Kitty Palau, sister to Luis Palau, told a story in our church about Queen Elizabeth and her sister Margaret when they were little girls. They were princesses who had walked out into the meadow to gather flowers. They soon wandered away from the lady who was suppose to be watching over them. They finally stopped to look up but saw no one. Very near them, they saw a little cottage and went over to knock on the door. When the lady came to the door she said, “Are you somebody important?” Elizabeth and Margaret answered, “No, we are nobody but our father is the King.”
This story illustrates that all we have in Christ is not by our own merit but because of our Heavenly Father who loved us enough to send Jesus to die for us. Romans 3:24 states that God delights in lavishing His grace upon us. Because of His grace our sins are forgiven and even “blotted out,” which means expunged from the record (Colossians 2:14).
Our new life is not based on “rules for life” but on a new relationship with Jesus Christ. We exchange the old life for the new life…the fleshly for the spiritual…the natural for the supernatural…the human for the divine…weakness for strength…sorrow for joy…ashes for beauty…mourning and grief for praise…sins for salvation.
This new life is called “zoe,” in the Greek language, which means spiritual life instead of just physical life. We have a relationship with God and Christ like behavior which grows out of that love relationship. We exchange the fleshly life for the God kind of life which is the foundation for all real life (John 1:4). We do not start with behavior but we start with new life. We do not learn this behavior…we do not just change to conform… we do not grow into the new life by human effort…but we exchange the old life in the flesh for the new life in Christ! “…old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
[Editor's introduction of the Rev. Dr. Dan Beller:
Dr. Dan Beller: Biographical Sketch
Dan Beller is from the State of Oklahoma in the U.S.A. He accepted Christ as Savior at 10 years of age and later joined the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. He was called to preach the Gospel at the age of 18.
As a member of his denomination, he has served the church as an evangelist, Christian Education Director and Assistant Superintendent of the New Horizons Ministries Conference, pastored in Dallas, Texas, South Coffeyville, Oklahoma, Pryor, Oklahoma and Evangelistic Temple in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He served for over 20 years on the General Christian Education Board and four years on the General Executive Board of the I.P.H.C.
He earned the Doctor of Ministry Degree from Fuller Theological Seminary of Pasadena, California, in June, 1983. He also received the Master of Divinity Degree from the Graduate School of Theology at Oral Roberts University, the Bachelor of Arts Degree from Oklahoma Baptist University, and the Bachelor of Theology Degree from Southwestern Christian University in Oklahoma City.
When he and his family came to Tulsa in 1967, Evangelistic Temple had 335 members with an average attendance of about 400. Under his leadership, the membership grew to 2,700 with attendance reaching 1,000 to 1,200. Eventually there were six services on Sunday, including the Spanish Congregation and the Iranian Congregation. The church in Tulsa had a weekly television program for more than 15 years. He is now Pastor Emeritus of Evangelistic Temple where he served as Sr. Pastor for over 34 years.
Dr. Beller served with Dr. David Yonggi Cho as a Board Member of Church Growth International and was privileged to speak at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Korea, where Dr. Cho is Sr. Pastor. He now serves as Honorary Board Member. The church there now has over 750,000 members. In 1979, he spoke at the Twelfth Pentecostal World Conference in Vancouver, B.C., with 15,000 in attendance.
In 1953 he married the former Marie Gosnell whose father, Rev. Lamar Gosnell, was a successful pastor for 49 years. Her grandfather and great grandfather were also ministers. They have one daughter, Dana, who has a Jr. College Degree from TCC & attended ORU & is married to Luis Acevedo. Luis and Dana have two daughters – Jessica, who is a graduate of Southwestern Christian University & is married to Ryan Parker, and Natalie, who has an Associate of Arts Degree from SCU and a B. A. Degree from UCO in Edmond, OK. Natalie is married to Roman Owen. Jessica and Ryan have one daughter, Aubrey, and one son, Tristan. Natalie and Roman have a daughter named Olivia.
This story illustrates that all we have in Christ is not by our own merit but because of our Heavenly Father who loved us enough to send Jesus to die for us. Romans 3:24 states that God delights in lavishing His grace upon us. Because of His grace our sins are forgiven and even “blotted out,” which means expunged from the record (Colossians 2:14).
Our new life is not based on “rules for life” but on a new relationship with Jesus Christ. We exchange the old life for the new life…the fleshly for the spiritual…the natural for the supernatural…the human for the divine…weakness for strength…sorrow for joy…ashes for beauty…mourning and grief for praise…sins for salvation.
This new life is called “zoe,” in the Greek language, which means spiritual life instead of just physical life. We have a relationship with God and Christ like behavior which grows out of that love relationship. We exchange the fleshly life for the God kind of life which is the foundation for all real life (John 1:4). We do not start with behavior but we start with new life. We do not learn this behavior…we do not just change to conform… we do not grow into the new life by human effort…but we exchange the old life in the flesh for the new life in Christ! “…old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
[Editor's introduction of the Rev. Dr. Dan Beller:
Dr. Dan Beller: Biographical Sketch
Dan Beller is from the State of Oklahoma in the U.S.A. He accepted Christ as Savior at 10 years of age and later joined the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. He was called to preach the Gospel at the age of 18.
As a member of his denomination, he has served the church as an evangelist, Christian Education Director and Assistant Superintendent of the New Horizons Ministries Conference, pastored in Dallas, Texas, South Coffeyville, Oklahoma, Pryor, Oklahoma and Evangelistic Temple in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He served for over 20 years on the General Christian Education Board and four years on the General Executive Board of the I.P.H.C.
He earned the Doctor of Ministry Degree from Fuller Theological Seminary of Pasadena, California, in June, 1983. He also received the Master of Divinity Degree from the Graduate School of Theology at Oral Roberts University, the Bachelor of Arts Degree from Oklahoma Baptist University, and the Bachelor of Theology Degree from Southwestern Christian University in Oklahoma City.
When he and his family came to Tulsa in 1967, Evangelistic Temple had 335 members with an average attendance of about 400. Under his leadership, the membership grew to 2,700 with attendance reaching 1,000 to 1,200. Eventually there were six services on Sunday, including the Spanish Congregation and the Iranian Congregation. The church in Tulsa had a weekly television program for more than 15 years. He is now Pastor Emeritus of Evangelistic Temple where he served as Sr. Pastor for over 34 years.
Dr. Beller served with Dr. David Yonggi Cho as a Board Member of Church Growth International and was privileged to speak at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Korea, where Dr. Cho is Sr. Pastor. He now serves as Honorary Board Member. The church there now has over 750,000 members. In 1979, he spoke at the Twelfth Pentecostal World Conference in Vancouver, B.C., with 15,000 in attendance.
In 1953 he married the former Marie Gosnell whose father, Rev. Lamar Gosnell, was a successful pastor for 49 years. Her grandfather and great grandfather were also ministers. They have one daughter, Dana, who has a Jr. College Degree from TCC & attended ORU & is married to Luis Acevedo. Luis and Dana have two daughters – Jessica, who is a graduate of Southwestern Christian University & is married to Ryan Parker, and Natalie, who has an Associate of Arts Degree from SCU and a B. A. Degree from UCO in Edmond, OK. Natalie is married to Roman Owen. Jessica and Ryan have one daughter, Aubrey, and one son, Tristan. Natalie and Roman have a daughter named Olivia.