The Power of Pentecost

In World War II a B-17 bomber had been on a mission over a German city named Kassel. It took quite a bit of flak by Nazi antiaircraft guns, but miraculously it kept flying and made it back to base.

Going through the plane the Air Force pilots couldn’t believe their own eyes, a total of 11 shells had hit their gas tanks and yet the plane had not exploded!

Taking the 11 intact shells carefully from the tanks they were sent down to have them defused. What they found in defusing them explained their miracle. All 11 shells were completely empty!

One shell contained a handwritten note in the Czech language that read, “This is all we can do for you now.” They had no powder to put in the shells, So they had no power to destroy. They failed to take down their enemy because they were just empty shells.

This is just like me when I try  to fight Satan without supernatural power from God!

 How successful am I in fighting against sin and Satan? How well is the church fighting?  How well are those around me fighting?

What we need is an old fashioned Pentecostal revival!! LET THE FIRE FALL LORD!

In the Bonds of Calvary,

Send the Fire Lord

One of the great laws of physics also applies to the realm of the Spirit in the church:

“The “law of thermodynamics” states, “the greater the heat, the greater the expansion!”

Where the fire of God exists in a church the greater the expansion of the Gospel!

Send the fire Lord, Send the Fire.

In the Bonds of Calvary,

Trying to Finish 0n Empty

Years ago in the famous Rose Bowl parade one of the floats came to a halt stopping the whole parade!

For some time everything was shut down until they finally discovered the problem, the float was out of gas! Someone quickly ran to get a can of gas to refuel the float.

The parade started up again. However, it was embarrassing for the owners of the float, the float belonged to the Standard Oil Company!!!

Here was a company that had huge oil and gas reserves at its disposal, and because someone forgot to fill the tank their float was helpless and without power to move, and it held up everyone else!

This is the plight of the people who are trying to finish on “empty”.

In the Bonds of Calvary,

It Has Been TWO Years

It was two years ago yesterday that I received the news from the doctor at urgent care that I was diagnosed with lung cancer. The prognosis was not good (it was terrible) and had it not been for the powerful healing hand of God I would not be writing this today.

Church members, friends, and family all began to pray and ask God to intervene.

We annointed, laid hands on me, cursed the cancer, bound up the intruder, quoted scripture, prayed, cast out the terrorist and recognized that “the weapon formed against me could not prosper”.

It didn’t…..I did…I am healed and He is to be praised.

God still heals! God still delivers! God is still on the throne! God still cares! God still does miracles!

He still responds to our cries!

I know because, “In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and He heard me”. 

In the Bonds of Calvary,

Nostalgia at Parris Island

I was at Parris Island, South Carolina yesterday to witness the graduation of my grandson as he completed  Marine Corps Boot Camp.

I was proud as he and several hundred others received their commendations and certificates of completion. It was a great day for all of them and their families.

Then, as the announcement was made that all Marines both past and present should stand, I was consumed with a sense of nostalgia.

I have always been proud to have served this great country as a United States Marine.

It was fifty-four years ago that I graduated from boot camp on that same drill field. Not much happened that day…….no crowd…….no fanfare…..but I became a Marine.

Now I am standing…… and the crowd is applauding in recognition. The  Marine Corps Band playing the Marine Corps Hymn, those young men marching in perfect step, the drill instructors singing cadence, the swords, and the polished  shoes and belt buckles all brought back memories.

A tear forged its way to my cheek. The memories were incredibly clear. Another tear followed.

On the way home I remembered that fifty-four years ago, on that same Island,  I had also shed some tears.

For completely different reasons!

In the Bonds of Calvary,

How should I pray this week?

I Will  Pray Sincerely.

            I won’t  allow my prayers to flow out of an experience that happened years ago.  They will be today prayers.  I will  be honest about myself, the situation and the need.

I won’t allow my prayers to be exercises in “meaningless talk.”

I will Pray Specifically.

I Will   Pray expecting an answer.

            I will pray  believing that God is going to hear my prayer.  I will place my faith and confidence in Him.

            It’s time to put my faith in God.  It’s time to trust him with my life and my situation.

In the Bonds of Calvary,

Are Those Seven Words True?

If you have Listened to the radio · Watched TV · Read the newspapers  Any Time In The Last 20 Years…….

You might have noticed that the world does NOT hold Christianity in the highest regard. In fact Christians are commonly the object of ridicule by skeptics in politics, TV and legal circles. These powerful circles of influence give the appearance that there is no reason to believe in Jesus.

For my own faith, and the faith of others, it is critical for me to be able to give a reason why I believe in Jesus.

Are the seven words of the angel true? Did Jesus really die and come back to life?

Is there evidence to support my belief?

 The implications are huge!

If the resurrection did happen… then it proves:

Jesus has power over death.

I can personally trust him with my eternal destiny. Because He predicted and fulfilled His own resurrection, I can trust the promise He made to me  about His intention to raise me  from the dead.

All other religions are false.

Matthew 28:6 — “He is not here; he has risen.”

So the question of whether I can or should believe in Jesus is dependent upon whether the resurrection actually happened.

 No problem! The evidence is overwhelming and I believe.

Have a great RESURRECTION SUNDAY!

 In the Bonds of Calvary,