Читать книгу YE SHALL LIVE AND NEVER DIE - philip Psy.D. vermaak - Страница 5

Ezekiel chapter 18:32. For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

Nevertheless When The Son Of Man Cometh,

Shall He Find Faith

This famous quote from the Lord is found in Luke 18:8 ⁸I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? And it might raise the question “what exactly will Jesus be looking for on His return?”. On July the twentieth 1984 I gave my life to the Lord Jesus and had a wonderful conversion to becoming a born again Christian by having a miraculous life changing experience, something I had always believed could happen right from my childhood days. I thank God for that chance meeting with a friend and ex colleague, Jenny, at two o’clock on that warm sunny afternoon in the heart of Johannesburg South Africa.

Immediately and with enormous intensity that day the power of God became tangible and real in my life which was to take an entirely new direction to eternity. From that moment on almost every circumstance and situation in my life was about to change entirely forever. God had always blessed me with an awesome gift of empathy for people, especially the poor; this drive from within my soul has always been toward the sick and the poor. In fact the ‘down and out’, those people who seem to go through life without purpose and plan. In many chronically ill people this loss of purpose seems to become more evident especially when all hope appears to be lost. In my early days of ministry the Lord had burdened my heart with prayer for the sick and often times I was lead to prayer for those bed ridden patients in the Johannesburg general hospital as well as those that the Holy spirit lead me to on the streets of South Africa.

I had witnessed many healings and also miracles, I believe that Jesus always heals those that are prayed for, and to think otherwise would be total unbelief. He is always willing contrary to popular religious beliefs. This fact brings me to the reason for this book and since I also do not believe that a Christian should die because clearly there is no scripture to the contrary.

I recall one occasion when I went to prayer for a cancer patient who was “terminal” and hospitalised in a Hospice unit in Johannesburg. On arrival at the unit I announced my intentions to the person in charge and was duly denied entry because it was against house rules and besides it was policy that the patients be allowed to have a dignified death, whatever that might mean? The actions of that duty nurse that day horrified me and a holy anger rose up in my spirit, I was infuriated to think that the lies of Satan could be so effective in the life of man and that people could actually believe that God would want people to die in agony while Satan steals another life.

The rubbish that people are led to believe through the work of the father of lies in the name of religion and science is absolutely beyond me and the plans of God for mankind. These lies can never be substantiated through the word; thank God His ways are not our ways for His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Quite clearly the word of God has everything to do with life and life more abundantly.

This early experience of mine seemed to give me a lift in my faith and belief in the word of God and started me on the road to search the truth in the word this truth would reveal God’s plan for the life of man on this planet called earth. Mark chapter 7:8 says ⁸For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. This scripture verse proves to me that God’s ways are not our ways and that I needed to change my way of thinking and literally believe every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. To believe also what the bible says about life and not what man thinks the bible says about it.

My start in life was a slow one, from every aspect, but I soon grew into being a relatively healthy person. My early youth was plagued by severe tonsillitis but other than that I hardly knew sickness or disease. Since becoming a Christian I could count my visits to doctors on one hand, in fact I have never been as a result of sickness. I always take my pains and sickness to Jesus for healing, not that I have much of it either, praise God for His blessings. I make mention of this to show the reader that I am a normal healthy person and I have trained my mind to refuse to accept sickness and pain.

In May 1999 I had the pleasure of hearing the testimonies of an African evangelist by the name of Luke Tamu who was visiting from Kenya and holding meetings in Levin at the time. Luke told amazing testimonies of miraculous healings with such enthusiasm and the sparkle in his African eyes would light up as he recounted the wonderful miracles performed in his ministry by the Lord Jesus. These included accounts of the dead being raised and limbs growing amongst many others of healing. I was provoked by these miraculous reports and immediately developed a strong desire to see these events being repeated in New Zealand. In my opinion this country has been robbed of all of God’s blessings, the evidence of poverty and sickness in a small nation like this one is living proof of the outcome of the blessings and curses promised in the word of God.

If we are to live a life of abundance then we must surely listen to the voice of God and to every word spoken by Jesus. Some of Jesus’ statements were so radical that even the high priests were involved in physically removing Him from the temple. Are we as believers to be complacent and satisfied with the present status quo in the church? Where do you see the dead being raised and the modern church living in prosperity? Would you send your son to die on the cross today? To have life going on as usual, with all the filth that’s become apparent in society. Come on let’s get real, the world is in a mess and Jesus said that he came so that we could have life and life more abundantly. So what is missing? Is God a Liar? Is all that Jesus said just a load of hot air to fill the pages of scripture? As Paul said, God forbid, no. Jesus got it right in John 8:32 he said ³²And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

The problem today is that religion has twisted every word to conform to some or other philosophy and theory of man and placed it above the true word of God. You do not need a concordance or a dictionary to interpret or understand what Jesus said. My bible teaches me that the Holy Spirit will teach me and praise God that’s enough for me. Unless the word of God is a Rhema and revealed by the Spirit it will always be doctrine and have no life.

Only a fool would be content to go about life as usual and believe that all is well in the kingdom of God and that God is well pleased when in effect only the opposite is true. I cannot equate the present state of life in the world with what Jesus said, this is why I believe the Spirit of God has taken me on this journey to search out the purpose and God’s plan of life for man kind. There just has to be so much more, so come along with me and let us take the path that God has shown me along His way in the word.