Bro John,

What you said tonight about not having any condemnation is what Jesus has been telling me to be thankful for.  He would bring it to my attention, as if to say, “Don’t you love how that feels?” And I would just start thanking him.  I know that not everyone gets to have that opportunity, to even feel what that feels like.  To be clean before Jesus is worth everything.

I’m very thankful tonight!

Natalie

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Pastor John,

That was a wonderful message from the Lord last night (9/7/2016) about being free from condemnation which brings fear of everything – except the right kind of fear, that is, the fear of God. You could feel the love of God in your message for us from God.  How he does want us to be free of this flesh and walk in his Spirit!

The message was very sobering, and it definitely makes you self-check yourself and pray, “Is there anything I need to change or do . . . or not be changing or doing?
It really comes down to the two commandments, and then the other one, that Jesus gave:
1) Love God with all of your heart, mind, soul & strength.
2) Love others as yourself.
3) “Love each other as I have loved you”.

There are good things that Jesus has given to every one of us and wants to give to us from the Father.  condemnation will hinder us from receiving those good things, and bury them if we don’t walk in the Spirit.

I love love.  I didn’t get to experience much love growing up, but Jesus has put me here where I can experience it everyday, and I thank him and you very much for that.  Someone who cares for my soul. That is no small thing!

Billy M.

Pastor John,

Among everything else today that was beyond description, the following, spoken by the Spirit through you, was a gem that “takes the cake”.  You said something like this:

“Do you know what you still have to overcome?  You still have to overcome whatever it is that you aren’t yet thankful for!”

That is perfect Pastor John. It is Truth!

Thank you for today, Jesus! 

I don’t have to worry about overcoming that… It overcame me!!   🙂

Jerry

Hi Pastor John,

Knowing and loving the doctrine of God will save us.  I love the Random Thought for today.   The doctrine will keep us, protect us, love us rightly, and help us to grow and change.

This world has a “come as you are” doctrine or “you are a unique individual” doctrine; no change is required by such doctrines, or necessary.  What is left out is repentance and living in the Spirit.  I loved the reading in Titus last night in the meeting, but knowing that Titus would eventually leave Paul, it was sad.  Nevertheless, Paul endured in “sound doctrine” even when all of those around him did not.  His eyes were on the prize.

This race is a marathon and not a sprint.  And to follow what the spirit is saying now)will give us the endurance to run it, and be saved at the end.  The prize is an eternal life of joy and peace in a body that will know only joy and peace. 

http://goingtojesus.com/gtj_thoughts.html?tname=rdt09-01

Just makes you want to shout.

Billy

Hey John, 

After the meeting last night a few people came to me saying they liked my testimony, and I asked them if they remembered me telling the dream a few times in the past, but no one did.  Anyway, I thought I would share it, because it was a great dream and I am very thankful for it!

When I was around 11 or 12 years old I went to bed thirsty and for some reason I didn’t want to get up to quench my thirst.  When I fell asleep I dreamed getting up to get a glass of water.  While drinking the water I pulled back the curtains to look out the window and I saw the stars falling, and they would disappear before hitting the ground.  They stopped falling and began to spin in a circle to the right in the sky (When you mentioned the angels ascending and descending with Jesus I wondered if these were angels spinning in the circle instead of stars).  All of a sudden Jesus came like a super hero through the center of the stars that were spinning saying something loud, but I don’t recall what he said.  I immediately raised my arms speaking in tongues.  The next scene Jesus was calling out names of who was prepared to meet him.  He called out my father’s name and I asked if he would wait on dad.  He took a moment and nodded yes and that was the end of my dream. 

A few years after my father passed away, I was writing this dream in a book of testimonies I have started and when I got to the part of the dream about my dad, Jesus reminded me of something I asked when dad almost died in 2010.  I was at the hospital the night before dad was about to die and I prayed to Jesus, “I am not ready for you to take my dad.”  Dad pulled through and he was with us almost another year.  I know it is a little out of context with Jesus coming back, but I know that part of the dream goes with what I prayed in the hospital. Jesus reminded me.

Matthew 24:29-31:

Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Mark 13:24-27:

But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.”

Cathy B.

Hey,

I’ve been reading in Psalms and I ran across this verse a little while ago and found it encouraging. Psalms 68:11 “The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.”

Billy H.

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Hi, Billy.

Yes.  And may God save us from publishing anything in His name except the word He gives.

Pastor John

When my Grandmother gave this testimony in a Sunday afternoon prayer meeting, she was close to 80 years old.  It was just a year or two before she died.  And most of her testimony was actually in English! 🙂

Pastor John

04:13 Sister Edna (Grandma):  “One thing I want to thank God for is a good doctrine. (speaking in tongues) Them that are seeking God’s doctrine’ll get alright[?].  Them that are teachin’ man’s doctrine, they’re just goin’ on, and they’re gettin’ so ‘good’.”  Praise God!  There used to be a scripture they teached me was [about] tobacco.  It said, ‘Taste not; handle not.  With the using, all of it will perish.’  It tells you what it’s [really] talking about.  ‘After the doctrines and commandments of men.’  I’m glad, I’m glad of God’s doctrine.  D-O-C-T-R-I-N-E!  God’s doctrine.  I thank the Lord for the doctrine of God ‘cause I love it, and I don’t care who knows it. (speaking in tongues)  No, I’m a-standin’ for it – for 50 year!  (speaking in tongues)  (more speaking in tongues)  Praise God!  The doctrine of Christ is goin’ to live on.  It’ll never die!  This is somethin’ that don’t die!  It just as fresh today as when I got it.  It ain’t gone dead, and it never will die.  I’m so glad of it, I don’t know what to do. (speaking in tongues) (more speaking in tongues)  This thing is living now. (speaking in tongues)  I’m so glad of it!  My Father is rich!  Praise God.  They’re fussin’ over the inheritance down here, but I’ll tell you one thing.  My Father’s rich.  Got it all in His hands. Praise God!

Hi John,

I love what the word of God does for us.  I love seeing and feeling burdens being lifted off of us and others when the word of God comes, as it did last Wednesday night (8/17/2016). This way is so simple that sometimes we can’t believe that it is that simple.  This flesh fights it all the time.

I am so glad and thankful that God gave us his spirit and this way of life in the truth, to live every day.  I am so thankful for the order he has given us in this life, an order ordained by his spirit through his Son for us to walk in.  We have a man of God and a pastor that is led by the word of God to help us and guide us as we walk in this world while we are here.

And when that word is spoken by you, as it was Wednesday night, we all feel the relief it brings, and it is always right on time.  He knows our every need.  All we have to do is just believe it, just as you have said in times past about how to learn the Bible; you just believe it!!  When the word of God is preached, if we just believe it, it changes us inside and out, and it is not a hard thing to do.

I love the relief I feel.  I love the peace I feel.  I love how happy I am while walking through this world of discord. In the word of God there is harmony and agreement and peace.  It comes with order and satisfaction for who we are and what he has made us in this life. We are only happy if we walk in that place that he has given to each of us. I just feel so blessed and thankful for you and everyone else he has put around us. I just want to value it more and more every day. It is not a light thing!  All we have to do is look around ourselves and see how we all would be without the power of God in our lives. Thank you John!!

Stuart

Hi John,

Donna’s email reminded me of a few things…

First of all, I loved what you told us about the politics of this world Wednesday night, too.  We have that “other option”.  It’s to be happy with all that we have been blessed with, and leave to God what He is doing.

One thing that was so sweet to me, is that I could not identify what was weighing me down several days ago, and the wind blew in on the porch and the Spirit lifted that weight for me.  It was a real experience.  Wednesday night you identified the weight.  The weights are the things of this world that are not ours.  They are heavy.   And then you and Jesus blew some wind on us and refreshed us!  Haha!  That was a good feeling. 

The other thing that Donna said, was something that my Ellen and I were talking about yesterday at the house, and that was, the stubbornness of wanting things “our way.”  If we have our minds made up as to what WE want, then we will be disappointed and even angry when it doesn’t go that way.   Whether it’s wanting to change someone (so they will be what we want them to be), or whether it’s getting angry because something did not work out or move fast enough, or whether it’s wanting situations in our lives to be only what we want them to be, the satisfied place is “neutral”.  Not my will, but THY will be done.  What a way of peace. 

Last night we watched that movie at your house, “Empire in the Sun”.  I had never seen it before.  I’m glad you did not ask me what I thought of it at the end!  I would have busted out crying, I think.  I was almost speechless for hours afterwards.  Men’s inhumanity to other men is one of the things in this world I can’t wait to be done with. I hate what sin has done to people, but I love the way out…. Jesus!

My thoughts for this morning.

Gary

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I love the instruction you gave us Wednesday night (8/17/16).   I love how it sets us free to be thankful and happy.  We really can be just who Jesus has made us.  I didn’t even realize I was feeling that burden! And the one other thing you said was for us not to be stubborn and have it our own way.  That would be very bad. Self-will will not lead to happy and thankful and staying hidden  in Jesus.

Thank you!  I love what you gave us!

Donna

John tonight’s meeting (8/17/16) was relief, relief and more relief!  If we really take it in, we will be like Jesus!  I am so grateful for his right ways and his spirit that he has given me!

Natalie

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Pastor John,

I feel exactly like Natalie.  What relief tonight meeting brought.  I love that all we have to do is live in Jesus.  It’s so easy!

If I listen to the radio or the news or people discussing things of this world, and I start to feel that angry yuck feeling, Jesus tells me to shut it off.  It is just easy.

I loved Token’s testimony tonight about her dream.  I love our life.  I could fill every moment of the day listening to testimonies about what our Jesus has done. That is the biggest blessing to me.  To be hungry for more of God, for more experiences with Jesus…even if they are not my experiences. I love them!!

How wonderful is that!!!

Beth

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Amen John!!

I love what you preached on tonight.  We do not belong to this world, and people in this world are going to be who they are, and we are not sent to save the world. God looks down on this world 24/7.  He knows what condition it is in, and He sees everything going on in it.  We just want to be full of the holy ghost all the way to the end of our time here on this planet.  That is our job while we are here. I love what you said about knowing who we are.  If we know who we are, we will not take on any wrong spirit that is walking in this world, and act under its influence.

You are right, John!!  The adults in this world at this time are pushing young people into perverse behavior that some day many of them will cry out to Jesus for, and he will lift them up and take away all their sin!!  Wow!!  I like being happy!!   My, my, Jesus has done so much for us, and he will do it for anyone that calls on his name!!  I want to be happy, to be a light for them, and a blessing to God’s people!!  What a sweet dream Token had!!  Thank you Jesus!!  I loved the testimonies tonight!!  So good.

Stuart