It was an unusually cold day for the month of May. Spring had arrived and everything was alive with color. But a cold front from the north had brought winter’s chill back to Indiana.
I sat with two friends in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the town square. The food and the company were both especially good that day. As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street. There, walking into town, was a man who appeared to be carrying all his worldly goods on his back. He was carrying a well-worn sign that read, “I will work for food.”
My heart sank. I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around us had stopped eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief. We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind.
We finished our meal and went our separate ways. I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them. I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat half-heartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call for some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car. Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: “Don’t go back to the office until you’ve at least driven once more around the square.”
And so, with some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the square’s third corner, I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the stone-front church, going through his sack. I stopped and looked, feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on. The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out and approached the town’s newest visitor.
“Looking for the pastor?” I asked.
“Not really,” he replied.
“Just resting.”
“Have you eaten today?”
“Oh, I ate something early this morning.”
“Would you like to have lunch with me?”
Do you have some work I could do for you?”
“No work,” I replied. “I commute here to work from the city, but I would like to take you to lunch.”
“Sure,” he replied with a smile.
As he began to gather his things, I asked some surface questions:
“Where you headed?”
“St. Louis.”
“Where you from?”
“Oh, all over; mostly Florida.”
“How long you been walking?”
“Fourteen years,” came the reply.
I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in the same restaurant I had left only minutes earlier. His hair was long and straight, and he had a neatly trimmed dark beard. His skin was deeply tanned, and his face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling.
He removed his jacket to reveal a bright red T-shirt that read Jesus is The Never Ending Story.
Then Daniel’s story began to unfold. He had seen rough times early in life. He’d made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences. Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach in Daytona. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large tent and some equipment. A concert, he thought. He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw life more clearly. He gave his life over to God.
“Nothing’s been the same since,” he said. “I felt the Lord telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now.”
“Ever think of stopping?” I asked.
“Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me. But God has given me this calling. I give out Bibles. That’s what’s in my sack. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads.”
I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a mission and lived this way by choice. The question burned inside for a moment and then I asked: “What’s it like?”
“What?”
“To walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and to show your sign?”
“Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. Once someone tossed a piece of half-eaten bread and made a gesture that certainly didn’t make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God was using me to touch lives and change people’s concepts of other folks like me.”
My concept was changing too. We finished our dessert and gathered his things. Just outside the door he paused. He turned to me and said, “Come ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I’ve prepared for you. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in.”
I felt as if we were on holy ground. “Could you use another Bible?” I asked. He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled well and was not too heavy. It was also his personal favorite.
“I’ve read through it 14 times,” he said.
“I’m not sure we’ve got one of those, but let’s stop by our church and see.” I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful. “Where you headed from here?” I asked.
“Well, I found this little map on the back of this amusement park coupon.”
“Are you hoping to hire on there for a while?”
“No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that’s where I’m going next.
“He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his mission.
I drove him back to the town square where we’d met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things.
“Would you sign my autograph book?” he asked. “I like to keep messages from folks I meet.”
I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of scripture, Jeremiah 29:11. “I know the plans I have for you,” declared the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a future and a hope.”
“Thanks, man,” he said. “I know we just met and we’re really just strangers, but I love you.”
“I know,” I said. “I love you, too.”
“The Lord is good.”
“Yes. He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?” I asked.
“A long time,” he replied.
And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed.
He put his things on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, “See you in the New Jerusalem.”
“I’ll be there!” was my reply.
He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bed roll and pack of Bibles.
He stopped, turned and said, “When you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?”
“You bet,” I shouted back. “God bless.”
“God bless.”
And that was the last I saw of him. Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold front had setted hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car. As I sat back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them-a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle. I picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that night without them. I remembered his words:
“If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?”
Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office. They help me to see the world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with my unique friend and to pray for his ministry. “See you in the New Jerusalem,” he said. Yes Daniel, I know I will. – Rev. Richard D. Ryan, http://faithhub.net/a-traveling-saint/#KciKEywsv5y8wJYq.99
Tag: Bible
John 10:33 (Divine Claim)
One of the big arguments atheists sometimes use and Muslims frequently use to deny the divinity of Jesus is the claim that Jesus never claimed to be God. The argument, which is even found in the Quran, states that Jesus never came right out, point blank, and said, “I am God” therefore He must not be God.
This argument is ridiculous on two grounds. First, it is simply not true. We see very clearly Jesus saying in John 8:58, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM.” When Moses was sent by God to go rescue the people of Israel, he asked God, “What is your name that I might tell them who sent me?” God responded, “I AM. Say this to the people, I AM has sent me to you.” This is the very name of God and Jesus point blank uses it as His own. It is found all over the Old Testament but except for in Exodus 3:14, when it is used, we have instead the word Lord all in caps. (see Genesis 2:4, Exodus 3:2, Leviticus 1:1 and about 6,500 other times)
Not only does Jesus use the very name of God as His own, there are also many other times where either another calls him God and he does not correct them or Jesus is speaking of Himself and the people listening understand clearly that He just referred to Himself as God. An example of the former is when Thomas says, “My Lord and my God” and Jesus responds, “You believe because you have seen. Blessed are those who have not seen yet still believe.” An example of the latter is found right here in John 10. Jesus had just said, “I and my Father are one” and now the crowd is picking up stones because, “You, a mere man, claim to be God.”
See more at the blog link provided above.
What you do with Jesus today determines where you will spend eternity.
Know Jesus Know Heaven
No Jesus, no Heaven
–Pastor Ward Clinton
Wrong Views of God
Wrong Views of God.
The above phrase used to take you to a blog that mentions several different views of God which include Atheism, Agnosticism, and Deism.
Under the Deism definition, in addition to the definition, you would have found:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) Then again, the deist will deny the deity of Jesus. They also deny God’s intervention in miracles such as the flood, the Red Sea, all prophesy, and the miracles of Jesus and the early church (or the church throughout time for that matter). Although the phrase is so used it has almost become cliche’, it is still true that God has not called us to a religion but to a relationship. The deist would claim that such a relationship is not possible. To go further, any logically consistent deist would have to claim that all of the millions of Christians who claim to have such a relationship are deluded. Any view of God that denies the very real experience of so many is itself a delusion.
Many who have attempted to rewrite American history to suit a certain agenda attempt to make the claim that George Washington was a deist. That is a claim that could not be further from the truth. The first U.S. President was most definitely NOT a deist as he was a man of habitual prayer who fully expected God’s intervention and celebrated that divine intervention at many points along his life journey.
We must realize that American Christians, Patriots, and our American Constitution are standing in the way of Globalism, World Tyranny, and the Mark of the Beast System. Global government cannot exist without first getting rid of America and out Constitution. That’s why the leftists are trying so hard to take us down; we stand in their way.
We need to get back to right views of God and the sooner the better. Have you read His book? It is a best seller and a very special revelation of who He is.
–Pastor Ward Clinton
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath
2:23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.
2:24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?
Deuteronomy 23:25 allowed the disciples and the people to do this. Tradition established by that time and the Mishnah said they could not do this on the Sabbath as though their tradition were greater than the Law given to them by Moses. This is quite similar to claiming the Hadith is greater than the Koran by certain Muslim teaching for if it is then, the Quran, is diminished in value beyond measure and perhaps an admission that the present day Koran has been corrupted.
The Pharisees had quickly pounced and pointed out the multiple transgressions they believed the disciples had committed. It was obvious they expected Jesus to reprimand His disciples and command them to stop. Instead He spoke to these “Imams” in their own language and chastised them in His own way which may be a wee bit hard for us to see because we are, fortunately, not under their traditions and rules although we must remember that we are not at liberty to do as we please because we ought to obey the one who is Lord of the Sabbath which is the kalimat Allah, Isa. The one true God made the day of prayer to make our lives better and fuller.
2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Religious tradition had so multiplied and twisted the restrictions, rules, and requirements for keeping the Sabbath that the burden became almost unbearable. However living a holy life is not simply the keeping of requirements but the seeking of the One who set the requirements in order that He might be found. The requirements set forth in the first covenant were not intended to drive us from Him but to make us understand our need for Him. Likewise the first six chapters of Romans in the New Covenant are intended for the same purpose.
3:1 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
3:2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3:3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
3:4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
3:5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
3:6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
This, 3:1-6, is a demonstration of the truth proclaimed in 2:28. The Pharisees were plotting evil against Jesus while Jesus was ready to do good, therefore it is obvious who was guilty of breaking the Sabbath although the people probably did not realize it at the time because of the erroneous teaching they had long listened to. (What if Abu Bakr did not teach accurately?) What if the one who compiled and created the Quran was a friend of the djinn and was sent to deceive and empower himself under the guise of preserving truth? We are told he faithfully re-produced the accurate words but where is the proof? Why is there more than one version, in Arabic, of the Koran?
3:7 But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea,
3:8 And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.
The geographical list shows that people were traveling great distances, for that day and age, to see and hear the holy one from God. Will that generation rise up and condemn this generation at the last day for its lack of effort to seek out and learn Isa’s teaching? Many Muslims claim they respect and honor Isa but they are actually guilty of insulting Isa because they do not read or pay any attention to what he taught when he was healing and teaching the people. Mohammad said the Injil is not corrupt. The Quran says the Injil is not corrupt. Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas said the Al-kitab (Holy Bible) is not corrupt. Muhammad Abduh Sayyid Ahmad Khan (died 1905) said “As far as the text of the [Holy] Bible is concerned, it has not been altered.” Furthermore, Muhammad Abduh said the “charge of corruption of the Biblical texts makes no sense at all.” The problem with “the Al-kitab (Holy Bible) has been corrupted” argument is that those who make that claim are ignorant of first century history and/or the whole text of the Injil (New Testament portion of the Holy Bible).
It is not wise to insult Isa. He has the words of life from the one true God. It is true that many who claim to be his followers (Christians) are corrupted but that is only because they do not truly follow his teaching as revealed in the Holy Bible but that is no excuse, it does not excuse you, for not knowing and studying the words of Isa as preserved in the Injil.
The reason some of those who call themselves “Christian” do not seem to know much about the Holy Bible or genuine Christianity is because they actually are not Christians as is proven by their lives. As a Muslim, almost all of what you have been told by the Imams about Christianity is taqiyya. But do not be angry at your Imam, because they lied to him to. Even among those who actually regularly attend a Bible-believing Church one must look carefully to see how their life matches up to the teachings of Isa in the Injil. So how can one know? First pray to the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and then become familiar with the New Testament portion of the Holy Bible and then request, in prayer, to the one true God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for assistance in knowing the truth; this is not done by simply using a memorized prayer. He’s listening because He does care about you. Because God cares about you the Injil is not corrupt, it may be hard to understand, at first, but ask Him to help you and to direct you. Ask the one true God to help you find real followers of Jesus.
Know Jesus, Know Heaven
No Jesus, no Heaven
–Pastor Ward Clinton
Know Jesus and Know Heaven …
Whenever He was in Capernaum, Jesus probably routinely resided at Peter’s house.
Having completed His preaching tour of the Galilean Synagogues Jesus now returns to Capernaum and probably to the house of Peter. The news of His return spread quickly so that in practically no time at all a crowd had filled the house to capacity and spilled out into the street.
To the western mindset this thing about digging through the roof sounds like major vandalism to the house but in all actuality it wasn’t. The house had a flat roof and there was a stairway leading up to the roof. A family could relax up there in the cool of the evening. After the four had let their friend down through the hole they had made and Jesus had done His thing the five probably repaired the roof, perhaps leaving it in better shape than before their arrival. The four friends had encountered a major obstacle and could have given up and said, “Well we’ll try again another day,” but they didn’t let the problems overwhelm them, they looked for and found a solution.
Injil Markus 2:2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
2:3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
2:4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
2:6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
2:7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?
In Jewish theology even the Messiah could not forgive sins and therefore they were sure that Jesus was committing shirk. However if He really is who He claimed to be then disbelieving in Messiah Jesus is the worst type of shirk of all. Al-Masihu-Isa (Jesus) is kalimat Allah and wadjih (worthy of esteem in this world and the next) according to the Quran.
2:8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
2:9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
Since they believed and were quite certain that a person’s sins had to be forgiven before they could be healed Jesus has chosen to force them to engage their brains. One of the purposes of the miracles Jesus did was to prove to the people precisely who this holy one of God, Jesus, truly is. He is the promised Messiah. There is no other like Him.
2:10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
2:11 “I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.”
2:12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
Jesus saw their faith, He may have smiled as he looked at a faith strong enough to overcome the obstacles and then He looked at the Scribes – the ones who should have had faith and He couldn’t help but be annoyed by those Scribes. Now, in part, these fellows were doing their job; they were scrutinizing this itinerant Rabbi to make sure his teaching was okay. But these were sitting there watching for what they considered to be the slightest mistake so they could blow it all out of proportion rather than allowing themselves to be moved by the working of God which they were privileged to see happening right before their very eyes.
The religious leadership made a connection between sin and disease, not entirely unfounded, but they were a bit misguided. To them a sick man was a man who had sinned. They had already heard Jesus preach; they had already seen Jesus heal. Still they seemed quite unmoved by all that they had seen and heard. Now, understand this, Jesus won’t allow anyone to remain neutral towards Him. You will be either for Him or against Him, your choice. If you choose wrongly, you will ultimately pay dearly for your choice. Know Jesus, Know Heaven.
He has decided to up the ante, therefore he said, “Child your sins are forgiven.” He has just challenged them head on with that phrase. They were of the belief that the sin had to be forgiven before one could be healed. But anyone is capable of saying “your sins are forgiven” and how can it be proven whether the statement was effective or not? Now on the other hand, to tell the man to get up and walk would demonstrate then and there the authority, effectiveness, and reliability of His word. Therefore in the tenth verse Jesus lets them know they have to make a choice to either believe in Him or disbelieve. He has hoisted these experts in the law on their own petard. It is on their own traditions and stated beliefs this man could not be cured unless he was forgiven.
In effect Jesus has said, “you say I have no right to forgive sins? You believe that if this man is sick, he is a sinner and cannot be cured until he is forgiven? Okay, then, watch this!” Jesus spoke the word and the man was cured, therefore he must be forgiven and Jesus’ claim to be able to forgive sin must be true. And a lot of eyewitnesses were there who couldn’t help but to laugh at their dilemma and to praise the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He loves you and wants you to know who He is, and He asks you to live for Him.
–Pastor Ward Clinton
Jesus did Miracles, Muhammad could not
Injil Markus 1:40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
1:41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
1:42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
1:43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;
1:44 And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
The sacrifices were to be evidence that the cure was real and that Jesus had respect for the law, the real law of God as opposed to the man-made traditions which were really a corruption to God’s law. The healing was also a testimony to Jesus’ divine power, since the religious leadership believed that only God could cure leprosy (see 2nd Kings 5:1-14)
1:45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.
In the Injil (New Testament) there is no disease regarded with more terror and pity than leprosy. When Jesus sent out the Twelve he commanded them “Heal the sick, cleanse lepers.” Thereby he demonstrates that God has compassion on men and women. (Matt 18:8) The fate of the leper in that day was truly hard. There were some other skin diseases which were mistakenly classified as leprosy such as ringworm or psoriasis and when they went away there was a prescribed ritual to go through to be declared “clean.”
The leprous person could not come closer than a stone’s throw to a non-leprous person and if they did people would typically react in fear and drive them back with stones. From Peter’s recorded perspective it appears the leper came closer than allowed but it is also likely he actually did not, only coming as close as he could before falling to his knees and making his plea. Whether he came closer than allowed by law or stopped short isn’t important; what is important is that Jesus cared enough to reach out and tenderly touch the untouchable one as well as completely cure. It was a demonstration of the one true God’s compassion; if we will only approach and humbly request He will bridge the remaining gap because He longs to establish/restore the fellowship that has been broken by the barrier of sin between an unholy being and the thrice Holy God.
Many a man on the face of this planet ignorantly and arrogantly thinks he will be able to approach God and plead the case that he himself is not so bad as some of his fellows and for that reason alone he must be allowed into heaven. Many a man thinks that so long as his good deeds outweigh his bad deeds then he must be accepted but that also is a corrupt teaching from sinful man. Sadly, he will be met with justice rather than mercy because he has chosen to act in pride rather than humility. It is only those who by faith apply to Christ Jesus for mercy and grace who will find that He is quite willing and capable of providing the mercy and grace they need and seek and he will bring them into the presence of the one true God.
Jesus then sent the man to go fulfill the prescribed ritual. We need not see this man as failing to obey, for he probably completed the task assigned except that he simply could not keep silent for the joy of deliverance. How can a sin-sick soul that comprehends the cure which has been effected by the power of such a gracious, loving God (yes, the one true God really does have compassion on us) be silent regarding the cure?
–Pastor Ward Clinton
The Answer to the World’s Problems
–Pastor Ward Clinton
Be alert
Time to wake up and be prepared.
–Pastor Ward Clinton
Isa expels demons, Imams Can’t
1:34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.
The demons knew and understood Him to be the Messiah, the one true and holy Messiah; Isa, Al-Masih, is kalimat-Allah and wadjih according to the Quran and for that reason they were powerless against Isa.
Many that were possessed with devils – Dr. Lightfoot gives two sound reasons why Judea, in our Lord’s time, abounded with demoniacs. First, Because they were then advanced to the very height of impiety. See what Josephus, their own historian, says of them: There was not (said he) a nation under heaven more wicked than they were. See on Rom_1:1 (note). Secondly, Because they were then strongly addicted to magic, and so, as it were, invited evil spirits to be familiar with them. It seems strange to find men at this distance of time questioning the truth of that which neither scribes nor Pharisees then doubted; nor did they ever object against the pretensions of Christ and his apostles to cast them out. And, if the whole business of demonism had been only a vulgar error, (as “wise” men now tell us), what a fine opportunity had the “wise” men then, to unmask the whole matter, and thus pour contempt on the pretensions of our blessed Lord and his followers, who held it to be one proof of their Divine mission, that demons were subject to them! – Adam Clarke
It has been said, “Build a better mousetrap and the public will beat a path to your doorstep even if you live in the wilderness.” Unfortunately the crowds were only coming because they wanted something; unfortunately the crowds only thought they were coming to see a wondrous physician; fortunately the crowds were coming.
Sadly, for one prayer that goes up to the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in days of prosperity ten thousand go up in times of adversity. Only prayers to the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are of any value, prayers to any other god are useless.
Try Jesus, if you don’t like Him, the devil will always take you back.
Many a man who has never prayed when the sun was shining begins to pray when the cold winds come. So many people regard religion as belonging “to the ambulance corps and not to the firing-line of life.” Therefore religion, to them, is merely a crisis affair. Only when life has gotten into a mess do they begin to remember God, but it is in the sunshine times that we need to polish the communication lines so that when the darkness settles over us we don’t suddenly find ourselves trying to figure out how to establish a connection. God is not someone to be sought only in the day of misfortune; He is someone to be loved and remembered every day of our lives.
The god of Ishmael does not love you; The God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob loves you.
Although the recognition of one’s failure to come to Him during the sunny time should not be allowed to hinder the seeking of Him in the dark time – it is just so much better, so much wiser, and so much safer to remember Him in the sunny time when one may be assured of finding Him.
And healed all that were sick – Not a soul did the Lord Jesus ever reject, who came to him soliciting his aid. Need any sinner despair who comes to him, conscious of his spiritual malady, to be healed by his merciful hand? – Adam Clarke
Need any Muslim despair who comes to the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? He loves you and wants you to know who Jesus really is; Jesus is the holy one of God who knows the true path to eternal life.
Injil Markus 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
Away from the disciples and other distractions, He started His day in private communication with the one true God.
Injil Markus 1:36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.
1:37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.
1:38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.
Simon Peter, upon finding Him, tells Jesus that people are starting to gather at his house again. Jesus informs Simon Peter that the gospel message must be taken to other towns also. His message is not to be confined to a single area, no matter how well received in that place. This would also give the people a chance to more carefully consider the gracious words they have already heard Al-Masihu-Isa speak unto them. As regards prayer; prayer doesn’t do our work for us; prayer strengthens us for the work that must be done.
–Pastor Ward Clinton
Messiah’s teaching is amazing
Injil Markus frequently reports the amazement that Messiah’s teaching and actions produced. The Scribes tended to teach the words of other teachers and the traditions of men. Part of what was happening with the teaching from Jesus was that He was teaching Scripture, not from the Mishna or some other tradition of men; He was teaching them what God said and meant, not what some famous Rabbi of bygone days had said that perhaps God had really meant. When a man teaches that a Hadith or a fitnah supersedes or abrogates something in the Quran is he not claiming the Quran is mistaken or corrupted? Furthermore, because the Koran says the al kitab ul muqaddas is not corrupted, then whenever an Imam teaches something contrary to the Al kitab ul muqaddas he is acting exactly like the Rabbis who were opposing Messiah and he is not one iota less corrupt than they were. I have already offered the testimony of Muslim scholars and Muhammad himself regarding the Holy Bible’s accuracy in a previous post.
Injil Markus 1:23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
1:24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
1:25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
1:26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.
It was the demons who cried out. Demonic possession tends to torment and destroy those who are created in God’s image, but the demon recognized that Messiah was a powerful adversary capable of destroying all the forces and schemes of jinn and Shaytan. The phrase, “The holy one of God,” was perhaps used by the demons in accordance with the occultist belief that the precise use of a person’s name might give a certain amount of leverage against him but most definitely they have recognized the divine origin of Jesus. Thereby they were saying in effect, “These foolish humans may not know who You are or the love the one true God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has for them, but we know who You are and we know what will happen to all of Your enemies.”
1:27 And they [the people] were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.
1:28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.
The whole subject of demons [jinn] is a difficult one, but no more so than the problem of the devil. The devil is an unclean spirit, because he has lost all the purity of his former nature, therefore he acts in direct opposition to the Holy Spirit of God, and by his suggestions defiles the spirits of men. There are many in our assemblies who quietly attend under merely formal teachers; but if the Lord comes with faithful ministers and holy doctrine then, by his convincing spirit, they are ready to say, like this man, What have we to do with thee! That jinn was terrified that it was going to be sent to the place of punishment before the set time and knew that Jesus had the authority to send him there. By the way, your Imam does not have that authority; if you have a loved one whom you wish to have freed from demon possession you will have to find a Christian who has been given that authority. That is just one of the reasons that it is not wise to harass the followers of the Holy one of God.
No “disorder” could enable a man to know Jesus to be the Holy One of God. The jinn wants to have nothing to do with Jesus, for he despairs of being saved by him, and dreads being destroyed by him. Consider whose language they speak, who say to the Almighty, “Depart from us”. This unclean spirit hated and dreaded Christ Jesus, because he knew him to be the Holy One of the one true God; for the carnal mind is enmity against God, especially against His holiness. People who cannot stand to attend a Bible-believing/Bible-teaching Church here on earth should not expect to be able to tolerate Heaven where the one true God abides forever.
1:34 And he healed many that were sick of [various] diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.
The demons knew and understood Him to be the Messiah, the one true and holy Messiah; Isa, Al-Masih, is kalimat-Allah and wadjih according to the Quran and for that reason they were powerless against Jesus.
When Jesus The Christ by his grace delivers souls out of the hands of Satan, it is not without tumult in the soul; for that spiteful enemy will disquiet those whom he cannot destroy. This put all who saw it to considering, “What is this new doctrine?” A work as great often is worked now, yet men treat it with contempt and neglect, endangering their own soul. If this were not so, the conversion of a notorious wicked man to a sober, righteous, and godly life, by the preaching about a loving, holy Savior, should cause many to ask, What doctrine is this? Will he do such a work for me?
–Pastor Ward Clinton
pastorwardclinton 