GOD-me

GOD-me

The New Testament Is Alive

W.C. Anderson

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2012 Walter Anderson

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to Ivy and Dave Anderson, who together have helped change many lives for the kingdom.

Walter Anderson in his book GOD-me gives a powerful account of close encounters with the God of the supernatural. You may be a skeptic, an agnostic, a newer Christian or anyone in between. This book will give you compelling life stories that I have witnessed to be true. I have personally experienced healing, miracles and prophetic occurrences regularly as a part of my everyday life. A GOD-me story is possible, this book will invite you to see his fingerprints and inspire you to join the biggest journey of your life.

Ivy Anderson

CONTENTS

Forward

Intro

Colby

The Search for Something More

New Testament History

Prophecy

Encounter

Healing

Community

Not With Mere Words

Fingerprints of God

Impartations and Revivals

Evangelists

My Israel God Adventure

Breakthrough

The Rest of The Stories

The Glory

Web References

One generation shall praise your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts (Psalm 145:4)

Forward

I want to change your perspective of Christianity from a God who is distant to one who is not far away; from someone you could never know, to a God that can communicate with you. Sometimes, we read the Bible as a moral, practical book. I want to convince you that the Bible, and Christianity, are not just parts of a moral way of living. I once believed that the things that happened in the Old and New Testament probably happened, however, I didn't see evidence of a gospel with power or evidence of God showing up in my life. I began going on a journey, when my life seemed to be falling apart, to find more of God, to see if he was real, and to see if Christianity could be like what I had read about in the New Testament. What are recorded here are my findings and interpretations. Based on my experiences and many other Christian experiences (which have been documented by the written word, audio and video), I have concluded that Christianity, as recorded in the New Testament, is still evident today. In the electronic version of this book you will find sections underlined. These underlined sections are links to individual’s voices and video telling parts of their testimonies. I encourage readers to download the free e-book (at God-me.com), that has extra content.

Introduction

As we went by Capernaum, I was watching the wind make waves on the Sea of Galilee. The wind was blowing at least a steady 18-22 knots and I could see the whitecaps as we drove by the country side. The hills that surrounded the sea were dry and golden like some of the hills I have lived around in California in the summertime. Winding through the hilly sides of the lake was a two lane road with a few old buildings scattered in the distance. The Sea of Galilee is a semi large lake that can be driven around in less than half an hour. The lake is roughly 13 miles (21 Km) long and 8.1 miles (13.1km) wide. On one side of the lake looking down on the sea is the city of Tiberius, about 4 miles away from that lies Capernaum. From Tiberius to Capernaum (a site where Jesus cursed the land because of so many miracles that were done yet people didn’t believe), lies a list of famous spots where people believe Jesus did many great things. Churches have been erected to stand as memorials to Jesus’ ministry; from The Bread and Fish Church where Jesus supposedly fed the multitudes, to two churches memorializing the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus presumably gave the Sermon on the Mount. Earlier my mother and our taxicab driver had been to many of the sites including Peter's Primacy church, where according to Christian tradition, Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection. In passing by Capernaum there wasn’t much to see of the town that once was long ago. All that was left was fragments of archeological remains. Half a wall was seen in one location, other small rock piles indicated where buildings once stood. Amongst the rubble there was a newer catholic church built upon the place where supposedly St. Peters house was. It was if somehow someone knew the exact location where St. Peters house was even though the house was literally demolished.

I wondered about this trip. What was I doing in Israel? I had seen the Holy Lands before. These were the places where God’s glory was shown, yet where was it? All that remained seemed to be a plethora of old churches, sites that charged tourists to visit, and various piles of ancient rubble. I was separated by around 2,000 years from events that had changed the world. If Jesus’ story was fact or fiction the impact of it has spread far beyond Galilee to every continent. Yet seeing the places that Jesus walked only reminded me of what Disney Land would be like if there was only history and no rides. I longed for more evidence of God and not just ancient history. This wasn’t the first time I had this longing. If the Gospels were just a bunch of stories then there would be no more fingerprints of the followers of Jesus.

We were leaving the Sea of Galilee back towards Jerusalem when I remember reminiscing about these thoughts in my head. As I was still pondering my ideas I felt my hand get warm. I asked the driver if he had any sores from driving. He said he wasn't sore, so I asked if he had any pain. He said, Yes, in my knee. I felt I really needed to lay my hand on him and pray over him. I asked him if I could pray for his knee. He said, Right now? I thought it wasn't something he needed at the moment, so I told him we could wait until we got back. I prayed a lot on the ride back to Jerusalem, asking for the right words to say. When he dropped us off at our hotel in Jerusalem, I prayed for his leg in the name of Jesus. He told me that the pain was gone.

About Me

My name is Walter Anderson. I grew up in California, and was raised by a loving Christian family. My dad worked as a dentist and my mother was a dental hygienist until they retired. I have one brother who is a dentist as well. I consider most of my childhood to be somewhat typical of many middle class families in America. I did a lot of what most kids did. I went to school at an early age, had pets and played with childhood friends, and was on a baseball team. I also went to church every weekend. In college I minored in religious studies. I read the bible all the way through twice. However, I felt like there was something missing in my relationship with God. I felt like he was distant and sometimes wondered if he was real or even cared. I often felt there was a disconnect from the religion I had and what I read about in the Bible. I had heard a million sermons on how to live a better life, but wondered about what I read in the New Testament. I wanted more than just good advice and fellowship with others, I wanted God to be real in my life.

In the midst of hardship I went on a journey to look for meaning in God and find a closer relationship with him. This adventure led me outside of my worldview and into a world where God can and does show up leading and guiding his people supernaturally. On this path I recorded many testimonies and firsthand accounts of individuals being encouraged by God as well as encountered and healed amongst other acts of God. From this I have concluded that Christianity as seen in the New Testament is occurring and worth pursuing. A GOD-me story is out there, we see more, the more we pursue it.

Colby

Through meeting a man named Colby I found out that Holy Spirit may be real and working. The spirit partially leads the way, making the individual have to step out in faith.

I had spent the last three days fasting. Sixty days before this, I had been reading the Bible for an hour a day, wanting to find more of God and hoping he would show up. I wasn't used to fasting. I had stopped eating Tuesday night and planned to not eat again until Friday. I was going to a Bible study that night, and they usually had some sort of fruit or juice, which would be a perfect way to start eating again if my stomach had shrunk to the size of a walnut.

I was new to Kansas City. After a brief period of time, I started going to a local church of the denomination I was raised in. I kept going to the church and joined their young adult group. Before I knew it, I looked forward to beginning the weekend every Friday night with friends. I’m a Christian, as are my parents. We had a day once a week where we would go to church and spend the day together as a family. Hanging out and having Bible studies on Friday night was what I was used to. One night when I went to the Friday Bible study, everything was the same except for one thing - there was someone new.

The new individual was named Colby. He was 5’6 or 5’7 and had dishwater blond hair. I could tell from being around him for just ten minutes that he was either somewhat crazy or deep into Jesus. One reason I thought he was a little bit off was that he wore a Microsoft T-shirt, the kind that looked like it came free with a computer. I think the last time I wore a shirt I got for free was when I was eight years old. Colby also mentioned that he did not own a car but biked everywhere. This was another sign that he could be crazy, as he was around 34 or so. Most people today have a car, or if they don’t, they take a bus. Colby, on the other hand, was traveling by bike on purpose, saying he was a missionary to America. He was fresh off his bike ride and acting like he owned the apartment, inviting people in and pouring them orange juice. When we began our Bible study, it was on the topic of the second coming. [Before we actually got to our topic, Colby was talking about hearing from God, who had supposedly lead him to Craigslist, where he had gotten a printer for someone and saved them a lot of money.] It took me off guard, the way he casually talked about following the Holy Spirit and how God talked to him. After listening to him for some time, I found that his lifestyle was centered on making almost every life decision based on what he felt the Holy Spirit was telling him.

As we began the Bible study, we talked about what it meant to be ready for Jesus when he would come back for those who were saved. Much of the time was spent talking about things that would happen before Jesus appeared. It has always been a personal pet peeve of mine that we think we know everything about the end times. [After all, we might be wrong.]

When Jesus came the first time, there were many prophecies in scripture foretelling the coming of the Messiah ( Daniel). However, in the gospels, the people who recognized him at his birth were led by God and not just scripture alone. The shepherds in Bethlehem who knew of Jesus’s birth were visited by angels. The wise men followed a star that guided them.

Two individuals who recognized Jesus when he came to the temple to be dedicated as a child were guided by the Spirit. One of the individuals was Simeon. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he (Simeon) would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah (Luke 2:26). Another individual, Anna, was a prophetess, and she knew without talking to Jesus’ parents that Jesus was the Messiah. Coming up to them that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2:38). Both of these individuals did not rely on scripture alone to know that the baby Jesus was the Messiah. They were guided by the Spirit of God. It was reviled to Simeon in a dream. Anna knew from her connection with the Spirit that the baby she saw in the temple was the Messiah. While scripture is very important, having a connection with the Holy Spirit is paramount. I was kind of bold that night and said to the people in our small group, If you don't have a connection with God and the Spirit, you are as good as dead.

I’m not sure if my statement was a bit too much. I remember Colby agreeing with me that to have the Spirit of God and to follow what he wants is very important. I felt that more of the Holy Spirit may be the thing that I was fasting for, but I wasn't sure. I wanted to know more about Colby's life and his story. He was the kind of guy that talked to everyone, so I had to wait after the Bible study, while he conversed with everyone in the room. When I finally had a chance to talk to him, I asked if he wanted to grab lunch sometime. Colby said he would be at the church outing the following day. I wasn't sure if Colby was on the level or not, but he would be at church the next day, and maybe I could talk to him about his crazy life.

The next day was service day at our church. It was a chance for everyone in the church to go out and do something for the community. During the last service day, I sang at a nursing home. On this occasion, I was going to pass out bread. We had church school before the service time, and our young adult group talked about the value of tithing. Colby came in late and left shortly to do service with church members by singing at a nursing home. I left with some friends to go pass out bread in the community. One thing I learned about randomly giving out bread to others in middle class America is that, unless the family is really poor, they probably don’t want it. My friend and I went to a lot of houses and got mostly the same results. People were usually not home. It was more than a 70% chance that people weren't there or didn't come to the door. When individuals did come to the door, my friend and I had to give a really good sales pitch so that they would take bread from us.

My accountant friend gave the sales pitch of, Hey, we are from the local church nearby and we have a lot of bread left over from a project. We're wondering if you wanted some. It’s from Wal-Mart and it is really good. He was pretty good at giving away bread. I thought his speech was smooth and his delivery wasn't bad. He made it sound like they would be doing us a favor if they took the bread from us. I’m not usually the best speaker, so when it came to be my turn, I just said, We are from the local church and it is our community day. We are giving away bread, would you like some?

We knocked on doors for block after block. Every now and again, we gave a loaf of bread away. A few teenagers took some bread, along with a couple of families. The statistical data of actually giving bread away was rather low compared to our attempts. I realized we were in a nice neighborhood, so it made me think about what it was that these people really needed. I’m sure if we had some new flat screen T.V’s, then it might have been a different story.

After a semi-successful day of giving away bread, we came back to the church for potluck. It was a good time of fellowship and eating. There was also a lot of left over bread. While we were eating, I noticed that Colby was back from singing at the nursing home. I’m not sure how he did it, but I saw him talk to practically everyone in the church in a two to three hour time span. There were at least 80 people in the fellowship hall. I heard Colby speak to a little girl and say, God says your dress is pretty. Then I saw him talking with a young man and his wife. He talked with young and then old, one on one and then in groups. I wanted to talk to him, but I thought that I should probably wait until he conversed with everyone. Community lunch came and went. Dessert came and went, and people were putting away chairs and tables while Colby was conversing with the church pastor and a couple of other people. I’m not the best at small talk, so while I was waiting for Colby, I used the same trick I always used when I didn't know what to do, which was to hang out in the bathroom. I figured if I just stayed in there for about 20 to 30 more minutes, then Colby might be done, and I could talk to him and find out if he was crazy or if God was actually guiding him on a journey.

When Colby was finished, I talked to him about hanging out that afternoon. He was putting a lot of left over bread into his backpack from the outreach earlier that morning. He felt that he needed to take some of the left over bread and pass it out to the community. I said I could take him and then drop him off where he was staying, so I put his bike into the back of my truck. He got into the truck and I asked Where to? He took a moment, had a quick prayer, and said, Right, so we turned right until he said, Let’s pull in this drive way. It led to a large high school that was obviously closed for the weekend. Colby got excited. He said to me, The Holy Spirit sometimes likes to show off when someone else is with me, when two or more are gathered in God’s name. He took time to give a quick prayer about doing whatever God wanted us to do that afternoon, just thanking Him for everything. I wasn’t sure what I was in for as he ended his prayer, but my day was free, so I was up for driving around a bit. We pulled out of the driveway of the large high school. Colby was in a constant state of concentration and appeared to be asking God for directions.

I have always wondered how much of the Bible can be taken at face value. We like to throw the words Holy Spirit around a lot in churches, but I wonder to what extent each church member truly believes in it. I felt like I believed in the Holy Spirit but didn't see many examples in my life, or in others, except for what I read in the scriptures.

One example of the Holy Spirit is in the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian, An Angel of the Lord spoke to Philip in Acts 8:26, saying, Go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. Phillip obeyed the angel and went along the road, where he found an Ethiopian man, a eunuch of great authority, under Candace, the Queen of Ethiopia. The text reads that the Spirit told Phillip to, Go to that chariot and stay near it. Phillip did this and ended up explaining scripture to the Ethiopian and then was taken up by the Spirit so that the Ethiopian didn't see him anymore. The thing about this story is that almost every church believes this happened in the past. If this event happened today, I am sure there would be a lot of people that would doubt it. I think, for most people that have a church background, a person preaching the Gospel and then being beamed to another location is something that God did in the past. In modern times, God usually doesn't do these sorts of things.

To be honest, I didn’t know what the Holy Spirit would look like in the real world. And I was not sure about how stable Colby was. Hearing voices could be a sign of many different psychological problems. We started