God of miracles 3 - "Wisdom makes your face shine"

We had a guest speaker at our church this week, Apostle Guillermo Maldonado from Miami Florida. He preached an amazing message called “Gospel preached in the now”.

Ecclesiastes 8 (AMP)

1. Who is like the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his countenance is changed.

2. I counsel you to keep the king’s command, and that in regard to the oath of God [by which you swore to him loyalty].

3. Be not panic-stricken and hasty to get out of his presence. Persist not in an evil thing, for he does whatever he pleases.

4. For the word of a king is authority and power, and who can say to him, What are you doing?

5. Whoever observes the [king’s] command will experience no harm, and a wise man’s mind will know both when and what to do.

The Gospel is not a tradition. It must be experienced! You, would not be allowed to be called a “witness” in a court of law, if your knowledge of a situation was second hand... Witnessing from a historical or motivational point of view does not make for a credible witness...

Revelation 12:11

11. And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony...

In order for us to witness and testify with conviction, we have to have experienced firsthand what it feels like to meet the God we serve.

On Sunday Apostle Maldonado, called out names into the camera, (as the service was broadcast live into Africa) and I am sure that many sceptics doubted that these people actually existed.

One of the names called, was a woman named Martha. I received a phone call the next morning; a woman that I had been discipling for a couple of years (as a cell group leader), was on the other line. She was sobbing and I could barely hear what she was saying. Eventually she managed to tell me that when Apostle Maldonado called out her name, MARTHA! - she felt “things” leave her body. She has always loved the Lord, but has lived a life of struggle, in and out of mental institutions, depression and heart problems. She was healed.

So many others received and testified of what God had done for them, deaf ears opened, blind eyes healed, even one of our long time church employees, a man named General, received hearing after being deaf in his one ear for many years.

We are called to be firsthand witnesses!