Pastor John,
There were so many good things tonight, but a couple of things just stayed with me.
(1) Tom was talking about reading the apostle Paul’s story last week. The story of apostle Paul being on a ship that was in distress, and of Paul telling the man in charge, “an angel told me that if you will stay on this distressed ship, you will be alright, because God has told me that I am going to Rome.” (and that ship was taking him, and subsequently…everyone else that stayed aboard!)
Tom pointed out that neither snake bite, not hurricane, nor any thing would keep Paul from Rome to address Caesar.
Tom then pointed out that the will of God was working the same way throughout his entire life. And that neither the sin of his youth, nor any religion, nor any other thing would have kept Tom from his appointed place here with this body of Christ because that was where God wanted him to be.
That was wonderful!
The Spirit then told me here at home, while streaming live through the computer, that the “Truth” is just like that ship that the apostle Paul was riding on to Rome. The truth – the Spirit of Truth that we have been given – is on its way home to the Father, where it came from. Nothing will stop that. And if we will stay in this truth, we shall go home with it!
Nothing will stop that! We must just stay aboard the ship. We don’t even have to steer. I love that!
(2) I believe it was after Leah’s sincere testimony about still being here with the saints, after so many of God’s people have left and went a different way. You then exclaimed, “God’s testimonies make these meetings worth having!”
That is so good pastor John! I love the absence of superstition, and the absence of the influence of Christianity in that statement. You were implying in that statement that the meetings of the saints that we have can be worthless if the Lord isn’t working among us in them! That is golden. A spiritless pastor could never say that something his congregation was doing could possibly be worthless because it would invite his congregation to examine everything among them, and everything among their work, as to whether the Lord was in it.
It would draw a line in the sand, it would indicate that there truly was a difference between God’s work and man’s. And to look for it! So, Christianity just rejoices in everything! That keeps everyone sufficiently confused while shining as little light as possible on what is real, or what is not.
(3) oh, one more…. what Token was talking about tonight 🙂 In summary, that God’s children are to be “Wise as Serpents…and harmless as doves”. That means so much! How many times are God’s children misunderstood by those in this world, and by some in the body of Christ as well, as they endure quietly the sufferings heaped upon them by others. An obedient saint of God will be accused of everything except being the wise individual that Jesus has made them.
The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. I wonder if knowing that you can judge nothing by its appearance is near a close second?
I loved tonight. Thank you. Thank you for your prayers. I would have been there, but I’m awfully sick right now.
Jerry