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Thank you very much,
December 2011 Newsletter
Beloved of God and Believers in His Work for our Children,
With the Bible as our guide, we can face every challenge of aging: it’s a strong biblical grip on reality, while giving us His peace and joy in our latter years and God’s reason for keeping us here. We understand “Grace” and “Servanthood” as God’s ultimate joy in us! So God wants us to remember! Grace is God’s love; servanthood is the truecalling of all Christians. A servant will be greatest of all!
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12, NIV). Jesus said: “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2, NIV). It’s been good to look back—to remember! While memory itself fades with our older years, I have discovered that the big events—serving the Lord Jesus Christ—do not fade, but grow stronger instead.
God actually does tell us to remember our life with Him: Deut. 8:2; Rev. 3:3, (NIV); Num. 15-40, (NKJV); Josh 1:13, (NKJV); I Chron. 16:12, (NKJV). Like God’s great servant, King David, we can say: (Ps. 63:6-8, NKJV)—this is our great comfort! Please believe it and above all DO IT, beloved of God. God is offering us peace! Faith that trusts God is true faith, without doubts.
Of course, God is the source of all knowledge, and the Creator/designer of our brain (memory chip, Ps. 103:14, NKJV, Jer. 31:34, NKJV). His Word is a display of His awesome power, in His own Words. God’s Word is alive! Jesus is the living Word: “All power is given unto me,” He said. “Sanctify them [believers] through thy Truth: thy Word is truth” (John 17; 17, KJV). It’s easy to see the “mysterious” power that the Word has—and what it imbues in us—and how it’s connected to Jesus’ other proclamations: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life: …” (John 14: 6, KJV).
The Word is the Truth; and the Word and the Truth are the power, given to us at the miraculous “New Birth” of the fallen human spirit and soul. The power continues to work in us, all our life (John 15:4, 5). These truths from God’s Word (the Bible) continuously reveal the “mystery” of how the “living word” (Jesus Christ)—alone—changes us physically and spiritually and ethereally, the intangible point of Grace (God’s love) and the physical, human (God-created) body. The “mystery” is all illustrated in the “new body” (resurrection) of our Lord Jesus Christ’s body—after our divine salvation from sin—through the living sacrifice of Jesus’ body and blood on the cruel, agonizing cross; His human blood, for life is in the blood: “…for the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev. 17:ll, KJV). “For without the shedding of blood there is no remission” (Heb. 9:22, KJV). That is: no casting away of sin, no forgiveness!
The penalty for Adam’s original sin is death, and carnality (inherited depravity). Everything in Scripture is tied back to the creation; the fall of man (Adam); the birth, life and cross of Jesus Christ (who is “the Word”). Every inspiration (to the Prophets and Apostles), was given to them by the third person of the Godhead: the Holy Spirit. Jesus was the creator; He is the living Word, now at the Father’s throne in Heaven, making intercession for our many ugly, selfish, pride-filled sins! “He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for thesins of the whole world” (I John 2:2, KJV).
That incredible man, Jesus Christ, was willing to become both God and man for our ugly sins. He is the one and only God of the universe; and yet He was willing to become a God-Man, a mysterious (to us) morphology of a spiritual Son of God to a material son of man, Jesus! Now remember, beloved, as you contemplate this apparent mystery: Jesus told us: “With men, this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Mt. 19:26, KJV).
The mystery of the “immaculate conception”—that is, how did Mary become pregnant without a husband’s seed—turns out to be no mystery at all. God who created in Adam the reproductive “seed” to generate life in his wife’s womb, through husband and wife intimacy, and that seed, we now know, is a special part of the blood of the man.
God, in His Word, told us: (“…God created manin His own image, [body, soul, Spirit], after our likeness [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit]”—The Divine Trinity of God’s Being—each functioning separately yet completely 100% One! “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created he him…” (Gen 1:26, 27, KJV).
Now, mankind “creates” his own children through the “seed” planting in his wife’s womb—his children are in their own human father’s “image,” much as we were, and are still, in God’s image, through Adam. God, the Creator, merely touched Mary and said “let it be,” and it was: God’s own creative power, a part of Himself (Father) and yielding up His own Son for sinful earthlings’ sins. His
own son, because He is the Father—and Jesus is the heavenly Father’s only begotten Son; begotten, or procreated by God the Father. Jesus, then, on his human side (Mary) can look at God the Father in heaven as his progenitor; while he would be the Father’s descendant (on the human side), or His progeny (offspring).
On Jesus’ “God the Son” side of the triune Godhead, Jesus is as fully God as he was fully man; with His divinity now fully restored, Jesus is once again given “all-power” as God the Son—and ONE with God the Father and God the Holy Ghost (Spirit). It seems certain we will all be very surprised when we “reign with Him in Heaven,” and have our Savior teach us knowledge we cannot know until then, knowledge too great for earthly man to know now (as the Bible puts it).
This we do know: “For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; butthen shall I know even as also I am known” (I Cor. 13:12, KJV). However, for now, many are in their last years—most often characterized “as old age.” They know their limitations and have faced physical loss of memory changes; but have joyously found that in their latter years they have such greatly fulfilling and rewarding lives. They were realistically and emotionally ready for the changes taking place in body and mind—and totally delighted to discover that, while reading their Bible, the spiritual life became a dynamic force in their life, and not only in their life, but in being a helper of other older lonelies and inactives. By establishing a personal Christian ministry of “servanthood,” life took on a new meaning, as never before. It is a gift of hope for others who had no one else. They could then, as brothers and sisters, help their friends.
Scripture is full of God’s recordings for us, many older Old Testament and New Testament lives that were useful, powerful and full of glory. Some were famous men, but most just ordinary people who obeyed God rather than listened to men. You and I can enjoy these ageing years and even do our greatest work on earth. Billy Graham, in his latest book, “Nearing Home,” (Thomas Nelson, 2011), listed many Bible characters whose greatest ministry, or act of ministry were performed in their last days. Moses was 120 years old when God rewarded him, when He told Moses to climb Mt. Pisgah, by Mt. Nebo. Moses’ successor, Joshua, served God until he was 110 years old. Noah was 500 years old when he began building the ark, as God instructed him to do. After Noah, Abraham was born—he was 75 years old when God chose him to serve Him. He was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born: “…in his old age at the very time God had promised him” (Gen. 21:2). These chosen men didn’t let old age and all its ills, pains, sorrows and insecurities that Satan attacked them with, take away the confidence that Godwas their strength, not just youth. “…Oh Lord my strength…” (Ps. 18:1, KJV). “The Lord is the strength of my life…” (Ps. 27:1, KJV). “…God is the strength of my heart…” (Ps. 73:25, KJV).
As it was for them, so will it be for us—only believe! I remember when I was still in my 70’s, I would run in a 5K or 10K (6.1 miles) distance race on Saturdays. I remember once I came in (10 K race) in the last group at the finish line. After trying so hard, and in “good shape” for my age—having run a 10K (6.1 miles) every day, five days a week, training during my early morning exercise, I looked around and realized I had barely beaten the last pack of about 30 runners—ugh! Then a race official stopped me after I crossed the finish line and said “Congratulations, Bob—YOU WON!” I said, “That’s not possible,” and he indicated that I had won—“in my category—75 and over.” I felt like I had just won the Olympics! Such fun!
Well, part of my races were well done, because I trained a little, but I was quoting Scripture as I ran, and felt tremendously strengthened. I remember my favorite verse was when King David, of Israel, was telling of his great exploits by God’s strength—not his own. He said, as he praised God: “For by thee I have run through a troop: and by my God have I leaped over a wall’’ (Ps. 18:29, KJV). Elsewhere we have accounts of David’s faith and strength! He actually did attack a troop of men in battle, running through them—sword-swinging—and he slew the entire troop (about 8-12 men)—all alone; BY FAITHin God.
Our job for God is to follow the examples God gave us. God has done some mighty things in all our lives. Remember them! Tell all about them—to your children—your grandchildren! It’s your testimony of the REALITY of God’s power; His answers to prayer; His leading and guiding us; His giving us victory and an escape from impossible situations. You must pass it on or your faith means little for your family, beloved. It’s the most important thing I can do for my family. We can be a God illustration. Our joy while in pain (through faith) or financial disasters, is being watched by others—our own attitudes and actions. If we put down, in our own mind, the impact we can make: “Oh, they won’t believe me anyway,” then our positive impact will be diminished. Old age is a window of opportunity, maybe our last.
Let us be as God’s appointed leader was, after Moses passed on; the man, Joshua. God said that he (Joshua) “was filled with the Spirit of Wisdom.” He was ordained to carry on for Moses, through God’s directions—all by FAITH!
I’ve found we tend to think of miracles (and they are all different in our own lives) as only happening to great men of the past (Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc), as those men being different than us, but most were ordinary men until God blessed them, and used them in His miracles. God has taken ordinary men and done many miracles through them and for them.
I am proof for you: I hereby testify of those miracles God has so graciously allowed me to be a part of. Without the exciting elaboration I would like to give you, (if space would allow), I will mention a few:
1. The First Miracle! The first real healing God used me in was for a young lady, in a three-city revival meeting in Bell, CA. A young college girl who had Shingles came for prayer. I had never heard of Shingles. He mother raised her blouse to show me a hideous swelling that circled her body—pinkish purple in color. The welt was about 1/4" high. I prayed “Oh, God, please heal this disease, in Jesus Holy Name, Amen” (a 30-second prayer). We all looked again and it was completely gone—her skin had returned to perfect normalcy. As a young evangelist, God gave me faith—just what I needed for my future ministry.
2. The Second Miracle! An NACE Christian mother (a public school teacher) called me, saying that her 21-year-old son was overcome with drugs. He had lost his mind; he was possessed of a devil, and was in the Orange County Mental Health Ward in Santa Ana, CA. He was in a padded cell in a straight jacket, as he was violent. She said: “Bob, you must pray for him and deliver him, now.” I said “I will pray and ask God to deliver him; we have Trust and know God is able to do this!” I called an experienced County Youth Director who, I thought, has done an exorcism (commanding an evil spirit to depart from a person). We went together. When we got there, he told me he had never done this before! Wow! I was alone again (I thought). A great fear gripped me, as never before. His mother had given the doctors permission for me to see him. Two uniformed guards brought him into an interrogation room where we both were. They insisted on staying with him. After a long talk, they agreed to stay outside with the door open about six inches. The man sat down about 18 inches away from me, facing me, growling like a mad dog, foaming at his mouth, and crazy angry. I put my hand on his knee and commanded “the evil spirit to come out of him, in the Name of Jesus.” His leg was stiff. To my utter surprise he went limp.He looked at me and said: “Who are you?” I said: “Bob Simonds, your mother’s friend.” He said “Where am I, and why am I tied-up like this?” I explained. We all rejoiced! I said to the guards: “Call his mother and tell her to pick him up. I later learned my friend had taken him to a drug rehab home and a year later, the young man was on their staff, helping kids get off drugs.
3. The Third Miracle: I struggled with what to do with public school kids coming to my college math classes whose academic education and morals were missing; many of which were derelicts (“left alone to fall into ruin,” Webster’s Dictionary). I was in my upstairs professor’s office, on my knees praying in tears, when God brought me into a great spiritual VISION. I had never had such an all-consuming experience before. My eyes were closed praying, yet I was up in the air—very high; I was over Costa Mesa (where Orange Coast Community College is), but I could see the Canadian border north, and also the Mexican border south. Now, as a veteran pilot, I know this was impossible (over 1000 miles apart). I was not in an airplane—just free-flight. As I flew across America I could see little children running out of the school buildings looking up at me, and I could hear them saying: “Please, help me!” Also I could see their faces clearly. They were crying with arms lifted up, and the tears were huge tear drops in the shape of an air-balloon people ride in. The widest part of the tear drops were about two to three inches across (like you may have seen in a drawing). When I reached the Atlantic Ocean it was dark, and I could see the lights of every city on my flight home. Suddenly I was back in my office on my knees (it was 2 p.m.). I thought “O Lord, thank you for bringing me home.” The message was clear—“SAVE our Christian church children from our public schools—now—they are all in desperate need.”
By faith, (and it didn’t take much on my part), that miracle has been with me every day of this ministry. I resigned my professorial contract the very next day. My wife stood by me in the God and man experience. Who would believe it? Probably only Jacki and I would. That was in 1981. These have been the best 30 years of our life—and by far the most productive for our Lord Jesus. Beloved, “stand fast” in your faith in God. Don’t allow Satan’s voice to make you doubt our Creator, the Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus. I have walked the walk, obeyed the inerrant Word of God, and lived the life.
That is my testimony: “God is love and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him” (I John 4:16, KJV). Let us love Jesus’ “littleones” as He loves us. We cannot keep our money in these last days, but with it we can have our eternal rewards soon, and still save our 10.9 million innocent little victims. Please help us to complete God’s plan in the vision. With you and God, I am not alone.
My life, gladly given for you and Jesus’ “little ones,”
