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  • Pray before Meals?

    I love this Pastor John, from your recent email: “Wait to pray until the Spirit leads you to pray, and say in prayer only what you are moved by the Spirit to say.”  

    In the church there is always a form like:

    -opening prayer

    -pray before the sermon

    -pray after the sermon

    -closing prayer

    -pray for food to eat

    I have a question about this, Pastor John.  Are we ought to pray before we eat?

    Leika

    =========

    Hi Leika. 

    There is no “ought to” in the kingdom of God, Leika.  There is only liberty.  You are free to pray off the Spirit leads you to pray, and you are free not to, if the Spirit does not lead you to pray.

    Thank you for the question.  God bless you and yours.

    Pastor John

     

  • Funeral Yesterday

    Pastor John,

    I was doing yard work late in the day yesterday, and noticed several sheriffs’ vehicles traveling in procession down hwy. 62 in front of the house. I stopped what I was doing and watched, and then saw bright red tractor trailer freight-haulers, all from the same company, lined up behind the sheriff’s vehicles. And then the same company’s dump trucks followed them, all the same color and all brand new, moving down the road in uniformity. It was apparent that it was a funeral procession, and the grand scale of it gave me a feeling of awe. Dozens if not a hundred or more 4-wheel drive trucks then followed, contractor’s trucks I believe, then the normal line of vehicles with blinking lights behind them; it seemed to go on forever. As I watched I realized this must have been the company owner that had passed, or his immediate family. And the thought of his / her loved ones grieving them right then, nearly took my breath. With a pain in my heart for those people, I said “Lord, this world is so full of pain and loss.” And in response, I heard a line from one of Darren’s songs, “I am securing you from loss.”

    I realized then that what Jesus did at Calvary, saves me from this kind of “loss”, if I let it. It saves those in Heaven from mourning us when we leave this world. And that there will never be a funeral procession in Heaven for those who are kept by His spirit.

    So sweet, and so sad.

    Jerry

     

  • Lost and Found

    Hey! 

    Since we aren’t having a meeting for a couple weeks, I wanted to go on and tell y’all something Jesus did for me today.  We had a job in High Point, and about halfway through, I needed to use my pocket knife for something, but when I went to grab it, it wasn’t there.  I knew I had clipped it into my pocket this morning, but I had no idea where it could have fallen off.  I really like this knife and was sad that I had lost it.  I searched all over our job site and even searched through a pile of dirt we had dug up thinking it may have fallen off there.  Long story short, I was walking around looking for it on the ground and asked Jesus to help me find it before we left our job.  I immediately had the thought (he asked me) that if I found it, would I tell about it?   In my head, I immediately replied, yes!  Fast forward a couple hours, and after more searching – we are packing up our trailer to leave and I had to move something on the trailer that we didn’t use today.  When I did, I saw the knife sitting there!  To the best I can figure, it got caught on something while I was loading the trailer this morning and had ridden on the trailer to High Point without falling off.

    I am thankful Jesus heard my prayer, answered it, and gave me a testimony!  Leaves you with sweet feelings knowing he hears you and cares about even simple things like finding something!

    ~Josiah

  • My Hands

    Pastor John, 

    Will you send this out to add to my testimony? These are pictures I’ve taken over the months since February and the last one is my hand today  The one before of my hand on the baby’s lap was taken on the way to the meeting last Wednesday before it was prayed for! Jesus is so good!

    Leah smiley face2

    received_10103790680148641

    received_10103701480879691

    received_10103757698688751

    received_2308311375863320

    received_10103831552105911-1

    received_694051860953826

     

  • “The Lord’s Prayer”

    Hi Pastor John.

    The Lord put it on my heart early this morning to ask Him to teach me to pray more appropriately; i.e., to pray in His will, and in the manner by which my prayer will be honored—and answered—by Him. (Oftentimes I’ve found myself merely praying for things that I want, rather than giving my desires over to God for Him to provide, as He sees fit.  But God is not our servant; not our “butler” to obey our every whim, whatever we might ask for.)

    I know that Jesus explained this “manner” of prayer to his disciples, in the garden of Gethsemane, but it would be in vain to repeat that particular prayer in our present time, wouldn’t it? (…as Christians do)   

    But Jesus’ instructions were to pray like that…

    What do you think He meant, exactly?

    Could you elaborate on those details in that prayer, and if we ought to use that template for our prayers today?

    Brad

    =========

    Hi Brad.

    I appreciate your sincerity in asking this of the Lord.  Include me in your prayer, please.

    Yes, it is a vain exercise to repeat, as a ceremonial form, the words Jesus told his disciples to pray.  That prayer was only for Jesus’ followers to pray before they were born again on Pentecost morning.  It would, as you know, be foolish of me to suggest a specific prayer with specific words for anyone to pray.  In this covenant, effective prayer is prayer inspired by the Spirit.  In fact, we being as ignorant as we are of things to come and as ignorant as we are of the many wicked spirits around us, Jesus gave us the great blessing of the Spirit to help us pray “as we ought”. to use Paul’s phrase.

    Other than point you to the Spirit, to wait to pray until the Spirit leads you to pray, and to say in prayer only what you are moved by the Spirit to say, it could be pointed out that in the disciples’ prayer (what Christians call “the Lord’s Prayer”), there is great reverence and humility before the Father, and great hope in His love.  But then, even all that, when it is real and not a ceremonial form, is from the Spirit; so, we’re back to the Spirit inspiring the prayer.

    There’s just no way around it.  Be led by the Spirit, or your prayer is in the flesh.  What a precious opportunity we have, to be led by the Spirit!  If we live after the Spirit, Paul said, we will live forever!  But if we live after the flesh, he said, we will die.  May God give you and me, and all of us, the grace to follow after the holy Spirit of life, and truly be sons of the living God.

    Thanks for writing, Brad.  I believe that the Lord will guide you and add to your faith whatever you need to make your prayer ever more effective.

    Your servant,

    Pastor John

     

  • Thankful for Our Roots

    Good morning Pastor John, 

    I was listening to an old CD of Preacher Clark on my drive into work this morning.  I loved it!  Listening to Bro. Frank preach and all the scriptures that he quoted and telling stories that I knew because of you and the GCC stories!  The man who was going to shoot him but God paralyzed his finger, Bro Frank seeking God because he wanted to know when a man was born again and the vision that God gave him of the book that opened and big letters with the scriptures you must be born again with the evidence of speaking in tongues.  Listening to the saints I felt at home.  I’m so thankful that Bro Earl loved this enough to record so that it could be passed down to us.  These are our roots and

    I’m very thankful for them.

    I did not want to get out of my car this morning it was so good!  I had tears in my eyes as I was climbing the stairs to the shuttle to take me to work.  I’m so thankful for what Jesus has done. I looked around at the people on the shuttle thinking oh Jesus I wish they could feel this!  It’s precious when Jesus stirs your soul and fills your heart with so much love.  Sometimes it feels as if this human body just can’t hold it all! 

    Hope you have a wonderful day! 

    Michelle 

  • Acts 2:4 and 1Cor. 14:2

    Can you explain Acts 2:4? Is it different then 1 Corinthians 14:2…Please need help on this one!! 

    Jacob F.  

    Bryant, IL.

    ==========

    Hi Jacob.

    In both cases, the Spirit is moving people to speak a language that they themselves have not learned.  In that way, there is no difference between Acts 2:4 and 1Corinthians 14:2.  In one case, those who heard God’s saints speaking understood what they were saying, and in the other case, no man will understand what is being said, but that is actually beside the point.  For what the Spirit does is God’s choice, not man’s; human will has nothing to do with it.

    Don’t be dragged into controversies over such matters.  Those who resist the power of the Spirit will never experience either of those two blessings.  WE should rejoice that our precious Jesus suffered and died to make such blessings freely available to us, and pray to be counted worthy of them.

    Just move on, and stay happy.

    Thank you for the question.

    Pastor John

     

  • Simon Peter

    Hi Pastor John, 

    When I got home tonight I wanted to read the papers again.  I know this was said before but re-reading it, it really struck me how that even though Simon Peter did deny the Lord 3 times, He was still in the courtyard, when no one else was.  He was still in that courtyard!

    That really made me love Simon Peter.  He really loved his Lord.  He had enough love and courage to be there.  And when you read the papers, you really see he was in the “hot seat” so to speak.  He was trying to be a bit incognito, but the people around the fire were really pressing him to admit who he was, until finally denied it.  How wretched he must have felt when he denied knowing Jesus, and then Jesus to look straight at him!  It makes me think of how sweet it was when Jesus rose again and met the disciples in Galilee, and Simon Peter jumped out of the boat to go to the Lord.

    I love this.  I love Simon Peter! 

    Jenny

  • 1Timothy 1:17

    Does 1 Timothy 1:17 apply to the Father?  I thought it was referring to Jesus because it mentions the eternal King.

    17. Now, to the King of the Aeons, immortal, invisible — the only wise God — be honor and glory forever and ever! Amen.

    Tom

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    Hi Tom.

    The Son is the Prince of life, but the Father is the King.

    Paul again refers to the Father as King in chapter 6 of 1Timothy:

    13. Before God, who gives life to all things, and Christ Jesus, who made the good confession before Pontius Pilate, I charge you

    14. that you keep this commandment without blemish, free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

    15. which at its appointed time will show who is the blessed and only sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

    16. who alone is immortal, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see.  To Him be honor and power forever!  Amen.

    Hope that answers your question.

    Pastor John

  • Coming Out in Scotland

    Pastor John, 

    I left Christianity 25 years ago and have not fellowship with another follower of Jesus since.  I came across your website and it was wonderful to read about your journey out.  Thank you.

    William

    Scotland, UK

    ============ 

    Hi William. 

    Thank you for your recent email.  People in various places ask me at times if I know of a congregation near them like what they see/hear in the assembly here.  I wish I knew of thousands of such places!  However, though we have searched diligently, we have found only individuals, not groups, who have heard the call of Jesus to come out to where he is.  So, I understand your comments. 

    You can watch our meetings live online.  If you want to, let me know, and I will give your email address to brother Stuart Hiser, who takes care of that.

    God bless you and yours!  And please stay in touch.  We’d love to know more of your story.

    Your servant, 

    John

     

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