Seven Witnesses at The Trial

Our Church has had many major health issues this last year. We all probably know of someone, who have suffered and perhaps died.

We grew up with some friends in New Zealand many years ago. We found out 6 weeks ago, their son was killed in a mountain climbing accident, survived by his wife and two very young children.

I cast my mind back to the death of my own brother at nineteen years of age, killed by a drunken driver all those years ago.The heart break my parents' felt was heart rendering, after all, we parents expect to die before our children die.

As many of our closes friends may have felt similar mind flashes though the years. In a Sydney paper recently was the story of an 88 year old paraplegic pensioner, who had been confined to hospital from the age of 20 as a result of an accident. The hospital was going to cast this elderly gentleman, out into the cold hard world. Their excuse being that they could not afford to keep him there any longer, after 68 years in the same hospital. This is despite the issue, where the hospital took his entire pension to pay for his tenure. Ask yourselves how much longer, could this man expect to live?

Recently a friend of mine died after getting a melanoma on his back. It was almost six months after being diagnosed.Then in 1975 a friend of our family had a black spot on his back diagnosed with melanoma and he also died within six months.

Just the huge number of my friends alone concerned me, that so many of them have had contact with Cancer. These thoughts led to the Seven Miracles of Jesus Christ as out lined through from John Chapter four "The Final Witness" Plus the mind boggling thoughts on a break through in the "Treatment of Cancer"

I sincerely hope that many of you may feel the same way.

Some thoughts on Life and Death and the consequences.

Seven Miracles by Christ.

A Court appearance 'Perry Mason' Style.

Water to Wine

"You may Go. Your Son will Live."

"Do you want to get well?"

Olga's Letter re Patrick

Faith and Prayer Does Work

The Boy with His Lunch. A meal in a lunch box or a feast for 5,000 Plus

Walk on Water

'Jesus healed my eyes."

"Your Honour Permitting,

I Will call our Final Witness to The Chair.

" Lazarus of Bethany

Jesus Christ Makes a Promise

"I Represent all Orphans. The Judge has Given his Blessing.

The Master Asks Orphans to do unto Others?

To Have You as One of the Believers is Great

To Give or not to Give

The Big Orange: How Useful isThis

Could you indulge me for a moment. I presume most of you, have heard of The Fictional Lawyer, 'Perry Mason' and his Famous Court Scenes. Could you pretend to be in the Court acting as the Jury? You are in a courtroom, an almost empty courtroom. There are only four other people in Court: A Judge, a Lawyer, an Orphan, and a would-be Guardian. This is a strange case for you to be here as a part of the the Jury of this trial as: - You are also the person being judged. (The Orphan)

The God Who Proves His Point.

John doesn't tell us everything Jesus did: He does tell us of those Acts that will lead us to faith. Here John selects Seven Miracles for you to listen to.

He begins softly with the quiet Miracle of water to wine and then builds to a crescendos in the Public Resurrection of Lazarus.

There are seven miracles offered for you to witness and ajudicate upon, today you are the Jury at this trial and will hear of the seven witnesses to be examined, each one building on the testimony of the previous.

Let's see if I can image the feel of their full impact.

The Judge is God,

Jesus is the one who seeks to be the guardian.

You are the orphan. You have no Name, no Inheritance and no Home.

The Lawyer is proposing that you be placed in Jesus' care.

Who is the lawyer? A Galilean Fisherman called John.

He has presented the court with six witnesses. It is time for the seventh. But before calling him to the stand, the lawyer reviews the case. Of course this is where you must be the most attentive, listening carefully to all that is said.

"We started this case with the Wedding in Cana."

John paces as he speaks, measuring each word.

"They had no wine, none at all. But when Jesus spoke, water became wine. This is a wine of the highest calibre. A beautiful and fragrant wine. You think of the testimony of the wedding attendants. Six stoneware water pots were there, used by the Jews for ritual washings. Each held twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus ordered the servants, "Fill the pots with water." And they filled them to the brim. "Now fill your pitchers and take them to the host," Jesus said, and they did.

When the host tasted the water that had become wine he called out to the bridegroom and said "Everybody I know begins with their finest wines and after the guests have had their fill, brings in the cheap stuff. But you've saved the best till now." John 2:7-11

This is the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

He pauses, and then moves on.

"Then we heard the words of the foreign official. His son was nearly dead." You nod. You remember the man's testimony. He had spoken articulately of how he had called every doctor and tried every treatment, but nothing had helped his son. Just when he was about to give up hope, someone told him about a healer in Galilee. Though his accent was thickened, the dignitary explained, "I had no other choice. I went to him out of desperation. Look! Look what the teacher did for my son." The boy had stood, and you had stared. It was hard to believe such a healthy youngster had ever been near death.

John 4: 47-54 "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe." The Royal Official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies." Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live." The man took Jesus at his word and departed. While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, "The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour." Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live."

So he and his entire household believed.

This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee. The Man's faith in Jesus was justified.

For thirty-eight years He had not Walked.

Your listening intensifies as John continues, "Your Honour, please do not forget the Crippled Man by the pool. For thirty-eight years he had not walked.

But then Jesus came." Can You, the Jury Remember Him? You Saw that paralyzed man. John 5:1-14 Sometime later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lay-the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him,

"Do you want to get well?" "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me." Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk."

At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat."

But he replied, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.' So they asked him, "Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?" The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you."

Remember? The lawyer turned towards you. 'You The Jury' "Can You remember him walking into your Court?"

" You heard his story.""Do you believe?"

A short letter from Olga

"In 2003 my husband was told he had a pancost tumour on his upper left lung. He began 6 weeks of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. On April 1st, 2004 he went thru10 hour surgical to remove the upper left lobe, some ribs and the tips of the T3, T4 & T5 vertebrae. "In May 2005 he was informed the cancer had returned in the lower left lung and on his spine causing compression fractures of the C2, T3, 4, 5, & T6 vertebrae. He refused chemo and radiation therapy.

Faith and Prayer Does Work

"The recent CT scan, PET scan, blood work and MRI came back cancer free. Thank God. He still has the issue with his back, but no cancer: Faith and prayer does work cause without it I would not have found you, many thanks.

Patrick and Olga - August 1st, 2005

Just when the little boy was about to open his lunch basket to eat, he was asked to bring it to Jesus. One minute it held a lunch; the next it held a feast." John 6:1-15 "

You also heard the testimony of the boy with the lunch. He was part of a crowd of thousands who had followed Jesus in order to hear him teach and to see him heal. Sometime after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast was near. When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" He asked this only to test Philip, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

When they all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather all the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world."

Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. John paused, letting the silence of the courtroom speak for itself. Allowing you the 'Jury' to understand the facts. No one can deny these testimonies.

The Judge listens. The Lawyer listens. And you, the Orphan, say nothing. You Orphans, "the Jury understand and believes."

John paused, letting the silence of the courtroom speak for itself. Allowing 'You the Jury' to understand the facts. No one can deny these testimonies. The Judge listens. The Lawyer listens. And you, the Orphan, say nothing. You Orphans, 'The Jury' understand and believes.

"Then there was the storm. Peter described it to us. The boat bouncing on the waves. Thunder. Lightning. Storms like that can kill. I know. I used to make a living on a boat! Peter's testimony about what happened was true. I was there. 'The Master walked on water.' The moment Jesus stepped into the boat, we were safe." John 6:16-24 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified.

But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." The entire crowd realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, as they had gone away alone.

"Wash in the Pool of Siloam".

John pauses again. Imagine Sunlight squared by a window making a box on the floor. John steps into the box.

"Yesterday, you met a man who had never seen light. His world was dark. Black. He was blind. Blind from birth." John 9:1-12 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. For As long as it is day; we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

Having said this, he spat on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes.

" Go," he told him, "Wash in the Pool of Siloam". So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. His neighbours and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" John pauses and dramatically states what the man born blind had said: 'Jesus healed my eyes."

Six testimonies have been given. Six miracles have been verified. Would you like us to pause whilst you think back on those six occasions?

"Six testimonies . Six miracles verified. Think About All Six occasions?"

Your Honour Permitting! I Will call our Final Witness to The Stand.

John reflects: "The water jugs that held the wine. The signed affidavit of the doctor whose sick son had been Cured. The Doctor turned without another word and went home. He was buoyed by faith. The mat of the Cripple, The bread basket of the boy. Peter had brought a broken oar to show the strength of the storm. The blind man had left his cup and cane. He didn't need to beg anymore. "And now," John says, turning to the Judge, "We have one final witness to call and one more piece of evidence to submit." He goes to his table and returns with a white linen sheet. You lean forward, unsure of what he is holding. "This is a Burial Shroud," he explains. Placing the clothing on the table he requests, "Your Honour permitting, I call our final Witness to the chair."

Heavy courtroom doors open, and a tall man enters. He strides down the aisle and pauses before Jesus long enough to place a hand on his shoulder. saying, "Thank you." You can hear the tenderness in his voice. This Final Witness turns and takes his seat in the witness chair. "State your name for the Court."

"Have you heard of a man called Jesus of Nazareth?"

"Who hasn't?"

"How do you know him?"

"He is my friend. We, my sisters and I, have a house in Bethany. When he comes to Jerusalem, he often stays with us. My sisters, Mary and Martha, have become believers in him as well." "Believers?"

"Believers, That he is the Messiah. The Son of God."

"Why do you believe that?"

Lazarus smiles. "How could I not believe? I was dead. I had been dead for four days. I was in the tomb. I was prayed for and buried. I was dead. But Jesus called me out of the grave."

"Tell us what happened."

"Well, I've always been sickly. That's why I've stayed with my sisters, you know. They care for me. My heart never has been the strongest, so I have to be careful. Martha, my oldest sister she's, well, she's like a mother to me. It was Martha who called Jesus when my heart failed."

"Is that when you died?"

"No, but almost. I lingered for a few days. But I knew I was near the edge. The doctors would just come in and shake their heads and walk out. I had one sandal in the grave."

"Is that when Jesus came?"

"No, we kept hoping he would. Martha would sit by the bed at night, and she would whisper over and over and over. 'Be strong, Lazarus. Jesus will be here any minute.' We just knew he would come. I mean, he had healed all those strangers; surely he would heal me. I was his friend."

"What delayed him?"

"For a long time we didn't know. I thought he might be in prison or something. I kept waiting and waiting. Every day I got weaker. My vision faded, and I couldn't see. I drifted in and out. Every time someone entered my room, I thought it might be him. But it never was. He never came."

"Were you angry?"

"More confused than angry. I just didn't understand."

"Then what happened?"

"Well, I woke up one night. My chest was so tight I could hardly breathe. I must have sat up because Martha and Mary came to my bed. They took my hand. I heard them calling my name, but then I began to fall. It was like a dream, I was falling, spinning wildly in midair. Their voices grew fainter and fainter and then nothing. The spinning stopped. The falling stopped. The hurting stopped. I was at peace."

"At peace?"

"Like I was asleep. Resting. Tranquil. I was dead."

"Then what happened?"

"Well, Martha can tell the details. The funeral was planned, the family came. Friends traveled from Jerusalem. They buried me'"

"Did Jesus come to the funeral?"

"No." "He still wasn't there?" "No. when he heard I was buried, he waited an extra four days'"

"Why?"

Lazarus stopped and looked at Jesus. "To make his point'" John smiled knowingly.

"What happened next?"

"I heard his voice."

"Whose voice?"

"The voice of Jesus."

"But I thought you were dead."

"I was,"

"I, uh, thought you were in a grave."

"I was,"

"How does a dead man in a grave hear the voice of a man?"

"He doesn't. The dead hear only the voice of Lord. I heard the Voice of Jesus."

"What did he say?"

"He didn't say it; he shouted it."

"What did he shout?"

"Lazarus. Come out!''

"And you heard him?"

"As if he were in the tomb with me. My eyes opened; my fingers moved. I lifted my head. I was alive again. I heard the stone being rolled away. The light poured in. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust."

"What did you see?"

"A circle of faces looking in at me."

"Then what did you do?"

"I stood up. Jesus gave me his hand and pulled me out' He told the people to get me some real clothes, and they did'"

"So you died, were in the tomb four days, then Jesus called you back to life? Were there any witnesses to this?"

Lazarus chuckles. "Only a hundred or so." "That's all,

"Lazarus, thank you. You may step down." John turns to the Judge. "You have heard the testimonies. I now leave the decision in your hands." With that he returns to the table and takes his seat.

The guardian stands. He doesn't identify himself. He doesn't need to. All recognize him. He is Jesus Christ.

"No Identity needed, He is recognized He's Jesus Christ"

Jesus Christ Makes a Promise

Jesus Christ The Guardian is Looking for Orphans Would you like to be one?

I Represent all Orphans.

Jesus' voice fills the courtroom.

"Like the party that had no wine, this one has no cause for celebration. Like the dignitary's son, this child is spiritually ill. Like the cripple and the beggar, he can't walk and is blind. He is starving, but earth has no food to fill him. He faces storms as severe as the one on Galilee, but earth has no compass to guide them. Like Lazarus You are all dead. I 'll give you, strength, healing, sight, safety, nourishment, new life. If you will permit."

"The Judge has Given his Blessing."

Listen to The Judge's Answer. Luke 3:22 "You are my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with you". God looks at you. "I will permit it," he says, "on one condition. That the orphan requests it."

John has presented all the witnesses. The witnesses have told their stories.

The Master has offered to do for you Orphans; what he did for those seven People. The Judge has given his blessing. The rest is up to you! What will you choose?

"Now the choice is yours."

To Have You as One of the Believers is Great

Enthusiasm makes the Difference. The difference between mediocrity and accomplishment and we invite you to join with uanditogether and achieve this enthusiasm in being part of this Lens. Providing Stellar Support and Critique is the ground mark, the level that must be achieved to make You happy. 'Socrates understood', "The inequality of values is constant. Gold simply is not brass or iron."

"We need your support for this Hub."

"Your placement of a note of approval or disapproval will be appreciated"

As all plants in life need watering, So will this Hub grow with your willing support,

Even an unwilling support will allow us to correct our mistakes. 

Maturing wilst being nurtured by you.

Is This the Answer to All Our Friends with Cancer?

It is probably no secret to most of you, that I dabble in "How to make 'Farmalade.'" I found some interesting information on orange skins. Again orange skins are an integral part of 'Farmalade'. As one of the fans of 'Farmalade' asked what else could orange skins be used for? I thought of thirty, apart from different forms in various Cakes, (That could probably add another Two hundred.)

The question was put to Google and the astounding fact was..

Google only gave 853,000 hits for Orange Skins."

Google gave the astounding information of 3,594,000 for cancer and orange skins.

More Important. One of the most interesting aspects was that orange skin was seriously being looked at as a cure for cancer. Again

Death and Taxes are certain but the Bible speaks also about untimely death!

 Reflect on all that has been written and your personal reflection about this...

  It is written in the Bible (Galatians 6:7):

 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked:"

for whatsoever man sows that shall he also reap.

           Here are some men and women who mocked God: -

John Lennon (Singer):

Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said:

‘Christianity will end, it will disappear.

 I do not have to argue about that. I am certain.

Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple, today we are more famous than Him ' (1966).

 Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, was shot six times.

Tancredo Neves (President of Brazil):

During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from his party, not even God would remove him from Presidency.

Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being made President, then he died.

Cazuza (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet):

 During A show in Canecio (Rio de Janeiro),

 while smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said: ' God, that’s for you. '

He died at the age of 32 of lung cancer in a horrible manner.

 The man who built the Titanic

After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe the Titanic would be. With an ironic tone he said:

 ’Not even God can sink it’

 The result: Everyone knows what happened to the Titanic in 1912

Marilyn Monroe (Actress)

 She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show.

 He said the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her.

After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said:

‘I don’t need your Jesus ‘.

 A week later, she was found dead in her apartment

           Bon Scott (Singer)

The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang: ' Don’t stop me; I ' m going down all the way, down the highway to hell ' .

On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, he had been choked by his own vomit.

           In Campinas, Brazil 2005

a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend.....

The mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the drunkenness of her friends and she said to the daughter holding her hand, who was already seated in the car:

 "My Daughter, Go With God And May He Protect You." She responded: ' Only If He (God) Travels In The Trunk, Cause Inside Here.....It’s Already Full’

 Hours later, news came by that they had been involved in a fatal accident, everyone had died, and the car could not be recognized what type of car it had been, but surprisingly, the trunk was intact.

The police said there was no way the trunk could have remained intact. To their surprise, inside the trunk was a crate of eggs, none was broken

Christine Hewitt (Jamaican Journalist and entertainer)

said the Bible (Word of God) was the worst book ever written.

 In June 2006 she was found burnt beyond recognition in her motor vehicle.

Many more important people have forgotten that there is no Other name that was given so much authority as the name of Jesus. Many have died.

Jesus died and rose again, and he is still alive.

Lazarus died and was raised from the dead. We are not told when he finally died, but he did.