MIRACLES TODAY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." (Hebrews 13:8) The testimonies below are direct quotes from articles in the newsletters of "The Jesus Film Project" (A Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ International; P.O. Box 72007; San Clemente, CA 92674-2007) MUSLIMS
SEE VISIONS OF JESUS Again, I am in awe. Something is happening that defies human logic. In a very restricted and closed Middle Eastern nation, three Muslim men contacted a former Campus Crusade for Christ worker. Each man told of having experienced a powerful vision. They saw a man with a radiant face. He was clothed in a robe of pure white and surrounded by a brilliant light of glory. He told them, "I am Jesus. I am the way. You need to believe the Bible and believe in Me." And each man told of seeing the same vision for 17 days in a row. Together they went to their Muslim leader and asked for help. The mullah advised them: "I have my own firm views of Jesus. But if you want to know who He really is, you need to find a Bible and read it for yourselves." They followed the mullah's advice, found a bible, studied it, discovered God's way of salvation and gave their lives to Christ! I wonder if they came across the passage in John 14 where Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth and the life." Thinking all Christians came to Christ through visions, these new believers innocently asked the worker, "When was the last time you saw a vision of Jesus?" They could not understand his answer: "I've been a Christians now for 25 years and I've never seen a vision of Christ." Perhaps this is God's way to be sure that everyone has an opportunity to know Him, particularly among Muslims. This same leader conducts a secret Bible study for 17 former Muslims. Every person came to Christ because he or she had seen a vision of the risen Lord. As we learned about these miracles, we asked if all 17 new Christians had see the "JESUS" film. They had! And to a person, when they first watched "JESUS", they immediately identified the actor in the film as the One who had appeared to them. This phenomenon is commonly reported. We do not represent that the actor in "JESUS" miraculously resembles the historic person of Jesus. Rather, we believe this is a work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of viewers - that the One represented in the film is indeed the Son of God who appears in their visions. You can understand, then, why this entire Bible study group is using the "JESUS" video extensively to reach other Muslims for Christ in this closed country. In another highly restricted Muslim country, a traveling evangelist was distributing "JESUS" videos and Arabic New Testaments in remote villages. He drew so much attention that a large crowd had gathered around him. Suddenly, a bearded man forced his way through the crowd and went straight for the evangelist demanding to know what he was giving the people. When the evangelists showed him videos of "JESUS" and Injils (the New Testament) the anger on his face vanished. He took the gifts in his hands and kissed them (first the Injil and then the "JESUS" video) saying, "I want my own copies." Because he was the local mullah - the head of the mosque - the people instantly felt safe. Near pandemonium broke out as they began taking their own New Testaments and videocassettes. So great was their hunger that, in just a few minutes, 300 copies of "JESUS" and 300 Arabic Injils were gone! Join me in giving thanks and honor to our great Savior. In a mystery we cannot fathom, the Holy Spirit is using visions to draw Muslims to Himself. He is creating a spiritual longing even in the hearts of Muslim leaders. He alone is doing these things. And He is about to do more...much more! Paul Eshleman, Director of The JESUS Film Project PARALYZED
MUSLIM "HOLY MAN" AND TOTALLY DEAF WOMAN
HEALED The power of God is still flowing. The hand of God is still healing. And always to bring glory to Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. A "Jesus" film team approached a difficult Muslim town. Although the team felt intimidated, they persisted in showing the film, knowing that God was with them. After the showing of "JESUS", a small child came up to the projector and began to pull on the clothes of Joseph, one of the team members: "Come and pray for my Grandfather; he can not walk." Joseph first helped secure the projector equipment and then, with a local pastor, entered the home of the elderly man. They quickly learned that the grandfather was a Muslim "holy man" (Mullah). Not only that, he was also one who practiced magic and witchcraft. However, he was paralyzed from the waist down. His family had to carry him about the house. Many townspeople had followed the film team worker to this home of their religious leader. But they were fearful of his powers, so they waited outside the door. Joseph began, "Do you know who I am? I am a servant of Christ. I have come to tell you about Jesus." He then shared the gospel and talked to the man about his sin: "You must repent of what you are doing in the mosques. Your magic, the cutting of animals, the sacrifice, your dealings with the occult - it is all very evil." Confronted with truth, the man struggled in his heart. Several times Joseph got up to leave because the man refused to turn from his sin. But he kept calling Joseph back. Finally, he yielded, saying, "Yes, I will repent." Startled by his decision, everyone inside the room, even those who were listening outside the door, stood to their feet...everyone, of course, but him. Joseph led this Mullah in the prayer of salvation. As Joseph stood, the Spirit of God moved him profoundly. With boldness he laid his hands on the man and announced to all, "And now, you will see the power of God. In the name of Jesus, stand up and walk!" Immediately the man arose and walked! Astonished, everyone began jumping and shouting. The man was overjoyed and transformed. All were witnessing the power or the living Christ, the true and living Lord. Then Joseph raised his hand and gestured for all to be quiet. Handing a New Testament to the Mullah he said, "From this day forward you will pray to Jesus, the true God, and read only from this book, His Word." "Yes! Yes!" the man exclaimed. In the next two years, before the Lord took him through death, he helped lead many to Christ, including his entire family. In another [Muslim] country, a film team was showing "JESUS" at a rural village. In the audience was a woman who experience constant pain in her ears. Two years earlier she had been in a truck accident and was now totally deaf. As the film showed Jesus healing the woman with a hunched back, the woman in the audience suddenly became hysterical and ran to the projector. To everyone's amazement, she shouted: "This same Jesus on the screen has just spoken to me that He is healing my ears!" She told them that she was indeed healed - instantly - and could hear the sound track in her language. Right then she gave her life to Christ - as did many others... Paul Eshleman, Director of The JESUS Film Project WOMAN FED BY THE "HAND OF GOD" September 13, 2001 An Islamic scholar, a respected Muslim theologian, lived with his wife and daughter in their African community. While he was out of town, a "JESUS" film team came to his community. The team set up a 16mm projector and portable screen in the middle of the street, so as many people as possible could watch. When darkness settled, the film began. Because of this scholar's position, his wife and daughter were fearful and did not attend. Rather, they watched from a distance away, just inside the courtyard gate of their home. Fortunately, the volume was loud enough for them to hear. When he returned, they told him what had happened - that they had received Christ and were changed. He was furious. They had humiliated him, betrayed him and betrayed Allah. He decided to kill them both. This man sealed them inside their concrete-walled house, locking the strong doors and windows. He told the neighbors that he and his family were going away and would not return for two weeks. He left them without food or water. (Homes in this country have large courtyards, with the kitchen and bathroom facilities separate from the sleeping areas.) Because of the great distance between the homes, he knew their cries for help would never be heard. Two weeks passed until he returned. He unlocked the door, expecting to be hit by the stench of death. Instead, he was greeted by his wife and daughter, both standing before him, with joy on their faces. He was incredulous. How could this be? They explained, "You meant to kill us, but Jesus saved us. Every day a hand has appeared giving us food and water. Sometimes it came through the door. Other times the hand appeared through a window. Sometimes it came down through the roof." The scholar scoffed and refused to believe. Suddenly, the hand appeared. It offered him food and water as well. Severely shaken, he immediately went to a local Christian pastor in the community, told him what he had done, and what happened when he returned. The pastor shared the gospel with him. He became convinced that Jesus was the true God and prayed to receive Christ. Shortly after, he fled with his wife and daughter for fear that the town leaders would kill them all. They remain in hiding; however, the film team that had come to their village continues to look for them - wanting to help them grow in their newfound faith. WITCH DOCTOR BECOMES BELIEVER In the Philippines, a fetish priest, who was also an alcoholic, made a confession to a "JESUS" film team. (Fetish priest claim to cast dark powers upon carvings of animals, objects or gods in order to control and influence people.) He had attempted to disrupt the showing of "JESUS" through his curses and incantations. He was amazed that the spirits were powerless to act in any way or to stop the showing. They had been bound. After the showing, the priest was overcome by a deep sleep. He dreamed of being very hot and thirsty, nearly to the point of death. In his dream, he saw a man whom he begged to give him water. The man gave him a cup of caine juice (a local alcoholic beverage), saying, "This is what you like. Drink it and you will die." In tears, he pleaded with the man until He handed him a cup of cool water: "Drink this and live. Don't go back to your ways. Follow Me...I am the water of life." He awakened and renounced his ways - the fetishes, the alcohol, and is now living a changed life. DEMONIC BONDS BROKEN IN CHIEF AND VILLAGE AND MANY HEALED In Krian Jaya, a file team had been showing the "JESUS" film in a remote interior valley that could only be reached by Mission Aviation Fellowship planes. Many watched "JESUS" with great enthusiasm - a number of whom had never seen any film before. A local chief was also watching. He prized his many fetishes and their powers. For years he had used them to exercise power over the elements and people. After the film, he started a fire and publicly declared his desire to now follow "the Jesus way." Everyone was astounded. He was the one they feared, and now he was renouncing the powers of darkness. As he cast his fetishes into the fire, wailing could be heard from the hundreds around him. But I believe it could have been more. Missionaries around the world say that when people burn their fetishes, unearthly wails and shrieks can sometimes be heard from the fetishes themselves, lasting until only ashes are left - as demonic bonds with the physical world are broken. Whatever the wailing was, something powerful was happening. People were being delivered. The chief and the village became a great influence for the Lord, and helped lead many others in the valley to Christ. A nine year girl, attending the movie showing with her mother, had been born deaf from birth and had never heard a sound, but was healed when the film team prayed for the sick during the break between the third and last reels (the crowd had just seen Jesus heal the sick and raise the dead). Instantly, she began to hear. She and her mother held each other, weeping tears of joy. The whole crowd was rejoicing . The team reported that they were witnessing many deaf receive their hearing, and the blind, their sight. The testimony below is a direct quote from an article found in the newsletters of "World Compassion/Terry Law Ministries" (P.O. Box 92; Tulsa, OK 74101) WOMAN (and OTHERS) RAISED FROM THE DEAD ...P. G. Vargis is a close personal friend of mine and the most prolific church planter in Southeast Asia... A few weeks ago I ministered to some 400 pastors, evangelists and church pastors and planters in Silguri during an Indian Evangelical Team regional conference sponsored by my friend, P.G. One of the pastors present, Mahatma, was a young seventeen year-old. After graduating from P.G.'s school...he went to a village to plant a church. His early attempts to evangelize the village were totally unsuccessful, and he was run out of town. But he decided to stay and lived in a hut on the outskirts of town. Mahatma befriended some of the children that played in the area where he lived and told them stories about Jesus and the miracles He performed. He explained to the children that Jesus gave power to those who would follow Him, and they could do the same miracles. A few days later one of the children came to Mahatma in a great panic and explained that her father had just killed her mother in a fit of rage. The young girl pleaded with him to come pray for her mother so she could be raised from the dead... Mahatma didn't know what to do...but he went with the girl because she insisted that he come. She reminded him that he had told her and the other children that the same miracles Jesus did, any follower of Jesus could do also. Mahatma arrived in the home and found that the girl's mother had been dead for some time. The father was in anguish because he had killed his wife in anger and now was deeply sorry for what he had done. The girl asked Mahatma to pray for her mother to be raised from the dead. He prayed once and nothing happened. The girl told him to pray again. He prayed a second time and nothing happened. She told him to pray again. He prayed a third time and this time the resurrection power of God began to flow through that mother and she came back to life. News spread rapidly of this woman being raised from the dead and almost immediately approximately one half of the village became Christians. The young evangelist who was once run out of the village is now pastoring a growing church for these people. During the October conference, the pastors were asked, "How many of you have seen someone raised from the dead in your ministry?" Nine of these leaders raised their hand... Terry Law If you have no assurance that you will spend eternity in heaven, go to HOW TO RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE to learn how you can have it. You can see the 2 hour, 2 minute "JESUS" video online at www.jesusfilm.org and see the life, ministry, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus according to the Gospel of Luke. FAQ on controversial issues our readers have asked at OTHER BIBLE STUDIES HOME PAGE for the following... WHEN DID JESUS SAY THE RAPTURE WOULD TAKE PLACE? WHEN DID PAUL SAY THE RAPTURE WOULD TAKE PLACE? HOW DOES THE DAY OF THE LORD RELATE TO THE RAPTURE? FREE COMPUTER BIBLE PROGRAM - See "Downloads" in center column |