Hi pastor John,
I would like to tell about the sweet correction that the Lord gave me this week end through you. “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous.” It really hurt my heart and caused me some pain and brought me low in my spirit, and all day long Saturday I kept saying in my heart “Why did I say that? Why did I do that” I knew what came to me was from the spirit. It was the same feeling and spirit that gave me the fellowship dream just a few weeks before. But in your living room, what you were under, and what we were all feeling was nothing but pure, sweet fellowship in his spirit and there was no place for the flesh at all.
Then Sunday morning when you came and picked me from Rob’s and Donnas’ and I went with you to get some breakfast for everyone one at your house, as we talked the spirit started the healing process. When we got back to your house and you and Barbara and I were sitting in the living room talking about what had happened and why I had said what I did Saturday morning. (Right in the middle of what the spirit was doing, I had said, “John, I was thinking . . .”, and you interrupted me and said, “I am sorry!”) I asked you and Barbara, “Why did I do that?” And you said it was just pride.
“Wow” then I understood what happened to me. I knew it was the spirit that gave me something to say, but the pride that was in me put the “I was thinking” in there, like it was my thought; “Look at me! I am so great”, taking credit for something that did not come from me. All I had to do was just say what the spirit had to say and not add or take anything away from it.
John, I am so thankful that God did that for me, for us. I was used and corrected, and now I can say, as the Bible does, “nevertheless, afterward, it [chastisement] yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”
Thank you John for caring for my soul and loving me with the love of God.
Your chastened sheep
Stuart
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Oh Stuart, thank you so much for that.
Actually, it wasn’t I but the Lord that said, ‘I am so sorry”, when you said “John, I was thinking . . ” I knew you had been hurt by being cut off like that, and knowing that, hurt me. I prayed for you on and off the rest of the day and that night. Even while we were all still together Saturday morning, I was praying for you. I told somebody later in the day Saturday that I was sure that whatever you had to say was good and right, but the spirit just would not allow you to say it after you started to make it out to be your own thought. It made me so happy early Sunday morning when you were willing to ride with me to pick up the breakfast for the folks here.
Stuart, when we are proud, we are ashamed of the word of the Lord, and so, we make it out to be just something that we have thought or something that we feel. But Peter said, “If any man speak, let it be as of the oracles of God.” In other words, just say it, without prefixing it with anything that would detract from God’s glory.
Anyway, dear, dear brother Stuart, thank the Lord he got us through it – together.
your servant
John
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Hey,
I think this is so good! I am very thankful for this too. I talked with Brother Stuart after the meeting yesterday and asked him how he was doing. He told me what you said. It is very good. God just didn’t want anybody taking any credit for what HE was saying or doing. When we say, “I was thinking…or I just had a thought”…or any of those little phrases, we are taking credit for what God is doing. I have done this before instead of just saying what God wanted me to say, and it is so much better to just say it!
Anyway, I just wanted to say to Brother Stuart thank you…I learned something from this too. And it is good. 😎
Amy