Bro John,

What you said today after Colleen’s testimony was so good. You said just because Jesus doesn’t do something that we pray for doesn’t always mean that we didn’t have enough faith to believe it to be done.  I never thought about it like that.  Another simple truth that makes us know God more!

Natalie

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Hi Natalie,

Sometimes what we pray for just isn’t in God’s plan for us.  After all, the apostle Paul prayed three times for his “thorn in the flesh” to be removed, but God turned him down.

It is good to know that every time the Spirit prays through us, it is praying for something that IS in God’s plan for us.  That is why Paul and the other apostles exhorted the saints to pray in the Spirit.

Thank you for the comment.

Pastor John

 

Pastor John, 

I want to tell about something that has stood out to me from this morning’s reading.

In the last paragraph on page 8, you stated, “When Jesus sent messages to the seven messengers, or pastors, of the seven remaining assemblies in Asia, he sent them to men who were pastors in God’s sight over groups who were Assemblies of believers in God’s sight.  He sent no messages to the many assemblies in the province of Asia who had forsaken Paul and turned from the Faith”. 

After reading this, I realized that a message from God, hearing from God, was evidence that God was with a group of believers.

It is apparent that God did not immediately destroy those groups of saints that had “forsaken Paul and turned from the Faith.”  And it appears that God did not put a stumbling block in the way of their gathering in the name of his son Jesus.  But what He did do was cease from communicating words of Life to them, His words: instruction to their souls that would lead them to the salvation that only God can give.

God becoming quiet was a death sentence imposed upon those saints that had turned away from Paul.  For without hearing from God, how could they possibly please Him? 

Many years ago, there was a man that was a part of this work in the Lord.  He then left it (and us) to go his own way.  When he left, he left with all of the knowledge and all of the understanding that we had been blessed with, up to that point.  He understood when a person is born again, and when and where the sacrifice of Christ occurred. He knew that there has only ever been one baptism (baptism of Spirit) for us Gentiles, and he understood that “he who endures to the end…shall be saved”.  He left our little group of saints understanding and confessing these revelations that had been given to you, Pastor John, and to your father, preacher Clark, by God.  And the man hasn’t moved forward from that place in all of these 20 plus years.  I have seen his work in the Lord, as it is available on the internet.  He is in the same place of understanding now that we all were then, when he forsook us two decades ago.  But God is still speaking to His people!  And He has been speaking all this time!

Immense growth has taken place.  More truth from God is known, more revelations have been given, more of God’s heart revealed.  Where are these things in that man’s work?

The bread that we were given 25 years ago was perfect, but God has fed his people everyday since then.  Won’t we be required to answer to God for not having a belly full of that bread on judgment day?

I understand better now what you mean, brother John, when you say that we will never stop growing in the knowledge of God. And that we are either moving forward or we are backsliding; there is no “sitting still”, as God is always moving us forward by his word; he is always feeding us and speaking to us if he is indeed still with us.

Hearing from God is not an option; it is Life.  It is the New Covenant!  We cannot be saved without it, all the way to the end.

I looked up those 7 messages to the 7 pastors of the congregations.  Not one of those messages from God is for the purpose of saying, “I am finished with you, and you are without hope.”  Every message is to encourage the pastor there to steer his congregation back into the perfect and available will of God. 

How blessed are we that we are really hearing from the Lord? What does it mean that God is still communicating with our little portion of the body of Christ?  We have hope!  God is with us!   To communicate correction or to communicate praise, either way, He is communicating with us! 

It makes me think that a man should run to wherever the word of God is most abundant, and flee from where it is not.  And in any case, he should get still and do nothing – save for repenting and praying if God was speaking and has gotten quiet.

Jerry

Hi Pastor John, 

Lately I’ve been really praying continually about feeling the power of God.  I’ve been asking about it and working, and trusting Jesus to show me. Well Jesus really helped me tonight. 

I went out to tract room and it was just sweet to see everyone. Then on the way home I was listening to a meeting song, “Lift Me Up Above The Shadows”. What an amazing song! That song was so good. I was just singing along to it and belting out the words as I was driving along and the song just got better and better to me. Pretty soon all I could do was drive along and just started groaning (in a good way), and moaning, and crying (I think it was giving me some relief), and groaning some more and feeling how good that song felt! I didn’t want to stop.

As I got near home I realized I didn’t want to go inside so I kept driving around the neighborhood here and replaying that song. And I just kept singing and feeling, kind of wondering what I was feeling and thinking to myself,  “I know I can’t be imagining this!”  I know that it can be even better, but I knew I wasn’t drumming this up. Then finally I played the song one more time, and then I realized this time I was not feeling it like I was before. It just felt normal. But that wasn’t a bad thing: instead I think that was Jesus letting me see I WAS feeling something before, and now I was not! I believe he was showing me the difference!

Jesus is so good and I am very, very thankful for that short, but very sweet experience tonight from Jesus!

Please pray for me to feel more, and feel what the body feels when they feel it. And I want to be useful. I love the tract, “Subdued” that you had us to read. I want to be subdued and conquered by God – just be his obedient servant. Whatever he wants me to be. See you in the morning.

Jenny

 

 

Pastor John,

I feel like tonight was so encouraging! I desperately needed what you gave us tonight!  It’s amazing how Jesus encourages us while He disciplines us a little.

Thank you, Pastor John!  I’m thankful to be here, and thankful for you and this body.

Michelle

Hi John! 

I want to share something amazing with you, and hope it will be a blessing for you to hear!

I may had already mentioned it to you at some time, but not for sure. Back before I even “knew of” or met you all…I had been web searching,(almost daily), for several years…looking for ANYONE!! that seemed to believe the very same things that the Lord had been revealing to me about the basic truths of salvation! Sometimes I’d feel nuts!!, just knowing that I couldn’t be the ONLY person in the world to believe these things.  The revelation, power and the belief was too strong!  Nothing I could of ever drummed up on my own!  So, I would “search” so many words like baptism, holy ghost, holy spirit, kingdom of God, born again, MUST BE, etc.  I can’t even remember how many hundreds of sites that would pop up…I’d check the site out, only to be disappointed.  It was sort of a sad time for me…The truth I knew wasn’t in any of them.

Or course, the Lord knew my heart, but I would pray and ask to help me find his likeminded people…SOMEWHERE in the world.  SO, I remember one night, I was woke up by a powerful dream…really like jolted up.  Very simple.  It only lasted a few moments.  It was just a map of the US glowing in darkness…and then in an instant, a pinpoint glow (or marker) shined down on the east coast.  It happened so fast…and I woke up so fast!  But I knew it meant something in my spirit!  The anointing was there.  Only place I had been to the East in my past had been Norfolk, VA…but I knew that the light shined down either on VA or NC.  It was so quick.  So I kept that freshly stored in my mind, not really knowing yet

what it was for… but the Lord reminded me of it, once I later found Gary on his site, which led me to meet you and everyone else. God was leading!!  Giving me a confirming answer…so I’d know.

It’s hard to describe exactly what I saw…but I found this attachment is sort of close. It definitely was the outline of the US…but with just darkness, no state borders…and a glow around the outside perimeter of it.  And then!!  Just that pinpoint light shined down on the darkness, in the area I described…and I woke. It was you all in NC.

God is good!!  I find it amazing.  Thanks for listening to my share moment!

Melissa

 

Dear Bro. John:

I am so thankful that your words tonight stirred the Gift of God in me, and reminded me once again of the sweet testimony of Jesus and his love and mercy. I never want to forget what he has done for me. Our testimonies are LIFE​,​ and every time we tell of him we feel alive –​ and a thirst and hunger for more! I want to live desiring more of Jesus and feeling his feelings in me! It is Jesus that makes this life worth living, and as your father, George Clark, said, “Jesus has the blueprint for your life; all you have to do is get in step with it.” Those were not just words, but wisdom that he learned from the trials God sent his way.

Whatever struggles we may find along the way​, it is Jesus trying to get us in step with his plan for us. That plan includes correction, discipline, and instruction from him. How thankful I am that even though I was “lost in the woods”, HE knew what I needed to find my way back to him and used the love in the family of God to help me. And if we believe in his love for us, that still small voice will guide us to the Answer we need – – Jesus!

I will never forget after Jesus touched my heart that day in 2006, I asked him, “Lord, what did you do to me?” He answered so tenderly, “I conquered that part of your heart that didn’t believe the love of God.” Oh my! What a Savior!

He can conquer our unbelief with his love and take us to heights with him we never knew existed. I had to be willing and humble for Jesus to do what I needed that day. ​I wasn’t even sure how to be that, but Jesus led me. And it was worth every tear to experience what I did with him and to feel his love flowing once again in me. I pray to stay willing and humble,​ to be his servant to be used for his purpose in these latter years. What a privilege and honor just to hear his voice and obey.

I am thankful for the truth, for Jesus, and for a pastor who cares for my soul.

To still be feeling the love of God and a family to share it with is a blessing that fills the heart to overflowing,

In the boat with Jesus!

Sandy ~

(To read Sandy’s testimony in its entirety, click on the link below.)http://pastorjohnshouse.com/testimonies/sandysrescue.html

Hi Bro John,

I really enjoy reading emails from different ones that write to you. I never look at the name until the very end, because I like to read the words, get the feelings coming from the writer & then guess who it is. Many times I get it right because I know that person from their testimonies & it sounds just like them talking! But then sometimes it’s a toss up – could be this person or it might be that person. Either way, I sure do love hearing from people & what they are feeling & experiencing on a daily basis. As we say so many times, I just love us.

Have a good day,

Sheila

Good morning Pastor John,

Jesus is so good! I woke up and the house was quiet. I love that time in the morning. I feel much better today so I began to pick up the house a little and I saw my sweet husband’s Bible sitting on our kitchen table. It is full of papers and topped with the tracts he will carry with him to place here and there while out in town. It brought the sweetest feelings. Jesus has given me so much more than I even knew to ask him for.

I remember, years ago, seeing those who would go to church on Sundays, held a steady job and just seemed normal, and oh how I wanted to be like them! To me, that was the top tier. I would have given anything to be like them.

When I saw my husband’s Bible this morning, all I could see was how much more Jesus has given me. A real life in God. That is so wonderful to me! I have a REAL life in God. I do not go to church on Sundays and live an empty life carrying around a Bible that I do not read and do not understand. I have been given a real life, with Jesus teaching me and grooming me to be what his Father wants me to be. I have been given a REAL pastor. A man that God chose and taught and loves. I have been given a real husband that God chose to lead and help me be what Jesus wants me to be. I have been given a real family, full of brothers and sisters, full of elders with wisdom and experiences from God. Whew! Sometimes this just hits me so deep. I would have happily settled for that other life but God gave me so much more. He loved me so much more!

Beth

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And we have been blessed by Jesus adding you to the body here, Beth! God knows how to build up the body of His dear Son, and we are very thankful for the things He has done.

Pastor John

Hey,

Rodney Howard Browne is doing a series of meetings in Pittsburg PA this week and we watched a little of some. He said something yesterday that was right on. He said “What good is a Holy Ghost meeting without any Holy Ghost.” I love it when some truth comes out! That’s how we feel, and I’ve heard you say it before; what’s the point if the Holy Ghost doesn’t show up!

Amy B.