8 And
into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set
before you:
9 And
heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come
nigh unto
you.
Acts
19:12
So that
from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the
diseases
departed
from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
Galatians
6:11
Ye see how large a letter I have written unto
you with mine own hand.
Romans
6:17
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants
of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that
form of
doctrine which was delivered you.
Matthew
25:14
For the
kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own
servants,
and delivered unto them his goods.
Acts 3:6
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none;
but such as I have give I thee: In the name of
Jesus
Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
How the
Lord Sent Me to South Africa
I planned
to go to Africa as a boy. I looked forward to it through my young
manhood.
Shortly
after my baptism in the Holy Spirit, a working of the Spirit
commenced
in me that seemed to have for its purpose the revelation of the
nature of
Jesus Christ to me and in me.
Through
this guardianship and remolding of the spirit, a great tenderness for
mankind
was awakened in my soul. I saw mankind through new eyes. They
seemed to
me as wandering in the midst of confusion, having strayed far,
groping
and wandering hither and thither. They had no definite aim and did
not seem
to understand what the difficulty was, or how to return to God.
The
desire to proclaim the message of Christ and to demonstrate His power
to save
and bless grew in my soul, until my life was swayed by this
overwhelming
passion.
However,
my heart was divided. I could not follow successfully the ordinary
pursuits
of life and business. When a man came into my office, though I
knew that
twenty or thirty minutes of concentration on the business at hand
would
possibly net me thousands of dollars, I could not discuss business
with him.
By a new
power of discernment I could see his soul and understand his inner
life and
motives. I recognized him as one of these wandering sheep and
longed
with an overwhelming desire to help him find God and find himself.
This
division in my soul between business interests and the desire to help
men find
God became intense. In many instances what should have been a
successful
business interview and the closing of a great business transaction
ended in
a prayer meeting. I would invite the individual to kneel with me
while I
poured out my heart to God on his behalf.
I
determined to discuss the matter with the president of my company and
frankly
told him the condition of soul I found myself in and its cause.
He kindly
replied: "You have worked hard, Lake. You need a change. Take a
vacation
for three months. If you want to preach, preach. But at the end of
the three
months, $50,000 a year will look like a lot of money to you, and
you will
have little desire to sacrifice it for dreams of religious possibilities."
I thanked
him, accepted an invitation to join a brother in evangelistic work,
and left
the office, never to return.
During
those three months I preached every day to large congregations, saw
a
multitude of people saved from their sins and healed of their diseases, and
hundreds
of them baptized in the Holy Ghost. At the end of the three months,
I said to
God: "I am through forever with everything in life but the
proclamation
and demonstration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
I
disposed of my estate, distributed my funds in it manner I believed to be for
the best
interests of the Kingdom of God, made myself wholly dependent
upon God
for the support of myself and family, and abandoned myself to the
preaching
of Jesus.
While
ministering in a city in northern Illinois, the chore boy at the hotel
where we
were staying asked for help in sawing down a large tree. I
volunteered
to assist him. As we sawed the tree, the "spirit of the Lord spoke
within my
spirit clearly and distinctly: "Go to Indianapolis. Prepare for a
winter
campaign. Get a large hall. In the spring you will go to Africa."
It all
came to pass. It is power. Power is manifest in many ways. There is the
power of
faith which draws to you what seems impossible.
I
returned to the hotel and told my wife of the incident. She said: "I knew
several
days ago that your work here was done, for as I prayed the Spirit said
to me,
'Your husband is going on.' "
. I went
to Indianapolis and the Lord directed in a marvelous way. In a few
days I
had secured a large hall and began conducting services, as He had
directed.
One day
during the following February (after I had been preaching some
time), my
preaching partner said to me, "John, how much will it cost to take
our party
to Johannesburg, South Africa?"
I
replied, "Two thousand dollars.
"Well,
if we are going to Africa in the spring, it is time that you and I were
praying
for the money."
"Tom,
I have been praying for the money ever since New Year's. I have not
heard
from the Lord or from anyone else concerning it.
"Never
mind. Let's pray again.
We went
to Tom's room and knelt down by his bed in prayer.
After
some time he slapped me on the back, saying, "Don't pray anymore,
John.
Jesus told me just now that He would send us that two thousand
dollars,
and it would be here in four days."
Four days
later Tom returned from the post office and threw out upon the
table
four $500 drafts, saying, "John, there is the answer. Jesus has sent it.
We are
going to Africa."
The gift
of money had been sent to Tom by a friend with a letter. The letter
read,
"I was standing in the bank at Monrovia, California, and something
said to
me, 'Send Tom Hezmalhaltz two thousand dollars.' It is yours, Tom,
for
whatever purpose God has shown you."
I never
knew who wrote the letter, as he desired that no one else know.
We went
straight out and purchased the tickets for the entire party to travel
from
Indianapolis, Indiana, to Johannesburg, South Africa. There were
twelve of
us my family of eight and four others.
We had
our tickets to Africa, but there would be many other expenses en
route. I
had only $1.50 in hand.
As our
train pulled out of the station at Indianapolis, a young man who had
worked as
my secretary ran alongside the train and threw a two dollar bill
through
the window. That gave us a total of $3.50.
A young
lady, who had been one of our workers, was traveling with us as far
as
Detroit, Michigan. I needed $ 10 to buy her a ticket to northern Michigan.
As we
rode along, I said to my wife, "Jen, when we reach Detroit, I will need
$10 for '
Winnie's railway ticket; but I have no money." So we bowed our
heads and
prayed.
We always followed this practice concerning
our needs. We never told
anyone
what our needs were, but we always told the Lord.
When we
arrived in Detroit, my brother and married sister were there to
meet us
and with them was my younger brother, Jim.
As I
stepped off the train, Jim took me by the arm and walked across the
station
with me. Then he said, "Jack, I hope you won't be mad, but I would
like to
give you this, " and he pulled out of his wallet a ten dollar bill and
slipped
it into my vest pocket.
I thanked
him, turned about, and went to purchase Winnie's ticket.
I still
had $3.50. We purchased some canned beans and other edibles which
we used
on the train a route to St. Johns, New Brunswick.
When we
finally arrived at the ship for Liverpool, I had $1.25 left. On board
I gave 50
cents to the table steward and 50 cents to the bedroom steward.
When we
reached England, I still had 25 cents.
We
remained five days in Liverpool at the expense of the transportation
company,
waiting for the second ship.
One day
Mrs. Lake said to me, "What about our Laundry?
I
replied, "Send it down. I have no money, but perhaps the Lord will meet us
before we
need to get it." Being very busy, I forgot about it entirely.
On the
last night of our stay in Liverpool, just after I had retired about
midnight,
my wife said, How about the laundry?"
I
replied, "I'm sorry, but I forgot it."
"Just
like a man! Now I'll tell you about it. I new you didn't have any money,
neither
did I. So I prayed about it. After praying, I felt that I should go down
to the
laundry and inquire what the amount of the bill was. It was $1.65. As I
was
returning to the hotel, I passed a gentleman on the street. He said,
'Pardon
me, but I feel I should give you this.' He handed me a number of
coins. I
returned to the laundry, counted it out to the laundry man, and found
it was
just the amount of the bill."
We
rejoiced in this little evidence of God's presence with us.
The next
morning we left by train for London and that evening boarded our
ship for
South Africa.
At that
time, I had an English shilling. When our ship stopped at Madeira,
one of
the Canary Islands, I purchased a shilling's worth of fruit for the
children
and the last penny was gone.
Through
my knowledge of the immigration laws of South Africa, I knew that
before we
would be permitted to land, I must show the immigration
inspector
that I possessed at least $125. We prayed earnestly over this
matter.
About the time we reached the Equator, a rest came into my soul
concerning
it, and I could pray no more.
About
eight or ten days later we arrived in Cape Town harbor, and our ship
anchored.
The immigration inspector came on board and the passengers
lined up
at the purser's office to present their money and receive their tickets
to land.
My wife
said, "What are you going to do?"
"I
am going to line up with the rest. We have obeyed God this far. It is now
up to the
Lord."
As I
stood in line, awaiting my chance to explain our dilemma, a fellow
passenger
suddenly tapped me upon the shoulder and indicated that I step out
of the
line and walk over to the ship's rail to speak with him. He asked me
some
questions, then he drew from his pocket a traveler's checkbook. He
handed me
two money orders totaling 42 pounds sterling, or $200.
He said,
"I feel led to give this to help your work."
Johannesburg
is 1000 miles inland from Cape Town. Throughout the voyage
we
earnestly prayed about the subject of a home. As faith missionaries, we
had
neither a Board nor friends behind us to furnish money. We were
dependent
upon God. Many times during the trip to Johannesburg, we bowed
our heads
and reminded God that when we arrived there we would need a
home.
Upon our
arrival, as we stepped ashore, observed a little woman bustling up,
whom I
instantly recognized to be an American. She stepped up to Tom and
said,
"You are a American missionary party?" He replied, "Yes."
"How
many are there in your party?"
'Four."
"No,"
she said, "you are not the family. Is there any other?"
He said,
"Yes. Mr. Lake."
Turning
to me, she said, "How many are in your, family?"
I
answered, "My wife, myself, and seven children only."
"Oh,"
she said, "you are the family."
"What
is it, madam?"
"While
in prayer last night, God told me to meet, this boat, and there would
be upon
it an American missionary with a family of nine, consisting of two
adults
and seven children, and that I was to give them a home."
At 3
o'clock that same afternoon, we were in a furnished cottage in
Johannesburg.
God had provided the home for us.
Our
beloved benefactor was an American missionary, Mrs. C. L. Good
enough.
She remained our beloved friend and fellow worker in the Lord.
And that
is how we got to Africa.
How I
Came To Devote My Life to the Ministry of Healing
No one
can understand the tremendous hold the revelation of Jesus as a
present
day Healer took on my life, and what it meant to me, unless they first
understand
my environment.
I was one
of 16 children. Our parents were strong, vigorous, healthy people.
My mother
died at the age of 75, and my father, still lives at the time of this
writing',
and is 77.
Before my
knowledge and experience of the Lord as our Healer, we buried
eight
members of the family. A strange train of sicknesses, resulting in
death,
had followed the family. For 32 years some member of our family
was an
invalid. During this long period, our home was never without the
shadow of
sickness. ,
As I
think back over my boyhood and young manhood, there comes to mind
remembrances
like a nightmare: sickness, doctors, nurses, hospitals, hearses,
funerals,
graveyards, and tombstones; a sorrowing household; a
brokenhearted
mother and grief stricken father, struggling to forget the
sorrows
of the past, in order to assist the living members of the family who
needed
their love and care.
When
Christ was revealed to us as our Healer, my brother who had been an
invalid
for 22 years, upon whom my Father had spent a fortune for
unavailing
medical assistance was dying. He bled incessantly from his
kidneys
and was kept alive through the assimilation of blood creating foods
which
produced blood almost as fast as it flowed from his person. I have
never
known any man to suffer so extremely and for so long as he did.
A sister,
34 years of age, was then dying with five cancers in her left breast.
Before
being turned away to die, she had been operated on five times at a
large
hospital in Detroit, Michigan, by a German surgeon of repute. After the
operations,
four other "heads" developed, making five cancers in all.
Another
sister lay dying of an issue of blood. Day by day, her lifeblood
flowed
away until she was in the very throes of death.
In my own
life and circumstances, there were similar conditions. I had
married
and established my own home; but very soon after marriage, the
same
train of conditions that had followed my father's family seemed to
appear in
mine. My wife became an invalid from heart disease and
tuberculosis.
She would lose her heart action and lapse into unconsciousness.
Sometimes
I would find her lying unconscious on the floor or in her bed,
having
been suddenly stricken.
Stronger
and stronger stimulants became necessary to revive her heart until
we were
using nitroglycerine tablets in a final, heroic effort to stimulate the
action of
her heart.
After
these heart spells, she would remain in a semi paralytic state for weeks,
the
result of over stimulation, the physicians said.
But
suddenly, in the midst of the deepest darkness, when baffled physicians
stood
back and acknowledged their inability to help, when the cloud of
darkness
and death was again hovering over the family the message of one
godly
minister, great enough and true enough to God to proclaim the whole
truth of
God, brought the light of God to our souls!
We took
our dying brother to a Healing Home in Chicago, where prayer was
offered
for him with the laying on of hands. He received an instant healing
and arose
from his deathbed a well man. He walked four miles, returned
home, and
took a partnership in our father's business.
Great joy
and a marvelous hope sprang up in our hearts! A real manifestation
of the
healing power of God was before us. We quickly arranged to take our
sister
who suffered from cancers, to the same Healing Home. We had to take
her there
on a stretcher. As we carried her into the healing meeting, she was
speaking
within her soul, Others may be healed because they are so good,
but I
fear healing is not for me. It seemed more than her soul could grasp.
But after
listening from her cot to the preaching and teaching of the Word of
God on
healing through Jesus Christ, hope sprang up in her soul. She was
prayed
for and hands were laid on her. As the prayer of faith arose to God,
the power
of God descended upon her, thrilling her being. Her pain instantly
vanished!
The swelling disappeared gradually. The large core cancer turned
black and
in a few days fell out. The smaller ones disappeared. The
mutilated
breast began to regrow, and it became a perfect breast again.
How our
hearts thrilled! Words alone cannot tell this story! A new faith
sprang up
within us. If God could heal our dying brother and our dying
sister,
causing cancers to disappear, He could heal anything or anybody!
Then our
sister with the issue of blood began to look to God for her healing.
She and
her husband were devout Christians; and although they prayed, their
prayers
seemed unanswered for a time. Then one night I received a
telephone
call and was told that if I wished to see her in this life, I must
come to
her bedside at once.
Upon
arriving, I found that death was already upon her. She had passed in
unconsciousness.
Her body was cold. No pulse was discernable. Our parents
knelt,
weeping, beside her bed, and her husband knelt at the foot of the bed
in sorrow.
Her baby lay in his crib.
A great
cry to God, such as had never before come from my soul, went up to
God. She
must not die! I would not have it! Had not Christ died for her? Had
not God's
healing power been manifested for the others, and should she not
likewise
be healed?
No words
of mine can convey to another soul the cry that was in my heart
and the
flame of hatred for death and sickness that the Spirit of God had
stirred
within me. The very wrath of God seemed to possess my soul!
After
telephoning and telegraphing some believing friends for assistance in
prayer,
we called on God. I rebuked the power of death in the name of Jesus
Christ.
In less than an hour, we rejoiced to see the evidence of returning life.
My sister
was thoroughly healed! Five days later she came to my father's
home and
joined the family for Christmas dinner.
My wife,
who had been slowly dying for years, suffering untold agonies,
was the
last of the four to receive God's healing touch. But, oh, before God's
power
came upon her, I realized as never before the character of
consecration
God was asking, and what a Christian should give to God.
Day by
day, death silently stole over her. Then the final hours came. A
brother
minister who was present walked over and stood at her bedside.
Then
returning to me with tears in his eyes, he said, "Be reconciled to let
your wife
die."
I thought
of my babies. I thought of her whom I loved as my own soul, and a
flame
burned in my heart. I felt as if God had been insulted by such a
suggestion!
Yet I had many things to learn.
In the
midst of my soul storm, I returned home, picked up my Bible from the
mantelpiece,
and threw it on the table. If ever God caused a man's Bible to
open to a
message his soul needed, surely He did it then for me.
The Book
opened at the l0th chapter of Acts, and my eyes fell on the 38th
verse,
which read, God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and
with
power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were
oppressed
of the DEVIL; for God was with him.
Like a flash
from the blue, these words pierced my heart: Oppressed of the
devil!
So, God was not the author of sickness! And the people whom Jesus
healed
had not been made sick by God!
Hastily
taking a reference to another portion of the Word, I read the words of
Jesus in
Luke 13 16. Ought not this woman . . . whom SATAN HATH
B0UND,
lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond? Once again
Jesus
attributed sickness to the devil.
What a
faith sprang up in my heart! What a flame of knowledge concerning
the Word of
God and the ministry of Jesus went over my soul! I saw as never
before
why Jesus healed the sick: He was doing the will of His Father; and in
doing His
father's will, He was destroying the works of the devil. Hebrews 2
14.
I said in
my soul, This work of the devil this destruction of my wife's life in
the name
of Jesus Christ shall cease, for Christ died and Himself took our
infirmities
and bare our sicknesses.
We
decided on 9:30 a.m. as the time when prayer would be offered for my
wife's
recovery, Again, I telephoned and telegraphed friends to join me in
prayer.
At 9:30 1
knelt at her deathbed and called on the living God. The power of
God came
upon her, thrilling her from head to feet. Her paralysis left, her
heart
became normal, her cough ceased, her breathing became regular, and
her
temperature became normal. The power of God was flowing, through
her,
seemingly as blood flows through veins,
As I
prayed, I heard a sound from her lips not the sound of weakness as
before,
but a strong, clear voice. She cried out, "Praise God, I am healed!
With
that, she caught hold of the bed clothing, threw it back, and in a
moment
was standing on the floor.
What a
day! Will I ever forget it? The power of God thrilled our souls, and
the joy
of God possessed,' our hearts because of her recovery.
The news
spread throughout the city, the state, and the nation. Newspapers
discussed
it and our home became a center of inquiry. People traveled great
distances
to see and talk with her. She was flooded with letters.
A new
light dawned in our souls. The church had diligently taught us that the
days of
miracles had passed; and believing this, eight members of the family
had been
permitted to die. But, now, with the light of truth flashing in our
hearts,
we saw that as a lie, no doubt invented by the devil and diligently
heralded
as truth by the church, thus robbing mankind of its rightful
inheritance
through the blood of Jesus.
People
came to our home, saying, "Since God l1as healed you, surely He
will heal
us. Pray for us." We were forced into it. God answered, and many
were
healed.
Many
years have passed since then, but no day has gone by in which God
has not
answered prayer. I have devoted my life, day and night, to this
ministry;
awl people have been healed not by ones and I twos, nor by
hundreds,
or even by thousands, but by tens of thousands.
In due
time, God called me to South Africa, where I witnessed a
manifestation
of the healing power of God such as the world perhaps has not
seen
since the days of the apostles.
Christian
men were baptized in the Holy Ghost, went forth in the mighty
power of
God, proclaiming the name of Jesus and laying hands on the sick.
And the
sick were healed! Sinners, witnessing these evidences of the power
of God,
cried out in gladness and gave themselves to the service of God.
Like it
was in the days of Jesus: There was great joy in that city and that
nation
Acts 8 8.
Finally,
God brought me to Spokane, where we have ministered to hundreds
of sick
persons each week, The city is filled with the praises of God More
because
of the blessed manifestations of God's Adventures In God healing
power
everywhere. People have come from as far as 5,000 miles away for
healing.
Some have written letters. Others have telegraphed. Some have
cabled
from halfway round the world, asking for prayer, and God has
graciously
answered.
Ministers
and churches throughout the land have seen that, although the
church
has taught that the days of miracles only belonged to the times of the
apostles,
that statement was a falsehood. They have seen that the healing
power of
God is as available to the honest soul today as it was in the days of
Christ on
the earth. The gifts and callings of God are without repentance, and
Jesus is
the Healer still.
More
Adventures in God
During my
ministry in South Africa, I came across a bachelor who hated
everything
that was Christian. He had a reputation for cussing preachers off
his
place.
One day I
realized that he had not been seen for it while, so I decided to pay
him a
visit. Immediately, I was warned as to what kind of a reception I could
expect. I
went anyway.
Upon
entering his home, I observed that he was it very sick man. Before he
could say
a thing, I tossed my hat down, prayed that God would heal him,
and Left.
A few
days later he came to church. He was a changed man!
The
Christian, the child of God, the Christ man who has committed his body
as well
as his spirit and soul to God, ought not to not be a subject for healing.
He ought
to be a subject of continuous, abiding health, because he is filled
with the
life of God.
Jesus
Christ is at once the law and life of God.
When I
lived in Africa, one of our departments was the native work. I bless
God for
the marvels He let me witness among the native people. I believe we
had a
privilege never accorded any other white man in modern times.
In
Basutoland, on Christmas Eve, 1912, the Lord's Supper was administered
to 75
healed lepers. They had been healed under the ministry of a black
fellow
whose sole raiment when we first knew him was a goatskin apron.
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