John,
I wrote all this down from your sermon this past Wednesday night because it was so thrilling. . . and I was about to post in as a FaceBook “Note”, but wanted your approval. Is it too much for the mixed FB audience? Or if you prefer to send it out to our group exclusively, that’s okay too.
Just wanted your opinion.
Brad
[There has been some news, recently, about many individuals in Afghanistan and/or Pakistan receiving the baptism of the holy Spirit (with the evidence of speaking in tongues) and have joined themselves with the institution of Christianity at the encouragement of a certain Christian missionary. There’s a tragic error here: GOD has baptized them—with His Spirit—and then a MAN has told them they belong to Christianity, when actually they belong to Jesus! Consequently, these new born-again souls are indoctrinated into the common ceremonies and rituals and misinterpretations of the Bible that burden so many in the religion of Christianity. But you can’t add to what Jesus has done. Jesus is enough. (God help them!)]
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John Clark points out this error in this excerpt from Wednesday’s meeting:
“If they have received the holy Ghost, they have hungerd and thirsted for righteousness. I have a right to talk to them. . . because what I talk about is what they hungered and thirsted for. It doesn’t matter who claims to have a right to talk to them. Every child of God who was baptized with the holy Spirit, in Afghanistan [or wherever]. . . to get the holy Ghost they had to hunger and thirst for what we have. They might not know it. They might not understand what we have, but I know this is what they’re after. They can get sidetracked by Christian foolishness, but that’s not what they’re after; that’s not what got them the holy Ghost. What got them the holy Ghost was hungering and thirsting for the truth—the righteousness of God—which is without ceremony, without ‘form’, without false doctrine. God help us get it to them!
‘The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the holy Ghost [Romans 14:17].’ It’s IN the holy Ghost [Not in Christianity]. That’s why, when people hunger and thirst for the kingdom of God—and His righteousness—they get the holy Ghost! That’s why they get it–’cause that’s where it is! And God’s giving it to them!
God: “You want My kingdom? Speak in tongues! You want my righteousness? Here it is: speak in tongues!”
If they’d been hungering and thirsting for rigtheousness and God had given them a bowl of turnip greens I would’ve said, “That’s where it is!” But He didn’t give them a bowl of turnip greens! He didn’t give them a water baptism! He didn’t give them a ‘church membership’. He gave them the holy Ghost [with the evidence of speaking in tongues].
Glory to God!
‘Cause that’s where the rigtheousness is!
And the angels rejoice…. And Jesus rejoices…. And we rejoice!”April 18th, 2012
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If you have the faith, then shout it from the rooftops, Brad.
jdc