I have fibromyalgia. I think. I used to be certain but then I attended the healing prayer meeting at our church about six months ago, and one of the guys said that the Holy Spirit told him that I have sleep apnea.

Say what?

Of course, I didn't believe him. But then, within a few weeks, my mother was diagnosed with sleep apnea, and then my brother was as well. I began to think that maybe I have sleep apnea, and not fibromyalgia. Some time passed, and I went back for another round of healing prayer. The elders prayed over me, but I didn't really believe that I was going to be healed -- I barely believed that I had sleep apnea -- and so I wasn't surprised when nothing happened.

Then, I went on a trip to Azerbaijan, and saw my very first CPAP machine (the team leader brought his along with him).

A thought entered my head: IF the Holy Ghost had told the elder guy that I did have sleep apnea, then certainly He intended to do something about it. I somehow knew that I would be receiving a CPAP machine myself.

Then, my brother came down for a visit. Unexpectedly, he brought his machine with him, and asked me to use it for one night. I began to see the divine wheels of circumstance turning; now, I was sure that I was going to get a CPAP machine! Later, my mother said that she would buy me one from a discount website. (See, the wheels were turning!) Bad news though, they only sold them to folks with a prescription. Didn't they know that the great Physician had already diagnosed me? (This turned out to be a blessing since I ended up with a much better machine.)

Time passed, and we started looking on CraigsList. A fellow about 40 minutes from here was selling a brand new Remstar Pro C-Flex+ for only $100. The machine had only 5.3 hours on it! This is a $700 machine, and it came with the humidifier, accessories, and the carrying case! Well, I drove over to meet the guy with cash in hand.

Cha-ching! The machine is mine. The $100 came from my mother. Not bad for someone with no medical insurance!

So, what does this show? God meets us where we are at, according to our faith. If I had believed that He would heal me, I wouldn't need a machine...but, honestly, that's not where I'm at. But, I can believe God for provisions.

Thanks, Jesus!

P.S. Turns out that this is the machine that my brother brought down for me to try! Talk about your divine foreshadowing! Wow!

My Grandma Williams, your great grandma, was the most awesome lady of God. She was always giving whether it was food or money. She invited us over for supper all the time. She loved life. She loved to do crafts (ceramics, etc). She took care of Grandpa, who was sick much of the time, for years.


My favorite memories are of her generosity. She was so Spirit led.

One day, Becca needed a curtain rod to hang up a curtain in the window. We were broke as usual and couldn't afford one. Grandma invited us over for a meal, and afterward, as was her custom, she gave us stuff to take home with us. I'll never forget as she reached behind the dresser and said, 'Can you use these curtain rods? I've had them here for awhile and I'll never use them. Here, you take them." When she did that, my views of grandma's generosity changed. I saw that God was behind it. All the money that she gave away quietly, all the food (she'd even helped my parents out when I was just a kid myself), and all the prayers - God was working through her.


It was all hush-hush, but she often helped us with our car insurance or an electric bill. How do you tell a 90-year old woman, No? You can't, especially when you need it. We were Elijah, and she was our widow woman. God channeled his gifts and love through her to us. How humbling!! How ... stand back in awe ... glorious!


When Grandma died, I was asked to preach her funeral. It was the hardest thing that I've ever done. I had a 'message' all written up, but just then, at the beginning of the service, God spoke to me, 'Turn to Proverbs 31." And, I read it. It was my Grandma.

God in heaven told me that my Grandma, your great grandma, was a Proverbs 31 woman. In his eyes, she was far above rubies.

What a wonderful heritage!!

But is that what the Bible says?

In Matthew 24:14, Jesus tells us, "And THIS gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."

Jesus said that the gospel that He was preaching is the same gospel that would be preached in all the world until the end of this age!

He said this again in Matthew 26:13, "Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever THIS gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her."

With this in mind, let us take a look at this gospel.

I. Jesus

1. Repent (turn from sins, to God) - "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: ..."(Matt. 4:17)
2. Believe in Jesus - "...even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:14--15)
3. Be baptized - "heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John" (John 4:1-2) and "baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" (Matt. 28:19)
4. Receive the Holy Ghost - "how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Lk 11:13) and "he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost,..." (Matt. 3:11) and "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:" (Acts 1:8)
5. Kingdom - "Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God," (Mark 1:14), etc.
6. Born Again - "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)
7. With Wonders - "...Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you" (Acts 2:22)

II. Peter

1. Repent (turn from sins, to God) - "And they went out, and preached that men should repent." (Mk 6:12) "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, ..." (Acts 2:38) and "Repent ye therefore, and be converted,..." (Acts 3:19)
2. Believe in Jesus - "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:Whom God hath raised up, .." (Acts 2:23-24) and "every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 2:38) and "Unto you therefore which believe he is precious:" (I Peter 2:7)
3. Be baptized - "and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 2:38"
4. Receive the Holy Ghost - "and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts 2:38-9) and "Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:" (Acts 8:15)
5. Kingdom - "For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 2:11)
6. Born Again - "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again..." (1 Peter 1:3) and "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible," (1 Peter 1:23)
7. With Wonders - "...and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles." (Acts 2:43) and "But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up." (Acts 9:40) and "that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them." (Acts 5:15)u

III. Paul

1. Repent (turn from sins, to God) - "...but now commandeth all men every where to repent:" (Acts 17:30) and "...to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God," (Acts 26:20)
2. Believe in Jesus - "And by him all that believe are justified from all things," (Acts 13:39)
3. Be baptized - "many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized." (Acts 18:8)
4. Receive the Holy Ghost "He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" (Acts 19:2)
5. Kingdom - "And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more." (Acts 20:25)
6. Born Again - "for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel." (1 Cor. 4:15) and "Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:" (Pilemon 1:17)
7. With Wonders - "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." (1 Cor 2:4-5) and "Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ." (Rom. 15:19)

SO WHAT?!?!

So, this does several things.

First, it shows us the continuity of the New Testament. The Gospels do have some OT Law teaching that must be recognized, and Acts has a little as well, but the Gospel itself is the same. The method of winning the lost is the same.

Second, it negates a bunch of hyper-dispensational (and regular dispensational) nonsense that separates US from the words of Jesus.

And, Third, it reveals that the authority and power given to the Twelve, and to the Seventy, and to the 120, is for US today.

THIS is God's plan.

"As my Father has sent me, so send I you."

"For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep." (1 Cor. 11:30)

I was reading through First Corinthians today, just seeing what the Lord would show me. When I got to chapter 11, I saw something in a different way. I hope it helps your life.


Does God cause believers to be sickly and weak, and even dead, because they don't 'examine' their sins at the Lord's Supper? I have heard it preached that, "If you don't judge yourself, God will judge you! He will chasten you with weakness, sickness, and even death!"

Okay, death isn't really chastening, since you can't properly respond to death in this life, but you get the idea: You judge your hidden sins, or GOD WILL GET YOU!

And thus, the Lord's Supper became a time of fearful introspection where we focused upon OURSELVES rather than on Jesus.

I have also heard it said that it was not our sins that we were to judge, but rather our manner of taking the Lord's Supper. Some folks weren't eating at home first; they were coming to the Lord's Supper, and treating it like a free meal. They were indulging a little bit too much at the 'potluck', if you know what I mean. These believers, so light-hearted about such a serious matter, would be judged by God if they didn't repent.

But I don't buy it. I've been made the righteousness of God in Christ. I've been purged from my old sins. My conscience has been sprinkled from dead works to serve the living God. I am sanctified, holy, and a partaker of the divine nature.


What about this interpretation:

23For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

24And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

25After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

26For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

27Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. The "whosoever" in the Corinthian church would have included the saved AND THE LOST. Paul gives these people the Gospel in chapter 15! "Unworthily" therefore means that they are partaking of the symbolic bread and wine WITHOUT HAVING PARTAKEN of the actual body and blood of Jesus. They are still at enmity with God, and "guilty" of the Lord's body. They are 'professors' and not 'possessors.'

28But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. Examination then is not an introspective focus on the sins of the believer, but a call to the UNBELIEVER to "examine" whether or not he is truly born again. If he is saved, and has partaken of the ACTUAL body and blood of Christ, then, of course, there is nothing restraining him from partaking of this SYMBOLIC bread and wine.

29For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. If an unbeliever partakes of the Lord's Supper, he is actually drinking to his own damnation! He doesn't realize that he is SYMBOLICALLY partaking of the Saviour whom he has never accepted. He will be without excuse at the final judgment for he certainly has heard the Gospel as presented in the Lord's Supper.

30For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. Because of this, Paul says, there are some folks coming to the church who aren't healed. Some have even died. Rather than implying that believers are sick because of unconfessed sin in their lives (Which is a fallacy since ALL our sins have already been forgiven in Christ; they don't exist anymore!), this verse is saying that the unbeliever is sick because he isn't saved! He can't partake of the benefits of the New Covenant, because he is not part of it!

31For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. This is therefore not a judging of sins, which have ALL been judged at the Cross for the believer, but rather a judging of the heart. I judged myself as a sinner in December of 1985, and called out to God to save me. Because of this, I will NEVER again be judged on the matter of my eternal salvation; I have been made the righteousness of God in Christ. The "we" in this verse includes everybody.

32But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Here, "we" refers to believers. When "we" Christians are judged by God, it results in "chastening" not in "damnation." When a crooked sapling is tied to a stake, it has been 'judged' to be 'not straight'; therefore it is 'chastened' or tied to a stake. This chastening has the sapling's best future interest at heart, and is based in love. We are chastened, but we are not "condemned with the world." The word "condemned" is the same as "damnation." Damnation is a judicial punishment with a view toward past sins. This is NOT how the believer is judged.

33Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.

34And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come. Because the Gospel is so clearly presented at the Lord's Supper, don't just rush through it. Give the unbeliever time to respond. You don't want to rush through it and have somebody 'eat and drink unto damnation', do you?


Can you see how fear is removed for the Believer? Do you see how the focus is removed from self? In it's place is left the simple command to 'remember the Lord til he comes.' Voila! The Lord's Supper becomes a time of REJOICING, and focusing on the Saviour. It is a time of remembering the finished work of Christ. It edifies. It encourages.


After realizing this, I searched through a bunch of old commentaries (and new ones) on the internet, and was surprised that nobody agreed with me. Then I looked at Andrew Wommack's site, and, lo and behold, he saw it exactly the same way. You can read his commentary here.

The Old Testament Jews were expecting the Messiah to come in glory and great power. They expected his kingdom to be visible. They expected him to judge the wicked. They expected his kingdom to be visible.

It wasn't. Which explains how they overlooked a Baby lying in a manger. Jesus didn't do what they expected.

Now, looking back with hindsight, we know that there are two comings. The first was quiet, the second will be with the shouts of angels. The first was humble riding on a donkey, the second is glorious riding on a white stallion before the armies of God.

So, why were there two comings?



At the first coming, Jesus broke the power of Satan. At the Cross, Jesus "spoiled" principalities and powers. He stripped them of their power, armor and weaponry. Jesus defeated Satan and sin, and their effects at the Cross.

At his second coming, Jesus will destroy Satan's kingdom, and set up a visible reign of righteousness. But until then, we live in the 'overlap' of the Kingdom of God.

The blessings of the Kingdom of God are available now to those who believe. At the second coming, they will be available to everybody, but now they are available to believers only.

It's as if the Kingdom of God is starting twice!

At the second coming, the Spirit will be poured out on ALL flesh (Joel 2:28) and believers will prophecy, and do miracles. Therefore, the Spirit was already poured out in Acts 2 (Acts 2:16-17), and those who believe will prophecy and do miracles NOW. At the second coming, the power of God will be present to cast out devils and heal the sick. Therefore, to those who believe NOW, that power is also available.

Like Jesus, we are sent forth to 'teach and to show the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God.'

The works of Satan are today illegal. They are not binding. Their power was broken at the Cross. We have the authority in Christ to stop this illegal activity. We have been given both the power and authority to both 'teach and show the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God.'

Don't believe your eyes. The power of Satan has been broken. "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." (I John 3:8)

The blessings of the Kingdom of God are available now to those who believe. (Mark 16)