This is the story of Jesus, adapted with permission from The Wonderful, Powerful Gospel of Jesus Christ by Jerry and Marilyn O’Dell.
Part One
The God we serve is the one true and living God. He is the God who created the entire Universe. He put the stars in the sky and the fish in the sea. He created the beasts in the field and the birds in the air. He created the human race. He created you, and He created me.
When God created the first man and the first woman, He created them to love them. He made a beautiful garden for them to live in. He wanted them to have a wonderful, happy life. God came from Heaven to walk with them and talk with them. He also gave this man and woman instructions on how to guard and keep the beautiful garden they lived in. There was no sickness there and there was no torment from demons. They were the rulers of the Earth.
However, God has an enemy. His name is Satan, Lucifer, the devil. He came to this man and woman and convinced them they should disobey God. They had been told by God not to eat the fruit of a certain tree, but Satan lied to them and tricked them into disobeying God. When they ate the fruit of that tree they could no longer be the rulers of the Earth. Their act of disobedience gave Satan the right to be the ruler of the Earth! It gave him the right to destroy human beings. He brought sickness into the human race and he brought demons to torment them.
God knew this would happen, but He loved His creation. He loved the men and women on the Earth and He had a plan to redeem back their freedom from their enemy, Satan. He had a plan to once again make them rulers over the Earth. And two thousand years ago God sent an angel to the Earth to announce the plan.
Part Two
The angel came to a young virgin named Mary. He said, “Blessed are you among women, for you shall bear in your womb the Son of God.” Mary replied, “How can this be? I have never known a man!” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit of God shall overshadow you, Mary. You shall conceive a boy child. You shall call His name Jesus. He shall save the people of the world from their sins!”
It happened just as the angel said. The child was born and grew to become a man. Then Jesus went everywhere showing people how much God loved them. He healed their diseases. He opened blind eyes. He made deaf ears to hear. He put strength into the legs of the cripples so they could walk. He even cleansed the lepers. There was no sickness too hard for Him to heal, and He never turned anyone away. He never said, “No! I will not heal you!” He healed everyone who asked Him, and at His word demons came out of the people.
Jesus also forgave people their sins. He forgave the most evil people. He forgave prostitutes and adulterers. He forgave thieves and murderers. He forgave drunkards and drug addicts. And He gave them all power to change their lives and sin no more. Jesus did no evil, but only did good.
Part Three
Still, the miracles made religious leaders angry. They did not want Jesus to be accepted among the people as the Son of God. So they plotted to kill Him. They took Him to court. They falsely accused Him, and they sentenced Him to die. They beat His back with a whip; they plucked out His beard and they put a crown of thorns on His head. Then, they hung Him on a cross. They put nails through His hands and nails through His feet. They stuck a spear in His side, and His blood rushed forth to the ground.
You may be wondering, “If Jesus was truly the Son of God, How could these men kill Him?” But you see, this was the plan of God! Jesus could have called angels from Heaven to come and take Him off that cross, but He knew that someday you and I would need a Savior and a healer. He was willing to become the sacrifice of God for our sins. He knew that He was born for this purpose. For God had made a law: “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.” Jesus knew that the blood of animals was not good enough to pay the price for mankind’s sins. He knew there was no man alive on the Earth who was sinless. He knew the blood of a mere human being could not wash away the sins of men and women and give back to them what the devil stole in that garden. Jesus knew that only the sinless, pure blood of the Son of God would be accepted by God. So He willingly hung on that cross and died.
Jesus’ body was laid in a tomb, which is like a big cave. That is how they buried people in those days. He laid there dead for three days, but God was about to show the whole world that Jesus was not just a holy man. He was not just a teacher or a miracle worker. He was not just a prophet. (Some say that He was a good man and a prophet, but not the Son of God. But they are wrong!) He was the Son of God! And after lying there dead for three days, the power of Almighty God came into the lifeless body of Jesus Christ and He rose up and walked out of that tomb alive! Hallelujah!!!
After Jesus was raised from the dead, He showed Himself to many people so they would believe on Him. Then He said, “I must go back to Heaven to be with my Father. It is good for you that I go, for I shall send my Spirit to the Earth. Then, wherever you tell this Good News about Me, if the people will believe it and call on My name, My Spirit will come into them and live inside of them. They will become children of God.”
You see, everyone is a member of the human race, but not everyone is a child of God. When a child of God dies their eternal spirit leaves their body and goes to live with God in Heaven where there is joy and peace forever. However, when someone dies who is not a child of God their eternal spirit goes to Hell, where there is torment and pain forever. God does not want anyone to go to Hell. That is why I am sharing this truth with you.
Part Four
Before He returned to Heaven, Jesus said something else: “Wherever you tell this Good News, if the people will believe and call upon My name, I will be there among them to do the same miracles I did when I walked the Earth.”
Now, reason with me: if what I have shared about Jesus is true, if He really is alive, then He will still do miracles today just like He did when He walked on the Earth. If the story is not true, then there will be no miracles. He will do them, though, just as He has all over the world! He still opens blind eyes, opens deaf ears, causes cripples to walk, and heals every manner of sickness known to man. He will come to you right now if you will only believe in Him and call on His name.
In the Bible there are many stories about sick people who were healed. They were written in this Holy Book for all men to read or hear about so they can believe and God can heal them the same way.
One story is about a leper. When the leper saw Jesus he ran to Him, fell at His feet, and worshipped Him. He said, “Master, I know you have the power to heal me. I believe you are who you say you are. But will you heal me?”
This man was not sure Jesus would heal him. The leper was not anyone special! Would Jesus think he was worthy to be healed? The leper did not know how much God loved him. Yet, he believed what he heard about Jesus. He believed Jesus was born of a virgin. He believed Jesus was the Son of God, and he believed Jesus could heal him if He wanted to. You may feel just like this leper. You may believe Jesus could heal you, but wonder if He wants to. Jesus looked at that leper and answered him like this: “I will! Be made whole!” He will answer you the same way: “Yes, I will heal you! Be made whole!”
Get ready to worship Jesus, just like that leper did. God loves you! He is ready and willing to heal your sick body.
Part Five
Another story is about a blind man. While Jesus was alive on the Earth, there lived an old blind beggar named Bartimaeus. One day, as Bartimaeus was sitting by the roadside begging, he heard the noise of a large crowd passing by. He asked his friend nearby what the noise was about. The friend replied: “Jesus is passing our way.”
Bartimaeus was so excited because He had heard about Jesus. He had heard Jesus was the Son of God and born of a virgin. He had heard that Jesus did miracles, and Bartimaeus believed what he heard. So he stood to his feet and cried out, “Jesus! Have mercy on me!” But Jesus did not stop. Bartimaeus did not give up, though. He cried all the louder, “Jesus! Have mercy on me!”
This time Jesus stopped. He said to those around Him, “Bring that blind man to me.” When Bartimaeus heard Jesus say that, he did something very special. You see, he wore a certain kind of coat which signified he was blind. When people saw someone wearing this kind of coat, they would step aside and let the blind person pass by. Bartimaeus, however, knew Jesus would heal him and then he would not need that special coat anymore. He had faith in his heart. So, while Bartimaeus was still in a world of darkness, he took off his coat and threw it aside. When they brought Bartimaeus to Jesus, Jesus asked him, “What do you want from me?” Bartimaeus replied, “Oh! That I might receive my sight!”
Jesus healed that blind man. It was his faith in Jesus that brought him his miracle. You can be healed right now as well. Just believe in your heart and get ready to act your faith the way Bartimaeus did. He threw off his special coat, even before he could see. Begin to think about what you will be able to do when you are healed that you cannot do now. Then, after you pray, act your faith and begin to do that very thing.
Part Six
Now you have heard the message of Jesus Christ. It came from the Holy Book of God, called the Bible. This book gives clear instructions on what you must do in order to become a child of God and go to Heaven and not Hell when you die. First, it says you must believe that the message about Jesus Christ is true, even though it may be the first time you have heard about Jesus.
God has also made it clear that you must not only believe the message about His Son, Jesus, but with your own voice and your own free will you must declare that you believe Jesus is the Son of God. You, with your own voice, must receive Him into your life as your Lord and Master. No one can do this for you. No preacher, no priest, no holy man, no religion can do this for you. You must do this for yourself. I cannot do it for you, but I can help you.
When you do this, the very life of God will come into your eternal spirit, and by a divine miracle He will make you His child. You will still look the same, but the eternal part of you that will live forever in Heaven or Hell will be given a new life, and that life is from God. Now remember, you must do this yourself. You must call on Him with your own voice because you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and has risen from the dead. And while I cannot do it for you, I can help you do it. Pray this prayer out loud, and make sure it comes from your heart:
Oh God! I declare that I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe He was born of a virgin 2,000 years ago and that He died so my sins might be forgiven. I believe He shed His blood, which washes my sins away and makes me clean. I believe that as I make Him the Lord and Master of my life, every work of the devil is broken in my life. I am free from the devil’s bondage and free from sin. I declare that Satan is no longer my master, but that Your Son, Jesus Christ, is my Master from this day forward. I further declare that I will serve Him the rest of my life. I thank You that You have heard this prayer and declaration. I realize that I am now Your child and that You are my Heavenly Father. I realize now that I will go to Heaven and not Hell when I die. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for dying for me. I will follow You the rest of my life. Amen.
Part Seven
God said, “He who forgives your sins, is He who heals your diseases.” Right now God declares that He wants you to be healed, and because I have preached the Gospel, Jesus Christ is present to heal your sick body and to set you free from the power of the devil. Now, you put your hand where you suffer. Put it where you want Jesus to put His hand. If you have many sicknesses, fold both of your hands over your chest. If you are tormented by demons, put your hands on your head. If you have a sick child, put your hand on your child. I tell you, Jesus is here to confirm the message I have given you. Pray this prayer out loud with the same confidence you prayed the last one:
Oh Father! In the name of Jesus, I call upon You right now to show Yourself alive to me. Stretch forth Your hand to heal as I obey Your Word, for in Jesus’ name I take authority over every demon spirit responsible for sickness and disease in my home. I curse the life of every disease and cause it to dry up at the roots. I come against the dumb spirits, and the cause of blindness. I command deaf ears to hear and blind eyes to see. I rebuke every unclean spirit and command them out of my family and my house. I command tumors and cancers to dry up and whither. Lord, I call Your virtue into tissues and nerves which have been destroyed. I call for great, creative miracles to restore what Satan has stolen through accident or disease. In Jesus’ name, show me right now that You truly are God, that Jesus is Your Son, that I am Your servant, and that this message has been given according to Your Word. Thank You, Heavenly Father, for healing me now; ears are opening and crippled legs are receiving new strength. Thank You for showing Yourself alive right now. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Now, check yourself. See what God has done. If you have someone sitting by you who is a deaf mute, test them. If there is someone who is crippled, help them to their feet and watch as new life comes into their legs. Check and see where your tumors have gone. Do what you could not do before. I tell you, God is doing great, creative miracles right where you are!
And now, the next step in this new life of yours is finding a good church home where the Word of God is taught, where you feel comfortable, and where you can volunteer to help. You need to find a church that loves you for who you are and you need to get rooted in that church and stay there. And write me a note to let me know about your decision for Christ! Tell me about your salvation and your healing miracles! Even if this isn’t the first time you’ve prayed a prayer like this, every decision for Christ is an important one. The Bible says the angels in heaven are rejoicing over your decision! There’s a great, big party going on, and it’s all because of you! So write me that note and tell me about it; it will certainly make my day!
~Jonathan
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