Prayer Meetings

Jesus is all I need. One of the many lies that satan throws at the minds of Christians and non-Christians alike is that, Jesus alone will never be enough. This is to cause them to stumble and doubt that Jesus truly is all we need.

The Bible says in 2 Peter 1:3-4 Amplified Bible says; “3 For His divine power has bestowed on us [absolutely] everything necessary for [a dynamic spiritual] life and godliness, through [d]true and personal knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has bestowed on us His precious and magnificent promises [of inexpressible value], so that by them you may escape from the immoral freedom that is in the world because of disreputable desire, and become sharers of the divine nature.”

It’s important to remember what the Apostle John says in 1 John 2:18-19, about the anti-Christ spirit that is presently in the world, it says;“18 Children, it is the last hour [the end of this age]; and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming [the one who will oppose Christ and attempt to replace Him], even now many antichrists (false teachers) have appeared, which confirms our belief that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us [seeming at first to be Christians], but they were not really of us [because they were not truly born again and spiritually transformed]; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out [teaching false doctrine], so that it would be clearly shown that none of them are of us. "

It’s the deceiver and liar, satan – the anti-Christ spirit, who says that Jesus alone isn’t enough. Remember the first temptation that came to Adam and Eve was satan tempting them to doubt what God had said, where it says in Genesis 3:1; “...Has God indeed said...?”  Those lies and temptations have not changed. But, we can still confidently say as Jesus said when He was tempted by satan; “...it is written...”, (Matthew 4:4), submit to God, resist the devil and he must flee.

Today we’re going to go through some scripture verses from both the Old and New Testaments that prove that Jesus alone is enough for our lives and will bring comfort to your souls. Remember what Peter said above, [absolutely] everything necessary for [a dynamic spiritual] life and godliness, is in Jesus Christ. Everything for life. What do you need in life? Food, clothing, shelter, work, friendships, church, etc., everything means everything. What do you need for godliness? Merriam-Webster dictionary says that godliness is “the quality, state, or condition of being godly.” Only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will put you on the path of being and living godly.

Here are some areas where we can see that; Jesus alone is all I need.

Grace and Sustenance

We all need grace and sustenance don’t we. We’re concerned if our jobs will sustain us and our family, if we’ll have enough to pay the bills, food and education. God’s promises are real and will sustain us no matter what if we have faith to believe and trust in Jesus.

2 Corinthians 12:9 Amplified Bible; “but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.”

Philippians 4:19 Amplified Bible; “And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Hebrews 4:16 Amplified Bible; “Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].”

Strength and Courage

Is Jesus all you need? The answer is ‘yes’! Even when you feel like you’re not able to stand in the battle or to courageously share your faith, we’re to take courage in the Lord.

Joshua 1:9; “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  

Isaiah 40:31; “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”

Romans 8:31; “ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Peace in Chaos

We’re living in chaotic times. We see Biblical prophecy being fulfilled all around us every day. The Apostle Paul warns Timothy about the last days Biblical events that will take place and it’s being spread out right before our eyes. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 says; “But know this, that in the last days [a]perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, [b]unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

But the word of God encourages us in the following scriptures;

John 16:33; “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you [a]will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”  

Psalm 46:1-2; “God is our refuge and strength, A[a] very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the [b]midst of the sea;”

John 14:27; “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Guidance and Direction

Many Christians today are getting their guidance and direction from what they hear and see on the news and social media, swayed by everything said and done, even by other Christians. The Bible is enough and has the answer for everything, Jesus is enough to give guidance and direction in everything that goes on day to day in our lives.

Proverbs 3:5-6; “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall [a]direct your paths.”

Isaiah 30:21; “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.”

James 1:5; “ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

Love and Acceptance

These two words are at the pinnacle of today’s society. Satan’s temptation is to be a lover of self and we dare not correct anyone lest they be offended. It’s innate within us to be loved and accepted but we’ll never be able to fully love or be loved outside of the love of Christ.

Romans 5:8; “ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Ephesians 2:4-5; “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”

John 13:34; “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

Hope and Assurance

Jesus is enough for hope and assurance. These scriptures point us to Him.

Romans 15:13; “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

Jeremiah 29:11; “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

1 Peter 1:3; “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

Joy and Fulfillment

Outside of Jesus Christ and a personal relationship with Him there really isn’t true joy and fulfillment.

John 15:11; “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

Galatians 5:22; “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”

Nehemiah 8:10; “Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”  

Community and Fellowship

Church fellowship is under demonic attach. We’re admonished in the following scriptures, that as Christians, we don’t have an option not to disobey what Jesus has commanded. We need the gifts of the Holy Spirit at work in church, encouraging and edifying the body. We need to be able to look others in the eyes, listen to them and pray for one another. We know ‘on-line’ churches are the rage, but there is no one-on-one contact, no accountability and as quickly as one connects on-line, they disconnect. Find a local church that preaches and teaches the full Word of God, regardless of the size of it.

Hebrews 10:24-25;“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Acts 2:42; “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ [a]doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

1 Thessalonians 5:11;“Therefore [a]comfort each other and [b]edify one another, just as you also are doing.”

Today at church we prayed and took authority over the demonic lies, the anti-Christ spirit, that would say that Jesus isn’t enough. We prayed for truth to prevail and that Christians would not waver in their faith. We prayed for some people that we have been able to help out with groceries, sharing the gospel with them and giving them Bibles.  

We were reminded of when the Israelite's wanted a King, they wanted to be like the rest of the nations around them, ungodly and heathen nations, as they weren’t satisfied with Almighty God being enough for them. Everything went contrary to what God had said that He would do for them and be for them. The Bible says that Samuel the prophet was grieved in his heart, but God encouraged him saying that Israel hadn’t rejected him, but God. (2 Samuel 8).

Jesus also says in John 15:18-25 that if the world hates you, the Christian, we’re to realize that they hated Him first.

We have to take courage and be comforted by the Holy Spirit in this, as we stand for righteousness in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation, (Philippians 2:15).

Be comforted today as you read all the above scriptures, knowing, that Jesus Alone Is Enough.

Here’s a link for a more extended teaching of what we shared. OurBibleHeritage.

Pastor Richard and Marjorie ~ Bondslaves of Jesus Christ

Today was a prayer service at church, and as we always do, we spent the day in prayer at home and we normally take a drive throughout our community praying over it and for it.

In Matthew 6:9-13 when the disciples were asking Jesus to teach them how to pray, this is what He said; “9 Pray, then, [a]in this way: ‘Our Father, who is in heaven, [b]Hallowed be Your name. 10  ‘[c]Your kingdom come, Your [d]will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11  ‘Give us this day our [e]daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our [f]debts, as we have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment]. 13  ‘And do not [g]lead us into temptation, but deliver us from [h]evil. [i][For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’”

It’s a prayer that we pray daily, pondering on in greater measure as we come to understand what Jesus was teaching both His disciples and us today. We want to hallow Him, we want to see His kingdom come, we want His will to be done, we want to see His provision, we want to forgive others as He’s forgiven us and we want to be delivered from all the temptations of the devil.

We continually want to walk humbly before God our Father, to hallow and reverence His name, always lifting Him up at all times and in every situation. We continue to pray for His kingdom to come, His eternal kingdom and for His will to be done on earth, not our will.

We prayed for our fellow Christians who are being persecuted around the world, not just by the secular but by other religious groups. There is a surge of persecution of sorts, coming from groups like the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), who are promoting the 7 Mountain Mandate which they believe God is commanding them to take over seven spheres of influence in society, those being; government, media, education, economy, religion, family, and arts/entertainment. Together with this, many embrace Christian Nationalism and other questionable doctrines, and some go as far to be against Israel. We know many who believe and teach this also come from Pentecostal or Charismatic churches.

While we wholeheartedly believe in the baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, signs, wonders and miracles and all that Jesus commanded us to receive with the power of the Holy Spirit, some of these teachings are getting politically charged so as to blame those who are not on board with their teachings, that they are holding back God’s kingdom from being established on earth. Jesus though says in John 18:36; “36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”  

Many evangelical churches have become so lukewarm that they’re more concerned about social justice than saving souls from hell and making disciples of all nations. We’re reminded of what Jesus says about the Laodicean church in Revelation 3:14-22 and their being lukewarm, that He would spit or vomit them out of His mouth.  

Jesus said in John 17:14-16 Amplified Bible; “14 I have  given and delivered to them Your word (message) and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world [do not belong to the world], just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world (worldly, belonging to the world), [just] as I am not of the world.”

We live in this world, but are not of it. We’ll be hated by the world and worldly systems. Even as Noah being a preacher of righteousness was mocked at and scorned by those who heard and saw him, so are true followers of Jesus. Only when Jesus rules and reigns from Jerusalem in the Millennial Kingdom, will this world we presently live in have peace, because only King Jesus can bring true peace, He is the Prince of Peace.

Jesus says in John 15:18-19 Amplified Bible;“18 If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection and would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world [no longer one with it], but I have chosen (selected) you out of the world, the world hates (detests) you. 20 Remember that I told you, A servant is not greater than his master [is not superior to him]. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word and obeyed My teachings, they will also keep and obey yours. 21 But they will do all this to you [inflict all this suffering on you] because of [your bearing] My name and on My account, for they do not know or understand the One Who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin [would be blameless]; but now they have no excuse for their sin.”

We prayed for churches that are standing with Israel. Many evangelical churches believe that God has replaced Israel with the church, but that is not true. They call it Replacement Theology and that God’s covenant with Israel no longer exists. That is a demonic lie. Paul explicitly says in Romans chapters 9-11 that God has not forgotten the Jews and that He will deal with them during the seven year tribulation which is called the 70th week by the Prophet Daniel in Daniel 9.

We’re also seeing a great push by global political and religious leaders that all faiths lead to Christ. This is also a demonic lie and needs to be taken authority over in prayer. Christians are being persecuted if they don’t agree with this lie because they’re being labelled as not being ‘all inclusive’.  Jesus is very clear in His word that He is the only way, truth and life, and that no man comes to the Heavenly Father but through Him, John 14:6.

We also prayed for the church in Venezuela as they continue to deal with the aftermath of the earthquakes. We prayed they would be delivered from the lies and idolatry of Catholicism, praying to the dead and worshipping the dead. We prayed that the true church would rise in the power of the Holy Spirit and that many would be saved.

We’re watching in real time Bible prophesies coming to pass and we have to know and read the Bible daily, to pray and intercede for true Bible believing Christians that they not be deceived by false teachers and doctrines of demons. We’re not to fear but to live by faith, preach the gospel, live righteously and holy before Almighty God.

As we do in every church service, we ended by taking Communion, the Lord’s Supper.

Pastor Richard and Marjorie ~ Bondslaves of Jesus Christ

After a wonderful time of praise and worship, we read from Chapter 4 of The Holy War, page 24, to the first paragraph on page 29. To download a copy of the book, click on the link at the top of the Illustrated Message website page. Again, we encourage you to read this portion ahead of time as it will be preached on in future church services.

We read specifically in Chapter 4 of the excitement of King Shaddai’s Son, Jesus who is Emmanuel or Immanuel, when news came to Him that now was the time to be able to redeem the city of Mansoul. In Message 7 of The Holy War series entitled, ‘Salvation: Crushing the Head of the Serpent’, we covered in-depth, that from the beginning of time, God had a plan of salvation, which Jesus, who was the Word, knew about. We’d encourage you to reread that message.  

Who is Emmanuel? Emmanuel in Hebrew is masculine which means; with us (is) God. The Topical Lexicon for Etymology and Meaning says; Immanuel combines the Hebrew preposition עִם (ʿim, “with”), the first-person plural pronoun נוּ (nū, “us”), and אֵל (ʾēl, “God”), yielding the confession “God with us.” More than a personal name, it is a declarative statement of the covenant presence of YHWH among His people.”

John 1:1 Amplified Bible says this about the deity of Jesus Christ; “In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.”

Hebrews 1:3 Amplified Bible says this; “The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of [our awesome] God [reflecting God’s Shekinah glory, the Light-being, the brilliant light of the divine], and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His [Father’s] essence, and upholding and maintaining and propelling all things [the entire physical and spiritual universe] by His powerful word [carrying the universe along to its predetermined goal]. When He [Himself and no other] had [by offering Himself on the cross as a sacrifice for sin] accomplished purification from sins and established our freedom from guilt, He sat down [revealing His completed work] at the right hand of the Majesty on high [revealing His Divine authority].”

GotQuestions.org says this; “Seven hundred years earlier, the prophet Isaiah foresaw the virgin birth of the promised Messiah. He prophesied that His name would be Immanuel, which means “God with us.” By referencing the words of Isaiah, Matthew recognized Jesus as Immanuel. The name Immanuel expresses the miracle of the Incarnation: Jesus is God with us! God had been with His people always—in the pillar of cloud above the tabernacle, in the voice of the prophets, in the ark of the covenant—but never was God so clearly present with His people as He was through His virgin-born Son, Jesus, the Messiah of Israel.”
 

“God makes Himself fully known to us through Jesus Christ. He reveals Himself as our Redeemer (1 Peter 1:18–19). Jesus is God with us as Reconciler. Once we were separated from God through sin (Isaiah 59:2), but when Jesus Christ came, He brought God to us: “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19, NLT; see also Romans 8:3). "

We’ve read in the first three chapters of The Holy War, that the city of Mansoul, mankind, was desperately lost and in the clutches of the devil. Although God was grieved, he always had a plan and His timing of all things is absolutely perfect.

All the promises that Abraham believed in, were manifested in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul speaking to the Galatian church says this in Galatians 3:6-9; “6 Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, [as conformity to God’s will and purpose—so it is with you also]. 7 So understand that it is the people who live by faith [with confidence in the power and goodness of God] who are [the true] sons of [a]Abraham. 8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the good news [of the Savior] to Abraham in advance [with this promise], saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then those who are people of faith [whether Jew or Gentile] are blessed and favored by God [and declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and placed in right standing with Him] along with Abraham, the believer”

He continues in verse 16; “16 Now the promises [in the covenants] were decreed to Abraham and to his seed. God does not say, “And to seeds (descendants, heirs),” as if [referring] to many [persons], but as to one, “And to your Seed,” who is [none other than] Christ.”

Now, Jew and Gentile are made one through faith in Jesus Christ, Immanuel. In Jesus becoming man, He destroyed the authority of the devil as was prophesied about in Genesis 3:15; “And I will put enmity (open hostility) Between you and the woman, And between your seed (offspring) and her [a]Seed; He shall [fatally] bruise your head, And you shall [only] bruise His heel.”

The Apostle John writes this in 1 John 3:8; “The one who practices sin [separating himself from God, and offending Him by acts of disobedience, indifference, or rebellion] is of the devil [and takes his inner character and moral values from him, not God]; for the devil has sinned and violated God’s law from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”

Jesus ultimately destroyed the works of the devil at the cross. But now it is up to Mansoul, mankind, to accept and receive this salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9says; “For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].”

Our prayer time today focused primarily on interceding for those who are not born again in our community. Jesus came to seek and save the lost, and Jesus is not willing that any perish but all come to repentance. 

Today, if you hear Jesus’ voice, do not harden your heart, but humble yourself before Him, repent of your sins, and receive Jesus Christ, Immanuel, as your Lord and Saviour.

As we closed the prayer meeting today, we partook of the Lord’s Supper as we do every week.  

Pastor Richard and Marjorie ~ Bondslaves of Jesus Christ

Overview of the Prayer Meeting – April 26th, 2026

The Bible says in Ephesians 6:10-18 the following; “10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the [b]wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of [c]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints,”

Many times when we read about the full armour of God, we miss verse 18, where it says we’re to pray for the saints. If you notice, verse 18 is part of the previous sentence on putting on the helmet of salvation and taking up the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. It was mentioned in a previous prayer meeting that, the ‘praying for the saints’, is like the buckle in the armour of God.

As Christians, we are part of the Lord’s body and we’re called, saints. When we come together in prayer as we did on Sunday, we don’t only pray for our own needs, but for those of the church at large. As Christians we fight the same enemy, the devil, who comes only to kill, steal, destroy, to bring confusion, division, alienation, and so much more. There is power when the church comes together in prayer to pray for one another.  

Jesus has given us authority in His name as it says in Luke 10:19; “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

The devil wants to isolate Christians, to get them to be independent from one another, so that they can’t come together in agreement in prayer and supplications to the Lord. That’s why regular church attendance is important as Hebrews 10:24-25 says; “ 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Being part of Jesus’ family, we are to stand in the gap for each other with constant prayers. On Sunday at church that is what we did, praying for the church in Didsbury, Alberta and Canada. Many times we don’t know accurately what the church is facing, so we pray in tongues, in the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us when we don’t know how to pray as Romans 8:26 says; “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

We broke bread together in communion as we always do, reading from Luke 22:14-20 which says; “14 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the [b]twelve apostles with Him. 15 Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, [c]I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in  remembrance of Me.” 20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”

Pastor Richard and Marjorie ~ Bondslaves of Jesus Christ

Overview of Easter Prayer Meeting – April 5th, 2026

Happy Easter and Happy Resurrection! We praise the Lord as we remember the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In prayer today, we were led to read the full chapter of Isaiah 53. As we read this chapter and reflected on the meaning of it, we couldn’t help but realize that to the Jew, it is almost forbidden to read as it points directly to Jesus Christ, whom they deny as Messiah; it reflects on ‘so called’ religious Christians who are that in word only but not in deed, not truly being born again; and it points to the unsaved Gentile who refuses to believe that Jesus came into the world first as the suffering servant and will one day soon return as conquering King.

We decided to use some commentary from The Dake Annotated Reference Bible as he gives an in-depth breakdown of each verse, giving cross references to other scriptures.  We won’t reference everything, but only some points which he makes. We added more in this review than what we did in the service. It will be in italics so will be easy to identify. We’d highly recommend to avail yourself to this Bible and use it as a study guide. You can access this link for more information on it. We’ll also offer our thoughts throughout the review also.

Isaiah 53

“1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no [a]form or [b]comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no [c]beauty that we should desire Him. “3 He is despised and [d]rejected by men,  A Man of [e]sorrows and acquainted with [f]grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”

Today, so much emphasis is placed on appearance and image, yet with Jesus it wasn’t that way. With the nonspiritual heart or earthly rational, one would think that because He was despised and rejected by men, must surely have meant that He did something wrong. But that was the farthest from the truth as the humble and meek thronged to Him. For the most part, it was the majority of the religious who rejected Him. Jesus, speaking of Himself, said that if they (the world) rejects you (Christian), know that they reject you because of Himself. So we are not greater than our master, He was despised and not esteemed and that can and will happen to us as Christians.

Dake’s Commentary says this; “Even when they saw Him in His life before His sufferings such could not have been true except in the case of enemies, filled with satanic hatred. Christ was no doubt the most handsome and attractive man who ever lived, but the sufferings described here would cause anyone to think there was no beauty about Him.

He was a man of sorrows because He carried our sorrows. He personally had no sin, sickness, pain or suffering on account of His own self and sins, but we have these in abundance; and since He came into the world to carry them for us,  He had to become identified with us in our sufferings by taking them upon Himself and bearing them unto death, so that we might be free from them.”

“4 Surely He has borne our [g]griefs And carried our [h]sorrows; Yet we [i]esteemed Him stricken, [j]Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded[k] for our transgressions, He was [l]bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes[m] we are healed.”

Dake’s Commentary says this; “The words grief and griefs should have been translated as sickness, as the Hebrew word is translated elsewhere and recognized by many versions....Christ was not only acquainted with diseases and sicknesses in the sense of being able to discern and diagnose them, and by being familiar with them in others, but He actually bore them in His own body while hanging on the cross, and becoming a substitute for others.”

According to the Hebrew (as in versions quoted above), verse 10 plainly says that He (Jehovah) has made Him sick, depressed Him with pain, laid on Him sickness – in addition to His soul being made an offering for sin. He was made sick for men as he was made sin for them. He became the sickness offering as well as the sin offering for man.....Likewise, He did not personally experience all the sicknesses and diseases, but He became sick in the sense of becoming an offering for sickness. He made atonement for sin and all its effects. Both sin and sickness were a part of the one curse, and both became a part of the one redemption. Christ atoned for and made provision for sickness to be healed, as well as for sin to be forgiven.”

When a person becomes a Christian, we exchange our sickness, disease and suffering for His healing. Our transgressions then are removed from us as far as the east is from the west. There is no loss in becoming a Christian.

“6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord [n]has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

Dake’s Commentary says this; “we have turned, every one, to his own way”. This has been the way of man since the Fall. Each one pursues his own interests, makes his own plans, and seeks to gratify his own selfishness, regardless of the interest and good of the whole.”

“7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.”

Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God many times in the Bible. As at Passover, Easter, a lamb was slain to symbolize what the Israelite's had to do when they fled Egypt. They were commanded to slaughter a lamb and put the blood of it over the top and sides of the door so that the angel of death would pass over their homes. Likewise, when Jesus was crucified at Passover (Easter), His blood was shed for us who would believe, so that death would have no power over us when we receive Him as Lord and Saviour.  

“8 He was taken from [o]prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.”

Dake’s Commentary says this; “Christ was never kept in prison, not did He have a fair trial; so the idea here is that He was cut off, justice and judgment being denied Him. Who will be able to declare the wickedness of His generation? He was considered too wicked to be given a fair trial. Though He was declared innocent by His judge and others, (Mt.27:4b), He was denied freedom by His enemies. They pressured His judge who then thought it best to turn Him over to them that he might save himself from being accused of treason to Caesar.”

“9 And [p]they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.”

Jesus was crucified between two criminals and he was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Aramathea, who was a rich man.

“10 Yet it pleased the Lord to [q]bruise Him; He has put Him to grief.  When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.”

Dake’s Commentary says this; Why God was pleased with the death of Christ. The only reason it pleased Jehovah to let Christ be crucified was to bring about the redemption of the whole creation so that His eternal program could be carried out with man on earth (v10). He could not have been pleased with the mutilation of His beloved Son, because He punished men for this (Acts 2:22-24, 1 Th.2:16). Both the Father and the Son volunteered to suffer such indignities for the salvation of men (Jh.3:16; 10:18). Such a sacrifice on the part of God showed His divine perfection, justice, mercy and boundless benevolence. The law was upheld, sin was judged and a basis of pardon and eternal reconciliation was made possible.”

He continues; “Himself – His entire self, not His personal soul only. It took His body, soul, and spirit to make a complete offering for sin and sickness. He was a complete substitute for man. Since the body, soul, and spirit of man had sinned and were under the sentence of death, it took the whole being of the Messiah to take man’s place. The word soul is sometimes used as an individual (Gen.12:5; 41:26). There is no such thing as sinning with the flesh and not with the soul and spirit, as taught by some. The flesh cannot be filthy and the soul and spirit be holy. The body became sinful, depraved, and diseased by sin in the fall, and the body must be redeemed from these things if redemption is to be complete.”

There are those who wickedly believe that what God did was sadistic and evil and that’s what the devil wants mankind to believe. But it was all about Jesus bearing the worlds iniquities. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. So if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgiveness us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Had Jesus not done this, we would have never had the hope of eternal life, but be eternally condemned to hell. Without the death of Jesus, there would be no resurrection for us from death. The god of this world, the devil, wants to blind the minds of the unbelievers to the truth of what Jesus did at the cross. The only way to heaven and to live eternally in heaven, is to believe and receive into your heart, Jesus Christ as Lord, knowing that everything He did was for our salvation, spirit, soul and body.

So regarding the Jewish people, the Apostle Paul says that there is a veil over their eyes, which is only removed in Jesus Christ. That’s why both secular and religious Jews don’t read Isaiah 53, because it points to the historic fact that Jesus Christ is their Messiah, that He had to be the suffering servant before He could be the reigning King.  2 Corinthians 3:12-18says; “12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— 13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as [b]by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Isaiah 53:11-12 ends with; “11 [r]He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the [s]spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.”

Dake’s Commentary says this; Messiah Bore Iniquities; He bore iniquities, not because He became a sinner or that sin was transferred to Him, for that would be impossible. Guilt is a personal quality and cannot be transferred. The consequences of sin may pass from one to another, and sufferings for sin can be assumed by another. This was done by Jesus Christ; He stood between God and man and received the blow of the sinner upon Himself. He took the punishment the sinner should have received, to save the guilty. When a sinner accepts this by faith and surrenders his life in gratitude to God, he becomes justified. There was a transfer of consequences to Christ, and we partake of the results of His sufferings and death on our behalf.”

So as the Jews continue to wait for their Messiah, who they believe will be like King David militarily and deliver Israel from all her enemies, their Messiah has already come and they refuse to acknowledge Him, although not all. We know that the majority of the early church were Israelite's and we know that there are many Jews coming to the knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Messiah even today. But they’re not the majority. Romans 11 is an illuminating scripture as to the future of the Jews. Verses 25-32 says; “For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written; “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” 28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has [h]committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.”

What it comes down to is being born again... John 3:16-18;“16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

We see then that this salvation message is for the religious Jews, the religious believers who are not born again, and for the Gentile or heathen. We prayed for these groups today at church. Included was prayer for family members who are not born again. We prayed for Holy Ghost boldness to continue to preach the word of God even in the midst of persecution, rejection, intimidation and when it’s not convenient to preach. The devil will lie to you to make you think that you have to apologize for being bold in your preaching and tries to intimidate your declaration of truth, making you think that you’ve inconvenienced the sinner by preaching the truth. We prayed for more boldness to rescue man’s soul from the clutches of the devil, more boldness to preach into the eargates of the unsaved who have the smell of smoke on their clothes, those that are destined for hell. We prayed that their destination would change by the preaching of the gospel. We choose to let our light shine before everyone; louder, bolder, brighter, not intimidated by the religious no matter who they are. We prayed for those who refuse to attend church and that Christians would be sent across their paths to boldly speak of their need of salvation and not to be stubborn and rebellious against the word of God.

We pray in faith believing that the Lord has heard our prayers. As we do in every church service, we broke bread in communion, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and soon coming King!

Overview of Prayer Meeting ~ January 18th, 2026 ~ How To Receive The Holy Spirit

For the past three church prayer meetings, we’ve been going through Gordon Lindsay’s booklet, How to Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, where we read Chapter 1 & 2. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, go to this link and receive a free copy of it. How To Receive The Baptism In The Holy Spirit. Today we’ll be reviewing Chapter 3, not verbatim but a synopsis of scriptures and portions of it.

Let’s start by reading from Acts 2:38-39; “38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”  

You could say that today, in 2026, we are still those, who are afar off, some 2000 years after the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit is still being poured out on all flesh. One does not need to attain a certain level of spirituality to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. We need this baptism to do what we can not in our own strength. One cannot bear the fruits or have the gifts of the Holy Spirit if we do not have the Holy Spirit, and we cannot do enough works to earn this baptism because it is a gift, as Luke 11:13 says; “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”  

“God gave the Holy Spirit to His people on the day of Pentecost. His part in the matter is finished. The Holy Spirit is ready to come into any vessel that will receive Him. He does not come in because we have reached a high state of attainment. He comes in because He wants to provide us the way by which we can press toward our higher goals and callings.” ~ Gordon Lindsay

Preparation To Receive The Holy Spirit

Even though spiritual perfection is not needed, preparation is. There must be a hunger, reverence, and a sincere love for God. Just as teaching and understanding is needed for salvation and healing, so basic instruction is needed to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Bring Forth Fruits of Repentance

Acts 2:38 says; “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

“People may not have victory over all their bad habits, but they can give up loving them. In each one’s heart, he can turn from what he knows to be evil. Anyone who still loves the world is not ready to receive the Holy Spirit; instead, he should be a candidate for repentance.” ~ Gordon Lindsay

John the Baptist preached repentance in preparation for Jesus’ public ministry as Luke 3:16 says; “John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” 

Prepare the Way of the Lord

John the Baptist also taught that men were to “Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight” Luke 3:4.

Just as we prepare our hearts for salvation, so we must prepare our hearts for the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

“Men cannot change their own nature themselves, but they can repent of their sins. It is not just a matter of being able to make yourself better; the important thing is that there is a deep desire to draw closer to God. God is looking for people who really want Him, not just His blessings” ~ Gordon Lindsay

Receiving The Holy Spirit Instantly

As much as we understand that our hearts must be prepared, we also know that men can and should receive the Holy Spirit instantly, even after conversion. We read that the Apostle Paul received the Holy Spirit when Ananias laid hands on him three days after Jesus’ appearing to him. Cornelius’ heart was prepared and ready to receive the baptism because his prayers and alms had come as a memorial before God, Acts 10:4.  And when Peter prayed for him, the Holy Spirit fell on his whole household and they all spoke in tongues and were then water baptized, Acts 10:44-48.

“It is important that a man’s soul is opened up to receiving the Holy Spirit before his attention is focused on the speaking in other tongues.” ~ Gordon Lindsay

The Difference Between the Old Testament and the New Testament Experiences

John 14:16-17 says; “16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another [a]Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

“From this verse, we can see that the disciples had the Spirit before Pentecost. John 20:22 declares that Jesus “breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” There is no doubt, prior to this, they had the Holy Spirit in measure. However, it was not the full measure. The Holy Spirit was with them, but on the Day of Pentecost, He came and dwelt in them. When He came, it was not temporarily, as in Old Testament days, nor was it until death, but it was forever!” ~ Gordon Lindsay

The Other Difference – The Speaking in Other Tongues

We’ve shared this scripture from Isaiah 28:11-12 many times in our teaching on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Isaiah prophesied about speaking in other tongues, which was not manifested in the Old Testament but would be in the New. It says; “11 For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, 12 To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”.

“The speaking in other tongues is not just a sign, nor something added on to the baptism; it is an essential part of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. One may receive the Spirit as in Old Testament times without the speaking in other tongues, but he does not have the full baptism. The fact is there are two important phases of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.” ~ Gordon Lindsay

A Crucial Point

“Many individuals have received a wonderful anointing of the Spirit, and yet, if they still have not received the full emersion, all they need is some instruction on yielding their tongue. Often, when properly instructed, these people within a few minutes burst forth in a clear language, even though they may have been seeking the baptism for years.”

This really is a crucial point. Many will say that they’ve been baptized in the Holy Spirit, but they just don’t speak in tongues. This primarily comes from lack of knowledge of the word of God, because as we’ve studied, tongues is the evidence of the baptism. When one is willing and yielded to the Lord having a humble heart, and understands that God wants to use their tongues to speak to Him directly, they will receive. It is a full emersion as mentioned above.

Summing Up

"1. God is not restricted to a time and place or by a particular method when He pours out His Spirit. The laying on of hands, apparently, was the most common way in apostolic times. Likewise, in Old Testament days, this same method was used. Moses laid hands on Joshua that he might receive the Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 34:9).

2. Prayer and heart-searching is indicated as important steps before receiving the Holy Spirit. The 120 “all continued … in prayer and supplication” before the Holy Spirit fell on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1:14). The apostles prayed for the Samaritans before they laid hands on them (Acts 8:15). Cornelius’ prayers and fasting came up us a memorial to God before the angel was dispatched to give instructions, whereby the Holy Spirit fell upon his household (Acts 10:2-4). Paul was permitted to spend three days in prayer and fasting before hands were laid upon him to receive the Holy Spirit.

3. We do not overlook the fact that many, especially in these last days, receive with very little instruction. Yet, we are told to “lay hands suddenly on no man.” Hypocrites, such as Simon the sorcerer, should be detected and eliminated or else brought to repentance, before hands are laid upon them (Acts 8:18-24).

4. When the simple, scriptural conditions are met, hands may be laid upon the candidates, and they will receive instantly.

5. As a final thought, some people have spoken in tongues and received a comparatively light anointing of the Spirit. The reason may be that their faith is weak, or it may be that they did not have a deep hunger in their heart for the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). As the heart hungers for the fullness of God, it will surely be filled.” ~ Gordon Lindsay

In light of this teaching, we prayed specifically for individuals that are sincerely desiring to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, that they would prepare themselves or that God would stir them up to receive this baptism. We prayed for those who have listened to erroneous doctrine about the baptism and tongues, that the lies and deception would be broken off of them.

There are people who hunger after God, after Jesus Christ and after the Holy Spirit. If you are one of them, prepare your heart to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, and you will be refreshed, built up and edified and have your personal prayer language to pray to your Heavenly Father.

Pastor Richard and Marjorie ~ Bondslaves of Jesus Christ