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  • Luke 8:49–56

    Dear Pastor John,

    Thank Almighty Father for the wonderful of your meeting service of last night, and this has led me to ask some questions as per the reading from the book of Luke 8:49-56:

    49. While he was still speaking, someone from the synagogue ruler’s house came, saying to him, ‘Your daughter has died. Don’t bother the teacher any longer.’
    50. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, ‘Don’t be afraid. Just believe, and she will be healed.’
    51. Then, when he went into the house, he allowed no one to enter except Peter, John, and James, and the father and mother of the child.
    52. And everyone was weeping and beating their breast for her, but he said, ‘Stop crying. She isn’t dead; she’s sleeping.’
    53. And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.
    54. But after putting them all outside, and when he had taken her hand, he spoke, saying, ‘Child! Rise up!’
    55. Then her spirit returned, and she stood up at once. And he ordered that something be given her to eat.
    56. And her parents were beside themselves, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.”

    So my questions are from verse 49, While he was still speaking, someone from the synagogue ruler’s house came, saying to him, “Your daughter has died. Don’t bother the teacher any longer.”

    Does it mean that people from the synagogue ruler’s house knew that the ruler was there expecting a miracle to happen to his daughter but were not believing and even the ruler him self was not believing?

    Answer:  No.  I just means that the little girl died, and they did not expect that she would be raised from the dead.  What Jesus demonstrated to them all in this story is that his power is not hindered by even death.

    (2) Then when Jesus went, he only allowed Peter, John, and James, and the father and mother of the child to entered the house why?

    Answer:  Because faith works by love, and Jesus knew the parents loved their little girl.  And for whatever reason, Jesus wanted Peter, James, and John to see what he was about to do. 

    (3) Why did Jesus order people to stop from crying, and what they could do was to laugh at the same time they were busy crying? was there crying mockery?

    Answer:  They probably were hired to come mourn, which was a custom of some cultures in ancient time.  That would explain how they could so quickly stop weeping and start laughing at Jesus.

    (4)    Why did Jesus charged no one to tell what has happened.  I mean the miracle of coming back to life again? 

    Answer:  I don’t know.  It is impossible for me to understand how people could not know about such a miracle, since many people already knew the girl was dead.  Perhaps Jesus just did not want the girl’s parents to make a special effort to advertise the miracle.

    (4) Lastly which kind of spirit return to the daughter in verse 55?

    Answer:  Her own, human spirit.

    Shalom, 

    Brother Denish.

    Thank you for the questions.

    Pastor John

  • Thought for Today on the Salvation of God from a Sermon from June 1997*

    Hi Pastor John,

    This ​Thought for Today ​is so good! I started reading again ​t​he Suffering and the Saints book, and this goes so very well with your introduction. I have been thinking and praying a​ ​lot on “being prepared, and ready” for God to visit us. To me, I have been having the thought, being prepared is ​being ​ready to be healed, or rather leaving sicknesses behind, ready to have your tears wiped away (having your mind on Christ), or like Sister Willie said ​Wednesday night to,​ “wear this world like a loose garment” (having no worldly cares). ​It’s God bringing us closer to Him in perfection; the more perfect we become​,​ the more we will be like Jesus, pleasing to the Father. I believe the Father likes the way His Son looks and feels.

    When you said last night, “When God visits, he’ll bring fire with him​,” ​that’s a fearful thought, but there is hope in that because we know the Father and His Son love us dearly; all ​that ​Jesus wants to do is burn the ropes that bind us like he did ​for ​Daniel​’s three friends​. Nebuchadnezzar’s servants even heated the furnace hotter​ than normal​, but it doesn’t matter what men can do anyway, and all that​’​s going to burn​ are ​the things that bind us. Look at what effect it had on a kingdom when the King saw Daniel​’s friends​ loose and walking in the midst​ of the flames! The whole kingdom was told to worship the God of Daniel.

    If we have dross, it’ll be raked aside. What a wonderful thought​!​ ​ Thai is, to be cleaner and more perfect in Jesus’ eyes.​ ​ There is peace, joy, and love (like Donna’s song said Wednesday night).​ T​he more the dross is out of our hearts and minds, the more we look ​at and act on what Jesus is doing and not on what Jesus did like the Pearl for Thursday September 17, 2015  says: “We’re not supposed to do what Jesus did; we’re supposed to be doing what he does.”

    I am so excited today for my life! I enjoyed to the fullest watching Laura​ be blessed.​ ​ I love​d​ seeing V​enus’​ joy​. ​ I loved watching my wife feel the power of God. ​ ​Oh my​!​ ​Can we be prepared to feel more of his love and power​?​ I pray,​ ​”Jesus, what must I do to be saved​?”​ There is even joy is asking God this question.

    We are coming up on something good in God​. W​hat ever He does or how​ever​ he visits will be good for the body as a whole. ​ ​God, let me prepare my house.

    Billy

    *This specific Thought for Today (TFT) is not available on line.  For a complete list of TFTs that are available on line click on the link below: 

    http://goingtojesus.com/site/php/thoughts.php?tname=tfm09-20

     

  • God’s Promise is Always True

    Hey,

    Yesterday driving home, I ran into some rain, a wall of water going across the highway. Right before I entered this waterfall I looked up and saw the biggest fullest rainbow I ever saw and instantly the thought popped into my head “God’s promise is always true”.

    It has been many a moon since God promised Noah to never flood the earth again…..and he hasn’t.

    Thought I would share that thought.

    Steve

     

  • 1993 Sermon

    Dear Bro. John:

    Thank you for sending your 1993 sermon “Destruction by Redefinition“ (and thanks to Amy B. for typing it for us). It blessed me again to realize that Jesus has saved us from so many of Christianity’s snares and opened our eyes to the truth, and that we believe and understand what he has given to us thus far. There was a lot to take in and so many good parts in the reading. I just wanted to share a small part that touched me:

    And when Jesus came on Peter’s boat, he said, “Depart from me Lord, I’m an unclean man. I’m unfit for you to be here.” That’s the kind of person Jesus was looking for, because he knew that Peter was unfit for him to be there. This whole world wasn’t fit for Jesus to come to. He was too good for the whole place. He was looking for someone else who knew that. And every person that would come to Jesus and say, “I’m not worthy for you to be here”, was blessed by God. They were confessing the truth.

    When the Centurion heard that Jesus was on his way to heal his son, he sent a servant and said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you under my roof. Just say the word and my servant will be healed.” Jesus looked around at those following him and said, “I haven’t seen this kind of faith in all Israel. That’s the kind of faith I’m looking for. Go tell that man his son is healed.” But they didn’t have to go down there and tell him, his son was healed when Jesus said it. When they got there, he told them his son was healed! They got to figuring on the times, and figured out the young man was healed at the same time Jesus said he was. That’s what Jesus is looking for – for somebody who feels unworthy of him. That’s somebody God has spoken to. When God speaks to you, you find out you’re not worthy of Jesus.

    My, my! If we come into His Presence with just that one thought – that we are unworthy of him. There is no room for pride in a heart that truly believes this. For him to visit us is such an honor and privilege. What I am feeling right now makes me want to crawl into our meetings.

    I was so very thankful for the “moment” Jesus shared with me Wednesday night. I needed to feel the refreshing of the Spirit, to feel that thankfulness to be able to lift my hands in praise and feel the Spirit just flowing. As I listened to the words of Bro. Darren’s song, they were like “scrubbing bubbles” to my soul. It was like I was listening to the story of a rich man and realizing I was the rich man! I was unworthy, but Jesus knew what I needed – Him! I was thinking today how the flesh doesn’t want to “get past” what happened yesterday, to just let go of it all so that we can have our sweet moments with Jesus. Then, I thought of how Jesus left everything good with his Father to come to this world of woe so that we might know that “glorious good” they shared. Jesus had nothing to let go of but good – his life was perfect. But, he did that for us. Yes, we are unworthy of such love. How precious is our Savior!

    So thankful for what you sent out today. Sorry for the length of this email, but I had to share just a little bit of how blessed I felt after reading your sermon.
    Sandy

    P.S. I do believe Bro. Darren’s song, “It’s Another One” may sum up the 1993 sermon. 🙂

  • God’s Choice

    Hey Brother John,

    During a recent meeting I gave a testimony about a relative being baptized in a river and how she rejected the truth about the holy Ghost baptism. Her rejection of the truth saddened me, and the next day I was feeling kind of down about it. Then a thought came to me which was this; “You didn’t get yourself here, and you can’t get them here either.” That thought lifted that burden off of me. It reminded me that anyone coming to the truth is a work of God.

    My question is this. Isn’t it also true that when someone leaves the truth, that’s also a work of God?

    Billy H.

    =========

    Yes, Billy.  Whenever anyone walks away from the truth of Christ, it is that God has judged them unworthy of it.  We cannot judge the truth; rather, it judges us. Jesus said something like this:

     And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.  He who rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him. The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John. 47-48).

    Pastor John

  • What I Want to Be

    Morning pastor John!

    Last night at the meeting when sister Willie spoke about her test results​, it​ was so good to me.​ ​ I feel so blessed to grow in God under saints like sister Willie, Lou and sister Betty. ​Sister Willie’s attitude is perfect. ​ ​If it’s cancer or not​,​ she’s still thankful and still happy and faithful to God. ​ ​That is exactly what I want to be.​ ​ I feel so thankful to have time with these sweet saints of God.​ ​ I have always wished I could have known your father and uncle Joe. ​ ​Just really felt connected to both of them.​ ​ I want to soak up all the gold from those here with us.​ ​ I want to grow and learn.​ ​ What a wonderful example of really living the truth sister Willie is. ​ ​I am thankful to be here in NC, in this part of God’s family.

    I feel very safe in our family.

    Beth

     

  • Wonderful Meeting! (September 2, 2015)

    Hi John,

    It was so good to see Lou in the meeting tonight!  Sweet testimony.  And Sister Willie!  My, so real and full of His work.  And the songs by Gary and Darren–Wow!!!  Thank you, Jesus!!!  I love hearing what God has done, over and over again.  It never gets old!  What a wonderful song: “It’s another one”.  Wow.  Thank you, God!! 

    Stuart

  • 20 Pieces of Silver

    The kids ask me how much the 20 pieces of silver were worth
    That Joseph’s brothers were paid for selling him. I can’t find that information on the Internet. Do you know or have any idea where to look?

    Te

    ==========

    There is no consensus, and a lot of different guesses, on what the 20 pieces of silver would be worth today. The same, by the way, can be said for the 30 pieces of silver that Judas received four betraying Jesus, and other weights and measurements of the Bible. Here is what one website said about the the 20 pieces of silver that Joseph was sold for:

    The denomination of the silver coins was called shekels. Coins containing that amount of silver (about the size of an American silver dollar) would be worth about $10 today. Thus the 20 pieces would be worth about $200 today, as bullion silver.

    However, another website makes this honest confession:

    A shekel of silver is the amount of silver which weighs a shekel. We don’t know exactly how much that was (and it may have been different at different times), but most scholars place it at around 10.5 grams– roughly the weight of two US quarters.

    So, to briefly answer your question: Nobody really knows.

    Pastor John

  • Constant and Persistent

    Good morning Pastor John,

    This morning Jesus woke me up with this thought, “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”  I looked up the word “diligently”, and one of its meanings is “constant in effort to accomplish something”; “attentive and persistent in doing anything”.

    I thought, “Lord, let me be constant in asking you for what I/we need.”  Then, Jesus began laying people on my heart, and I heard prayers come from my heart for different ones and for the body as a whole.  We need Him so much, every minute of everyday.  I want to be constant and persistent in serving and seeking Jesus. 

    Michelle H.

  • John 3:34

    What does “for God gives him the Spirit without measure.” mean?  

    Djc

    ==========

    Hi Damien,

    That verse means that we either have the Spirit or we don’t.  (The “him” is not there in the Greek, as you know.)  In general, it means that God either gives His Spirit or He doesn’t.  For God’s people, it shows them that there is no “saved, sanctified, and (then) filled with the holy Ghost”, as many of them claim.  A person is either born again or he is not.

    Pastor John

    ==========

    I guess if we received the holy Ghost first, without being baptized with it (as the Assembly of God and other denominations teach), and get the rest later at Spirit baptism, then that would be receiving the holy Ghost WITH measure (i.e. you just get part first, and a second “measure”, later)

    Gary!

    ==========

    Yes. That was my point.  It just never happens like that.

    Pastor John

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