“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18, KJV.

What does someone dying on a hill in the middle east 2,000 years ago have to do with me?

Everything!!! It is the power of God. To those who don’t believe, it is foolishness. But to the believer, it means that my sins are forgiven, I’ve been changed, the devil is defeated and I have victory in Christ. The Son of God died for me and rose from the dead!

Because of the cross, I’m back with my heavenly Father. I’m a child of God. I’m an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. And if I’m a joint heir, then I have everything that Jesus has. He shares it all with me. All the peace, all the comfort, all the authority, all the power. Everything that belongs to Jesus belongs also to me. That’s redemption. I’ve been bought back from utter hopelessness and poverty of spirit and moved into a richness than can only come from this relationship with the Creator of the universe.

If I’m going to live by the power of God, I must believe in what Jesus did for me. Believing the Gospel is essential, not only for my future in heaven, but for my life today. I must nail my old sinful nature to the cross and believe that I am free, by the blood of Jesus. I must recognize and walk in the deliverance that is mine through the cross.

The story is told about a sermon preached by Billy Graham. He poured his heart out and pleaded with the crowd to come to God. But he had little results. Afterwards a businessman friend said to Billy, “You had no power in your message tonight.” Billy said, “Yes, I know.” The businessman then told him the reason, “You didn’t preach the cross.” You see, even Billy Graham can’t win souls without the cross. . . and you and I can’t live without it either.

I’m convinced that one the great problems we have in the church today is that we are forgetting to preach the cross. Hundreds of church sermons and Sunday school lessons are taught without mentioning the cross. Television and radio preachers tell us how to be “successful” in life, but little is said about sin, redemption and the power of God through the cross. No wonder the church is anemic and the world a racing towards a Christless eternity. We must return to the only message that saves, Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

HE WILL BE MISSED!

In August I was shocked to learn that my father in the Lord, Danny Bohan, had died of a heart attack at the age of 63. Danny led me to the Lord in 1977. Then the Lord miraculously changed my life. I give all the glory to God, but I also acknowledge the man of God who gave me the Word, and led me to Jesus. The Bible says, “For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.” 1 Corinthians 4:15, KJV.

Many others received Christ through his ministry as well. Danny was someone who loved God and loved people and had unique ability to minister the Word of God in a powerful way. He will be sorely missed by us all. Please pray for his wife, Quin, and the entire family.

I preached Danny’s Memorial Service which was held at his farm near Mabel, Minnesota on Friday, Aug. 20. I would estimate well over 200 people from all over the country attended. Many of them testified about how Danny had touched their lives. I preached the simple Gospel from John 3:16 and asked the people to stand to their feet and confess Jesus. Many people were touched by the Lord. Several testified afterwards that they were turning to the Lord or turning back to Him.

AUGUST MINISTRY

We had a great time at Gaylord Assembly of God last month, where Susan ministered the Word. I jokingly said that I was in charge of carrying her briefcase. It was a blessing to hear her unique style of preaching. She spoke a great word of encouragement on “The Goodness of God,” exhorting us to see God’s goodness in everday life. Praise God for receptive hearts and bold preaching.

I preached a tent revival sponsored by Faith Family Christian Center in Hendricks, Minnesota. It reminded me of the 80’s when we held tent meetings in different places in Minnesota. The 3-day meeting was held at Pastors Chris and Joyce Caugherty’s farm just west of Hendricks. Not only were people from Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota in attendance, but about 10 cows and their calves were in the pasture nearby to hear our rejoicing in Christ. Two people were baptized and we had a great time of fellowship and preaching the Gospel. On Sunday morning, I called for “Prairie Fires” to start burning in places like Hendricks and to spread throughout our nation.

THAILAND TESTIMONIES

I thought you might enjoy seeing some testimonies from some of the ministers who attended our evangelism seminar in Chiang Mai, Thailand in July. I believe seeds were planted for eternal results.

“I have learned how to evangelize. I have found peace and strength. I also feel refreshed and want to serve God more. I really believe now I can do much better to evangelize to unsaved people.”

“I can teach the method to my church members. I will prepare myself to preach to the unbeliever.”

“I have learned what is important to God, which is to evangelize the lost. I also have learned how to evangelize more productively. I will start with my own family about how to share the good news.”

“I felt the fire of God very strong to help me to evangelize toward many people. I felt so much peace. The teaching is very anointed.”

“This is divine teaching. We are in the middle of the harvest. Many people around us are waiting. I really believe God will perform miracles and signs following us, when we preach and teach.”

THANK YOU!

Thank you for your faithful and generous support and prayers. You are breathing life into this ministry, helping us to go where the needs are, and to minister the grace of God. It’s wonderful to have a heart of freedom in your giving, and to see the fruit of the seeds that you plant. We are in this together with you. You are a great blessing to Susan and me and we pray for you every day.