- Nov 9, 2006
- 282
- 27
- Faith
- Non-Denom
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- US-Republican
( as a note , I dont debate )
....I want you to know this is not just a story I have heard ... I am a witness to this and all testimonies written in this book, with my eyes and with my life.... In particular the wedding of Ralph and Colleen was an event I attended with Joy!..I greeted Luke( the person healed in this chapter ) that day and was able to see him after his healing.. God is truly GOOD.... About 10 years ago after first coming to Bethel Church I realized this wasnt going to be " church as usual " .. It is my firm belief though that THIS SHOULD BE NORMAL in the body of christ ...
... Lord Your Kingdom Come...!!
Enjoy... Blessings.. Spirit Fire
On a cold and rainy Saturday, church buses were sent to the neediest parts of our city, Redding, to find the homeless and the poor. The bride and groom eagerly anticipated their return and prepared a meal in their honor. The needy were to be the distinguished guests of their wedding.
Ralph and Colleen met while working in our ministry to the poor. They shared a passion for God and a love for the needy. Although it is common for the bride and groom to register for gifts at fine department stores, Ralph and Colleen did so at Target; and all they put on their wish list were coats, hats, gloves, and sleeping bags…to be given to their guests. This was not going to be a typical wedding.
In our pre-wedding meeting the bride and groom encouraged me to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in case He wanted to heal people during the wedding. If I received a word of knowledge for healing, I was to stop the ceremony and pray for the sick. As a pastor I was excited to see what might happen. They had created far too great a miracle opportunity for God not to do something extraordinary.
The wedding began. Apart from an extended time of worship, followed by an evangelistic message and a prayer for salvation, the ceremony ended up quite normal.
It’s very different to see among family and friends of the bride and groom people who are there simply to get a meal. It wasn’t wrong. It was just different. Following the ceremony, the newly married couple went directly to the reception hall, got behind the serving table, and dished the food for their guests. The meal was excellent. The hungry became satisfied. God was pleased.
But before the wedding ever started two or three people came to me with excitement in their voice. “There is somebody here who only has 2 1/2 to 3 years to live!” We had crossed a milestone. Miracles of healing had become more common…to the point that a life-threatening disease seemed more like a potential miracle than it did something to fear. That in itself is a dream come true for me—people in North America expecting something supernatural from God!
Following the meal my brother Bob and I brought them into the church kitchen, asking him about the braces on each arm. He told us his problem was carpal tunnel syndrome. I asked him if he would take the braces off and let us pray. He said yes. (Whenever it’s possible I like to remove whatever that person might trust in other than God.) He did so, and we laid our hands on his wrists, commanding the tunnel to open and all numbness and pain to be gone. He then moved his hands freely, experiencing the healing he had just received.
When we asked him about his cane and the obvious problem with his leg, he described how he had suffered a horrible accident. As a result he had an artificial shin and hip and had even lost half a lung. His walk was labored and painful. When the surgeons put him back together, his leg was an inch too short. I had him sit down and encouraged both him and his wife to watch what God was about to do. I held his legs in such a way that they could see the problem and would be able to recognize any change. We commanded the leg to grow. It did. When he stood, he shifted his weight from side to side, almost as though he were trying on a new pair of shoes, saying, “Yeah, that’s about right.” The response of the unchurched is very matter of fact…and very refreshing. I asked him to walk across the room, which he did gladly, without a limp and without pain. God was at work. He replaced one inch of missing bone and removed all the pain caused by Luke’s accident.
Next we asked about Luke’s neck. He told me he had cancer and was given a couple of years to live. He went on to explain that the brace was necessary because of the loss of the muscles in his neck. The brace held his head in place. By this time a group had gathered, not to watch, but to participate. At my request he removed the brace while another man in our church, a medical doctor, safely held his head. As we began to pray I heard the doctor command new muscles to grow. He called them by their Latin names. I was impressed. When we were finished, Luke turned his head from side to side. All was restored. He then placed his hand on the side of his neck and exclaimed, “The lumps are gone!”
His doctor gave him a clean bill of health, and the miracles continued long past the physical healing. Luke and Jennifer began to serve Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Within weeks Luke got a job, the first time he had worked in 17 years. Jesus heals the whole person.
The aforementioned bride and groom, although noble, are ordinary people who serve an extravagant Father. There wasn’t a great person involved, except for Jesus. All the rest of us simply made room for God, believing Him to be good 100 percent of the time. The risks that the bride and groom took were more than God could pass up. In the midst of this marriage celebration God invaded a home marked by hellish disease and established a testimony for His glory.
Stories of this nature are becoming the norm, and the company of people who have joined this quest for an authentic gospel—the gospel of the Kingdom—is increasing. Loving God and His people is an honor. We will no longer make up excuses for powerlessness because powerlessness is inexcusable. Our mandate is simple: raise up a generation that can openly display the raw power of God. This book is all about that journey…the quest for the King and His Kingdom.
2. Matt. 6:33.
....I want you to know this is not just a story I have heard ... I am a witness to this and all testimonies written in this book, with my eyes and with my life.... In particular the wedding of Ralph and Colleen was an event I attended with Joy!..I greeted Luke( the person healed in this chapter ) that day and was able to see him after his healing.. God is truly GOOD.... About 10 years ago after first coming to Bethel Church I realized this wasnt going to be " church as usual " .. It is my firm belief though that THIS SHOULD BE NORMAL in the body of christ ...
... Lord Your Kingdom Come...!!
Enjoy... Blessings.. Spirit Fire
When Heaven Invades Earth
The Normal Christian Life
The Normal Christian Life
By Pastor Bill Johnson - Bethel Church, Redding CA
On a cold and rainy Saturday, church buses were sent to the neediest parts of our city, Redding, to find the homeless and the poor. The bride and groom eagerly anticipated their return and prepared a meal in their honor. The needy were to be the distinguished guests of their wedding.
Ralph and Colleen met while working in our ministry to the poor. They shared a passion for God and a love for the needy. Although it is common for the bride and groom to register for gifts at fine department stores, Ralph and Colleen did so at Target; and all they put on their wish list were coats, hats, gloves, and sleeping bags…to be given to their guests. This was not going to be a typical wedding.
In our pre-wedding meeting the bride and groom encouraged me to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in case He wanted to heal people during the wedding. If I received a word of knowledge for healing, I was to stop the ceremony and pray for the sick. As a pastor I was excited to see what might happen. They had created far too great a miracle opportunity for God not to do something extraordinary.
The wedding began. Apart from an extended time of worship, followed by an evangelistic message and a prayer for salvation, the ceremony ended up quite normal.
It’s very different to see among family and friends of the bride and groom people who are there simply to get a meal. It wasn’t wrong. It was just different. Following the ceremony, the newly married couple went directly to the reception hall, got behind the serving table, and dished the food for their guests. The meal was excellent. The hungry became satisfied. God was pleased.
But before the wedding ever started two or three people came to me with excitement in their voice. “There is somebody here who only has 2 1/2 to 3 years to live!” We had crossed a milestone. Miracles of healing had become more common…to the point that a life-threatening disease seemed more like a potential miracle than it did something to fear. That in itself is a dream come true for me—people in North America expecting something supernatural from God!
THE MIRACLE CONTINUES
His name was Luke. Like most of the folks from the streets he and his wife Jennifer had come to the wedding because food would be served. Luke walked with difficulty, needing the help of a cane. He wore braces on each arm, and a large brace around his neck.Following the meal my brother Bob and I brought them into the church kitchen, asking him about the braces on each arm. He told us his problem was carpal tunnel syndrome. I asked him if he would take the braces off and let us pray. He said yes. (Whenever it’s possible I like to remove whatever that person might trust in other than God.) He did so, and we laid our hands on his wrists, commanding the tunnel to open and all numbness and pain to be gone. He then moved his hands freely, experiencing the healing he had just received.
When we asked him about his cane and the obvious problem with his leg, he described how he had suffered a horrible accident. As a result he had an artificial shin and hip and had even lost half a lung. His walk was labored and painful. When the surgeons put him back together, his leg was an inch too short. I had him sit down and encouraged both him and his wife to watch what God was about to do. I held his legs in such a way that they could see the problem and would be able to recognize any change. We commanded the leg to grow. It did. When he stood, he shifted his weight from side to side, almost as though he were trying on a new pair of shoes, saying, “Yeah, that’s about right.” The response of the unchurched is very matter of fact…and very refreshing. I asked him to walk across the room, which he did gladly, without a limp and without pain. God was at work. He replaced one inch of missing bone and removed all the pain caused by Luke’s accident.
Next we asked about Luke’s neck. He told me he had cancer and was given a couple of years to live. He went on to explain that the brace was necessary because of the loss of the muscles in his neck. The brace held his head in place. By this time a group had gathered, not to watch, but to participate. At my request he removed the brace while another man in our church, a medical doctor, safely held his head. As we began to pray I heard the doctor command new muscles to grow. He called them by their Latin names. I was impressed. When we were finished, Luke turned his head from side to side. All was restored. He then placed his hand on the side of his neck and exclaimed, “The lumps are gone!”
His doctor gave him a clean bill of health, and the miracles continued long past the physical healing. Luke and Jennifer began to serve Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Within weeks Luke got a job, the first time he had worked in 17 years. Jesus heals the whole person.
JUST ANOTHER DAY
Although that kind of wedding remains unusual, our church’s deliberate pursuit of the poor and the miracles are common. This story is true, and it is closer to the normal Christian life than what the Church normally experiences. The lack of miracles isn’t because it is not in God’s will for us. The problem exists between our ears. As a result, a transformation—a renewing of the mind—is needed, and it’s only possible through a work of the Holy Spirit that typically comes upon desperate people.The aforementioned bride and groom, although noble, are ordinary people who serve an extravagant Father. There wasn’t a great person involved, except for Jesus. All the rest of us simply made room for God, believing Him to be good 100 percent of the time. The risks that the bride and groom took were more than God could pass up. In the midst of this marriage celebration God invaded a home marked by hellish disease and established a testimony for His glory.
Stories of this nature are becoming the norm, and the company of people who have joined this quest for an authentic gospel—the gospel of the Kingdom—is increasing. Loving God and His people is an honor. We will no longer make up excuses for powerlessness because powerlessness is inexcusable. Our mandate is simple: raise up a generation that can openly display the raw power of God. This book is all about that journey…the quest for the King and His Kingdom.
The kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 1
Seek first the kingdom of God…2.
ENDNOTES
1. 1 Cor. 4:20 NIV.Seek first the kingdom of God…2.
ENDNOTES
2. Matt. 6:33.
no one said otherwise. But to answer your question, yes. "normal" for them. Does God have something more? Sure! Why not?
