Hi John!

I am down in Costa Rica and wanted to say hello to you, Barbara, and all the family! My text is working better than my email, due to very limited bandwidth, so I figured I’d text you. Feel free to share with everyone. Things are going well here. We’ve been able to get a lot of work done, with no snake bites, and only 1 Bullet Ant sting (I was the lucky recipient of that!! Hurt like crazy for about 8 hours). I know God created Bullet Ants for a reason, and they fill an ecological role. But I just don’t like them!!🐜

I also wanted to share with you a realization I’ve had. I’ve finished The 2 Gospels and really enjoyed it. I found it very enlightening. But what’s really caught me is my deeper understanding that Paul’s gospel is the true one, and the other has become the ‘political/power-driven’ one. Over the last 10-15 years I’ve read a lot of books and academic references that ‘de-bunked’ the common Christian beliefs, practices, etc. One of the pieces of evidence that is commonly used to do this is that they say that the gospel Paul preached was “made up” by him, and that it ended up being the origins of the common or traditional Christianity. But now I realize how inaccurate that is. Paul did preach a gospel that was different, but it came directly from Jesus, and was Gods tool to bring in the Gentiles, and eventually bring all people together under 1 belief. But, it absolutely DID NOT become the traditional Christian doctrine. In fact, just the opposite. Paul’s gospel was shunned, while the other gospel was accepted, and was the one that became modified by Constantine into the completely false gospel spread throughout the world today, via wars and many other acts of violence, evil, and ignorance (as I write this, I just learned about more bombings in the Middle East–and they are, of course, based on ultra strong beliefs in one of the false gospels. Makes me very sad). And, I also realize that this gospel is all about conducting specific ceremonies, physical movements, and using various tools and clothes—seems kinda like doing choreographed dance steps!

So, although these different theological historians are correct in de-bunking ‘Christianity’ as it exists today, I’ve now come to realize they also have completely missed the mark on Christ’s true doctrine, and that Paul, even today, is once again being used as an inaccurate scapegoat– this time by the debunkers of Christianity! The poor guy just can’t win, even 2 millennia later!

Anyway, I just wanted to share my realizations. Thinking of you all down here, as I sweat and work in the jungle! Hope to see you in November. Bye for now!

Bill

Good morning John.

I was sitting on the front porch this morning having my coffee, and watching the birdfeeder.

I noticed that there were two cardinals that came down to the feeder at the same time, a male and a female. It was interesting to me that when one of them went to the feeder, the other went to a tree a little distance away, and watched out for the other one. If something unusual happened (like they saw my cat), they would chirp a warning.  Then they would switch positions and while the other would eat, the other standing guard.   They were keeping each other safe. I wondered who taught them how to do that?  Did they have a discussion to make that plan, or did their bond just make them do that naturally?

I was sitting here praying for different ones in the meeting, and I thought that it is the same way with us.  Nobody tells us to watch out for one another or to pray. We don’t discuss it in advance. Our bond in the light gives us a Love that watches out for one another. Even our marriages can be that way.  Or two friends can be that way.

I love how slowing down to observe things can teach us something good. We can “watch out” for one another, I’m sure in a variety of ways – it’s a sweet feeling to do so.

Gary

Pastor John,

I ran across this meeting from 2010.  This was a wonderful day.  I never shall forget being in the “hugging line”, waiting for my turn to hug Brother Tom.

Billy M

Hi John,

Just wanted to tell you how wonderful the feelings were during the meeting on Wednesday. All the way out here in California I was feeling one with you all.  As I was enjoying the power of God and how you were all drinking it in, Jesus blessed me with feelings and a language I never heard before. It was just like I was right there with you all.  Awesome!

I am grateful that I can watch the meetings out here! I am grateful for this family of mine! :o)

Patty

[RE: A testimony by Sister Edna Murray recorded in a 1973 prayer meeting]:

Pastor John:

Amen to this!!  Oh!  I love Sister Edna!  I can’t wait to meet her one day!  I feel such a connection with her!  The Lord put us together in my dream years ago where Aunt Leatha handed me a small brown envelope that said, “Sister Edna’s Testimony” written in pretty cursive handwriting.  Aunt Leatha looked me straight in the eyes as she was handing me the envelope and said, “I want you to take good care of this.”  

When I found out from you later the next night that her testimony was my testimony, I was so overcome with feelings of love from Jesus, knowing that he had visited me in a dream and that he had connected the two of us that way, and that he even considered me worthy to carry on that faithful saint’s testimony!  (I don’t feel worthy, but I am encouraged and thankful!)  When I think about this, it feels just like a story straight out of the Bible!

I cannot look at her picture in your office without thinking about that dream.  I find myself standing at my kitchen sink doing dishes and thinking about her, and sometimes I tear up when I do!  She cleared a path for me, and her testimony has encouraged me more than she will ever know!

Like she said in her testimony, I’ve been “working on this thing” for almost 29 years, and it “just suits me”, too!:)  I know exactly how she feels when she says the truth is all that satisfies my soul, and I feel that with my whole heart!  So many people that were close to me (parents, husband, children, nephews, sisters) have disappointed me along the way, but Jesus has never disappointed me, and his truth is what has kept me going and given me joy when things around me weren’t so joyful!  He has put me under an anointed pastor and surrounded me with saints that love his truth, and that has kept me and strengthened me through the years!  

If I’m doing my math correctly, I’ll be 79 when I’ve been in the truth 49 years – just like her!  I was 30 when I received the Spirit in 1990, so 49 yrs later would make me 79, too! 🙂  We must have even been the same age when we received Holy Ghost!

I remember when I first started coming around and had Sunday lunch at Uncle Joe’s and Aunt Myrtle’s, Uncle Joe said several times that I reminded him of his mother.  I always assumed he meant there was a physical resemblance (and he may have meant just that), but I wonder now if he was feeling something else there!  

Sweet feelings thinking about this today!  Thank you for sending us the text from that meeting.  I have the CD now from that meeting, and I look for ward to hearing it!  

Lee Ann

Good morning John,

I just wanted to say how much Anna and I enjoyed being around this weekend, and how much we loved the gatherings.  Saturday night, when you where preaching about Pentecost, and how if you start to read in any book of the Bible, it all points to Pentecost, and how no matter where you start to read, it is about Jesus and receiving the sweet holy ghost at Pentecost.  That was so good, John!!  I love seeing and feeling the power of the holy Ghost on you when you tell about what God has given to and for his children.  It is so “exciting”!

What I love is that it is not in word, but it comes in power, power to change a soul and make it clean and whole.  There is victory in that power, and there is nothing on this earth that can alter or change what that power can do if we let it have its way in our lives.  That was so beautiful and encouraging to see and feel!

What an honor it is for our ears to hear and take in to our hearts the things you preached this weekend.  We both are truly blessed and thankful that you are our pastor and are a man after God’s own heart and follow his voice for us all.

Thank you, John

Stuart 

Bro John,

Recently, I’ve been going through some of the papers we’ve read during the meetings and there is so much good food to eat! I didn’t even realize that I had set up a separate folder labeled “Good Reading!” I had two favorites:

“Your Vision or God’s?”

You talked about getting out of college and how the world had used you up. You had no energy left to form a future image of yourself, nothing had to be the way you wanted it to be, you were desperate to be led, completely willing to do as you were told, a real follower of those over you in the Lord; those elders had a great love for the Bible so you followed them in that, humbled yourself to whatever the Bible said just as you humbled yourself to them.

After teaching the Old Testament class at the community college for several years, you realized that you had learned the Bible so well because God had pieced together “here a little and there a little” because you had surrendered your mind and soul to His mind and soul. You had no interfering self-visions, no opinion, no preference, hated your own thoughts and your own ways, afraid to have things your way because of what they had done to your life, so why want them any longer? 

Now, Bro John, this is getting really good to me! You asked this question: “Do you really know what your ways have done to you? If so you have trashed all your self-visions and prayed for God to grant you His vision for you instead. You will never know God or the Bible unless you are willing to let go of your self-vision and let God renew your mind.” 

You talked about the old saints that used to say, “you must come low.” You said we must have a heart to believe whatever He says – even it is contrary to what we’ve always thought or always wanted, or always judged to be right! The secret of God is with the humble, bruised, battered and with those who are so beaten down by this life that they are not just willing but begging God to have His way. and have discovered how desperately needy they are and are seeking Him and His will for them. 

Now this is great too! “When we bring nothing to God’s table, when we are completely willing to eat whatever Jesus puts on our plate, the holy truth that Jesus serves us will create understanding within us as we swallow it. It will give us the knowledge of God. The truth of Christ will shape our spirits; it will inform our attitudes and determine our choices. It will keep us from sin and make us perfect before God.” 

You told the story about Uzzah touching the ark and God’s judgment about kidnapping and instantly you thought the same thing and if we have an opinion about that after hearing God’s judgment of the matter, then we are fools, holding on to our own opinion. Then you said “I believed that whatever God said and did was right, and nothing He said or did displeased me. Displease me? Who was I to dare be displeased with God? I had no vision for myself, no dream, no plan, no desires for the future that interfered with His work in me. My Heart was soft in His hand, and He molded me. And I am persuaded that He will do the same for every moldable heart.” Wow, what a sermon that is!! My first thought after reading this was, we have no excuses, none!

Then you spoke about having visions for others and that was good too. 

My second favorite was this:

Chapter 8, The Revelation of the Father *

You talked about Jesus telling his disciples that their Father was very pleased to give them the kingdom and they didn’t even know what the kingdom of God was or how God planned to give it to them, but that it would make the Father very happy to share with them His kind of life and to bring them into His family. “And though the Bible does not explicitly say so, we can be sure that when the disciples entered into God’s kingdom on Pentecost morning, the happiest participant in that event was the Father Himself. Since He was in heaven, His great joy is not recorded in the Bible the way the ecstatic joy of the disciples is recorded. Overwhelmed with the power of God’s kind of life, they staggered down from the upper room where they had gathered, into the streets of Jerusalem, drunk with joy and proclaiming God’s greatness in languages they did not understand. But the Father in heaven was having a glorious time as well, In fact, it was His joy that those disciples were feeling.”

That is so sweet to me. God fills us up so many times with an overflowing joy and we rejoice in the spirit, speaking in tongues, dancing, shouting, jumping, rolling, laughing, crying or whatever else is in the spirit and God is in heaven loving it, enjoying it, having a glorious time too with us because it is His joy that we are feeling, He’s sending it down to us to enjoy along with Him. Even though we can’t actually see Him, we sure can see and love watching our brothers and sisters enjoy the feelings of the spirit. My heart is saying more, more, more, God. My prayer is for me/us to be in a condition to be blessed like that and to make God very happy!!

I have very much enjoyed my reading this week and I thank you so much for working so diligently to provide all this for us. 

Sheila

* From Pastor John’s book, God had a Son before Mary Did.

http://goingtojesus.com/gtjr_text/books/pdfs/fatherandson.pdf

Pastor John, 

Something God told me years ago,  came up today in conversation. It blessed me again to experience it. I believe it came from the Lord, so I want to share it:

God will never meet you in the flesh. If He did, even one time, you would never leave there.

Jerry

==========

That is true, Jerry.  That’s what made it so hard for the Jews to understand Paul’s gospel. God HAD met with them, so to speak, in the fleshly works of the law which He gave them.

Pastor John