Matthew 1:23, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. If you had been there, would you have believed the story of the Virgin Mary? Would you have accepted it or would you have been a doubter, a critic?

What are you today? Do you believe with all your heart that Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, that He is Emmanuel, God with us? Mary, called upon to be the Earth mother of Jesus, wanted to know the truth about the matter. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her (Luke 1:34,35,38). Mary, a virgin engaged to be married, was the right person to be chosen to fulfill God’s plan.

God is choosing people today who will go forth to help get this Gospel to the world. He’s calling, calling, calling; and no matter how impossible it seems, we can’t let anything stop us from answering His call. Impossibilities didn’t stop Mary from believing God. She didn’t consider the humiliation of it; she didn’t think about the fact that Joseph might not marry her, that he might never believe her story.

You can’t consider the opinions of people, what they’re going to do or how they’re going to feel about your dedication to God. What does God think? How does God feel about it? What does God say about the matter? God had chosen a maiden who believed in His Word to be the mother of Jesus, and believing God’s Word is the secret of doing all things for the Lord and being the one who will help God make miracles in this final hour. Everyone can help the Lord to make miracles.

Would You Have Gone to the Manger?

What if you had been with the shepherds when the angel, the messenger of God, appeared? He said, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger (Luke 2:10-12). What would you have done? Would you have gone to see Him? Would you have believed, accepted such a story as that?

Yes, Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. If you had been there, would you have accepted what was in the manger or would you have turned away and said, “It’s too crude a place. No king could be born there.”? How do you feel about it; how much have you pondered what really was in that manger? If you don’t look into the manger and see the greatness of Jesus today, you wouldn’t have looked in, seen it and believed in Him had you been there. But if you believe and accept Him with all your heart, then you believe all joy, peace, happiness and Heaven itself was in that manger. After all those thousands of years, at last God had come down to stay with man day and night, the same as He had in Eden. He came down to watch over man and woman.

The passport to another country, to a city whose builder and maker is God, was in the manger. Had you been there, would you have rejoiced, been happy about it, or would you have decided to wait and see? What are you doing today? Are you waiting to see before you believe, or do you believe it all?

Would You Have Made the Journey?

What would you have done had you been with the wise men who saw the star? Would you have traveled two years? Remember, the wise men didn’t arrive until about two years after the birth of Jesus. They came from the East saying: Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him (Matthew 2:2). Notice, the wise men believed Jesus to be the King, but if you had started out to see Him, would you have made it, would you have held in there? Are you holding in there on the journey now?

We’re on a journey to meet Jesus in the air, but do you really believe you’re going to meet Him? Do you believe He is coming; are you looking for Him? Are you acting as though He is coming; are you prepared? Jesus said He is coming for those who are watching. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not (Luke 12:37,40).

If you had been with the wise men, would you have been an encouragement or a discouragement? What are you to people today? By the life you live are you an inspiration to others in all that Jesus taught, all that He brought, everything concerning Him? Do you stand for holy living? What would you have done?

The wise men journeyed those two years because they believed a King had been born. They wanted to see the King, and they didn’t expect to see anything less. King Herod, they brushed aside. He wasn’t the one they had traveled to see. This new King they accepted in their hearts through the message of God, through the guiding star.

The star of Jesus is still moving and appearing today; it’s a star with all the love, peace and joy of Heaven in it. It’s my star and it’s your star.

Some people look to astrology for answers; I don’t have anything to do with that. When people want to know what star I was born under, I’m ready to tell them: I was born under the star of Bethlehem, the Jesus star. This Jesus ministry is not associated with the powers of the devil in any way; this is the power of God.

Would You Have Helped Make a Miracle?

What would you have done had you been there when Jesus performed His first miracle? And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him (John 2:1-11).

The Lord used people to help Him make His first miracle. Would you have helped Jesus make that miracle? Are you helping Him make miracles today? If not, then you wouldn’t have helped Him make the first miracle. If you doubt the miracles of Jesus today, you would have doubted then. You wouldn’t have been an asset, a blessing to Jesus at all.

The mother of Jesus told the servants: Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it, and that perfect obedience is the formula in helping make miracles. Mary was there to help Jesus make the first miracle. When Jesus told the servants to fill the empty waterpots to the brim, He didn’t say they were to leave room for anything else but water. Wine, not water, was needed; and the servants, knowing they were servants, did what they were told.

Do you consider yourself a servant of God? Some people say they are servants of the Lord, but they don’t act like it. Would you have made a good servant that day or would you have said, “My job is in jeopardy; my head will be on the block; I’m not taking any part in this.”?

If you had been there, would you have indulged in any gossip? Would you have criticized, complained to the other servants and said, “I don’t think this is going to work”? If you’re gossiping today, discouraging people, you don’t have on the love bridle, nor would you have had it on then. You wouldn’t have been a blessing at all.

Do the Simple Things

Are you a blessing to people, a blessing to the Kingdom? Do you talk love, encouragement and faith, or do you talk doubt and despair? The way you talk now is exactly the way you would have been talking had you been in Cana where Jesus performed His first recorded miracle. Your personality, your ways, would have been discouraging to others had you been there without the love bridle.

If you don’t think the Lord is coming, don’t believe miracles work today, if you don’t think all these miraculous signs and wonders that the Lord is giving us in the pouring out of the Spirit are real today, you wouldn’t have believed then.

It’s easy to look at other people and wonder why they do this or why didn’t they do that. But what would you have done had you been there? Would you have obeyed what Jesus said? You wouldn’t have if you are not obeying Him today. Are you doing whatever the Lord tells you to do, are you obeying Him in everything? He asks you to do the simple things. He said for you to do something little and He’ll do something big. You do something foolish; He’ll do something wise.

God doesn’t need anyone to do the big things for Him. He tells me to lay hands on the sick and He will get them well. They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover (Mark 16:18). It’s simple for me to lay hands on people, but I lay more than my hand on them: I lay God’s faith, God’s love, God’s healing touch, God’s strength on them through the anointings of God that come from living in His presence; and it works.

Do You Accept All the Sermon on the Mount?

What would you have said had you been there to hear the Sermon on the Mount? The people gathered had never heard a man, a human being talk like that. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48). They’d never heard anyone say they were to be as perfect as their Father God in Heaven is perfect.

Jesus covered many things in the Sermon on the Mount. Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again (Matthew 7:1,2).

Don’t build upon the sand: Every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it (Matthew 7:26,27). Everything we need is in that sermon. Would you have criticized it?

Filled with things that many people won’t live up to, the Sermon on the Mount, nevertheless, is our pattern. But people grumble about it, doubt it, and twist it around to their own satisfaction, to their own way. God will allow them to do that; but when they twist the truth, they twist it to their damnation, their own destruction. What would you have done?

Would you have accepted the Sermon on the Mount? Do you accept all the Lord is saying in it today? Do you believe it’s true? Sift through the Sermon on the Mount; the Lord dealt with just about everything in the holy walk. He dealt with many sins in that one sermon. Would you have accepted all of it? If you’re accepting all the Word today, if you’re declaring that your spirit will not compromise, you would say that the sermon was what you need, what you must have. I accept it all, believe it all; and I’m going to use it all. I’m just asking what you would have done.

Zacchaeus, Come Down!

Had you been Zacchaeus up in that tree, what would you have done? And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully (Luke 19:2-6).

Zacchaeus climbed down from that tree; you may say you would have come down, too—but have you come down? A lot of people are still up in the tree, their heads elevated in the air with ego. Built up in their own notions and ideas, they have their life all planned out. But isn’t it strange that the most important appointment in their life they overlook? They keep up with appointments of special people who can be beneficial to them; however, they’ve forgotten that it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

If you could open an envelope today and see when your appointed time is, would you dare to do it? Or would you trust God and say, “Lord, I’m going to live in your divine will and it doesn’t matter when my appointment is because I’m ready to go when you want me, when you get ready for me. Until then, I will be here doing your will on planet Earth, and I won’t be complaining about it; I’ll be rejoicing.”

Zacchaeus came down saying: The half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold (Luke 19:8). In other words: I’ll make restitution; I’ll do anything to make my crooked paths straight. If I’ve deceived anyone, I’ll restore him fourfold.

John the Baptist announced: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight (Matthew 3:3). I don’t know whether Zacchaeus had heard John the Baptist preach or not; I don’t know where he got the notion that he’d better make restitution, make his crooked paths straight; but when he hit the ground, he hit it right and the Lord hadn’t preached to him at all.

What kind of Zacchaeus would you have made? Ask yourself this question. There’s no need to build yourself up or put yourself down; just face facts: What kind of a Zacchaeus are you? Have you come down to the Lord, humbled yourself in His presence? Are you really ready to do the Lord’s will, and are you doing His will? Are you obeying Him? Does your life really count? Is the Lord welcome to go home with you, or do you want to clean house first?

Zacchaeus didn’t tell Jesus He would have to wait for another day because he wasn’t sure he was ready for Him. Zacchaeus was ready. Did you ever wonder what kind of house Zacchaeus had?

The Waters Are Leaping with the Greatness of Heaven

What if you had been the crippled man who was waiting for the waters to be disturbed by the angel of God? Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked (John 5:2-9).

We’re coming into the same greatness now that no matter what, you can have your miracle. No one can step in ahead of you: It’s whosoever will, come on; there’s room for everyone. Rivers of miracle power are going forth to make a mighty ocean; the waters are leaping with the greatness of Heaven. This is not one little pool in which the power of God is moving; His power is pouring down all over the world, and people are the ones to receive it, not the ground. It has to land upon human flesh, in human hearts. This pouring-out of the latter rain has nothing to do with watering the earth. No, we’re the ones to catch this latter rain of the Spirit.

What kind of a person would you have been? Would that miracle be in the Bible had it been you? What kind of person are you today? The Lord tells you to step out on faith, but do you really take that step, or do you say, “I don’t think it’s going to happen to me. I don’t know why God doesn’t heal me.”?

Cured on the Sabbath

Crippled for thirty-eight long years, the man by the pool had his mind set that if he ever received a miracle it would have to be by getting into the water. Some people who come to my services have their minds set on how the miracle power is going to work, and they hinder God if it doesn’t work the way they thought. But when Jesus said, “Take up your bed and walk!” the man immediately obeyed.

When the Lord tells you to move, do you have an excuse? I ask people, “Do you believe God’s going to heal you?”

“Well, I’ve had this affliction twenty years.”

The Bible doesn’t tell you that it will take twenty years to get you well. You don’t have to keep any disease. God didn’t send disease from Heaven to you; only good and perfect gifts come from the Lord. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:17).

Would you have done what the crippled man by the pool did? The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk (John 5:10,11).

Had you been that man and someone had told you that you were breaking the Law and would be in deep trouble, would you have put the bed down and said, “Well, I got my miracle anyway; I’m not going to keep carrying this bed.”? What kind of a person would you have been for the Lord to perform miracles on, to do His mighty works? What kind of a person are you today for the Lord to do His final works on before the Rapture takes place? How much can God depend on you?

You Must Be Born Again

What kind of Nicodemus would you have made when the Lord told you that you must be born again? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).

Born again? I’ve been born one time, that’s enough. But, Nicodemus, you’ve got to be born a second time; you’ve got to be born new. Nicodemus answered and said unto him [Jesus], How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things (John 3:9-12)?

Some people claim you can’t live free from sin, but why did the Lord say you must be born again if you’re going to remain the same old sinner? A little sin is still sin, and any sin will send your soul to hell. You must be made new, born new; you need a new beginning, need to be a brand-new you.

Do you have that born again experience? Do you believe it? Do you believe that you’re born new and that you can live free from all sin? Well, I’m trying to get there, you say. Stop trying and get there at once. When the Lord saves you He makes you new; and in the new creation, sin is put under the blood, washed away and you have a brand-new life to live. Isn’t that wonderful!

Preacher, I’ll never get to Heaven. No, with sin you won’t. No one can reach Heaven with sin in them; that’s the reason Jesus came. Some preachers claim that the Bride will be made ready and purified after she gets to Heaven. No, you have to get rid of the sin this side of Heaven. If you thought you had to wait until you got to Heaven to be cleansed, you are deceived.

A book has been put out claiming that the new Jerusalem is the Bride. A city a Bride? Who would marry a city? John said he saw the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Revelation 21:2). He meant that the new Jerusalem was beautiful, lovely, that nothing was left out of its perfection. Never has there been such a city as the new Jerusalem! Glamorous, jeweled, bedecked, it even has twelve foundations made of all kinds of gems and a street paved with pure gold. The Bride is not that city; she is made up of holy people.

Would you have made a good Nicodemus? Would you have accepted the words of Jesus? Have you accepted the born new experience today? Do you believe in it with all your heart, so much so that you’re living that godly life of the new person? The Lord tells us the old man must go; he can’t stay, and so it is.

Come, See a Man!

What kind of a person would you have made as a witness had you been the woman Jesus met at the well? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him (John 4:13-26,28-30).

Could Jesus have done anything with you? Could He have moved you as He did the woman at the well? Would you have run with the message as the woman did? What are you doing today? Are you letting everyone else do the Lord’s work? Do you not feel responsible to get this Gospel to the whole world?

An Excited Witness

The woman at the well felt the Gospel had to go to her world, and that city was her world. She didn’t mind humbling herself by saying, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did [and those people knew she was a wicked woman]: is not this the Christ? She was so convincing with her message, so excited, so anointed that she carried much of Jesus’ love. She clutched that love and went with it, the love message.

If you really take on the love of God, you will have the love message and a burden for a lost world. Selfishness will leave you. Interested in more than your own salvation, you will want everyone to be saved, delivered.

What kind of a messenger would you have made? The woman at the well made a wonderful one. She was an excited witness, an inspiration to everyone she came in contact with. They either accepted the Lord on the spot, or else she built such a fire under them that they ran to see for themselves. Either way it worked. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him [Jesus] for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him [Jesus], they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world (John 4:39-42).

She Had Sinned Much and Was Forgiven Much

It matters not whether you get people saved on the spot or else run them right into the arms of Jesus, just so they get there. You must have what it takes to affect people, to bring them to the Lord. The woman at the well had that love that reached out for people. She had sinned much, she was forgiven of much and she loved much all of a sudden. The Lord, talking about the woman who had anointed his feet with ointment, said those who were forgiven much would love much. Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little (Luke 7:47).

The woman at the well fell in love with the man called Jesus because He had what she needed—salvation and deliverance. Disgusted with the life she had wrecked and ruined, she wanted something that was lasting, something that would change her. Then she heard a man she had never met before telling her, If you asked of me, I’d give you water so that you would never thirst again. It would be a well of water bubbling up on the inside of you into life everlasting. And immediately she said, Sir, give me this water (John 4:15). What would you have said? Would you have had to think it over? Would you have wanted to discuss it with someone else before you made up your mind to believe or to not believe?

People are always wondering what others will think, but if you deal with God one on one, you’ll get along much better. Why care about opinions that are worthless, not the thoughts of God?

The woman at the well didn’t consider others’ opinions; she was carrying the Jesus message. Now today we are the ones carrying the Jesus message, and we’re excited, elated with it. We’re going to draw many people immediately to us and start the rest of them on their way to find Jesus, to see Jesus. We’re going to shake people up until those who are sincere, those who are honest-hearted, will investigate. People investigated what the woman at the well told them and then said, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves (John 4:42).

It’s all right if some people don’t believe when you’re telling them, just as long as they go running to see Jesus, racing to Jesus. Let them believe for themselves—as long as they believe, as long as they find Jesus, as long as they’re accepting Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Only Believe!

What kind of a Jairus would you have made? Behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him [Jesus], he fell at his feet, And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him…there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat (Mark 5:22-24,35-43).

Some of us are quick to give up hope, and yet Jairus, hearing that his daughter had died, trusted Jesus when He said, Only believe! The Lord is always saying to us, Only believe, but do we trust Him enough to do it?

What kind of Jairus would you have made? Would the Lord have been able to perform that miracle had He no one but you to use that day? What would have happened?

Put yourself in Jairus’ place for a little while. Would you have told Jesus, Well, I know it won’t do any good for you to come. She’s dead. The mourners will be gathered and they’ll just mock and laugh at you. It won’t work. What kind of person would you have been for Jesus to work with? What you are today is the kind of person you would have been. If the Lord can use you to help and bless others, if He can use you to help make miracles, He could have used you to help make miracles back then. But if He can’t use you to help make miracles today, He couldn’t have used you in Jairus’ day.

Afflictions Don’t Come from God

The Lord today is saying: If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth (Mark 9:23). Do you need a miracle of re-creation? God is the creator, isn’t He? He certainly can re-create, as well. The Lord wants to use you as He used Jairus. He wants to use you as He used the woman who was bent over with arthritis and hadn’t been able to lift herself up for eighteen long years. Jesus said, Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day (Luke 13:16)? Jesus didn’t call her affliction a love token from Heaven; He said the devil had bound her. Arthritis doesn’t come from God; good gifts come from God.

Realize that your affliction doesn’t come from God, that you’re a child of God and the devil can’t legally lay anything on you that the Lord suffered for. Jesus suffered for your sins and your sicknesses. He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).

They Tore Up the Roof

Had you been there, would you have helped carry the man on a bed to Jesus? And again he [Jesus] entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. 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. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 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 (Mark 2:1-4). With so many people to make your way through, would you have given up or would you have gone to the top of the house and torn a hole in the roof?

Some of us are too nice for our own good when it comes to doing the whole will of God. Oh, what will people think? Will the man who owns the house be mad at us for tearing up his roof? But they were looking at the man with palsy, giving all their strength to carry him on that bed; and they were not going to be defeated. If you’re the kind of person who is going to get people to the Lord, you have to have that same determination, that love. They knew if they got the man sick of the palsy to Jesus, everything would be all right; they wouldn’t have to carry him back.

What kind of a person would you have been that day? Would you have been talking faith to that man the whole way there? Would you have told him: We’re carrying you to Jesus, but we’re not carrying you back? We’re carrying you to Jesus knowing you’ll be delivered, knowing you’ll be made whole. They helped Jesus make a miracle. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only (Mark 2:5-7)?

The Pharisees and Sadducees around there were mumbling and grumbling; they didn’t help make a miracle. No, they thought it was disgraceful for someone to tear up a man’s roof and lower a bed right before Jesus. Busy criticizing Jesus, they hated to be interrupted by a miracle.

Only Divinity Can Forgive Sin

“Blasphemy, blasphemy!” they cried. “No man can forgive sins!” The Son of man and the Son of God could and He did. 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? 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? 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,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. 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 (Mark 2:8-12).

The man with the palsy stood up just like those who had brought him expected. They never would have paid such a price to get him there, never would have been so drastic had they not believed. You have to go beyond human reasoning in doing things for God to do them the right way. Determined to get to Jesus no matter, they let nothing stop them.

How much determination do you have in helping people get to Jesus? What kind of a little shepherd are you in going forth to bring people in to be healed, to be saved? What kind of person are you? If you’ll examine yourself, you’ll know whether you would have helped carry that man or if you would have made excuses not to. We don’t have to take him to Jesus. If God wants to do anything, He can do it right here. But God has a place, a time, and He’s ready for man to help Him make miracles. Are you the kind of person who will help make a miracle?

A Greater Witness

Jesus spoke and a withered hand was restored. And he [Jesus] entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. 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. 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 (Mark 3:1-5).

What would you have done had the Lord been about to perform such a miracle in your presence? Would you have said, “I don’t believe people should have their hands restored on the Sabbath?” Or would you have helped Jesus make the miracle?

What will you do today? Will you put those limbs before the Lord that need a miracle of re-creation? Will you put those eyes, hips, heart, lungs or whatever before the Lord? Are you ready to do that? Are you ready to help the Lord make a glorious miracle so that you can be a greater witness? The Lord said He would make you witnesses. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). You have to see miracles to be a witness to them. You need to know about them and to let the Lord make you a witness.

Too many Christians try to make themselves witnesses. You don’t make yourself a witness, the Lord makes you a witness. God told Abraham He would bless him and make him a blessing. I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing (Genesis 12:2). The Lord will bless you and make you a blessing. You can’t sit around wishing you could be a blessing; you don’t get it that way. You let the Lord bless you, and then He makes you a blessing. Let Him make you a witness as well.

Power to Cast Out Devils

What kind of disciple would you have made had you been one of the twelve sent forth when the Lord gave them power to heal the sick and to cast out devils? Then he [Jesus] called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick (Luke 9:1,2).

What kind of disciple would you have made? Would you have said that you didn’t really believe in devils or that you were afraid of devils? Jesus said, I give you power to heal the sick and to cast out devils: Go forth!

Then Jesus sent the laymen forth; He chose seventy of them. They were not preachers; they were just laypeople like most of you. The Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name (Luke 10:1-3,8,9,17).

Had the Lord sent you forth, would you have come back rejoicing because the devils were cast out? Would there have been results? Would you have used that power? You’d have been just like you are today, and some of you would have gone forth to do whatever the Lord told you to do. What are you doing today? The Lord is calling on you to work for Him, to do things for Him, but what are you doing? What kind of person would you have been had you been one of the seventy?

The Lord didn’t give me this message to criticize you; He gave it to help you. I had never thought of these things in this way until the Lord began to tell me what He wanted you to hear. The Lord is doing everything He can to make Himself real to you; Jesus who came and walked upon the earth is God with us. If you don’t decide God is with you, you are not going to count for the Lord in this final hour just as some of the people in Jesus’ day didn’t count for Him. Why do we have names in this Book of people whom Jesus met and used? It’s because they counted. They helped Jesus, yielded to Him.

We Invaded the Devil’s Territory

Would you have done what the characters from the Bible did that I have brought before you? Search out these characters, think about them. Ask yourself the question: What would I have done had I been there? You’re here today, and God is calling people and marking people for this last hour. The message is: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (Matthew 24:14).

God with us, God with us—since God is with us we can overcome all the power of the devil. Since God is with us we can invade the devil’s territory and take over as we did in a recent crusade. The devil raged, multitudes of devils were there. The Lord had told me ahead of time that multitudes, multitudes and multitudes of devils would be there, but He said multitudes, multitudes, multitudes of angels would be there, too; and it would be total victory. I looked for total victory because that’s what the Lord said. He had opened my eyes wide. “When I brought you here,” He said, “I brought you to war.” And He let me know it was going to be all-out war. Day and night He lived with me, prepared me for every service. He spoke through me to the people, and I yielded to whatever He wanted to tell them. He had let me know those devils would come out through the blood, and they did.

Raised from the Dead

What would you have done had you been at Lazarus’ tomb? Lazarus had been dead four days. Jesus could have commanded that stone to roll away and it would have rolled away; but what we can do, He expects us to do. It’s an act of faith on our part, and the Lord works with faith. Jesus told them to take away the stone. Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go (John 11:41-44).

Would you have helped take away that stone? Ask yourself the question: Would I have done that? See what kind of person you are; if you want to make any changes, it isn’t too late. The right kind of people helped Jesus make miracles. The right kind of people took the Gospel to the known world at that time, the right kind went forth.

Mary Magdalene Brought the Resurrection Message

Would you have been at the sepulchre on the Resurrection Morn? Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her (John 20:11-18).

Would you have gone to the tomb when you heard it was empty? Would you have been the first one to carry that message like Mary Magdalene? She was the first one to preach the message of the Resurrection and she didn’t hesitate at all. No, she loved Jesus too much to doubt Him; she loved Him too much not to recognize His voice when He said her name. No one else had ever said her name like that.

The Lord had chosen the right person; she had been born new, a new Nicodemus so to speak, for she had left all the old paths, praise God!

You must know Jesus as He knows you. Be close to Jesus so He can be close to you. Be able to reach out and touch Him in prayer with that divine faith He has given to you. You’ve got to be able to reach out and touch the Lord; you cannot hesitate. Take out all the stops. He has given you His divine faith, His divine love; and with those two great companions together nothing can stop you from receiving from God, nothing can stop you from touching Heaven when you pray. The devil can’t stop God’s love and God’s faith, which is divine love, divine faith. Our human faith he can stop; our human love he can stop, but divine faith and love are God’s power. The Lord said, I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass (Ezekiel 12:25). He speaks His Word in love, faith and grace for us and it happens.

God Saves and Heals

If you are lost and undone without the Lord, you can be made new. Maybe you are an alcoholic, a drug addict, your life wretched and ruined, and you have ruined the happiness of those around you. Come to Jesus and be made a new creation, a creation that will learn to love and will be loved by those who have Jesus. Pray the sinners’ prayer with me now: Oh, God, save my soul! Forgive me of my sins. I’m so sorry that I sinned against you, but I have come home. I’m going to serve you, Lord, the rest of my life. I believe that the blood of Jesus washes away all my sins, all my sins. Come into my heart, Jesus; come on in! If you meant that prayer, He has come.

The God of miracles lives today, and I want to make Jesus living reality to you, as real to you as He was to me when He came and made me whole all over. It’s frightening to be so close to death, fighting death and you don’t want to die, you want to live. But no matter how hard I fought death, I knew I was dying. Why the Lord didn’t answer, I did not know. One thing I did know, from the time God had saved and started preaching through me—I had been saved at eighteen and ill at twenty-three—there wasn’t one sin that God could find to bring to me that I’d committed against Him—not one. I knew I was as clean as clean could be through the blood of Jesus.

Why wouldn’t He heal me? Why would He let me die so young? And then it happened; He performed a miracle on me that would help me take the Gospel to the world. Yes, He performed a miracle that will go to the ends of the earth in this final hour.

You who need healing, you who are sick and afflicted: Know there is healing in the name of Jesus. What comes from God? All things good and perfect, none of the bad. Remember, every good gift and every perfect gift is from above (James 1:17). Healing is a good and perfect gift. He is the Lord who healeth all thy diseases (Psalm 103:3). Believe the Lord, that His healing power will go into your body from His miraculous gifts of healing, power that will get you well as I pray for you now: Lord, I bring the sick and afflicted to you. There are so many of them, people bound with all manner of sicknesses and diseases—cancer, AIDS, diabetes. Many are beyond the help of doctors. The good physicians have done all they can, but it hasn’t been enough. But, Lord, you have the cure, and you can deliver them. Oh Lord, from your gift of miracles, from your gifts of healing it comes in the name of your Son Jesus: Heal, heal! in the mighty, holy name of the Lord.

The healing power is flowing. Let it work in your body; watch yourself or your loved one get well. Give the Lord the honor, the praise, the glory. Write and tell me about it. I love to hear of people being saved, healed and delivered. I love to hear of little ones being made well by the hand of our ever-loving, ever-caring God. God be with you. The Lord is real and wonderful and His healing power is for you today.

I am here, saith the Lord, I am here. Feel my faith, feel my love, feel my grace for you. I chose you, you didn’t choose me. I chose you; I have need of you to take my Gospel to the world. The hour is late; the hour is very late, the Lord saith to this people. The hour is very late. This Gospel must go, it must go, it must go; and it must go to the ends of the earth in this great hour.

Had you helped Jesus spread the Gospel with signs, wonders, miracles and healings when He walked the earth, you will help Him now in this last and final hour. But search yourself. What would you have done, and what will you do?