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Vol. 105-3 Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Jude 3

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2 Higher Way

I KNOW SOMETHING about coming hungry to the Phillips table (see EarlPhillips sermon on page 11). My first visit to their home was on Mothers Day1974, when Brother Earl was serving as pastor of our Dallas, Oregon, ApostolicFaith Church. The evening before, I had telephoned him from my apartmentthirty miles away in Corvallis where I was attending Oregon State University,requesting directions to the church. He provided them, and also included aninvitation to visit their home after the service for Sunday dinner. I accepted.

Previously un-churched and recently converted, my spiritual birthwhichhad taken place two months prior to my visit to the Phillips homewas accom-panied by a desperate hunger for knowing how to serve God. Former sinfulhabits and appetites had instantly vanished from my life when I prayed throughto salvation. But what should come next? How does one begin to live for the

Lord? I was hopeful that divine helpwould come through going to churchthat day, and it did.

While details of the Mothers Daymenu at the Phillips home escape my memory, I have never forgotten that theyoung woman I would later marry helped serve that meal! Debbie was living in

the Phillips home at the time, and we were married in the Dallas church twoyears later. It is also clear in my mind how God began to satisfy my hunger forHim. Attending church that Mothers Day was the next step in a valuable prac-tice of frequent church attendance that has continued ever since. Over the years,our two children learned the value of being in church as regularly as possible,and now our five grandchildren are being taught the same lesson.

Two months after my first church visit to Dallas, God sanctified me at Port-land camp meeting, and the following January He filled me with the Holy Ghostin our Roseburg, Oregon, church. From then until now, there has never been adoubt in my mind that God will satisfy the longing of a hungry soul withoutregard for the lack of previous knowledge of Him. The key is to cultivate ournatural, God-given spiritual appetites through prayer, reading the Bible, and

attending church regularly.We pray that the articles you find in this Higher Waymagazine will feed yoursoul and encourage you to hunger for more of God.

Food for the Soul

Higher Way (ISSN #1084-9807) is published quarterly by the Apostolic Faith Church, 6615 SE 52nd Avenue, Portland,

Oregon 97206, U.S.A. and is mailed out subscription free. Periodicals postage is paid at Portland, Oregon. Postmaster: Please

send address changes to Higher Way, Apostolic Faith Church, 6615 SE 52nd Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97206, U.S.A.

JulySeptember 2012

Table of Contents

VIEWPOINT

Day to Day ............ 9

Evidence ..............14

Todays Youth ......17

Highlighting our

Heritage .............. 21

Sudden and Unexpected .......................... 3

From Violence to Victory .......................... 6

Come Hungry! ........................................11

On the Outside Looking In .......................16

An Unbeatable Advantage .......................19

Darrel D. Lee

Superintendent

General

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Higher Way 3

How many of us woke up today and thought, Thiscould be the day the Lord comes back to earth?Gods Word lets us know that His return will be

sudden. Are we watching for His coming? Are we guardingagainst becoming so caught up in our lives here that we

neglect to think about that great day?All of us encounter sudden and unexpected events in life.My family faced a time like that recently when my brotherpassed away. My wife and I had just returned home thenight before from two weeks of visiting Apostolic Faithchurches in the Dominican Republic and St. Vincent. Wewere driving to the hospital to see Gary, having heard hewas recovering somewhat routinely from pneumonia,when our nephew called and told us that his father had justpassed away.

Our family received many messages of condolence in thedays that followed. I responded to some of those on behalfof my parents and my brothers son and daughter, express-ing our familys appreciation for the thoughts and prayers.In some of my replies, I commented that my brothers pass-ing was sudden and unexpected.

That phrase has stuck with mesudden and unex-pected. That is how Jesus return will be. Jesus said: Foras the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth evenunto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of manbe (Matthew 24:27). Lightning occurs suddenly; it flashesacross the sky in a moment of time. And Christs return willtake place in a moment of time also.

In one sense, we could say that while it will be sudden,Christs coming will notbe unexpected anymore than our

Sudden andUnexpectedJesus Christs return will occur as

quickly as the lightning flashes.

Are you prepared for His coming?

By Darrel Lee

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4 Higher Way

death is unexpected. If death were entirely unexpected,nobody would ever buy a funeral plan! We know we willpass from this earth at some pointwe just do not knowwhen. In the same way, we know that Christs return willoccur in the future, but we do not know exactly when. Soonly in that sense it will be unexpected.

Further on in Matthew 24, the Lord gave a warning

related to the sudden and unexpected nature of His returnto this earth. We read, Watch therefore: for ye know notwhat hour your Lord doth come. The word watch in thisverse is a Greek imperative meaning be continuously onguard. The Apostle continues, But know this, that if thegoodman of the house had known in what watch the thiefwould come, he would have watched, and would not havesuffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye alsoready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of mancometh (Matthew 24:42-44).

My wife and I can identify with the thought of watch-ing for potential intruders. We have foot traffic in the area

behind our house, and awhile back, one of our neighborsasked us, Did somebody try to break into your place? Wesaid no, but a day or two later I was around the back ofour house and saw the window screen lying on the ground.Upon looking around a little, I observed a shatteredwindow from which the screen had been removed. Clearly,an intruder had tried to get into our house. While he didnot gain access, if I had known an intruder was coming, Iwould certainly have been on guard!

In Luke 21:34, we find an admonition similar to Matthewswarning: Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time yourhearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, andcares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

Overcharged means to be bogged down, or made heavy.Drunkenness is intoxicationhaving hearts and mindsthat are dulled. The cares of life refer to the details of ourdaily existence. The Apostle was saying, Dont allow your-self to be so caught up in life that you are not anticipatingJesus return.

For the most part, the week prior to the Rapture of theChurch will be no different in our own personal lives thanthe two weeks before that. We must live life. We need tomake a living, to study if we are in school, to tend to ourresponsibilities. However, we should do so with awarenessthat every day could be the day of Christs return. We arecharged to watch and to be ready, lest that day come uponus unawaresa word which means sudden and unex-pected in the original Greek. We must be alert!

From time to time we hear via the news media aboutindividuals who think they have calculated the day or the

hour of Jesus return to this earth. However, Jesus said, Butof that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angelsof heaven, but my Father only (Matthew 24:36). Thosewho focus on trying to establish the timing of the Lordsreturn do not inspire me. What inspires me are individu-als whose focus is on living holy until Jesus returns, andordering their lives like they believe that could happen atany moment!

Jesus told us what would be taking place in the daysbefore His return. We read in Matthew 24:37, But as thedays of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of manbe. The people in the days of Noah were eating, drinking,

marrying, and being given in marriage. Life was continuingon as usual, even though they saw Noah building the Ark.They heard Noah declare that they needed to repent, andyet they kept living in the same way throughout the monthbefore, the week before, the day before the Floodright upuntil the moment that Noah, his family, and the animalswent into the ark. Then the door was shut, the rains came,and the fountains of the deep opened up.

As the water rose higher and higher, the people began torealize that what Noah had said was true. Those who arefocused on discerning the precise time of Christs returnwill know the moment after that event has occurred. TheBible tells us that there will be two in a field; one shall be

While we do not know

the day or the hour,

the Rapture will take place,

and those who are ready at

that moment will go up tomeet Christ in the air.

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taken and the other left. There will be two grinding at themill; one will be taken and the other left. The human racecan be divided into two groupsthose who are ready to goand those who are not.

While we do not know the moment of Christs return,it is an event that cannot be avoided. In our daily lives, wecan reschedule or skip entirely an appointment we do notwant to keep. However, we cannot sidestep this appoint-ment any more than the people of Noahs day could side-step the Flood. While we do not know the day or the hour,the Rapture willtake place, and those who are ready at thatmoment will go up to meet Christ in the air.

Matthew says, In such an hour as ye think not the Sonof man cometh (Matthew 24:44). It is not that we doubtHis coming will occur; we know it will happen. Matthew issaying that this event will occur in an hour in which we arenot thinking about His return. It will be on a day just liketodaya day when we wake up, go through our normalmorning routine, and head for work or school or whereverwe typically go. Since we will not know that the return ofChrist will take place on that day, life will be business as

usual. We are not going to be thinking about it any more

than I was expecting to hear that my brother had passedaway as we drove to the hospital to see him.

Do we think every minute, I wonder if the Lord is goingto come right now? That is not the way life goes, nor is itthe way God intended life to go. What God wants is for usalways to be ready so that whenever Jesus returns, we areprepared.

Since we know Jesus is going to return, we must take nec-essary steps. If you have not made your peace with God, getsaved! If you have consecrations that need to be made butyou are hesitating for some reason, make those consecra-tions! We do not want to be holding back on something theLord is requiring of us when the trumpet sounds. No, let uspurpose to be ready, to be faithful, to watch and pray. Wewant to live like we expect Jesus to return today.

My brother Gary was ready, and now he is rejoicing,having met his Savior. One of these days we will meet Himtoo, and it could be today. Lets be ready!

Darrel Lee is Superintendent General of the Apostolic FaithChurch and pastor of the headquarters church in Portland,

Oregon.

How thankful I am to be able to say that I am saved. It is not that I think Iam saved or am guessing that I am saved. I know for sure that Jesus Christlifted a burden of sin off my life.

It happened on a Saturday night in August of 1980, in Murphysboro, Illinois.I was in a church service somewhat reluctantly, sitting in the second row fromthe back. That night it seemed like God himself spoke to me.

The first time I remember hearing the terms born again or saved, I wasabout twenty-four years old, and it did not really affect me that much. I thought

salvation was probably good; there seemed to be a lot of people who needed it,but I didnt feel I was one of them. However, that night was different. During thesermon, the minister said, God owes each of us only one chance at salvation.Everything else is extra. Right then it seemed that I heard a Voice saying, Thisis your chance. It was so real that I even turned around to see who had said it,but nobody was directly behind me.

At first I fought against Gods call. After the service ended, a couple came andtalked to me about praying. I was holding my little girl in my arms, kind of inself-defense, but after a few minutes I went down to the front and knelt at thealtar of prayer. At first I thought about what I would have to give up, and all thethings I would miss out on by getting saved. But after a while, I said, God, if Youare really there, and if there is something real that is not a part-time religion but

something that will last seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, I will give ita try. If You will give the strength, then I will give you everything.I had spent the prior eight years in the Navy, and had seen a lot of people who

claimed religion but did not live it. I wanted no part of that. But when I madethat commitment down in my heart, in just a moment of time the saving powerof God came down. I felt a physical weight lift from my shoulders! I didnt needsomeone to talk me into something. I knew that something definite had hap-pened inside. I could stand up and say I was saved.

The Lord put a thrill in my soul that day that has lasted. God is still real in mylife. His saving grace is still good. In fact, it is better today than it ever has been,and by the grace of God, I plan on making Heaven my home.

Gary Lee, brother to Darrel Lee. passed away on January 19, 2012.

He FoundSomething

Real!

By Gary Lee

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Using and selling drugs, carrying a gun, living in motelsthat becamemy lifestyle while I was still a teenager. It shouldnt have been likethat, because I was raised in a Christian home and taught the stories

of Jesus from my birth. My grandfathers were both pastors and evangelistswho faithfully preached the Gospel all through the southern part of the UnitedStates. My father was a strict and hard-working man, and my mother put greateffort into keeping all eight of us fed and clothed, sometimes even making ourclothes. Our family spent a lot of time in revival services and camp meetingswhen I was growing up in the South.

From

He traded drugs, guns,

and jail time for joy,

healing, and peace.

By Terrance Scott

ViolenceV

to ictory

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Our lives changed dramaticallywhen my father went to the north-western part of the United States forwork. We did not see him for longperiods of time, and the house alwaysfelt incomplete when he was notaround. After some time, we took aGreyhound bus to Seattle, Washing-

ton. What I thought was the end oftough times was actually the begin-ning of what seemed like Hell onearth to me. Once we moved to Seat-tle, I soon realized that my father wasno longer living a Christian life. Theimpact on our family came quickly.We lived in eight different placeswithin a five-year period.

By the time I was in the seventhgrade, I had already started drink-ing and skipping school with friends.

Crips, Bloods, and other gangs wereall over the area where we lived, soshoot-outs and gang activity weredaily events in our neighborhood.One of my school friends who was ina gang told me how he made moneyselling drugs, and soon I starteddown the same path. I was afraid ofthe gangs, but that was not enough tokeep me off the streets that were veryviolent at the time.

It seemed like things were goingwell for awhile because on the streetsI could buy the things I had alwayswanted. The year that I turned six-teen, I was robbed for the first time,so I bought a gun and carried iteverywhere I went. Even though I didnot like gangs, I became worse thanthe people I disliked the most. Thepeople that I hung around seemed tohate me more than my enemies did.

Then my world started to close inaround me. I dropped out of schoolbefore I was eighteen, and lived in

motels with my girlfriend and herchild. To pay the rent, we sold drugs.It seemed that death and violencewere all around us everywhere wewent. I was stabbed and shot in thesame year, then four months laterwent to prison for eighteen months.Once I was released, nothing in my

life changed. Instead I just got worseand started using heavy drugs alongwith living a violent life.

One day I was with some friends ina grocery store. My eyes were blood-shot and I was really high. As I wason my way out the door, a lady wascoming in who looked me in the eyeand said, You know, God can takethat taste right out of your mouth. Itseemed like her words reached downinto my soul. Not long after that, I

tried to leave the streets on my own.By that time, I had lost many friendsto death or long prison terms. How-ever, in trying to turn around, I real-ized how strong of a grip Satan hadon my life. I started using even harderdrugs and nearly overdosed on mul-tiple occasions. Once I called my auntdown in the South and told her thatSatan was trying to kill me. She said,Plead the Blood of Jesus!

About that time, my girlfriend gaveher life to God. She began trying toget me to go to church with her, but Iwould just make excuses. My mothertold her that the Bible says not tobe unequally yoked with unbeliev-ers, and suggested that my girlfriendkick me out, which she did. I saw thechange God had made in her life, andit was beautiful. Deep down, I wantedGod to help me, but I did not call onHim. I was ashamed of who I was andfelt like I needed to clean myself upfirst and then come to God.

One Sunday morning I decided togo to church with my girlfriend justto get her off my back. All through theservice, I felt God calling me to cometo Him. At the same time the enemykept reminding me of the forty dol-lars I owed to a drug dealer. I felt likeI could not answer Gods call just yet.

That particular Sunday the churchhad a visiting minister, and while hewas preaching he looked at me andsaid, God has something for youtoday. He came over and put fortydollars in my hands. God spoke to myheart and said, You cant get rightto come to Me. Come to Me and Illget you right! At that very moment Isaid yes to God, and joy filled my soulas I experienced Gods love for me.

Some months went by and after

prayer and asking God for His will inour relationship, my girlfriend andI were married. As we prayed andasked God for direction in our lives,he helped me understand that Hewanted me to go back to the ApostolicFaith Church where I had been raised,and we did that in January, 2000.

God began to heal our familythrough repentance and faith, andbecause we obeyed His leading andHis Word, His favor overshadowedus mightily. I went to the pastor andtold him of some unresolved issuesthat called for eighteen months of jailtime, and said that I wanted to turnmyself in. He told me to pray about itand trust God and His timing. Whenthe time came, I did turn myself in,and the prosecutor said, Just givehim four days.

God is good, and He didnt stopthere. After not having a driverslicense for over eight years, Godsfavor made it possible for me to

God spoke to my heart and said, You

cant get right to come to Me. Come

to Me and Ill get you right!

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reinstate my license. TheBible says, If we con-fess our sins, he is faith-ful and just to forgive usour sins, and to cleanse

us from all unrighteous-ness (1 John 1:9), and Ihave proved that verse tobe true.

God began to revealand remove things inour lives that we didntknow were affectinguspast hurts, broken-

ness, lack of trust, and anger. Timeand time again I went to God becauseof dreams about my past life. The Lord

through His Word gave me a hunger,and I started seeking the experience ofsanctification. Our church had a com-bined meeting with several ApostolicFaith branch churches from nearbyareas. As we prayed afterward, thepower of God fell and filled the room,and I received my sanctification.Some were saved and one receivedthe baptism of the Holy Ghost in thesame prayer service. I have not hadone of those recurring dreams since!God took away what that old nature

tried to keep me reminded of.The Lord revealed His healing

power in our home when He sparedour sons life. Our little boy choked,and he turned blue and laid limp inmy arm. Desperately my wife andI cried out in prayer, and God gavehim a gasp of air and he came to.God is mighty and hears the prayersof those who love Him!

Our church holds outreach ser-vices at the Union Gospel Mission,a place that gives food, shelter, andrecovery help to those in need. Onenight while at a mission meeting, I

felt God speaking to my heart, pull-ing me closer to Him. This promptedme to start praying more earnestlyand seeking God for the baptism ofthe Holy Spirit. In January 2008, atanother combined meeting of Apos-tolic Faith churches, the Spirit ofGod came down in the room in amighty way, and God baptized mewith the Holy Ghost and fire. Hehelped me see how much more effec-tive witnessing is when it is done in

the Spirit!The Lord has been faithful to ourfamily with much favor and grace, allbecause we are learning to trust Himmore. God has shown His mercy andmany of our friends and family arecalling on the Name of Jesus. Some

years before my father passed away in2009, God had restored our relation-ship. While he was in the hospital,after reading the Bible to him one dayI asked, Daddy, are you right withGod? He looked me in the eyes and

said, Son, Ive done that. A peacecame over me that only God can giveWhat is impossible with God?

The Lord paid the price for my sal-vation and I want to live forever toserve Him!

Terrance Scott is a minister in the

Apostolic Faith Church in Seattle,Washington.

God began to reveal and

remove things in our lives

that we didnt know were

affecting uspast hurts,brokenness, lack of trust,

and anger.

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Higher Way 9

DAY TO DAY

Several months ago, my son and his wife, who wereexpecting their second child, brought over a shortvideo of an ultrasound that was done to determine the

babys gender. From the ultrasound, we learned that ournew grandchild would be another girl. We also learned thather nose is shaped like her big sisters nose, and that sheprefers to keep her ankles crossed no matter how much sheis jostled. Her hands were fully formedwhen she held upher right hand and stretched it out, I was able to see eachtiny bone in her fingers. I marveled to myself, I am seeingGods creation in progress.

A few days later as I was praying, I said, Lord, I praiseYou for Your wisdom. Psalm 92:5 came to mind, O Lord,how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.Just then our granddaughters ultrasound came to mind. Icontinued to praise God, but this time there was even moremeaning behind my words. I praised God for His greatworkthe miracle of birth, His deep thoughts in creating

our intricate design, and His wisdom in forming the traitsof my new granddaughter.

Did you know that a simple experience like this is anexample of meditating on the things of God? For years mysupposition was that the way to meditate was to read a pas-

sage of Scripture and then close my eyes and think about itfor a few minutes. I didnt feel this was beneficial enough,though, so one day I prayed and asked God to teach me tomeditate more effectively.

Lesson One: Take Your TimeThe first thought that came to my mind when I asked God

how to meditate was, You dont need to read somethingdifferent every day. The next morning I put this idea intopractice by rereading Psalm 34:7, The angel of the Lordencampeth round about them that fear him, and deliv-ereth them. The verse was short and easy to understandChristians could expect protection from the Lordand Ihad just read it the day before, so there was still time to digdeeper. I used the time to look up the meaning of some ofthe words in the verse, and learned that to fear the Lordmeant to respect, revere, or honor Him.

As I reflected on these definitions, God showed me thatthis verse didnt just apply to Christians; it was for anyonewho revered or honored Him. For a period of time I hadbeen struggling with faith to pray for someone who hadrequested prayer for a healing, but was not saved. Now Isaw that by requesting prayer, that person had demon-strated reverence for God and thus could expect Him tohear their prayer.

Making theMost of YourMeditationFind encouragement, spiritual

insight, and a close walk with Godthrough pondering His Word and

communing with Him.

By Jodie Hinkle

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10 Higher Way

The next day I noticed in the superscription of Psalm34 that it was written by David in reference to an incidentthat took place in his life. I found the account in 1 Samuel21:10-15 and read that David had fled from King Saul tothe refuge of King Achish only to find that King Achish wasagainst him also. The rest of the day, my mind kept wander-ing back to this story. I thought about how scared Davidmust have been when he first realized his mistake in run-ning to King Achish, and how relieved he must have feltwhen God delivered him.

On day three, I learned that Psalm 34 was Davids testi-mony praising God for delivering him from King Achish.On the fourth day, I read Davids testimony and then Ithought about it. When verse 6 came to my mind, I feltDavids relief and gratitude when he said, This poor mancried, and the Lord heard him. Suddenly, I realized theimportance of the Psalms. While books like 1 and 2 Samuel,

Kings, and Chronicles give the historical accounts of events,the Psalms let us know what a person was thinking, feeling,or praying during those events.

From this experience, I learned that studying the sameverse all week caused my mind to naturally think on it, andgave God more time to talk to me through it.

Lesson Two: Meditate InteractivelyMy understanding of the word meditate was that it meant

to contemplate. To confirm this, I looked up the mean-ing of two words translated from the Hebrew language asmeditate in the Old Testament. I found that the first word,

siyach, does mean to ponder, consider, and muse, but italso means to speak, sing, or commune. Likewise, thesecond word, hagah, means to muse while also meaningto mutter, speak, moan, or groan. This led me to the con-clusion that meditating is more than just thinking aboutsomething; it is thinking about something while commu-nicating with God through prayer or song.

David was someone who meditated often and effectively.Through his writings in the Psalms we have access to soundinstruction and many good examples pertaining to med-itation. He knew that meditation is interactive. In Psalm63:5-6, he said, My mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on theein the night watches.

My first attempt at meditating during prayer took placeafter my sister asked, Why was building the tower of Babelwrong? I didnt know the answer, so one day I prayed withthe Bible open in front of me. I alternated between read-ing a few verses and stating my understanding of themwhile listening for God to correct me. Two more Bible sto-ries kept coming to my mindLucifer being cast out ofHeaven, and Eve talking with the serpent in the Garden ofEdenso I began to rehearse to God what I knew aboutthem as well. Then I noticed a pattern. In Genesis 3:5, theserpent told Eve, In the day ye eat thereof . . . ye shall be as

gods, and in Isaiah 14:13, God told Lucifer, For thou hastsaid in thine heart . . . I will exalt my throne above the starsof God. In Genesis 11:4, the people who built Babel said,Let us make us a name. They all wanted to be like God. Ihad thought the people who built the tower of Babel weretrying to reach God, but by going over the account withGod during prayer, I learned that they were trying to beequal with God.

Lesson Three: Increase Your BenefitsGod showed me there would be more benefit in broad-

ening my view of what to meditate on. I was familiar withPsalm 1:2, But his delight is in the law of the Lord; andin his law doth he meditate day and night, so I knew tomeditate on Gods Word. Then, while reading the Psalms,the Lord opened my eyes to notice that David benefited bymeditating on allthe things of God including His law, His

creation, His goodness toward man, and God Himself.In Psalm 19, David appeared to gain insight into Gods

faithfulness by reflecting on Gods law and creation whilepraying, Let the words of my mouth, and the meditationof my heart, be acceptable in thy sight (verse 14). He wasable to name several ways in which the law and creationeach provide man with a unique and undeniable witnessof God. I realized that I, too, could gain spiritual insight byprayerfully reflecting on Gods Word or creation.

In Psalm 77:11, David gained encouragement duringa time of trouble when he decided, I will remember theworks of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders

of old, and then began to recount how God delivered theIsraelites from bondage. I saw that I could also gain encour-agement by recounting during prayer the ways in whichGod had been good to me.

In Psalm 104, David meditated on God Himself begin-ning with, Thou art very great; thou art clothed withhonour and majesty and continuing by listing the char-acteristics of God. He concluded with, My meditation ofhim shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord (verse 34).I saw that if I would list the names of God (such as Cre-ator), or His attributes (eternal), or character (faithful)while reflecting on them during prayer, I could gain agreater appreciation for Him, more knowledge of Him, aswell as a closer walk with Him.

Its SimpleMeditating used to seem like such a daunting task. Now

I realize it is as simple as reading or studying somethingfrom Gods Word, reflecting on what Ive read while pray-ing and listening for God, and receiving the benefits.

Has meditation been an effective part of your commu-nion with God? It can beand you will benefit from it!

Jodie Hinkle is a member of the editorial staff at the Apos-tolic Faith International Headquarters in Portland, Oregon.

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Higher Way 11

CHJust as there are ways wecan increase or diminish ourphysical appetite, there areways we can increase ordiminish our spiritual appetite.

From a sermonby Earl Phillips

ome

H

ave you ever sat down to eat dinner when you were nothungry? Nothing looks good. You push the food around

on your plate, and maybe nibble just a bite here andthere. Perhaps the problem is that you did something to curbyour appetite. Maybe you ate a candy bar just before supper, ordrank a milkshake on the way home from work like I did onetime when I was extra hungry. My wife was not pleased aboutthe fact that I did not have much interest in the dinner she hadcooked that night. She told me, If you are going to do that, thenI wont cook!

ungry!

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12 Higher Way

When I get up in the morning, Iam hungry. I go to the kitchen, maketwo cups of coffee, and take one to mywife. Then I go back to the kitchenand often I get out a bowl, crack anegg in it, put in a little buttermilk

and some biscuit mix, and then add atablespoon or two of oil. I put a pan ofbacon on the stove. While the baconsizzles, I take strawberries out of therefrigerator and cut them up. A pan-cake breakfast is in the works, and Icant wait to eat!

It is good to be hungry in the natu-ral. It is also good to be hungry in thespiritual sense; Jesus himself told usso. We read in Matthew 5:6, Blessedare they which do hunger and thirstafter righteousness: for they shall be

filled. Jesus compared spiritual desireto physical hunger and thirst becauseeveryone can relate to those sensa-tions. We have experienced them!Whenever Jesus taught, He presentedHis message in terms that everyonecould understand.

Just as there are things we can doto increase or decrease our physicalappetite, there are things we can doto increase or decrease our appetitefor the things of God. In our church

we have camp meeting every summer,and a series of special meetings in thespring and fall. We look forward tothose events as spiritual feasts, andwe enjoy the spiritual food that wereceive because we come to the meet-

ings with a healthy appetite for thethings of God. As a result, we experi-ence the blessedness Jesus spoke of inMatthew 5:6.

As special as those times of theyear are, we want to remember thatBlessed are they which do hungerand thirst after righteousness everyday of the year! Every time we comeinto Gods House we should antici-pate what we will receive, and makesure that we do nothing to diminishour spiritual appetite.

If we want to nurture our hungerfor what we will receive in the houseof God, we can start by praying for thenext service throughout that day. Say,Lord, bless the meeting tonight. Blessthe music and the testimonies. InspireYour messenger with the words Youwant him to say. If there is someoneat church tonight who is not saved,speak to his heart. Encourage thosewho are seeking their sanctificationand the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

Give us all a spirit of prayer. As wepray that way, we will get so exciteddown inside that we can hardly waitto get to church. And if we are excited,and we come and listen with an openheart, we will receive something fromGod. We will be fed spiritually!

On the other hand, there are activi-ties that take away spiritual hunger. Ifwe watch or listen to the wrong thingbefore we come to church, our spiri-tual appetite will be dulled. When weget to church, we may find ourselves

just pushing the food around on ourplates in a spiritual sense. Nothingappeals to us; we feel no real hungerso we go away without nourishing ourinner man, or receiving the blessingthat comes to those who hunger andthirst after righteousness.

A young father testified in one of

our services a while back about hishunger for sanctification. One dayas he was driving along the freeway,talking to the Lord about that experi-ence and his desire for it, God camedown and sanctified him. He wasexcited when he got to church. Whenhe stood up and told about it in histestimony, the rest of us were excited,too! This did not happen during spe-cial meetings or camp meeting; it was

just an ordinary day to everyone else

But there was a spiritual hunger inthis young mans heart, and God sat-isfied it.

A spiritual hunger can be dulled bydoubts or questioning. How muchbetter it is to put all questions anddoubts aside, and look to Gods Word.I do not want to miss anything thatGod Himself says is His will for us.For example, in 1 Thessalonians 4:3we read, For this is the will of God,even your sanctification. How clearthat isour sanctification is the willof God! The author of the Book ofHebrews describes why we need thisexperience, explaining, For both hethat sanctifieth and they who are sanc-tified are all of one: for which cause heis not ashamed to call them brethren(Hebrews 2:11). If you are not sancti-fied, ask the Lord to give you a hungerfor that experience.

When we seek the Lord for sanc-tification, the baptism of the HolyGhost, or any other answer to prayer,

If we want tonurture our hungerfor what we will

receive in the house

of God, we canstart by praying forthe next servicethroughout that

day.

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there are steps we can take to whet ourappetite. Gods Word tells us, Drawnigh to God, and he will draw nighto you (James 4:8). How do we drawnigh to God? A good place to start isto take the Bible and look up versespertaining to what we are seeking.We can jot them down on a piece ofpaper, and keep that paper with us.When we have a break on our job orat school, or wherever we are, we cantake those verses out and read them.Doing so will increase our hunger toreceive!

Many years ago, while I was in themilitary, I received word that mybrother-in-law, Earl Garrison, hadgotten saved. I could hardly believe it.As an unsaved teenager, I had wantedto be just like Earl. He had beer in hisrefrigerator. I remember being at a

ball game with him, and watching himtake a drink on every hit and everyrun. He used to smoke in his house.When my sister would get after him,he would tell her, The ashes are goodfor the rug; they keep the fleas away.

The next time I was home on leave,my wife and I were invited to thehome of some friends, along with Earland my sister Velma. It was Saturdaynight, and before we left, Earl said,Maybe we could read our Sunday

school lesson together before we gohome. I thought, Am I hearing right?Earl wants to read the Sunday schoollesson?

I quickly recognized that mybrother-in-law was totally different.Earl received his sanctification, andthen he got hungry for his baptism.Oh, how he wanted that experience!He prayed every prayer he knew howto pray, and made every consecrationhe knew to make.

One morning Earl got in his carand headed for Hyster, the forkliftmanufacturing company where hewas employed. As he drove, he said heused the time at each red light to pray,Lord, give me my baptism. Pleasegive me my baptism. He was hungry!He did not sit back and say, Well, inthe sweet by and by when the Lordis ready to stir me, I suppose I willreceive it. He stirred himself! He wasa machinist, and he said that all daylong, each revolution of the machine

he operated seemed to say, Youve gotto have your baptism. Youve got tohave your baptism. He was so hungryhe could think of nothing else.

When his working day was over, hegot into his car and headed toward

home. As he was driving downS.E. 39th Avenue just north of PowellBoulevard, the Lord honored hishunger and started to baptize himright there in the car. Earl said, Icouldnt drive. All I could do was turnthe wheel to try to get the car off 39th.He made it around the corner andhe said that the power of God camedown into that car so mightily thatthe whole car shook. You can imaginethat when a man who weighs about260 pounds receives the baptism ofthe Holy Ghost in a car, it is no smallthing! You talk about excited!

When he could finally drive again,my brother-in-law could hardly waitto get home and tell his wife. Heopened the door and said, Velma,guess what! She took one look athim and said, You got your bap-tism! When God fills you with HisHoly Spirit, you cannot hide it fromthe world. Remember, Blessed arethey which do hunger and thirst after

righteousness: for they shall be filled.That blessing will be evident to others.

Gods promise to fill the hungryapplies to whatever you are seekingfrom God. There is a wonderful tablespread before you with spiritual food.I never could see that table until theday I made my way down to an altarof prayer and knelt before the Lord toseek salvation. But there my eyes wereopened and I found out that what theLord offered was wonderful! I willnever forget that night as long as I live.

When I got up from the altar, all Iwanted were the things of God. Beforethat, all I wanted were the things ofthe world. Truly, all things becamenew in my life. That night I wenthome and got out a little Bible mymom had given me when I was a kid. Ihave no idea what I read, but I wanted

the Word of God. When I got up thenext morning, instead of smoking acigarette as I always did, I got out thatlittle Bible and read again. I got downon my knees and said, Thank You,Lord, for saving my soul. God haddone something wonderful for me.

In the days following, God con-tinued to lead me to a closer walkwith Him, as He helped me seek andreceive the experiences of sanctifi-cation and the baptism of the Holy

Spirit. All these years later, I can saythat I enjoy life today. If I had under-stood as a young boy what a thrill andsatisfaction serving God brings, I amsure I would have chosen the Gospelmuch sooner.

God will do something wonder-ful for you too. If you are not saved,come to Him with a hungry heart andask Him to make that change in you.For those who are saved but have notbeen sanctified, ask God to give you aburning desire for that experience. If

you have been sanctified, seek God forthe baptism of the Holy Ghosttheinfilling of power for service.

Whatever your need today, God canprovide abundantly, if you will cometo Him with a hunger in your heart.

Earl Phillips is a retired pastor of theApostolic Faith organization. He cur-rently serves on the ministerial staff ofthe headquarters church in Portland,Oregon.

As he drove, he

said he used the

time at each redlight to pray,

Lord, give me my

baptism. Please

give me my

baptism.

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14 Higher Way

EVIDENCEMY LIFE has been full of the Lordsblessings, and I want to thank Him for

everything He has done for me. I wasborn in Norway, and lived there for thefirst twenty years of my life. My grand-parents came into the Gospel at thevery beginning of the Apostolic Faithwork in Norway, so I had the oppor-tunity to see Christianity lived beforeme. Growing up, I had a wonderfulChristian family and a mother whowas just super. She had to go throughquite a few hard places, but she alwaysheld steady.

I am so glad that God called meto serve Him, too. When I was nineyears old, I realized that I needed tobe saved. I asked Jesus to come intomy heart, and He has been there eversince. I am so thankful for the keepingpower of Jesus.

When I was twenty years old, Imoved to the United States. My planswere all made and everything wasgoing to be just great. But situationscan change, and they did in my life.Perplexing times came but I am soglad that I knew what to do, and thatwas to lean on the Lord. He knows theend from the beginning and He hasthe best in store for us.

When my husband Don and I gotmarried, we purposed to make servingthe Lord a real priority in our lives,and that has been a blessing for thealmost forty-four years we have beenmarried. I am so thankful for Godshelp through the years. Of course,there have been ups and down in life.

We had a very sad time a number ofyears ago when our baby boy was bornwith serious birth defects. He was inand out of the hospital, and there weresurgeries. We had many questions, butthe family of God was right there, andour own family, too, were so help-ful. When the Lord took our little sonto Heaven when he was almost fourmonths old, my heart was broken. ButGod has healed my heart, and I knowI will meet our son in Heaven. He will

be able to walk and do all the thingsthat he would never have been able

to do here on this earth. Later, Godblessed us with two daughters, and Iam thankful that we were able to raisethem in the Gospel. Our two daughterslove us and love each other, and wehave fantastic grandchildren. My aimnow as a grandma is to make sure thatmy grandchildren know that beinga Christian is a good way. I have somany blessings and I thank the Lord. Tove Paulsen

I AM SO THANKFUL that I am saved.God has been the best Guide in mylife. He has helped me in the smalldecisions and in the most importantdecisions of my life.

In 2002, I came to the United Statesfrom South Korea to study nursing.For several years, I was very busy withmy homework and school. However,when it was close to my senior yearof nursing school, I was praying moreabout whom I should marry. Duringcamp meeting of 2006, I told theLord that I would like to get marriedsomeday, but that if He wanted me tobe single, to please give me strengthto be faithful to Him. If I married, Iwanted my husband to be someonewho would serve the Lord with me therest of my life.

That same year, at our churchcamp meeting in Portland, I becameacquainted with a young gentleman

from northern California. He neededme to interpret for his good friend, ayoung minister from South Korea. Wegot to know each other very well, andin time we began praying about eachother to make sure it was Gods willfor us to marry. In June of 2007 wewere married with Gods blessing.

On June 23, 2010, our son was born.Shortly after he was born the doctornoticed that he was having difficultybreathing. He was admitted to the

NICU, and that was the most diffi-cult and challenging time of my life. I

was devastated and heartbroken, butI could not do anything to help my sonexcept pray. I prayed earnestly that myson would be able to leave the hospitalat the same time I did. Even though itwas difficult, I knew that God was incontrol. God used that time to help merealize that I cannot rely on anythingin this world but Christ. God heardmy prayer and promised that I wouldgo home with my son. Today he is ahealthy boy.

I am so thankful that God has helpedme make the right decisions in my lifeand that he has taken me through thedifficult times with peace in Christ. Sunyoung Millard

THANK GOD for what He has donefor me. I was raised in a Christianhome and knew that I should turn mylife over to God from the time I was achild. We lived right across the streetfrom the Apostolic Faith Church, andmy dad was one of the ministers there.However, it wasnt until after I waseighteen years old that I got my lifestraightened out.

My dad died when I was seventeen,so I thought that was my chance to dowhat I wanted to do. I moved awayfrom home, bought a dump truck, andwent to work building logging roads.One day I was pulling up a steep hill,my truck loaded with rock, when the

motor just quit. The truck started roll-ing back, so I stepped on the brakes tostop it, but the hill was so steep that thefront wheels came off the ground andI was going down the hill backwards. Ithought about jumping from the cab,but I figured the truck might hit me.About then the front wheels toucheddown enough that it turned the truckinto the bank and it stopped. A shorttime later I was working in Medfordand was sent to open the doors in the

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Higher Way 15

PERSONAL TESTI MONIES OF THE POWER OF GOD

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

Acknowledge For all havesinned, and come short of theglory of God (Romans 3:23).

God be merciful to me a sinner(Luke 18:13).Confess If we confess our sins,

he is faithful and just to forgive usour sins, and to cleanse us from allunrighteousness (1 John 1:9).Repent I tell you, Nay: but,

except ye repent, ye shall all like-wise perish (Luke 13:3). Repentye therefore, and be converted,that your sins may be blotted out(Acts 3:19).

Forsake Let the wicked forsakehis way, and the unrighteous manhis thoughts: and let him return

unto the Lord, and he will havemercy upon him . . . for he willabundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:7).Believe For God so loved the

world, that he gave his only begot-ten Son, that whosoever believethin him should not perish, but haveeverlasting life (John 3:16).

If you are a new Christian, write usand request the tract entitled, Start-ing Out.

www.apostolicfaith.org

back of a truck. The driver didnt seeme and backed into the loading dock,

pinning me there, but again, the Lordspared my life.

It was just a few nights later, whenI was at home in bed, that the Lordstarted talking to me again. He calledme by name and said, Don, I havegiven you two chances already and youdid not pray. What will the third onebe? That scared me!

A week or so later, I had a fewyoung men in the car with me andthey started talking about the coming

of the Lord. Conviction settled downon me heavily. Finally we went to thechurch about midnight and woke upthe caretaker to let us in. I prayed andthe Lord saved me that night. Thathas been sixty years ago, and that islong enough to prove that Jesus is realand serving God is a good way to live. Don Andrews

THE LORD HAS BEEN so good tome. Next month it will be ten yearssince the Lord saved me, and this campmeeting it will be four years since Hesanctified me. I am so thankful for Hismercy that He shows to me every day,for the strength He gives me when Ineed strength, and the peace He givesme when I need peace. He kept meserving Him all through high school,and I know that He is leading me nowthrough college.

About a month ago I was talking

with some friends, and all of a suddenthe Lord just spoke to my heart andsaid, You need to be doing more forMe. I thought, Yes, that is true; I do.After that God just gave me confi-dence that I would receive the baptismof the Holy Spirit. I knew I neededit. Even when my faith wasnt strong,God would just put that confidenceback in me: You are going to get thatexperience; you need that experiencein your life. I am so thankful He did

not give up on me. One Friday nightas I was praying, He filled me with

His Holy Spirit, and it has been such ablessing in my life.

I am so thankful for all God hasdone for me, and I know that He willcontinue to lead me. Kelsie Friesen

THANK GOD for His mercy and faith-fulness to me. At the age of six, I had areal experience of salvation. However,as I grew older and became a teenager,

I started making compromises to tryand fit in with friends who were notChristians, and I ended up living a lifeof sin while trying to convince myselfthat I was still a Christian.

Thankfully, when I was fifteen yearsold, the Lord got a hold of me onenight. There was conviction on myheart, and I was afraid to go to sleep.Finally, at about two oclock in themorning, I went to my parents room,woke them up, and told them that Ineeded to get saved. After praying for acouple of hours, the Lord gave me thestrength and faith to receive salvation.Life had been dull and gray before thatpoint, but when the Lord saved me, itbecame full of color. I know what it

means to be dead in sins because itfelt like my life started right then.

After I was saved, I began to searchthe Scriptures, and the Lord showedme my need for sanctification, asecond, definite work of grace. Atcamp meeting, the Lord wonderfullysanctified me. The impact on my lifewas even more profound than that ofsalvation: the way I talked changed andI had a deep love for people whom Idhad problems with before. I thank Godfor setting me apart and making meholy.

After I was sanctified, I began seek-ing the baptism of the Holy Spirit. TheLord faithfully met and blessed me,but for some time I couldnt seem toreceive that experience. Finally one dayI cried out to the Lord in great weak-ness and told Him that I couldnt evenpray on my own. As I was weeping, Irealized that I was speaking in anotherlanguage. I had been trying so hard inmy own strength, but that day I real-ized my only role is to yield to the Lordand allow Him to work in me. When Iwas fully broken, He was able to fill mewith His Spirit.

The Lord has been so good to me;I just want to be faithful to Him. Andrew Jensen

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16 Higher Way

Awhile back, as I was looking throughsome old family pictures, I realizedthat most snapshots taken of our

family during my growing up years had cig-arettes and beer bottles in them. It broughtto mind what a life God has saved me from!

I was born and raised in Centralia, Washington. I remem-ber being sent to Sunday school a few times when I was

young, but I never learned that God could take away mysins, give me a clean heart, and make a difference in my life.My husband, Greg, had attended Sunday school at the

Apostolic Faith Church in Chehalis for many years whenhe was a child, so after we were married we visited therea few times. I thought it was strange how the people kneltand prayed at the altar, and praying out loud seemed con-fusing to me. I didnt want any part of it; I felt like I was onthe outside looking in. I did not know anything about thepeace that Jesus could give.

However, Gods Spirit began to talk to my husband abouthis soul. One evening Greg went to a service and prayed,and God made a wonderful change in him. When he camehome that night, I could see a difference on his face. He toldme that he had gotten saved. Though I wasnt sure whatthat meant, God started talking to me, too.

I decided to go to church with Greg the next Sunday. Icannot tell you one thing that went on in that service, butI do know that God convicted me of my sin. He made mesee my need for His forgiveness. After the service was over,I wanted to pray. If only I could have the peace and joy thatthe church people talked about! The pastor and his wifeknelt beside me and prayed with me, and God wonderfullysaved me. Before that time, I had a fear of dying, but Godtook care of that when He saved me.

In the years since then, God has helpedme through many situations. I have mademistakes along the way, but God has alwaysbeen there to pick me up and help me learnand grow.

Many times He has been my Healer. Sev-eral years ago I injured my neck. I was told that I might needto have surgery to get relief. The pain was so bad that it kept

me from sleeping in my bedthe only way I could get alittle rest was on our recliner. That pain continued for twomonths. I tried pain medications, but they made me sickChiropractors were able to help me find some relief, andphysical therapy sessions also helped to relieve some of thepressure. However, nothing lasted. I spent so many hourstrying to sleep in our old blue recliner that I began to hatethat chair! After everyone went to bed, and I was still awakefacing another night of pain, I would be so depressed.

This went on for some time, and then God spoke to meand told me to thank Him for the blue recliner. I laughedto myself at first, but as night came, God spoke again, Justthank Me. So that is what I did. In obedience, I praised andthanked God for the old blue recliner, and in just a few daysthe pain in my neck began to go away. It got better day byday until I was so improved that I could sleep in my ownbed again.

God has been so good and faithful to me. He blessed Gregand me with a wonderful family, and gave us the privilegeof bringing our children to Sunday school and church. Hehas proved Himself to be greater than any of my expecta-tions. It surely does pay to serve God!

Candy Dipola and her husband, Greg, are members of theApostolic Faith Church in Chehalis, Washington.

On theOutside

Looking In

By Candy Dipola

Could she find the

peace and joy that the

church people talked

about?

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Higher Way 17

Todays Youth

Make your 35,000

DailyDecisionsnot inherit the kingdom of God?Be not deceived: neither fornica-tors, nor idolators, nor adulter-

ers, nor effeminate, nor abusersof themselves with mankind, northieves, nor covetous, nor drunk-ards, nor revilers, nor extortioners,shall inherit the kingdom of God.Clearly, those who make a choice todo these things will have no part inGods eternal Kingdom. There areother such lists throughout Scrip-ture, such as Proverbs 6:16-19 andGalatians 5:19-21. These Scripturesoffer guidelines that will direct inmany of the decisions we need tomake.

We need to be aware that theenemy of our souls will attempt tolessen the importance of decisionswhich may, in fact, be very decisivein our spiritual lives. For instance,he might pose the questions: Doesthis really matter? Why is it such abig deal? However, making rightdecisions regarding issues thatimpact our walk with God is tre-mendously important.

By Erik Calhoun

R

esearchers have determinedthat the average adult makes35,000 decisions a day. With

86,400 seconds in a 24-hour day, thatequates to a decision almost everyother second! Of course, the vastmajority of our decisions are actedupon with very little consideration.Technically, each physical step we takeis a decision. In fact, our movements,thoughts, actions, and reactions areall products of our decisions. ShouldI sit? Should I stand? Should I raisemy hand? Should I look left or right?Should I say something or say noth-ing? Should I eat this or would that bebetter? While most of our decisions donot have moral implications, we alsochoose between right and wrong daily.In addition, we make choices that willdetermine how effective our Chris-tian witness is to the world around us.Decisions in these categories will haveeternal consequences!

In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 we finda very explicit list of things that weknow will not be in Heaven: Knowye not that the unrighteous shall

For example, some may wonderwhether it is acceptable to develop aclose friendship or relationship with

someone who is not a Christian.The argument may be made thatsuch a relationship would make itpossible for the believer to witnessto the unbeliever. In 2 Corinthians6:14 we find these words, Be yenot unequally yoked together withunbelievers: for what fellowshiphath righteousness with unrigh-teousness? And what communionhath light with darkness? TheBible clearly states that a believercannot walk in harmony with anunbeliever, for we read in Amos 3:3,Can two walk together, except theybe agreed? Just as water and oil donot mix, righteousness and unrigh-teousness are polar opposites.Rather than the believer helping theunbeliever, it is far more likely thatan unbeliever will have an adversespiritual effect on the believer. So,the Biblical principal of maintain-ing separation from the world willguide us to an understanding that

be for Gods glory!

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18 Higher Way

online post, and then wonder if weshould send or post it. As Christians,we want to choose to use email, textmessaging, and online networking ina positive manner. Colossians 3:17instructs, And whatsoever ye do inword or deed, do all in the name ofthe Lord Jesus, giving thanks to Godand the Father by him. Our decisions

on what to post online for the entireworld to see should be made care-fully and in the context of holiness.We must consider how it characterizesus as representatives of Jesus Christ,along with how it portrays others.Social media certainly is included in

the phrase whatsoever ye do in wordor deed, and therefore should be usedto glorify God and to encourage eachother. Technology offers many ways toinstantly spread the Gospel message,but using it in a way that glorifies Godis a choice we must make.

Another example would be deci-sions that relate to the media we read,watch, or listen to. On occasion wemay be surrounded by church-goingfriends, yet still need to make a choicecontrary to the rest of the groupconcerning a specific DVD, pro-gram, or song. It may not be easy, but

The enemy of our

souls will attempt

to lessen the

importance of

decisions which

may, in fact,

be very decisive inour spiritual lives.

upholding our principles is necessaryin order to maintain a close relation-ship with God. The Psalmist pro-claimed, I will set no wicked thingbefore mine eyes. Our choices regard-ing what we see and hear matter!

Finally, at times we will face deci-sions that require finding Godsdirection for our personal lives. Duringmy college years, I remember tryingto decide which program I shouldpursue. I was unsure of the directionthat God would have me to go. As Isought the Lord in prayer, I never recallhearing an audible voice from Heavenproviding direction. However, astime progressed doors began to open,and over time God provided a path.When we come up against a decisionwhere we are unsure as to Gods direc-tion, we should begin by looking into

His Word. Be prayerful and willing towait with God until the path is madeevident. Remember, Gods timing isalways perfect!

We also should not be surprised ifthe enemy of our souls comes alongat times and accuses us of makinga wrong decision. Thats why Johnthe Revelator described Satan asthe accuser of our brethren inRevelation 12:10. We serve a patientand gracious God who understands

that we are all works in progress. Justas we made a conscious choice to serveGod, turning in a different directionrequires a conscious choice. God willhelp us live as He wants us to if we askHim and are open to His leading.

While we cannot pray 35,000 indi-vidual prayers each day, we can havea continual desire to please God thatwill guide us in every importantdecision.

Erik Calhoun is youth leader of theApostolic Faith Church in Portland,Oregon.

we must maintain a distance fromthose who do not share our commit-ment to Christ.

Sometimes we face making a deci-sion regarding a behavior that otherssuggest is allowable. For instance,some have asked, Why cant I drinkjust one glass of wine? I wont getdrunk. We know the Bible states in theverses quoted above that drunkardswill not inherit the kingdom of God.However, Scripture also tells us, Wineis a mocker, strong drink is raging:and whosoever is deceived thereby isnot wise (Proverbs 20:1). Why woulda Christian want any part of some-thing the Bible declares is a mocker,regardless of whether doing so resultsin drunkenness or even impairment?In the United States, some jurisdic-tions deem it a crime to drive with a

blood alcohol level of 0.08, but in otherstates the level is 0.10. Does that meanthat an individual with a level of 0.08is impaired in one location but notin another? Who is to say how muchalcohol it takes to impair judgment?

Furthermore, we can point to count-less men and women who were deliv-ered instantly from a desire for alcohol.The very taste of what they enjoyedbefore being justified by faith in JesusChrist became totally unappealing in a

moment of time. The Scriptural posi-tion regarding consuming alcohol,along with the evidence of those whowere delivered from any desire for itthe moment they were saved, pointsto the conclusion that God wants usto abstain from drinking alcoholicbeverages.

At times, we face decisions thatwill impact the effectiveness of ourChristian testimony. For instance,how should we use social media in amanner that best represents a Chris-tian? We may compose an email, typeout a text message, or prepare an

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Higher Way 19

In business and educational fields, weoften hear the word advantage used.An advantage is defined as any state,

circumstance, opportunity, or means espe-

cially favorable to success or a desiredend; a benefit, gain, or profit; a position ofsuperiority or ascendancy. Most people enjoy having anadvantage.

Some of us have lived in the state of North Dakota duringthe wintertime. I cannot recall much of a personal advan-tage in living there during the cold months, because a warmday was zero degrees and the rest of the time it was justplain cold. However, people who own property in NorthDakota have an advantage. A number of years ago, it wasdiscovered that underneath the surface of the land, there isoil. That is an advantage which is not perceivedespeciallywhen the wind is blowing at thirty knots and the tempera-ture is thirty degrees below zero!

In the Book of Romans, the Apostle Paul referenced anadvantage the Jews had, though that advantage was notperceived by everyone. He made his point by asking twoquestions and then answering them. What advantage thenhath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Muchevery way: chiefly, because that unto them were commit-ted the oracles of God (Romans 3:1-2). In chapter two,Paul had pointed out that Israels law, rites, and ancestralheritage could not bring about salvation. Anticipating arebuttal to his conclusion, he asked these questions, sayingin essence, What advantage does the Jewish nation have in

being chosen by God? How can being Jewishbe an advantage if that does not save? Heanswered by asserting that God had givenmany advantages to Israel, the chief of which

was that they had been entrusted with thereceipt, inscription, and transmission of theOld Testament Scriptures.

Paul went on to indicate that the unbelief of the Jewsdid not disannul what God had said. Though they werekeepers of the primary message of God to mankind, theJews had failed to perceive the value of the message. How-ever, that did not make the message without effect. We arethankful that, though we may not have believed the Gospelright away, it was still available, giving us a chance to get tothe point where we could finally pray our own prayers andmake a personal connection with God.

The Jews were custodians of the message that there is away for man to get out of this world alive. That is a goodmessage! All of mankind is born in sin, and as we growolder, we are consumed by sin to a greater or a lesser degree.Since Gods Word declares that the wages of sin is death,our destination is not good. But the message of the Gospelexplains that deliverance from sin is available through sal-vation by Jesus Christ, and that through salvation, we canmake Heaven our eternal home.

What a tremendous advantage we have in knowing ofthis salvation! This is a benefit package from God thatHe provides for anyone who is willing to accept the termsthat He designates. Obedience is of high priority in order

AnUnbeatableAdvantage

Onlookers might think circumstances

are stacked against us, but when God

is on our side, we have . . .

From a sermonby Tom Pricskett

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Higher Way 21

Highl ight ing Our

Her i tage

Because he had

been miraculously

healed as a child,

he always felt that

the Lord had a

special purposefor his life.

By Odd Bruvoll

The Apostolic Faith work in Norwaycelebrated its centennial anniversary inApril of this year. In honor of that event,we are republishing the testimony ofOdd Bruvoll, one of the veterans of thework in that country.

Growing up, I had the privilegeto live in a Christian home witha mother who prayed to the

Lord. By songs and reading the Bible,she was careful to put Gods Word intomy heart.

From the time I was four yearsold until I was eight, I was very sick.I had eczema all that time, as well asasthma and bronchitis. Several times Iwas near death, and no doctors couldhelp me. No medicines brought relief.My mother and siblings had to carryme around, and many times I heardmy mother calling out to the Lord inprayer for me.

One day my mother received anApostolic Faith paper from Port-land, Oregon, and she read that theyprayed for the sick and the sick werehealed. She wrote a letter and receivedan anointed handkerchief which shegave me when it arrived. She came upto my bedroom and knelt by my bed,

and there she told the Lord, Im leav-ing this child with You. I cant prayanymore myself. You must save him. Ifhe is going to be a child of Yours, lethim live, but if he will go out into theworld, take him now. I cant see him

out in the world. Then she went backdownstairs, leaving me there in beduntil morning. When I woke up thenext day, it was like waking up to a newlife. I was totally healed! I played out-side and could go to school because Iwas well.

Because I knew that the Lord hadhealed me, as I grew up I felt that in away my life belonged to God. I alwayssaid that someday I would be a Chris-tian. However, when I grew older, Ithought that I wanted to try what allthe other young people were trying.

I decided to attend the seamansschool in Troms, Norway, because Iwanted to be a captain and go out inNorwegian ships all over the world.What I didnt know was that Godhad a plan in bringing me to Troms,because there was an Apostolic FaithChurch there.

One evening eight of us from theseamans school gathered several bot-tles of hard liquor, intending to have a

A Life that Belonged to God

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You may obtain additional information about these doctrines, and learnabout our publications in foreign languages by writing to the ApostolicFaith Church at 6615 SE 52nd Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97206, U.S.A. orvisiting our website atwww.apostolicfaith.org.

Before these magazines are sent out, they are always prayed over for thehealing of the sick and the salvation of souls.

A Statement of Bible Doctrine

The Divine Trinity consists ofthree Persons: God the Father,Jesus Christ the Son, and the HolyGhost, perfectly united as one.Matthew 3:16-17; 1 John 5:7.

Repentance is a godly sorrowfor and a renouncing of all sin.Isaiah 55:7; Matthew 4:17.

Justification (salvation) is theact of Gods grace through whichwe receive forgiveness for sinsand stand before God as thoughwe had never sinned. Romans 5:1;

2 Corinthians 5:17.Entire Sanctification, the act

of Gods grace whereby we aremade holy, is the second definitework and is subsequent to justi-fication. John 17:15-21; Hebrews13:12.

The Baptism of the HolyGhost is the enduement of powerupon the sanctified life, and isevidenced by speaking in tonguesas the Spirit gives utterance. John

14:16-17,26; Acts 1:5-8; 2:1-4.Divine Healing of sickness isprovided through the atonement.James 5:14-16; 1 Peter 2:24.

The Second Coming of Jesuswill consist of two appearances.First, He will come to catchaway His waiting Bride. Matthew24:40-44; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17.Second, He will come to executejudgment upon the ungodly.2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Jude 14-15.

The Tribulation will occurbetween Christs coming for HisBride and His return in judg-ment. Isaiah 26:20-21; Revelation9 and 16.

Christs Millennial Reign willbe the 1000 years of peacefulreign by Jesus on earth. Isaiah 11and 35; Revelation 20:1-6.

The Great White ThroneJudgment will be the final judg-ment when all the wicked deadwill stand before God. Revelation20:11-15.

The New Heaven and TheNew Earth will replace the pres-ent heaven and earth, whichwill be destroyed after the Great

White Throne Judgment. 2 Peter3:12-13; Revelation 21:1-3.

Eternal Heaven and EternalHell are literal places of finaland eternal destiny. Matthew25:41-46; Luke 16:22-28.

Marriage is a covenant betweenone man and one woman that isbinding before God for life. Neitherperson has a right to marry againwhile the first companion lives. Mark10:6-12; Romans 7:1-3.

Restitutionis necessary, where-in wrongs against others arerighted. Ezekiel 33:15; Matthew5:23-24.

Water Baptism is by oneimmersion in the name of theFather, and of the Son, and of theHoly Ghost. Matthew 3:16; 28:19.

The Lords Supper is an insti-tution ordained by Jesus so that wemight remember His death untilHe returns. Matthew 26:26-29;1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

Foot Washing is practicedaccording to the example andcommandment Jesus gave. John13:14-15.

We believe in the divine inspiration of the Bible, and endorse all theteachings contained in it. Following is a summary of our basic doctrines.

ago, and I have never had pains in myback since. God did the job well!

My wife and I have faced other trialstoo. One time my wife was very sick.We were driving to a meeting whenshe had a brain hemorrhage. Her rightside was paralyzed, and we had to lifther out of the car and carry her intothe place where we were going to havethe meeting. When we laid her downon the sofa, she told me, Im dying.She felt the paralysis moving towardher heart, so we knelt down beside herand asked the Lord to stop whateverwas happening in her body.

We took her back to Troms tothe hospital. The doctors told us theycould not do anything for her, so I tookher home. She could not do anythingfor herself. I was the pastor in Tromsby that time, and I told the Lord, I am

the pastor here but I have a paralyzedwife. You have said in Your Word thatsigns will follow them who believethe blind shall see, the deaf shall hear,and the lame shall walk. Where is thepower that we need, so that my wifecan walk again?

On Saturday evening, the fifthday after she had fallen ill, I felt thatI should read the Word. I took theBible, and it opened to the Acts of theApostles, chapter 3. I read how Peter

and John went to the Temple to prayand told the lame man in the Name ofJesus to get up and walk. I felt God toldme to say that to my wife. In obedienceI stood up from praying, gave her myhand, and told her, Stand up and Jesuswill heal you! She got up and was nolonger paralyzed. I took her arm andwe walked into the living room andback. Then I took a guitar, put it inher hands, and said, Play! She playedwith the hand which had been para-lyzed. Jesus had done another miraclein our home!

The Lord has been so good to us.What God could do for Peter and Paul,He can also do for us. I praise God forHis miracle-working power.

Odd Bruvoll served as pastor of theApostolic Faith Church in Troms,Norway, for thirty-nine years, and thenpastored in Silsund for about twelveyears. He went home to be with the Lordin May, 2010.

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