David Agorye's Revelation of Heaven and Hell

One of our graduates from our Doulos Training School (DTS), who currently serves as the Nigeria Facilitator for our three-year, discipleship training school, is a pastor named John Abugieye (pictured left with eyeglasses). In addition to being the pastor of a small church and Facilitator for our DTS, John also oversees a compassion ministry in Nigeria that he established by the grace of God, called Tabernacle Light, which aims to preach the gospel and provide help to those who are less privileged. I have known John for six years, since March 2018. 

He recently wrote to me regarding an elderly preacher, David Agorye (pictured left in black, Muppet T Shirt), who pastors a church called Rapture Power. David is a native of Abonkeb community, in Obudu local government, Cross River State, Nigeria.

John Abugieye says of David's integrity, "I have known him for close to two years now. As for honesty, I must tell the truth: this man is one in kind. I'm not making up anything here."

John continues: "He is an old preacher who recounts visiting both heaven and hell on several occasions. He stands for complete holiness and righteousness, committing himself faithfully to following the Lord. 

"He often shares with me his experiences of heaven and hell. He has told me about many men of God in Nigeria, celebrities, those using any kind of worldly adornments from across the world, whom he has seen in hell. The most remarkable one is Benson Idahosa (pictured left). You may not know him, but he was a popular Nigerian preacher whom God used powerfully to perform miracles and wonders."

Actually I am familiar with the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa, and as I mentioned in my article called The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, three other people besides David have also seen Idahosa in hell. The late preacher was the founder of Church of God Mission International (CGM), with headquarters in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. 

John says, "David told me that during his last visit to heaven, he stood right before the Father, who warned him that he was on the verge of changing his message and beginning to welcome the prosperity gospel. He said that he collapsed flat on the ground, until Jesus gave him the strength to stand; and Jesus showed him a portion of hell, warning him that if he misbehaved, he would be cast there.

"Since that time, he has remained steadfast, regardless of the circumstances. He manages his living by cutting firewood from the forest and selling it to support his family, while still preaching and supporting God's work. From time to time, he will call me and encourage me to remain focused."  

I asked John whether David had spoken to Idahosa in hell when he was there. He replied: "As for Idahosa, Jesus only asked him to look, and he saw Idahosa in the depths, in a section of hell where the fires do not burn. He was on his back inside a place like a cave, nailed to a wooden cross that lay flat on the ground, and he was under great torment by the demons."

John said that according to David, "It was he and Christ who were together, and he was permitted to interact with two people. One was a young person who left Christianity to join a cult, and the other was Sam Loco (pictured left), a popular Nigerian Nollywood comedian-actor who died some years ago (August 7, 2011). 

This is how he came to recognize Sam Loco: "David witnessed a man forcing himself to come out of an ice block in hell. As he came out, he was disfigured and disgusting, because the fire had ravaged him beyond recognition. He wanted to speak with David. Jesus asked David if he knew the person talking to him, and when David said, 'No,' Jesus told him, 'This is the person you knew as Sam Loco on Earth.'" 

"The actor gave him a message for all Nigerian film actors and actresses, instructing them to quit their careers and start following Jesus. He also warned them against using the name of Jesus casually in the course of making movies. The moment Sam Loco sent that message, he was dragged by the demons and made to do frog jumps as punishment for sending such a message to the world. His suffering was so severe that his flesh would fall off like overcooked meat whenever he tried to speak."

"As for the person who left Christianity to join a cult, he was cast into hell and thrown into the department of those who blaspheme God. The young man had left and joined a cult group that likes to blaspheme God, so his punishment is among the blasphemers."

"When the Lord and David saw him in that condition, they both stood where the young man was. Jesus shared the story of the young man, explaining that the young man had come to Him and he had accepted Him. However, the young man later chose to leave and joined a cult. Unfortunately, he did not repent and died as part of that cult group, which resulted in his current suffering. The reason Jesus explained his story was to highlight the young man's severe suffering, where he was being melted by liquid fire."

John continued: "He also saw a witch doctor in a particular portion of hell that his mouth may not describe. In that place, only Beelzebub goes there to torment that witch doctor. He served the devil faithfully and committed many atrocities, and according to David, the punishment of this witch doctor in hell is far beyond description. David tried to describe the place as a hole with something like an engine automator (i.e., a machine performing repetitive torments). The man's torment is more than words could describe."

"The witch doctor was from Danderi, an area located in Boki local government in Cross River State, Nigeria. People used to go there to collect different kinds of charms: some to kill others, some to make people mad (crazy), some to seduce or sleep with other people's husbands (which is very common in Nigeria, especially if the man is rich), and some for business success. Even politicians are going there to obtain power and to fortify themselves. These are just a few examples. Up until now, the son continues to practice this wickedness without knowing that his father is suffering because of it."

John went on to say of David: "He is such a man that if he tells you something today, you can ask him another time and he will still repeat the same thing. He has experienced many things. He has even entered and sat in his own house in heaven, where he enjoyed a heavenly fruit."

"Recently, he told me that even though the slave trade has been abolished in the physical world, it is still ongoing in the spiritual realm. He said that most of these grants are for such exchanges. Just last month, he told me that he took the issue before the throne of God and presented it using all legal arguments, pleading with God to abolish spiritual slave trading worldwide. God honored his plea for justice, and letters were sent to all spiritual kingdoms, including those underwater, bearing the signature from God's court, decreeing that spiritual slave trading should cease.

"He explained that Lucifer enriches his Satanists with vast wealth for such assignments. When these people give a country, state, region, community, etc., such huge sums of money as grants, and when ignorant people accept it unknowingly, spiritually, it is an exchange to enslave such people. He said that after they have bought you as a slave spiritually, they will now take full ownership of such a place. Once that happens, they are free to cause war, epidemic, etc. When heaven revealed this knowledge to him, he prayed to appear before God. His request was granted, his plea was approved immediately, and decrees were passed instantly."

When I asked John to explain more about these grants, he mentioned two well-known billionaires from the US, whose names we all know, and said, "Most of these grants are from world millionaires. These people are not Christians at all or for Christ. Lucifer is their master. Most of them are giving this money as a sacrifice [to the devil]." 

As for government grants and subsidies, David did not receive anything specific about those. However, John emphasized the fact that we know there are satanists not only in private organizations, but also in NGO's, and governmental agencies, as well as parastatal organizations, which have some political authority and serve the state indirectly, especially in some African countries. We know that funding from any source typically comes with some level of control over the recipients.

---
END OF TESTIMONY FROM JOHN ABUGIEYE ABOUT DAVID AGORYE

Closing Words

Dear friends, I trust that you can see the seriousness of what the Lord has revealed to brother David Agorye. I have no reason to doubt that what he says is true, based on the character reference given about him by my associate, John Abugieye. This revelation agrees with God's Word, and should be a wake up call for all Christians, especially preachers, involved in the so-called prosperity gospel. Those who preach that false gospel will be cast into hell forever.  

Moreover, through David's testimony, we have all been duly warned to beware of receiving any financial grants from wealthy tycoons or their charitable foundations for any purpose, including for ministry. These come with deadly strings attached, especially spiritual ones that are not just strings, but chains of bondage to enslave you spiritually. Through these grants funded by Lucifer, these evil people take ownership of territories (country, state, region, community, etc.) on behalf of satan their master, in order to kill, steal, and destroy humanity through war, famine, and disease. The large sums of money may seem attractive, but they are not worth enslaving your soul for. The price to pay is eternal.

This testimony also serves as a clear warning for all those who reject the true faith and turn aside to cults, such as the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses, or any cult for that matter. Their place will also be in hell, the place prepared for the devil and his angels. And there is a clear warning for all film actors and comedians to quit their careers and follow Jesus. 

Hell is real, people! Don't go there! You can choose heaven or hell, but Jesus died to close hell and open heaven just for you. You must choose between His love and eternal life, or Satan's lies and eternal death. There is yet a little time, but very little. Jesus is coming very soon. You need to get your life right with Jesus right now. Soon it will be too late.

Repent and believe in Jesus Christ today. Follow Him. 

Attribution notice: This testimony of David Agorye is published with his express permission.

Author's note: In this article, John Abugieye's communications to me about David Agorye's experiences were revised in some places either to clarify his statements or to incorporate additional details he provided in follow-up emails after speaking further with David. The article, in which I had previously mentioned Benson Idahos years ago, was The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness. Also see What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel?, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies, Michael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell, and Eudoxia Varga Testimony of Heaven and Hell.

You are also invited to read or listen to the many, amazing testimonies of the supernatural on the Home page of this blog.  You may access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. 

Mathematician Goes To Hell Then Meets God

This is a truly amazing story of a mathematician and computer scientist-engineer, named Randall Rathbun. He got saved at age eighteen during a revival in the Lutheran church, in which God had visited them and showed them about being born again. But later on while serving as a worship leader in his local church, he was living a double life. He was walking in sin and resisting the Holy Spirit's conviction about it. He came to a point of desperation that led to a tragic car crash one day. That was when he found himself descending into hell.

In this interview, he tells about his experience and what hell was like. He also discusses how the Lord mercifully pulled him out of hell and showed him heaven, and gave him a chance to come back and warn others. Don't miss this powerful testimony of God's mercy and love, told only as the man who experienced it could tell it.

Video

You can either watch the video embedded above or click on this link to watch it on Youtube.

Author's note: Randy is not personally connected with this site. Please prayerfully listen to his testimony, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to him.  For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with the Lord, whether something is valid or not. For more information on our position, please see Disclaimers.

I also encourage you to read Australian Pastor Raised from the Dead, Eudoxia Varga Testimony of Heaven and Hell, and The Judgment Seat of Christ. If you enjoyed this post, please also see Ibrahim's Experience in Hell. You may find more blogs like this one at the Main Directory for Eternal Destinations, and find a collection of all my blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Revelation of Sister Claire Andoun in Heaven

In my previous article, I wrote about The Home Going of Sister Claire Andoun Solomon, which took place on May 10, 2017. Since then a sister from Heaven Seekers Church in Ghana named Naomi Brako testified on video before the Church that the Lord revealed to her how sister Claire made it to heaven. Here is how it happened.

The Dream Given to Sister Naomi
On June 19, 2017, the Lord gave her a message from Psalm 24 and afterward he asked her to add Psalm 25 to it. So she read those two Psalms. That evening she went to the church service, and after church she told them she asked the Lord to give her a message again. So the Lord told her to read those two chapters again. After reading Psalm 25 she realized she was so sleepy she couldn't do anything. She heard a voice saying to put the Bible down and sleep, so she did so.

She does not know how long she had been sleeping when she suddenly appeared somewhere. She saw sister Claire lying on a sick bed, but at the same time sister Claire was also standing close to her. Sister Claire said, "Behold," and sister Naomi saw her appear on a screen. She said, "Have you seen? When I was on my sick bed about to die, the prayers of the saints that were praying for me and asking the Lord that if I had sinned that He should forgive me -- have you seen it?" And she made Naomi understand that even while she was lying on her bed, she was also pleading for forgiveness of sin, because the Lord made her understand that she had sinned. And on the screen, Noami saw some of the saints were praying for her, including her father and mother and other saints who were praying for her. She saw another group, too, whom she thought were saints that sister Claire used to fellowship with or pray with. She thought they were praying for her, but she saw that in their minds they were saying, "She's getting what she deserves."

Claire told her to "Look at the angels who are preparing and waiting on me to take me away." And Naomi saw that even while she and others were praying for her sins, the angels were waiting to take her away. And she realized that truly they took her along and they entered into the clouds. Naomi kept looking on and she saw that the heavens had opened. While looking at her, she said, "Wow! You have arrived." So Naomi decided to join her, but sister Claire said, "No. You cannot just enter like that."

And she saw that sister Claire, with whom she was chatting, was changing -- her skin and her nature, her body, and everything was changing. So Naomi was looking at her and telling her, "Wow, you look so elegant and so beautiful!" Naomi wanted to go along with her, but she said, "No, you haven't finished your work, so you can't just enter that place."

And while she was talking to her, Naomi realized heaven had come so close to her that she can't describe it. Sister Claire asked her, "Heaven has come so close to you. Do you understand why heaven has come so close to you?" And she told her, "Heaven has come so close to you. I'm going to explain it to you. Heaven has come so close, as a matter of fact, the Lord has brought heaven so close to men."

Claire made her understand that we used to think heaven was so far away from us, but now it's not like that. Heaven is so close to us, because the Lord is revealing mysteries to us. Some things we previously thought were not sins, the Lord has revealed them to us. We now have much knowledge about heaven and how to get there. And Claire made her understand there were so many things we thought were not sins, but the Lord has made us realize it, even some things that go on in matrimonial homes.

And sister Claire made her understand that she didn't go to heaven by her own merits. It was the grace of God that took her there. It wasn't by her own doing or her works. And she made her understand that the Lord isn't coming for just anyone who maybe calls upon His name, but rather someone who does the will of the Father and keeps His commandments.

Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matt 7:21, NIV)

"In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome..." (1 John 5:3, NIV)

"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." (Rev 22:14, KJV)

Then she saw a number of people in a group there, and sister Claire said she should go tell them that she's not in hell. So while sister Naomi was going, she saw that sister Claire's father and mother were in the crowd, so she told them that she was not in hell. And sister Claire told her that the Lord even revealed to a pastor in the Heaven Seekers Church named Albert that she was not in hell, but he didn't believe it. But later on the Lord made him believe that she wasn't in hell.

Then she saw how beautiful sister Claire was looking, and her skin color, even her teeth, how shiny they were, and her nails. She was looking so glorious and so beautiful. And she saw that another sister was with her, who was the late sister of a deaconess in her church named Jane.

She saw that the dress that sister Claire was dressed in was so beautiful, so she asked, "How come you have this beautiful dress?" And she told her, "When I went to heaven the angels had already sown it there for me." And she showed her another dress that she would be wearing on the banquet day of the Lord, the day when He will have His marriage feast, and sister Naomi doesn't even have the words to describe how beautiful that dress was. As Naomi was looking at her crown, she saw that her crown was also so glorious!

Sister Claire told her that normally they (apparently sister Claire and the late sister of deaconess Jane) have been coming into the midst of Heaven Seekers Church in Ghana to worship with them, even though they do not see them. They are coming into their midst as angels to worship with them, so sister Claire said she should tell the church all about it. It is possible that sister Claire may have also meant that the saints in glory in general -- not just herself -- are normally coming into our midst to join us in worship. Sister Naomi seemed to indicate in her testimony that this is a "normal" occurrence that happens "sometimes" when we worship.

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..." (Heb 12:1, NIV)

Also sister Claire was speaking Chi with her, so she asked her, "While you were on earth, you didn't understand Chi, and you couldn't speak Chi, so how come now you are speaking my own language with me?" And she said, "Over there in heaven you are able to speak all manner of languages, so no matter the language you speak, I can communicate with you."

And Naomi noticed how nice and glorious her mansion in heaven was, so she asked her how she came to possess it. She replied, "It began when I surrendered my life to our Lord Jesus Christ, and then I went about evangelizing, using my life as an example, to win so many souls unto the Lord." And she made Naomi to understand that the Lord was so pleased with the fact that she was using her own life as an example to evangelize to others and to win so many souls to Him. That's how she got the mansion, but she entered into heaven, not by any merits, but it was just by the mercy and the grace of the Lord, because she sinned against Him. But when she went to the Lord for forgiveness, He had mercy upon her and forgave her of her sins. That's how she was able to enter into the kingdom.

So sister Naomi asked her, "Then what about us? Are we also going to have buildings?" Sister Claire replied, "Some of them are now at the foundation level, some have not yet been started, and some are at the extent that now they are breaking." May the Lord have mercy on us!

And as Naomi was looking at her building, sister Claire told her that it would take a year to move through all the various parts of the building. May the Lord have mercy on us and grant us a building as beautiful as that. Sister Naomi says, "Her building was so high and mighty! My beloved, my prayer to the Most High God is that may He have mercy on us, may He help us so that we'll also be able to work for Him well, so that our works will be able to build us such a mansion. And may He have mercy on us and also take us into His kingdom."

The Vision Given to Brother Albert
Afterward a pastor named Albert testified. This is the pastor whom sister Claire told sister Naomi about in the revelation, saying that the Lord had revealed to him that she was not in hell, but he didn't believe it. He said he remembers the morning that sister Claire passed away, on May 10, 2017. They were having pastor's prayers, and their lead pastor, who was present, informed them that she had passed away. While the others were still deliberating about her issue about her death, he was just sitting quietly, and the Lord revealed a lady to him. He saw that there was something black coming out of her nose. But suddenly her appearance changed and she looked so glorious, and the Lord told him, "This is sister Claire." The Lord made him understand that the former state he saw her in was the state she was in before she died.  But now the new, glorious state he was seeing her in was how the Lord has made her. But he didn't believe it. He was still doubting it within himself. And because of that, he did not even inform his lead pastor or wife. Neither did he tell deaconess Jane. He only informed one person.

It was only later that the lead pastor's wife heard it and she asked him, "Pastor, I heard you saw sister Claire in a vision, and you didn't even inform me." After he heard sister Naomi's testimony before the Church on June 24, 2017 he shared his testimony before the Church about the vision of sister Claire, so that it could be part of the video recording in support of sister Naomi's testimony. And he said, "Up until now I haven't even informed any other person until I said it here yesterday. I didn't inform deaconess Jane. This is to prove that what the Lord revealed unto deaconess Naomi and unto me is indeed the truth. So if someone tells you that he or she has seen sister Claire anywhere else, this is what the Lord revealed to me that she was indeed able to make it [into heaven]. Amen."

The Lord's Message for us in Psalms 24 and 25
I also want to discuss the two Psalms that sister Naomi received from the Lord in answer to prayer, because they contain a very important message for us, regarding sister Claire's eternal destination. Remember that He told sister Naomi to read Psalm 24, then He told her to read Psalm 25, and later when she prayed for another message, He told her to read the two chapters again. It was after she finished reading Psalm 25 that a great sleepiness came over her, and she heard the voice tell her to close the Bible and sleep. After she did so, it was during that sleep that she had the dream in which the Lord revealed to her that sister Claire made it to heaven. So please read these, and ask the Lord to speak to you.

As you read Psalm 24, listen to the Lord as He tells you who may ascend into the hill of the Lord and stand in His holy place. Listen to the Lord tell you who shall receive a blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is directly related to the revelation about sister Claire, because she ascended His hill, stood in His holy place, received a blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from God who saved her. She had clean hands and a pure heart, and that is what you and I must have, if we hope to make it to heaven.

Psalm 24
A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. For He has founded it upon the seas And established it upon the rivers. Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the LORD And righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face—even Jacob. Selah. Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, And lift them up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah. (Psa 24:1-10)

Now as you read Psalm 25, listen to the Lord as He shows you how sister Claire lifted up her soul to the Lord and trusted Him before she died, while she was on her sick bed. Listen to Him as He tells you how she feared the Lord, asking Him to pardon her iniquity and forgive all her sins.

Psalm 25
A Psalm of David. To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in You I trust, Do not let me be ashamed; Do not let my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed. Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day. Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, For they have been from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; According to Your lovingkindness remember me, For Your goodness' sake, O LORD. Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way. All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. For Your name's sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way he should choose. His soul will abide in prosperity, And his descendants will inherit the land. The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, And He will make them know His covenant. My eyes are continually toward the LORD, For He will pluck my feet out of the net. Turn to me and be gracious to me, For I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses. Look upon my affliction and my trouble, And forgive all my sins. Look upon my enemies, for they are many, And they hate me with violent hatred. Guard my soul and deliver me; Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You. Redeem Israel, O God, Out of all his troubles. (Psa 25:1-22)

I think this Psalm is very appropriate, because there are so many people who consider themselves believers, but are convinced sister Claire went to hell. They are very vocal about it and have come out with their false revelations about it. I have a message for those people: "Do not spread false reports." (Ex 23:1). Gabriel Doufle is one of them and there are others, who claim to have received revelations from the Lord that she is in hell. Doufle seems to be triumphing over such "revelations" of her demise, as if they prove that his prophecy about her and brother Owour was valid. How sad that he and others would do so! They are not glorifying the Lord. And many of them are actually quite nasty in the way they go about it, even condemning others who say she is in heaven, as if it makes the Lord angry to say she entered into glory, and as if saying so endangers their own soul. The Lord said we would know false prophets by their fruits, and these are not good fruits.

Recall how sister Naomi saw in the dream that there were people who, instead of praying for sister Claire while she was on her sick bed, were thinking in their hearts that she was getting what she deserved. This is true, because those people that she once had fellowship and prayed with are now coming out against her treacherously. These enemies of hers are now seeking to exult over her death, as if they are hating her, saying she got what she deserved. The Lord guarded her soul and delivered her from all that, so that they did not triumph over her. In the end, she was not ashamed, because she took refuge in the Lord. Though she was afflicted, He was gracious to her. Though the troubles of her heart were multiplied, He brought her out of her distress.

Putting it All Together
In conclusion, brother Albert is definitely correct that his testimony helps to prove that what the Lord showed to him and sister Naomi is true. On May 10, the day sister Claire died, he received his revelation of her entering heaven, but he initially did not believe it and he only informed one person. Sister Naomi did not know about this on June 19, when she received her revelation from the Lord about sister Claire. And in that revelation sister Claire told her that the Lord had revealed to pastor Albert that she made it to heaven and he did not believe it until the Lord later helped him to believe it was true. She could not have known this on her own, since she had no prior knowledge of the vision given to him. Praise the Lord!

These revelations are definitely from the Lord, in my opinion. The Scripture says “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy." (Ac 2:17-18). Both the dream that the Lord gave unto sister Naomi and the vision He gave unto brother Albert bring glory to God, as well as the message He gave us in Psalms 24 and 25. They also demonstrate His riches in mercy, and encourage us to a life of purity, obedience, and service to the Lord.

The message is clear that she is in heaven with the Lord. May it encourage you to pray, work for the Lord, serving Him, using your life as an example, evangelizing others, winning many souls to Him, and also stir you up in your own walk with Him to live in righteousness, holiness and truth.

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from the NASB and from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.

Author's note: Please prayerfully listen to the testimonies of this deaconess and this pastor, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to them.  For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with  the Lord, whether something is valid or not. For more information on our position, please see Disclaimers.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like The Home Going of Sister Claire Andoun Solomon, Claire Andoun Solomon's Encounter with Jesus, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Garments of Godliness, Rapture Revelation to Sister Claire Andoun Solomon, The Bodily Form of the Holy Spirit, Is a Woman's Hair Her Head Covering?, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?, The Wardrobe of the Saints, Tattoos and Body Piercing, Judging with Righteous Judgment, Interview with Brother Michael Thomas Sambo, Seven Reasons to Believe the Seven Divine Revelations, An Open Mind that Loves the Truth, Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetaga, James Agboola Revelation of Heaven and Hell, The Refiner's Fire, Called to Be Blameless, Compelled by Love, HOREMOW Issues and Concerns, Gabriel Doufle Issues and Concerns, and the other posts in this blog available through the Eternal Destinations Directory. For a special treat, I invite you to read my daughter's poem Beauty Unfading. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Claire Andoun Solomon's Encounter with Jesus

Claire Andoun Solomon

It was four years ago that I had the privilege of coming to know sister Claire Andoun from Cameroon. Initially I saw a video she produced with a warning for women, so I contacted her to vet her character and see if she was genuine. We spoke together on the phone for the first time on May 21, 2013. In that phone conversation, she shared with me her testimony, which I would like to share with you here.

She spoke about the need to be blameless, according to God's Word (Mt 5:48). The will of God is our sanctification. As the apostle Paul said, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality." (1Th 4:3)

He is preparing us. She gave God the glory for her life. She grew up in an environment of fearing God, praying at 5:00 AM. In her household, they believed that Jesus is the only way.

When she was a teenager, one day while she was sleeping after prayer, a bright light appeared to her, heaven opened, and a ladder came down. She saw a man, who had the skin of a white man, dressed as a King, wearing sandals. She knew He was Jesus. She could see the Holy City and words in front of her. He said, “If you read my Word and obey, then I will give you that city.” Afterward the words disappeared and the ladder rolled back up and all became dark.

Later on she began to disobey the Lord. She left home, lived a worldly life, and became stubborn. Although she went to medical school, she actually wanted to be a musician. She sang in nightclubs and pubs. During this time, she forgot all about seeing Jesus in that encounter she had as a teenager.

Her mother told her that when she was in the womb, the doctor told her the child would trouble the world. When she was in prostitution, her mother called her and told her to abandon that practice and give her life to Jesus, but she didn't. Then she began to have children.

In 2009 she saw the testimony of Daniel Ekechukwa from Nigeria. She got convicted by the Holy Spirit, saw her nakedness, and fell on the floor, crying out, “Jesus, have mercy on me!” She repented of her sins. The next day, she found a Bible and looked for a church. It was a Wednesday morning. She found a lady who gave her a Bible, whose husband was a pastor. He talked to her, but ran out of time.

She continued to look for a church that she could understand, and one that preached the Word, but she could not find one. There was no hunger for God in the churches. Then her landlord invited her to his church.

She cried out to God and saw herself praying for a sick woman who got healed. Heaven opened, Jesus came down, and she was afraid. He said, “Peace be with you.” He instructed her and the woman who was healed to keep praising God, so they did so, and He praised with them. He also danced with them.

Then He opened the Bible and said, “I have something to show you. You’re lazy.” She had been previously wondering if laziness was a sin. And He said, “If you’re lazy, you won’t pray or read your Bible.” She asked the Lord if she should go to that church that she was invited to by her landlord. He said there were things He didn’t like about it, but said, “Go there for now.” At that church, she was not allowed to sing in the choir until she dressed properly.

One day as she was crossing the street, a tour bus driver called out to her and wanted to get her phone number. Although she told him that she was a child of God, he didn’t recognize her as one, due to the way she was dressed. In fact, he mocked her when she told him that. She couldn’t understand why he didn’t recognize that she was a child of God.

Afterward a lady, who wasn’t even born again, told her that the way she was dressed was not holy. So she cried out to God. At church the pastor’s wife affirmed that she was not dressed properly. Then she found the testimony of the woman who had been a worker for the devil, and she got rid of the trousers. She stopped bleaching her skin, but mascara was the hardest thing to let go of.

She prayed with a brother, who apparently did not believe in outward holiness and thought that she had some kind of spiritual confusion. He took anointing oil and prayed over her eyes. Then he said, “There! You can put on mascara.” In saying this, he implied that it wouldn’t be a spiritual problem now.

Then one day after that the spirit of death came to her, and she felt as if she was dying. She thought, “The mascara is going to take me to hell.” She got up and threw it in the toilet.  After that she could breath freely again.

Afterward she stood firm on her conviction about holiness, without which the Scripture says no man shall see the Lord (Heb 12:14). She didn’t go back to her old ways, and the Lord showed her the real beauty in her. She continued to seek Him in the Word. Then one day during the second day of a three-day fast, the Lord showed her that the Church is dirty. In a deep sleep she saw herself in the Church. The Lord took her out of the church in a vision. She could see that women, men, and children in church were half naked. He said, “My Church is Dirty!” Then He showed her that there is a strange power that has come into the Church, because this unclean spirit has been invited in by the women of God, and the pastors will not preach against it.  This strange power is the Queen of the Coast, who leads the sisters in the Church to dress immodestly. That was how the Lord birthed her ministry to transform the world, which she called Virtuous Women in Christ. Her ministry emphasized the need for holiness, not only inwardly, but the kind that can be observed outwardly in one's life

During the course of time, my wife and I became friends with sister Claire and had many other conversations with her. Then recently on May 10, 2017, nearly four years after we came to know her, she went home to be with the Lord, which I have written about in my article, The Home Going of Sister Claire Andoun Solomon. If this message of complete holiness is new to you, then I encourage you to prayerfully investigate it to see if it is really true, because your soul depends on it. This is the will of God, even your sanctification.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note:  Please prayerfully listen to this sister's testimony, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to her.  For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with the Lord, whether something is valid or not. For more information on our position, please see Disclaimers.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like The Home Going of Sister Claire Andoun Solomon, Revelation of Sister Claire Andoun in Heaven, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Garments of Godliness, Rapture Revelation to Sister Claire Andoun Solomon, The Bodily Form of the Holy Spirit, The Marine Kingdom and Queen of the Coast, Is a Woman's Hair Her Head Covering?, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?, Keeping Your Body Pure and Holy , The Wardrobe of the Saints, Tattoos and Body Piercing, Judging with Righteous Judgment, Interview with Brother Michael Thomas Sambo, Seven Reasons to Believe the Seven Divine Revelations, An Open Mind that Loves the Truth, Nigerian Pastor Raised from the Dead, Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetaga, James Agboola Revelation of Heaven and Hell, Called to be Blameless, The Refiner's Fire, Compelled by Love, and the other posts in this blog available through the Eternal Destinations Directory. For a special treat, I invite you to read my daughter's poem Beauty Unfading. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Sale of Christian Music and Art -- A Robbers' Den?

Christ Cleansing the Temple

It's been accepted as common practice among Christian musicians and artists to sell their music and artwork, as we all know.  They charge a price for their music albums and for their concerts, as well as their paintings and even electronic images of their artwork.  In fact, they even require that you purchase a license just to display the lyrics to their copyrighted music during worship in Church! But is that right?  Is it right sometimes in certain circumstances, but not in others? What does the Bible say about it?

You will recall the passage of Scripture describing the time when Jesus went into the temple and drove out the merchants selling their merchandise and the money changers.  He told them that they had turned His Father's house into a den of robbers or into a place of business.

"And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, 'Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a place of business.' His disciples remembered that it was written, 'ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME.'"  (Joh 2:14-17)

Matthew's gospel states: "And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He *said to them, 'It is written, '"My house shall be called a house of prayer"; but you are making it a robbers' den.'" (Mat 21:12-13)

Selling Christian Music
What is the difference between those merchants selling animals to be used as offerings unto God and merchants selling Christian music for profit?  In many cases, it was the Lord who gave the songwriters or recording artists the songs of worship and praise.  He didn't give it to them for their own benefit to claim as their own or to sell for profit.  He gave it to them for His glory and for His kingdom and for His people to bring offerings of worship and praise unto Him.  In fact, many of the songs contain direct quotes from the Scriptures, such as the Psalms and the book of Revelation, which were originally inspired by the Holy Spirit, not by the modern songwriter.  

In many cases, these things are sold inside of Churches, but it makes no difference what the physical location is.  The Church is not just a building. Just because this is done in a public forum, like Christian bookstores and Internet shopping outlets, does not make it right.  The Church exists wherever two or three are assembled in Jesus' name.  So the passage I have just quoted is directly applicable to the sale of music and art.

I do believe as Keith Green did that when God has given us a gift and a ministry that we should not charge people, but rather accept offerings.  "In 1979, after negotiating a release from his contract with Sparrow, Green initiated a new policy of refusing to charge money for concerts or albums." -- Wikipedia.

Worship is not for sale!  Neither is Christian ministry! I am open to dialogue on this, but if you believe in selling Christian music, then please cite the Scriptures that you believe allow that practice.

Selling Christian Art
And the same goes for sacred Christian art, paintings or drawings of our Lord Jesus or scenes from the Bible. In some cases, this is simply putting the Bible into pictorial format, and selling it for profit. What's the difference between that and selling the Word of God or selling the Bible?  Even if there are indeed certain instances where it is appropriate to sell Christian art, it is wrong to prevent other brethren in Christ from even using an electronic image of that art for non-profit purposes, unless they pay a fee, even when proper credit is given to the artist and copyright is cited.  One godly, Christian artist friend of mine DOES allow the use of electronic images of his art with permission, as long as he is credited as the artist, copyright is cited, and a link back to his website is given.  I truly appreciate this brother’s gracious attitude, which is very generous, and I would be open to comments from my readers on this topic.

Should Christian artists charge only for their production and shipping costs, and accept only love offerings for their work as Keith Greene used to do with his music?  When would it be appropriate to charge a set price, and in what circumstances would it not be, according to God's Word?

Selling God's Word
Now that brings up another issue, which is the sale of Bibles.  I personally have no problem with publishers charging enough for Bibles to cover their costs in producing them, in terms of the printing and distribution.  But these days Bibles are exorbitantly expensive, when they should be relatively inexpensive or free.  In the front of my Bible -- and yours, too -- it says that it is copyrighted and that it may not be reproduced in any form without permission.  The Word of God is not for sale! According to the Word of God, nobody has the right to do so or to prohibit people from copying and distributing it.

Do you think it is ever appropriate for publishers to prohibit people from copying or distributing the Scriptures?  Do you think it is appropriate for them to make a profit from God's Word?  If so, based on what Scriptures?

Selling Prophecies, Sermons, Teachings, and Oil
What is the difference between selling Christian music, art, and Bibles, and selling sermons?  If the Lord gave you the sermon, you have no right to sell it for profit.  It is no different from selling your Bible teachings from the Lord. Yet how many are out there hocking their teaching sets on CD or DVD, or in books!  And what is the difference between that and selling bottles of anointing oil for a price?  How about selling pews or seats in church, as some churches once practiced?  Is it right to sell prophecies?  Absolutely not!  That's how false prophets operate, giving prophecies for a price, which is not too much different than paying a fortune teller.  So why have we accepted the worldly practice of selling God's gifts and talents like music, art, preaching and teaching?

Using Gifts and Talents to Generate Wealth
It is wrong to use the gifts and talents the Lord gave you to generate wealth for the purpose of fulfilling your heart’s desires or for your own plans and designs. It should be done in the name of Jesus, for the Lord, and for the glory of God alone. As we use our gifts and talents, we must avoid covetousness, which is “a strong desire after the possession of worldly things” (Easton's Bible Dictionary). It is “a strong or inordinate desire of obtaining and possessing some supposed good; excessive desire for riches or money; -- in a bad sense” (Webster’s). This sin is condemned in Scripture and listed among those that would exclude one from heaven (Colossians 3:5; Ephesians 5:5; Hebrews 13:5; 1 Timothy 6:9, 10; Matthew 6:20).

And you should not turn the house of God into a business or rob others, especially the poor, or take advantage of them. In fact, you need to consider that the poor may not be able to afford these things, but may benefit greatly from them. The kingdom purposes of God must be first, not greed, covetousness, or selfishness.  The Lord defines greed as having more than you need.  The Lord defines selfishness as keeping everything for yourself while others don’t have.

Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Mat 6:24)

“For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1Ti 6:10)

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'” (Heb 13:5)

“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal 5:19-21, NIV)

If one is truly only charging enough to cover costs and provide a modest income for his family, that is between him and God. The Lord knows each heart, and each one will give an account to God for his own actions.

“So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.” (Rom 14:12)

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Mat 6:33)

"Then he said to them, 'Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.'” (Lk 12:15; also see Mt 23:25)

It is wrong to charge churches and other non-profit Christian ministries for the mere use of electronic images or for the use of lyrics, or for the use of songs for non-profit ministry purposes, as long as proper credit is given and they are used for the glory of God, in Jesus name and not for generating wealth, producing new products for sale, or fulfilling one’s selfish desires.

We must be righteous and blameless in our conduct, and operate with integrity, not as the world does.  The Church is not a business!

Offering Teachings, Poems, Art, and Songs for Free
I do not charge anything for any of my blogs, and neither have I monetized my blogs (you will notice that there are no banner ads or popup ads on my websites), although we certainly would gladly accept an offering if someone chose to do so. Rather than publish them as books and sell them, I have made my writings available to the public free of charge, and you can find them all at Writing for the Master. The same goes for the songs we have written, which are available free of charge to the public at Jesus Reigns. Our children's poetry is also available free of charge to the public at Verses to the King, just as their artwork is at A Brush with Life.  Rather than seeing these as an opportunity to make money, we see them as a gift from God meant to bless people.  There are many others who share our perspective, such as The Gideons International, who give out free Bibles, as well as Rick Meyers, who freely gives away the electronic Bible known as e-sword.  

In turn the Bible teaches that the one who is taught the Word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. (Gal 6:6).  That means that people should give to support ministries that are blessing them spiritually.  I think it would be entirely appropriate and would please the Lord if those who read my articles gave an offering, even if it was a small one, so that our needs could be met and we could continue with our ministry. But there is no such thing as a mandatory love offering in order to receive Christian ministry.

Peddling the Word of God
I realize that the worker is worthy of his keep (Mt 10:10) and if a man preaches the gospel, he has a right to make a living from the gospel (1 Cor 9:14).  We may accept offerings and live by faith, trusting God to provide for us, as we share with others the gifts and talents He has blessed us with.  But that does not mean we have the right to charge people a set price for our music, artwork, prophecies, preaching, or teaching, unless it is simply to cover the production and shipping costs.  Charging a set price (over and above production and shipping costs) is just as ridiculous as requiring a mandatory love offering. Those who do so have made money their idol, and the practice of charging for these things is basically peddling the Word of God.  Paul said, "For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God." (2Co 2:17)

Buying the Gift of God with Money
Let's not forget what the apostle Peter said to Simon the sorcerer.  "Peter answered: 'May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.'” (Ac 8:20-23).

There is a parallel between the sin of Simon the sorcerer and what some people do today to sell their talents for money.

Confirmation from South Africa
After I wrote this article, I sent it to a sister I know in South Africa, named Susan W.  She is a former Muslim, who is following Jesus as her Lord and Savior.  I did not even know anything about the talent the Lord has given her with singing, but she has a beautiful voice, and many people have remarked to her about it.  Some have advised her to record her music on albums, and write her own songs, and sell them, but she has refused to do so. After she read this article, she wrote back to me the following letter:

"Dear brother Len,

"This article is very thought provoking."

"In my early years, I was singing in church and people loved my singing in praise and worship.  Many of the Pastors of the church that I attended, would never start preaching without asking me to present a worship song.  I sang only, after coming from the prayer closet. Many people asked me to record the songs and write my own and sell.  I resented that and I said that I could never use what the Lord has given me to make money with.  I remember a certain gospel musician from the country of my ancestors, the land of Kenya, approached me and she asked me to go ahead and record.  I resented.  I was even invited to go and sign in India but could not go because I did not have any financial means to.  I have never recorded and I do not sing anymore, but I sing unto the Lord on my own...I am His workmanship and I live to bring Him Glory and Honor."

"People are singing (the so called artists) and selling their music to have material gain.  Many years ago, I listened to a radio interview of a very famous established gospel (praise and worship) musician.  She said in the interview, that nowadays people are peddling their songs.  She said that she and her group would fast and pray before they could even produce a song and record it.  Seeking the Lord’s will and what message He wanted them to pass on.  Their music cassettes were affordable."

"If you listen to prophet Dr. David Owuor during his trip to Cameroon earlier this year, you will hear clearly that he is against peddling and he says if God has sent you somewhere to take a message, you do not need any money.  The one who has called you, will provide for you, because it is His work and not you sending yourself.  However, you can ask for donations, if anybody is willing to financially support.  Look for instance at Maurice Sklar.  He operates from this principle, too, if I am not mistaken.  Have you seen the late sister Choo Thomas and how she operated?  I got in touch with her in 2008 and was in contact with her all this while until she passed on.  She sent me her DVDs for free.  She was charging for her book Heaven Is So Real but to get the money for production only."

"There is no difference in what is being done by the so-called Christian Gospel singers (artists) than doing any other business.  They are not singing or preaching with compassion for the lost, but to make money for themselves and drive big cars, own huge houses.  Brother Len, people will burn in hell!"

Warning to Those Using Talents to Make Money
I hope that this has served as a wake up call to the Church about this worldly practice. There is a difference between accepting offerings as a workman worthy of his keep versus selling things to make money.  The Lord is against greed, covetousness, selfishness, merchandising in the Church, selling the gift of God for money, and peddling the Word of God.

I would like to close with a warning given to Samuel Oghenetega by the Lord Jesus Christ.  This warning is to those using talents to make money.  The Lord said, "Tell those using the talents I gave them to make money and their hearts' desires to stop or else I will take it from them and give it to another. I will cast them into the lake of fire where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Mt 25:14-30."  I did not say that.  The Lord did.  Stop fulfilling your own plans and designs. Invest your talents in His service.  Give your talents to God. If you have been practicing this sin of peddling the Word of God, selling your Christian merchandise in the Church or to the Church for profit, then I repeat to you the words of our Lord: Take these things away; stop making the Father's house a place of business!

To those who thought you could sell the gift of God for money, you need to know the Bible calls it wickedness. Your hearts are not right with God. As Peter said, you had better repent of this wickedness before Jesus comes, and cry out to God for mercy, in the hope that He may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For you are captive to sin. You may also need to make restitution to the poor people you have robbed. He still loves you, but He will not lower His standard of heaven for anyone.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.  Christ Cleansing the Temple, by Carl Heinrich Bloch, 1875

Author's Note: If you disagree with this article, please pray about it and leave thoughtful, referenced comments that would be conducive to healthy dialogue. If you enjoyed this post, you may also like A Trip to Hell, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetega, What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel?, Australian Pastor Raised from the Dead, Holy Living in a Perverted World, and the other posts on the home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

There now, it is all over! Blessed rest.

On this site, I have shared many testimonies about people who have gone to hell.  These testimonies are given to us by the mercy of God to keep us from going to that terrible place. However, today I would like to share a story about a dear saint who made it to heaven.  Her name was Frances Ridley Havergal.

The passages I am about to share about her have been excerpted from two excellent hymnals our children have sung from for many years, called Hymns for a Kids Heart: Volumes One and Two, as well as an excellent book I highly recommend, called Voices from the Edge of Eternity, complied by John Myers.

The Girl with a Treasure
What would you say is your greatest treasure? Do you have a toy or a piece of jewelry that you especially value? Let me tell you about a girl who had a wonderful treasure. It was a treasure inside her heart. Long ago a talented young girl was born to a minister and his wife in England. They named her Frances Ridley Havergal, and she surprised everyone with her musical talent. From the time she was very small she could sing like a beautiful songbird. When Frances was only seven years old, she began to write verses. She studied piano and was so gifted that people started asking her to play and sing at concerts.

Besides being a brilliant musician, Frances was captivating and delightful. People loved to be around her. She had a special enchantment about her, and everyone found her irresistible. Can you imagine why she was so pleasant? I'm going to tell you her secret. Frances wrote down her formula for her pleasing personality in one of her journals.

It's really very simple. She prayed for everyone around her. Oh, it was not an out-loud prayer, and the people she prayed for never even knew she was asking God to bless them. They just felt it. There was something so grand about being around Frances—it was the love of Jesus being poured over them by this little girl. As she played with her friends or talked to adults, she was secretly asking God to work in their lives and give them special thoughts.

Once Frances went for a five-day visit to a house where there were ten people. She noticed that some of them were “not rejoicers”, and some didn't even know about the love of Jesus. She decided to spend her vacation praying for each of the ten people in the house and watch what God would do to change their hearts. Do you know what happened? Frances wrote in her journal: “He gave me this prayer, Lord, give me all in this house! And he just did. I left the house, everyone had a blessing. The last night of my visit I was too happy to sleep.”

Just imagine—everyone in the house was different because one little girl decided to pray. And God didn't forget to give Frances an extra-special gift too. For that very night when she was so happy she couldn't sleep, all the verses of the hymn “Take My Life, and Let It Be” rang in her head, and she wrote them down. This is the treasure God gave to her. And you and I can memorize this prayer and keep it in our hearts wherever we go.

Now you know a very special secret. The next time you are around people who are not “rejoicers”, you can pull out this treasure from your heart. You can pray for them. It will be fun to see what blessing God sends to them. Maybe smiles will be on their faces when you leave instead of frowns. They you'll be like Frances. And you may be so happy that you won't be able to sleep!

----- Joni Eareckson Tada and Bobbie Wolgemuth, Hymns for a Kids Heart, Vol. 1, Crossway 2003 (Used by permission).

The Girl with Heaven in Her Heart
You could say that Frances Ridley Havergal knew how to bring a little heaven to earth—her family, her church, and her friends. Maybe it was because Frances thought so much about heaven and tried to listen carefully to God's voice. No one could resist her sweet disposition, because Frances thought of others and not only of herself.

Such a melodious voice had never been given to a more tenderhearted and dear girl than Frances Havergal. People loved listening to her clear, musical little voice. Frances's parents knew she had been given a wonderful gift. Music filled her home, and Frances loved to sing and harmonize with her daddy.

When Frances was old enough to read, she took music lessons and happily practiced every day. Her voice and piano teachers were just as impressed with her hard work as they were with her lovely talent. Even though she was quite young, Frances could have become a rich and famous singer. Wisely, Frances made a better choice.

Frances also loved writing poems and started singing the rhymes she composed. It would have been natural for a girl as gifted and sparkling and likeable as Frances to be conceited and think only of herself. But not Frances.

Instead of bragging when people told her what a beautiful voice she had, Frances had a winsome way of turning the glory to God. “I sing only for Jesus,” she would say softly.

Frances knew she must ask God how she should use her talent. Her special concern was for people who didn't know about Jesus. Before she sang, Frances would pray for the people who would be listening.

And Frances had a generous heart. That's why she was able to bring a taste of heaven to some grown-ups in her church. Once she heard that some missionaries needed money to continue their work. Frances went home and gathered some of her most valuable possessions, including her favorite pieces of jewelry, and mailed them to the church. She tucked a little note inside the box saying that she would be extremely delighted if her treasures could be sold and the money given to the missionaries.

Because Frances unselfishly prayed for her friends, they too could feel the warmth of her heavenly heart. She would send hopeful messages and rhymes that she had written to cheer them up. Once, to celebrate the New Year, Frances sent a greeting to all her friends that read:

Another year is dawning, Dear Father let it be,
On earth, or else in heaven, another year for Thee.
A Happy New Year! Such may it be!

Love, Frances

Wouldn't you love to get a note like that? You can imagine that everyone treasured her poem-notes. They were bright greetings from the girl who had heaven in her heart.
One of the most beautiful hymns that Frances wrote will make you want to jump right into the wide river of God's peace. “Like a River Glorious” will bring a bit of heaven into your heart. It says so many wonderful things about Jehovah God that you will find yourself counting your blessings here on earth. Then you will know a secret for bringing heaven to earth.

Yes, Frances was able to stir up a lot of joy everywhere she went. She would tell you that the best decision she made was to follow God's path instead of using her talent to bring attention to herself. And she was happy her whole life because she was following Jesus. Even though Frances lived a long time ago, her hymns can make us happy right now. When you smile and sing this hymn, you will bring a little heaven to someone on earth!

----- Joni Eareckson Tada and Bobbie Wolgemuth, Hymns for a Kids Heart, Vol. 2, Crossway 2004  (Used by permission).

Graduation Into Glory

“There now, it is all over! Blessed rest.”

This holy woman of God was born at Astley, England, December 14, 1836. She was the youngest daughter of Rev. William H. and Jane Havergal, her father being a distinguished minister of the Episcopal Church. She bore the name of Ridley in memory of the godly and learned Bishop Ridley who was one of the noble army of martyrs. Many have been greatly helped by Miss Havergal's writings in both prose and verse.

She died at Caswell Bay, England, on June 3, 1879. A short time before her death she said to her sister Ellen, “I should have liked my death to be like Samson's, doing more for God's glory than by my life. But He wills it otherwise.”

Ellen replied, “St. Paul said, 'The will of the Lord be done,' and, 'Let Christ be magnified, whether by my life or by my death.'”

I think it was then my beloved sister whispered, “Let my own text, 'The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin,' be on my tomb. All the verse if there is room.”

She said to her sister, “I do not know what God means by it, but no new thoughts for poems or books come to me now.” At another time she said, “In spite of the breakers, Marie, I am so happy God's promises are so true. Not a fear!”

When the doctor bid her good-by and told her that he thought she was going, she answered, “Beautiful, too good to be true! Splendid to be so near the gate of Heaven! So beautiful to go!”

The Vicar of Swansea said to her,”You have talked and written a good deal about the King, and you will soon see Him in His beauty. Is Jesus with you now?”

“Of course,” she replied, “it is splendid! I thought He would have left me here a long while, but He is so good to take me now.”

At another time she said, “Oh, I want all of you to speak bright, bright words about Jesus. Oh, do, do! It is all perfect peace. I am only waiting for Jesus to take me in.”

Then, a little later, she sang the following stanza:

Jesus, I will trust thee,
Trust Thee with my soul:
Guilty, lost and helpless,
Thou hast made me whole.

There is none in heaven,
Or on earth like Thee;
Thou hast died for sinners,
Thou hast died for me.”

With deep feeling she emphasized that last word, “me.”

The parting scene is graphically described as follows:
There came a terrible rush of convulsive sickness; it ceased, the nurse gently assisting her. She nestled down in the pillows and folded her hands on her breast, saying, “There, now it's all over. Blessed rest!”

Then, all at once, she looked up steadfastly, as if she saw the Lord—and surely, nothing less heavenly could have reflected such a glorious radiance upon her face. For ten minutes we watched that almost visible meeting with her King. Her countenance was so glad, as if she were already talking to Him.

She tried to sing; but after one sweet, high note, “He--,” her voice failed. As her brother commended her soul into her Redeemer's hand, she passed away. Our precious sister was gone—satisfied—glorified—within the palace of her King!

--- Taken from Voices from the Edge of Eternity by John G. Myers. Copyright © 1968, 2012 by John G. Myers. Use by permission of Whitaker House. www.whitakerhouse.com.

Author's note: You are invited to read or listen to more amazing testimonies of the supernatural like this below.  You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.