Good morning everyone, in Hawaii, and throughout the world, as you know I have been still fighting this battle to keep myself alive, we all know that I am living back I would assume, the book of Job. Most of you all know that I have been situated on an island without the proper medical care, everyone tries there best here, but I have been carrying a strange disease in my mouth and now, for 4 months and know one can even diagnose what I have, also now the other day my ankles have began to swell. With this added affliction, it has taken away from my prayer time, and quiet time, when I walk with the Lord in the mornings. I went to the hospital ER and they thought I had a sprained ankle, it did at first to me too, but I never did twist it, I was just walking down the stairs, and also knowing about my mouth, they then took every standard blood test and cultures known. I also went to see an infectious disease control doctor, and he did not have a clue why both my ankles have swelled up. But finally I am on some specific antibiotic for the mouth, praise God for that. We all know that God does not give out disease; it is a strict deadly attack from Satan to get rid of me, or lose my faith, or give up, or one of the above. We still have the goal of building the mission for the poor, and to teach the bread of life, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to save many souls for the Kingdom. I feel sorry for the people who do not have a personal relationship with our Jesus, and they will be very surprised when they don’t enter through the gates of the light, when they die. We all know you must believe in our Lord Jesus and do his work to ever enter into the Kingdom of heaven. Thursday I came down with a terrible cold type flu, in which between my feet and the fever on top of a 4 month fever can be very dangerous, and also my weight has been dropped so greatly, that I am glad I am still alive. I believe that Satan is attacking our world prayer ministry, which I myself take a hold on, and we send out anywhere from 10 to 30 or more prayers a day, for people all over the world of Christian prayer networks. This church is hooked up with many, and mostly a lot of prayer requests come right into our system, and we answer them, and I myself make it a point to answer them with scripture and edification and of course the Holy Spirit. We have established a hold of good fellowship, and partnerships though out the world. And now I have Christian brothers and sisters praying for me from the farthest reaches of our planet, it seems now, the more prayers I send out, the more come back just for my health to which makes a form of Christian love, and togetherness, and bond that will not break. I have been receiving also all kinds of packages that contain all kinds of herbs, teas, and other remedies for this mass infection., and I will be seeing 2 major doctors in Honolulu on Tuesday, hopefully I will finally get some answers. I have to admit that the evil one has clouded my mind with fear and frustration, and even though I have great faith, it does get week when the body gets week, and the mind is not getting feed properly. No one knows why my feet are swelling, and to get the flu on top of all of this and right now I am fighting very hard just to sit up and preach. I have realized not to let any doubt enter into my mind, I must be, and keep praising God for everything, like the attitude of Paul and Silas beaten and thrown into prison, in Acts 16 and they just kept singing hymns, and praising God. This is the way we all have to take action when we suffer trials, and go through attacks, from people, or the enemy.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day, that I am still alive an able to preach this gospel, and in the hope of saving a few for the Kingdom, and also to be able to share my experiences with others, to show us all not to question you, in any matter, not to mumble or complain, but to keep our faith strong, and our trust in you, and to remain untouched unaltered, by any division or evil or trickery. You know what is best for us, because you have made us, and mapped out each of our lives, from now, through eternity. We are here to worship you Lord, and to thank you for Jesus your Son, who lives in us, and is a part of us. We also ask the Holy Spirit to please come upon us all, who hear and read this message today, so we can all understand fully, and feel the presence of you O’Father. We all want to remain close to you, and be guided by you, and fully trust in all that you do for us. In Jesus Name we Pray, Amen.
Please open your bibles to the book of Acts 16:16
Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.
When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice."
The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God--he and his whole family. Acts 16: 16-34 NIV
Now you have to imagine these here are two men beaten inflicting many blows, and then thrown in the deepest part of a jail, and there feet were in stocks and probably were in chains also, but to kept that faith and to kept praising God no matter what the extent, that is PURE faith. And look what happened to the jailer, he was about to give up and want to kill himself, and look what happened he saw a great amazement of the faith of Paul and Silas, he and His whole family was converted and saved into the love and joy of the Lord Jesus. Now you see where I have gone, through great amounts of a different kind of suffering, compounded, together. So we must remember to keep our faith and praise God, and be joyous no matter what.
I miss just to bite into a juicy hamburger, an swish French fries with catsup in my mouth, and to feel the taste of the char –broiled meat, and to chew on some good cole slaw would be a great treat for me, but having to drink everything out of a blender for so long, I am still going to praise God for it, and cherish it. There is a reason for it, and only God knows why. When this is all over, and the mighty hands of our Lord heal me, this testimony of myself alone, will bring glory to God, and many others to Christ. Please turn to the book of Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself, and he promised them his glory
What can we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?
Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? Will God? No! He is the one who has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? Will Christ Jesus? No, for he is the one who died for us and was raised to life for us and is sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, pleading for us.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? (Even the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep." )No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 8:28-39 NLT
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4 NASB
So it might be a test of my faith, or a test to make me stronger, our just an out right torment like Job. You see I loved God ever since I was a little boy, I was brought up in a household without religion at all, and maybe we would go to a church on Easter or Christmas, but that was all there was, I was never brought up with the bible , I had one, but I was not fortunate enough to be around the fellowship of other Christians until, a much later age, and like the jailer, I came to Christ in a jail cell, I always new of God and Jesus but I was never really taught the true essence of the fellowship with Christ Himself, until I got older. The point is I am not comparing myself to Job, but I loved God just because I did, I never thought about rewards, or getting anything from Him, I didn’t understand that at such a young age. I knew he created me, and he watched and loved me all the time, and I even talked with him, when I was all alone swinging on a pole with no friends in a new neighborhood at the age of 4 and 5, talking to God, and apologizing to Him for the simple young kid type actions. I guess I never really felt the holy end of it, until I went to a midnight Christmas mass with my girlfriend. It was all new to me and I was only about 15, it did cast a different light on the essence of God and worship, so what I’m getting into, I loved God out of pure motives, and not for what I could receive from Him, because I didn’t really understand it yet. I feared God mostly, and that is why I apologized to him quite often, and tried to do what was right for all humanity.
In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.
His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, "Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." This was Job's regular custom. Job1-5 NIV
Now here is a man that is blameless and upright and feared god, now blameless is not sinless, all men sin. Job feared God because he offered sacrifices to the Lord for his children, not knowing what they have done, sinned, or cursed God. This indicates his attitude toward sin, also fearing God was an act of trusting him, being upright means he tried to follow God and to the things that were right, and he separated himself from evil , or in other words, he shunned evil.
One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"
Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."
Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."
"Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."
The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger."
Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD Job 1: 6-12 NIV
I guess in today’s world possessions and accomplishments mean a lot , I have never really had anything of great value the way Job did, and I never had any children to lose the way Job did, I have began to understand that I have lost many many things as far as possessions, I have left many things behind in my travels, and I have given away many things to people, to friends and foes. In the world people judge by what you do, and what you have, but like me I look into the heart, I look at a man or womans sincerity rather then there accomplishments and possessions, and my accomplishments for the world have fallen, but my accomplishments for God have always been beneficial. I have never been rich, in fact most of my life I have been poor, even now. I guess I cherish helping people more than anything else, maybe that is why I am such a treat to Satan. Giving is very important, even if it is handing a person some spare change, or giving a hitch-hiker a ride. Or a hug of Love or a email of thanks or prayer, It is a joy within the work and pressing on for God and His children.
Satan originally an angel of God became corrupt through his own pride. He has been evil since his rebellion against God. 1John 3:7-10 Satan considers God as His enemy. He tries to hinder God’s work in people, but he is limited by Gods power and can do only what he is permitted. Luke 22:31-32 Satan is called the enemy because he actively looks for people to attack with temptation, 1Pet 5:8-9 and because he wants to make people hate God. He does this through lies and deception Gen 3:1-6 Job a blameless and upright man who had been greatly blessed, was a perfect target for Satan. Any person who is committed to God should expect Satan’s attacks. Satan, who hates God, also hates Gods people.
Dear children, don't let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it is because they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. But when people keep on sinning, it shows they belong to the Devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the Devil. Those who have been born into God's family do not sin, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on sinning, because they have been born of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the Devil. Anyone who does not obey God's commands and does not love other Christians does not belong to God.1John 3:7-10 NLT
"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to have all of you, to sift you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen and build up your brothers." Luke 22:31-32 NLT
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.1Peter 5:8-9 NASB
Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made. "Really?" he asked the woman. "Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?"
"Of course we may eat it," the woman told him. "It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die."
"You won't die!" the serpent hissed. "God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil."
The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it, too. Gen. 3:1-6 NLT
On another day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. And the LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"
Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."
Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason."
"Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life. But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face."
The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life."
So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Job 2:1-7NIV
From his conversion we learn a great deal about Satan. He is accountable to God. All angelic beings, good and evil are compelled to present themselves to God. God new that Satan was intent on attacking Job. Satan can only be at one place at one time. His demons aid him in his work; but as a created being, he is limited. Satan cannot see into our minds or foretell the future. If he could, he would have known that Job would not break under pressure. Because Satan can do nothing without God’s permission. God’s people can overcome his attacks through God’s power. God puts limitations on what Satan can do. Satan’s response to the Lord’s question tells us that he is real and active on the earth. Knowing this about Satan should cause us to remain close to the one who is greater than Satan, Our God Himself.
I arrived here in Hawaii almost a year ago, when I first got here there were certain other aspects to this trip, of course I cannot go into them now, but that wasn’t to pleasant, it has been incredible hardship, my plan was to build a church here, even if I had to sit in the rain with a bible and an umbrella, I was determined, in this little, but big enough town, in a rain forest area, but as you can see by the photographs it is a beautiful place, but the job situations, I have noticed was very grim, for everyone that livs here. I didn’t give it to much concern at the time, because I thought I could pick up some wedding or funeral jobs here and there. I had a small amount of cash to a least start or rent a office downtown, but that slowly went away, I could not find anything on the ground floor of a good location for all the homeless, I was going to open just a prayer room, that did spiritual direction counseling, breaking down of strongholds, salvation prayers and general scripture reading, and bible studies for anyone who wanted to learn and need Christ. But I realized the culture was different, I appeared to be different, like I came from another planet, I never had a problem blending in any where else on this continent. But that of course didn’t stop me, I started to make up posters to hang up on all the poles, and in the windows of stores and broken buildings, I checked and wrote letters to the owners of all the broken down buildings, and it seems they wanted too much for the rent. There was no way to bargain for the buildings, they just sit there and get more and more worn away, and it seems the buildings belong to family’s by generation, and a building can be owned by 2-3 generations of people, and it seems all they wanted was the rent, and didn’t seem to care if you are trying to help the community or not. The windows on these buildings are getting smashed and broken daily, and they are getting worn away day by day for the worst. It just seemed that the Lord wanted me to go into another direction. It took about a month to find a house, which was a gift from God, the way it sits and looks and the downstairs is where I set up to have bible studies. The house has two front doors , so my office of the church has one door leading into a conference room, and then the other door was the living room. It was truly a gift from God. So then as I was handing out bibles, talking with people in the street and getting things going, I came down with this affliction, and it seems Satan has stopped me in my tracks, I can’t speak, I can’t where my teeth, and I can’t even set up a table in the park, or the farmers market because of the pain, I can’t sing anymore, so playing my guitar or bass is out of the question, because the vibration in my mouth, has causes me severe pain. So now the focus is of this church on the internet, registered with the IRS, and is a church within itself. So I have been focusing all my time for the church to get the notice that it needs to bring people to Christ. And when you have no income because you have been sick for so long, you need to use other alternitives to get noticed, and I signed up with all Christian web groups, and listings, for free, but that takes time. And finally we got on google search engine, which takes thousands, but I had a friend in Florida, help out with his computer genius knowledge. So as it stands we have the prayer ministry, and this church and its sermons, I didn’t want to sell anything like ordinations, or other documents along that line. I just wanted a sister church office, with the mission downtown. But we all know that God has His perfect timing. And I must continue to have faith no matter what the affliction is, the church has not received one donation since the opening in October, and I figured this is God’s church and ministry so why would he let it fail. There is a reasoning behind all of this and we are not supposed to question, or ask God why, just thank him, and praise Him for all things.
Dear brothers and sisters, you must be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who eagerly look for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They patiently wait for the precious harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. And take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.
Don't grumble about each other, my brothers and sisters, or God will judge you. For look! The great Judge is coming. He is standing at the door!
For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. Job is an example of a man who endured patiently. From his experience we see how the Lord's plan finally ended in good, for he is full of tenderness and mercy. James 5:7-11NLT
"Yes," Jesus replied, "and I assure you, everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, will be repaid many times over in this life, as well as receiving eternal life in the world to come." Luke 18:29-30NLT
Would the message of the book of Job change if God had not restored to Job his former blessings? No. God is still sovereign. Jesus said that anyone who gives up something for the Kingdom of God will be repaid. Our restoration may or may not be the same kind as Job’s, which was both spiritual and material. Our complete restoration may not be in this life, but it will happen. God loves us and he is just. He will not only restore whatever we have lost unjustly, but he also gave us more than we can imagine as we live with Him in eternity. Cling tightly to your faith through all yor trials, and you too will be rewarded by God, if not now , in the life to come.
When Job prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes. In fact, the LORD gave him twice as much as before! 11Then all his brothers, sisters, and former friends came and feasted with him in his home. And they consoled him and comforted him because of all the trials the LORD had brought against him. And each of them brought him a gift of money and a gold ring.
So the LORD blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand teams of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. He named his first daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. In all the land there were no other women as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers.
Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren. Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, good life.Job 42:10-17 NLT
Dear sovereign Lord, we thank you for this teaching, and for bring us to a great light, a light that cannot dim, or be covered. We all wish to praise your Name and to honor you, and to Love you, there isn’t much more we can do, just to follow your path and to be in joy, no matter what circumstances we are in, and going through. We know and trust that You know what is best for our lives, and the lives of others. We need to remain loyal to all our families, and Christian brothers and sisters throughout the world, and to care and love non-Christians, and all other walks of life, so we can all lead them to you O’God. We must all love thy neighbor, and we truly Love you O’ Lord. Thank you for another day of your grace and peace. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen and Amen.
