Living in the Light of Oneness
By: Elder Ross Drysdale
READ THE FOLLOWING CASE HISTORIES OF "SIGNS AND WONDERS" OCCURING AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED IN JESUS NAME AND ARE WALKING IN HOLINESS! WITH SIGNS FOLLOWING
The true body of Christ has its message confirmed with miraculous demonstrations. We read of the Early Church that, "they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word with signs following" (Mark 16:20). The writer to the Hebrews says: "God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will" (Hebrews 2:4). This was in fulfillment of Christ's promise to his true followers: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father" (John 14:12).
MODERN EXCUSES
Some teach these signs and wonders were only for the Apostolic Age in order to confirm the message of Christianity to a rationalistic and pagan world. But is our age any less rationalistic or pagan? Is the Bible so "universally accepted" that no sign or wonder is necessary to convince the skeptics that Christ is the same "Yesterday, Today and Forever" (Heb. 13:8). Paul taught that these miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost would be operative in the True Church right up until the Second Coming of Christ. He admonished: "So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Con 1:7).
Others talk of a "transition period" in which these gifts were to operate. This so called Transition period was supposed to have ended with the death of the last Apostle. This theory is completely without foundation in the scriptures. The Bible nowhere speaks about a "Transition Period" or a "Jewish Church.” The true Church an on Pentecost and the Gospel was immediately offered "to them that are afar off even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39). Nothing has changed. There never was two gospels, or two churches, or two Baptisms!
TRUE AND FALSE MIRACLES
A final objection is usually offered by those whose churches are suffering "power shortages" by comparing Pentecostal Miracles to those of false religions. But there is a vast difference between "lying signs and wonders," and the true Power of God. False religions produce "bizarre" and "esoteric" type miracles, like bleeding statues, weeping Madonnas, firewalkers, and table levitators. All of these so-called miracles do not relieve human suffering or glorify Christ. They only confirm Idolatry and Superstition. The miracles wrought by Pentecostals exalt Christ and ease human suffering through the mercy of God. A prime example recently occurred in India: The evangelist was preaching to a crowd composed of Moslems and Hindus, both of which were very resistant to the message. A blind man was brought to the platform requesting prayer. The evangelist saw his opportunity and seized it. He commanded the eyes to be opened in the name of Krishna, the Hindu God. Nothing happened. He then commanded them to be opened in the name of the Prophet Mohammed, for the benefit of his Moslem listeners. Still nothing happened. Then he commanded the blind eyes to see in the name of Jesus Christ. To the astonishment of the crowd, the man immediately received his sight, and so testified to the assembled multitude. Needless to say, many conversions to true biblical Christianity were made that day as "the Lord confirmed the Word with signs following."
SIGNS CONFIRM THE GOSPEL AND THE ONENESS
The following true incidents, reported and validated from around the world will show that God is still providing the signs mentioned in Mark 16:20 and Acts 8:6 :"And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen"(Mark 16:20)."And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Phillip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did" (Acts 8:6).
LAME WALK
"In 1967, we were conducting a revival for Brother G.F. Hodgson in Glendora, California. A young woman, Glenda Dunn, came to the altar and received the Holy Ghost. Her husband was in the veterans' Hospital in Long Beach. He was paralyzed in one leg, caused from cancer of the spine. He had to wear a brace from his waist down and walk with a cane. The doctors had given him approximately six months to live.
We asked his wife to bring him to one of our services. He did not have the Holy Ghost or even believe in God. One night he came to the altar and received the Holy Ghost. He then wanted to be baptized in Jesus' name.
"Brother Hodgson asked me to baptize him because he was afraid he couldn't handle Mr. Dunn with all the braces he had around his waist and legs.
“When I started to baptize him, the Spirit of the Lord came upon me, and I told him that if he would take off the braces, God would heal him the minute he was baptized. He stated that he couldn't stand the pain with the braces off. I again told him that God would heal him if the braces were removed. He then took the braces off, and I helped him into the baptistery and baptized him in the precious name of Jesus. He came out of the water with the power of God upon him, and was instantly healed. He climbed out of the tank on his own.
"Brother William Dunn now weighs over"200'pounds and works twelve hours a day. "
To verify this testimony, Rev. Hodgson has pictures of the young man and his braces. (Rev. R.R. Robertson)
DEAD RAISED TO LIFE
"While traveling on a business trip we came upon a serious car accident. As we parked the car approximately 100 feet from one of the cars we heard this terrible noise which was from a man breathing his last breath. By the time we got out of our car and reached the man, he had stopped breathing. They checked his pulse then covered him with a blanket.
"His son and daughter-in-law reached him before we did, and somehow, through their sorrow, I felt sorry for them, because my father had passed away just a short time before this. I asked these people, whom we had never seen before, if we could pray for him, and they gave their consent. When we had finished praying for him, he raised up. He wanted to know where he was, and asked to be taken home. This man was 84 years of age" (Rev. Donald Thornton, Lee Road United Pentecostal Church, Covington, Louisiana).
NATURE OBEYS, WATERS RECEDE
(March 23, 1973). "For two months special services had been announced at Santa Mari, Davao del Sur. Brother and Sister William Cole were conducting special Holy Ghost meetings in the Philippines and were present, when Saturday night before the scheduled meeting, the minister who was making final arrangements for our arrival came to Digos and told us that it would be impossible for us to reach Santa Maria on Sunday, as the river we must cross fourteen times was flooded over four feet. He told us he had to swim to get out of the area.
"We stayed overnight, and upon arising in the morning, we prayed that the Lord would go with us, as we felt we must go as far as possible. In Jesus' name we continued toward the river. When we reached the river at 11:00 a.m., it was smaller than at any other time we had seen it. We could jump across the stones without getting our feet wet.
"People were coming from many directions, and more than 300 were present for our meeting. Among them were 101 who were not filled with the Holy Spirit. Our service began at 1:00 p.m. and lasted until 6:00 p.m. During this five hour period 95 were filled with the Holy Ghost. We left soon ' after 6:00 p.m. and returned to Digos.
"Our pastor came out Monday morning and informed us the river was again flooded and he had to swim to get out. The God of Moses and Joshua is still the same miracle worker today" (Rev. Carl W. Adams, Missionary to the Philippines).
BODILY PARTS RESTORED
"I would like to tell how the Lord healed me when I got my toe cut off in the lawn mower. I told my wife to throw the toe over in the garden, but she said, 'No, I'm going to wash the blood off, tape it back on and the Lord is going to heal it.° At that time I was having a revival in Atlanta, Louisiana. My wife taped the toe on, and I never missed a night preaching. The Lord completely healed the toe on my foot and it is on today. Praise the Lord for his power. His power is just the same today as it was back in 1956" (Miracle received by Mt. McNeely/Rev. Noah D. Adams (Deceased) UPC, Montgomery, LA).
DEAF EARS OPENED
"My son, Winston (Riebel), was born with brain damage and had been sickly all his life. He had a lot of ear trouble, and had already been through one mastoid operation. Later he had an ear infection in the other ear, and was becoming deaf. He was using a hearing aid. I had taken him to an ear doctor, and he said that as soon as the infection was cleared up, Winston would have to have another mastoid operation. I was sick over this news, for this is a very dangerous operation.
"At that time, on rare occasions, I would go to church. But one day I had gone to Sunday School at the Apostolic Church in West Jefferson, and a visiting preacher from California asked if anyone wanted to be prayed for. I was too timid to take Winston up, so I told him to go be prayed for. God's Word says for the ministers to lay hands on the sick and that the prayer of faith shall raise them up. So the ministers prayed for him.
"I'll never forget the look on his face when he came back to his seat. He looked at me, and said, 'Mom, something hit my ear when they prayed for me.' I knew it was God's power. Here was a child who knew nothing about God, for I had failed to take him to church.
"Two weeks later I again took him to the ear doctor. He examined Winston's ear and said he couldn't see anything wrong. He took him into another room to examine him further, again, and again said he couldn't find anything wrong. This was done four times. I finally asked the doctor just what he meant. He said the ear appeared dry, and needed no operation.
"As I said before, Winston was wearing a hearing aid at this time, and was nearly deaf in his ear. In the meantime, his hearing aid was broken (God's way of showing me it wasn't needed). I took him in for a hearing test and found that his hearing had improved. The hearing aid has never been fixed, and he hears better than I. God never does anything half way.
"A short time after this I started to go to church and God performed the greatest miracle of all. He gave me the baptism in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Praise His Name! (Rev. Charles Pennington, Apostolic Gospel Church, West Jefferson, Ohio.)
MIRACULOUS HEALING
(l965)"Brother Lianmingthanga at this time was 77 years old and was so very weak in his body that he could not walk. He had served as a Presbyterian minister in Cachar and Tripura Districts of North East India for many years. He had worked among very backward people who were naked and illiterate. His love for the Lord was very great.
"One day this message of Jesus' name baptism and the oneness of God came to this elderly and weakened Presbyterian minister. When he heard this news, he studied the Word of God again on the subject of water baptism and the Godhead. Finally, he was convinced that this was the truth, and he wanted to be baptized in Jesus name.
"However, he could not walk, and there seemed no way for him to reach the river for the baptismal service. Then the pastor, Rev. H. Tebawnga, told him that he would carry him on his beck to the river. This he did. On reaching the river they sang songs and worshipped the Lord for s time after which a sermon was preached on water baptism and the necessity of obeying the Word of God.
"Finally, it was time to start the baptizing. One of the members then carried this old man down into the river and Brother Tebawnga baptized Brother Lianmingthanga in the name of the. Lord Jesus. Christ. When Bro. Litanmingthanga came out of the water he stood to his feet and began to worship and praise the Lord. He walked out of the water and to his home. He was completely healed when he was baptized in the name of Jesus. He is still walking today and doing all he can for the Lord even at this very old age. (Rev. Harry E Seism, Missionary to India)
BLIND EYES HEALED
(Miracle received by Mickey Caton) In June of 1954, my son found a dynamite cap. He took a plow bolt, which he used for a hammer and hit the cap. The cap exploded and pieces from it lodged in the back side of his eyes. One eye had a hole in the center, and they told us the other one was totally blind also. The doctors said that the eye with the hole in it would be removed the following week. They told us he would be blind for the rest of his life.
"It was very sad knowing that my seven year old son would never see again. When Mickey went through the house he would walk into everything. This was a hard thing to get used to because he kept asking me if he would ever see again. When he asked me this question, I would say, 'Yes son, you will see again.'
"My mother said to me, 'Johnny, God is wanting you to serve him.' At first I put up a fight. The fight didn't last long before I promised God that I would serve Him. I prayed day and night for the Lord to heal my son. I was trying to make my way to God by going from church to church. One day in prayer God showed me a church to go to, so I went to my mother and she helped me find it. This church was King's Highway Tabernacle, where Brother Romine was' pastor.
"I went to church on Labor Day, and never was I in a service like that one. It seemed that everyone was singing, shouting, and praising the Lord. After the service, I told Brother Romine about my son's accident, and that I wanted to serve the Lord. He asked me why I didn't get baptized. That afternoon I was baptized in the wonderful name of Jesus and began tarrying for the Holy Ghost. Then one December day, as I was driving home from the bank in Farmersburg, Indiana, the Lord filled me with the Holy Ghost.
"A short time after I received the Holy Ghost Mickey walked up to me and started to talk. When he approached me, I noticed that he stopped a short distance from me, as he would if he could see. I said, 'Mickey, can you see? He said, 'Yes, Dad, I can see again... People who knew he had been blind just couldn't believe that he could see again. I would pick up different objects and he would tell me what they were, then the people knew that God had healed him.
"The following day I took him to the doctor's office, and this was very hard for him to believe also. The doctor had him read a chart about 15 feet away and he read it with both eyes, not missing one letter on the chart The doctor said, 'This boy has been healed by a higher power.' Mickey went back to school and led a normal life.
"He had his eye check-up about a year ago and he has 20-20 vision in both eyes. This was a small thing for God to do, but to me it's a great feeling. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Rev. Lloyd Romine).
DEATH REVERSED
"In January of 1973, John Dusek, age 10, was riding his bicycle when he was suddenly hit by a van bus and dragged approximately fifty feet. John was hospitalized in the Imperial Valley Hospital in Imperial, California. He had several broken ribs, both lungs were punctured, and he had several internal injuries. The doctors gave no hope for him to live. It was all they could do to keep him breathing, for his lungs kept collapsing.
"We were called and asked to pray for him. I called the saints of the church to pray. We received a call the next day from his mother telling us the doctors didn't know what had happened, but that Johnny was completely well. He went home the next day, and the doctors said it was a miracle of God. Today Johnny is a very healthy boy, thanks to the almighty power of God “(Rev. R.R.Robertson).
DUMB SPIRITS CAST OUT
(April 2, 1970)"In a series of meetings I was holding for Pastor Frank Goble in Sullivan, Indiana, the Lord had impressed upon me that I should fast a great deal. There were prayer meetings in the church often, and it was after this that the great move came.
"Dale Kennedy had an acute stutter and, as I understand it, he had been this way most of his life. It was so bad that when he offered a prayer request it would take a great deal of time.
"The Holy Ghost spoke to me to call this man up front and cast the dumb spirit out of him. After the laying on of hands I asked him to read out of the Bible, and opened it to twenty-third Psalm. He read without the slightest stutter or hesitation in his speech. He spoke as any other man. The people shouted and rejoiced over this miracle.
"During this service a little boy, who was injured at birth, was instantly touched and moved on by the Holy Ghost to run. Before the service all he could do was walk.
“Later a young man was brought to the front of the church. He could neither hear nor speak. He was prayed for, and before he left he could do both.
"Going home after the service that night we learned that while we were having a great time in the Lord, the next door neighbor was awakened by the earth shaking. He thou someone was blasting the earth with dynamite. But after checking, he found out it was not so, for it was Sunday night. Someone told him about the happenings at church, and he said, that was what, the earth was shaking about.''
Acts 4:31 says, 'wand when they had prayed. THE PLACE WAS SHAKEN...' To God be all the glory, for He is author of it all" (Rev. William L. Sciscoe, Bethel Tabernacle Racine, Wisconsin).
EYES HEALED, WITCHCRAFT DEFENTED
(1970) "Teshi is a fishing village located on the edge of the great Atlantic Ocean in Ghana. The humble huts and shelters of the fishermen and their families are huddled together as though seeking protection and security in closeness. It was to this village that one Ghanaian pastor was sent with this true gospel. His message was well received by the poor villagers.
"It was in this village that Emmanuel Mensah had been raised. It was in this village that he first heard about the wonderful power in the name of Jesus Christ. For his own thrilling testimony, I shall use his own words:
'Praise the Lord! One day after the usual chatting with some of my friends, I went to sleep. In the morning when I awoke, I could not see! I was totally blind!
'I was immediately taken to Accra Korle Bu Hospital where I was treated for eighteen months. I was discharged afterwards, but still I could not walk without the help of someone to guide me. From the hospital I remained in my house for another three months still helplessly blind.
'Finally, a distant relative came to me and talked to me about Jesus Christ and further requested that I go with him to his church to receive prayer for my eyes. I consented, and went along with my hand in his to guide my footsteps.
At his church I was told the story about Jesus. When they asked if I would give my heart to Jesus and believe Him for my salvation and healing, I agreed. The preacher then touched my eyes and prayed. Something like an electric current passed through me and immediately I yielded all to the Lord. My sight was restored and I was able to walk home alone that day!
'I had been a feetish man for many years, but I thereby forsook them and yielded them for destruction. The name of my feetish was called "Ablue, who made me his slave for many years under his_ devilish influence. Jesus has now released me indeed from the power of the devil and restored my 'fight! I am a fisherman, and since I was healed I can walk all the way to the beach to help my fellow fisherman for my living.
'I am really happy with the Lord in the United Pentecostal Church, Where I am determined to remain till death. Praise the Lord.'
''The living testimony of the miraculous power of God still can be seen in the village of Teshi. Brother Mensah, once again, goes to the beach to earn his living or walks alone to the church to faithfully worship his Savior and Healer!"(Rev. Robert K Rodenbush, Missionary to West Africa).
DEAD ARE RAISED
"On an early December morning in 1965, one hundred and thirty-five miles back in the Liberian Hinterland at the Fassama Mission Station, we sat down to our breakfast, with the kerosene lamp lit, for there was a severe tropical storm raging, and we had been forced to close our wooden shutters over our windows because of the heavy rain and wind. The rain was pounding so hard on the zinc roof that you could hardly hear yourself think. The thunder was roaring and the lightning flashing everywhere.
"Suddenly, we heard a terrible cracking noise, and knew the lightning had struck somewhere nearby. We jumped up from the table, and as we did, we heard some of the boys in the mission screaming and running toward our house. Our first thought was that the lightning had struck the boys house, but they were screaming, 'Mother Gruse, Mother Gruse.' We did not have screens on our windows at that time and I jumped out the window and ran as fast as I could to Sister Gruse's house in the pouring rain.
"As I ran onto her back porch, a screened shelter on the back of her house, the sight I saw was heart rending, and the smell of burned human flesh met my nostrils. There on the floor lay the body of our precious missionary sister, all twisted and drawn. I fell on my knees. By this time, my wife had arrived and several of the mission students had gathered on the outside looking in at this sad sight. I felt of Sister Gruse's head and her arms; she was hard and rigid. I looked at my wife and said, 'She's dead.' My wife started to cry, and I started to get up off my knees. I have never felt so helpless in all of my life.
"As I started to rise, the Holy Ghost said to me, 'Pray.' I looked at my - wife and all the people gathered outside, and said, 'Let's pray.' Still feeling helpless and des rate, I began to try to pray, but all I could say was, 'Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.' As I was saying this, we felt Sister Gruse's body begin to move. She began to quiver and straighten out slowly from the terrible twisted and drawn form that she was. Right before our eyes, like a slow motion film, she continued to straighten her arms and legs, her face, that was so twisted, began to straighten and take shape again. When she had straightened out completely, I put my arm under her and helped her to a sitting position.
"She was looking up into the heavens and began to talk, not to anyone, but as though she was in another world. She said, 'Brother Cupples, I was dead. I came out to call one of the boys to close my shutters (they had to be closed from the outside), and the lightning struck me. I was dead. I looked back and saw my body lying here on the floor, and I said, "Lord, I'm coming home," and He said, "NO, I'm not finished with you yet." Then I heard you saying, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus."
"We helped her into the house and after checking on our children at our house, my wife went back and spent some time with her, but there was nothing wrong with her except a little burn on one of her feet where the lightning had run in. The next day she was up in her attic crawling around. She continued on in the work there the remainder of that term, and spent two more terms on the field working for the Lord. This was the most outstanding miracle I have ever witnessed" (Rev. W.H. Cupples, Missionary to Kenya, East Africa).
CANCER CURE SPARKS REVIVAL
"Mrs. Jacobs, a woman who lives about seven miles outside of Winnfield, Louisana, had never heard of baptism in the name of Jesus Christ or of receiving the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues. She went to Washington and was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and when she returned to Louisana she received the Holy Ghost.
"In 1949, she had either cancer or ulcers, and the doctor removed part of her colon and replaced some of it with plastic.
"Early one morning, her husband called and asked me to come and pray for her, saying that she was of the same faith as I. About five o'clock, my wife and I went to her bedside. All of the neighbors were there, as they did not expect her to live much longer. I asked all of the unbelievers to leave the room. When they left, my wife and I anointed her with oil and began praying. Until then, her eyes were set in her head and she had said not a word. Suddenly, she jumped out of the bed, ran through the crowd of neighbors, and started shouting and speaking in tongues. The people were astonished.
Her husband took her to a doctor at Jonesboro, after I left. She was in no pain, but her husband was worried about her. At Jonesboro, the doctor ordered an enema and, at that time, the plastic intestine removed itself from her.
"The doctor called an ambulance and transferred her to Confederate Memorial Hospital in Shreveport, Louisana. They immediately began to prepare her for surgery by putting tubes down her throat. She was saying, `Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,' when the doctor said, 'Gal, you had better call on someone that can help you, because we are fixing to cut you almost in two.”
"They put her under the x-ray machine and took a picture. Suddenly they called for the fluoroscope, and then called more doctors into the room. They rolled her back to her room and in five days they discharged her, saying that she missed surgery by thirty minutes. The admitted that they did not know what had happened to the plastic patch that was inside her.
She looked at the doctor and ‘said, Doctor, that "man" I was calling on wile I was in the operating room was the One who operated on me at five o'clock last Monday.'
"As a result of that healing, within two months, twenty eight people received the Holy Ghost on her front porch" (Rev. C. D.Bates, United Pentecostal Church, Winnfield, Louisiana).
The preceding incidents were taken from the book/Miracles in Our Day, by R.W. Johnson, Pentecostal Publishing House, Hazelwood, Missouri.
This article “living in the Light of Oneness” written by Elder Ross Drysdale is excerpted from the book Enter the Neo-Trinitarians.
