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JESUS CHRIST THE SAME YESTERDAY, AND TODAY, AND FOR EVER
He saves sinners, heals the sick, and He baptizes in the Holy
Spirit all those who believe in Him.
I thank and glorify God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, for the opportunity
He gives me to witness through this newspaper, all the wonderful things
our Lord gracefully performed to me, the least of all the saints.
I was born to Orthodox parents in 1924 in a Cypriot village called Aulona.
When I was 12 years old my father died. Since that age I loved God and
I attended regularly. From all the verses, I heard in church, the one
that had impressed my mind most and had produced a Godly fear in me,
was the one saying: "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain
the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul?". Matthew 16:26.
This specific verse was always invoking Godly fear in me and I was always
wanted to start studying religious books and the life of the holy men
of God, for I had no idea about the Holy Bible.
In the end, among the many books I had already read, I happened to read
a book with the title: "Salvation of the sinner". I was 23
years old at the time. After having studied that book carefully, I concluded
that it was impossible for a man to be saved while being in the world.
According to that book I had to leave the world to lead a secluded life
in a monastery. After serious consideration I decided to leave my house
secretly, so that my brothers and my mother would not hinder me.
On 10.1.1948 I entered the Staurovouniou monastery. I stayed in it for
three months obeying its rules, in watchings, fastings, and studying
many religious books found in the monastery. But all this labor produced
no benefit to my soul, because I was always felt the heavy burden of
my sins and I could not find any satisfaction. "I was there among
so many good things as a dead man" Isaiah 59:10.
"Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in all worship, and
humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying
of the flesh." Colossians 2:23.
After having been was disappointed by this environment I returned to
the world feeling an emptiness in my heart. In 1950 I got married and
I settled in Nikosia, where I worked as a confectioner until 1953. The
desire to find God, though, was never quenched in my heart. I was always
looking for the truth and for the assurance of Salvation in my heart.
I could see light nowhere until the blessed time came when God sent
someone from the Church of God of Prophecy who preached the truth of
the Word of God to us. The pastor of the church was brother M. Kounas.
25 June 1950 was a blessed Sunday, when, at 16 p.m. we heard, the preaching
of the new birth and Salvation for the first time. At the end of the
sermon the preacher asked his audience: "how many of you desire
to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?" "Because
as many as received Him to them He gave authority to become the children
of God." John 1:12.
My wife and I accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and the brethren
prayed for us. "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners,
but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;" Ephesians 2:19.
Alleluia!! Glory be to Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Now I am really happy
and I rejoice at the assurance of Salvation in my heart. We study the
Holy Bible day and night, because the Word of God is the food of our
soul.: "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth
of God." Matthew 4:4.
Now I would like to share with you briefly of three situations in which
I was miraculously healed, through prayer, without the use of any medication.
In March 1953, while I was working as a confectioner, I started coughing
up blood. I didn't know where the blood was coming from, because I was
not feeling any chest discomfort, only a sensation in my throat and
initially I presumed that the blood was coming from that place. For
this reason I didn't go to the doctors at once but I sent a letter to
the brethren in the village of Kato Dryos, asking them to pray for my
healing since I was seriously ill. By that time I didn't know the nature
of my disease. The coughing of blood went on, especially during the
night time and after three days I visited the doctors. After I described
my problem he sent me to an ear-nose-throat specialist to find out whether
the blood was coming from the throat or not.
The doctor examined me and found that the blood was not coming from
the throat. I returned to the first doctor, J. Meleagron, who ordered
for a chest X-ray. After he examined it he told me: "Odyssea, the
upper lobe of your right lung is severely affected by tuberculosis and
this is the place where the blood is coming from. You must stop working
at once and to start treatment because this is a serious condition.
the treatment cannot be carried out in your house but you must go to
the General hospital to find doctor Mike Konstantinides. He is in charge
of the Cypernountas Sanatorium and he will help you, because he is an
old friend of mine" So I went to the hospital and I found Dr Konstantinides.
He was very friendly with me. He examined me, he took another chest
X-ray and after he established the seriousness of my condition, he prescribed
an initial treatment and ordered me to return after eight days when
he would be able to secure a place in the Sanatorium for me.
After I left the hospital, I visited with my wife brother M. Kounas,
the pastor of the church and we asked him to pray for us, after we explained
the whole situation. He anointed me with oil, in the name of the Lord,
and prayed for my healing according to the Word of God (James 5:14-15).
I decided not to return to the hospital because I believed that the
Lord would heal me, as He had already healed so many others" Surely
he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem
him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for
our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement
of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:4-6
Indeed after eight days the doctor informed me that I should go to the
hospital since he had secured the place for me. As I have already mentioned,
I had decided not to return to the hospital hoping that the Lord would
heal me. The pressure from my friends was relatives was so intense that
in the end I decided to go to the hospital. We prepared the necessary
things for my long stay there and we left to take the bus for the Sanitarium.
Just outside the bus station we met brother Siakalis, who was bringing
us a letter from the brethren in Kato Dryos. You may recall that I had
asked them to pray for my healing. Among other things the brethren were
writing to us: " Dear brother in Christ, Odyssea. We received your
letter and we were very sorry to hear that you are so seriously ill.
We prayed to the Lord and the Lord disclosed the following through His
prophets: "You are suffering from tuberculosis (notice: they didn't
know the diagnosis) but be not afraid because your disease is for the
glory of God. I do not want you to go to any doctors, but to give your
heart to Jesus Christ completely and to have absolute faith in Him,
and I will heal you without any medication, while you are sleeping in
your room".
I had either to believe that this was a divine revelation, or to continue
my way to the hospital. We were about to take the bus, when I decided
not to go. I told my wife: "It is better not to go. Let us go to
the brethren in Kato Drys to pray with them.
We went there indeed and we prayed together for five hours. The Lord
revealed through His prophets Panaiwta Sergi, Panaiwta Koutsakou and
Maria Apehi, mysteries to us, which I cannot describe in this limited
space. In the end the elder anointed me with oil and from that moment
on I threw all the medications for cough suppression and hemoptysis
away. Glory to Jesus Christ our Redeemer! Alleluia. "He took all
my sins sicknesses and diseases upon the Cross, and has given me peace."
We bid our brethren good bye and walked on foot the five miles distance
to my wife's village, Lagia, carrying our 3 years old child too. That
night I slept for the first time without coughing up blood. Next day
we went to Nicosia. The doctor had been waiting for us in the Sanitarium.
After two days had passed without us showing up he sent a nurse to our
house to see what had happened.
I firmly believed that the Lord had healed me. To cut a long story short
when the authorities asked me to bring them a health certificate to
allow me to continue my work I went to the same doctor and asked him
to examine me. He drew blood for analysis, he took a new chest X-ray
and he told to return after eight days for the results.
Glory be to God, after eight days, when I returned to the hospital,
the doctor was excited and told me: "the blood tests are quite
normal and there is not any sign of infection in the chest film. What
has happened to you is a genuine miracle, because normally your disease
would require 3 to 4 years of treatment. It would never be cured in
15 days and without any medication." After we told him of the Glorious
doctor and our Savior Jesus Christ, we left the hospital happy.
Many years after this first incident the Lord healed me from serious
nephritis, that is loosing protein from the kidneys. I spent two years
in a very strict diet with no result. In the end I threw everything
away and I received my healing through prayer and faith in the Lord.
After that I was healed from dermatitis affecting my hands and feet.
I had used many kinds of ointments, only to see the dermatitis spreading.
I exercised faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. After I prayed the elders
anointed me with oil in the name of the Lord, they prayed for me and
I threw all the ointments away. After a few days I saw that any sign
of dermatitis had disappeared.
I invite all of you, by the Word of God, to accept the grace of God,
through our Savior Jesus Christ. As is written in the Word of God: "Ho,
every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no
money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money
and without price". Isaiah 55:1
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