Good morning John, 

Recently, I have been talking to God about having to spend so much time with medical things concerning my health since late June. It’s a life/world I have never known. It tires me out to have as many as five medical appointments in one week but we’re trying to find the cause for pain and swelling in my feet. I always end up telling God that I’m glad He knows what’s going on because I surely don’t.

I know Jesus sees us when we hurt physically and he also sees us when our heart is hurting. 

When our meeting began on Sunday, my heart was hurting. Even though there were visible tears in my eyes, there were invisible tears from my heart; it felt like my heart was crying. As the meeting went along and the spirit was moving, people were standing and being blessed, I was still sitting in my chair with both arms raised. A quick “swish” from Jesus came by me and my heart responded, “I don’t know what that was God, but I want more of it”. Immediately I stood up and began staggering to the right and then leaned forward over on a chair (I think) and it felt like I was gliding across the floor. Once I was on the floor on my back, I could vaguely hear people’s voices and someone was praying for my feet, patting them and someone else was praying, patting my arm. My eyes were closed the entire time and I felt so restful and relaxed. Then my heart started talking to God saying, “You did this for me, you saw my heart crying, Jesus, did those tears touch you, and did you really bless me because you were touched, that was so sweet of you, Jesus, thank you.”

This morning (Friday) I woke up at 3 and immediately started thinking about my experience. It was so good, I went over it the second time in my mind and a couple of things stood out this morning.

Because my heart was hurting and I felt a Jesus “swish” come by, my heart immediately responded that I wanted that and more, immediately I stood to my feet and immediately started staggering, and immediately felt restful and relaxed, no thoughts, no hurt, no pain. That immediate response was a heart response, not any kind of brain response. My brain is sometimes slow and if a brain response was needed I definitely would have missed out. In fact, when that strong heart response was there, there was no brain anything; I had no brain. (Of course, we all know that responding to the spirit is a heart thing anyway). But it was good to have no brain thought to deal with, not even one split second.

Our brain or flesh sometimes likes to make excuses as to why we did a certain thing; skirt around an issue, or use many words to wear someone out. But when all that stuff is raked off, the only thing left standing is “The Heart”. We can’t get around that no matter how hard we try. Even though you have said that all these years (since 1984 for me), it seems that I understood it even better after Sunday. 

Sheila

Pastor John,

Often, Beth and I speak of being in the one true “witness protection program”.  Jesus knows how to hide us from the mob. Now we just need to be good witnesses. Only real witnesses get hidden; even this earthly government knows not to waste their resources hiding anyone who isn’t a real witness. 

I really enjoyed what you pointed out tonight about us humans, again, having backward thoughts; that is, for us to think that having Christ in us, is better than being with him, in His presence.  That was true for the disciples before Pentecost, but now the opposite is true. He is in us now, but it will be greater for us to be with him when he comes.

After you said that this evening, I could just imagine Jesus’ disciples barely able to contain themselves as they proclaimed their joy of being in His presence, and Jesus then saying to them, “Oh, but what greater joy, for me to dwell in you !”   And then, Jesus’ present disciples – us – striving to receive the Spirit and have him in us, and obtaining it, and then we, proclaiming our joy, for “Jesus, now dwells within!”, only to have Jesus to speak again, with a smile on His face, and say, “Oh, but what greater joy for you to be with me, in my presence!” 

Ha ha!  I just have to laugh when I consider it. He is so wise and we are so not.  But we are loved, and He sees us through.  We don’t know anything, even when He tells us. We are always wrong, even when we are right. And more and more, I see that He is always right, even if He contradicts Himself without ceasing. His words make truth! The truth doesn’t even exist, until He is IT, at that moment in time. He doesn’t line Himself up with the truth, He creates it by existing.  And He permits our effort to count for something, out of sheer love for us. Otherwise, all that we do is useless and wrong, even if it is useful and right  🙂

Thank you. Good night.

Jerry 

Hey!

I just wanted to say hey, and also to say how sweet our songs are to me. Today I am at work and it’s been pretty quiet (which is very nice) so I’ve been able to play a little bit of Songs of Rest on the computer I am using. I just LOVE our songs. It’s been so sweet to have it on in the background – what sweet feelings.

What I really like is how I notice the pull of any earthly music doesn’t draw me near as much as it might have before. (I never really listened to a lot of worldly music before – only a bit from time to time – mostly I listened to Christian music). But when I listen to our music it is so good, so soothing, sweet and pure. I love it.

I just wanted to say!

Jenny

Pastor John,

I love our family. I love hearing brother Jimmy stand up and testify about needing God for everything, how we can do nothing without God’s mercy in allowing us to see and hear and feel Him. I love Damien saying he needs to be more like his dog, humble and at Jesus feet just begging for a touch. How could it be any simpler than to sit and wait at the Lord’s feet? Those testimonies make it feel so simple to please Jesus. So easy. The simpler the way, the safer I feel. 

I did not know about brother Earl until we got to the meeting. It hurt my heart. 

I needed to hear what you said tonight (September 30, 2015). I needed to hear to praise God now. Praise Him before we get the gold. I want to store these nuggets away. I want to be here with white hair someday, sharing these nuggets and testimonies. I really love being part of this family. I feel very thankful and I feel very safe.

Beth

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Pastor John,

Tonight’s meeting was so encouraging.   I loved all the wonderful testimonies!  Looking around tonight at all my brothers and sisters, my heart was overwhelmed with love.   I’m so thankful for being here, where Jesus put me.

Michelle

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Hi John,

How you all blessed me last night at the meeting! The love in that room reached out and hugged me so tight, all the way out here in California. And the unity in feelings!  It is all God!  Nothing happens that God isn’t in control of!  How wonderful to know that truth. How wonderful that God has chosen to show us that truth. He has given us such a treasure to be kept above everything else in our lives.

I love it!  And, I love you all!

Patty

Hi John,

I went to sleep last night pondering on all the things we read yesterday in the “God had a Son before Mary did” book and woke up this morning feeling so grateful and thankful for the spirit God has put in my heart to love him and his truth.  I feel more thankful than ever for what the Son of God did for us when he came down to this earth to make a way for us to partake of his and his Fathers kind of life.

I feel more desperate and dependent on him then I ever have before, there is nothing that is worth anything outside of his spirit that he has shed forth in our lives. We cannot live right, we cannot think right, we cannot judge right, we cannot treat people right outside of the spirit that his Son paid the price for us to have and trust in.  Everything outside of that spirit is sin and death!  My heart yearns’ for his sweet holy spirit to keep me and guide me every day.

We have been going through some really tuff times as of lately in our body.  When I got up this morning, I wanted to read something, so I got on the Going to Jesus web site and picked out a tract to read. The tract I picked out was tract  #7:
“Stand Still In Jordan”.  What an opportunity we have to stand still in Jordan and trust and have faith in what God is doing in our lives right now!  The waters are raging over the banks and the current is roaring by at great speed, and yet all we have to do is obey his voice and wait on our salvation.

He alone has our destiny in his hands and is ready to meet all our needs when it is time. Oh what faith I feel in my heart in his spirit and his guidance in these times. It’s like you have said, Pastor John, “What does God want us to do?”  That is the only thing that matters; that is the only place to be. All we can do is wait to hear his voice and move when it is time.  God help us to be ready!!

We don’t want to be as some of the Israelites were when God brought them out into the wilderness from Egypt.  They said, “He has brought us out here to die!” He has not brought us out here to die; He has brought us out here to Live!!! And live more abundantly!  And we have lived, and will continue to do so as long as we put all our trust in him. What a joy and pleasure it was to gather with everyone and read this week end.

Thank you, John.

Stuart