Blow the Trumpet in Zion: Cry Baby, Cry 155452282X, 9781554522828

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BLOW Lia TRUMPET tn ZION BY nyenmetel

TOM

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BLOW THE TRUMPET IN ZION CRYIDADA, Chu sy BROTHER TOM

ene O K § fe Belleville, [oillan@ataronGanade: Ontario,

BLOW THE TRUMPET IN ZION Copyright © 2008, Tom Visser All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the author.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise specified, are from The Holy Bible, King James Version. Copyright © 1977, 1984, Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Tom, Brother, 1932- _

Blow the trumpet in Zion : cry,

baby, cry / Brother Tom.

ISBN 978-1-55452-282-8 1. Tom, Brother, 1932-.

2. Christian life. 3. Christian

biography--Canada. _4. Musicians--Canada--Biography. Title.

BR1725.T58A3 2008

270'.092

I.

C2008-902925-9

For more information or to order additional copies, please contact: Tom Visser RR# 2, 43 Schoolhouse Rd. Stirling, ON KOK 3E0

Guardian Books is an imprint of Essence Publishing, a Christian Book Publisher dedicated to furthering the work of Christ through the written word. For more information, contact: 20 Hanna Court, Belleville, Ontario, Canada K8P 5J2

Phone: 1-800-238-6376 * Fax: (613) 962-3055 E-mail: info @essence-publishing.com Web site: www.essence-publishing.com

Dedication _I want to dedicate this book to my star and captain in this war, Jesus Christ, and to my wife, Patricia, who stands

by me and encourages me not to give up but to go on with my orders my captain gave me in Isaiah 58:1, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people...their sins,” and that I will do until he calls me home.

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Table of Contents Order in:the;@ourt Ordenin MysHouse s.r 7 God Promised Beauty for Ashes—Isaiah 61:3 .............. 9 Miitavie Gomer tel Way acccre ee eeeien een een Oren ee #2 SON ENE atesHacicstos Speyrev AER ato nee eae CADSR oT ee 17 eer. mae es oo ts 20 Good Samanitans-Gone SOUrs taet. co IseI here: Justice £017 AN7e.

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tees earroarsee is 24 Sle Masset 2 Psa 2k a ceteate melee Boys VILE DOYS eee. 26 eer en he nme eee pee Cursing SaMnn® Sor... Meme wee ree ma nemn re een ie con dee 28 Raa eS a AeOe 30 ee DICKY Rete oe te tie one ere eRe Pentecost on Easter Sunday Morning ..................4. 33 Iivine Intery entOn: ois aan sant ete soasis oat ae ee Hea 35 FAONOUNING abCIRtS fn. nytt ee rele near ache Sete tae ora soaika ion 38 idence a gi 31g os 40 My People Tave:Horsaken NC sige ces , ar aicagth cies s dgopas dats42 Oneanist GONG: sic. t iran Brie osc Scamming and Favouritism Within the Kingdom .......... 44 Seen 48 Plaitetal Kg uirs ice oasoreser de a eats eel aaa Baptism Service in the St. Lawrence River ................ 51 Glaimine forte Nn ait asset ced say Pele Seen aeatte Sen agn Pied53 Till We Meet Again: My Mother’s Conversion ............ 55 58 5 tsBaas REME, Came to Confiseate the: Drugs. ai... Wwe eink a werk Shee 60 ‘Two thictyeaemeatthe: GCoventas-3 PSN VOOGEMS POOR 9.18 0 tle RiAER FHC Delete le A Sbee: Os 62 Knocked inte the NingdOmi yess. tae ae. Sede ane 64

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God Will Supply Our Every Need .............-..+4.--- 66 68 et Closed’ Doors Opened Yccc. c inane 2 2 Se eees Ta. .-see Working with the Needy ......-.----+.eee era nscuserante Slog aetr ae cvenece 7) The:New Life Homeyesencn.: tere er tee ee eee 7? aces ee eo eens eeeie YOutvRarni er 81 Running for Town: Council 0 ise -e ee eee eek as 83 eae oecieeace Oh; Tom, I Am’ Saved) sscucete

laiaten ies cere ee84 sco Hey, Apostle Patil: 5.5fiaprivet Getting High for Free on Super LSD—Love, Salvation, and DIGI VERANCE fer dct os ee Medes peacarnaes Pie etek ae kt ce ee 86 Good Samaritans Gone Sour (Luke 10:33); onc Jews PickediU poy ses. cs

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Blow the Trumpet in Zion (Joel 2:15) (The Invisible Cult Within AS Rn ay mar eee 94 the Cn Ch) accra ease emcee eT ered

PLTOC Ee WAASOUY OLE Chy ce et ctor oss eeu nfo eine ac eae og Wickedness im bieni® (Aces Clic Son ates ae alts nea ees 101 tae 103 Flonourlhy, hatherand: Motherenic.s s+ eayauen ac,ote nis Standing A lONes sac. snore o wins nese enens.8 ee sees aaeigtan ods 105 SEAL CIT CAV OIMeTAN COTE accra) spect osu) arate ere ae ets 107 Thank You, Mom, for All the Things You Have Done...... 108

Miserable Comforters Are Ye All (Job 16:1)

.............. 110

Cast Thy Bread upon the Waters...Thou Shalt Find It After Many Days: (Ecclesiastes lame es wot te es eees Winpsand*Man Pleaserss.crwer ata ne eeeee 116 eee ater ee 118 The: Cost of Loving iiss ihr acumen Rue With Christ in the Vessel We Can Brave Every Storm ...... 120 RGR ee Pr Led SAE ee 125 ne eee

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he Apostles’ Creed says that Jesus will come to judge the living and the dead. Jesus said, “Behold, I come quickly,” (Revelation 22:7). If he came today, could you see all these gambling and bingo tables flying? Let’s all stand in this courtroom—“Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross.” We find that too patriotic for today— scratch that one too, along with “There’s power in the blood.” “We must say ‘guilty,’ Your Honour, about women in charge (1 Corinthians 14:34,35); guilty, Your Honour, with explanation: those in head office said it was okay.” “How about sodomites behind the pulpit and also same-sex marriage?” “Guilty, Your Honour, with explanation: they are born like that; they are sick, although I don’t understand why God killed them in Sodom and Gomorrah. Maybe we need to apologize to those killed in earlier days, Your Honour.” “Be seated. I will deal with you later. Next, please.” “You spoke to Nicodemus, who was a very educated

person, but he needed to be born again and change his life, as Peter said in Acts 2: repent first, then be baptized, then Z

=

Tom Visser

you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, as was promised to those who believed. Guilty, Your Honour, with explanation: our forefathers made it up, and we stick to it, Your Honour, but we still have the rebirth. Like the

old saying, “De veronderstelde weder geboorten.” I am a veronderstelde millionaire, but I have not got two nickels to rub together. “By the way, Your Honour, why don’t we as Christians stand up and protect the name of Jesus like the Muslims protect the name of the prophet Muhammad, even kill for it? Even many Christians abuse that wonderful name of Jesus when they have a flat tire; or when they drop their cigarettes, they will abuse that name. Your Honour, one more question: why do so many TV preachers live in swank hotels, tip the blondes so much at the desks, have

sO many expensive cars and houses, and still need a sixmillion-dollar airplane, to represent a man who did not have a stone to lay his head on?” (Matthew 8:20).

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F° many years we operated a home for juvenile delinquents. We taught them, fed them, and loved them

with the love of Jesus. One of the boys was upset about the no-smoking rule in the house. He set fire to the curtains in his room, and the house burned down except for two walls. People would call us and ask, “Where is Jesus now?” I would answer, “He is busy preparing a bigger and better house for us.” I painted the two remaining walls and wrote on them “God promised beauty from the ashes” and “Cast down but not destroyed.” Newspapers wrote about the house being an eyesore, as if I did not know that whatever Satan creates is always an eyesore. I had a call from the mayor of our town: he said he was not very impressed with the writing. I said I did not want to impress him; I wanted to impress Jesus and let Jesus know, like Job, that though he slay me, yet will I trust in him (Job 13:15). I went to his office and told

him that coming into a cow barn does not make you a cow, although you may smell like one; same as going into a church Sunday after Sunday does not make you a

Tom Visser

Christian. You have to have a heart-to-heart relationship with Jesus. No matter how nice you look in that blackstriped deacon suit. Let me remind you, Mr. Mayor, sir,

Deuteronomy 6 tells us to write the words of the Lord upon the posts of our house and on our gates. Yours in Christ’s service, Brother Tom

10

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

Home becomes testimony the editor: 1 was moved on behalf of an article Lread last week submitted in regard to the Visser home on Canboro Road. It is certainly a tragedy that none of us wishes to experience, for the loss ol a home would be a heavy burden to endure, Yet, as | drove past the sight, | was moved to smile at the manner in which one family turned devastation into a testimony not only for themselves but

iM

to other passers-by like myself. Who, putting themselves

momentarily

in a

similar situation, would have to wonder if their own faith would not have been

horribly shaken. In those ashes exists a beauty of a different sort that should not go unseen. It is one of human spirit and determination, one that gives other inspiration in a world that is today so lacking. Jo-Anne VanKavenswaay, Tnmmville, Ont.

his study is taken from 1 Samuel 15-17. Samuel came to Saul to anoint him king, but there was a condition: Saul had to listen to the words of the Lord. In verse 2, God

reminded him about what Amalek did to Israel as they were coming out of Egypt, how Amalek waited when they came out of Egypt. Now, Egypt is the type of the world of sin, on the way to the promised land. Amalek means “flesh,” and turn flesh around and you have self. In order to be kings and priests, we must get rid of self. God calls us a royal priesthood, a holy nation showing forth the praises of God, who called us out of darkness into that

marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9).

When I became a Christian I had to leave the darkness of Egypt and walk in the light with Jesus, not just on Sunday morning for an hour, but day after day, living the life. I thought everybody would be happy with my newfound life in Christ. I never had so many enemies until I started the Christian life. The Word tells me not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). Many have turned the prayer rooms into banquet rooms. We are living an automatic life: the notion that we are all Christians 12

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

because of our religious background is utter nonsense. Jesus himself said to Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7), not just join the church again. The Bible says to repent, be baptized, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Repent means turn away from sin. A baby can’t know which way to tur! In the Bible we are told that the meaning of baptism is an outward expression of an inward conscience turning toward God (1 Peter 3:21).

Now back to 1 Samuel 15: instead of rooting out Amalek, they kept the king alive, and the best of the sheep, all that was worth something in their eyes. It’s the same way today: we don’t mind telling a poor soul who can’t financially support the church to “Hit the road, Jack,” but we tolerate the self-made kings in head office or presbytery leaders, even though many go against the Word of God and don’t baptize the biblical way or aren’t born again Jesus’ way (John 3:3). We don’t dare say to a sodomite, on the ground of Gods Word, “Hit the road, Jack.” If all this unbiblical nonsense, such as lesbianism and sodomy, is okay with God,

then God will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. If Samuel were to anoint preachers today, he would

pass them by and they would have to go to some denomination to be sprinkled, or for some silly Middle Ages religious ritual, and be pronounced officially by the head office. Christians with membership papers—they even give them a white-collared shirt, and they even call them “reverend.” Verse 13: Samuel went to Saul to rebuke him, but Saul, like many today, bowed and said, “Bless you, bless you.”

I have gone this route myself: I would tell my family and friends I was now saved and they would tell me to get lost 13

Tom Visser

again. Saul said as an excuse, “I have performed the commandment of the LORD” (1 Samuel 15:13). Even today, they’re sometimes pigging out on a big church dinner in order to keep the church doors open. Saul said, “I have performed the commandment of the LORD.” Samuel said, “What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” (1 Samuel 15:14). If you have done God’s will, why do I hear all this talking and gossiping and slander? This could be interpreted as, if you are doing the commandment (the will of God), why do I hear all the gossip and slander amongst you? Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites” (verse 15); indeed, false slander

and gossip comes from Amalekites (the flesh amongst you). We must become dead to self and alive in Christ. It seems so easy to sing “It’s no longer I that liveth, but Christ that liveth in me.” But Christ can’t live in you while Satan is occupying you. Verse 18 says that we must utterly destroy Amalek and give Jesus the throne of our hearts. King Saul lost out on the anointing because he did not kill the flesh. Many today are losing out spiritually because they would rather please men than God. The Apostle Paul said, “If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). We have too many man pleasers in churches today; they go against God’s Word, they allow sodomites in and behind the pulpits, and many are scoffers when it comes to Bible-believing Christians, who believe in the rebirth, and say it comes

through arite,

through sprinkling. We can sing “Faith of our fathers, holy faith,” but only faith in God can get you into heaven, not a ceremony. 14

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

Saul rejected the Word of God and lost out, like many today. He said, “I...have gone the way which the LORD sent me” (1 Samuel 15:20). There are many ways that “lead to Rome.” This writer does not want to go Rome and see the pope; I want to go to heaven and see Jesus. King Saul lost his kingship, the anointing (the Holy Spirit), and like many today, he tried to make up for the loss by getting entertainment. David’s songs and music were the only thing that brought a smile to the king’s face (1 Samuel 16:16-23). Little David was told to go and bring bread to his brothers fighting in the war against Goliath. Thank God, there are still a few little Davids around today, maybe little in education, but big enough to feed the brethren with the

true Word of life (the Bible). David was told to run with

the bread to the camp (1 Samuel 17:17), and it was early in the morning, the dawning of a new day. We today are in the dawning of a new day, and like David, we must run to feed the brethren. The time is short. Oh yes, David had opposition—even his own brother was against him. To this writer, this sounds familiar, but God’s Word tells us,

“Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you” (Luke 6:26), and I don’t have that problem. The king didn’t have much faith in little David; after all, who was he? He may not have had religious education, the proper schooling, but he had the Holy Spirit. David told the king a story of how he had won victory over a lion and a bear taking off with his father’s sheep. Finally, Saul said, “Okay, go and fight Goliath, but use my armour; do it my way” (see 1 Samuel 17:34-38). So David put on a lot of harnesses, but then he said, “I

can’t go this way; I don’t have theological education.” He 15

Tom Visser

as much as said to the king, “It never worked for you, and it won’t work for me; hang it back in your office, you'll

see.” We sometimes can have so many harnesses that we can’t see the horse any more. In religion today, we have a society for every situation: men’s groups, women’s groups, funeral associations, outreaches,

and so on. So

many harnesses, you simply can’t see the horse any more. David went to the brook and got himself five stones, and they signified the five ministries we should have in every church: apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher. Like David’s stones, those five ministries must be

smooth to hit the targets and they need to be washed in the water of the Word. The more they are rubbed together, the smoother they become. We get rubbed the wrong way sometimes, we get elbowed at times, but, praise the Lord,

we may come out smooth enough to hit the enemy’s target. David cut the head off the enemy; he was not satisfied with only hitting the enemy, he was not satisfied with partial victory, but he believed in a total victory, and so much more should we today. You give the devil one hand and he will take your whole arm. We often welcome a sodomite or a lesbian or a child molester, and the next

thing you know, they take over the pulpit. There is never a victory without a war, so, dear reader, get your sword out and be an overcomer in Christ.

16

A song goes like this: He’s always there when thing go wrong, He’s always there when my hope is gone. He lifts me up when I’m in prayer, When I’m alone, He’s always there.

He’s up on the mountain, He’s down in the sea. He fills all heaven,

And He lives in me. (Author unknown)

When I started pilot training, my first flight was unforgettable. My trainer said, “Tom, go hit the sky.” I admit I put up a good front, but as I looked beside me I got nervous: there was an empty seat! I was in charge, I was the captain, and that was scary. Suddenly I heard from the tower, “Correction, sir.” For a while I thought I was alone,

but hearing my trainer’s voice over the intercom made me somewhat at ease. I quickly corrected my wrong move and went up higher, the correct height above sea level. |

have often thought about that incident. In this life, it is so Ay

Tom Visser

easy to get off course, and we often have to level off for a safe landing. Dear reader, when I approach the end of the runway, I have to look at the last stripes and, above all, I have to

listen to the voice from the tower. One word is most important: it is the word committed—out of danger of a crash. “Pilot, you are committed” means you are in the air. I often sing, “If it wasn’t for the lighthouse, were would

this ship be?” I love the heights, I love the mountaintops, but I came to realize there is a valley after every mountain, but even in the valley he is there. I think one time I was in the valley all right. | was a lumberjack, as they called it, and we were flown in hun-

dreds of miles away from the closest town and airport. It was Christmastime,

and we were snowed

in. It seemed

everybody was drunk. I didn’t want to stay with these people—one man was already dead, his body packed in ice. It was about fifty below zero. I went outside to look in on the two horses I had rented to pull the lumber on the frozen lake. We didn’t use the horses that week for fear the legs of the horses would freeze. I cut some small trees to make a path for the horses, so I kept warm when I moved

a lot. Suddenly my axe slipped because I had double gloves on, and I cut my foot. The men were too drunk to help me—all they did was drink, and they were sure I would die next because I had slept on the cot were the man died. I cut a piece of blanket, tied it around my cut foot, and started to walk in the direction were the sun was, but the

sun went down and Ilost my direction. I kept dragging my suitcase—that kept me warm. I had my watch on, and after

eleven hours in the fifty-below temperature, I saw arailroad track. I was glad I could not hear wolves any more. I 18

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

was told in my air force survival training that you could find out if a train was getting close by putting your ear on the track to hear the clicking of the train. Suddenly there came a train in the middle of nowhere. I raised my arms as the train came closer. I stepped aside, and I was told later in the hospital that I passed out. I woke up several days later. Now years later I know that God had his hands on me even then. Yes, I was in the valley of the shadow of death, and my captain came to my rescue.

12

ne day God gave us another open door. I needed Cn

I then met a man who told me, “If you ever

need money, come and see me.” I told him I needed it right then, so we went to the bank and he gave me the money. He acknowledged I was doing a good work in the gospel, so he said, “Here is the money you need. Don’t even bother trying to give it back to me, because I do this for God.” He visited my little mission on a regular basis. One day he showed me a paper and said, “This is just in case my family wonders where my money went. If you just sign here, then they can never come after you for the money I gave to God’s work.” Months later, he was not satisfied with my preaching. According to his thinking, I should demand that all the ladies cover their heads in church and that men should not wear neckties but just closed collars. Soon after, I received a lawyer’s letter explaining that the signed note from the Good Samaritan could be interpreted in different ways and that I was expected to pay back the money he had given me. This made me think of Acts 5:1-4, the story of Ananias and Sapphira. As it turned out, the donor lived 20

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

only for a short time after this incident. The Bible says, “Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm” (1 Chronicles 16:22).

A local preacher preached against me, “the man in the street with his white beard,” and called me an insane false

prophet. I felt I had to go and rebuke him, but he laughed at me, raised his hands, and shouted in a degrading way, “Hallelujah, you are crazy!” I told him not to touch God’s anointed and that God has the power to allow him to go insane. Two years later, my brother-in-law told me he would not attend a certain church because the pastor was placed in an insane asylum in the Essex area. It was the same preacher who had made so much fun of my work in the street with the homeless.

2

young man worked for a bank and had access to the account of a churchy businessman, and he needed fifty dollars. He thought he could get away with borrowing the money just for the weekend, but he got caught and the owner of the account sued him. In the meantime,

it was found out that while the account owner was suing the young man, he was stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the eastern classis of the church. The account owner was not sued but was forgiven, since he was a high

cookie in the church and owned an electrical business. Since he was upper crust, they just took over the operation of the electrical business and paid off his debt. As an outsider I ask myself, where is the justice? A young man being sued for taking fifty dollars, and the big-shot church man got off scot-free! One day, someone knocked on my door. He introduced himself as Reverend So and So. He was just passing through with another minister, and they saw my horse wagon and asked if it was for sale. I had been looking for something else to make a stage coach for weddings. They came in and had lunch with us. I sold it for $1,400, and

Ze

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

they said they would send the money as soon as they were home. I also gave them a $300 donation for their summer camp and an extra sleigh, which was antique and all overhauled. I have never seen them since and never got one penny from them. I did find out that one moved away and was never heard from again, while the other was in jail for molesting young boys...so much for trusting just anybody.

23

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40). M’ wife started to work in a local nursing home, and I volunteered there as a chaplain, without pay. I was on call twenty-four hours a day. I reached many people of different denominations. Late one night I received a call from a man saying, “Mother has passed away, and since you were always ready and willing to come see Mom, we would like you to do the funeral service.” I said, “Okay, we'll get together to go over the details.” He said, “We'd like you to say mass in our church.” I agreed, and later that night he called again and asked if I could do a high mass. I said, “Sir, I specialize in

high mass.” My wife, standing close by as I spoke with the man, gave me a firm poke in the ribs and said, “How can you

say such a thing as high mass? You have never been in a Catholic service.” 24

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

I said to her, “Honey, high mass it is going to be. Iam going to make them seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. You want it any higher?” I had to rearrange a few things, such as instead of reading Hail Mary, I said the Our Father, and instead of blessing the pope and all the bishops, I blessed all of God’s born-again children. We had more than twenty people at the altar committing themselves to God. I don’t remember ever having a high mass after that one was over. St. Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). When I got home, I found a big offering somebody had pushed into my pocket. I figured they must have been satisfied with the high mass service.

25

Boy5,008 petsAli ae J, “ - a ;ar

s a young boy, I was brought up ina little town in Ko

Now in our town, we had a lot of churches.

There were a good many people who dressed in blackstriped suits. At a very young age, I was told to be reverential to these men, since they were holy, they represented at least one of the five reformed churches, and they kept the rules of the overall churchy town. One day I was brought home by one of the holy men. I didn’t know him from Adam.

He said to me, “In our

town, nobody rides a bicycle on Sunday.” I remember so well: he held my bike’s steering handle in one hand and my ear in the other hand. He told my dad, “You may not be a church member, but if you want to do business in our town, you handle this boy right.” As a good citizen, my dad brought out the wooden spoon, or, as we called it, the

matten clopper. Finally I got some religion: two of my local friends told me, “Religion is fun.” They dragged me to catechism class,

but we were way too early,so you know what young boys do when they are bored. We snooped around in the deacon’s office. We opened alittle closet and found two 26

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

bottles of something we thought at first was holy water, and boy, did I need something holy! Whatever it was, it made us jolly. While the class was in action, we were going arm in arm, singing, “We gaan niet huis not lange niet.” We thought we were funny, but those black-dressed dudes did not think so. Wooden spoon time again!

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ne day, as I was waiting for the nurses to come out of Sam’s room, a man

came

to me and said, “Please,

Brother Tom, don’t go and see Sam any more. My wife always cries when she hears Sam curse at you.” I said, “Mr. O’Neil, just close the door of your wife’s room so it won’t upset her, because Sam needs to get saved.” I went into Sam’s room, and he started to curse. I

looked him straight in they eyes and said, “Sam, shut up in Jesus’ name.” He did and began to cry. He told me nobody ever told him Jesus loved him. I prayed with him and led him to the saving grace of Jesus. A few days later, as I was standing in the hall, a nurse came running to me and said, “You’d better go and see Sam. He must be very sick. I haven’t heard him curse in several days.” I said, “Praise the Lord! It’s because Sam got saved.” A few months later, our ninety-eight-year-old Sam went to be with his new master, Jesus. I went to the funeral home

to pay my respects and was told they put his body in a vault to be buried in the spring when the ground thawed out. The funeral director asked why I called him “my 28

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

brother Sam,” since there was such a great age difference between us. I explained the new birth in Sam, and before I left, we went on our knees behind his desk and the funeral

director got saved. Hallelujah! What a saviour!

29

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“Inasmuch as ye have done unto one of the least...” (Matthew 25:40).

here was a young man in our nursing home named Dicky. He was twenty-seven years old, but he had never given any indication that he understood anything. They fed him with a tube, at times sucked out foam, and

pushed in the food. I had a strong feeling that I had to speak to Dicky. I asked the doctor, and he said Dicky was malformed but healthy enough to live another twentyseven years. The nurses told me I was touched in the head, that Dicky was just a vegetable. I was touched all right, in the heart. As I was waiting in the hall for the nurses to clean him up, God gave me a Scripture: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). He never said “every good understanding religious individual,” no, “every creature,” and that included Dicky. He

was a creature also created by God. I went into Dicky’s room. I said, “Dicky, I came to tell

you about Jesus. If you understand, please roll your eyes or do something.” I was filled with compassion as I looked 30

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

at Dicky: he was skin and bones and only weighed about fifty pounds. I said, “Dicky, God has prepared a new place for you and also a new body. He has a place where you can walk, no tubes, no needles, a glorified body. You will look like Jesus.” I told him the whole plan of salvation, starting with Adam, but nothing seemed to fizz. I felt like I was obedient to the Spirit of God. I did something strange and unusual: I knelt beside his bed, laid my hands on that frail body, and I said, “Lord, please give Dicky a new, glorified body tonight. Take him home, Lord.” I left in tears. I heard a nurse saying, “What’s wrong with Brother Tom? He seems to be crying.” I stepped into the elevator and went home. My wife was already asleep. That night was the strangest night I can ever remember. I had a dream, and in this dream I saw a great crowd coming my way. I saw my mother, whom I had led to the Lord, and she looked so beautiful and she was singing. Then I saw Jesus with a big smile on his face; he looked left and right, as if to say, “See who is here!” I saw former Cursing Sam, and there was Dicky, but he was beautiful. He pointed at Jesus and said, “Look!

Don’t I look like

Jesus? I have a new, glorified body.” When I woke up that morning, my wife said, “What were you dreaming about? You laughed and cried—tell me what happened.” I told her my dream, and she said, “Wouldn’t that be something if Jesus has taken Dicky home?” We hadn’t even reached the nurses’ desk when I was asked what I had done with Dick. As soon as I had left his room, they checked Dicky, and he had expired. I often wonder: how many Cursing Sams do we have around us, and how many Dickys live in this area? Dear reader, tell the world that Jesus saves.

31

Tom Visser

Toe ee ae

32

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hile we were doing a lot of work with street people, the homeless, and many others, people came from all over. Some drove hundreds of miles to get to our house meetings. It seemed to them that God’s presence was sometimes felt more than in some cool antique churches. At that time we had no wall-to-wall carpets, but we did have wall-to-wall people: men upstairs and women downstairs. We shared Jesus, we prayed and worshiped God, and we told and heard stories of what Jesus had done and

was doing. Nobody looked at the clock every minute, and at times we were together for days on end. Many needs were met, young people were getting saved, and some were filled with the Holy Spirit. In those days, people were sanctified. Today many can’t have their own way and still be sanctified. One Easter Sunday morning, several people came running into the house. They reported that many cars of our visiting worshippers had tires slashed, windshield wipers broken, and radio aerials broken. We got together and prayed for the vandals. The police were called, and they found us standing hand in hand, singing, “He lives, he 38

Tom Visser

lives, Christ Jesus lives today!” (“He Lives,” by Alfred Ackley). While we were yet worshipping God, trucks came rolling in. God sent us mechanics from all over, including the Canadian Tire store. Within hours, everybody was on their way home. I believe that similar to Jericho, where there were walls that stood erect, with no movement in,them, some church

people are like death until there is a shout of praise. Joshua said, “Shout, and the walls shall come

coming with a shout There are many walls gious walls, fanatical for the sounds, when

down.”

Jesus is

someday, and the dead shall rise. today that need to come down: reliwalls. Stop looking for signs; listen the trumpet of the Lord shall sound

and time will be no more. “He lives, he lives, Christ Jesus

lives today! ” Talk back to him. Get used to his voice—you may be standing before him today or tomorrow. “Look full in his wonderful face” (“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” by Helen Lemmel).

34

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sing, “To be used of God, to sing, to speak, to

pray;” (“To Be Used of God,” by Audrey Meier). Driving home from ministering in the big city, my assistant pastor and I passed byalittle place that looked more like a shed than living quarters. Suddenly, I had a strange urge to turn around and go and visit whoever lived there. My partner asked me, “Do you know who lives there?” I said no, and he shook his head and said, “Okay, if

you must go there.” I said, “I feel I must go there to witness.” When we entered the little place, we heard someone

weeping. I went farther and found a man with his head in his hands, crying. There was a note lying in front of him. He looked up and said, “Why did you come? I was just about ready to commit suicide.” He handed it over to me,

and I read it. I told him about a loving and caring God, and after a few hours we were able to pray for him and lead him into a new life, Here is his note: Whosoever finds this note on my demise, please inform my ex-wife. She lives__. Iam lonely and despondent. It seems as if I’m doomed to let my 35

Tom Visser

beautiful horses, which I have worked and cared

for so diligently, go for meat or starve. I can no longer in this hopeless condition keep them, and I have no wish to see them go either way. Everything seems to go against me. I cannot obtain a job, which in itself is soul destroying, and I cannot survive on the money being allotted to me. I realize it is all my own doing; my life has not been run as it should or could have been. Once we were on top and everything was favourable, and now through my stupidity I stand to lose everything, even my soul. If only people held to their promises, something I found sadly lacking, maybe also with myself. I have tried to believe, but I find no solace. Maybe I haven’t looked hard enough. Now I firmly believe, if there is a God, he has forsaken me. Can

I be so evil? Other than that there just cannot be a God, so faith has little meaning. This time I intend

to take my life, by a means that cannot fail, as did my previous attempts. Please, my darling wife, do

not hold it too badly against me. Believe me, under the circumstances it is the best and the wisest decision I have made in my life. Now you will truly be free, as will the world, of me. Don’t place any blame on anyone other than myself. This is truly my final solution. If there truly be a God, may he find it in his heart to forgive me, as I hope you will, for all the misery and suffering I have caused you, and maybe someday we will meet again, in the hereafter, and have a happier existence than here

on earth. Please try to find my animals a good and kind home. Don’t bother about me. 36

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

Two days later, he wrote in his diary the following: Surely a miracle has happened, for I, Rex the doubter, who was contemplating taking my own life, knelt in prayer with two men of God and gave my life instead to God. As we prayed, these men placed their hands upon me. I felt the flow of oneness with them that in my entire life I have never felt before. I do believe that from that moment I was born again at the age of fifty. I drove home to the emptiness that I dreaded of my house and yet now there was a difference. I had the feeling of not being alone. I felt jubilant for the first time in my life, and as I write this, the Lord is with me. That night, he held me in his arms. At last I found the

truth I had been searching for. Now I am at peace. The way now is not going to be easy, but I am born again, praise God. Also for these friends.

57,

We

ss

“Children shall rise up against their parents...a man’s foes shall be they of his own household” (Matthew 1021736) he son said to his father, “I need to borrow your PA

system for our group’s practice.” The father was also a singer and needed the PA system after several months. The father asked the son to give the system back, for he needed it himself. The son said, “I don’t have it any more.

Somebody stole it out of our Baptist church.” The father asked, “Did they have insurance?” and the son said, “No, they did not,” so the father had to buy another system, which he could not afford. Then the

singing group bought their own, but after a while the group folded, and their PA system was donated to another

church. The father up until today has never had an apology. So much for honouring the father. The father, being a minister and counsellor, worked on and prayed over his daughter. She had plans to marry her high-school friend and lover, but the son (her brother) and

his wife intervened. The son’s wife had a brother from 38

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

Vancouver, and as plans were being made for a wedding, the son and his wife had different plans. They wanted to bring his sister and the wife’s brother from Vancouver together, so behind the father’s back they bought a ticket for two to go to Vancouver. The ticket was made out for Mr. and Mrs. So and So to go together to Vancouver, so

they could sleep together on the way and get acquainted with each other. The father was against the deal. They denied that they bought the tickets, but the father found out and was angry, especially because the son and wife were supposed to be Christians, and he calls himself a Christian and has a ministry. They interfered so much in the daughter’s life, it left her confused. At one point, the son signed an affidavit to have her children taken away and put them in the hands of the Vancouver brother. Now, after three children and two husbands, she is finally getting her life together.

39

“Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number” (Jeremiah 2:32).

. are many things in religion I don’t understand, and I often ask, have people forgotten about Jesus? When the war was over, we were liberated and we were

free. We had peace. I found there is no peace without the price of peace. When a communist meets another communist, they shake hands—they have the same goals; they are comrades.

When

a Christian

meet

another

Christian,

sometimes they don’t even shake hands but get their Bibles out and start arguing. Just after the war, as young man, I passed by a church that was blown up. While a lot of people put the old Dutch flag upon their houses, as I came by the ruins of the broken-down church, there I saw the old preacher hang

the flag between the stones. He said, “They can take and destroy this old building, but we have a house not built with hands. There is still victory in Jesus—he is still the prince of peace.” As I walked farther down the street, 40

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

there was a great commotion:

a man and woman

were

dragging some young girls down the street. There was a whole list and records kept of girls who had flirted with the German soldiers. They dragged them, some by the hair, placed them on the steps of the old town hall, then shaved their hair off and painted swastikas on their heads. Some were slapped in the face with the brush. They were cruel. I could not understand that most of them were the elders and so-called role models in our very Calvinistic town. Does not God say in his Word, “Vengeance is mine; I

will repay” (Romans 12:19)?

4]

of people called me and asked if they could he use some of my trucks. They said it was very important, to go and look for a lost man. He was the organist of a local church. They had found his car, with his jacket torn up and his glasses twisted on the car seat. He was important; after all, he married the daughter of the minister.

They had gone for counsel to a fortune teller from Utrecht, Holland, Mr. La Croix. He had told them, for a

certain amount of money, where the body could be. They were looking for a place where two waters meet, and many thought it was around Kingston. I had to disappoint them, because I said my materials, yes, even the trucks, were blessed and not to be used on the advice of a

soothsayer. I lost a lot of friends. I always asked my gas station operator, who belonged to that church, if they had ever found him. After a year of harassment from some church people, I was called into the office of one of my harassers, and I was told they had found the lost organist. He was in another province, going by the name of Harvey Slater. It was made known that he had run off with a large sum of money from 42

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

the eastern classis, and the police had brought him back home again. But they said he was still a covenant child. I still don’t know the meaning of it yet.

43

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\ s a young immigrant, one day I landed in Hamilton. y English was poor, and I was delighted to hear about a little restaurant with a Dutch owner, and he was

eager to speak with another Dutchman. After I told him I was looking for work, he came up with a wonderful idea: he told me I could buy his restaurant. I told him I did not have any restaurant experience; he said he would teach me the ropes. I said I would like to do the cash for a few days, to see

how much was coming in. As I was getting to know some people, a man came in who wanted to talk with the prospective buyer, but as soon as that man came in, the owner came running out of the kitchen and scolded that man, so he left. I asked the owner why he was so upset with that man wanting to talk with me. He told me that man was just nosey to see who would buy the place. This happened several times. One day he came in again and asked if the owner was in. I told him I was the new owner. He said, “That is too bad.” He had tried to see me several

times, to warn me not to buy the restaurant. He told me he was areal estate salesman. They had tried to sell the place 44

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

for years, but now they were trying to sell the place block by block. He had overheard that there was a buyer for the small building who wanted to open alittle store, so the new buyer of the restaurant would lose everything except some old grills and pots and pans. I never expected this super-religious man to play a trick on me, a young immigrant with limited knowledge of English. There was no lease, although he said there was. I was in a hopeless position. I went to see a lawyer, who told me that the only way out was to leave everything, lock the doors, leave the country, and stay away for at least six months. I would lose everything I had spent, but at least it would not cost me any more than it had. The way the owner spoke about his Dutch-oriented faith, I believed everything. My name was smeared all over the Dutch community. Now I am glad I don’t have this man’s faith, but I can truly say I am saved, and like Job from the Bible, I can say, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15).

Tom Visser

Soon after I bought the restaurant, I got married. One time when I was on the phone with the former owner, they obviously thought they had hung up, but I could still hear them talking with each other, saying hurtful things about us, such as, “They are only young and will get out of debt someday” and “His new wife is a fat thing, isn’t she?” I was really hurt, but we had to move out and leave everything, before it would cost us more. We had bought all

new furniture for our apartment above the restaurant and lost that also. The owner never wanted to talk about the lease rental; he said that was all arranged, but I found out

it was not. I had so many questions about the operation of the business. I was young and had no experience in business. I asked him why he did not buy lard from Burns Meat but instead bought it from a church friend. The fivegallon container was always loaded with ants, and he showed me how to scoop them off and put them in the hot frying pan. He said they would die in a minute and to take them out of the oil with a fine scoop. The customer will never know, he said. I wondered why there were so many

tiny worms in the fish. After cutting the fish the right size, he would with a small knife pick out the worms. As naive as I was, I believed him when he said the worms were only there at a certain time of the year. When he found out I had left the business, he went all

out to announce how crooked I was. His pastor even went to my dad in Holland to make me look bad, which was an

easy task since I had gone to Canada against my parents’ wishes. They were looking for a fault in me, so this gave them an excuse to be upset with me. Now years later with all the experiences I have had with those kind of religious people, I understand why 46

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

Jesus called that kind whitewashed sepulchres (Matthew 23:27), nice on the outside, especially with their blackstriped deacon suits, but inwardly like dead bones.

ja

47

le:

“Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake” (Matthew 5:11).

hen a group of people are extremely offended, they come up with hateful rumours. I had opened a can of worms in their church about secret ungodly teachings of the Luciferian doctrines, so they accused me falsely. My wife and I tried to rectify it, but even our own children did not want to face the false accusers, because we are friends

and belong to the same church. As a result, my wife was so disturbed about the false accusations, she suffered two

strokes and died. I told them they can pick friends but they can’t pick their father. I made many enemies in that town. My house was gone. I had a storage space rented and lived in a small trailer without heat, so I often had to wait until the night watchman was finished checking all the doors; then I would sneak into the warehouse, for which I had the key because I had stored my furniture there. In case I got caught, I had an excuse, to check on my furniture. Many 48

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

times I cried from between mattresses, “God, why don’t

you talk to my children, the pastor, and the false accusing deacon? Yes, the Word says we are blessed when falsely persecuted, but to be honest, Lord, I can do without these

blessings. My wife has landed in the hospital, unconscious for weeks.” I prayed and prayed some more. After opening the can of worms in the local Baptist church and losing almost everything, including my wife and our two oldest children, I had a visitor from the

head office of papers with, papers. Some wrongdoings.

the organization I have my ministerial wanting to withdraw my ministerial religious people had reported three Number one: I was accused of taking

$40,000 from a restaurant owner.

Number

two: I was

accused of stealing thousands of dollars from a farmer. Number three: I was accused of borrowing $400 from a local man. Number one: A friend of mine who was as close to me as a father was scammed out of $40,000. Since there was no proof to take it to court, I beat up the man who scammed

my friend. I was arrested for assault, and then I had a reason to go to court. Then I could explain and get the man in court, where he was sentenced to stay away from my friend and scam no more out of him. The judge looked at me and said, “Now that takes a real man and a good Christian to lay his reputation on the line.” I was praised for my actions and had stopped the man. Number two: I was accused of taking much money from a certain farmer. I picked up the phone and called the farmer. While the investigator from head office listened in on an extension, I said to the farmer, “This is Brother Tom.

Now how much money do I owe you?” 49

Tom Visser

He laughed and said, “Brother Tom, you have given me so much, I can never pay back what'I owe you.” Number three: The investigator and I went to town for a coffee. I did not know

the whereabouts

of Malcolm,

whom I was accused of owing $400. As we sat at the booth having coffee, there came Malcolm walking in. I said to him, “I haven’t seen you for a couple of years. This is Reverend So and So. We are just talking over some finances.” Malcolm said, “I am sorry, sir. One day I was in need of $300. Brother Tom took me to the bank and gave me the money. Soon after, I left town. I hope to pay him back as soon as I can.” I said, “I don’t want you to pay me back, just promise never to tell people that Brother Tom owes you money—it is the other way around.” The man who was there to take away my license to preach said that he felt very foolish. Some people had just turned things around, false accusations in the gates of the Lord.

50

“Repent, and be baptized” (Acts 2:38).

had the privilege of baptizing many people the real biblical way, including several former Satan worshippers. One time, after I had baptized somebody, a large dead fish kept coming up. I had pushed it away several times, but it kept on floating in, until I called one of the deacons to get the dead fish, and he buried it in the sand. I told the crowd

that this was a good example of baptism: we bury the old life in baptism, as the Bible tells us. Baptism is an outward expression of an inward conscience toward God (1 Peter 3:21). If you don’t bury that old life, it will come back like that dead fish. It will hinder you and also stink. You may go through some traditional motions, but unless you bury it, it will come back. My deacon did not just sprinkle the fish; he buried it.

Somebody told me a story about a Calvinistic farmer who had a Pentecostal farmhand working for him. One day one of the horses died. The farmer told the farmhand to take the tractor and go and bury the dead horse in the back of the bush. One hour later the farmhand was back 5ST

Tom Visser

and put away his tools. The farmer asked, “Are you done already? My, how can you do that job so fast? Are you sure you buried that horse? I can smell it from here.” The farmhand said, “Yes, I did it the Calvinistic way: I

sprinkled it.”

52

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ater we moved to Bircan College. We gave free room and board to more than seventy boys and girls taken off the streets. As a result, I had to work almost day and night to make ends meet. Sometimes I had to go and solicit food. One time, I went to a large chicken place. I asked for the owner, found him in his office, offered him my hand, and said, “Congratulations, sir!” He said, “For what?”

I said, “You are the lucky donor of 100 chickens. We need the eggs for our ministry.” He laughed and laughed some more. He gave his men orders to crate and load 150 chickens. Praise the Lord, we

ate eggs every day and chicken soup for months. One day I asked the headmaster if I could use his Cadillac for only an hour. I said, “Come on, boys, we’re on

a special mission for the ministry.” We headed for a large pig farm. We looked for the owner, who asked, “What do you all want here?”

“We're on a mission,” I said to the farmer as I pointed to a nice fat pig, “His name is Pete.” He said, “We don’t name our pigs.” 53

Tom Visser

I said to the farmer, “You don’t understand. We need

meat in the college; we’ve claimed him and called him Peter He said, “I'll let you have that little one there.”

I said, “A little one? In our ministry we claim big—we have a big God.” Finally the farmer said, “Okay, if you can get him in your car.” It was a big job, but we got him in the trunk of the headmaster’s Cadillac. He squealed, but we got him. The headmaster was not so happy: every time he needed something from the trunk, he had to step back a few yards. Oh, did Pete stink. But he was food.

After the pig deal we went to a lady farmer who raised sheep for show. I asked her very humbly if we could have one for our school. She raised her voice and said, “They

are my prize show stock.” I said, “Madam, our God always demands the best.”

She finally agreed. I tried to comfort her by telling her that we had a good butcher and she wouldn’t get hurt. One day we ventured out to Montreal to a sweater factory. They made good stuff, and it would really sell in our thrift store. I said, “Boys, stay here.” I went alone to the

boss’s office. He had a star of David hanging on the wall and a mezuzah on the door. I ceremonially touched the mezuzah and stepped into his office. I stuck my hand out and said, “Shalom aleichem.” I told him my reason for coming and that it was for a good cause. He gave us several boxes of the best sweaters he made. I said, “Mazel tov,”

and we left. Straight for our thrift store—what a blessing!

54

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being away from home for several years, I went ome to visit my mom and dad. My dad saw me coming up the stairs. He shook his head, and my mother asked, “Who is there?”

Dad said, “You won’t believe it. This is our lost son.”

After I told him I was born again, he told me to get lost again. Dad grabbed his bicycle and rode away. Mom asked, “Where did Dad go to?” I said, “Maybe he went to the market like every other Friday.” So I was alone with my mom. Out of the blue, she asked me, “Wa hedde gij da ik nie he?” She said it in the old Brabands dialect. “What do you have that I don’t have? You are so different than my other children. Oh, that face, that voice, I can’t let it go.”

Some years later, my younger brother wrote a book in which he mentioned that my mother with tears in her eyes would talk about me and say, “Oh, that face, that

voice, I can’t let go of him.” As I write this today, I am already older than she was when we met again that special day. I never realized my mom loved me that much. I am seventy-five now, and one of these days, we will see

55

Tom Visser

each other face to face and we will sing again. Even now we can sing: Face to face with Christ, my Saviour, (C. E. Breck, G. C. Tular)

Mother asked me what I had thatthe other children did not have. “God,” I said. “Mom, I have Jesus in my

heart.” She said, “I want that too.” I put my arms around her, and we prayed. She asked Jesus to come in. She told me a story she had never told anyone before. She said, “As a little girl, l overstayed playing at my friend’s house. I went

outside and could not find the way home any more. I said, ‘God, show me the way home,’ and there was a cloud and

a little voice saying ‘Follow the cloud.’ After I walked in the dark night, the little cloud stopped above our door.” That evening, alone with Mom, I told her the way home. I said, “In my Father's house are many mansions...I go to prepare a place for you...I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3). A few years later I got news my mom was very ill. I went to Holland to see her. I was told by my dad not to go and see her, that she didn’t know anything any more. But she remembered me and my wife. I went to the car and got my accordion out. I said, “Mom, how are things with you spiritually?” She said, “Can I tell you with the words you read for me?” Isaid, “Yes, Mom.” | She said, “Let not your heart be troubled; neither let it

be afraid. In my Father’s house are many mansions. I am going to prepare a place for you, and I am coming back for 56

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

you.” She said, “Toke, I want to see you there also. She sang together with me her favourite song, “Daar zijn geen grenzen aan Jesus macht” (“It Is No Secret What God Can Do”). Her voice grew weaker, almost to a whisper, so I put down the accordion. Some day we will sing the rest of that song. Some of my family are upset because I led her to the Lord and she was baptized. My spiritual life has upset many people, but the number doesn’t come close to the many who have rejoiced in heaven because of my spirituality and my love for Jesus and the hunger for souls.

s/f

md F