January 29, 2013

Short mission report of Tasiilaq - Greenland

It’s not easy to describe what I think others have experienced while we were on mission to Greenland. I can easily be wrong, but what I’m writing down below is based on what I heard and saw happening in this beautiful place called Tasiilaq.

We were there for about 9 days. We went together with Erna, an elder from an Icelandic church, who had been in Tasiilaq many times. It was going to be a very blessed time. And like in Jesus’ days, there are too many things to write about, and I will have to be short and strong in the testimonies of people, while more has happened.

What just caught me, was the question of a woman to Erna:”How can I receive Jesus?”. This happened in the evening, when we usually had our meetings in the house. Some people came, and others were brought along into our “open house”. The Lord was anointed to preach good news to people, and so are we. We can expect His workings in our midst, when we boldly stand for Him. And so it also was for a girl who came in to ask about Jesus. She had heard that we were also praying for healing, and she herself had pain. Her back and neck were painful. But during the praying not much did happen. She did feel some relief, but the surprise came when there was prayer for her leg-length difference. We saw them getting equal with each other, and the amazement came when she started walking. She walked out of balance for her feelings, but actually it finally was in balance and the back pain became much less. This left her mouth open.
Some days later she came back to ask something which we often call strange or spooky. Her son could see a dead person in the living-room during the evening. This was the reason that she invited us over for prayer, which we did. But we also explained her that Jesus wants to empower her with the Holy Spirit. We prayed for the baptism in the holy Spirit and after another short prayer for healing she felt greatly relieved from her back pain and a heaviness.

And as in the book of Acts, this opened another door to a sick person. We were invited to come and pray for her father who had a bad lunge. As we entered the small house, we walked into the living room. He was lying on the couch and on his shirt a dragon was portrayed. He came to sit on a chair for prayer, and when we started to pray, we could feel the power of God coming. A certain warmth came over him, and as with Jesus who felt virtue flowing out of Him, we could sense God working in this man’s body. He told us after the prayer that all pain had left him. He seemed a bit surprised. This problem was there for 13 years, and now the pain was gone. And we made sure he understood that Jesus had touched him.

When we were leaving the house, I rejoiced so much. It was so great to see God move, to encourage and strengthen other believers in their faith. It saddens me to see believers getting drunk, gossiping, slandering, living for themselves. I feel sad when I see or hear about that, because it’s not living to the fullest at all. Living to the fullest is living the life that Jesus lived, or better: allowing Jesus to live through us, because we have said a firm ‘no’ to ourselves. The joy you get from obeying the Lord is so great, the joy is not based on my feelings at all. It’s just there. Can you imagine a high, without paying for it? But many still pay money for getting drunk, enjoying themselves in places where the world also enjoys, using the same stimuli. What is the difference with many Christians and the world? A man who joined the woman who asked about the way to receive Jesus said:”She really wants to be different, live a life of love and be different from the rest who is always drinking.” And the deliverance came. She was given a new heart with new desires, which saved her from herself. This is why it’s inconsistent to keep walking in the ways of the world, because a Christian is given a new heart and desires. She was glowing with joy. It’s this good news which is so wonderful to bring to others. There really is salvation, healing and deliverance in Jesus Christ!

December 27, 2011

When hope is lost, I'll call you Savior

“I could just take some drugs, put my jacket straight, sit at the side of the water and drop backwards. Then it’ll all be over”. “Are you telling me that you wanted to commit suicide?” “Mmh mmh”.

“Then it is even more wonderful that the Lord saved you yesterday”. “Yes”.

This was a conversation I had with someone lately. But some time before I had this conversation, something else had happened. The person was sleeping in the Shelter and was black-sleeping in a bed, in my nightshift. Somehow, the evening I went for work, I had asked God to save someone through me this night. A person came down to tell me someone was in his bed, so I came up to check it out. Indeed, a Scottish man was sleeping in the bed, and when he came out and down I found out he hadn’t paid for his bed this night.

He seemed to be sad, but that wasn’t because he was caught. He started telling me about him being separated from his wife and children. It caused him to come to Amsterdam. In our situations there is always hope with the Lord you know. The Lord is never outwitted, and was planning and preparing. First of all my heart, but also the heart of this man. I asked the Lord for wisdom how I could start to mention His goodness for us.

“You miss your wife and children right?”
“Yes, ….”
“The feeling you have of missing them, is the same feeling of separation that God feels towards mankind. His love for us is so great. He knows what you are feeling”.
“….”
“But He didn’t stop there. He had His Son send down and be punished for our sins, which caused the separation. See, God has pain because of the separation with mankind, and He did something about it. He stepped in and took our place of judgment and punishment: death.”

I knew by talking that he had heard more of the gospel before, but never was invited to ask the Lord Jesus to become his Savior.
“You know, when I was young I went to church and stuff”. He tried to indicate that he did his best to be good enough for God, so I told him:”When you go to the MacDonalds, you do not become a hamburger”. “Ha”. “And when you go to church, that doesn’t make you a Christian either” “That makes sense…”

“Do you want to know how you can become a Christian?”
“Yes”
“When we ask Jesus to forgive us, and to enter our lives, He will” So, I asked him a question:”Would you like to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior”?

“Yes… does that take long?” What a wonderful question!
“No, it can happen within one minute”. So we prayed, and he got saved. Also, he experienced the peace of God flooding in his heart. His appearance changed. By that time I had already given him a bed, so he could sleep.

This is just one story of a man, sleeping in the Shelter.

And the story about his salvation from (eternal) death: Two days later I found out that he was in a desperate situation, and I received another blessing through this. I had heard he wasn’t only saved for eternity, but also from killing himself. How desperate can people become? But the Lord is not outwitted, He is at work through us by Holy Spirit. If you think you became a hamburger by going to the MacDonalds, you are mistaken. The Lord is drawing a line in the sand and invites everyone to come on His side, for free. Will you please ask forgiveness, when you have never done so, and invite Jesus to come into your heart. Tell Him that He is your Savior from today on. Be washed with His precious blood from a sin-stained life, and start a new Life, with a clean slate. Please become His child now. He loves us so much.

December 19, 2011

Holy Spirit power

"So this means I am healed right?" The doctor is silent for a little while "Ehm, well, we can't find anything anymore", "so this means that I am healed?", "mmh, well, there is nothing we can find"... "I allready knew this I told you"...

It must have been a bit like this, the conversation between a friend and her doctor. She has been healed from astma, and the test showed that nothing could be found in her system anymore. The doctor didn't really want to acknowledge this healing by Jesus Christ, of course. A supernatural miracle always hits the brain functions and shows the hearts-attitudes. But Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever. He never changes. His name is above every name. Label the sickness with the most horrible name, but Jesus' His name has more power. Death couldn't even hold Him in the grave. That's my Jesus.

He said that His followers would do the same things as He did. When we find out that the same Spirit by whom Jesus was born, guided and lifted up to the Father, and raised from the dead, is actually living inside of us, things will happen.

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a wonderfull blessing, because it launches the christian into the spiritual world. By Him we worship. By Him we read the Word. By Him we exalt Jesus Christ. By Him we live a victorious life over sin. By Him we cast out the toughest demons. By Him we love our enemies. By Him a christian life is lived. This is why Jesus said "It is better when I leave, so that the Holy Spirit can come".

Have you met the Holy Spirit allready? There are only 2 conditions which have to met in order for us to be baptised in the Spirit of God.
1. We need to have been washed with Jesus' blood. He justifies us before the Father when we put our faith in Him.
2. We need to be desiring. The Father promised His Spirit, so don't beg Him; Just ask.

Praise the Lord Jesus continually and just see what the Holy Spirit will do. You will know it when you are baptised in the Spirit.