Revival

I went to see and hear Natalie Grant here in my hometown the other night. I have heard her live a couple of times before and I think she's a very talented singer and songwriter. What I appreciate the most about her though is the Holy Spirit working in her life. She truly ministers and I was very blessed by her performance. I am seldom moved by music alone but if the Holy Spirit is at work I'm in. When she sang I was truly worshipping and praising Jesus. With shouts, singing and praising in the Holy Spirit. She's spirit filled I'm sure.



There are so many Christians that think that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is just about speaking in tongues and to them it seems odd and not something they want to be part of. It IS speaking in tongues but it's also most of all an ability to just get lost in the spirit. To shout and worship from your spirit in a way that can't be expressed by human words. To express the inexpressible.


There was a little old lady sitting next to us on the bench. I started to speak to her and I could tell that she was spirit filled. And just by looking at her seeing the joy that just oozed out of her.When I asked what church she goes to she told me it was one of the Assembly of God churches in town. I knew it! After the concert I hugged her before we left and I just felt that love in the spirit between me and her, (a total stranger), that only the Holy Spirit can give. It's a total surrender to the love of God.

If you're not baptized in the Holy Spirit, ask the Lord to fill you with the signs of speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues will help you stay filled with the Holy Spirit. The tongues can be used in many ways. To me personally it's mostly a prayer language where I can pray out things that I don't even know about in the spirit. I also worship in tongues where I speak to God about His greatness and His love and His wonderful plans.

Don't miss out on a wonderful gift from God to you as a believer that will increase your understanding of His love and give you boldness and fire for Jesus.

"On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Acts 1:4-5
Christians know about the day of Pentecost which you can read about in Acts 2:1-4. Many seem to rationalize and try to imply that what happened then were just for that particular time. Still they claim to believe in all of God's word.

Verse 4 says:
"And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

I think Acts is a model for how we as Christians should spread the gospel. Wherever people in Acts heard the gospel they were also baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. That's how they knew, they spoke in tongues!

"While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God." Acts 10:44-46


"he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”
And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”
So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”
Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied." Acts 19:2-6

Here's what John the Baptist said about Jesus:
"I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Mark 1:8
"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Matt 3:11

In Paul's letter to the Corinthians he talks a lot about the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit.
"For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries." 1 Cor 14:2
"He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification." 1 Cor 14: 4-5

Many misinterpret this to say that we should not speak in tongues, but that's not what Paul is saying because in 1 Cor 14:18 Paul says: "I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all;"
No, he's just talking about being careful of how to display the tongues in public. I believe it can be done, if it's done in order. We used to pray strong in my church, all together in tongues, but when it came to speaking out loud it had to be done in order and the pastor was in charge of who could speak or prophesy.
"What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding."
1 Cor 14:15

If you are born again that is a work of the Holy Spirit and salvation is the greatest miracle of all. But there's MORE! We, just like the apostles in Acts need to be transformed and filled with the Holy Spirit so we boldly can proclaim the gospel. We are called to proclaim the gospel and not some sophisticated, intellectual, worldly soup. We need power! If we don't have power, the enemy has power over us.
It's not enough to be "churched". I see a lot of people that is just that; "churched". If God hadn't transformed my life I had never set foot in a church. I had no need for conformity or tradition. But when Jesus saved me on that beach in Spain, I couldn't wait to meet my brothers and sisters. And God led me to a church where the Holy Spirit was so strong, His presence came over you already in the foyer and you couldn't walk straight sometimes.
And you were not the same when you walked out of the church as you were when you came in. An ongoing mighty transformation all the time.
And you can't hide in an atmosphere like that. You become transparent which may sound scary, but it's not, because the love of God is there to cover you. Kind of like in the Garden of Eden where they were naked but they didn't know it. And when you're loved like that it's easy to love everybody. It just flows out of you.
So just ask the Father to fill you. He is good and only wants the best for you.
"If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” " Luke 11:11-13
Jesus loves you!

God's Healing Power

I promised to write about the baptism in the Holy Spirit before, but first I want to write about healing. I’m not an expert on anything, but I am a believer and I do believe in what the word says. It’s so easy to base our faith on our experiences especially when it comes to healing. I hear a lot of teaching here in America that says that God has everything in His hand and that nothing bad will happen to us unless God permits it. That may have been true in the Old Testament and people refer to Job as an example of that.

When you bring this issue up in a discussion, a lot of people will tell you that you cannot understand God’s mysterious ways etc, etc and it sounds very wise, but it’s just human reasoning based on what they have seen in life. And they may have been around for quite some time! When you say that God wants to heal everybody it seems so radical and unwise.
If you are saved, born again and has received Jesus in your heart, health and healing is part of salvation. Our bodies will not be completely redeemed till we get our new glorified bodies in heaven, but the healing powers of Jesus is ours.
“And by His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5
“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”
1 Peter 2:24
God is now our Father through Jesus Christ and He wants only the best for us.
“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning”.
James 1:16-17
In my Swedish translation it says that God is light and that there is no darkness in Him.
"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?
Luke 11:11
I would like to add, which one of you parents would want your child to have cancer?
That seems absurd to ask, still we find it easy to believe that our heavenly Father would want that for us.
I have given my testimony here on my blog before, how I got saved when I was thirty. I didn’t have any physical health problems as far as I know, but God healed me from so many issues in my mind and my soul. He also delivered me from smoking which probably would have turned into a health problem eventually. He didn’t just save me and let me deal with my issues on my own to teach me something. He totally delivered me and set me free. In my church in Stockholm they would lay hands on people all the time and I would run up front and be prayed for so many times.
Here’s one example how the Word of God itself just healed me when I read it. I was very introvert when I came to the Lord. I had done a lot of eastern meditations and those kind of things which had led to that my soul was in bondage. One day I read the word below, about letting your eyes look straight ahead, and it was like something popped in me and around the area of my eyes and I was loosened.
“Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you.” Proverbs 4:25
He has not changed. My God is the same yesterday, today and forever. What He does for me, He will do for you. He will heal our minds as well as our bodies. He is altogether good.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
God has through Jesus Christ given us authority over evil. We are to cast out demons, lay hands on the sick and command sickness to leave.
“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luke 10:19
He has given us authority over demonic powers. Many times when Jesus came upon a sick person, He would cast out the demon that caused the disease.
We are not to be passive bystanders. Jesus tells us to do what He did. We don’t pray a prayer and hope that something will happen. We tell sickness to go because in Jesus name we have the power.
We don’t live in a perfect world and I believe that there are things that can bring on disease. Bitterness and unforgiveness for example can open the door and give the enemy access to our bodies. The most important thing is that God doesn’t make us sick to teach us something. He is chastising and correcting us through His word first and foremost, and only if we refuse to listen or take heed we can bring disease upon ourselves. Satan is also out to destroy us and he is more than happy if we don’t understand that we are in a spiritual warfare and we start to question God’s goodness. How can you pray for somebody’s healing if you in the back of your mind think that it may be God’s will for this person to be sick?
You can also ask yourself, if you believe it’s God’s will, why pray at all? Why go to the doctor if it’s God’s will that you be sick.
I think we’ve been fed human theology and not God’s theology and it seems kind of holy and humble to have those beliefs. But it’s not. True humility says what God says. We also have to look at the whole Bible and not just find one scripture that seem to back up our theory.
“The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.”
Psalms 119:160
Maybe you prayed for somebody and the person died. OK, so that’s your experience. Like I said before, we don’t base our faith on our experiences. Just because that person didn’t get healed doesn’t mean that God didn’t want to heal. We don’t have the whole picture and there may be obstacles that we didn’t see or didn’t understand.
The Bible is full of words about healing. We have to find those promises and pray them over ourselves to stay in health but also pray them out for ourselves and others when sickness attacks.
“He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”
Psalm 107:20
Here is also an interesting word that reads a little different in the Swedish version where it says that the righteous are snatched away by the power of evil whereas in the English the righteous is taken away from evil.
"The righteous perishes,
And no man takes it to heart;
Merciful men are taken away,
While no one considers
That the righteous is taken away from evil."
Isaiah 57:1-2
If you look up evil it always talks about how the righteous will be protected from evil and the wicked. Reading the Swedish translation here tells me there are times when the evil one actually snatches somebody away before his time. Like young people dying in car accidents for example. I don’t know what the original translation says so I’ll just leave it at that.
I can recommend BibleGateway if you don’t already use that website, for easy access to God’s Word.


http://www.biblegateway.com/


God Bless You!

The Basics of Christianity 4

The bible teaches that what separates us from God is sin. The reason we don’t know Him personally is sin. God cannot have relationship with sin and there for we need to be cleansed from our sin.
If you have not received Jesus in your heart yet, I’m sure there have been times when you have wondered, is there a God. And you want to believe there is a God, but you don’t KNOW.

This is the difference between people that have received Jesus and people who have not. Once you say yes to Jesus as your personal Savior, you will KNOW without a doubt that He is real.

Sometimes we as Christians are trying to convince the world by historical evidence etc. I think no matter how much proof we present, if a person doesn’t receive Jesus in faith it’s all futile. It’s a matter of faith and that’s the way God has made it. You can only come to Him by faith and faith alone.
In Romans it talks about how the righteous shall live by faith. Romans 9:9-10 says:

..” if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

And in verse 13:

"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Jesus says in John 3:3:

"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

And in verse 5-8:

"I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

All believers that are born again are one in Jesus. The bible says that we are one body and that Jesus is the head.

There is also the baptism of the Holy Spirit and I wish that all believers would embrace that. The disciples received the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. They needed that to be bold followers of Jesus Christ and they were instantly transformed. I don’t understand why not all Christians realize that we also need the power of the Holy Spirit today and maybe even more today than ever.
The sad thing is that a lot of believers think they already have it when they don’t, and I think that is a great deception in the body of Christ. We need everything that the bible talks about.
We need the spiritual gifts, which is NOT hospitality like some try to make it.

This is what 1 Corinthians 12:8-11 tells us the spiritual gifts are:

“it’s the word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, the gift of prophecy, the gift of healing, the gift of faith, the gift of miraculous powers, the gift of distinguishing between spirits, the gift of speaking in different kinds of tongues, and the gift of the interpretation of tongues.”

These gifts are all supernatural. You can be hospitable with the help of the Holy Spirit, He is there to help us with anything God has called us to do, but the gifts of the spirit are truly something we could never produce in our own power. I would say that most churches do not operate in these gifts. Still they consider themselves a Christian Church. I’m sure that people in most places are born again, but we are not doing what God has called us to do and we are not helping this world to be delivered from the power of Satan. We give the world a picture of a social club when we should be a power station and refuge for a world in dire need.

I hear Christians say when it comes to the issue of speaking in tongues that the bible says that it should be done in order etc. Well, that was said to people who were speaking in tongues already and (obviously so much they needed to be admonished), not to people who don’t want to have anything to do with the spiritual gifts altogether. The bible never says not to speak in tongues.

Paul says in Corinthians 14:5: “I would like every one of you to speak in tongues” and in
verse 39: “Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.”

A large part of Christianity think that they can just skip these chapters in the book of Corinthians about the spiritual gifts and just create their own version of Christian faith.

I also believe that we just as the disciples in their day need all the five ministry gifts. Ephesians 4:11-13 talks about this:

“It was he, (Christ), who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

If the Bible says we need this to fulfill our calling as believers, why do so many churches think we can manage without this? And why do they think we no longer need apostles?

An Apostle lays a spiritual foundation for the house of God. It can be a new church being started out in the mission field or anywhere. Wherever God is starting up something new, there needs to be a foundation in the spirit. The teaching of an apostle has a whole different depth and is much more profound than the teaching of a teacher. The teacher gift goes into detail but the teaching of the apostle creates something in the spirit that keeps on working for a long, long time.

We desperately need the fullness of Christ, we need the full gospel. We can’t just pick and choose what we think is acceptable. We have to be willing to be fools for Christ. The gospel is foolishness in the world’s eyes.

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.” 1 Corinthians 1:25

“We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:12-16


“Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise.”
1 Corinthians 3:18


If you have not yet received Jesus Christ as your personal savior pray right now:

- “Jesus I come to you now. I receive you in my heart. I believe that you died on the Cross for me. I believe that you rose on the third day. Forgive me for all of my sin, cleanse me with your blood. Thank you Jesus that I now belong to you, that I am now a child of God, and thank you that I am now born again. I want to follow you for the rest of my life. Amen.”

If you have not yet received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, I will show what the bible teaches about that and how to receive it in my next post. God bless you!

Basics of Christianity 3

God sends Jesus.

Jesus was sent to Earth for a mission. He was in the glory with His Father, but He chose to come down to us to save us for eternity.
In Revelation 22:13 Jesus says:
" I am the Alfa and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, The First and the Last”

In Colossians 1:15-17 it says;

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist ".

To understand the significance of what Jesus did on the cross it's important to also understand his altogether divine origin. The Crucifixion was no accident but a, from eternity, thoroughly thought out plan, to once and for all crush the power of darkness and buy mankind back to it's Creator.
When Jesus died on the cross he took the sin of all mankind upon himself. He took the punishment for our sins. He went down to the kingdom of death and made an amendment for our sins. On the third day he was risen from the dead.
It says that,

" He died so that we would live"and so : “that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone". Hebrews 2:9b

Salvation.

When a person receives Jesus as his own personal Savior he is born again. (John 3:3).
The spirit in him gets new life, the spirit of God,the life of God starts to reside inside of him.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 it says:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new".

Jesus’ act of redemption is complete. What Jesus did on the cross, does not just cover our sins, it totally wipes them out. They become obliterated.

Every man, every woman is personally responsible before God and must answer to Him for their life and their relationship to Jesus Christ. There's nothing or nobody to blame for us not coming to Jesus. All of Creation bears witness that there is a God.

In Romans 1:20 we read:

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened."

Here we see how strict God can be. He doesn't see through his fingers when it comes to sin and rebellion against the truth. We can never fool or hide from God.

But most of all He is a loving God. The Bible tells us that He IS love. This love can be summarized with the words in John 3:16-21.
God gave the most precious that he had, his own beloved son, so that you and I wouldn't be lost forever but have eternal life. That is the greatest and the best gift you can receive here on earth, salvation through Jesus Christ. He is true light and eternal life.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God”.

The Basics of Christianity 1

I will publish some articles going through the basics of Christianity. Our roots, where it started, and why we need Jesus. I live in America, a country very much “under the gun” right now both financially and spiritually. It is very likely connected. We as individuals or nations are either blessed by God or in the hands of the enemy, which is Satan. There are so many things going on in this country right now; threats that will take away freedom of speech for one, with laws that will criminalize speaking the truth from the Bible. We live in very serious times my friend and it’s more important than ever that people get to hear the gospel so they can take a stand for or against Jesus. There’s no middle road. I pray that the Lord will show me what to do. How I can best reach people.
Lord, where do you want me to go, and what do you want me to do?


Why Jesus only ?

You may not have asked this question, but it's a fact that Christians all over the world with no exception, claim that there's only one way to God, and that way is Jesus Christ. The answer to the question is, that Jesus is the only one who deals with the basic problem of mankind, which is sin. No doctrine, no religion can cure this. All you can hope to get is some polish, some nice behavior maybe, but man's nature persists.

What is sin?

Sin is to turn away from God and wanting to go your own way, and thereby miss the purpose for one's life. And to miss the very meaning with why we were created.
The Bible does say that God created us; even created us in His image. God created man out of love because he wanted to have fellowship. What we see in the world today are consequences of sin;hatred, violence, murder, selfishness, sexual promiscuity. All of this is sin in God's eyes and a fruit of man going his own way, turning away from God.


The Garden of Eden.

God created man out of love and put him in a wonderful place where everything was good and good only, the Garden of Eden, and God gave man authority over His creation.
He blessed Adam and Eve and said:
“ Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it, have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28).

There was no death; life was eternal. Both man and creatures were to eat from everything that the earth would bring, all kinds of fruits and herbs.
Eden was full of trees of every kind that were "pleasant to the sight and good for food."

In the center of the garden God put the "Tree of Life" and also the"Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil”.
God gave Adam the command that he could freely eat from any of the trees in the garden, except for the"Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil”, for if he did that he would surely die.

Ted Haggard in the news again.

I haven’t been writing here for a while. Guess I‘ve been a little to wrapped up in Facebook.

One thing that did upset me recently was seeing the former New Life pastor Ted Haggard on Larry King Live.

I am a firm believer of forgiveness and restoration, and I know from my own experience that is one of God’s main goals with all of us. What I’m reacting to is that here is a man who has hurt so many people that he was entrusted with by God, some that may never fully recover and be able to believe in Christian leadership again, sitting on National TV with his family who say that they want to “tell their story”. I feel really bad for his whole family and I can’t even imagine what they are going through, but my point is, please don’t make a show case of this, don’t give the world another reason to slam Christians.

I think the proper thing to do would be to withdraw from the public arena and let God do his work. My feeling is; I don’t want to hear your story, I have heard it already and if you need to go public again, it should be in a Christian setting with pastors that can fully verify that you have been forgiven, restored and delivered. It would be very different to see Ted Haggard on TBN or the Inspiration channel. That would show that God has truly done something in his life, because I’m sure they wouldn’t put him on unless he had truly repented.

Again, I completely believe in forgiveness and the Christian community should be ready to forgive, but please don’t go to secular media, it’s none of their business.

“If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?” 1 Corinthians 6:1-2


This is the scripture I’m thinking of. It speaks about lawsuits but I think it can be applied to this case as well. This chapter goes on to talk about sexual immorality and even homosexual offenders and how they will not inherit the kingdom of God.

I think that anybody that is serious would not turn to the world for help or sympathy but would go to God first and then seek counsel from godly men and women. And we as believers don’t need publicity to get by. We need the power of God and Him only. He can change any situation; He can drag us out of the pit. He can transform any circumstance when all we want is to please Him.

The whole thing just didn’t seem right to me.

John Lennon's "Imagine"

I have mentioned John Lennon’s song “Imagine” before. John Lennon was an extremely talented musician and song writer. Unfortunately he didn’t use his talent to honor God. Instead he started to create his own “religion”, a dream world that attracts a lot of people. "Imagine" is a great song, but I am going to go through some of the verses and try to show from a biblical perspective what I think it’s really about. First of all, the Bible says that God has put eternity in our hearts which means that we all have a desire within to find truth and harmony, and to be one with God and each other. So anything that looks like that will be attractive to us.

Here’s the first verse:

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

There is a heaven and there is a hell. You can try and imagine as much as you want, it will still be there. And why would you want to imagine that there’s no heaven? Nobody wants to go to hell and not even God wants anybody to go there. He has made it very clear in His word that through Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ only, we can escape hell. Hell is made for Satan and his angels. Jesus paid the price with His own death so we won’t have to go there. Our souls and our spirits are eternal. We don’t go into nonexistence when we die.

Here’s the second verse:

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

The Bible says that there will come a time when there will be just ONE big country. It will be the “kingdom of Anti Christ.” But it will not be a life of peace. It will be a reign of terror. All “religion” as we know it will probably be banned during that time as well.

“And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"
Revelation 13:1-4

Read the whole chapter 13 of the book of Revelation. It’s all about Anti-Christ and his kingdom that will be set up in the last days, saying for example how no one will be able to “buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.”


We have reason to believe that time is near. People are ready to receive a world ruler, somebody who claims to be able to solve the world crisis. Did you see Barack Obama’s speech after he won the election? I don’t think that he’s Anti-Christ, but the way people in the audience were cheering him, crying and adoring him, tells me it can be happening very soon.


The Bible also clearly states how we can inherit the Kingdom of God, and what sins we need to be cleansed from;

“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
1 Cor 6:9-11


Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

There will also be the thousand year reign with Jesus as King when the devil will be bound for a thousand years, which will be a kingdom of peace, but I don’t think that’s what John Lennon is referring to. That’s a kingdom where the believers of Jesus Christ will rule with Him.

“They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
Revelation 20:4b


You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

“I hope someday you'll join us”. We don’t know who the “us” are that is referred to here. John Lennon and Yoko Ono maybe? John Lennon may have been a dreamer, but he didn’t as far as we know, come to Jesus to see his dreams realized. There’s a wonderful future and a wonderful place for every believer. This world is not it. The moment you receive Jesus in your heart, your eternal life begins.


“No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written:
"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him
" but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 2:7-10

Imagine that…

Come to me

A couple of years ago, I read about a famous female writer in a newspaper. She has been very successful over the years and very productive since her debut in the late 50’s. She is famous for her writing, but also for her lifestyle. She grew up without a father with a very strict, loveless mother and her whole life she’s been rebelling against her mother by being promiscuous and has even described her love life in some of her books.


Now when I read about her she has become old, sick and full of fear. Her life is miserable and she cries out in the article;-“Is there anybody out there that can help me?”, and - “Is there anybody that can drag me out of this?”


Those words really spoke to me, since I know there is somebody, and yes, there is help. It also reminded me of a book I read some years ago that actually has the title; -“Is there anybody out there that can help me?”. It is written by Sandy Brown who was a waitress at the Hallelujah (!) ballroom in Las Vegas. One night she got so tired of her life that she took every sleeping pill she could find in her bath room cabinet, swallowed them, got into her car and drove into the desert. She started to feel the pills working in her system and became more and more drowsy. She realized she would soon loose conscienceness and suddenly knew she didn’t want to die. She rolled down her window and called out into the night, still driving, ;-“Is there anybody out there that can help me?”. Long story short, Sandy drove into a house, somebody took her to the hospital, she survived and gave her life to Jesus.


Back to the female writer; I’m thinking this lady is in the same situation.
I wrote her a letter. I don’t know if she ever received it, I hope she did.
I know that a person like that, an intellectual and all, can be very proud and have a hard time receiving this kind of a message, but this is what I wrote, and I’m skipping the introduction part. I publish it because there are so many people in the same situation that need the same kind of help. Maybe you are that person?




“Dear xxxx

I hope you don’t take offence by me writing to you. I have been in the spot light myself and I know how hard it can be to receive letters from someone you don’t know. I read your article on-line the other day where you describe the fears of aging. Some of your words touched my heart. You wrote:”- Is there anybody out there that can help me?”, and - “Is there anybody that can drag me out of this?” I don’t remember your exact words, but you said something like:”-Please tell me that this will pass.”

I have worked with old people for many years and I have seen a lot of suffering.
I know this is a very delicate matter and what I have to tell you may be the last thing you want to hear. But the word that came to me was from Psalms 40:2,

“He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”

In Psalms 18:4-5 it says:

“The cords of death entangled me;the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.”

And in verse 16-17:

“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.”

In Psalms 107:10,

” Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains,…”

Verse 14 and 20:

“He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.”
“He sent forth his word and healed them;he rescued them from the grave.”


These are wonderful and true words from the Bible. I have myself experienced the salvation power of God. He pulled ME out of the slimy pit and transformed MY life completely. He took me out of anxiety and confusion. It is now over 23 years ago and it’s still working and I know it will take me all the way into eternity.
I’m convinced that God is able to transform your life in such a way that the years you have left to live on this earth, will be the most wonderful years of your life. And to give you a conviction so strong that you will know that what is even more wonderful lies ahead, that is eternity and heaven.


In Hebrews 2:14-15 it talks about Jesus: ,

“He,[Jesus], too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

I don’t know from my own experience what it means to get old, even if I’m not exactly young, I will be 54 this year, but I do know what it means to have anxiety and fear. It was among other things the anxiety that drove me to Jesus. And I can honestly say that I have not experienced anxiety, not even once since I got saved. All the dark within me disappeared and instead came a wonderful peace and joy.


It’s very easy to get saved. In Romans 10:9-10 it says;

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved”.

In verse 13 it says;
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Jesus says further; “and whoever comes to me I will never drive away”. John 6:37b

and

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life”. John 5:24

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love”. 1 John 4:18

God doesn’t just have love, He IS Love. To receive Jesus is to receive eternal, divine, unconditional LOVE".

The War on Israel

I watched the news last night seeing reports on what’s going on in Gaza. It makes me very angry to hear the defenders of the Palestinians. Israel does NOT want to hurt civilians. The Palestinian government is to blame because they are sacrificing their own people by harboring criminal elements like the Hamas. It’s the Palestinian government that needs to deal with Hamas and hunt them down. By not doing so they are on Hamas side. I’m so tired of hearing how horrible Israel’s actions are, and not a word about what Hamas and all the other terrorists have been doing for years and years. Israel is NOT the aggressor. And when Israel retaliates their aim is Hamas weapon depots and training camps. NOT the civilian population. When Hamas on the other hand send their bombs into Israel they deliberately target civilian population centers.
Hamas also deliberately use civilians and civilian buildings to hide their weaponry and themselves which puts innocent people at harms way. They hide in hospitals and schools for example. They have even been known to use children as shields.
One particular Israeli village just 1 mile from the Gaza border has been hit with 7500(!) Quassam rockets since 2001. The last 1500 during 2008. See interview with Israeli mayor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ska-4Eer_8&feature=email


According to Dore Gold who used to be an Israeli ambassador for the UN, Israel even make phone calls to civilians to warn them and give them a chance to get away when they know there is a military target in a civilian area.

I’m not an expert on this subject, but I know where I stand. I am clearly pro Israel because I believe that the Jews are God’s people and I believe that God has a special plan with the nation of Israel. The whole creation of the nation Israel is fulfillment of prophesy. That is the main reason why there is such a battle over that tiny piece of land.


The basic view of every Christian is that God loves all people whether they are Palestinians or of any other origin and He wants all people to be saved. God is not against the Palestinians as a people, so that’s not what this is about and that’s not what we as Christians believe. But we do know that God is for Israel and against Israel’s enemies. And the war is against the terrorists.


I also know that Israel is the only democracy in the area with western ideals which means that as all countries in the west they share an openness towards all people that wants to live in peace within their borders.

But Hamas and PLO have a completely different agenda. They want to exterminate the Jews and wipe Israel off the map. That is their plan and has always been their plan. How do you negotiate with such an adversary?


I know the propaganda in Europe where few voices are raised to defend Israel, and there is some of that propaganda even here in the US through media. If you are a Christian you need to get your information elsewhere. You need a divine revelation to understand Israel’s place in the world and in history. If you are not a Christian you are being lied to.


There’s a great teaching series with Pastor Jon Courson on this subject. You can buy the CD’s or you can hear the teaching on-line. http://www.joncourson.com/teaching/teachings-topicalindex.asp?topic=prophecy
The title is: “Middle East: War and Peace”. He is associated with Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, CA.
Except for the Bible I can recommend a book called, “The Jews; People of the future” written by Pastor Ulf Ekman. (Can be found on Amazon.com).


The Bible says that God will bless those that bless Israel. God doesn’t exclude anybody but let’s everybody be saved through Jesus Christ who came through the Jew’s to save us all. God choose the Jew’s so that the whole world could be saved. This is what God said to Abraham who is the first Jew;

"I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."
Genesis 12:2-3

Here’s another word regarding Israel and its future:

"As you have been an object of cursing among the nations,
O Judah and Israel, so will I save you, and you will be a blessing.
Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong." Zechariah 8:13

God also tells us to pray for Jerusalem;

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May those who love you be secure.”
Psalm 122:6

We as Christians need to stand up for Israel more than ever before.

Jesus or Santa

America is so much more a Christian nation then any of the European countries today. Still at this time of the year it saddens me a little that so much of Christmas in the media is just about Santa Claus. In America the whole story around Santa is also so much more developed than anywhere else.

I’m from Scandinavia, which is close to the North Pole by the way, and we have our version of “Santa”, though he has another name, but there are no reindeer's or Elf’s. We just have our “Santa” show up on Christmas Eve for the kids and usually he just comes walking through the forest.

Just to make that clear, I enjoy some of the Santa movies as well. Santa Claus 1 with Tim Allen is very cute and my favorite. It’s just to much of it in the media, movies, shows etc; all the talk about the Christmas spirit, everywhere and no mentioning of Jesus Christ who should be the center of attention.

It just makes me sad that every TV channel except for Christian TV, is soo out of focus.

I wish you all a wonderful, blessed, Jesus centered,

Happy New Year!

Who is this child?

"For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace

there will be no end. "
Isaiah 9:6-7

This child is the one that God promised to send already when Adam and Eve were driven out of Eden. In Genesis 3:15 God speaks to the serpent which is Satan, saying:

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

He’s the one that was prophesied in Isaiah 52:13-15

"See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness—
so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand."

He’s the one that was prophesied in Isaiah 53:3-7

"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth."

His name is Jesus and in His name and His name only, there is salvation for every man that believes and receives forgiveness for sin.
In Isaiah 55:1-3 it says:

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. "

In some parts of the United States it's not politically correct to say merry Christmas anymore. You are supposed to say Happy Holidays. Well, the gospel is offensive and He is still the reason for the season so

I wish you all a

Very, Merry Christmas!

Prodigal Son 2

In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
“How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' John3:3-7

To Joel


I have one question for you; are you born again? It sounds to me that you have tried to understand scripture without being born again, without letting Jesus into your heart so He can reveal the truth to you. You try to figure out scripture with your intellect. You can’t. Only The Holy Spirit can show you how it all fits together.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Tim 3:16-17.


I have studied some philosophy; I was a seeker before I found the truth. I was seeking everywhere. None of the famous philosophers to my knowledge found the truth. Some spent their whole life trying to prove that God does not exist. Seems like a pretty futile mission. I had a teacher in philosophy that was the most confused unhappy person. That alone told me it was not for me.


I mentioned how I lived before I got saved, a very common lifestyle among people who are not believers. A lot of people in “the world”, meaning non Christians, couldn’t make it without a “fix” every week which could be alcohol, legal or illegal drugs. That’s the truth behind the facade in many people’s life. Just check out how many prescription drugs are used in this country. And they all claim to be just FINE, right?


And it’s not about “understanding” Christianity, it’s about letting the Holy Spirit transform you. And again if you really did “understand” what it’s all about, you would be a fool to renounce it.
So do you think that you in your own power can defeat Satan and his demons, or have you in your “understanding” come to the conclusion that the spiritual world doesn’t exist?


Maybe you can live without Jesus, but can you die without Him? I think I was a teenager when I realized that I actually will be present at my own death. That’s a realization most people don’t want to take in. The Bible says it’s good to think about those things when we are young.


I have peace in my heart, a peace that’s out of this world. I wake up with a song in my heart and I have joy for no apparent reason. I’m forever young in my spirit and energy and inspiration flows through me because of Jesus in me. That’s priceless.

Freedom from Sin

Yes we are to love sinners, but we are also to hate sin.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
I was a complete sinner when I came to Jesus. My lifestyle was totally ungodly. Jesus still loved me and saved me. But I didn’t stay in that lifestyle. I repented which means I turned away from my old life.



A few months after I got saved I was on the verge to commit fornication. Somebody I had just met and that I wanted to witness to tricked me and I almost fell for it. God gave me an open eye vision to save me from this situation. I saw what seemed to be the courtyard to hell. It was a horrible, hopeless, dark place where all you could hear were wining and moaning. I saw people with their hoods on, and I couldn’t see their faces, instead there were just a black, empty whole .



The agony and the pain in this place were indescribable. I just sat up and shouted to God to take this vision away from me. While it was going on I couldn’t see the room I was in, just this vision. It finally went away and I asked the person to leave and get away from me. I was never tempted again in this area.



There is a battle for our souls. I was lucky the way God led me to a very strong, bible based church where the pastors preached the truth, and nothing but the truth. The bible says that we cannot have faith if we don’t hear. There are many liberal churches that don't preach deliverance from sin. If it’s not preached, it’s not going to happen.


Just take smoking as an example. I believe it’s wrong because it destroys our bodies. I was delivered from smoking because I heard that I could be delivered. I also struggled with it because God delivered me right away when I was saved, but I kept on going to my old "waterholes" the first 6 months, (witnessing), and I played with it and got really stuck. Not until four years later during prayer in my church where everybody including myself, was praying strong in tongues, did I hear myself saying nicotine spirit, and I SAW that spirit leave me, and I knew I was free.


I had been prayed for many times during this time, and I had even tried to quit myself, but this time I was completely free with no withdrawal symptoms at all. Not a sweat, not a shake, nothing. Gone after 18 years!



God can deliver us from anything that keeps us in bondage. He wants to see His children free. And if you’re not a child of God, He wants you to become one.