Send us comments on Twitter!
Watch What We Do!
  • Yesterday’s Message

    Hi, Pastor John.

    During your message yesterday, I felt the Spirit saying, “I told them what to do,” as you gave examples of God getting Israel through tough times during their journey to Canaan’s land.

    God told them to mark their door so they would be “passed over” from the killing of the first born; God told Moses to hit the rock; God told the Israelites to save up manna, sent six days a week, for the one day that He was not going to send it.

    God, through his Son’s spirit in us, gives us instructions and, if we follow them, the blessing and the testimony is on the other side!  Thank you, Jesus!

    I pray that He continues to remove all obstructions from my hearing clearly His instructions and gives me the faith to follow them

    instructions and gives me the faith to follow them

    ~Allison

    Tell us what your think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1904589792991453551

  • Thoughts After Reading This Morning

    Hey Pastor John,

    I believe it’s an insult to the Father for men to disregard the holy Ghost baptism, the One baptism that required his Son’s precious life for us to have.  To call a baptism in water the One baptism that Paul said we need in order to be saved is so offensive to our precious Savior!   If a water baptism is the thing we needed, then Jesus never even had to come here and suffer the terrible torment and pain that he went through.  Men could have performed all those fleshly ceremonies without Jesus ever coming here to live and take on our sins.  It’s offensive and disgusting, and I can understand why God hates it! 

    Lee Ann

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1904587944280678875

  • As Much As You Will Ever Have

    Hi Pastor John,

    I was reading the Random Thought this morning: https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_thoughts.html?tname=rdt03-0As

    As Much As You Will Ever Have

    From a sermon by Preacher Clark in 1969

    You either belong to God or you do not.  If you do, then you belong to God as much as Paul did, or Peter, or even Jesus.  The Lord Jesus suffered and died to become “the firstborn among many brethren”, and in him, we become heirs of God together with him.

    Preacher Clark said, “You have as much of God inside of you now as you are ever going to have.”  Think about that.  God dwells within us by His Spirit, and you either have Him there or you don’t.  Nobody has only a fraction of God within them.  If you have God’s Spirit within you, then even after you are raised from the dead, what you have within you right now is what you will have within you then.  Jesus told his disciples that when the Spirit came, both he and the Father would make their abode within them.  Preacher Clark’s point that day long ago was that God comes to us completely or not at all.  We either have Him or we don’t.  And if it is God who dwells within us, then it is enough.

    This was so good to get still and really think about this. When God comes into us, He comes to us completely, and if He dwells in us, then it is enough.  Just thinking about the Spirit of God dwelling inside of us is exciting, but then I started thinking what that means.  That means we have everything!  We are lacking NOTHING!  We have a friend when we’re lonely, a great physician when we are sick and feeble, a lifter of our heads when we are sad and need encouragement, and a protector when we’re in trouble.  He is our hope, our happy, our joy, the love of our life!  We are heirs to our King with hope of eternal life with Him…forever!  We are His!

    What a way to start the day!

    Michelle

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1904586565436711340

     

                                                                                                 

  • Promise

    Good morning,

    I looked up the word promise in the scriptures this morning. It touched me to read them, so I thought I would pass them on.  At some point while reading them, it flowed almost like a book itself. 

    Neh. 5:13 I shook out my lap and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and his property who does not keep this promise. For thus shall he be shaken out and emptied.” And the whole assembly said, “Amen”, and they praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise.

    Psa. 77:8 Has His mercy forever ceased?  Is the promise to all generations no more?

    Zec. 11:7 So I fed the flock that was headed for slaughter, the oppressed of the flock. And I took for myself two staffs; one I called ‘Pleasantness’, and one I called ‘Promise’. Then I fed the flock.

    Luk. 24:49 and, behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. As for you, you stay in the city of Jerusalem until you be clothed with power from on high!”

    Act. 1:4 And being assembled together with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem but to await the promise of the Father, “which”, he said, “you have heard about from me.

    Act. 2:33 Moreover, being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the holy Spirit, he has shed forth this which you now see and hear.

    Act. 2:39 The promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

    Act. 13:23 Of the seed of this man, God, according to His promise, has brought salvation to Israel,

    Act. 13:32 And we are bringing you the good news concerning the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled the same for us, their children, by resurrecting Jesus,

    Act. 26:6 And now I stand here, on trial because of the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers,

    Rom. 4:13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not made to Abraham or to his seed through a law, but through the righteousness of faith.

    Rom. 4:14 For if they are heirs because of a law, then faith is rendered worthless and the promise is of no effect.

    Rom. 4:16 Therefore, it is by faith, that it might be of grace, so that the promise might be secured to all the seed, not to that which is under the law only, but also to that which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all

    Rom. 4:20 He did not waver in unbelief at the promise of God; on the contrary, strengthened by faith, he gave glory to God,

    Rom. 9:8 That is to say, the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.

    Rom. 9:9 For this is the word of promise: “At the appointed time, I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.”

    Gal. 3:14 so that in Christ Jesus, the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, namely, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

    Gal. 3:17 And this I say: a covenant concerning Christ having already been ratified by God, the law, coming four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate, so as to negate the promise.

    Gal. 3:18 If the inheritance is by law, it is no longer by promise; but God, by a promise, freely gave it to Abraham.

    Gal. 3:19 Why, then, the law? It was added because of transgressions, until “the seed” to whom the promise was made should come, it being ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator.

    Gal. 3:22 But Scripture imprisoned everything under sin so that the promise, by faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

    Gal. 3:29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs because of the promise.

    Gal. 4:23 However, the one by the servant-girl was begotten after the flesh, while the one by the free woman was begotten through promise,

    Gal. 4:28 Now we, brothers, are children of promise, as was Isaac.

    Eph. 1:13 in whom also, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation in which you also believed, you were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise,

    Eph. 2:12 you were at that time without Christ, being aliens to the state of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.

    Eph. 3:6 the Gentiles are to be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers with the Jews of His promise in Christ, through the gospel,

    Eph. 6:2 “Honor your father and mother [which is the first commandment with a promise]

    1Ti. 4:8 for bodily exercise is beneficial for a few things, but godliness is beneficial for everything, holding promise for this present life as well as for the life to come.

    2Ti. 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, in accord with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.

    Heb. 4:1 Therefore, while the promise of entering into His rest still stands, let us fear, lest any of you be deemed to have come short of it.

    Heb. 6:13 For when God made promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater by whom to swear, He swore by Himself,

    Heb. 6:15 And thus, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

    Heb. 6:17 In the same way, God, willing to demonstrate even more clearly to the heirs of the promise the permanence of His decision, confirmed it with an oath,

    Heb. 9:15 And for this purpose, he is mediator of a new covenant, in order that, a death being accomplished for the redemption of transgressions that were under the first covenant, those who have been called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance,

    Heb. 10:23 let us hold fast the confession of the hope without wavering, for He who made the promise is faithful,

    Heb. 10:36 You have need of patience, that after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise.

    Heb. 11:9 By faith, he lived in the land of promise as a stranger in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, joint-heirs of the same promise,

    Heb. 11:11 By faith also, Sarah herself, though past the age, received strength to conceive seed and gave birth, for she considered Him faithful who made the promise.

    Heb. 11:39 And these all, given a good testimony because of their faith, did not receive the promise,

    2Pe. 3:4 and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they have from the beginning of creation.”

    2Pe. 3:9 The Lord of the promise is not slow, as some think of slowness, but waits patiently for us, not wanting any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.

    2Pe. 3:13 But we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

    1Jo. 2:25 And this is the promise that he himself promised us: eternal life.

    Beth D.

    =========

    Thank you, Beth.  I was blessed in reading these wonderful verses.  As the words of an old hymn go, “Oh, how precious is the promise that with gladness fills my soul!  Soon, I’ll be at home with Jesus while eternal ages rol.”

    Pastor John

    Comments welcome:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1902358848070984149

     

  • Iron Kingdom book Deletions

    Pastor John,

    The sections you deleted from the Iron Kingdom book, but sent out for us to read are gems!  I hope you’ll use them somewhere, even if it’s not in the IK book.  Several things stood out and touched me when I read them:

    1)  “God’s Spirit is the law of His kingdom, and to quench the Spirit in order to perform ceremonies is lawlessness”.  

    That is so true!  I love that the Spirit is the law which governs what we do and say and feel!  To shut that down in order to perform some ceremony or ritual absolutely goes against that law!  It really is lawlessness!  I even looked up the definition for lawlessness and this is what I read: “a state of disorder due to a disregard of the law.”  Ceremonies disregard the Law that is already operating inside of us!  

    You gave us a real-life example of that yesterday morning by the fire when the Spirit was falling so strong and you told us something like, “Now, what if I were to interrupt what we are feeling to pass out a little wafer and some grape juice?”  Can you imagine?!  It also reminds me of Jim G’s testimony about the pastor at the church where he used to go.  The Spirit was falling and he quickly shut it down by standing up and telling his congregation to open their hymnbooks to a certain page because it was time to sing another song.  That was lawlessness, and it was the final straw for Jim G.  He never went back to that church.  In fact, he came out of that whole abomination called Christianity!  Amen!  We all did!

    2)  “Though false prophets and teachers are skilled at appearing righteous, God has never allowed a single faithful child of His to be blinded by them. Jesus assured us that it is impossible for deceivers to lure God’s faithful children from the truth (Mt. 24:24).  Only unfaithful believers are taken in by those who falsely claim to be ministers of Christ while burying the truth beneath mounds of false teachings.”  

    I am so glad Jesus has touched our hearts to believe the truth!  We have seen examples of unfaithful believers who turned away from the truth and were taken in by those false teachers, but it’s comforting to know that if we remain faithful, Jesus will never let us be deceived!  

    3). This whole paragraph:  “About half a century before Christ, the Roman senator Cicero spoke of an invisible law which transcends all things human, an inescapable law established by God which governs the conscience even of those who are ignorant of its existence. He described this law as ‘an eternal and unchangeable law, valid for all nations and all times, [with] one ruler and master, that is, God, over us all, for He is the author of this law, its promulgator, and its enforcing judge.’  Such a law, which Cicero sensed but did not possess, does exist, and it was revealed to the apostle Paul by the God whose law it is.  That eternal, inescapable law is “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:2a), and it is every bit as all-encompassing as Cicero imagined, though of the God who gives it, Cicero knew nothing.”

    It amazed me that Cicero could sense such a law that is established by God and governs the conscience and transcends all things human, etc., but not be more interested in the Author of that law.  And then a man like Paul comes along who more than “sensed” that law.  He understood it, and loved it, and clung to it like a dog to a bone!  My very favorite line was the last line you wrote about that:  “The law of God’s Spirit is actually greater than Cicero imagined, and it frustrated Paul to no end that he could not convince his converts of its glory.”  The spirit inside me leapt when I read that sentence and I prayed, “Let me be thoroughly convinced of the glory of your law, Jesus!”  

    4)  “The apostles were fully persuaded that ‘God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.’

    (1Cor, 10:13).  Paul famously told the saints in Rome, ‘We know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are the called according to His purpose’ (Rom. 8:28).  In hearts that share in the faith of Paul, that whatever happens is designed by God to work for His children’s good, bitterness can find no place.  And when such souls are persecuted, they respond as Paul did, with their testimonies, by which they overcome the world (cf. Rev. 12:11).”

    I hadn’t thought about us responding to persecution with our testimonies, but that’s really how it goes.  Our testimonies are so valuable, maybe the most valuable tool in our arsenal.  I have this mental image of us “fighting” our way through this world with our testimony swords!  They don’t look like real swords, but they are so much more powerful!

    Well, I’m glad you let us read these deletions before you completely deleted them!  We are so rich that even the deletions are more food than most of God’s children will ever receive!  That’s humbling just to write that.  

    Lee Ann

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1901788086918336732

     

  • James 5:7-8: “Establish your hearts…”

    Pastor John,

    I was going through looking at different scriptures on patience and in James 5:8, it says to establish your hearts.

    [7] Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. [8] You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

    What is he meaning by “establishing”, and is it possible that is something we can do or is that waiting on God to do for us?

    Steve

    =========

    Hi Steve.

    To establish your heart means to be “no longer children, tossed by waves and blown about by every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14).  It requires patience and faith.  It is the work of God in a willing heart.

    A heart that is strengthened by God is stable, and it proves itself over time.  God’s children will learn that they can count on him whose heart is established.  A strengthened heart does not pursue worldliness, but has its eyes fixed on Jesus and the hope of eternal life.

    A heart that is established endures all things with the attitude of a servant.  It reacts to provocations with kindness and to blessings with humility.  It judges all things with the mind of Christ.  It is filled with the love of God and “never fails”.  An established heart loves righteousness and hates iniquity.  It rejoices in hope and speaks the truth in love.  An established heart waits.

    A heart is established by fire, by going through trials and learning to trust in God, who “resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  It neither flies too high or plunges into depths of despair; it confidently rides the waves until it reaches the shore, knowing that with Jesus in the boat, it cannot sink.  An established heart does not yield to the pressure of a multitude to do evil, but senses what is good and clings to it.

    You may know within yourself that Jesus has established your heart, but it always takes time for some others to be convinced.  To convince them is your job, but you cannot do that with words; consistent godly conduct alone will win their confidence.

    Pastor John

    Comments welcome:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1901783702696333433

     

     

  • Jesus’ life manifested

    Pastor John,

    I listened to this morning’s reading around the fireplace, and it was so good.  It’s amazing to see more clearly that the Iron Kingdom = Christianity.  This book is pulling back the curtain and exposing that filthy thing for what it is.  Reminds me of that scene in The Wiz of Oz when the curtain is pulled back and it’s discovered that the great and powerful Oz is just a little man pushing some buttons. 

    In contrast, Ben and I just read this from 2 Corinthians:
    “For we who live are constantly turned over to death because of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus might also be manifested in our mortal flesh.”

    I had to stop reading when I read that about the life of Jesus being “manifested” in our mortal flesh!  Firstly, that the life of Jesus is  inside of us!  But that word “manifested” jumped out at me!  The only way his life can be manifested is if the spirit is alive in us!  That’s my prayer!  Let your spirit be manifested in me, Lord!

    Lee Ann

    Let us know what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1901780882639167905

  • The Emperor Theodosius

    John,

    Good Afternoon.

    My understanding is that there were two emperors named Theodosius, and the second one was emperor just over the Eastern Empire.  Should the fact that he was number 1 been noted in the Iron Kingdom section we read this morning:

    The always confident Gibbon offered this arresting declaration: “The genius of Rome expired with [the Emperor] Theodosius. ”That such a great historian would make such a statement is surprising for several reasons, not the least of which is his own suggestion that the last spark of Roman culture was extinguished over a thousand years later, when Constantinople fell.  But his claim that Rome’s genius died with the Emperor Theodosius is manifestly false, for it was Theodosius who secured the success of the Synthesis, when Theodosius made Christianity the only religion allowed in the Empire.

    Wendell

    ==========

    Hi Wendell.

    I don’t think there is a need to make that note.  The first Theodosius is the only one that matters.  Whenever “Theodosius” is mentioned, historians know which one is being spoken of, and hardly anyone other than historians knows about the second one.

    Pastor John

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1900683455215845750

     

  • With healing in his wing

    Malachi 4:2:

    “But to you who fear my name will the Sun of righteousness rise with healing in his wings, and you will go out and gambol about like fattened calves.”

    I looked up gambol and it means to run or jump about playfully.

    The phrase, “With healing in his wings” kept coming to me tonight, so I looked it up.  I love the word gambol you used in your translation.

    Sarah H.

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1899835742714577252

  • Believe God!

    Pastor John,

    Tonight I listened to your message, “Believe God” again; (Believe God | John D. Clark, Sr.)  it is so good!  I started going through looking up scriptures with “believe in God”.

    There are wonderful things that come to those who believe in God and His Son:

    2 Chronicles 20:20 – believing in God will establish you; believe in his prophets and you will prosper

    John 1:2 –  believe in his name, and he will grant you the right to become children of God

    John 3:18 –  believe and you will not be condemned

    John 9:35 – believe and you can be healed

    John 14:1 – believe so that your heart will not be troubled

    John 20:31 – believing in the Son of God is life!

    Romans 10:9 – believe and you shall be saved 

    1 Thessalonians 4:14 – if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, God is gonna take us away with him!

    1 John 5:13 – if you believe you’ll have eternal life

    It felt so good to read these.  But there was also a soberness to the message:

    Deuteronomy 1:32 – Not believing in God and what He has done for you will kindle his anger

    Psalm 78:22 – not believing in God fills him with fury

    John 3:18 – not believing in God, you will be condemned 

    I know there is more, but it was good thinking on these things.  It put a sober prayer in my heart: “Lord, I believe.  Help my unbelief!”

    Michelle 

    Comments welcome: 

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1899833384190332952

     

     

     

Recent Posts