Leon Fontaine - Miracle Worker - Part 2
Hey, everybody. It is so good to have you with me. Today, we're going to do a second part of what I started last time about being a miracle worker. Another words, learning to flow with the power of God. And so if you didn't see the first one, I encourage you go back and watch it. We used as our text to start with 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, because I want to talk about how I learned in a situation as a young teenage boy, for those maybe who haven't seen the first part. I got a job in a hospital. And as I was working there in materials' management, they started the paramedic program in our province. And they opened it up to me if I'd like to take it. They would train me for free. And so I began my paramedic training there in the hospital. We didn't have a college outside.
So I was trained by the doctors in the OR's. I was trained by the doctors in the emergency room, the resuscitation rooms. I begin to ride third as I developed all of this. And the thing that stood out to me the most was how hurting and broken and pain-filled the world was, as I begin to ride in an ambulance and in the back alleys and the ditches of horrible accidents, into the homes of murders and child abuse. And oh, I was just, my heart was broken being raised in a wonderful family. My parents were pastors. They pastored a church. All I knew was the beauty, the wonder, the joy of being raised in a wonderful home.
Now, to see the heartache and the brokenness that was going on. It just touched me in a deep way. And one of the things I talk about with many people is it's like the insulation around my heart came off. You know, for those who are electricians, they know you just don't attach, if you're going to wire a house, you don't just attach the wires to the electrical box. You have to peel off that rubbery plastic lining around that wire because the power won't flow through the rubber, or that lining of the wire. You've got a, you've got to peel it down to the bare wire. And once you get it down to the bare wire, you touch that sucker and sparks will fly. I mean, like I could grab an electrical cord right now and bite down on it and I would be fine. But if I was to peel off the rubber insulation off of that until I got a nice, you know, silver or coppery looking color. And then touch it, woo, you can almost hurt yourself bad. You can get burnt bad, and I begin to liken that to my heart.
I found that although my, my life was wonderful. I had great friends. I was in a great church. I didn't know incredible abuse. I mean, everyone knows heartache, loneliness, people talking about you, that kind of thing. But to see children abused by their own parents, to see, you know, the horrible things that happen at parties with rapes and things. It just, for me what it did was it seemed to scrape the insulation off my heart and my heart began to cry out to God. That God I want to be able to minister to these people, Your love, Your healing power. I wanted to minister to them something that would heal the brokenness of that person who'd been abused. You know, that child, the disease that was killing a mom before her time and she's got kids to raise up. And this scraping, you know, this insulation began to melt off my heart. And I began to reach out to God in a really big way.
Often when I'm teaching pastors and leaders around the world about moving in the gifts of the Spirit, I let them know that, you know, your purpose has to be one of love. You know, when we take a look at the supernatural, we've got lots of examples on television and different places where people want to move in the gifts of the Spirit. But it's all about their ego. They want to look good. They want to be the man or woman of God for the power. They want to be elevated up into a whole new strata as a miracle worker, as though they're special and unique. But over my lifetime, I've always taught against that and said that, "No, you are not special and unique". The Bible teaches us that these signs shall follow those who believe. Every believer on Jesus Christ, who is born again and begins to grow. They get spirit-filled. They understand the Word of God. They renew their mind in the Word. They develop this relationship with Jesus. Every one of them is to flow in the supernatural power of God.
And so here in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, the apostle Paul says that when I am with you, it wasn't my preaching that I was so good at preaching, or that my speech was so intricately woven together that I persuaded you. He said I wanted to demonstrate Holy Spirit. Wow, he said I wanted to demonstrate the power of God so that you could know and that your faith wouldn't be an empty words but in the living words that the God's Word works. In Acts 10:38, "And God gave or anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him". Notice, and this is another interesting topic that it says how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth. He didn't say Jesus from heaven. He didn't say how God anointed Jesus, you know, one of the Godhead because Jesus came down as a man. He was born of a woman. He took on a human body. And so He was anointed with Holy Spirit as a human. He's Jesus of Nazareth, not Jesus from heaven. He's Jesus from Nazareth. And so then He went about doing incredible things. And He goes on to tell His disciples that the things that I do shall you do also.
Now some people take that because they don't see miracles. They don't believe in them. And they literally, well, they have to find other teachings to make up for it. They'll say, "Well, the age of miracles ended when, in the apostles". So it is not something that, you know, John, the apostle John, I think was the last apostle to die. Can you imagine people freaking out because once he dies there will be no more miracles? That is a ridiculous doctrine because as a young boy, my dad and mom would minister miracles all the time in the church services. My dad would go to hospitals. I mean, he should have, he's gone to be with Jesus now. But he literally should have written a book of the miraculous miracles that he saw as he ministered to people and I watched him. He would call people to the front of our little church and he would lay hands on them. And people would see miracles take place.
I would go with him to hospitals at times, or, you know, he'd be gassing up and he'd be talking to the guy pumping the gas. And the guy would share, you know, an incredible need in his life. And dad, well, my dad would just share with him and talk with him. And then say, "Could I pray with you"? And he prayed with him and a miracle would take place. That guy would go home and find out that the very thing that he was talking about had been handled. If it was a financial issue, maybe it was his marriage, maybe it was his wife being sick with cancer. And he'd come back and say to my dad, "You know what, we've begun to see the doctor and things have just turned around, and that she's had no treatment but it's just disappearing or it's gone". And so I knew that there was a God who healed and did miracles.
Now, it's important for you to understand, that when you go to 1 Corinthians chapter 12, and I'll read it to you out of verse 7, 1 Corinthians 12, "But to each one," Each who? Each believer. "To every believer is given the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, okay, the evidence, the spiritual illumination of the Spirit for good and for profit". Now, in this chapter, there's nine gifts in there that are, that are all gifts of Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is in you. And so you must learn what the Word says about you. And as you get into a great Word teaching church, or continue to follow along here. You'll recognize that Jesus said you are to do the things that He did and it is not over.
So as a young man, I began to read all the great men and women of God who were miracle workers. And I would read their names and read their books. And the one thing that stood out to me was they all didn't exactly believe the same. Some of them didn't know much about teaching other than Jesus loves people and he'll heal them. But they demonstrated the power of God. My own father as a teenage young boy, as a young man was dying and only given a few months to live. He had rheumatic fever. And my grandparents were religious but didn't know anything about the demonstration of these gifts of the Holy Spirit. And so they took him to northern Alberta, to a meeting of a man who believed that he would lay hands on the sick and miracles happen. And he traveled the world and it's documented all the time.
And so as he would, so my grandma loaded him on a train, or my great grandma, will be my dad's grandmother loaded him on a train and got him to this service. She got into the service and she got him into the prayer line where he prayed for my dad. My dad could hardly walk. He couldn't carry his suitcase. He'd have to be literally supported 'cause he was so weak with rheumatic fever. He told me that he would lay in his bed. My grandparents owned a ranch and a logging operation in the Battle Lake area out past Edmonton. And so he would lay, he would stay in his room. He's dying. But yet the family had to go to work in order to, you know, keep things going. And he would talk about how he would choke and gasp for breath. And his heart had gotten enlarged where he could just feel it beating and he's struggling as his valves of his heart, you know, we're being literally hurt. And so he couldn't get energy. No matter how much he breathed, he's almost passing out.
And so he had a lot of fear. He told me how that he, you know, years ago he told me how he'd never wanted to die choking and gasping for breath because he done that so much with this cursed disease. And so this brother prayed for him and he was instantly healed. He literally got up and walked, carried the suitcases when they went back. He had an amazing miracle. And from there, he did not die. He went to Bible school. He worked on the family businesses. And then after Bible school, he became a pastor, met my mom. And he was so passionate about praying for people for miracles because he knew what it was like to sit there with not even knowing Jesus. He didn't know where he was going when he was going to die. So he was afraid of death, afraid. He was gasping and he hated disease. Whenever he would talk about sickness or disease, he would just call that cursed cancer. That cursed sickness because he knew what it was to have a sickness that's going to shorten your life.
Who wants her life shortened, if you're a mom, a dad, just anybody. And so from there, we really begin to recognize that it was crucial to minister to people. And so that's how I grew up and that's how I got a hunger for God's Word. And I have studied for 40 years as a pastor, starting in my teens. This, this desire to not just know doctrine, but I have desired to be able to minister to people. And we need, all of us need to recognize that we must reach out and minister to people. We must develop and build our faith, or we must feed on the Word of God in these areas. Today, most people wait for someone to give them a negative report. Well, miracles are done. Oh, you believe in miracles. Well then go heal that person. I can't just walk up to people and get them healed because I want to. I can't force miracles on people. Jesus couldn't. In His home town, He couldn't do any great works because of their unbelief.
And so Holy Spirit will guide you to the right people. And then you'll even need to share a little bit with them most of the time, to get them ready to understand and not back away or be afraid. And I found that Holy Spirit wants to flow into people. I remember praying for a man on the street. I met a drunk man. And he was, he could hardly walk. And he was all, he had, he had busted ribs and a shoulder apparently. And so he was walking really bad and it hadn't healed up right or something. And I just want, so I just talking with this guy about Jesus. I don't know anything about Jesus. And so I said, "Okay, so what's wrong with your shoulder and your ribs"? He said, "I got busted ribs and I hurt my shoulder". I say, "Before you go, can I just pray for you for healing for your shoulder"? Yeah, fine.
So let my hands on him and prayed for him. And on the spot, this shoulder completely was released. He walked completely straight. And he didn't want to talk anymore and he just left. I don't know what happened. All I'm saying is that for the power of God to flow through us to others, it is easy. It's effortless. But it is what we believe. And there's been so much teaching especially in the first world. When I work with denominations in Canada and in America about signs and wonders, they out of their own seminaries have developed such an extensive doctrine around why miracles don't happen. Then I'll go to my friends who are pastoring in denominations in third world countries where there are no hospitals and specialists like there are here. And they'll tell you prolifically that miracles take place every week. And that the people pray for each other, their own kids. And miracle after miracle after miracle takes place.
And so I want to really challenge you in these two messages that we're doing about miracle workers. That you are called to be a miracle worker. And if you do not dive into God's Word, not with the purpose of just being coming doctrinally correct, but with the desire to be someone who is demonstrating the power of God. And when you do, you'll begin to see signs and wonders take place in your life. You don't have to put God, you know, okay, you watch God's going to heal you. And so you have to put God on the spot. I never did that. I would just say to people, I met a guy at a coffee shop, went into a coffee shop and he was sitting alone. As I'm getting my coffee, I was going to go back to work. But I just felt drawn to speak to this man. So I grabbed my cup of coffee and I walked over and I just said, "Hey, do you mind if I join you for a cup of coffee? I'm alone as well". He looked up at me surprised because nobody does that today. And he goes, "Yes, by all means have a seat".
So we sat down and talked about hockey and sports and just enjoy each other's company. And I said, "So well, I'm just here from work for a coffee break. Why are you here today"? And he goes, "Well, my wife's just down the road at the hospital". Oh, I said, "Is she okay"? He goes, "No. She's been given up to die". He said, "She has cancer. And so I just spend as much time as I can by her side, and I'll get out for a break and I'll have a coffee here at the restaurant". And I said, "Wow". And then as he was talking to me, you know, I had established a rapport with him. He began to open up. And I said, "Man, I'm so sorry. That's got to be really hard". And he choked back a tear and he goes, "It's incredibly difficult". He says, "I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do. All I can do is just sit beside her bed". And he says, "And be there and tell her I love her".
And I said, "Yeah". I said, "You know," I said, "Can I ask you something"? I said, "I'm a pastor". "You are"? He was shocked. I said, "Do you mind if I just have our church pray for your wife"? And I did not sense to pray for him right there. And I'm always sensitive not just to do something but how to do it. And he said, "By all means, please". And he teared up that I would even get a bunch people to pray for him. I said, "We have people who love to pray. And so I'm going to pray and we're gonna pray for your wife". So we, I left, and he shook hands with me, and thanked me so much for our conversation and especially at the end that I'd be praying for his wife.
So I was back in that spot maybe weeks or a month. I can't even remember. Later, it was much later, and I happened to run into this man. And I went, "Hey, how's it going"? And he goes, "Hey, Leon. I got to talk to you". And he began to tell me how that when he went back to his wife each day, the doctor's came in and spoke to him and said, "You know, we're noticing that this cancer is not progressing. It has leveled off. It has stopped". And he goes, "What"? And the only thing that ever happened was he had run into a man who just had coffee with, me. And just said, "Can we pray for you"? And then day after day, that things begin to happen. They would want to do an intervention for her in a minor operation because she's not dying now. Now, she is maintaining.
And then as they, I forget what little operation they would do to free this up, or to do that. And then she started getting better and again and they said, "We can't believe. We don't know what's going on but your wife is getting better". And she progressed and healed up in the weeks ahead until she went home with him. And the only thing he could remember was, that was any different. They didn't change meds. They didn't change treatments. Was that a man had met him in a coffee shop and just said, "We're going to pray for you". I want you to know that it's not hard. You do not have to put on a show for people. Like, I'm going to pray for her. That's all about you and your ego. If you love people, all you're doing is helping people, comforting people, encouraging people.
I did not look at him and say, "Your wife shall live and not die". And try to prophesy something that maybe was just me coming out of my own spirit wanting it for him. I learned to be very faith-filled but to recognize that person is a free will being. I don't know for example what his wife believes or wants. And so I'm going to pray for you. And I found that in doing that, that God would move in powerful and unique ways in people's lives. And that man has been forever changed because all I said to him in a coffee shop was I'm going to pray for you. And I didn't just say it as a greeting. I said it in a way that he knew that I would, and we did. We prayed for them. And I spoke God's Word over top of this man and his wife.
God wants to do miracles. There is no holding back of miracles. In fact, you'll find as you follow our ministry and our teaching, that when it comes to miracles from God. You know, the promises in God's Word to you, that God doesn't decide them. And this is where a lot of people get shocked. What do you mean God? God does not decide yes or no on a healing. Yes or no on a financial miracle. Yes or no on restoring relationships. He's, Jesus has died in our place. And the Bible says, Peter teaches us that we've been given all that we need for life and Godliness. The Bible teaches us that all of the promises are in Christ, yes and amen. He qualified us. He's given us all that we need. Every miracle that you will need in your future has already been qualified for you, given to you. You just need to receive it. Just receive it.
And it's not like you have to work on this believing. I got to believe. I got to believe. I got to believe. No. When you're born again and you are a follower of Christ, faith is not the thing you focus on as much. You focus on the Word of God. We hear a lot about faith in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We hear a lot about faith. You know, coming to faith, meaning getting born again. But once you are born again and you have Jesus on the inside of you. Well, you have His spirit, His faith, His grace, His thinking, His emotions, the mind of Christ. And so this shouldn't be all of these doctrines that we do to make moving in the miraculous hard. No. In fact, right now you need to recognize that Jesus even in teaching in Mark 11 said you speak to the problem which was defied by the mountain.
Speak to the pain, the sickness. Speak to the situation and command it to obey you. Command, you know, sickness leave. In Jesus' name, I declare my money is flowing in to my company. And we are not going bankrupt, in Jesus' name. And as you speak, you'll find that miraculous things begin to happen in your life. And so, my time is up but I want you to know, that as a follower of Jesus Christ, that miracles work differently in this new covenant than they did in the old covenant. And even work differently than it did when Jesus walked the planet with His disciples because Jesus hadn't yet died. He hadn't paid the price for sin, etcetera. He hadn't given us a new life. Nobody was born again. And so Jesus came to the planet as the Messiah.
And so as you begin to grow in your knowledge of God's Word, you'll begin to have this incredible faith as the Word shows you. It's a done deal. God is not withholding healing. He's not withholding His blessing. All of those teachings that are used to explain why people don't get miracles are wrong. We simply, it's been done for us through Jesus. If you don't know this Jesus as your Saviour and Lord, that I'm talking about. I will encourage you right now to make a decision for Him. You say, "Leon, how do I do that"? Well, Jesus died in your place. That's the whole reason for the cross, is Jesus came to this planet to die for the entire human race, to take their sins for them, to take the curse, the punishment that we all deserved. He took it. He went to hell in our place. But He rose again and He gave us new life. But He'll never force it on you. You have to accept Him. And so right now just say:
Jesus, come into my heart. I accept the free gift of salvation. From today and on, I want to get to know You as my Lord and my Saviour, in Jesus' name, amen.
Welcome to the family of God. That took place in your spirit, not in your feelings. You don't have to feel anything. All you needed to do was to give Him permission because you, He will never force Himself on you. So now make sure you keep watching. If you can find a great church in your area, you know, look, begin to hunt for one. But keep watching these programs. You will grow so quickly in this beautiful relationship of you and Jesus.