http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/ en andrew@andrewfriesen.org Copyright 2010 2010-06-27T15:49:15+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/what_is_an_evangelist http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/what_is_an_evangelist What do you think of when you hear the word evangelist?  Some people might picture someone in a flashy suit talking about nothing but money and special anointings. Others may think of someone wagging their finger at people telling them everything that’s wrong with them.  It makes me wonder if any ordinary person could actually relate or even be interested in what these so called evangelists preach.  What does the Bible have to say about evangelists? The word evangelist appears only a few times in the Bible. Eph 4:11-12 says, "It was he 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." It's interesting that evangelists are listed right in the middle of the 5 ministries of the church.  They are gifts of God to the church for the purpose of edifying and building up the church.  So here we see what evangelists actually do.  They build up the church of Jesus Christ and don’t tear it down.  They encourage and don’t discourage.  Praise God! You can also find the word evangelist in Acts 21:8.  It says that Phillip was an evangelist.  So because we know that Phillip was an evangelist we can then look at Phillips’ ministry and see pratically what evangelists actually do and how they do it.   "Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. So there was great joy in that city." (Acts 8:5-8) Phillip preached CHRIST to a city that did not belong to the Christian religion.  He did not speak politics.  He did not talk about his special gifts or anointing. He did not instruct them on everything they had to do.  He did not even tell them everything that was wrong with them.  Instead, he told them what was RIGHT with JESUS.  This is what a true evangelist will do.  They lift up and glorify Jesus Christ.  In front of crowds and one on one.  Philip shared Jesus with an Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:35 "Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus."  That's an evangelist.  It's a joy to share Jesus not a job.  As well, there were signs and wonders that followed the preaching of Phillip.  A true evangelist will demonstrate the power of God so that people’s faith will be in the power of God and not human wisdom.  1 Cor. 2:4-5 says, "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." And lastly, the result was there was GREAT JOY in that city.  Isn’t this the kingdom of God?  “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17) Philips ministry INSPIRED the church.  "When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. Acts 8:14"  Do you see it?  Phillip encouraged Peter and John.  How?  By his life.  By what they heard.  They saw God’s love working in and through Philip for the world.  They were touched by God's love for all people and decided to partner with Philip in reaching the lost.  That’s an evangelist.  Someone filled with the Holy Spirit who preaches Jesus Christ with signs and wonders following.  Lost souls are saved,  miracles happen, the Holy Spirit is poured out, and the church of Jesus Christ is built up for the glory of God.  Your thoughts?  -Andrew   What is an Evangelist? 2010-06-27T15:49:15+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/amputating_jesus_christ http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/amputating_jesus_christ The supernatural is a very popular topic today.  Jesus Christ himself experienced signs and wonders.  Acts 2:22 says, "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst."  Signs and wonders were His credentials for the ministry.  John said in John 21:25, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” How wonderful is the Lord Jesus.  He lived 24/7 in the supernatural and intended for that supernatural lifestyle to be carried right into our our lives today.  This is a word for you.  “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to DO and teach”.  Jesus began to do signs and wonders 2000 years ago and wants you to experience them in your life today.   Many christians are using certain methods reach people with God’s love thinking that we don’t really need signs and wonders.  They use their own efforts, telling funny jokes, or trying be cool is the key to reaching people with the gospel.  Don’t get me wrong, good jokes and being cool in the right way is fine.  However, to preach a gospel without supernatural signs and wonders is nothing less THAN AMPUTATING OUR PRECIOUS LORD JESUS CHRIST.  Jesus is the Anointed one.  “Jesus went about doing good and HEALING all who were oppressed by the devil.” (Acts 10:37).  Everything about Jesus is miraculous and “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” So to CUT OUT the signs and wonders from the gospel message is to CUT OFF the arms and legs of Jesus Christ and hinder the world from seeing the real Jesus.       The Apostle Paul’s methods were the same as Jesus.  “For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and DEED, to make the gentiles obedient in mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God.” (Romans 15:18-19) People have told me, “Oh but you have the gift of healing”.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Now it’s true that God uses some people in certain areas more than others.  However, the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 are just that.  Gifts of the SPIRIT.  We do not posses these gifts and wear them like medals of honor.  The gifts of the Spirit are not medals of honor but TOOLS for the job. If you need to put a nail through the wall, the best tool will most likely be a hammer.  We can always trust the Holy Spirit to give us the right tools at the right time.  He is faithful!  Hallelujah!  Nothing less than the preaching of the gospel followed by mighty signs and wonders will save this generation.  It pulls people to Christ like a magnet.  Signs are not signs of SAINTS.  Rather, they are signs of GOD.  They’re the finger print of God that point people to the loveliness and beauty of Jesus Christ.  Only He can save.  Signs and wonders will flow through you as you focus on Jesus and trust the Holy Spirit.   Having said all that, it’s important to note that although signs and wonders are essential and normal to the christian experience, they are not everything.  Salvation from sin is the greatest miracle.  "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." John 20:30-31.  Your thoughts?  -Andrew   Amputating Jesus Christ?! 2010-06-16T15:03:44+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/a_personal_note_from_my_wife http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/a_personal_note_from_my_wife Have you ever had a dream? I did.  In fact, I still have dreams. Actually dreams are the language of the Holy Spirit.  Acts 2:17 says “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people...your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams”  About 2 years ago Andrew Friesen came to the Coast of Colombia, where we are currently living, because God gave him a dream. He saw himself preaching in Spanish near the beach to thousands of people. Did you know that God doesn’t just want to give you dreams but see those dreams fulfilled? Six months later I married with the man of my dreams and I’ve seen how God is making dreams become a reality. Right now we are waiting for my Canadian visa to come through trusting the Lord is making a way for us to live in Canada soon.  Thank you for your prayers about this matter.  However, this waiting time is not wasted time.  There is a purpose in it and YOU are part of it. God has opened great doors for us to preach the gospel here in Colombia and we are seeing hundreds of precious souls receive eternal life.  It’s the grace of God and YOUR PARTNERSHIP that makes this dream a continued reality.    We have visited 8 of all the 9 provinces of the north of Colombia preaching the gospel and seeing God’s hand at work in salvations, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and healing miracles! It is so beautiful to see how the love of Jesus transforms people forever. YOUR partnership is making a difference.  In the next few weeks we will be training youth to go out on the streets and share the gospel one on one.  On the 7th of June we will be equipping 100 young people to win souls in personal evangelism.  As well, next month we will be making our first trip to the city where our next Gospel Festival will take place later this year.  We need your help.  There are traveling costs. Rental of the stadium and much more.Thank you for your love and support.   Please click on this link http://www.andrewfriesen.org/estore and find Andrew’s teaching on “Dreams”.  Listen to the MP3 download or order the CD.  You will be sure to be blessed.  As well, if you have not already, join WGE and receive exciting reports delivered right to your home.  Simply click here http://www.andrewfriesen.org/contact.     You are here with us here as we proclaim the good news and see the dream of Jesus made a reality when the bible says, “He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.” Isaiah 53:11. I look forward to personally meeting many of you in Canada soon.  As you can probably tell I had some help writing this letter thanks to my husband Andrew.   In the love of Christ. -Rocío Friesen   A Personal Note from my Wife 2010-05-19T21:14:36+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/overcoming_unforgiveness http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/overcoming_unforgiveness Recently, the Holy Spirit moved upon my heart to share a wonderful nugget of truth that I truly believe will revolutionize your life if you let it. I understand that this can be a very delicate topic for some folks and don’t make light of any genuine pain that a certain individual may feel.  However, there is a way that you can overcome unforgiveness and live to your full potential in God. After traveling to more than 12 countries to proclaim to gospel, and working with hundreds of precious pastors, the most common struggles people have shared with me whether religious or nonreligious deal with the issue of UNFORGIVENESS.  The truth is that “all have sinned” and everyone of us could harbor unforgiveness towards someone else who’s harmed us. So what’s the answer? How do we overcome unforgiveness? Let me first say bluntly that there are many techniques out there that teach a person how to overcome forgiveness that are CLEARLY WRONG and lies that will keep you forever dealing with issues and not growing as a person.    One of those lies is "The Holy Spirit needs to DEAL WITH YOUR SINS and get on your case."  Implying that the Holy Spirit is God and loving but also like a nitpicker or faultfinder.  Dear friend, the Holy Spirit is not your FAULT FINDER He is your LOVING FRIEND.  God has dealt with your sins of unforgiveness past/present and future by what Jesus did on the cross 2000 years ago.  “He has appeared to PUT AWAY sin by the sacrifice of HIMSELF.” (Hebrews 9:26)   How would you like to have someone come to your house and tell you everything that’s wrong with your furniture? No one wants to be around someone like that.   The good news is The Holy Spirit does not deal with your sins but points you to the one who has dealt with your sins and His name is Jesus.  John 16:8 “And when He has come (the Holy Spirit) He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement.  of sin, because they do not believe in ME.”  Did you see that?  The Holy Spirit convicts people of ONE sin.  That’s not believing in JESUS.  But once you’ve accepted Jesus the Holy Spirit convinces you that you are righteous because of the blood of Jesus. I know people freak out here and say, “What about the process of sanctification”  “Are you saying a believer in Jesus will never sin?”  This is not preaching sinless perfection at all.  I’m pointing to the solution.  The solution to unforgiveness is not to focus on the sin but on the Saviour.  The lie is that we think if we focus on the problem maybe that will produce an attitude of repentance and cause us to change when actually the opposite is true.  "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (so if a person lacks in these areas here comes the diagnosis)  But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins." (2Peter1:5) There is another technique that says:  “YOU must forgive!  Forgive and Forget!”  And they even use bible verses like:  Matthew 6:15 that says, “If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses.”   Pause:  It’s so important to know that everything changed at the CROSS when JESUS DIED.  No, God didn’t change, but the reasons why we obey sure do.  Ephesians 4:32 “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”  Did you get that? Before the cross you had to forgive in order to be forgiven.  How stressful is that?  Could you imagine living that kind of lifestyle always looking at yourself and wondering if you’ve forgiven enough.  The problem with this technique is that it puts YOU as the starting point.  It’s all up to YOU to forgive and make a disicion when Jesus said, “Apart from ME you can do NOTHING.” Also, if you try to forgive you will never be SURE of your relationship with God.  How will you ever know if you’ve confessed enough, declared enough, or forgiven enough?  There will always be something you’ve missed.  Sadly, many live like this.  When we focus on SELF we are miserable.  And when someone preaches the law (what you must do) instead of helping a person it actually makes SIN stronger and keeps that person in bondage.  1 Corinthians 15:56 says “the STRENGTH of sin IS THE LAW.”  So when we remove the LAW and preach the gospel which is the power of God, the strength of unforgiveness is removed and you live in victory!  Hallelujah!   Just take a look at Solomon.  He was focused on himself when he said, “I made my works great, I built myself houses, I made myself gardens, I had great possessions.  Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure... v17 therefore I hated life. (Ecclesiastes 2:4-17)  That’s what happens when we focus on self.  We hate life.  So what is the solution to unforgiveness? Dear friend I’ve got good news for you. You don't have to better yourself or improve yourself.  You can't do it!  But hallelujah!  JESUS DID IT ALL ON THE CROSS!  We now work OUT our salvation because it's GOD WHO WORKS IN US.  We don't even give our lives to Jesus.  HE GIVES HIS LIFE TO US!  And when Jesus died YOU DIED! (Romans 6).  This is the gospel!  Not bettering yourself but DYING To SELF. You don't need a spiritual guide or spiritual father.  Jesus is your spiritual father!  You don't need a 10 step program.  Jesus is your ONE STEP PROGRAM.  Recognize that God has already forgiven you of all your sins past present and future at the cross.  Focus on the cross and Jesus.  Oh how much God has forgiven us!  Believe and continue believing it and the love of God will bubble up in your own heart like a refreshing fountain and you’ll find it easy to forgive any offense that comes your way. You will love God, love others, love your life, and fulfill your purpose! Hallelujah! YOUR THOUGHTS? -Andrew     Overcoming Unforgiveness 2010-02-26T21:14:22+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/if_nobody_reaches_nobody_gets_touched http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/if_nobody_reaches_nobody_gets_touched Recently, while I was reading my bible in my home, a passage of scripture seemed to leap off the pages at me.  It was  Luke 4:18 “ The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor;”  The word “ME” here refers to Jesus.  And then I saw it with new eyes.  That the same Holy Spirit is upon US.  The great commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature was never meant just for a certain group of believers, a special ministry, or certain people who have a special calling.  But WE are the body of Christ on earth today and everyone must participate.  We are his hands and feet to bring the message of God’s love to a lost world.  The Holy Spirit IS UPON ALL OF US as ONE BODY to PREACH the good news!  Hallelujah!   Not everyone is a preacher or evangelist, however every believer has a gift and must contribute to reaching precious souls who have never the gospel. EVERY BELIEVER PARTICIPATES.  The reality is that If nobody reaches nobody gets touched.     The apostle Paul felt this responsibility.  He said in Romans 1:14   “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.”  Also in 1 Corinthians 9:16 he said “woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”  The Great Commission is not The Great Suggestion.  Jesus cannot come back until first the gospel is preached to all nations. (Matthew 24:14) The early church in the book of Acts understood they were all called.  In Acts 13:2-3 it says,  “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.    Do you notice how the Holy Spirit spoke to the church.  They were all involved.  and then in the next verse we read that  “So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia.” (Acts 13:4)  Praise God! The Holy Spirit works through the body of Christ.   Dear friend, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ I want to challenge you in the name of Jesus.  The Spirit of the Lord is upon US.  The Spirit of the Lord is upon YOU to get involved in reaching people with the good news of Jesus Christ.  God's love is so wonderful!  What a joy and privilege to share Him with others!  It’s so easy to think that somebody else will get involved or that one person can’t make a difference.  However, if everyone thought that way nobody would get reached.  With the Holy Spirit upon us, YOU can make a difference.  “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”  (Ephesians 3:20) Your thoughts?  -Andrew   If Nobody Reaches Nobody gets Touched 2010-01-13T18:35:59+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/merry_christmas_from_colombia http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/merry_christmas_from_colombia It is great to be celebrating Christmas in the beautiful country of Colombia, South America.  Often I meet people, who think of Colombia as a place of nothing but kidnappings, drug traffic, and extreme violence.  Although it is true that there are some cases, the people here, religious or nonreligious, are among the friendliest in the world.  This will be my second Christmas outside of my home country of Canada.  Even though I love my country and enjoy the snow at Christmas,  I’m not complaining one bit.  Everyday the weather is 25-30 C / 77-86 F.  Thank-you Jesus! Recently, we ministered in the cities of Barrancas and Valledupar where we saw the deaf hear, sight restored, and several lame people healed (See our latest video report).  It’s fantastic what Jesus is doing!  Just this last weekend we ministered in a church where a mother came to us crying with her baby daughter in her arms testifying how Jesus had healed her crippled finger.  You could see the peace in the baby's face as we stood and testified to what Jesus did by having her move her little finger that she could not move just moments earlier.  The love and joy of Jesus filled our hearts as this was a clear demonstration of the grace of God.  This baby did not understand the message preached, wasn’t praying or even trying to believe for that matter.  But Jesus healed her anyway.  Praise God!  And of course the greatest joy of all are all the many of precious souls that came into the kingdom of God.  I thank God on my knees for the joy, honor, and privilege to preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It’s harvest time in Colombia!  Thank-you partners.  Merry Christmas from Colombia!  Let me hear from you.  -Andrew   Merry Christmas from Colombia 2009-12-09T22:36:37+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/transforming_fire_blog http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/transforming_fire_blog Recently I had an amazing experience as I was reading Acts 2:1-4. "When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.  Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." So I asked the Lord, "What are those FLAMES that sat upon the disciples?"  and the Lord said to me, "It's the fire of my love."  WOW!  I was so blessed by that.   50 days after the very first passover in the book of Genesis God appeared to Moses in fire and gave him the 10 commandments.  "Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire (Exodus 19:18)."  The result?  3000 people died.  "The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died (Exodus 32:28)."  Why?  Because the letter (or law) kills because nobody can live up to it.  "The letter (or 10 commandments) kills..." (2 Corinthians 3:6) Now get ready to be blessed!  50 days after the ultimate passover (JESUS CHRIST), God sent the fire of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples.  But this time He did not bring judgement because God emptied out all the fire of his anger for sin on Jesus.  "And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." (1 John 2:2)  So instead of killing 3000 people, 3000 were saved.  Hallelujah!  "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them." (Acts 2:41)  "The letter (or 10 commandments) kills but the Spirit gives LIFE."  (2 Corinthians 3:6)  WHAT AN AWESOME JESUS! Dear friend, if you have received Jesus as your Saviour you have the Holy Spirit.  However, Jesus wants to baptize you in His fire.  It's not the fire of His judgement but the fire of His love.  This fire transforms and propels us to share Jesus with others.  This exact same fire has transformed my life and I pray that you will open your heart to Jesus to receive it as well.  It's all about His love for us.  "We love because He first loved us."  (1 John 4:19).  BLESSED?  Please tell me.  -Andrew    Transforming Fire 2009-11-03T06:09:34+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/how_gods_love_taught_me http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/how_gods_love_taught_me I was shocked as I sat on my bed in a hotel room in India.  I’d broken my vow I made to God almost 4 years earlier.  In 1999 God stirred my heart with His love and compassion to share the gospel with people who don’t know Christ.  I was a man on fire and wanted nothing more to glorify God in the salvation of lost souls.  My heart was burning!  This experience caused me to make a vow to God that I would never go one day without sharing the good news of Jesus for the rest of my life.  From that day on I was preaching the gospel everyday on the streets, bus stops, shopping malls and anywhere there were people.  It was wonderful seeing some fruit.   Pastors began preaching about me as a good example in their sermons.  This kind of boasted my ego.  I was at ALL the early morning prayer meetings.  I was fasting one day every week.  I was the most dedicated of the dedicated.   And although I still trusted Jesus, I didn’t realize that I’d missed something very important about the grace of God.  Without realizing it I had slowing put more attention on my own effort than Jesus Christ.  And although this vision was from God, I had believed a lie at the same time.  I believed that we are saved and baptized in the Spirit by grace and the rest is your effort.  I was taught this by good people.  Legalism had subtly crept into my life.  I  started to mix the grace of God with my own self effort.  Let me explain it like this.  Grace is God’s unearned, undeserved, unmerited favor of God towards every person in Jesus Christ.  That means that everything we receive from God is by His grace and not from ourselves.  It has nothing to do with us.  We just have the choice to yield to the Holy Spirit.  I always believed that.  However,  I had missed something.  The lie was I that I thought we were saved by grace and receive the Holy Spirit by grace but the rest (the anointing, the blessing, the breakthrough, the evangelism, the healing ministry) we have to maintain through our own effort.  That’s a lie.  And that’s why God had to shock me to get my attention.   I’ll never forget that morning in India as I was sitting on my bed feeling so bad.  One of the pastors I was traveling with was sitting on his bed reading the news paper with a cup of tea.  Little did he know the torment I was feeling.  I had broken my vow to God.   Our team was so busy with ministering in churches and traveling up and down the dusty roads in India that ironically I didn’t have time even to share Jesus with a lost person.  Immediately I opened my bible to Acts 9 and began to read about how Paul met Jesus.  Then all of a sudden it hit me!   When Paul met Jesus it had nothing to do with Paul.  It was all by God’s grace.  And then all of a sudden I heard God speak to heart saying, “Andrew it’s not about your commitment to me, but it’s about my commitment to you. Never will I leave you nor forsake you!”  Wow!  What an experience!    Peace filled my heart.  I began to realize I’m not just saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit by God’s grace.  But every moment is lived by God’s grace.  Jesus is my all in all.  I used to think that we have to pray hard to maintain the anointing.  I used to get stressed out about that.  Not anymore.  I say like this:  I don’t keep the fire going, but the fire keeps me going!  Hallelujah!  It’s all about Jesus.  And from that day on I continued to share Christ everyday and everywhere but not because of me feeling like I have to perform for God, but because the love of Christ is compelling me.  It’s because of the grace of God we are now reaching and will reach even more people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Praise God!  Everyone of us is growing everyday.  And I definitely don’t think I have all the answers.  However, this revelation has changed my life in such a radical way.  God’s grace has taught me this vital truth.  That I’m not just saved and filled with the Spirit by His grace.  But, I’m sanctified, energized and live moment by moment by His grace.  He is in me and I am in Him.  I am my lover's and my lover is mine.  I've realized that I'm one with Jesus.  1 Corinthians 1:17 "But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit." “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10).   Are you blessed?  Please let me know. -Andrew   How God’s Love taught me 2009-09-26T19:47:15+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/the_blessing_that_never_stops http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/the_blessing_that_never_stops The word “Blessing” is probably one of the most popular words in all religions.  I’ve had the honor of traveling to many parts of the world, and have discovered that people everywhere are struggling to obtain God’s blessing in their lives.  Whether it be through speaking positive words, prayers, good deeds, going to a holy place (temple, church, or Mosque), or even seeking a special person to impart some sort of favor.  People everywhere are looking for God’s blessing, and many never really feeling like they got it.  They’re always a day late and a dollar short.  But the good news is that YOU CAN KNOW a blessing from God that NEVER stops!   “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3) The good news is that when you have Jesus you have EVERY BLESSING.  Jesus is the blessing that never stops.   One of the most common scripture for teaching blessing is found in Deuteronomy 28:1  “If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.  All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country...” But let me ask you a question.  Who has obeyed ALL these commands?  Of course know one has.  “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)” So according to this scripture you won’t be blessed.  Know one can measure up to ALL the commandments.  However, I would like to suggest to you that this scripture is a picture of Jesus.  Jesus DID obey God and was without sin.  He fulfilled the law and righteousness of God when He went to the cross (Matthew 5:17).   He took your sin so that you could receive His forgiveness.  He took your sickness that you might receive healing.  And He took every curse and obtained every blessing FOR YOU.  (Ephesians 1:3)  Praise God! Here’s a thought: Did you know that the last word in the Old Testament (before Jesus came) is “curse”?  “He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse." (Malachi 4:6) Also, where did God’s people lived the majority of their lives before Jesus came? Under the “Curse” or under the “blessing”? The Old Testament clearly shows that they lived the majority of the time under the curse.    Now I want to share something very special with you and I pray from the bottom of my heart that you will never forget it.  The Bible says that after Jesus went to the cross and rose again He appeared to His disciples and did something amazing.  (Luke 24:50-51) says, “When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.”  Praise God!  What a beautiful image of Jesus!  Do you see it?  The Old Testament ended with the word "curse".  This is how we will live if we only trust in human effort.  Under a curse.  But,  Jesus fulfilled the law of God on the cross and blessed us with every spiritual blessing.  And now Jesus is standing before His disciples to bless them.  The last memory the disciples had of Jesus imprinted on their minds was not that of an angry God ready to punish them for all their failures, but rather a memory of a loving God with His nailed pierced hands extended towards them blessing them.  This is where we live if we stay connected to Jesus.  Halleluajah! Dear friend, the nailed pierced hands of Jesus are still extended towards you today.  They are not hands of cursing, but hands of blessing.  Human blessings come and go, but the blessing of Jesus never stops.  "for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable (Romans 11:29)."  What an awesome Jesus! The greatest blessing is to know Him!  Connect and remain connected to Him today.  Blessings!  Your thoughts? -Andrew   The Blessing that Never Stops 2009-08-20T17:46:34+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/why_i_only_preach_jesus http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/why_i_only_preach_jesus How could the Apostle Paul only preach Jesus? Aren’t there other messages to preach from the Bible?   "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.  For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-2) A preacher once said on TV that God told him not to preach about Jesus because people already believed in Jesus, but rather to preach messages on angels and the supernatural. Now I definately believe in angels and the supernatural.  However, to want preach about angels more than the King of Kings and Lord of Lords for me is like wanting to talk more about a boring black piece of coal instead of the most expensive beautiful diamond in the world.  Sure coal can be useful, but the diamond is where the real value is.  Jesus is like that beautiful diamond.  When He died on the cross He took every sin, sickness, curse, and punishment of the world (1 John 2:2).  This is good news!  That when He rose from the dead He made us to sit with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).  Praise God!  There are so many good practical teachings out there today it can be overwhelming.  The majority teach wisdom principles often utilizing scriptures taken out of the book of proverbs and rarely mention Christ and what He’s done on the Cross.  Like 5 ways to raise your kids from the Bible.  7 steps to be a successful leader.  10 secrets to prosperity.  Or 5 keys to live a victorious life.  Many of these have  biblical truth in them, however, the majority of the material you can find in the secular book stores.  Is this really the message that will save the world?  Have Christians abandoned the message of Jesus? “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:30) The good news is:  Jesus is now your everything!  Praise God!  He is your salvation, healing, holiness, wisdom.  Whatever you need it’s in Jesus.  Hallelujah!  We’ve got the best message!  Instead of learning wisdom through books and teachers in the world, you can be connected to the one who has all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.   Solomon said, “there is nothing new under the sun.”  (Eclesiastes 1:9).  But in Christ we are not under the sun.  God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 2:6) The question people always have is:  If everything you need is in Jesus and I have received Jesus, then how do you see it manifest in your life?  Or how do I see it become a reality?  The answer might surprise you.  It’s not through prayer and fasting (although we should pray).  It’s not through meditation or confession (although that can be good).  The Apostle Peter says "its through the knowledge of Jesus." “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3)"  You receive from Jesus by receiving more knowledge about Jesus.  Someone once said, "the problem with the world today is that they don't know how lost they are.  And the problem with the church today is that they don't know how saved they are."  I believe that is true.  The world desperately needs to hear about Jesus!  And the church desperately needs to see that Jesus lives inside of them.  How does this happen?  Through the knowledge of Jesus.  Praise God!  This is why I only preach Jesus. "He (the Holy Spirit) will glorify Me (Jesus), for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you (John 16:14)."  Your thoughts? -Andrew   Why I Only Preach Jesus 2009-08-10T03:34:46+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/your_will_and_gods_will http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/your_will_and_gods_will Dear friend, my heart is burning with a message from God that I know will greatly bless your life.  Have you ever asked yourself,  "Will God ask me to do something I don't really want to do?"  It's a provocative question.  The majority of people think "yes".  They look at all the commands of God and feel like they've fallen short.  And rightly so.  The Bible says in Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."  But they then conclude that If God's will is different from my will, I must have to deny my will  and desires in order to line up with God's will and desires.  And then, maybe along the way, God will help me (because He is supposed to be loving and a little angry) as long as I put in a good effort on my part.  Is this how God works?   I've got good news for you.  God will never ask you to do something you don't want to do.   "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."  (Ezekiel 36:26-27) Did you see that?  God's way is that He will "cause you" to walk in His ways.  How?  Not by force.  But by the Holy Spirit.  You see, when a person hears the wonderful, outrageous, beautiful good news of God's love expressed on the cross where Jesus died and took all the punishment of our sins, God's Spirit comes and gently draws them to trust Jesus.  It’s actually His goodness revealed in the gospel that causes people to change.  Romans 2:4 says, “the goodness of God leads you to repentance”.  Everyone has a freewill to choose, however, it's The Holy Spirit "causing them" by giving them the desire and willingness to obey God.  That way God gets all the Glory. But don't we have to do anything?  Absolutely Yes!  "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,  for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.  (Phillipians 2:12-13) The Apostle Paul is saying that we need to tremble and be fearful that we would do anything in our own strength.  Or in other words.  We work out our salvation by making sure we're not the ones doing it.  Praise God!  It's all about Jesus!  He is our all in all.   I once heard a pastor say, "We are saved by grace by after that we have to put in some effort."  Well, that's not what the Apostle Paul thought.   “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.  (1 Corinthians 15:10) Paul was saying, "I preached more sermons, I planted more churches, I helped more poor people, I won more souls, and I wrote more books than anyone else.  But I had absolutely nothing to do with it.  It was by the grace of God!  Dear friend, God will never ask you to do something you don't want to do.  Rather, He will show you how beautiful Jesus is.  For we are transformed by looking at His GLORY not our GORY (2 Corinthians 3:18)!  Your thoughts? -Andrew   Your will and God’s will 2009-08-04T15:47:50+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/outrageous_grace http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/outrageous_grace The Bible is very clear that we are to live holy and pure lives before God.  “Be holy because I am holy.”  (1 Peter 1:16).  However, there are so many misconceptions out there about how to go about it. Today, there are so many condemning preachers is makes me sick to my stomach.  They think that by telling everybody what to do and how to live that it will produce holiness and help people to live right when it actually does the opposite.  I would go as far as to say it causes some people to be so insecure that they want nothing to do with God.   First of all, let me explain that when the Bible refers to “the Law” it is referring to “human effort”.  Or in other words, what we try to do in our own strength to please God.   The Bible says that the Law (or human effort) actually makes people want to live unholy.  “(1 Corinthians 3:6)  “for the letter kills (human effort), but the Spirit gives life.” and in 1 Corinthians 15:56 says “the strength of sin is the law (or human effort).”  So when preachers start condemning people preaching only the law and commandments (or human effort), it actually makes people want to sin even more.  Out of fear some may try to live holy, and in there own effort and have some success, but sooner or later they fail until they realize the words of Jesus “apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)  The Bible says that the law is holy, just and good.  But, as far as making a person holy, just, or good it is utterly useless.  Paul the apostle said, “But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire.”  (1 Corinthians 7:8)  So what’s the purpose of the law?  Why would God give the 10 Commandments?  The answer is in Romans 3:19 “That every mouth will be stopped”.  God gave the law to show all of us how much we need His outrageous grace. The Bible gives the answer to live a holy life:  “For sin shall not have dominion over you because you are not under law (or human effort) but under grace. (Romans 6:14) The Bible says that the grace of God is what makes a person live a holy life.  I call it outrageous grace!  What is grace?  Grace is the undeserved, unearned, unmerited favor of God.   Grace is all about God’s love for us and His anger for sin that He expressed through what Jesus did on the cross 2000 years ago.  That when we were still sinners Christ died for you and put all of your sins (past, present, and future) on Jesus.  2 Corinthians 5:18 says,  “that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them”.  God has dealt with the sin problem once and for all.  “He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”  (Hebrews 9:26).  If any person will simply believe that, they can not help but to live a holy life pleasing to God. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.  (1 Peter 1:5-9) The Apostle Peter said that the diagnosis for not living holy is because that person has forgotten the grace of God.  Do you see it?  God’s grace makes us fall in love with Him and His Spirit is the one that causes us to live the holy victorious life.  Hallelujah!  You will fail on your own.  But thanks be to God for His outrageous grace that causes us to live the life God has for us.  Wow! I'm getting so excited just writing this.  How good is our God!  This is the message that will change the world.  There's even song called outrageous grace that we used to sing in church.  I remember how soo many people were blessed by God's grace during that time.  I want to encourage you to take a look at it.  Your thoughts? -Andrew  Verse 1There’s a lot of pain but a lot more healingThere’s a lot of trouble but a lot more peaceThere’s a lot of hate but a lot more lovingThere’s a lot of sin but a lot more graceChorusOh outrageous grace oh outrageous graceLove unfurled by heaven’s handOh outrageous grace oh outrageous graceThrough my Jesus I can standVerse 2There’s a lot of fear but a lot more freedomThere’s a lot of darkness but a lot more lightThere’s a lot of cloud but a lot more visionThere’s a lot of perishing but a lot more lifeBridgeThere’s an enemyThat seeks to kill what it can’t controlIt twists and turnsMaking mountains out of molehillsBut I will call on my LordWho is worthy of praiseI run to Him and I am saved   Outrageous Grace 2009-07-17T03:43:29+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/im_not_ashamed_of_the_scandal http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/im_not_ashamed_of_the_scandal   Hundreds of millions of people around the world were listening to Pastor Lucious Smith as he prayed at Michael Jackson’s memorial service in Los Angeles “bless us and keep us with the love that which you kept Michael and we offer this prayer up to you in the glorious NAME OF JESUS our Lord amen.”  I felt goose bumps to hear him use the name of Jesus in his prayer.  Pastor Lucious believes in the scandal.  No, not the scandal in the tabloids.  I’m talking about the scandal of the message of Jesus.   “but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block (or scandal) to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”  (1 Corinthians 1:23-24) The message of Jesus is a scandal.  Why?  Because when Jesus died on the cross 2000 years ago, God put all of your sins, and the sins of the whole world on Jesus.  God punished your sin once and for all in the body of Jesus Christ (1 John 2:2)  “And He Himself is the propitiation (means that God’s anger was satisfied) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”  Hallelujah! The scandal is that God’s not angry!  Your sins have been paid for by Jesus.  Oh how the world needs to here this message!  This is what changes people.  I want to congratulate Pastor Lucious for not being ashamed of the name of Jesus!  You thoughts? -Andrew   I’m not Ashamed of the Scandal 2009-07-08T01:07:21+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/excuse_me_wheres_the_bathroom http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/excuse_me_wheres_the_bathroom It shocked me as I read it.  God gave instructions about how to go to the bathroom?   “Also you shall have a place outside the camp, where you may go out; and you shall have an implement among your equipment, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and turn and cover your refuse. (Deuteronomy 23:12-13) Now this might surprise you, but I’m going to share a beautiful truth about Jesus from this scripture.   First of all, they were commanded to go outside the camp to relieve themselves.  Let me ask you a question.  Where was Jesus crucified?  Hebrews 13:10-12 says that Jesus was crucified outside the camp.    Next, they were supposed to use an instrument called an “implement” or “paddle” to cover their excrement (thank God I don’t have to explain all these details).  It’s facinating that the hebrew word for  paddle is “yathed” which also means "stake".  Jesus was crucified on a cross or "stauros" which means stake.   And lastly, they were commanded dig a hole in order to barry their business once and for all.  Colossians 2:12 says that your old sinful nature was burried with Jesus Christ. Romans 6:3-4 says, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”   Dear friend, this seemingly odd scripture verse is actually a wonderful picture of the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  That when Jesus Christ was crucified and buried, God literally took ALL of your sins (or crap) and buried them with Jesus never to be remembered against you again. Hallelujah!  This is how you can live a holy life.  Identify with what Christ has done for you!  Let Jesus live BIG in you!  And you will live the life God wants you to live.  God bless you!  Your thoughts? -Andrew         Excuse me!  Where’s the bathroom? 2009-06-24T18:47:48+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/supernatural_christians http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/supernatural_christians Today the word “supernatural” is a very common word.  There are even some evangelical groups that focus on the “supernatural” having “Supernatural Conferences” and say that God is raising up a “Supernatural Army” to do the “Supernatural.”  But is there such a thing as a natural christian?  Are there now categories of christians?   Christians, supernatural christians, and super supernatural christians?  To say that a born-again person needs to be supernatural, is like saying that the sun needs to be hot!  True Christians are supernatural or they are not christians.  The Bible says in Romans 8:9 “And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”   One day, while praying in spanish, I said, “Oh Lord bless them in a supernatural way!”   It was just like a phrase I had learned.  A habit.  When all of a sudden the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart saying,  “Is there any other way?”  Wow!  I started to laugh and thought to myself, “How beautiful is Jesus!”  He is always working in a supernatural way.   "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." (John 5:17) The truth is that the supernatural is nothing new or just a nice word the preachers are now tagging on to their sermons to sound spiritual.  If you are a child of God you believe in the supernatural.  Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world supernaturally.  The First and the Last.  From the creation of the world to the cross of Calvary.  God and His people are supernatural.  Hallelujah!  Jesus is the one who blesses you, baptizes you with the Holy Spirit and fire, releases all the gifts of the Spirit in and through you, and saves you in a supernatural way!  Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” (John 3:5)  That’s supernatural!  Your thoughts? -Andrew     Supernatural Christians?! 2009-06-19T20:49:43+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/your_dream_made_a_reality http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/your_dream_made_a_reality Many today speak of your dream or vision. “Don’t give up on your dream” and  “Pursue your dream” are common phrases. Do you know when your dream is from God?  How do you see your vision become a reality? The story of Peter walking on the water found in Matthew 14:22-33 fascinates me.  Even though the story seems to focus on Peter’s dream of walking on the water, we don’t see what Peter was able to do,  but rather we see what Jesus was able to do.  I think this is so amazing!  Especially in our day of self help, positive thinking and human wisdom principles.   All these things can be very helpful,  however, if you can see your dream come to pass by WHAT YOU CAN DO why do you need Jesus?  The good news is that God does give you dreams and wants you to see them fulfilled!  You can be sure your dreams come from God.  You can see them made a reality.  I want to encourage you to download this entire teaching FREE in the eStore.  You will be greatly blessed.  -Andrew   Your Dream Made a Reality 2009-06-13T18:27:12+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/robert_langdon_and_faith http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/robert_langdon_and_faith Hollywood recently came out with a sequel to "The Da Vinci Code" called “Angels and Demons”.  I don’t want you to think that I’m recommending movies here or that I’m a “big movie person”.  However, I just went to see the movie on a date with my wife and was greatly blessed by something Robert Langdon (a Religious Symbologist) said that I would like to share with you.  The scene begins with a Catholic priest asking Robert Langdon if he believes in God.  Robert pauses and says, “I have not yet received that gift.”  What a statement!  I dare to say that Langdon understood more about faith than a lot of Christians do.  Robert Langdon recognized that faith is a gift from God.   Some people really struggle with the idea of faith feeling like they’re always a day late and a dollar short.  But that’s the point!  You can’t produce faith.  Faith is not positive thinking or believing something that isn’t true.  In fact, faith has nothing to do with you at all.  The Bible says “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God and not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2: 8-9). I’m reminded of a story in the Bible about a man named Thomas, or commonly referred to as “doubting Thomas”.  He was the disciple of Jesus who said that he had to see it to believe it.  He said, “Unless I see the hands the print of nails, and put my finger into the print of His nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25).  People like to judge and condemn Thomas wondering how he could not believe after seeing all the miracles of Jesus and being with Him for over 3 years.  You might be surprised to know that the Bible actually says that ALL the disciples where just as unbelieving if not worse than Thomas.  Mark 16:11 says “they did not believe” and verse 13 says again “but they did not believe them either” and a third time it says “they did not believe.”  Wow! Three times in three consecutive verses the Bible says that they did not believe.  And then Jesus turns to these unbelieving believers and gives them a mission to spread the message of good news to the whole world.  Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”  Why would Jesus do that?  Didn’t He know their weaknesses?  Didn't He require them to believe first?  The answer is that Jesus was going to send them a gift.    “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord and in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.  Then there appeared to them divided tongues , as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4).  This gift of the Holy Spirit was what gave those apostles faith.  He was their faith and their works proved it because “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20)  Robert Langdon knows something about faith.  In fact, I think he bragged about Jesus without even knowing it.  Faith is a gift of God.  And personally, I think “doubting Thomas” was not much different from any one of us without Jesus.  Why are we so hard on him?  All the disciples didn't believe.  I think Thomas was just honest.  Jesus said “for with me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).  But, “I can do all things through  Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) Your thought? - Andrew Robert Langdon and Faith 2009-05-20T04:20:10+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/original_anointing http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/original_anointing   After a great visit with friends and family in Canada, I left for my home away from home in Barranquilla Colombia.  Even though I’m feeling a bit jet lagged right now while I’m sitting here in the airport drinking a Colombian coffee,  I’m energized, and it’s not because of the caffeine!     What keeps me going is the original anointing.  The original anointing does not come from a man or ministry, but from the original giver named Jesus Christ.  This anointing is the power of God that comes upon a believer in Jesus for the purpose of testifying about Jesus.   ”But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."  Acts: 1:8.   I find it rather sad to see Christians running from conference to conference and church to church like beggars seeking new anointings and fillings of the Holy Spirit.  Is this in the Bible?    Mark 16:20 says that after they had received the anointing that "they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen." They were 100% equipped to fulfill their purpose.  They didn't keep the fire going.  The fire kept them going.  They didn’t need to seek new anointings or blessings, but rather walk with Jesus 24/7 and go on being filled moment by moment.  That’s why we are commanded to be filled or (go on being filled) with the Holy Spirit.  (Ephesians 5:18) The good news is that christians don’t need oil changes!  “And the anointing you have received from Him REMAINS in you.”  (1 John 2:27)  What an experience!  And what a reality!  I want to encourage you in the name of Jesus.  Once you have received the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues, you don’t need another anointing. Receive the original anointing!  Walk with Jesus everyday!  And you will see the original  results!  Your thoughts? -Andrew What Keeps me Going 2009-05-06T19:09:43+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/how_easy_it_is_to_be_healed http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/how_easy_it_is_to_be_healed Do you know it’s easy to be healed by God?  Jesus approached a man who had been crippled for 38 years at a place called the pool of Bethesda and asked him, “Do you want to be healed?” (John 5:6)  I used to think this was a strange question.  Who doesn’t want to be healed?  Some say that certain individuals don’t want to be healed because they might lose their workers compensation or some personal comfort.  Although this may be true, every person wants health and freedom from pain.  So what was Jesus saying? The answer is in the response of the paralytic man.  He said, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”  What a complicated response!   Imagine for 38 years this man perhaps got up every morning and was carried to this pool with hundreds of other sick people around him.  And when he finally arrives at the place, he is constantly on guard watching the water to see if there is any ripple or wave to indicate that a healing  angel was there.  And only then, he has to worry that he would be the first one in the water.  What stress!  The devil  always likes to complicate things!  It’s like some legalistic belief that bases everything on what you do.  If you have enough faith,  if you give offerings , if you are good enough, if you do everything right then God will heal you.  What a burden to lay on people!  Imagine that this man didn’t even know who Jesus was.  “But the one who was healed did not know who it was...”  (John 5:13)   And then one day it hit me.  Jesus was showing this man how EASY it is to be healed.  How awesome is Jesus!  Jesus is saying  “Look!  I am here!  I AM healing! “I AM the Lord who heals you” (Exodus 15:26).  And of course you want to be healed!  So let’s go for it!  Hallelujah!  And Jesus said to him “Rise, take up your bed and walk.”  And Immediately the man was made well, took up his bed and walked.” (John 5:8,9)  The presence of Jesus always heals because it’s who He is.  God does not heal you because He woke up this morning in a good mood.  He is a Healer and therefore has to heal.  A sparrow flies because that’s who birds are.  Fish have to swim because that’s who they are.  Football players play football because it’s who they are.  And Jesus heals because He’s a healer and  “He cannot deny Himself.”  (2 Timothy 2:13b)  Your thoughts? -Andrew How Easy it is to be Healed 2009-04-25T01:47:06+00:00 http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/another_blog_entry http://andrewfriesen.org/blog/another_blog_entry When the average person on the street hears of the story of Jonah today they think of it as a fable, or liken it more to that old movie “Jaws” where that massive shark would viciously attack and eat people.  But even though Jonah was a prophet that lived about 800 years before Christ, I believe he was one of the greatest prophets who ever lived and communicates a very important message that speaks into our lives today.   Not only did Jesus relate with Jonah more than any other prophet in the Bible, but He said in Matthew 12:39 “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.”   What was the sign of Jonah?  Jonah was the first prophet ever to carry the word of God outside of his own nation.  It’s amazing!  Imagine that before Jonah you will not even find one person in the entire Bible who ever preached the word of God to a different people group, even though God’s plan has always been to bless the whole world.  (See Genesis 12:2-3; Psalm 67) God said to Jonah “Arise, go to Nineveh...” (Jonah 1:2).  Today Jesus says to us “Go into all the world...”  (Mark 16:15) Jonah didn’t like his calling from God.  He chose, to run in the opposite direction only to find himself in one mess after another.  Finally, after being swallowed by a whale, he decided to pray to God.  That’s a good time to start.  To his surprise, the Lord heard his prayer and gave him a second chance.  Aren’t you glad God gives us second chances? Jonah apparently preached with amazing results.  The Bible says that Nineveh repented and God spared that great city of 120 000 people.  “God relented from the disaster that He said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.” (Jonah 3:10) However, after Jonah had grudgingly done what God told him to do, he found himself in a pool of selfpity and anger for the mercy God had shown towards Neneveh.   Jonah didn’t like God’s nature of mercy for people, he wanted to see the fire of judgement fall on the city of Niniveh.  After all, it was known for it’s many sins, wickedness, and was considered an enemy of Israel at that time.  Jonah said "Ah Lord was this not what I said when I was still in my country?  Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm."  (Jonah 4:2) Jonah wanted to preach fire and brimstone and see the judgement of God.   John the Baptist did not even recognize who Jesus was when he came.  “When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"  Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” (Mathew 11:2-6) John preached on the judgement and wrath of God.  "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Luke 3:7) John must have thought to himself. “Good News?  The wrath of God?"  He found himself confused. John the apostle was completely ‘out of sync’ when it came to understanding the nature of Christ.  When the Samaritans refused them accommodation, John said "“Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.”" (Luke 9:55-56) However, I think it is so beautiful how John the apostle discovered and encountered God.    “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.”  (Acts 8:5)  "Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:15).  What an awesome Jesus we have!  John went down to Samaria the second time, not to call down the fire of judgement, but the call down the fire of the Holy Spirit.  Praise God!  I can just imagine John hearing the news of Philip the evangelist preaching to the Samaritans and how they had received the gospel with signs and wonders.  I can see the fire of the Holy Spirit burning in his heart as he prays to the Lord.  “Oh Lord, forgive me, for now I understand that you are a God who loves and died for the sins of the whole world.  1 John 2:2 “For he is the propitiation not only for our sins, but also for the whole world.”  The true heart of evangelism is that the messenger is the message and the message is the messenger. A burning heart preaching a burning message to the whole world "Jesus Saves!"  Your thoughts? -Andrew The True Heart of Evangelism 2009-03-07T19:19:49+00:00