Pastor John,

I was really blessed by the service tonight!! One of my favorite scriptures is Jesus bidding the Little Children to come to Him. We must all become like Little Children depending upon our Father for everything. Jesus takes us by the hand & leads by his Spirit to our Heavenly Father. But it’s when we become like teenagers & decide we don’t need his guidance anymore that hurts our spiritual growth or walk. I did enjoy service very much, enjoyed the testimonies & Darren singing very much!!

John C.

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Hi John,

Good testimonies tonight!  What wonderful things God has done for us! It was sweet watching Song dance in the Spirit 🙂  I loved Song’s testimony.  God just is, and he does it all.  How valuable is the truth!  It keeps you from the things of the flesh if we follow his spirit.  Wow, John, God scourges every one who wants to get close to him.  God, helps us take it!  I loved what you said about the fear of God; it can’t be taught by men, not his real fear.

Thank you, John.

Stuart

Speaking in Tongues at Spirit Baptism

Bro John,

Several years ago, in the morning, while getting ready for work, I heard the Spirit of God start preaching in my inner man.  It wasn’t audible in the room, but was very loud and clear to me. This is what I heard:

What was it that convinced the Jews that the Gentiles had been grafted in to Christ?

It would have been an impossibility, in the minds of even faithful Jews.  Jesus called us Gentiles dogs (Mt. 15) and continually sent His disciples only to the house of Israel.  Those Israelites – all Israelites! – KNEW that we Gentiles did not belong to God, and we didn’t. 

With that understanding, if Gentiles had suddenly started claiming to belong to Jehovah (the God of only the Jews), they would have been laughed at, at the very least, and possibly worse might have befallen them.  The Jews knew that the notion of a Gentile belonging to God was altogether absurd.   

No Gentile, or “dog”, as Jesus clearly stated, would have ever persuaded a devout Jew that he was in covenant with God by simply claiming that he “got saved” or that he “accepted Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior”.  Who would have believed such heresy?   When God grafted Gentiles into His New Testament family, into His Son, He had to send a convincing witness from heaven to the Jews that such a thing had taken place.  Otherwise, what Jew on Earth would believe such a thing?  He had to send a sure “testimony”, a “sign” from Himself that no one could refuse, an irrefutable sign that His children, the Jews, could not refuse.   

Peter was sent to Cornelius’ house to preach the Gospel of Christ.  We read in Acts 10:44, “While Peter yet spake these words, the holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision (Jews) who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.”

Something happened that astonished those Jews; something happened that caused Peter to confess in verse 47 that THE GENTILE, TOO, HAD AS WELL RECIEVED THE HOLY GHOST. Something occurred there which proved that the impossible was possible!  Because what happened WAS impossible and would have been altogether unbelievable.  Something made those Jews believe what was impossible for them to believe!

The scriptures tell us that “tongues are a sign for unbelievers”.  Who could have been in a state of unbelief more than those faithful Jews with Peter on that day, at that moment?  But God sent them a sign, an irrefutable sign that their God had been there, so that they would not stumble in their faith at the mercy poured out on us poor Gentiles.

God poured the sign out on them (the Jews) first, at the day of Pentecost, when they staggered under the power of God, in Acts 2. And then, after the Jews had a good measure and were quite full, He then did the impossible in the sight of the Jews.  He touched us Gentiles and sent us that same sign, in love, to help us all to believe and understand.  Oh God, how we need the type of conversion today that would convince and astonish even an unbelieving Jew.   God taught me that in my kitchen, bro. John.  I can tell that truth; it is my testimony.

Jerry

Pastor John, 

In today’s Pearl, your father said, “Don’t allow yourself to even feel right toward God until He does what He says He’ll do. Tell Him about it!” You cannot say that without intimate experience with God.  Right?  You don’t speak that way about God or anyone, unless you know them … and know their behavior.

If and when God doesn’t do what I think He might ought to, I say in my heart, “God, you know best,” and that is the best response that I have had.  If I am feeling weak in spirit, I might pout or get disheartened first.  But your father says, to paraphrase, “You knock on God’s door and tell Him that He owes you one.”

Who says that?!   Preacher Clark spoke of Him as One He knew well. 

I wouldn’t stand at God’s door waiting…because I have no experience.  I wouldn’t know what I was waiting on.  I don’t know Him, just of Him and even at that… only in fragments.  Your father appears to have known God well enough to expect Him to do what He says and then to respectfully ask God for it if He didn’t feel that He delivered. He didn’t make an excuse for not receiving His blessing.  It goes right along with “Heal us or tell us why not, God!”

I find this incredible and very encouraging. Your father respected, feared and loved God, I am certain.  But He also believed Him! And knew from experience that He was good for His word. Wow.  Saying we need that kind of experience in our life is telling it short, I imagine. Incredible.

I’m printing and framing this one.  I want the reminder to believe God … and to know that a person can know God in a way greater than I do. Thank you for this.

 Jerry 

more Pearls….

Good evening Pastor John,

A conversation with sister Natalie today reminded me of a lesson that Jesus taught me years ago. 

I used to pray “hard” when my feelings weren’t in line with the Spirit of God, instead of with more heart (as Sandy so perfectly described it: “hard praying versus heart praying”).

I would pray under a self imposed strain, trying to push through to God, to get realigned. Pushing in prayer made me feel more out of alignment and I would then respond by trying harder.  Then the Spirit told me something that would forever help me to consider my prayer life. That was this: “God will never meet you in the flesh, if He did, you would never leave it.”

I learned after that, that when I was out of alignment with Jesus’ Spirit,  I needed to let go completely and just float to the surface. It was in complete submission that the refreshing and realignment came.

Good night pastor John.

Good evening Pastor John,

I wanted to write down something simple that Jesus taught me a few days ago.  It is small, in that it doesn’t take up much space on paper, but it is a thought that I am confident came from Jesus, and it is a truth regarding the way of holiness.  If I may tell it:

I was about to start speaking to my wife, again…several days ago , and the Lord stopped me as the words were about to leave my mouth. I was about to begin my sentence with the word, “Usually…”  and the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “In the Spirit, there is no such thing as ‘usually’, or ‘most of the time’, or ‘generally’ “

I instantly understood God’s meaning, and in the next moment, I recounted your testimony of your father, Preacher Clark, telling you, as you continued to look on the tract room wall (by habit) for a clock that had been moved to another place,  that “The truth will save you from doing that.”  His point was that “the truth will cause you to look where He is, instead of where He was” (I am paraphrasing).

What wisdom! God is not a creature of “habit”, or “usually” or “most of the time”… and neither are His children who walk in His Spirit!  God is alive and now!  And so are we! 🙂

Jerry

Pastor John,

Many years ago, during a time when we were all assembled together in Louisville, you sat down with us and asked us a very sober question.  To paraphrase, you said something like this to us: “You all know that God will take care of you.  You know that He will be there in your time of need and when you are in trouble, that He will catch you.”  We all sat together in what felt like quiet agreement.  You then asked us, “But what if He doesn’t?  What if He doesn’t rescue you?  What if He doesn’t save you in your time of need?  What if He lets you burn up in the fire?”  I remember the room was very quiet.  If any there had an answer, we did not speak it.  You then went on to tell us that God can choose not to rescue us, and that if that is the case, He is still right and good.

You explained God in a new way that evening, new to me for certain.  You helped me to understand that we do not serve God in order to be rescued from the hard times, though He may rescue us.  We do not serve God to have our needs met or to be blessed, though He can do both.   We serve God, we bow to Him, we surrender all, because of Who and What He is. We don’t serve Him for anything that He may do for us.  He may slay us, and even then, He is still due our unconditional surrender.

Many weeks ago, the Spirit of God sat down in my truck with me.  It was like no experience that I have ever felt in the Lord.   I was at work at the time, and it was early in the morning, and for four uninterrupted hours, I knew what a completely subdued man felt like.  During that time, I was above my own thoughts as a human being.  I had no wants, no preferences, no desires, no concerns, no fear or confusion about anything.  I had no misunderstandings.  I understood man’s purpose perfectly.  I understood my purpose, perfectly, and in that place, for those four hours, I had the knowledge that whether God saves my soul or not is irrelevant to my purpose or my actions here on earth.  I knew that I was created to serve God and that I am His possession, and not my own, and whatever He did with me, with His possession, was not even a consideration of mine.

Pastor John, if I understand what you have said and what Jesus has allowed me to feel, then I would say that we may suffer terribly in this life and that Jesus may not bring the relief.  We may be hurt and suffer physical pain and loss that only a real connection with Jesus will get us through. We may not have a life that is comfortable, and it may be more sorrow than happiness.  If that is true, and we know this, and we know that our earthly condition and circumstances are God’s choice (to fulfill His holy and divine and eternal purpose), then we can endure it without being hurt, confused, and then bitter.  We can know that He loves us and that He has not forsaken His end of some imaginary deal that we have placed Him into, where we do this and He, in turn, does that.  I know that I have been guilty of thinking that way about God.

It has shown itself every time that I have been surprised or disappointed or saddened or discouraged by how things turned out. Many times in my heart I have said, “But Jesus, I thought you would…”  That was the imaginary deal that I placed God and myself into.

What is real is that we obey because He is our Creator.  We bow and must meet our appointed time to die because He is Holy.  He is free to do anything in response to our situation.  And whatever it is, He is right.  You have helped us to understand that scourging, chastening, and pruning will occur, if we obey God, just as Jesus said (Jn. 15:1-2).

The knowledge that it is God who is either hurting us or blessing us will save us.  Knowing He loves us all the while will save us. Our flesh can’t survive its imaginary deal with God.  It’s going to take the Spirit to survive this life and to meet God in peace.

The fear of feeling mistreated if God were to severely prune me even after I have done well makes me fearful and makes me want to disappear into that place where the mind of Christ is the only mind at work.  It knows God.

Jerry

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Hi Jerry,

Those are some sober thoughts.  I want to add that although the flesh can, and often does, imagine things about God that lead to frustration and bitterness, the covenant that God calls us to is the “real deal”.  In it, He promises, among other things, to save us from the coming wrath if we obey Him.  In the meantime, as you say, we may well suffer various trials as we go through this life. But if we are faithful to Him, we will be saved, and that will be a very great blessing!

Thank you for writing.

Pastor John

Good Morning Pastor John,

I woke up this morning early and had the sweetest thought. Jesus really turned my darkness into light.

I have fought depression for as long I can remember.  Even as a young girl I had a heavy sadness that seemed to follow me.  By 2010, I had been through multiple in-patient centers, seen multiple psychologists, and I cannot name all the medications I had tried.  I remember waking up and dreading seeing daylight.  I did not want to get out of bed, let alone have to try to function for another 12 hours.  I remember the day I called out to Jesus.  I was on my couch.  All the kids were gone for the day.  I lay on that couch for hours crying and wanting relief.  I had once met a person who told me about how God changed his life.  He said everything had fallen apart for him, his job, marriage, and his zeal for life.  Then one day after a really bad day, his truck broke down and he just crumbled.  He got out of the truck on the side of the road and just cried out to God.  He said he told God, “I can’t take anymore, Go!  If you are really there, then help me!  Take over my life.  I can’t take any more.”

Then a peace came, and a rainbow appeared in the sky.  After that, his whole life changed.  Now, I was leery of this story, but for some reason I remembered this as I lay there sobbing.  I cried out to Jesus. I said, “Jesus, I don’t know if you’re real or not, but if you are, I need you.  Every day is so awful.  Help me, Jesus!  Please send someone to love my babies like I do.  I am tired, Lord, and I really can’t take care of them.  Please, Jesus, I am so tired.”

Things got really bad for about two months after that.  I lost my home, and my children moved in with their dad and step-mom.  I lived on a relative’s couch.  It was during this time that I reconnected with Jerry.  I look back now, and I can see Jesus in every step. Then, I just remember feeling a little hope again.  Jesus did not instantly fix things.  He ever so gently removed damaged pieces.  Like a loving surgeon, my sweet Jesus cut and took out all that darkness, and added light.

I woke up this morning excited for my day — excited to open the blinds — excited to live. Jesus really is the light.  Literally removing my darkness. Praise God!  I am so thankful for life, for light and for Jesus. I just wanted to share that this morning.

Beth