Mike Oliver's Messages

The Lord is repeatedly directing me over the last few months to Isaiah 17 i.e. The Proclamation against Damascus and Israel. When I hear it I usually feel "not that one again" but last night the Bible opened at that exact chapter and that really makes me sit up and pay attention. We can see a war looming in Syria and this piece says "Damascus will cease from being a city," however with some research and found that the old city is depopulating as 20,000 or more people move into new accommodation and the old buildings lay waste. It says "In that day a man will look to his Maker and his eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel." Now many are looking at the war but subtly the prophecy has been happening behind the scenes as the city being talked about in ancient times is changing to fit the word spoken. It says that "Because you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not been mindful of the Rock of your stronghold..." The ...

Benjamin Disraeli once said “Success is the child of audacity.”  Today I am going to show that Jesus Christ succeeded by knowing the Way and not deviating from that Way.  I am also going to show that Jesus is audacious but his heart is pure – and we are supposed to be like him. (During this preaching I saw a vision of Jesus whipping the the unrighteous out of our hearts).  Audacity means: 1. Fearlessly, often recklessly daring; bold, adventurous, brave. 2. Unrestrained by convention or propriety; insolent. 3. Spirited and original. Jesus would have equally upset many of today’s leadership to the ‘inth degree. He was so audacious that they killed him for daring to rock the boat they were paddling themselves in. How dare he come into the temple and throw over tables and toss the money all over the floor. What kind of lunatic is this guy who brandishes a whip of cords to drive out traders. Heaven forbid this is not good order! How absolutely outrageous can a devout chur...

I have shared this before of how I saw below a cross many dead and naked people, so many I could not count. It looked like they had been, like Jesus, on the cross but had fallen and lay lifeless below it. They were not entombed but just laid upon one another uncorrupted. Jesus then came into the scene and took me to another rise in which was driven a stake and He faced me with His hands on my shoulders and gestured to the dead saying, “All this is yours.” Just like our parable Sid the Seed is the state of many Christians today in the kingdom of God as we should see from Jesus’ testimony Luke 7:28, “Among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he.” And Luke 16:16b “Since that time [of John] the Kingdom of God has been preached and everyone is pressing into it.” John the Baptist was an extraordinary prophet; there was none greater said Jesus yet those who enter into the Kingdom of God, even t...

Jesus preached the word to them. A seemingly innocent little statement that non-the-less caught my eye. It’s not mentioned in the Matthew version but here it is in the less expansive gospel of Mark. It doesn’t say what was preached as if it were common knowledge and we should already know. Jesus preached the word to them seems as though it might be a sermon but somehow not significant to register in content. I asked myself what I would have said if so many came near that they couldn’t even get near the door – maybe I’d say, “The kingdom of God is close to you.” Jesus himself sent the 72 out to preach “the kingdom of God is at hand.” Perhaps that is what Jesus said but it’s hardly a preaching in itself. But then four men came to Jesus carrying a paralytic and had to lower him through the roof to get near. It must have been bedlam. So Jesus says something audacious, He says, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” Talk about radical theology – so what’s going on here? The scribes are enra...

In the summer of 1987 the lodge I contracted too had a fishing client from England to guide on the Rangitaiki River for a day. His name was Tony Pawson and was to later discover he had not only been a champion of the England cricket team but also was a world champion fly-fisherman. This happened within months of giving my life to the Lord in December 1986 and now it seemed a gate was opening. Tony was here technical advisor to the World Championships and researching his book. Because of those couple of days I would feature on several pages in his book “Fly-fishing Around the World.” As if this wasn’t enough he suggested that I was just the sort of person they wanted in the World Fly-fishing Champs to be held in England in our autumn and so gave me a contact. I phoned but was informed it was already organised but for some reason as the conversation ended I offered to pay my own way if things changed. Then out of the blue a month or so later I got the call. Sponsorship had fallen thro...

 Where I came from I was well known as a fishing guide and all sorts of people from kids to minister’s wives have asked me to take them fishing. Tourists would pay $360 a day to go fishing with me but these novices were cashing in on friendship to get it all for free. Some I did take out and some I left on the things to do list. I well remember a local farmer who had worked on a local community project with me and was already a fisherman being at his wits end with stress and I could hear in his voice “I really need this!” I also remember the vicar’s wife saying, “It’s something I’ve always wanted to try,” sounding like part of hundreds of other whispery dreams. A friend is a marvellous asset in life who can help and especially one who can help you with the things you want out of life. A friend is grows from an acquaintance and turns into a mate who fills that void in your life. With friends it’s not always blissful but the good ones remain forever. There was Gary in my ...

In this message I have put the case for the Holy Spirit as I ask the question: Is there a valid reason why you should not be so filled with the Holy Spirit?  Do you recall in the beginning the Spirit of God hovered over the waters. And do you recall Noah after the flood sending out a dove to see if the waters had abated from the face of the ground and it returned because it found no resting place. Seven days later Noah sent again the dove and this time it returned with a freshly plucked olive branch revealing that the waters had abated from the earth. The Gospel reading from Mark 1 we see the promised Messiah Jesus showing up before John to be baptised and we see the Holy Spirit as a dove from heaven finding somewhere to rest, finding the source of that olive branch; the branch God the Father’s offering of peace. We are a Bible believing people; I ask you members of the jury, is that not right? Most Christians are trying their best to live up to the precepts the Bible sets out b...