Hey John,

What life in the gatherings this weekend!  I cannot get over it! Sunday morning, you said, “Here is something you need to know: no angels are like God!!”  That was and is a brand new thought!  So Good!  But the SON is like God.  You said that the SON loves to make someone like GOD, that it excites him to make someone like GOD.  He is not interested in your failures, just in making us like his Father!!

I am thankful to be able to hear such words of Life!!  The testimonies, the  translation of 1John, and Songs!!  This is living.

Thank YOU.

Jr.

Pastor John,  

You pointed out something this morning that really stayed with me. You made it clear why Jesus had to come here and die to purchase the holy Ghost for us. The reason was this: Obeying rules perfectly, even rules God gave (such as the law), is not enough.  Satan obeyed to the letter what God told him to do before he was cast out of heaven, and he was a mess, in his soul.   Rather, we must be like God, where our obedience is really nothing more than our nature.

It makes me think, even the seas obeyed the word of the Lord when He commanded them to be still. The trees and the grass yield themselves to him every time the wind blows. Raindrops fall upon his command.  All things in nature obey God, and yet, none of these things are holy.  None of them will reign with the Son of God because none of them have been made like God by the Spirit.

One last thought.  It is always so, that after we have done all that we can do, it is what God does that makes the difference.

Jerry

Hi Pastor John!

I had a sweet touch from Jesus today.

I have been praying a lot about having a positive attitude, the kind of attitude Jesus expects me to have and the kind of attitude I want to have.  Well, today I went to an inspection and worked with the nicest man.  His name is Anthony.  I have met Anthony before.  Anthony is probably 50 years old.  He is a black gentleman who does all the detailing work on the rental cars.  It was chilly this morning and Anthony was washing cars outside in the parking lot.  As I inspected the vehicles, I noticed how very clean they were.  It really stood out to me what a great job Anthony had done.  When I finished, Anthony nervously asked me if I found anything wrong with the interiors of the cars.  I told him that the cars looked great and what a great job he had done.  Anthony lit up.  He said, “I try to do my very best, cleaning these cars.  I need this job. Every morning, I get  up and thank the Lord for letting me have this job because so many people don’t have one”.  

After I left the lot, I felt so good.  I asked Jesus to bless Anthony and thanked him for letting me see him today.  I said, “Lord, I love Anthony’s attitude.  That is the attitude I want ALL the time”.

I love that Jesus will encourage us when we are praying for something good, something Jesus wants us to be or to have.  Jesus giving me that encouragement today was him showing up again!  That really hit me today.  It did something to my heart.

Beth

 

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

Hi, Pastor John.

While Judy went to work and before the Thanksgiving dinner yesterday morning, I felt such an overwhelming thankfulness for this Life that Jesus gave to me, and this place that Jesus brought me to.  It was about 8:00 a.m. or so, and I got out my guitar and was singing unto the Lord, when I just fell on my face in the middle of the floor and yielded to what I was feeling. I felt so grateful for what I was feeling!  The Spirit took over where I was crying uncontrollably with joy for my life. It lasted a little while and left me with a grateful feeling. I love those times when we are together and the Spirit flows, but I really love these alone times with Jesus and me.

After the Spirit was finished, I took Sarge for a walk on Bob’s property, just enjoying the feelings left over in my heart from that communion with God. Nothing is like getting alone with Jesus; it’s some of the best times I have ever had.

Billy M

Good morning Pastor John!

Tokens testimony about the leaves last night is amazing to me. Jesus told me the same thing two weeks ago. 

I was driving down the road talking to Jesus. I had been feeling a little low and just wanted to be with my friend Jesus.  All of a sudden the color of the trees stood out to me. They were so vibrant and beautiful. I said to Jesus “Lord, the trees were not this beautiful last week. They are getting so much richer in color. Lord, the closer they get to death the more beautiful they get”.  Then the spirit said “The closer you get to death the more beautiful you are”. (I understood it meant us in the body)

A few days after that, I was driving and the leaves were so pretty. I was thinking I want to stop and get a picture of how pretty they are. Still driving, I noticed that each tree separated was pretty but they really are breathtaking all together. As soon as I had that thought, Jesus said, “That is just like the body. You are most beautiful together”.

I love hearing from Jesus. When I heard Token tell that testimony last night, my heart stopped. It always does when Jesus shows me how real he is.

Writing this out I just keep feeling like it does not get any better than this. This life with Jesus is everything I could dare to dream to have. Feeling very filled, full and fulfilled, as sister Willie would say.

Beth

 

Michelle’s email and Token’s testimony last Wednesday, (both about strife) makes me consider something that the Lord showed me.  That is, strife doesn’t exist in the Spirit – because the Spirit cannot be offended!  Any kind of offense that we experience, any hurt or injury that we feel is just to our flesh.  The Spirit in us is not offended, nor hurt, nor any other thing that is not producing the will of God. And it is not striving with others to be right. 

To flee from strife, to flee from the effect of someone’s poor treatment of us, or from the desire to defend ourselves from it,  is just to be spiritually minded. Strife and other carnal things just can’t get a foothold into God’s Spirit in us.

Jesus was never offended.  Even during his crucifixion, he pitied and prayed for the lost souls trying to hurt him.  God has that same Spirit.  And with a heart free from strife, and free from offense for all of the hate He has endured, He will execute perfect judgement on the souls that He damns for eternity. 

We are to be like-minded.  Full of His Spirit that is praying and hoping and working for the souls that despitefully use us while executing the same perfect judgment to be free from strife and avoiding all of those who pursue it.

Jerry

Good morning!

I was reading the tract, This Is My Friend, and I have a question. It says, “God freely offers his children faith for healing and deliverance; yet, because of spiritual weaknesses, some have not yet learned to trust him.” What actually are spiritual weaknesses? Is it not staying full of the holy Ghost? Or letting other things come in, the cares of this life, etc. Just want to see if I’m getting it?

Thanks!

Donna C

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Hi Donna.

Yes, spiritual weakness is, as you said, the result of not staying full of the Spirit. Or, we could say instead that spiritual weakness comes from living “according to the flesh”, as Paul would say it. Jesus, you will remember, said of his disciples, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mt. 26:41). And Paul said that the law of Moses “was weak through the flesh” (Rom. 8:3). So, in the Bible, the ways of the flesh are associated with spiritual weakness, while spiritual strength comes from the Spirit of God.

Pastor John