain His
divinity entire though it was concealed under the veil of flesh.
There are good reasons why He enjoined His disciples to keep
silence, til He be risen from the dead...And indeed, the disciples
would not have believed it, if Christ had not given a more
striking PROOF of His glory in the resurrection.
But
after that His divine power had been openly displayed that
temporary exhibition of His glory began to be admitted so as to
make it fully evident, that even during that time, that He emptied
Himself."
Jesus
Christ never stopped being God the Son! He was in the BOSOM of His
Father from Eternity, during His INCARNATION (God in human flesh)
and is NOW and forevermore! During His time on earth, He was Fully
God and Fully Man!
This
same union exists between Jesus and 'the
sons of God'
through
the New Birth. He is in us and we are in Him. (1 John 3:1, 2; Romans 8:15-17). And
in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, between the Bride and the
Bridegroom.
The
Church is the Bride and Jesus is the Bridegroom. John the Baptist
stated: "He that
hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the
bridegroom, which stands and heareth Him, rejoices greatly because
of the Bridegroom's voice:
This my joy therefore is fulfilled." (John
3:29)
JESUS
is also pictured as the Good
Shepherd. He said: "I am the Good Shepherd and know My
sheep, and am known of Mine. As the Father knows Me, even so know
I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep." (John 10:
14, 15)
He
told the parable of the sheep lost in the wilderness, which the
shepherd searched for and found: "And
when he had found it, he laid it upon his shoulders, rejoicing." (Luke
15: 4-6)
The
Bible states: "He shall feed His flock like a Shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with
His arm, and carry them in His BOSOM, and shall gently lead those that are with young." (Isaiah
40:11)
Here
is another Scripture that modernist theologians have used to
diminish the truth of Jesus of Nazareth being fully God and fully
man. And,
unfortunately, many unknowing preachers have fallen for it!
"In
this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God
sent His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON into the world, that we might live
through Him." (I
John 4:9). We have life though our Lord Jesus Christ, Whom God
sent "to be the
propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:10)
The
word propitiation means satisfaction, covering and
expiation. This means that the sacrificial
all-atoning death of Jesus Christ, satisfied the Demands
of Divine Justice to appease the wrath of God against the
sins of a rebellious human race from the time of Adam.
THE
ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD
We
find the unique phrase, "the only begotten Son", also in John 1:14,18; John
3:16 in the Authorized King James Version, New King James Version,
Amplified and the New American Standard Bible. Unfortunately, most
of the other versions have exchanged the original words to unique Son of God, only Son of God, One and only Son of God.
The
Bible states: ""In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the
Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things
were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was
made."
(John 1:1-3)
These
verses inform us that Jesus Christ is the Creator of the worlds
and all things therein! St. John states: "And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His
glory, the glory as of the ONLY BEGOTTEN OF THE FATHER,
full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)
Again
St. John writes: "No
man hath seen God at any time; the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON,
which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him" (John
1:18)
DR.
HENRY MORRIS states: The Greek word for "only
begotten" is monogenes,
the very form of which clearly denotes
"only
generated." As monotheism connotes only one God
and monosyllable means a word of only one syllable, so monogenes
means only one genesis or only one generated--or, more
simply, only begotten. It
does not mean "one," or even "one and only."
It is worth noting that, although Christ is called the Son, or Son
of God, frequently in the New Testament, He
is never (in the Greek original) called the "only" son
of God.
The
fact is, that to call Him the only Son of God would make the Bible
contradict itself, for He is not the only Son of God, and
certainly not the "one and only" Son of God. Angels are
several times called the sons of God (e.g., Job 38:7) since they
had no fathers, being directly created by God.
Likewise, Adam
was called the son of God (Luke 3:38), because he was
directly created. The same applies even to
fallen angels (Genesis
6:2), and even to Satan (Job 1:6), because they also were created beings. The
term is also used in a spiritual sense, of course, for those who
have become "new
creations" in Christ Jesus by faith (II Corinthians 5:17;
Ephesians 2:10; etc.)
In
this sense, we also are "sons
of God" (e.g., I John 3:2) by special creation? not
physically but spiritually. But it is never applied in this sense
to Christ, for He is not a created son of God (as the Jehovah's Witnesses and other cultists
teach), but
a begotten Son
of God --
in fact, the only begotten Son
of God.
He
never had a beginning, for He was there in the beginning (John
1:1). In His prayer to the Father in the upper room, He spoke of "the
glory which I had with thee before the world was" (John
17:5)
BEHOLD,
A VIRGIN SHALL CONCEIVE!
Nothing
could be clearer than Dr. Henry Morris' Commentary on the unique
phrase 'only begotten' which
can used for Christ Jesus alone!
Seven
hundred years before the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Isaiah prophesied his VIRGIN BIRTH: "Therefore
the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall
conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." (Isaiah
7: 14)
St.
Luke chronicles the glorious Christmas Story of Archangel
Gabriel's visit to a Jewish Virgin called Miriam (Mary) to
inform her of God's great plan of Redemption that would involve
her.
He
said: "Fear not, Mary: For thou hast found favour with God. And, behold thou
shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call
His name JESUS. He
shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: And
the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His Father David:
And
He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His
Kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How
shall this be seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and
said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power
of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy
thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of
God." (Luke 1:28-35)
To
confirm His Words to Mary, God sent His Angel to Joseph, her fiance.
Naturally. he was upset and confused at the news of Mary's
pregnancy.
JESUS
CHRIST SAVIOUR SON OF GOD
The
Angel of God reassured him: "Joseph,
thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for
that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall
bring forth a Son, and thou shall call Him JESUS,
for He shall save His people from their sins.
Now
all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by
the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and
shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel,
which being interpreted is, God with us." (Mathew
1:20-23)
John's
Gospel is about God the Son becoming a man through the INCARNATION
(God in human flesh) which is the greatest miracle this world has
ever witnessed. More than 700 years before His Virgin birth in
Bethlehem, the prophet Isaiah made this prophetic utterance:
"Therefore
the Lord Himself shall give you a sign, Behold a virgin shall
conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." (Isaiah
7:14)
Leading
Hebrew scholars state that 'a virgin' is better read 'the
virgin'. The
Hebrew definite article ha indicates
that a specific woman is in view. The word virgin used here is the
unique Hebrew term 'almah.'
A comparison of the six other instances where it occurs (Genesis
24:43; Exodus
2:8; Psalms
68: 25; Proverbs
30: 19. Song 1: 5,8) shows
that it is the most precise term the prophet could have chosen to
indicate that the young woman in view was indeed a virgin. The
more common word betulah is used
twice to refer to a married woman (Deuteronomy 22:19 and Joel 1:8)
Thus
the Septuagint
Translation of 'almah' as Parthenos(virgin)
is correct, as is Matthew 1:23. Shall conceive is a feminine
adjective connected with an active participle ('bearing') and
should be translated 'is pregnant'.
Thus
the scene is present to the prophet's view and he sees the
pregnant virgin about to bear a Son. That this prophecy must refer
to the virgin birth of Christ is obvious since the virgin is
pregnant and is still a virgin. Immanuel is a symbolic name
meaning God is with us. He is the incarnate Son of God Who is
further pictured as the Christ-Prince in Isaiah 9:6.
Taken
from Nelson Study Bible
NO
ONE ACCEPTED LUTHER'S CHALLENGE
MARTIN
LUTHER threw out this challenge: "If
a Jew or a Christian or a Mohammedan can prove to me that in any
other passage of Scripture 'almah' means a married woman, I
will give him a hundred florins, although God only knows where I
may find them."
No-one
took him up on his challenge!
Never
in the history of mankind has a virgin given birth to a baby
without a man's seed through sexual intercourse or artificial
insemination! Of such importance was the sign that God gave
concerning the birth of His Son that the prophet emphasized:
"The Lord Himself shall give you a sign."
The
Holy Scripture says: "Behold while he (Joseph) thought on these
things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream
saying, Joseph thou
son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that
which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
"And
she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS:
for He shall save His people from their sins. Now, all this was
done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the LORD by
the prophet, saying, Behold a
VIRGIN shall be
with child, and shall bring forth a SON, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, GOD
WITH US." (Matthew
1:20-25)
Jesus
of Nazareth was born to die. He was born crucified! Facing the humiliation of the cross, He said: "Now is My soul
troubled" and what shall I say, save Me from this hour: but for
this cause came I unto this hour." (John
12: 27).
WHOSE
SIDE ARE
YOU ON?
by: Rev. Max
Solbrekken, D.D.
CHAPTER
1: TWO ROADS
Millions
today are groping in the darkness of despair as they journey down
life's road toward eternity!
Multitudes
have not found the way of true happiness and joy and are searching
for peace and an answer to life's problems, heartaches and ills.
Many others have known the true essence of life but somehow
have gone astray, lost the way and are haphazardly adrift on the
sea of life.
The
saying goes, 'When in Rome do as the Romans do',
or 'Follow the crowd'.
The great bulk of humanity are doing just that.
They are following the crowd.
Take the easy way out or the path of least resistance.
The sad part is that the crowd is not always right, and the
path of least resistance is often the wrong path which becomes a
rut into which the journeyer finds himself bogged down.
Chained by bad habits and inability to say 'No'
to evil suggestions and fettered by wicked companions, such a
person becomes an easy mark for Satan.
My
dear friend, perhaps you are one of the restless multitudes in
this rut, the broad road that the Bible speaks of which will
eventually take you to doom and damnation in Hell, unless you
repent of your sins and get off this road.
The
Bible says: "There
is a way that seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are
the ways of death". (Proverbs 16:25)
It
seems natural to do what others are doing, however, the natural
man is often motivated by the lusts, greed and prides of this
wicked world. The
Carnal man is sinful and out of fellowship with the righteousness
of God. Therefore, the
natural man is at enmity with God.
God's
word states: "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God:
for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can
be." (Romans 8:7); "Ye
adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of
the world is enmity with God?
whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the
enemy of God,"(James 4:4) Sinful man cannot do good unless God
intervenes and changes his nature through the process of new
birth: "Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily, I say
unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God." (John 3:3)
Look
around and follow the current events in the news media to realize
that this world is corrupt and continually getting worse with
wars, social and political upheavals, increases in the crime rate,
immorality, sex perversion and broken homes.
FOLLOWING
THE CROWD: A BAD IDEA!
In
other words, the CROWD is corrupt and getting worse. If you follow
this crowd you will find yourself in bad company and serious
trouble spiritually! The
Bible says, "Enter ye in at the strait gate:
for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to
destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it". (Matthew
7:13-14) Jesus urged, "Strive to enter in at the strait
gate: for many, I say
unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able". (Luke
13:24). To strive means to 'put some effort' into finding the
right way.
It
must be very important to enter the straight gate or Jesus would
not have admonished us to STRIVE TO ENTER IN.
The reason is that the wrong road leads to an eternal hell,
and the right one takes you to Heaven.
The Bible says: "Wide
is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction and
many there be which go in thereat".
Many
are on this broad road because the gate is wide enough to take in
everyone, regardless of a person's wickedness, evil habits or
unrighteous companions. There
is plenty of room, and no questions asked - that is of course,
until it is too late to get off.
The murderer travels this road together with the gambler,
drunkard, liar and thief.
It
is the broad road and is easy travelling because this road has a
slight downward grade, although not very noticeable at the start.
The self-righteous Church member who has never been saved
together with the modernistic theologian, the atheist and the
communist, all have plenty of room to travel without even rubbing
shoulders, because the road is so wide.
The
alcoholic, drug user, the unfaithful, deceptive wife or husband,
rich and poor, well and sick, young and old, respected and
despised, educated and illiterate, bond and free, all may travel.
Caution
is thrown to the winds and off you go merrily on your way - the
music blares and you sail along!
TRAVEL NOW - PAY LATER, SEEMS TO BE THE SLOGAN
- Yes, this is the broad road to destruction.
JESUS warns you to get off it NOW. Don't stay on it a
minute longer. Jump off it immediately and enter the Straight Gate
onto the NARROW Road that leads to LIFE and Eternal Bliss!
DO
YOU KNOW WHICH ROAD YOU ARE ON?
You
may ask, "How do I know which road I am on?"
I am glad you ask that question, because I have the answer
for you. The Bible
says, "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God".
(Romans 3:23) "There
is none righteous, no, not one." (Romans 2:10)
"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my
mother conceive me". (Psalms 51:5)
The
Scripture tells us that through Adam's transgression the whole
human race was plunged into sin.
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world,
and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all
have sinned."
(Romans
5:12) Through the
Scripture we see that everyone is born in sin and because of the
fall, the human race inherited the stigma of sin.
Secondly,
we learn that man's nature is sinful and he is a sinner by
choice. The Bible
says: "All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned
every one to his own way; the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity
of us all."( Isaiah 53:6) ;
"The heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked:
who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)
"The
fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.
They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is
none that doeth good. The
Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if
there were any that did understand, and seek God.
They are all gone aside, they are all together become
filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." (Psalms
14:1-3)
We
have now established the fact that all human beings are sinners,
not only by birth and nature, but also by choice.
Jesus exhorts everyone to, "Enter into the strait
gate", because everyone naturally is on the broad road to start
with, and must turn off to get on the right road.
ALL
A SINNER MUST DO TO GO TO HELL IS TO CONTINUE WHAT HE IS DOING,
but there is a way of escape. There is a way out and salvation is
available for everyone who believes and turns to the Lord. Jesus
Christ came to redeem us and save us from our sins, the power of
Satan and the broad road.
Lost
souls must call out to God for mercy, receive His wonderful
salvation - purchased by Christ's blood and get on the narrow
road and enter the straight gate which takes us to Heaven.
Jesus said: "Except a man be born of water and the
Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God". (John 3: 5)
Here
is your answer - All those who have not had a personal encounter
with Jesus Christ, been born again by the incorruptible Word of
God and by the Spirit of God and had their sins washed away by 'the precious blood', is on the broad road and lost in their
sins!
NOT
VERY MANY PEOPLE ARE GOING TO MAKE IT
The
Bible states that because, "Wide is the gate and broad is the
road", many will go in thereat.
The broad road is crowded with journeyers travelling toward
their doom and destruction. In
Matthew 7:14, the Bible declares, "Because strait is the gate
and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be
that find it". He
asked how many would be saved? He answered: "Strive to enter in
at the strait gate: for
many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be
able". (Luke 13:24)
The
Gate to Heaven is straight - no crookedness can enter there.
Foolish pride must be swept away.
There is no room for human reasoning because the gate will
not move, be enlarged or slanted to take in the new ideology,
theories or curricula of sinful, carnal humanity.
Some preach that there are many ways to be saved and gain
admittance into the Kingdom of God.
This
is utterly false. "Jesus saith unto
him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." (John
14:6)
Jesus
did not say, I am one of the ways, but He said I AM THE WAY.
No wonder our Lord said, "Strait is the gate", for that
gate will not bend or expand to accept any other doctrines or
beliefs except the words, teachings and doctrine of Jesus Christ,
the Son of the living God. The
gate that Jesus spoke of will not conform or change to fit the
traditions or customs of a changing world and a carnal, secular
society. NO, THANK
GOD! The Gate that
leads to God and Heaven is FIXED forever and is as unchanging as
God Himself.
Anyone
entering this gate must humble himself, and in order to enter the
straight gate must do so on his knees
leaving behind him all his unbelief, pride, lust and greed.
There is no room for excess baggage as the individual
passes through this gate. Webster's
Dictionary defines the word 'straight' as Jesus used it here
as, 'Being in a right line'.
That right line is God's way - none other will do!
The
hymn writer penned the words to this wonderful song: "JUST
AS I AM"
Just
as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me,
And that thou bidst me...come to Thee, O Lamb of God I come, I
come.
Without
exception, everyone must come the same way, and there is no
respect of persons - rich and poor, educated and illiterate, wise
and foolish - all must come in through the same gate and conform
to the straightness of this gate.
There is no favoritism or partiality.
There
is only one way to God, Heaven and eternal life.
It is a definite, certain and fixed way, and that way is
Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world.
Jesus said, "I am the door:
by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved". (John
10:9). Here Jesus
emphasizes that there is only one door, and to be saved we must
come through Him.
There
are not many doors to God's Kingdom, but one only - the Lord
Jesus Christ. Jesus
says, "No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me". (John 14:6)
There it is! Mohammed,
Buddha, Confucius, Shiva or the Pope
will not do - the Virgin Mary, St. Peter or the angel
Moroni cannot save you. There
is no other way to be saved than by and through God's Divine
Resurrected Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
St. Peter declared, "There is none other name under
heaven given among men whereby we must be saved". (Acts
4:12)
THERE
ARE MILLIONS OF GODS!
The
heathen have millions of gods and false Christs, but there is only
ONE TRUE CHRIST and His Name is the Lord Jesus Christ - the
only one who is able to save you.
The Bible says, "There is one mediator between God and
men, the Man Christ Jesus". (1 Timothy 2:5)
Jesus Christ the resurrected Saviour is the mediator
between Almighty God and sinful man.
Millions
of people seek peace and forgiveness by bathing in some river or
by having holy water - supposedly blessed by a religious person -
sprinkled upon them. Others,
by making pilgrimages to shrines, reciting repetitious prayers
continually, counting beads or doing penance by lying on spikes,
walking on coals of fire, beating themselves and even carrying a
cross on their back or abstaining from food.
BUT,
OH, HOW FUTILE! WHAT A
WASTE OF TIME AND ENERGY WHEN WE KNOW THE TRUTH - when Jesus
Christ has paid the penalty for our sins and has shed His blood;
suffered and died so that we can be forgiven, healed and blessed;
and that He rose again from the dead and lives forevermore!
There
is only ONE Who can give peace to troubled minds, joy to tortured
hearts, new life to the lost and forgiveness to the sinful, and I
must shout it out loud and clear, His Name is Jesus.
He alone is the Saviour of the world.
The
hymn writer stated:
What
can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me pure within, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh!
precious is the flow....that makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
God's
Word says, "Without shedding of blood is no remission."
(Hebrews 9:22); "The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanseth
us from all sin." (1 John 1:7). Many ask, "Why
could not Buddha, Mohammed or the Pope be saviours as well as
Jesus? The answer is very simple!
The
Bible declares, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life". (John 3:16).
God had only One Son, and His only begotten Son's name
was not Buddha, Mohammed, Shiva or Pope Pius. The name of God's
Son is JESUS.
The
angel said to Joseph: "Thou
shalt call His name Jesus: for
He shall save His people from their sins".
(Matthew 1: 23); Jesus said, "As My Father
hath sent Me, even so send I you".
(John 20:21);
"As Thou hast sent Me into this world, even so have I
also sent them into the world." (John 17:18)
Jesus
repeatedly stated that He is the Son of God. (John 5:18; 10:30 -
33; Mark 14: 61,62) And don't forget that Jesus Christ was the
only One Who died on the cross for our sins, fulfilling the Old
Testament prophesies (Isaiah 53:4,5; Matthew 8:16,17; 1 Peter
2:24), and we read that
Jesus was, 'declared to be the Son of God with power,
according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the
dead'. (Romans 1:4) Praise
the Lord!
So
we see that the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead sets
Him apart from all other men of all ages and gives final proof to
the fact that He was, is and always will be the Divine, Holy Son
of God and the only Saviour of the world.
Jesus Christ stands completely and altogether above
everyone else because He was the only one who had power to rise
from the dead.
A
dead man cannot help you and all of those other people who have
been mentioned are dead and gone, but Jesus Christ lives on in
power and greatness; resurrected and alive; able to save and
deliver all who come unto God by Him. (Hebrews 7:25)
ON
WHICH ROAD ARE YOU TRAVELING?
Now
I want to ask you a pointed question:
Who's Side are you on?
On
which road are you traveling? As you read these lines I must
remind you that you are on one of these roads, either the broad
road with the wide gate which will take you to an eternal hell, or
the narrow road with the straight gate that brings you to Heaven
and Eternity with God. There
is NO middle road and NO neutral ground. You are either on one
road or the other. We
are all travelers into Eternity.
Every person living today is on one of these roads.
If you have not given your heart and life to God and
accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, Lord and Master, then you
are a lost soul on the road to hell, and will never have peace,
joy or happiness in this life or the one to come, if you continue
in the way you are going.
TODAY,
AS YOU READ THESE LINES YOU CAN COME TO JESUS AND BY FAITH TURN
YOUR LIFE OVER TO GOD; GET OFF THE BROAD ROAD AND GET ON THE ONE
THAT LEADS TO GLORY. "By
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it
is the gift of God: not
of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
As
the Holy Spirit moves upon you, will you not surrender your entire
life to the Lord; slip down on your knees in prayer to God; cry
out for mercy as the publican did in the Bible, "God, be
merciful to me a sinner"; (Luke 18:10-14)
Accept the full and free salvation that God offers you now,
and you will enter the straight gate and be on the narrow road of
Christian living. Jesus
said, "Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest".
(Matthew 11:28)
Amen.
MAX
SOLBREKKEN WORLD MISSION
Box 44220
RPO Garside, Edmonton, AB T5V 1N6 www.mswm.org
email: max@maxsolbrekken
MY
PERSONAL TESTIMONY
of
Jesus Christ's Awesome Power
Pastor
Max Solbrekken, D.D.
My
heart is overflowing with gratitude to our Heavenly Father Who so
lovingly reached down His Hand of mercy to an undeserving world in
sending His Son to redeem us from the clutches of Satan.
Jesus' vicarious death and glorious resurrection purchased our
salvation.
The
Lord is awesome and "His ways are past finding out."
It is impossible to understand the grace of God and why Jesus
would suffer, bleed and die for sinful mankind! Personally,
I am amazed to think of what God has accomplished through this
Ministry during the past 49 years.
Almost
everywhere we meet people who have been saved, healed, filled with
the Holy Spirit or called in His service through this Ministry.
It brings me to my knees in humility when I think of how God
called me into His Holy work, because in my younger years I never
envisioned that I would preach the Gospel.
It
is true that I was taught by my parents to trust in God as a child
and at 17 years of age at SLBI (Lutheran Collegiate Bible
Institute) Outlook, Saskatchewan, I went forward to rededicate my
life to Christ after a stirring appeal by Rev. Sylvan Johnson, a
powerful Lutheran Evangelist. Due to unsaved friends, a
desire for worldly pleasure and lack of back-bone, my confession
didn't hold and I drifted away from God for seven years, until God
called me again through a miracle.
GOD
REVEALED HIMSELF TO OUR FAMILY
My
Dad had suffered for many years with his gall bladder and in March
1956, he entered the hospital for surgery. While there, he
heard a voice in the Norwegian tongue instructing him to go home
and listen to Oral Roberts on the radio. My Dad's gall
bladder was healed perfectly, as was his heart. And my Dad
received the 'Baptism of the Holy Spirit', spoke in tongues and
prophesied.
Those
events surprised me so profoundly that I began experiencing God's
convicting Spirit speaking to me, and for the first time in my
life I saw that His Word was still relevant and that He was
performing miracles as He had done 2000 years ago.
Little
by little, the Holy Spirit drew me to Himself and in June 1957, I
surrendered my life to God. Shortly thereafter, I was
baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire. And I have not been
the same since.
By
the grace of God we celebrated my 78th birthday on May 15th, 2012
and I can testify that He has kept me in good health and strong in
the Spirit. And Donna gets better looking every day!
We are so thankful and overwhelmed by the love showered upon us by
the many who faithfully support us.
On
September 26, 2007, we opened Christ the Healer Gospel Church
is Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and on July 3, 2011 we dedicated the House
of Prayer Gospel Church on Hwy #623, New Sarepta, AB, to our
Lord Jesus Christ. By His grace alone we have been able to
preach His Wonderful Gospel across the world with great success
reaching multitudes of unsaved people for Christ's Kingdom.
On
our way to Kampala, Uganda for the Max Solbrekken Gospel Unity
Crusade and Minister's Conference (September 13-18, 2011), I had
the privilege of reaching many thousands across Scandinavia by TV
from Vision Norway during out six-day Outreach there. It was
such a joy to see so many blessed by our Lord through TV in Norway
and Uganda.
THE
DOORS ARE WIDE OPEN FOR OUR TV MINISTRY
I
began my Radio Ministry in 1961 and graduated to TV in 1971.
For many years, I preached the Gospel in Canada by radio and TV
and reached many unconverted souls for Christ.
NOW,
the doors have swung open for us to do it again. We are
beginning to produce our Programs in Alberta and gradually reach
out across the Nation. I have asked God to give me many
PARTNERS who will gladly help us in this great outreach for Him.
Some
can give more and others an give less. God has assured me
that the 'HARVEST IS RIPE' for a genuine old-time REVIVAL in
Canada.
I
humbly ask all my friends to continue praying that He will lead us
in His perfect will and richly bless those who will sacrifice in
this Holy Project.
Please
let me hear from you and remember, we are praying for you.
May God bless you richly, my friend! Amen.
Your
servant for Jesus' sake,
Pastor Max Solbrekken, 2 Corinthians 4:5
Please
contact us soon - Telephone (780) 460-8444 or
email: max@maxsolbrekken.com
 WHAT MUST
I DO TO
BE SAVED?
Jesus
said, "Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
Yes,
my dear friend, God is still in the business of setting men and
women free from their sins, sorrows, heartbreaks, fears and
troubles. In this age of frustrations, nervous tensions and
mental collapses, Jesus Christ is still granting peace to the
troubled, joy to the discouraged, strength to the weary and
healing to the sick!
1
- You must admit that you are a sinner
The
Bible says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God". (Rom. 3:23)
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the
iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6)
2
- You must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God
You
MUST believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that Jesus died
on the cross, was buried and rose again from the dead.
"That
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal
life. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: buot he that
believeth not is condemned already." (John 3:15,18)
"Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on
Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24)
 3
- You must repent of your sins
The
Bible says, "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
(Luke 13:3) "Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous
man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will
have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon".
(Isaiah 55:7)
4
- You must receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour
The
Bible says: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life". (John 3:16)
"Behold,
I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open
the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he
with Me." (Rev. 3:20)
"He that hath the Son hath life: and he
that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (1 John 5:12)
5
- You must confess Jesus Christ as your Lord
The
Bible says: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation". (Romans 10:9-10)
"Whosoever
shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of man confess
before the angels of God: But he that denieth Me before men shall
be denied before the angels of God." (Luke 12:8, 9)
HOW
DO I INVITE
JESUS CHRIST INTO MY LIFE?
Pray
to God, a prayer - from your heart.
Tell Him that you
are a sinner and that you need forgiveness. Tell him that
you believe Jesus Christ died for your sins. Tell him that
you are willing to change, to turn away from sin. Ask Jesus
Christ to come into your heart and life and be your personal
Saviour.
"But
as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons
of God, even to them that believe on his name." (John 1:12)
"Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2
Corinthians 5:17)
If
you prayed and ask Jesus Christ into your heart - YOU HAVE NOW
RECEIVED THE GIFT OF SALVATION - YOU HAVE BECOME A CHILD OF GOD.
God Bless You.
-
Powerful AUDIO Bible sermons/messages
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken
- click on
message to listen -
Bible
Scriptures verses about
 death
crucifixion of Jesus Christ, resurrection of Jesus Christ, Easter
(King James Version
-KJV)
Isaiah
7:14 - (kjv) - "Behold,
a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name
Emanuel." Luke
1:35 - (kjv) - "...the
Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest
shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall
be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." Galatians
4:4 - (kjv) - "But
when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His
Son..." John
5:24 - (kjv) - Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on
him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Matthew
26:49-50 - (kjv) - "And forthwith he came to
Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed Him. And Jesus said unto
him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid
hands on Jesus, and took Him away." Matthew
26:55-56 - (kjv) - "In
that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as
against a thief with swords and staves for to take Me? I sat daily
with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on Me. But
all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be
fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook Him, and fled." Matthew
26:2 - (kjv) - "Ye know that after two days
is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be
crucified." Matthew
27:3-10 - (kjv) - "Then
Judas, which had betrayed Him, when he saw that He was condemned,
repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to
the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have
betrayed innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see
thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple,
and departed, and went and hanged himself." "And
the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not
lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price
of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's
field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The
field of blood, unto this day." "Then
was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him that
was valued, Whom they of the children of Israel did value; And
gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me." Matthew
28:1-10 - (kjv) - In
the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day
of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the
sepulcher. And,
behold there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord
descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the
door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his
raiment white as snow: And
for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And
the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I
know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for
He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the
dead, and, behold, He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall
ye see Him: lo, I have told you. And
they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy;
and did run to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell
His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they
came and held Him by the feet, and worshipped Him." Then
said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell My brethren that they
go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me. Luke
13:3 - (kjv) - I
tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish. Acts
17:30 - (kjv) - At
the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commanded all
men every where to repent: Acts
3:19 - (kjv) - Repent
ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,
when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the
Lord; 1
John 1:9 - (kjv) - If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our]
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Revelation
2:5 - (kjv) - Remember
therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the
first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will
remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. Acts
2:38 - (kjv) - Then Peter
said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 2
Peter 3:9 - (kjv) - The
Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count
slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Mark
1:15 - (kjv) - And
saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand:
repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2
Corinthians 7:9 - (kjv) - Now
I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to
repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye
might receive damage by us in nothing. Matthew
3:2 - (kjv) - And
saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Joel
2:13 - (kjv) - And rend
your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your
God: for he [is] gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of
great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Jeremiah
18:8 - (kjv) - If that
nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I
will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. Revelation
3:19 - (kjv) - As
many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and
repent. Matthew
4:17 - (kjv) - From
that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jonah
3:10 - (kjv) - And God saw
their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God
repented of the evil, that he had said he would not do unto them;
and he did [it] not. Acts
20:21 - (kjv) - Testifying
both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God,
and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts
8:22 - (kjv) - Repent
therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the
though of thine heart may be forgiven thee. Jonah
3:9 - (kjv) - Who
can tell [if] God will turn and repent, and turn away from his
fierce anger, that we perish not? 2
Timothy 2:25 - (kjv) - In
meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God
peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the
truth; Mark
1:4 - (kjv) - John
did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of
repentance for the remission of sins. Hebrews
12:17 - (kjv) - For ye know
how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he
was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he
sought it carefully with tears. Romans
2:4 - (kjv) - Or despisest
thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering;
not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? Acts
26:20 - (kjv) - But
shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and
throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and [then] to the Gentiles,
that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for
repentance. Luke
3:3 - (kjv) - I
came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Luke
3:3 - (kjv) - And
he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism
of repentance for the remission of sins; Mark
6:12 - (kjv) - And
they went out, and preached that men should repent. Mark
2:7 - (kjv) - When Jesus
heard [it], he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need
of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to to call
the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Matthew
27:3 - (kjv) - Then Judas,
which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned,
repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to
the chief priests and elders, Matthew
9:13 - (kjv) - But
go ye and learn what [that] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not
sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance. John
6:50 - (kjv) - This
is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat
thereof, and not die. Matthew
6:13 - (kjv) - And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine
is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen. Isaiah
57:15 - (kjv) - For thus saith
the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name [is]
Holy; I dwell in the high and holy [place], with him also [that
is] of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the
humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Philippians
1:23 - (kjv) - For
I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be
with Christ; which is far better: Romans
6:23 - (kjv) - For
the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Galatians
6:8 - (kjv) - For he that soweth
to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that
soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Jeremiah
10:10 - (kjv) - But the
LORD [is] the true God, he [is] the living God, and an everlasting
king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall
not be able to abide his indignation. Psalms
90:2 - (kjv) - Before
the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the
earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou
[art] God. Psalms
72:17 - (kjv) - His
name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as
the sun: and [men] shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call
him blessed. Psalms
41:13 - (kjv) - Blessed
[be] the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting.
Amen, and Amen. Matthew
5:8 - Blessed
are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Matthew
5:12 - Rejoice,
and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so
persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew
5:20 - For
I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case
enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew
6:20 -
But lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and
where thieves do not break through nor steal. Matthew
8:11 - And I say unto you, That
many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with
Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew
13:30 - Let both grow together until the harvest: and
in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye
together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them:
but gather the wheat into my barn. Matthew
13:43 - Then shall the righteous
shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who
hath ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew
13:49 - So shall it be at
the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the
wicked from among the just. Matthew
18:10 - Take heed that ye despise
not one of these little ones: for I say unto you, That in heaven
their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in
heaven. Matthew
19:21 - Jesus said unto him, If
thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the
poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow
me. Matthew
22:30 - For in the resurrection
they neither marry; nor are given in marriage, but are as the
angels of God in heaven. Matthew
25:34 - Then shall the King say
unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world: Matthew
25:46 - And these shall go away
into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. Luke
10:20 - Notwithstanding in this
rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather
rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. Luke
12:8 -
Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him
shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God. Luke
12:32 - Fear not, little flock;
for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke
12:33 - Sell that ye have, and
give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure
in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth,
neither moth corrupteth. Luke
15:6 - And when he cometh home,
he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them,
Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. Luke
15:7 - I say unto you, that
likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth,
more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no
repentance. Luke
15:10 - Likewise, I say unto you,
there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner
that repenteth. Luke
15:32 - It was meet that we
should make merry, and be glad for this thy brother was dead, and
is alive again, and was lost, and is found. Luke
16:22 - And it came to pass, that
the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's
bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; Luke
20:34 - And Jesus answering said
unto them, The child of this world marry, and are given in
marriage: Luke
20:35 - But they which shall be
accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from
the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Luke
20:36 - Neither can they die any
more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of
God, being the children of the resurrection. Luke
22:29 - And I appoint unto you a
kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; Luke
22:30 - That ye may eat and drink
at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve
tribes of Israel. Luke
23:43 - And Jesus said unto him,
Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. John
5:28 - Marvel not at this: for
the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall
hear his voice, John
5:28 - And shall come forth; they
that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that
have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. John
10:28 - And I give unto them
eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man
pluck them out of my hand. John
12:26 - If any man serve me, let
him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if
any man serve me, him will my Father honour. John
13:26 - Simon Peter said unto
him, Lord, whither goes thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I
go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me
afterwards. John
14:2 - In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not
so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John
14:3 -
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John
17:22 - And the glory which thou
gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are
one. John
17:24 -
Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me
where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given
me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. Acts
7:55 - But he, being full of the
Holy Ghost, look up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of
God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, Acts
7:56 - And said, Behold, I see
the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand
of God. Romans
5:17 - For if by one man's
offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive
abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in
life by one, Jesus Christ. 2
Corinthians 5:1 - For we know
that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we
have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in
the heavens. 2
Corinthians 12:2 - I knew a man
in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot
tell, or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
such an one caught up to the third heaven. 2
Corinthians 2:3 - And I knew such
a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell:
God knoweth;) 2
Corinthians 2:4 - How that he was
caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is
not lawful for a man to utter. Ephesians
1:18 - The eyes of your
understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope
of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his
inheritance in the saints, Colossians
1:5 - For the hope which is laid
up for you in heaven; whereof ye heard before in the word of the
truth of the gospel; Colossians
1:6 - Which is come unto you, as
it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also
in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in
truth. Colossians
1:12 - Giving thanks unto the
Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light. Colossians
3:4 - When Christ, who is our
life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 1
Thessalonians 2:12 - That ye
would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and
glory. 1
Thessalonians 4:17 - Then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever
be with the Lord. 11
Thessalonians 1:7 - And to
you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall
be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. 11
Thessalonians 2:14 - Whereunto he
called you by our gospel, to the obtaining the glory of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Hebrews
10:34 - For ye had compassion of
me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods,
knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an
enduring substance. Hebrews
11:16 - But now they desire a
better country, that is, an heavenly : wherefore God is not
ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a
city. Hebrews
12:22 - But ye are come unto
mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. Hebrews
12:23 - To the general assembly
and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to
God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, Hebrews
12:24 - And to Jesus the mediator
of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh
better things than that of Abel. Hebrews
12:28 - Wherefore we receiving a
kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may
serve God acceptably: with reverence and godly fear. Hebrews
13:14 - For here have we no
continuing city, but we seek one to come. 1
Peter 1:4 - To an inheritance
incorruptible, and undefiled; and that fadeth not away, reserved
in heaven for you, 2
Peter 1:11 - For so an entrance
shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting
kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 2
Peter 3:13 - Nevertheless we,
according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth,
wherein dwelleth righteousness. Revelation
2:7 - He that hath an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that
overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the
midst of the paradise of God. Revelation
3:21 - To him that overcometh
will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame,
and am set down with my Father in his throne. Revelation
4:4 - And round about the throne
were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and
twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment, and they had on
their heads crowns of gold. Revelation
5:9 - And they sung a new song,
saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals
thereof for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy
blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. Revelation
7:9 - After this I beheld, and,
lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations,
and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne,
and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their
hands.  Bible
Scriptures verses on Values, morals
Moral & values taught by
Jesus Christ
(King
James Version)
Matthew
6:24 - (kjv) - No man can
serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the
other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Acts
20:35 - (kjv) - I have shewed you
all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak,
and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is
more blessed to give than to receive. Luke
6:32 - (kjv) - For if ye
love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also
love those than love them. Romans
14:1
- (kjv) - Him
that is weak in the faith receive ye [but] not to doubtful
disputations. Mark
11:25
- (kjv) - And
when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that
your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your
trespasses. Leviticus
19:18
- (kjv) - Thou
shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy
people, but thoo shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I [am] the
LORD. Leviticus
19:9-10 - (kjv) - And when ye
reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the
corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of
thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither
shall thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave
them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God. Colossians
3:12-14
- (kjv) - Put
on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels
of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have
a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of
perfectness. 2
Timothy 3:16
- (kjv) - All
scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: Colossians
3:1 - (kjv) - If ye then be risen
with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ
sitteth on the right hand of God Philippians
3:18-19 -
(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you
even weeping, [that they are] the enemies of the cross of Christ:
Philippians
3:1 -
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same
things to you, to me indeed [is] not grievous, but for you [it is]
safe. Ephesians
5:5 -
For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor
covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ and of God. Ephesians
5:1-7 -
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; Ephesians
4:32 -
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians
4:1-6 -
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk
worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, Galatians
6:7-8 -
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth,
that shall he also reap. Romans
14:10-12 -
But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at
nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment
seat of Christ. Romans
13:1 -
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no
power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Romans
12:2 -
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans
12:1 -
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
[which is] your reasonable service.
Romans
3:23 -
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
John
8:1-8 -
Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
John
3:17 -
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but
that the world through him might be saved.
John
3:16 -
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.
John
2:3-6 -
And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him,
They have no wine.
John
1:8 -
He was not that Light, but [was sent] to bear witness of that
Light.
John
1:1 -
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God.
Luke
16:13 -
No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one,
and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise
the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Luke
10:25-28 -
And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying,
Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Matthew
1:16 (kjv) - And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom
was born Jesus, who is called Christ. Matthew
1:18 (kjv) - Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on the wise: When
as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came
together, we was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Matthew
27:22 (kjv) - Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with
Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be
crucified. Mark
1:1 (kjv) - The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son
of God. Mark
12:35 (kjv) - And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the
temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? John
1:17 (kjv) - For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth
came by Jesus Christ. John
17:3
(kjv) - And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the
only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John
20:31
(kjv) But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life
through his name. Acts
2:36
(kjv) Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that
God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord
and Christ. Acts
2:38
- Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts
3:6
(kjv) - Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as
I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise
up and walk. Acts
3:20
(kjv) - And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached
unto you. Acts
4:10 (kjv)
- Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that
by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom
God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here
before you whole. Acts
5:42
(kjv) - And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased
not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. Acts
8:12
(kjv) - And when they believed Philip preaching the things
concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they
were baptized, both men and women. Acts
8:37
(kjv) - And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart,
thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. Acts
9:34
(kjv) - And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee
whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately.
CONTACT
INFORMATION
For further spiritual counsel,
prayer or gospel literature, please contact us!
www.mswm.org
www.maxsolbrekken.com
email: max @maxsolbrekken.com Max
Solbrekken World Mission, PO Box 44220, RPO Garside, Edmonton,
AB T5V 1N6 (780) 460-8444
The House of Prayer, New Sarepta, AB (780)-941-2372
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