16 Sept 2014 by Natasha Kim CM-
Pastor Johan Van Westhuysen, from South Africa, graced Faith Oasis Fellowship on the 6th of September 2014.
“If your Christian life is not what it should be, if you always struggle, and you’re always in trouble, get back to foundations. If you cannot solve your problems, get back to foundations! I’ve been a pastor for a long time. Many people, they sit on their cactuses and they like it! They say ‘Ouch, ouch, ouch!’ But they don’t move because their foundation is not right. Being Christian, is a goal to live a victorious life,” he shared.
We are not supposed to be like the world, because we have been raised up by Christ, who makes everything new.
He then began to recite the scripture in the Bible according to Matthew 24:4-14; this is one of the many prophecies that was given by the Lord.
And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:4-14)
“We and the whole world are witnessing the fulfilment of the prophecies of Jesus Christ,” he said.
Wars, famine, and natural disasters happen in every corner of the earth.
“Things are happening globally, it is not isolated to a nation or just a couple of nations. We see these things and we witness the end times coming; I hope you do too!” he said.
Johan however shared that he is not particularly concerned about the end times because of the fact that it remains a grey area.
There are many instances in history where people believed that it is the end of the world. Many of us including our ancestors have witnessed prophecies of the end of the world, from long ago but never came to pass.
“But we know one thing; that Jesus is returning and we know another thing, that what we are witnessing are the beginning of sorrows,” he shared.
The love of many will grow cold and we have been given guidelines of how to persevere, ensure, and overcome these times right to the end! No matter what happens, we can be assured that God has His divine plan that will persevere through it all.
And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. (Revelation 12:10-11)
Many things of this world worry us; however, remember the Word of God that has been put on this earth to give us comfort. It’s telling us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” (John 14:1).
“We know the end of the story, we know the prophecies and we know that it must happen. We cannot pray for it not to happen because it must and we know that we are on the winning side because of Christ Jesus, so we need not fear even if very terrible things are happening,” said Johan.
The Blood of Jesus Christ
They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (Revelation 12:11)
No matter the type of life you live now, remember that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin and renews our being that we may be born again.
“There are many scriptures and songs about ‘the blood’, but we have to understand that ‘the blood’ is the power that will get us over and through the accusation of satan! It is only the blood of the lamb that can save us from the wrath of God. When God looks at you and He looks at me, all He wants to see is the righteousness of Christ and the blood of His son; that safeguards us against the wrath of God and from the accusations of the devil” shared Johan.
These are spiritual things that will not put money in your pocket but it will make you endure until the end of time.
It’s important that we say the Sinner’s Prayer from our heart and have close encounters of the highest kind so that we are able to be changed by them, and share our testimonies to many others.
“The moment you experience His presence, you and I will fall to the ground and we will cry out for forgiveness because we are growing cold in our hearts,” he shared.
Your true testimony of being a Christian is your proof of being a Christian.
“To everyone who has a close relationship with Jesus Christ, this life means nothing because of the glory that is to come. Death cannot touch me and if it does, I’m promoted to glory, is it not true?” shared Johan.
Though Johan and his wife lost their 23 year old son to an accident, they know that they are victorious because their son had a close relationship with Jesus Christ who died a long time ago for all of us.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
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