John,

This Pearl of the Day reminds me of what I felt while reading the Acts 15 council discussion yesterday morning.  As we read, I could feel myself being drawn into the conversation of the council members while imagining that I was sitting among them feeling the tension and suspense. 

When the main discussion was over, there was a brief heavy silence, a feeling of anticipation of what might happen next. Then, Peter stood up. My eyes filled with tears as Peter’s testimony was read, just as they are this moment as I type this.  No one could dispute Peter’s testimony. It was his experience of what God did. I felt blessed to be among a long list of Gentiles that were born into God’s family, starting with the household of Cornelius. 

My heart continued to be full of emotion as you read Paul’s final points taken from Ephesians. I am glad that you added that section.  It was like I was hearing it for the first time. 

We are truly blessed to know and believe the truth described in what you wrote. Thank you for all the work you put in to writing it. It makes me realize that what took place in Acts 15 was a major event. 

Tom

John,

Thank you for the reading session this morning about the Acts 15 Council of elders in Jerusalem.  It was breath-taking to sit and listen to it – so real, so much love, and yet, heart-wrenching at the same time.  It was a trial, and trying of those men’s faith (speaking of the Jews).  I loved it!  I can’t believe we believe this, but we do!!  Wow!  The truth takes away all the superstition and Christian thinking about Paul, and how things went for Paul.  And we can see how it really is for us today.  It is a matter of the heart and what God has done in it!!  It challenges the core of your beliefs and your confidence in what you feel God is doing for you.

I hope who ever reads this has to take stock in their own thoughts, and feels what those men went through to uphold the truth!  It will force you to ask God what is the truth!!  I hope that all God’s children will read this and that they can feel the love in it. 

Stuart

Hi John,

I thought about the reading of the Iron Kingdom all night.  I woke up thinking that it would be nice to have a cd with the book with that on it.  To me, it made the meeting in Acts 15 so real.  It made it come alive, or maybe put a link in the book on your web site so that if someone wanted to, they could go to the web site and click on the link and listen to that part of the book.  I know you have a lot of work to do to get to that point, but it was just so good!!   And I know when you tweak it will even be better and clearer.

Thank you, John, for all the work you do for us and God’s people!!

Stuart

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Hey John,

The reading last night was so Good!!  It was like I was there listing to Paul’s experience!!  SO much feeling. Had to start reading Acts this morning. Thank you for all the work you do for Gods people!!  SO GOOD!!

Jr.

Good morning John,

I love what I have been feeling in our gatherings lately. I feel a stronger love and appreciation for what the Father and the Son have given to us. I know it is because of what you have been teaching us about brother Paul, how all had forsaken him in Asia. When Paul said all had forsaken him in Asia, he meant all had forsaken him! What we have is so precious and rare in God’s family, and I feel so thankful and grateful to be a part of this! I wish all of God’s children could feel this! I want our love for the truth to grow stronger and stronger everyday, and it has, and it will, as long as we value everything he has given to us so far. I pray we all value and love what we have been feeling. It is life, and life more abundantly. I don’t know how to put it, but I feel a strength inside me that I did not have before.

Thank you John

Stuart

Good Morning Pastor John!

I wanted to share what Jesus did for my headache yesterday. 

When I wrote Jerry for prayer I was really hurting. I really felt like it may end up being an emergency room visit. I had been crying out to Jesus and I was not feeling any relief. After Jerry sent out that email asking for prayer, Jesus touched me. I did not know Jerry had sent the email at this time. All the pain was behind my left eye and I was very dizzy. I felt a heat and a tingling on the left side of my face. Almost as if Jesus layer his hand across my eye and cheek. Within 20 minutes the pain has lessened significantly. It was still a little sore (like I had been tossed around) but it was so much better.  

Well when the meeting came on last night (5/18/2016), I was still feeling sick to my stomach and really worn down. When you started singing, I got up and lifted my hands to Jesus, and felt wonderful. Then Tom sang, and I felt so full and so good. Sister Willie is right, the meetings are the emergency room. 

Sometimes all this goodness is hard to really take in. I am thankful for our Jesus and for family to worship with. I am thankful for prayers. Jesus didn’t give me relief when I prayed. Jesus brought relief when my family prayed. That really stood out to me yesterday.

Beth

Hi Pastor John,

The meeting tonight was so good to me.  I LOVE those old songs and “Living the Right Life Now” is one of my favorites. Most often in a meeting when things get going good I start out with a joyful laugh ( I love that) and that just feels so good, but tonight the feelings were so good, and that song got SO GOOD to me I could hardly contain myself – I was just praising God.  It was so good.

Then the next song, when Tom sang, I was a blubbering mess! I could not stop crying – my eyes were like a river of water – I didn’t know what was going on! All I could do was sit there and cry. I don’t know why I was crying because I didn’t feel sad but the compulsion to cry was so strong! I really don’t understand it!

Anyway, for the rest of the meeting I sat there and just felt so satisfied and full of calm – and assured.

I love it. Just wanted to tell it.

Jenny

John,

There is something about this message that really touches me. My first thought after I read it was how sweet and tender Jesus is towards his people.  To know that Jesus influences us even while we sleep is special. How can one not love the life Jesus has created for us is beyond me. 

Thanks for sending this out. 

Tom

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Unremembered Counsel

“I will bless the LORD, who has given me counsel.

My reins also instruct me in the night seasons.”

Psalm 16:7

Some instructions the LORD gives us come to us while we are asleep, in the form of dreams.  We may or may not remember such a dream; that doesn’t matter.  What matters is the residual effect of the dream on our spirit.  God uses dreams to adjust our attitude and give us direction even if we do not remember the dream when we wake up.

We bless the LORD for giving counsel, even if “our minds are unfruitful”; that is, even if we don’t remember the counsel He has given.  As long as our hearts are influenced by it, we are blessed.

Hey Pastor John,

I was listening to one of Tom’s songs, “It’s Called Love”. Sister Willie is on there talking about Philistines clogging up your well with rocks.  She said you have to remove those rocks and let your water flow.  With that, remembering back a few meetings ago, you were talking about giving your testimony or God could take them away.  Well, that sounds a lot like stopping up your well.  I don’t want any more rocks in my well!

I have been talking with a guy who works with me about the Lord, telling him my testimony and that we believe in the holy ghost and speaking in tongues.  He says he believes too, but thinks you have to be baptized in water too. I used God’s time line from before Jesus and after to try to explain how Jesus fulfilled the law, which he could not really get.  He just goes by what they tell him.  When I heard you talk last Saturday about ceremony, I remembered that he and I have talked, and he has told me about communion were he goes. He was telling me that he can’t take the communion because he’s not married to the woman he is living with.  They have been together for 12 years and have kids together. It’s good that they’re telling him he needs to get right, but what I am seeing is like Christianity is twisting it, using his guilty conscience to make him do what it wants, which is to deceptive, almost like Tom Sawyer: “You really are missing out if you don’t paint the fence!  I might let you paint if you’re good.”

I just want to thank Jesus for how good he has been to me, and the mercy he has show me.  Don’t ever want to take it for granted.

Well got to go.

Greg C