Source:
Official Website of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel at www.foursquare.org
2016 Foursquare Philippines Data
Foursquare Churches and Meeting Places 5,793
Foursquare Workers 3,212
Foursquare Membership 94,144
Decisions 10,561
Foursquare Workers 3,212
Foursquare Membership 94,144
Decisions 10,561
National Data*
Population 101,383,000
Official Language Tagalog
People Groups 201
Official Language Tagalog
People Groups 201
Spiritual Data*
Evangelical 12.2%
People Groups Unreached 30
Unreached Population 5,017,000
People Groups Unreached 30
Unreached Population 5,017,000
* National and spiritual data are adapted from Joshua Project
Information is taken from https://www.foursquaremissions.org/donate/country/philippines/
What: United Foursquare Women (UFW) National Convention
When: April 8-11, 2014
Where: Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel, Laoag City
Registration Fee: P4, 500.00 (P4,300 early bird)
Theme: LADIES ON FIRE
Speakers:
1. Hon. Imee R. Marcos, Governor of Ilocos Sur Province
2. Rev. Vania Dimitrova, Foursquare Bulgaria National Leader
3. Rev. Rachel Galang, CFGP missionary to Hongkong
4. Ptra. Ely Ortal, a minister of Laoag City
5. Rev. Dr. Val Chaves, CFGP President, and his wife, Rev. Sally Chaves
6. Rev. Flor Selodio, pastor of Odiongan Foursquare Church in Romblon
2017
National President: Rev. Delfin L. Corona
Vice President: Rev. Joemarie G. Sulmaca, Sr.
Corporate Treasurer:
Corporate Secretary: Atty. Celestino Domingo
General Supervisor: Rev. Samuel Cereno
2016
President: Rev. Dr. Valentin C. Chaves
Vice President: Rev. Joemarie G. Sulmaca, Sr.
Corporate Treasurer: Mr. Dionisio B. Espiritu
General Supervisor: Rev. Delfin L. Corona
Board Members:
1. Rev. Raul Ramos
2. Rev. Samuel Pinzon
3. Atty. Celestino Domingo
4. Rev. Samuel Cereno
5. Rev. Daniel Feleo
National President: Rev. Delfin L. Corona
Vice President: Rev. Joemarie G. Sulmaca, Sr.
Corporate Treasurer:
Corporate Secretary: Atty. Celestino Domingo
General Supervisor: Rev. Samuel Cereno
2016
President: Rev. Dr. Valentin C. Chaves
Vice President: Rev. Joemarie G. Sulmaca, Sr.
Corporate Treasurer: Mr. Dionisio B. Espiritu
General Supervisor: Rev. Delfin L. Corona
Board Members:
1. Rev. Raul Ramos
2. Rev. Samuel Pinzon
3. Atty. Celestino Domingo
4. Rev. Samuel Cereno
5. Rev. Daniel Feleo
To all Foursquare members in the Philippines and abroad who want to help in relief efforts in Visayas, please coordinate with your local church or the National Office of the Church of the Foursquare Gospel in the Philippines. You may visit the official website of CFGP at www.foursquare.org.ph.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Every time I see pictures and
videos of Typhoon Yolanda victims and how the typhoon destroyed my province in
Leyte, I can’t help myself but cry. Since Day 1 I haven’t heard the sweet voice
of my mother or the laughter of my father, siblings, and nephews I used to hear
every time I call them over the phone. The pain breaks my heart. Death toll is now 4,460 according to United Nations. The only hope
that I cling on is the fact that God will save my family. My town, Tabontabon, is
37 kilometers away from Tacloban City which was severely hit by Typhoon
Yolanda. I’ve heard reports that there
were 10 casualties in my town. When a friend of mine who is based in Cebu
visited his family in our barangay, he informed me that my family is safe and
all the people in our barangay are safe. That was a great relief!
I cannot wait any longer. I want
to see my family. I want to help my fellow Jabongnons. I cannot stay here in
Manila and wait for the government to help them. People may have survived the
storm but they will die in hunger. So I decided to go home by Thursday next
week. I have asked my friends if they can help me assist my kababayans in
Barangay Jabong. I thank the Lord that they have responded. My students have
started collecting piso-piso (coins).
They gave me P1, 230. Dr. Florita Miranda of Wesleyan College of Manila gave
P1, 000 and Prof. Anita Catolico of The Fisher Valley College gave P500. My MBA
classmates will be giving canned goods for the victims. Others will be giving
their pledges next week. As of this writing, I am able to collect P2, 730. It is
just a small amount but a big help for us. Thank you so much!
If you want to help, you may
course through your donations to different non-government organizations which
are helping the relief operations. Philippine National Red Cross led by Dick
Gordon is doing a good job.
If you want to help my barangay directly, you may send your
cash donations through Western Union. My name is Marlon B. Raquel and my
address is Taguig City. For canned goods, etc you may give them to NSTP Office, The Fisher Valley College, Taguig City.You can also contact the National Office of Foursquare Philippines.
Our church in Jabong is made of nipa and bamboo and few bricks. I think it was destroyed as well. I will take photos of the church when I get there. I hope Foursquare Philippines led by President Val Chavez will help all Foursquare churches in Eastern Visayas District.
I am actually hesitant to ask for
help in this way but I realized that the issue here is survival of my family,
friends, and fellow Jabongnons.
The Filipino spirit of bayanihan is still alive.
My fellow Jabongnons will survive.
Our lives are intertwined in a web of sorrows and happiness, desperation and hope, and order and chaos. No matter how far the distance is, or how different we are from each other, our human nature feels sympathy to those who are in need.
Your donations are appreciated!
Your donations are appreciated!
Led by Aimee Semple McPherson, delegates to the 19th annual Four Square Gospel Church Convention yesterday wept, sang, prayed and fainted in the ecstacy of prayer during the Holy Ghost Rally pictured here.
Los Angeles Examiner photo. Click here for image source.
Aimee Semple McPherson shaking hands with Elwood Bailey next to an automobile at the 1935 Exposition
Click here for image source.
cannot supply my need, I must pass on in further
search of help from another source."
"And we, 7 ' say the tired, discouraged feet, "are
also glad that in a far off land, He gave the weary
rest ; and they, who had well nigh lost the faith and
trust in their fellow-man, found truth and grace in
Him.
"But you say He is afar off now? That we live
in a different dispensation? His promises were
largely for the Jewish people anyway ? Then there 's
not much for us here, so we walk past your door
seeking elsewhere a haven of rest and hope."
"And we," the glad, young, joyous feet, send up a
rippling echo from the pavement, "we are in search
of something that can give us joy and happiness to-
day. You say God 'used' to make His little ones so
happy that they danced and shouted for joy. We,
too, want joy ! Not the joy that 'used' to be but joy
of heart today. As it is taken away from the church,
we seek it in the world."
"And we," say the heavy, groping, lonely feet,
"are bereaved and seek comfort and rest. For us
the shades of night are falling. The knowledge that
Christ 'once' dried tears and bare the heavy load is
blest indeed, but Oh!, we of today need succor now.
Preaching 'The Great I WAS' can never satisfy our
longings, WE NEED 'THE GREAT I AM.'
' ' The Great I AM ' 'why yes ! That 's it exactly !
That's what this old world needs. A Christ who
lives and loves and answers prayer today. A Christ
who changeth not but is the same today as He was
yesterday, and will be evermore. A Christ whose
power knows neither lack nor cessation. A Lord
Fifteen
whose Name is "I AM" forever, even unto all genera-
tions.
When the Lord bade Moses go, call the children of
Israel from the flesh pots and bondage, sin and sick-
ness of Egypt, Moses inquired of Him, "When they
shall ask who sent me? and What is His Name?
what shall I say unto them?" and He said 1 , "Thus
shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath
sent me unto you. This is my Name forever, and this
is my memorial unto all generations."
Oh, what a wonderful Name ! What a wonderful
promise ! Glory ! Glory ! to God !
Moses did not need to go about apologetically and
say, M 'The Great I WAS' hath sent me unto you, His
name is 'I WAS' because He 'used' to do great things
long ago. He expended the last of His power in
creating the heavens and the earth and all that in
them is. He is quite far off now and the necessity
for this miraculous manifestation of His power is no
longer needed, seeing that all things have now been
created. He does not do mighty works today but
please come, follow and obey the message of 'The
Great I WAS. ' :
Why, I doubt whether they would have followed
such a call. The message which Moses bore rang
clear and firm "I AM hath sent me." He walked
with assurance. The solid rock was under his feet.
His God was a living God a miracle-working God.
Moses knew his business was to preach and deliver
the message God had given him. "The Great I AM"
had contracted to back up that message with signs
following. ' ' I AM I AM I AM ! ' ' rang in the ears
of Moses every step he took.
Ah ! It gives a servant of God some heart to know
Sixteen
that "I AM" hath sent him. No more apologizing.
No more hanging the head and resorting to earthly
means; no more trembling and fear of failure, no
dread now that the crowds will not follow ! Head
erect, footsteps firm and full of assurance, earthly
temple clad with a robe of the majesty and tender-
ness of the Father, hands pointing unhesitatingly to
the w r ay, voice ringing clear and authoritative "I
AM, I AM hath sent me unto you" !
" 'I AM' lives today. He will tabernacle in our
midst. 'I AM' will deliver us from our enemies. He
will guide us by His hand. 'I AM' will feed us with
the bread from the heavens and give us water from
the rock. 'I AM' will deliver us from the sickness
and the diseases of the Egyptians, saying, 'If you will
walk in My ways and keep My statutes none of the
diseases which have been put upon the Egyptians
shall come nigh you. 'I AM' will lead us into the
promised land
Oh, the blessed assurance, the authority, the majes-
tic glory of the name "I AM !" No wonder the chil-
dren of Israel left the flesh-pots and the bands that
bound them. No wonder the weary eyes of the toiler
looked up with new interest and hope. No wonder
that hands which had hung down were lifted and the
feeble knees made strong when Moses could promise
them that when the Lord said unto those which were
weak, "Be strong and of good courage, for the Lord
will do great things," He meant just what He said.
He did not have to say, "The Lord 'used' to do great
things," but could triumphantly declare, "The Lord
'will' do great things; for He is 'The Great I AM,'
and though heaven is His home, the earth is His foot-
stool where He answers the prayers of His people."
Seventeen
During Moses' ministry, the sick were healed, the
lepers cleansed, the plague stayed.
Oh, Moses how we envy you, the great commis-
sion, GO ! call my people out of bondage into liberty ;
out of darkness into light ; out of sin into holiness ;
out of sickness into health ! But tell us, just when
did the day of supernatural, miraculous manifesta-
tion of the power of God end? When did "I AM"
become "I WAS?"
Why, little children, "I AM" hath never changed!
His power is just the same in this thy day as it was
in the days of yore. Did He not say, "This is My
Name forever even unto ALL generations"? They
who have faith shall see the lightnings of His glory
flash in power of answered prayer today, as in the
days of old. Elijah and Elisha lived in a day when
doubters said the miraculous had passed away and
"I AM" had become "I WAS." But through faith
and prayer they proved His name to be "I AM" unto
their generations. After the ascension of the Only
Begotten of the Father, Jesus Christ, the disciples
proved that "He who was dead is alive forevermore"
the Great I AM, who saves and heals and baptizes
with the Spirit's power.
On and on through the centuries, though surround-
ed by unbelief and skepticism; there have always
been the Elijahs and the Peters who have proved
that "I AM" is His Name even unto their generation.
John Wesley believed that Christ was not only to
save but to heal the sick in his day. In his biography
he tells of the lame made to walk, cancers which
melted away and even a lame horse made whole
Eighteen
through answered prayer; thus proving "I AM" to
be the Lord's Name even unto his generation.
Then surely He has not changed at this late hour !
Surely, He is the same today. Elijah, Peter, John
Wesley and an army of others who had heard and
obeyed the message, "Thus shall you say I AM hath
sent me/ 7 were ridiculed and persecuted by those
they loved the best. Even so today, though it means
being despised and misunderstood, get alone in the
wilderness of quiet and stillness before God. Seek
His face till your soul is kindled with the flame of
love from the burning bush. Get your authority
from God. Inquire of Him, "When they shall ask
who sent me and what is his name ? what shall I say
unto them?" Hear His reply, "Thus shalt thou say
unto them, 'I AM' hath sent me" and let it ring in
your soul forever, louder, clearer, more wonderful in
its revelation of the ever-living Christ with each new
step and turn of the way. Victory is assured and
the only solution to the problem of drawing the mul-
titude is to lift up, not the dead, but the living
Christ; not the Great "I WAS" but the Great "I
AM."
Thanks ! Thanks ! for that message, dear Lord.
The clouds of uncertainty are dispelled the shades
of night rolled back. We see Thee in a new and
glorious light, even as the Sun of Righteousness with
healing in Thy wings. "I AM" is Thy Name today
and shall be evermore !
"I AM the Lord, I change not."
"I AM the Lord that hath chosen thee and called
thee by thy name."
"I AM come down to deliver thee and to bring
Nineteen
thee up into a good land and a large ; unto a land
flowing with milk and honey. ' '
"I AM (not I WAS but I AM) the Lord that heal-
eththee."
"I AM He who was dead but am alive forever-
more."
"I AM Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the
end, the first and the last."
How the "I AMS" of the Lord come rolling in, like
the billows of a full, o 'erflowing sea, whose tide rises
higher toward down-bending heavens.
Glory ! Glory ! My own poor heart is running
over like a tiny cup that would seek to hold the
ocean! God is speaking in my ears, "I AM THAT I
AM.' 7 The earth resounds with His voice. The
eternal hills and the mountains swell the song, "I AM
shall be My Name f orevermore. ' ' And away up yon-
der the glorious stars of the heaven echo back again
"Even unto all generations this shall be my
Name." Angels and cherubim bend low over heav-
en's balustrade and sing a new song of inspiration
"Go forth, my child, and this thy cry shall be, 'I AM
I AM hath sent me unto thee'."
Again. I see the steepled church. But now the
scene is changed.
"Pat! Pat! Pit-a-pat" -The street that lies be-
fore it is still with people filled But they are no
longer passing "by"- The crowds are passing "in."
They fill the pews and the galleries. They stand in
the aisles and climb to the window sills. They pack
the doorways and stand on the stairs. The streets
and the lanes are filled. The Gospel nets are full to
the bursting and there is no more room to contain
the multitudes that throng the place.
Twent}'
And out o'er the heads of the people I hear the
message ring :
"Awake! thou that sleepest, arise -from the dead!
The Lord still lives today. His power has never
abated. His Word has never changed. The things
He did in Bible days, He still lives to do today. Not
a burden is there He cannot bear nor a fetter He
cannot break.
"Here bring your sins, He'll wash them away.
Here bring your sicknesses He'll heal you today.
We serve not a dead but a living God not 'I WAS,'
but 'The Great I AM.'
"Come young, come old; come sad, come glad;
come weary and faltering of step ; come sick, come
well ! come one, come all unto i The Great I AM. '
There is food for the hungry, there is strength for the
faint ; there is hope for the hopeless, and sight for
the blind."
"Pit-a-pat! Pit-a-pat!" Faster and faster they
come ! The church is o 'erflowing ; they are filling the
streets. Their faces are shining; in their eyes the
light of hope has been kindled by the taper of faith
through the preaching of "The Great I AM."
They are reaching out their hands for forgiveness,
for the healing of the crippled and sick. They are
thirsting for the joy of salvation; hungering for the
Bread of Life. They are seeking the power of the
Holy Ghost and something practical which can meet
the immediate and pressing need of the great today,
and fit them for the morrow. And they have found
the source of sure supply in the church the house of
God from under whose altar and o 'er whose thresh-
hold runs the ever deepening stream of life. They
seek no further, through the briers of the world
Twenty-one
they have found "The Great I AM" and sing:
"Wisdom, righteousness and power,
Holiness forevermore
My redemption full and sure,
Christ is all I need."
Burdens are lifted, tearful weeping eyes are dried,
the sick are healed, the crooked made straight. Sin-
guilty hearts are cleansed and made holy. Empty
water-pots are filled with wine. And the cold, world-
ly church has risen from the dust in garments glister-
ing, white. With oil in their lamps and sheaves in
their arms they worship "The Great I AM."
Twenty -two
A Double Cure For A Double Curse
When Satan entered the purity of the Garden of Eden,
in the form of a serpent, two "angels of darkness" fol-
lowed hard on his trail his coming brought the double
curse of Sin and Sickness.
When Christ came into the dying world to redeem it
from the curse, there came in His blessed footsteps "two
angels" of light and hope His coming brought the double
cure, Salvation and Healing.
In the beginning the world emerged from under
the hand of God, good, and pure and perfect.
In the Garden of Eden, the most perfect spot in a
perfect world, He placed the perfect man and woman,
Adam and Eve, whom He had formed from the dust
of the ground and into -whose nostrils He had
breathed the breath of life.
In innocence and purity they dwelled 'neath the
flowing boughs and trailing flowers of rich fruit-la-
den trees. Busy bees droned contentedly in the per-
fumed air as the golden, mellow sunlight of a perfect
day filtered through the dense green foliage of leaf
and branch and splashed upon a floor carpeted with
violets, moss and lichen. Birds of rich plumage flit-
ted from tree to tree, and high above it all a songful
lark sprang high into the open heaven showering the
air with musical praise.
Into the tranquil beauty of this garden which His
own loving hand had planted, God loved to walk in
the cool of the day, communing with man whom He
had made after His own image, and filled with His
breath Divine.
How peaceful their abode ! How blessed their
communion ! How blissful their freedom of body,
soul and- spirit ! Theirs but one requirement faith
in the Word of the Father and obedience to His com-
mand.
search of help from another source."
"And we, 7 ' say the tired, discouraged feet, "are
also glad that in a far off land, He gave the weary
rest ; and they, who had well nigh lost the faith and
trust in their fellow-man, found truth and grace in
Him.
"But you say He is afar off now? That we live
in a different dispensation? His promises were
largely for the Jewish people anyway ? Then there 's
not much for us here, so we walk past your door
seeking elsewhere a haven of rest and hope."
"And we," the glad, young, joyous feet, send up a
rippling echo from the pavement, "we are in search
of something that can give us joy and happiness to-
day. You say God 'used' to make His little ones so
happy that they danced and shouted for joy. We,
too, want joy ! Not the joy that 'used' to be but joy
of heart today. As it is taken away from the church,
we seek it in the world."
"And we," say the heavy, groping, lonely feet,
"are bereaved and seek comfort and rest. For us
the shades of night are falling. The knowledge that
Christ 'once' dried tears and bare the heavy load is
blest indeed, but Oh!, we of today need succor now.
Preaching 'The Great I WAS' can never satisfy our
longings, WE NEED 'THE GREAT I AM.'
' ' The Great I AM ' 'why yes ! That 's it exactly !
That's what this old world needs. A Christ who
lives and loves and answers prayer today. A Christ
who changeth not but is the same today as He was
yesterday, and will be evermore. A Christ whose
power knows neither lack nor cessation. A Lord
Fifteen
whose Name is "I AM" forever, even unto all genera-
tions.
When the Lord bade Moses go, call the children of
Israel from the flesh pots and bondage, sin and sick-
ness of Egypt, Moses inquired of Him, "When they
shall ask who sent me? and What is His Name?
what shall I say unto them?" and He said 1 , "Thus
shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath
sent me unto you. This is my Name forever, and this
is my memorial unto all generations."
Oh, what a wonderful Name ! What a wonderful
promise ! Glory ! Glory ! to God !
Moses did not need to go about apologetically and
say, M 'The Great I WAS' hath sent me unto you, His
name is 'I WAS' because He 'used' to do great things
long ago. He expended the last of His power in
creating the heavens and the earth and all that in
them is. He is quite far off now and the necessity
for this miraculous manifestation of His power is no
longer needed, seeing that all things have now been
created. He does not do mighty works today but
please come, follow and obey the message of 'The
Great I WAS. ' :
Why, I doubt whether they would have followed
such a call. The message which Moses bore rang
clear and firm "I AM hath sent me." He walked
with assurance. The solid rock was under his feet.
His God was a living God a miracle-working God.
Moses knew his business was to preach and deliver
the message God had given him. "The Great I AM"
had contracted to back up that message with signs
following. ' ' I AM I AM I AM ! ' ' rang in the ears
of Moses every step he took.
Ah ! It gives a servant of God some heart to know
Sixteen
that "I AM" hath sent him. No more apologizing.
No more hanging the head and resorting to earthly
means; no more trembling and fear of failure, no
dread now that the crowds will not follow ! Head
erect, footsteps firm and full of assurance, earthly
temple clad with a robe of the majesty and tender-
ness of the Father, hands pointing unhesitatingly to
the w r ay, voice ringing clear and authoritative "I
AM, I AM hath sent me unto you" !
" 'I AM' lives today. He will tabernacle in our
midst. 'I AM' will deliver us from our enemies. He
will guide us by His hand. 'I AM' will feed us with
the bread from the heavens and give us water from
the rock. 'I AM' will deliver us from the sickness
and the diseases of the Egyptians, saying, 'If you will
walk in My ways and keep My statutes none of the
diseases which have been put upon the Egyptians
shall come nigh you. 'I AM' will lead us into the
promised land
Oh, the blessed assurance, the authority, the majes-
tic glory of the name "I AM !" No wonder the chil-
dren of Israel left the flesh-pots and the bands that
bound them. No wonder the weary eyes of the toiler
looked up with new interest and hope. No wonder
that hands which had hung down were lifted and the
feeble knees made strong when Moses could promise
them that when the Lord said unto those which were
weak, "Be strong and of good courage, for the Lord
will do great things," He meant just what He said.
He did not have to say, "The Lord 'used' to do great
things," but could triumphantly declare, "The Lord
'will' do great things; for He is 'The Great I AM,'
and though heaven is His home, the earth is His foot-
stool where He answers the prayers of His people."
Seventeen
During Moses' ministry, the sick were healed, the
lepers cleansed, the plague stayed.
Oh, Moses how we envy you, the great commis-
sion, GO ! call my people out of bondage into liberty ;
out of darkness into light ; out of sin into holiness ;
out of sickness into health ! But tell us, just when
did the day of supernatural, miraculous manifesta-
tion of the power of God end? When did "I AM"
become "I WAS?"
Why, little children, "I AM" hath never changed!
His power is just the same in this thy day as it was
in the days of yore. Did He not say, "This is My
Name forever even unto ALL generations"? They
who have faith shall see the lightnings of His glory
flash in power of answered prayer today, as in the
days of old. Elijah and Elisha lived in a day when
doubters said the miraculous had passed away and
"I AM" had become "I WAS." But through faith
and prayer they proved His name to be "I AM" unto
their generations. After the ascension of the Only
Begotten of the Father, Jesus Christ, the disciples
proved that "He who was dead is alive forevermore"
the Great I AM, who saves and heals and baptizes
with the Spirit's power.
On and on through the centuries, though surround-
ed by unbelief and skepticism; there have always
been the Elijahs and the Peters who have proved
that "I AM" is His Name even unto their generation.
John Wesley believed that Christ was not only to
save but to heal the sick in his day. In his biography
he tells of the lame made to walk, cancers which
melted away and even a lame horse made whole
Eighteen
through answered prayer; thus proving "I AM" to
be the Lord's Name even unto his generation.
Then surely He has not changed at this late hour !
Surely, He is the same today. Elijah, Peter, John
Wesley and an army of others who had heard and
obeyed the message, "Thus shall you say I AM hath
sent me/ 7 were ridiculed and persecuted by those
they loved the best. Even so today, though it means
being despised and misunderstood, get alone in the
wilderness of quiet and stillness before God. Seek
His face till your soul is kindled with the flame of
love from the burning bush. Get your authority
from God. Inquire of Him, "When they shall ask
who sent me and what is his name ? what shall I say
unto them?" Hear His reply, "Thus shalt thou say
unto them, 'I AM' hath sent me" and let it ring in
your soul forever, louder, clearer, more wonderful in
its revelation of the ever-living Christ with each new
step and turn of the way. Victory is assured and
the only solution to the problem of drawing the mul-
titude is to lift up, not the dead, but the living
Christ; not the Great "I WAS" but the Great "I
AM."
Thanks ! Thanks ! for that message, dear Lord.
The clouds of uncertainty are dispelled the shades
of night rolled back. We see Thee in a new and
glorious light, even as the Sun of Righteousness with
healing in Thy wings. "I AM" is Thy Name today
and shall be evermore !
"I AM the Lord, I change not."
"I AM the Lord that hath chosen thee and called
thee by thy name."
"I AM come down to deliver thee and to bring
Nineteen
thee up into a good land and a large ; unto a land
flowing with milk and honey. ' '
"I AM (not I WAS but I AM) the Lord that heal-
eththee."
"I AM He who was dead but am alive forever-
more."
"I AM Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the
end, the first and the last."
How the "I AMS" of the Lord come rolling in, like
the billows of a full, o 'erflowing sea, whose tide rises
higher toward down-bending heavens.
Glory ! Glory ! My own poor heart is running
over like a tiny cup that would seek to hold the
ocean! God is speaking in my ears, "I AM THAT I
AM.' 7 The earth resounds with His voice. The
eternal hills and the mountains swell the song, "I AM
shall be My Name f orevermore. ' ' And away up yon-
der the glorious stars of the heaven echo back again
"Even unto all generations this shall be my
Name." Angels and cherubim bend low over heav-
en's balustrade and sing a new song of inspiration
"Go forth, my child, and this thy cry shall be, 'I AM
I AM hath sent me unto thee'."
Again. I see the steepled church. But now the
scene is changed.
"Pat! Pat! Pit-a-pat" -The street that lies be-
fore it is still with people filled But they are no
longer passing "by"- The crowds are passing "in."
They fill the pews and the galleries. They stand in
the aisles and climb to the window sills. They pack
the doorways and stand on the stairs. The streets
and the lanes are filled. The Gospel nets are full to
the bursting and there is no more room to contain
the multitudes that throng the place.
Twent}'
And out o'er the heads of the people I hear the
message ring :
"Awake! thou that sleepest, arise -from the dead!
The Lord still lives today. His power has never
abated. His Word has never changed. The things
He did in Bible days, He still lives to do today. Not
a burden is there He cannot bear nor a fetter He
cannot break.
"Here bring your sins, He'll wash them away.
Here bring your sicknesses He'll heal you today.
We serve not a dead but a living God not 'I WAS,'
but 'The Great I AM.'
"Come young, come old; come sad, come glad;
come weary and faltering of step ; come sick, come
well ! come one, come all unto i The Great I AM. '
There is food for the hungry, there is strength for the
faint ; there is hope for the hopeless, and sight for
the blind."
"Pit-a-pat! Pit-a-pat!" Faster and faster they
come ! The church is o 'erflowing ; they are filling the
streets. Their faces are shining; in their eyes the
light of hope has been kindled by the taper of faith
through the preaching of "The Great I AM."
They are reaching out their hands for forgiveness,
for the healing of the crippled and sick. They are
thirsting for the joy of salvation; hungering for the
Bread of Life. They are seeking the power of the
Holy Ghost and something practical which can meet
the immediate and pressing need of the great today,
and fit them for the morrow. And they have found
the source of sure supply in the church the house of
God from under whose altar and o 'er whose thresh-
hold runs the ever deepening stream of life. They
seek no further, through the briers of the world
Twenty-one
they have found "The Great I AM" and sing:
"Wisdom, righteousness and power,
Holiness forevermore
My redemption full and sure,
Christ is all I need."
Burdens are lifted, tearful weeping eyes are dried,
the sick are healed, the crooked made straight. Sin-
guilty hearts are cleansed and made holy. Empty
water-pots are filled with wine. And the cold, world-
ly church has risen from the dust in garments glister-
ing, white. With oil in their lamps and sheaves in
their arms they worship "The Great I AM."
Twenty -two
A Double Cure For A Double Curse
When Satan entered the purity of the Garden of Eden,
in the form of a serpent, two "angels of darkness" fol-
lowed hard on his trail his coming brought the double
curse of Sin and Sickness.
When Christ came into the dying world to redeem it
from the curse, there came in His blessed footsteps "two
angels" of light and hope His coming brought the double
cure, Salvation and Healing.
In the beginning the world emerged from under
the hand of God, good, and pure and perfect.
In the Garden of Eden, the most perfect spot in a
perfect world, He placed the perfect man and woman,
Adam and Eve, whom He had formed from the dust
of the ground and into -whose nostrils He had
breathed the breath of life.
In innocence and purity they dwelled 'neath the
flowing boughs and trailing flowers of rich fruit-la-
den trees. Busy bees droned contentedly in the per-
fumed air as the golden, mellow sunlight of a perfect
day filtered through the dense green foliage of leaf
and branch and splashed upon a floor carpeted with
violets, moss and lichen. Birds of rich plumage flit-
ted from tree to tree, and high above it all a songful
lark sprang high into the open heaven showering the
air with musical praise.
Into the tranquil beauty of this garden which His
own loving hand had planted, God loved to walk in
the cool of the day, communing with man whom He
had made after His own image, and filled with His
breath Divine.
How peaceful their abode ! How blessed their
communion ! How blissful their freedom of body,
soul and- spirit ! Theirs but one requirement faith
in the Word of the Father and obedience to His com-
mand.
Twenty -three
But alas! The gleaming, malevolent, calculating
eyes of Satan were watching from the distance.
Seething hatred for God, and jealousy of man fer-
menting in his soul; cunning planning in his heart.
Once he had been an angel of authority in Heaven,
but because of jealousy, disobedience and treachery
he had fallen as a flaming torch from Heaven draw-
ing a third of the angels with him. (Luke 10: 18;
Isaiah 14:12-14.)
The burning passion in his diabolic nature now
longed for revenge for a way to strike back. And
here here in this blissful garden of Eden with its
stately trees, its hanging flowers, its luscious fruit-
age and its dancing, sparkling brooks and rivers
where God had placed the children of His own dear
handiwork, he had found the place for revenge !
Now whom did the Father so love as these chil-
dren? Had He not toiled through the days to create
the earth for his habitation? And what was there in
heaven or on earth that so grieved and pierced the
pure heart of the Father as disobedience and sin?
Hath it not been written that : God cannot look up-
on sin with the least degree of allowance? Hath He
not said : The soul that sinneth, it shall surely die ?
Full well did Satan know that God in His justice
would show no partiality. And though His heart
was torn and bleeding the curse of His disapproval
must fall upon the inmates of the Garden and the
whole earth must be jolted and shaken with the im-
pact of the fall.
With fiendish cunning Satan took upon himself the
form of a flashing, scintillating serpent, (said at that
time to be the most beautiful and subtle beast of the
field) and in shimmering, graceful strides, and his
Twenty -four
most captivating manner he drew near unto the wo-
man and began to sow the fateful seeds of unbelief
within her heart :
"Yea, God hath said, that in the day ye eat of the
tree in the middle of the garden ye shall surely die
but God does not mean that which He said Ye
shall not surely die."
The first lie the devil told the human family, the
first seed of doubt he sowed in their hearts was that
of doubting the veracity and absolute, unchangeable
truth of God's Word. He has been engaged with
the same task ever since.
Behind the devil as he enters the garden, stand
two fearsome demons of night. Our hearts are re-
pulsed and shuddering as we gaze on each cruel face.
Oh Mother Eve ! Could you not see them ? Why
were your eyes so blinded? On each shield, with
which they cover themselves is the form of a vene-
mous serpent with a parting, darting, poisonous
tongue. In his hand each demon holds a fork
with sharp, barbed prongs with which to pierce body
and soul with fearful wounds, which no earthly pow-
er can heal. Oh Eve ! can 't you see them, hand in
hand, an invincible, inseparable pair twin angels of
darkness, agents of despair, relentless and cruel?
Their names are written on their shields "Sin" and
"Sickness."
But the eyes of Eve were riveted in fascination on
the shimmering serpent's form ! Her ears hearkened
to that smooth deceiver's voice. Thus Eve was de-
ceived, and in obeying the word of Satan she dis-
obeyed her Lord, ate of the forbidden fruit, and gave
Adam to eat also.
Soon came the footsteps of God, walking in the
Twenty-five
garden in the cool of the evening. "Adam, where
art thou?" His voice rang out in tones of thunder
that struck fear and quaking into those guilty souls
who sought to hide them from His gaze. Quick as a
flash His keen, all-seeing eye read the story and His
heart was grieved and sad. They had sold them-
selves to the devil, and the twin demons of darkness
laughed as they reached out through the gathering
gloom, the more firmly to grip the erring ones on the
prongs of suffering and sin.
Hand in hand came sin and sickness into the gar-
den of life. Hand in hand they have walked through
the years since that day. But instead of leaving His
children in the hands of the devil to suffer the double
curse they had brought upon themselves through dis-
obedience, the great loving Father-heart of God be-
gan even then to lay plans for their redemption a
double cure for a double curse.
But there and then, even though man must needs
be driven from the garden, God gave His first pro-
phetic promise that through the seed of woman
should come He that should bruise the head that
bruised His heel. All down through the coming
years that led by a winding trail, through many lands
and many tears, on through the days of Abel, Seth,
and Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and
David even down to the cross of Christ this prom-
ise was reiterated through the prophets and sages.
Thus it was that as far back as the days of Moses
it was an understood fact that salvation and healing
were provided in the atonement through the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. When Moses
brought the children of Israel from Egypt and turned
their faces toward the promised land God spake to
them, saying: "If thou wilt diligently hearken to
Twenty -six
the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which
is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His com-
mandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none
of these diseases upon thee, which I have put upon
the Egyptians for I am the Lord that healeth thee. ' '
Clearly the Father signified that with disobedience
and sin would come sickness and disease. Later
when disobedience and sin had laid them low and
fiery serpents bit them till they died God commanded
that a brazen serpent (brass signifying judgment)
should be lifted up in the wilderness even as Christ
was later to pass through the judgment for us and be
lifted up on the cross of Calvary. Those who looked
upon the serpent that was lifted up in the wilderness
had life for a look. They found therein the double
cure forgiveness for the soul and healing for the
body.
When Miriam through the sin of criticism and
backbiting fell ill of leprosy white as snow, Moses
besought God for the double cure. After pleading
the mercy and pardon of the Lord he cries, "Heal
her now, God 1 , I beseech Thee." Numbers 12:13.
Of the double cure for the double curse the Psalm-
ist spake clearly, saying, "Bless the Lord my soul,
and forget not all His benefits, Who forgiveth all
thine iniquities, and who healeth all thy diseases."
Ps. 103:2, 3. Notice the first two benefits David
mentions are those of forgiveness and salvation,
which is to overthrow the powers of sin, and divine
healing for the body to overthrow sickness and dis-
ease.
Isaiah catching sight of the Great Redeemer
through the lifted veil, beheld Christ as the Man of
Sorrows and acquainted with grief. He sees in His
Twenty -seven
glorious coming the double cure for the double curse,
and declares of His work of atonement: "He was
wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our ini-
quities (notice the word ' bruised,' God had said of
Him that He would bruise the head that bruised His
heel) . . . and by His stripes we are healed."
Isaiah 53.
"But does not this promise refer to spiritual heal-
ing only?" asks one timid soul to whom the news
seems almost too good to be true. No, Matthew
8 :16, 17, describes Christ healing the sick, casting out
demons, causing the blind to see and the lame to
walk, and then tells us that this physical healing is
the literal interpretation of Isaiah 53. Head the 17th
verse and note Matthew's interpretation of that
promise. "This was done that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by Esaias the prophet saying:
Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses. ' '
The coming ^of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the
seed of woman, : jwas the coming of the great deliverer
to redeem a stricken world from the curse. Speak-
ing of His own mission Jesus plainly said. "The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath
anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He
hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted ; to preach
deliverance to the captives, and 1 recovering of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." Luke
4:18, 19.
blessed Light that shineth in the darkness, even
though the darkness comprehendeth it not ! bless-
ed Burden-Bearer carrying our sins, bearing our
sicknesses, enduring our pain, would that the world
might see Thee !
Twenty -eight
Oh, look, heart-sore world, canst thou not see the
two great blessings that follow the Master wherever
He goes, like two bright angels of light, who stand
hand in hand, with shining swords bearing the sign
of the cross and holding aloft the Spirit's sword to
cut thy bonds in twain? Salvation declares, "Thy
sins be all forgiven thee." Healing cries: "Be
thou made whole, take up thy bed and walk ! ' ' and
o 'er mountain and dale, in valley or plain, within the
palace and in the hut wherever this dear Jesus of
Galilee went He brought with Him this double cure,
Salvation and Healing.
"Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts," said He,
"for whether is easier to say: Thy sins be forgiven
thee, or Take up your bed and walk?" Whether is
easier who is there among us dare to say ? For this
heaven-born, heaven-sent pair stand hand in hand,
shield to shield a double cure for a double curse.
In God's plan they should never be divided.
When the short years of our Lord's ministry,
wherein He went about destroying the works of the
devil, namely forgiving sin and healing the sick,
were ended, the hour approached for His torturous
death on the cross. Emerging from Gethsemane
Garden when the long night was o'er, He was con-
demned before Pontius Pilate to die on the rugged
tree.
But before they led Him up Calvary's mountain,
something of great importance must take place,
something that makes our cheeks blanch and the
tear drops to start at the very thought, they must
bare our Savior's back to the smiters, tie Him to
the whipping-post, and flog Him with the cruel lash.
Did you ever wonder why?
Twenty -nine
Blow upon blow, fell on the tender, quivering flesh
of the gentle Nazarene. The biting whip rose and
fell again and again in the hands of the Roman sol-
dier, till the great purple welts stood on the precious
back that was so soon to bear the cross fell till the
drops of blood dripped upon the ground. Some forty
blows were permissible in those days and men often
fainted or even died at the whipping-post.
"Tell me, dear Spirit, Teacher and Guide, tell
me WHY did they whip Him so ? Was He whipped
that my many sins might be washed away?"
"No, child, the blood on the cross was sufficient for
that."
"Then why did they pluck the beard from His face,
and beat Him with cruel staves, was that for the
cleansing of sin?"
"No, child, the Blood was sufficient for that."
"Then why, Spirit of God, tell me why did they
torture my Saviour so ? Was God merely permitting
the vindictive, fiendish wrath of an angry mob to be
wreaked upon the head of His blessed Son? Else
if His stripes did not cleanse me from sin, then WHY
did they whip Him so?"
"Why, child! Do you not know the meaning of
that lash, the cruel blows of the smiters' scourge?
'Twas thus He bare your suffering, and by His
stripes ye are healed. Not a meaningless blow, not
a meaningless pain did 'that precious Body bear. At
the whipping-post He purchased your healing, bare
your suffering and pain. On the cross He purchased
your pardon, forgiveness and cleansing from sin.
Healed by His stripes, cleansed by His blood
blessed double cure for a double curse for all who
will look and live."
Thirty
But have not these twain been separated, till only
Salvation remains? Then His stripes were borne in
vain.
Hearken to the words of the Master : " The works
that I do shall ye do, and greater works than these
shall ye do because I go to My Father. All power
is given unto me, in heaven and in earth. Go ye
therefore and teach all nations baptizing them in the
Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things, what-
soever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you
always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
Matt. 28:18-20.
"As ye go preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven
is at hand, cleanse the leper, heal the sick, cast out
demons, freely as ye have received freely give/'
"Into whatsoever city or town ye enter heal the sick
that are therein and say unto them, The Kingdom of
God is come nigh unto you." And He sent them to
preach the Gospel and heal the sick. And said,
' ' These signs shall follow them that believe : in My
name shall they cast out devils ; they shall speak with
new tongues; they shall lay hands on the sick and
they shall recover." Mark 16:17, 18.
Jesus the same yesterday, today and forever still
brings the double cure for soul and body. There is
still life for a look at the Crucified One, and they
who touch the hem of His garment may still be
made whole.
In the fifth chapter of James, the elders of the
church are given instructions to anoint the sick (who
call for them) with oil, and pray the prayer of faith,
having the promise of the double cure . . . The
prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall
raise him up, and if he hath committed sins they shall
be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another
and pray one for another that ye may be healed.
What a sweet relationship there here exists between
Salvation and Healing.
This does not mean that we will never die. There
comes a day when the sands of the years are run and
the child of God is caught up and goes sweeping
home to glory. Thank God for that hope ! 'Tis not
that they who claim the promise of healing fear
death. To be absent from the body is to be present
with the Lord. But it does mean that instead of
suffering, and groaning all the days of our lives with
a torturous disease, it is possible to look away to
Jesus and take that for which He paid with cruel
stripes, and the shedding of His precious blood.
Too long have we wandered in weakness and pov-
erty, when we might have had His strength and rich-
es 1 Too long have we lain starving, when we might
have been feasting in Father's banquet hall.
A man in straitened financial circumstances once
bought a ticket for an ocean voyage.
"Now I must be very saving of my few remaining
dollars, "he told himself. " I'll just buy some crack-
ers and drink water with them for the duration of
my voyage, thus leaving a small sum for my arrival. ' '
Days wore by one by one, and the poor man be-
came more and more famished for a good square
meal and more disgusted with crackers and water.
On the day that the steamer was scheduled to arrive
in port he could bear it no longer, if it took the last
cent, he decided that he must have one more good
meal.
Thirty-two
But when he made his way to the dining salon, its
beauty and the fine food which was being served,
course after course at the tables, the white linen and
shining silver caused him to doubt. Such a fine din-
ing room, perhaps he would not have money enough
after all! Catching the eye of the steward he in-
quired :
"Sir, w^ould you please be kind enough to tell me
the cost of a meal in that dining room?" The waiter
looked at the man with amazement and said :
"Why I don't understand what you mean."
"I want to know how much one good, square meal
at that table would cost me, please."
"Why you have a ticket for this steamship voyage,
haven't you?"
"Ticket? Why y-yes," stammered the man.
"Then your meals don't cost you a penny. They
are all included in your ticket. Where have you
been at meal times? Why did you not come to the
table? Your place has been set and held vacant foi
you all the time."
"Why I've been sitting in my state-room eating
crackers and drinking cold water, every day, because
I thought I could not afford the dining room."
And, Oh dear ones, many of us have gone almost
to the end of life 's voyage before realizing the good
things included in our ticket. Salvation, Healing,
the power of the Holy Spirit and rich life in Christ
are yours for the asking. Draw near today and cry :
Thou Son of David, have mercy upon me. I now ap-
propriate Thy promises, and claim as mine the rich
provision Thou hast made for me, even the double
cure with its blessings for body and soul.
Thirty -three
The Scriptural Relationship of Divine
Healing and Salvation
In God's great plan of Redemption, Salvation for
the soul, and Divine Healing for the body, were unit-
ed in holy matrimony, and destined to walk together,
hand in hand, through the ages. Unbelief has sought
to divorce this heaven-born pair; but prayer and
faith still prove they are united.
Healing for the body was included in the atone-
ment made by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Beaten
with cruel stripes, He purchased healing for the
body. Wounded for our transgressions, He bought
Eedemption for every soul that would believe on
Him with the whole heart.
In the Beginning
In the beginning, man through disobedience, trans-
gressed the law of God. Believing the words of
Satan, rather than the words of God, the inmates of
the garden did exactly what God told them not to
do ; and through their disobedience opened the door
to that inseparable pair, sin and suffering. Man had
sold himself for naught, and engaged himself to be
the bond-servant of the devil. Banished from the
garden, sweating through the toil of the day, groan-
Thirty -four
ing in labor and pain, how hopeless was their state !
But hark ! The voice of God spoke to them and
with His promise came a shaft of light from the Son
of Righteousness, falling athwart the darkness of the
night, cleaving it asunder and promising the opening
of a "New and Living Way"; spelling deliverance
from sin and its awful consequences, and the regain-
ing of that which they had lost. For, His unfailing
Word had promised that the seed of the woman was
to come and bruise the head that bruised His heel.
Hallelujah !
But alas! The gleaming, malevolent, calculating
eyes of Satan were watching from the distance.
Seething hatred for God, and jealousy of man fer-
menting in his soul; cunning planning in his heart.
Once he had been an angel of authority in Heaven,
but because of jealousy, disobedience and treachery
he had fallen as a flaming torch from Heaven draw-
ing a third of the angels with him. (Luke 10: 18;
Isaiah 14:12-14.)
The burning passion in his diabolic nature now
longed for revenge for a way to strike back. And
here here in this blissful garden of Eden with its
stately trees, its hanging flowers, its luscious fruit-
age and its dancing, sparkling brooks and rivers
where God had placed the children of His own dear
handiwork, he had found the place for revenge !
Now whom did the Father so love as these chil-
dren? Had He not toiled through the days to create
the earth for his habitation? And what was there in
heaven or on earth that so grieved and pierced the
pure heart of the Father as disobedience and sin?
Hath it not been written that : God cannot look up-
on sin with the least degree of allowance? Hath He
not said : The soul that sinneth, it shall surely die ?
Full well did Satan know that God in His justice
would show no partiality. And though His heart
was torn and bleeding the curse of His disapproval
must fall upon the inmates of the Garden and the
whole earth must be jolted and shaken with the im-
pact of the fall.
With fiendish cunning Satan took upon himself the
form of a flashing, scintillating serpent, (said at that
time to be the most beautiful and subtle beast of the
field) and in shimmering, graceful strides, and his
Twenty -four
most captivating manner he drew near unto the wo-
man and began to sow the fateful seeds of unbelief
within her heart :
"Yea, God hath said, that in the day ye eat of the
tree in the middle of the garden ye shall surely die
but God does not mean that which He said Ye
shall not surely die."
The first lie the devil told the human family, the
first seed of doubt he sowed in their hearts was that
of doubting the veracity and absolute, unchangeable
truth of God's Word. He has been engaged with
the same task ever since.
Behind the devil as he enters the garden, stand
two fearsome demons of night. Our hearts are re-
pulsed and shuddering as we gaze on each cruel face.
Oh Mother Eve ! Could you not see them ? Why
were your eyes so blinded? On each shield, with
which they cover themselves is the form of a vene-
mous serpent with a parting, darting, poisonous
tongue. In his hand each demon holds a fork
with sharp, barbed prongs with which to pierce body
and soul with fearful wounds, which no earthly pow-
er can heal. Oh Eve ! can 't you see them, hand in
hand, an invincible, inseparable pair twin angels of
darkness, agents of despair, relentless and cruel?
Their names are written on their shields "Sin" and
"Sickness."
But the eyes of Eve were riveted in fascination on
the shimmering serpent's form ! Her ears hearkened
to that smooth deceiver's voice. Thus Eve was de-
ceived, and in obeying the word of Satan she dis-
obeyed her Lord, ate of the forbidden fruit, and gave
Adam to eat also.
Soon came the footsteps of God, walking in the
Twenty-five
garden in the cool of the evening. "Adam, where
art thou?" His voice rang out in tones of thunder
that struck fear and quaking into those guilty souls
who sought to hide them from His gaze. Quick as a
flash His keen, all-seeing eye read the story and His
heart was grieved and sad. They had sold them-
selves to the devil, and the twin demons of darkness
laughed as they reached out through the gathering
gloom, the more firmly to grip the erring ones on the
prongs of suffering and sin.
Hand in hand came sin and sickness into the gar-
den of life. Hand in hand they have walked through
the years since that day. But instead of leaving His
children in the hands of the devil to suffer the double
curse they had brought upon themselves through dis-
obedience, the great loving Father-heart of God be-
gan even then to lay plans for their redemption a
double cure for a double curse.
But there and then, even though man must needs
be driven from the garden, God gave His first pro-
phetic promise that through the seed of woman
should come He that should bruise the head that
bruised His heel. All down through the coming
years that led by a winding trail, through many lands
and many tears, on through the days of Abel, Seth,
and Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and
David even down to the cross of Christ this prom-
ise was reiterated through the prophets and sages.
Thus it was that as far back as the days of Moses
it was an understood fact that salvation and healing
were provided in the atonement through the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. When Moses
brought the children of Israel from Egypt and turned
their faces toward the promised land God spake to
them, saying: "If thou wilt diligently hearken to
Twenty -six
the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which
is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His com-
mandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none
of these diseases upon thee, which I have put upon
the Egyptians for I am the Lord that healeth thee. ' '
Clearly the Father signified that with disobedience
and sin would come sickness and disease. Later
when disobedience and sin had laid them low and
fiery serpents bit them till they died God commanded
that a brazen serpent (brass signifying judgment)
should be lifted up in the wilderness even as Christ
was later to pass through the judgment for us and be
lifted up on the cross of Calvary. Those who looked
upon the serpent that was lifted up in the wilderness
had life for a look. They found therein the double
cure forgiveness for the soul and healing for the
body.
When Miriam through the sin of criticism and
backbiting fell ill of leprosy white as snow, Moses
besought God for the double cure. After pleading
the mercy and pardon of the Lord he cries, "Heal
her now, God 1 , I beseech Thee." Numbers 12:13.
Of the double cure for the double curse the Psalm-
ist spake clearly, saying, "Bless the Lord my soul,
and forget not all His benefits, Who forgiveth all
thine iniquities, and who healeth all thy diseases."
Ps. 103:2, 3. Notice the first two benefits David
mentions are those of forgiveness and salvation,
which is to overthrow the powers of sin, and divine
healing for the body to overthrow sickness and dis-
ease.
Isaiah catching sight of the Great Redeemer
through the lifted veil, beheld Christ as the Man of
Sorrows and acquainted with grief. He sees in His
Twenty -seven
glorious coming the double cure for the double curse,
and declares of His work of atonement: "He was
wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our ini-
quities (notice the word ' bruised,' God had said of
Him that He would bruise the head that bruised His
heel) . . . and by His stripes we are healed."
Isaiah 53.
"But does not this promise refer to spiritual heal-
ing only?" asks one timid soul to whom the news
seems almost too good to be true. No, Matthew
8 :16, 17, describes Christ healing the sick, casting out
demons, causing the blind to see and the lame to
walk, and then tells us that this physical healing is
the literal interpretation of Isaiah 53. Head the 17th
verse and note Matthew's interpretation of that
promise. "This was done that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by Esaias the prophet saying:
Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses. ' '
The coming ^of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the
seed of woman, : jwas the coming of the great deliverer
to redeem a stricken world from the curse. Speak-
ing of His own mission Jesus plainly said. "The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath
anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He
hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted ; to preach
deliverance to the captives, and 1 recovering of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." Luke
4:18, 19.
blessed Light that shineth in the darkness, even
though the darkness comprehendeth it not ! bless-
ed Burden-Bearer carrying our sins, bearing our
sicknesses, enduring our pain, would that the world
might see Thee !
Twenty -eight
Oh, look, heart-sore world, canst thou not see the
two great blessings that follow the Master wherever
He goes, like two bright angels of light, who stand
hand in hand, with shining swords bearing the sign
of the cross and holding aloft the Spirit's sword to
cut thy bonds in twain? Salvation declares, "Thy
sins be all forgiven thee." Healing cries: "Be
thou made whole, take up thy bed and walk ! ' ' and
o 'er mountain and dale, in valley or plain, within the
palace and in the hut wherever this dear Jesus of
Galilee went He brought with Him this double cure,
Salvation and Healing.
"Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts," said He,
"for whether is easier to say: Thy sins be forgiven
thee, or Take up your bed and walk?" Whether is
easier who is there among us dare to say ? For this
heaven-born, heaven-sent pair stand hand in hand,
shield to shield a double cure for a double curse.
In God's plan they should never be divided.
When the short years of our Lord's ministry,
wherein He went about destroying the works of the
devil, namely forgiving sin and healing the sick,
were ended, the hour approached for His torturous
death on the cross. Emerging from Gethsemane
Garden when the long night was o'er, He was con-
demned before Pontius Pilate to die on the rugged
tree.
But before they led Him up Calvary's mountain,
something of great importance must take place,
something that makes our cheeks blanch and the
tear drops to start at the very thought, they must
bare our Savior's back to the smiters, tie Him to
the whipping-post, and flog Him with the cruel lash.
Did you ever wonder why?
Twenty -nine
Blow upon blow, fell on the tender, quivering flesh
of the gentle Nazarene. The biting whip rose and
fell again and again in the hands of the Roman sol-
dier, till the great purple welts stood on the precious
back that was so soon to bear the cross fell till the
drops of blood dripped upon the ground. Some forty
blows were permissible in those days and men often
fainted or even died at the whipping-post.
"Tell me, dear Spirit, Teacher and Guide, tell
me WHY did they whip Him so ? Was He whipped
that my many sins might be washed away?"
"No, child, the blood on the cross was sufficient for
that."
"Then why did they pluck the beard from His face,
and beat Him with cruel staves, was that for the
cleansing of sin?"
"No, child, the Blood was sufficient for that."
"Then why, Spirit of God, tell me why did they
torture my Saviour so ? Was God merely permitting
the vindictive, fiendish wrath of an angry mob to be
wreaked upon the head of His blessed Son? Else
if His stripes did not cleanse me from sin, then WHY
did they whip Him so?"
"Why, child! Do you not know the meaning of
that lash, the cruel blows of the smiters' scourge?
'Twas thus He bare your suffering, and by His
stripes ye are healed. Not a meaningless blow, not
a meaningless pain did 'that precious Body bear. At
the whipping-post He purchased your healing, bare
your suffering and pain. On the cross He purchased
your pardon, forgiveness and cleansing from sin.
Healed by His stripes, cleansed by His blood
blessed double cure for a double curse for all who
will look and live."
Thirty
But have not these twain been separated, till only
Salvation remains? Then His stripes were borne in
vain.
Hearken to the words of the Master : " The works
that I do shall ye do, and greater works than these
shall ye do because I go to My Father. All power
is given unto me, in heaven and in earth. Go ye
therefore and teach all nations baptizing them in the
Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things, what-
soever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you
always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
Matt. 28:18-20.
"As ye go preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven
is at hand, cleanse the leper, heal the sick, cast out
demons, freely as ye have received freely give/'
"Into whatsoever city or town ye enter heal the sick
that are therein and say unto them, The Kingdom of
God is come nigh unto you." And He sent them to
preach the Gospel and heal the sick. And said,
' ' These signs shall follow them that believe : in My
name shall they cast out devils ; they shall speak with
new tongues; they shall lay hands on the sick and
they shall recover." Mark 16:17, 18.
Jesus the same yesterday, today and forever still
brings the double cure for soul and body. There is
still life for a look at the Crucified One, and they
who touch the hem of His garment may still be
made whole.
In the fifth chapter of James, the elders of the
church are given instructions to anoint the sick (who
call for them) with oil, and pray the prayer of faith,
having the promise of the double cure . . . The
prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall
raise him up, and if he hath committed sins they shall
be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another
and pray one for another that ye may be healed.
What a sweet relationship there here exists between
Salvation and Healing.
This does not mean that we will never die. There
comes a day when the sands of the years are run and
the child of God is caught up and goes sweeping
home to glory. Thank God for that hope ! 'Tis not
that they who claim the promise of healing fear
death. To be absent from the body is to be present
with the Lord. But it does mean that instead of
suffering, and groaning all the days of our lives with
a torturous disease, it is possible to look away to
Jesus and take that for which He paid with cruel
stripes, and the shedding of His precious blood.
Too long have we wandered in weakness and pov-
erty, when we might have had His strength and rich-
es 1 Too long have we lain starving, when we might
have been feasting in Father's banquet hall.
A man in straitened financial circumstances once
bought a ticket for an ocean voyage.
"Now I must be very saving of my few remaining
dollars, "he told himself. " I'll just buy some crack-
ers and drink water with them for the duration of
my voyage, thus leaving a small sum for my arrival. ' '
Days wore by one by one, and the poor man be-
came more and more famished for a good square
meal and more disgusted with crackers and water.
On the day that the steamer was scheduled to arrive
in port he could bear it no longer, if it took the last
cent, he decided that he must have one more good
meal.
Thirty-two
But when he made his way to the dining salon, its
beauty and the fine food which was being served,
course after course at the tables, the white linen and
shining silver caused him to doubt. Such a fine din-
ing room, perhaps he would not have money enough
after all! Catching the eye of the steward he in-
quired :
"Sir, w^ould you please be kind enough to tell me
the cost of a meal in that dining room?" The waiter
looked at the man with amazement and said :
"Why I don't understand what you mean."
"I want to know how much one good, square meal
at that table would cost me, please."
"Why you have a ticket for this steamship voyage,
haven't you?"
"Ticket? Why y-yes," stammered the man.
"Then your meals don't cost you a penny. They
are all included in your ticket. Where have you
been at meal times? Why did you not come to the
table? Your place has been set and held vacant foi
you all the time."
"Why I've been sitting in my state-room eating
crackers and drinking cold water, every day, because
I thought I could not afford the dining room."
And, Oh dear ones, many of us have gone almost
to the end of life 's voyage before realizing the good
things included in our ticket. Salvation, Healing,
the power of the Holy Spirit and rich life in Christ
are yours for the asking. Draw near today and cry :
Thou Son of David, have mercy upon me. I now ap-
propriate Thy promises, and claim as mine the rich
provision Thou hast made for me, even the double
cure with its blessings for body and soul.
Thirty -three
The Scriptural Relationship of Divine
Healing and Salvation
In God's great plan of Redemption, Salvation for
the soul, and Divine Healing for the body, were unit-
ed in holy matrimony, and destined to walk together,
hand in hand, through the ages. Unbelief has sought
to divorce this heaven-born pair; but prayer and
faith still prove they are united.
Healing for the body was included in the atone-
ment made by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Beaten
with cruel stripes, He purchased healing for the
body. Wounded for our transgressions, He bought
Eedemption for every soul that would believe on
Him with the whole heart.
In the Beginning
In the beginning, man through disobedience, trans-
gressed the law of God. Believing the words of
Satan, rather than the words of God, the inmates of
the garden did exactly what God told them not to
do ; and through their disobedience opened the door
to that inseparable pair, sin and suffering. Man had
sold himself for naught, and engaged himself to be
the bond-servant of the devil. Banished from the
garden, sweating through the toil of the day, groan-
Thirty -four
ing in labor and pain, how hopeless was their state !
But hark ! The voice of God spoke to them and
with His promise came a shaft of light from the Son
of Righteousness, falling athwart the darkness of the
night, cleaving it asunder and promising the opening
of a "New and Living Way"; spelling deliverance
from sin and its awful consequences, and the regain-
ing of that which they had lost. For, His unfailing
Word had promised that the seed of the woman was
to come and bruise the head that bruised His heel.
Hallelujah !
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)