Looking for something specific? Try a search below!
Dear Pastor John,
I’m enjoying listening to your Hebrews teaching, (https://www.goingtojesus.com/gtj_translation.html?tname=hebrews) and you just said something in it that we were talking about one morning: Scripture doesn’t change. The words on the page have been the same for thousands of years, but our knowledge of what those words mean increases IF we, the reader, are growing in Christ. A whisper came to me saying, “The Scripture doesn’t change; you do.” 
~Allison
Hi Pastor John,
I wanted to reach out and share an experience I had with Jesus earlier this week.
Tuesday after my first PT session, Margo brought me home, and I started doing my homework aka stretches. While doing my stretches, our YouTube was playing a mix of music, US getting the Holy Ghost, sermons, so on and so forth. Soon after finishing my stretches lying down, I stayed lying there. One of Aunt Donna’s songs came on “It’s Just Like You”. And I just got real still and let her song take over. Jesus spoke to me and told me to slow down and rest. Just slow down and rest. I knew at that moment life had been fast-pace and constantly busy with something. I knew then and there my injury wasn’t just by accident. It was Jesus showing me that slowing down needs to happen more often. In order for me to connect with Him, I need to slow down and rest. Yes, life happens, and you can start moving faster than normal. But are you going to slow down and hear Me talking to you. That’s what I felt, and in that moment, I knew He meant it in all things as well. Not just a back injury.
Goodbye for now,
Alex
Hey there! Jesus and I had a sweet time this morning and I wanted to share.
When I got up this morning I wanted to get started on my weekend household things. Most of the time that’s just basic cleaning and getting things ready for the work week. Today I felt like I needed to go a little deeper. I thought well I haven’t pulled out the stove and fridge in a while so let’s do that too. While I was pulling out the stove I was thinking about someone who is no longer with us. I had visited their home and there was food stuck to the counters and they were very unprepared for our lunch date. I was telling Jesus while thinking on this that I want to have a kept up home. Within reason because we have kids. But I want to take pride in what Jesus has given us. For us to have a loving and peaceful home. Where when people come they feel Jesus. That my heart and home are always prepared and in order. I managed to get the stove pulled out and cleaned under. I went on to the refrigerator. When I pulled it out I realized one of the kids had spilled lemonade and it went under. It had obviously been there a while. It was pretty yucky and I had no idea. I then started hearing questions. “What would have happened if that would have sat for years?” I said, “It would get moldy and nasty. It could attract ants and be a much harder job.” The next thought came that is what happens in our hearts when we just let things go unchecked and not taken care of. From the outside by all appearances it looked clean but underneath it was a mess. No one even knew it was there but I felt so embarrassed this was even in my house to clean up. Then I had these images in my mind of Jesus pulling out all of the furniture of our hearts. Getting in every crevice, scrubbing, and cleaning. He doesn’t do surface cleans. He gets in those inner most chambers and does the dirty work. And when he is done, it’s our job to then maintain that. Don’t let it get back in that same condition. It made me pray for me to not just appear holy from the outside. For Jesus to keep digging deep and cleaning out. To respond to the Spirit when something needs taken care of.
I am so thankful for those little simple experiences while just going about the day. I really love when Jesus decides to stop by. It makes me think of when he walked with the disciples. How he used such simple every day examples on how to live. And it definitely made cleaning a little more enjoyable.
Love you!
Margo
Hi Pastor John,
The morning reading of Paul’s letters have been full of so many wonderful feelings and understanding from Jesus.
When Jesus gives us the Spirit, he is writing the law of liberty on our hearts. God is jealous over His children and He loves us too much to share our hearts with anything on this earth that is going to pass away.
Paul didn’t know what he was doing was going to be so meaningful for God’s family for centuries to come; he was wholeheartedly obeying God, trusting no man and especially not himself! He went through all the persecutions that Jesus said he would go through. He preserved, obeying God’s will to carry the gospel of Christ, even when he discerned that each congregation and some of his beloved brothers were slowly falling away to false doctrines and opinions. What disappointment he had to overcome and what hurt he felt for Jesus, but look at how much God blessed him through it all! What heavenly treasures Paul has to look forward to, and I want to see him enjoying them! If we have the law of liberty written on our heart, He always wanted us! If your heart was put here; believe 100% that God wanted you here with us and we have a purpose together, even when — like in Paul’s time — our purpose is not yet fully revealed.
Reading the Revelation book (https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_books.html?tname=revelation) has made me realize there is no fence. What clarity Jesus brings with that reality! There is a godly way to think, to live, and to work towards fellowship together in and through Christ. You’re overcoming the world, including your flesh and the powers on this earth that will be destroyed in the end, to live in the hope of eternal salvation. We will always be His, eternally, and God never wanted eternal damnation for us. There’s plenty of space for all of us on the new earth. No matter what God used on this earth to get us here and there — things that have earthly form, like Christianity, specific biological families, etc. — we can be thankful for whatever means He used because it all belongs to Him and lovingly brought us to Him. When overcoming the world, we are free to die daily in our hearts to all of its forms and laws (including the ones He used to get us to where we are today) so we can truly live wholeheartedly in God’s law of liberty for us.
I’m so thankful He chose us! It is the eternal blessing. Let us make God happy that He chose us!
Wendy
Good evening, John,
I have loved reading these letters from Paul in the mornings! In them, we are learning more about who we are! Who Jesus created us to be! Ephesians was packed with so much richness this morning, and there was not one wasted word in the whole letter! I could feel Paul exhorting us to move into a place with Jesus where we could experience the “breadth and length and depth and height” of His love. I told Ben yesterday that Jesus has blessings he wants to give us, but we have to at least make ourselves available to receive them! If we are running here and there, constantly consumed with the cares of this life, then we are going to miss out on something precious that Jesus has waiting for us, and I have told Jesus that I don’t want to leave anything He has for me on the table!
I loved Tom’s song from yesterday, “I Want My Lord to Be Satisfied With Me”. That last verse has been my prayer:
Lord give me strength, give me courage, make me bold,
that I may lead some lost sheep into the fold,
that I might stand unafraid and work for thee,
that you might be fully satisfied with me.
But Jesus has been teaching me through Paul’s writings that the boldness I am seeking is not something that He will sprinkle on me like fairy dust. I am learning that the key to having the kind of boldness that I desire is to simply fall in love with the Truth so much that the Truth becomes who I am. As Damien says, “It’s in the man.” So then, whatever I say or do is just right! The boldness is in there. It doesn’t have to be loud. It doesn’t even need a voice. It’s just who I am! Just be who Jesus has created me to be, and that’s all the boldness I will ever need! I believe it’s all part of growing in God. Growing into that new creature He created me to be. I love it. If we stay available, God will teach us and we will continue to grow! Thank you, Jesus!
Lee Ann
Hi Pastor John,
I loved this morning’s reading, so good! I didn’t want to leave!
Reading about Paul and getting to know the man has stirred something in me. It’s put a prayer in my heart for more of the love of God. When we get full of the love of God, we’ll speak right, act right, and treat people right, no matter what that looks like. It takes the worry out of life. Paul could correct Peter because of the love of God. Paul could withstand being in prison because of the love of God. Paul could go where the spirit led him because of the love of God! I love that! That is liberty!
Michelle H.
Hey Pastor John 🙂
I was going to say this in the meeting tonight, but didn’t get around to it! Today I was working on some things and just talking to Jesus. I heard Him tell me “You don’t eat unless you contribute.” When I heard this, the first thing I thought was, “Well, yeah, that’s right; we need to contribute.” When Uncle Billy was testifying tonight, I was able to learn more than just what he was testifying about. I had what the Lord had told me earlier in the back of my mind, and tonight, He really showed me what He meant. By Uncle Billy testifying, he was contributing to the body, and if God allowed us to, we were able to eat and apply it onto our hearts. But it doesn’t end there. Because Uncle Billy shared his testimony, when I go through a time of trouble, I can remember what he said and let it motivate me to have the attitude Uncle Billy did. When my trial passes, if I handle it right, I will have a testimony to share with others and contribute to the body of Christ. It is a wonderful never-ending cycle, if everyone does their part. It showed me that our testimonies are not only for us, but for everyone in the Body of Christ. We have to contribute and fulfill our part in the body of Christ; if we don’t, it just won’t work! Everything about tonight felt so good and just full of life! We don’t need to worry if we’ve got God!
Grace C.
P.S. Sorry if that was confusing with all the words, I was just trying to get what was in my head down 🙂
Pastor John,
Good Afternoon,
I was just reading thru Romans again and in comparison to other traits discussed in this verse “gossipers” here sounds too soft to me. It’s probably correct, but I am thinking more on the order of slander. Perhaps it’s because of how the word gossip is used today’s society.
1:29. being filled with all unrighteousness: fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, and full of envy, murder, strife, treachery, ungodliness. They became gossipers,
Just a thought,
Wendell
==========
Hi Wendell,
I understand how you are thinking about it. I looked up the word again, and here are the only two options for translation of that word that Mounce’s Greek dictionary gives us: “a whisperer, gossip”. So, given those choices, we went with “gossipers”. Also, this is the only verse in the New Testament where that particular word is used.
Thank you for the observation. We can go into more depth about it during our next translation session if you would like.
Pastor John
Reading in Acts today touched me.
https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_translation.html?tname=acts
I want to be like Stephen. His mind was fixed on Jesus no matter what was happening to him. I once saw a scene in a movie of a young woman being stoned, and it was horrific. I had to turn it off after just a few stones were thrown. I can’t imagine what it would truly be like. But Stephen — being pummeled with rocks and still keeping his eyes on Jesus — that touches my heart. He even prayed for the people throwing the stones! To be so full of God that all he could see was God.
It made me think of the dream I had recently where the whole point was to look past the storm and look for Jesus.
I want to be like Stephen.
And I really like what Wendy said. It stirred my heart to think that the Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection and did not want Jesus’ blood to be blamed on them, saw the signs that maybe they were wrong. Maybe this man was from God. It must have terrified them. But instead of humbling down and crying out, what did their hearts do? It really left me praying for a pure heart. Whew.
51.O you stiff-necked men, and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the holy Spirit! As your fathers did, you do also.
52.Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the righteous one, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers –
53.you who received the law by the disposition of angels, but have not kept it!”
¶54. And when they heard these things, they were cut to their hearts and began gnashing their teeth at him.
And I love what you said about Jesus standing up for Stephen.
Love,
Beth
Good morning.
Yesterday I was lying down with Jack and I noticed he had a little speck of dirt right in the corner of his eye. It would have hurt him if I tried to get it at that time so I left it alone but I also knew it would hurt him if it went into his eye. A little while later, he cried and I noticed that the speck had gone down to his cheek with his tears. It made me think about things we go through in life that bring sorrow and that make us cry, and that through that pain, Jesus washes out things about ourselves that shouldn’t be there and may otherwise hurt us if they stick around. There is a cleansing that can happen in painful life situations, and I think that’s the point.
Love you.
Anna
========
That is so true, Anna. I have seen it and I have experienced it. The book of Hebrews (5:8) even says that Jesus learned through the things he suffered.
Thank you for that.
Pastor John
