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  • Thankful

    Hi Pastor John,

    I was working in the mountains yesterday.  After I finished the job, the homeowner asked me to look at another window in her kitchen. Looking out the window, it has a wonderful view of pasture land which lead to the south-east side of Pilot Mountain. Beautiful! 

    The homeowner had her printed testimony on the kitchen table. She is a cancer survivor, like me.  We shared one another’s cancer testimonies; I loved her humility. You can tell she puts everything she does into what knowledge she has about Jesus, but what is heart-braking is that she didn’t know anything about the Spirit, only what she had read or taught by her Pastor; she doesn’t have the experience of receiving the “Blessing”.  I could hardly contain my tears for her.

    Right before I arrived at her house, I stopped in a parking lot (because I was early) and read again the tract, Stir Up the Gift of God, and came to the part, “Prayer is the paddle we use to “stir up” God’s unspeakable gift”.  It’ only the holy Ghost or God’s “Blessing” inside of us that can pray to God what we really need in our souls. Though prayer is the paddle, I had the thought that it is our experiences or testimonies with and of God that are the hands that hold the paddle.

    As I was giving my testimony about my ex-cancer to her, I felt that paddle stirring in my heart and became so thankful for the holy Ghost and what Jesus has done for me. It is no small thing to receive the Truth and then have an anointed man of God to teach us and understand the truth.

    She did have a hand written scripture on the kitchen table from, Isaiah 41:10 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness”.

    I gave her a copy of my book, In God’s Shadow and I hope she reads it. It felt very good talking with her.  The book is a testimony that leads to the links of us on the web.  I know if she would only look up the links to our web pages, it would answer a lot of her questions about Jesus.

    On my way home, I started just praising God in my truck and feeling the power of God in my body.  I started thanking God for the many experiences that he has given to me and the help that He has put around us, while so many precious souls do not have it.  I was praying, “Jesus, if I am to make it in the end, I will need to have more experiences with you.”  Past experiences are so wonderful to reflect on, and they help your faith, but it’s the new experiences that keep the paddle moving.

    Thank you, Pastor John, for being used by Jesus to rescue me (us).  And, thank you to Barbara for making it possible for Judy and me to be there in August 2001.

    God is good,

    Billy  

  • Tract Reading Last Night

    Stir Up the Gift of God

    Good morning John,

    I loved reading through the tract last night about stirring up the gift of God.  It has always been one of my favorites, but I hadn’t read it in quite a while.  I feel like it was needed, because I had been feeling a little “humdrum” in the spirit for a while – letting my thoughts get too caught up in day-to-day activities, work, news, weather, jobs, etc., and not stirring up the holy Ghost in me enough to burn off the daily dirt of the world that builds up.  One of the things that stood out to me in the tract was the line that says, “Oh, how we need to stir this gift, which is our only hope, both as individuals and as the body of Christ!”  Like you mentioned last night, what a wonderful thing it would be if each of us – and all of God’s people – would stir up the gift that God has given us, every day.  What amazing things Jesus could do with us if we all kept the Spirit stirred in us, and made listening for, waiting for, and obeying that still, small voice our top priority every day!

    Last night felt so good, praying with everyone and hearing Darren’s song, and Earl’s testimony again, along with Gary’s song.  This morning in the shower I was just praying and speaking in tongues, and letting that paddle of prayer stir the holy Ghost up in me.  It felt like a shower of warmth that went beyond just the water of the shower.  It made me very thankful just to have that free gift to even be able to stir it up.  God help us not to neglect it!  I like this verse in Jude that we recently went over with the translating group:  “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the holy spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, receiving the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” (20-21).
     

    Vince
     

  • Malachi 4:5-6. #3

    Yeah…. so it is one of those prophecies that has multiple (both immediate and future fulfillment), kind of like​ Isaiah 28 had to do with both the invaders coming in to Israel during Isaiah’s day, and the future fulfillment on the day of Pentecost?

    “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear​.​”

    By the way, ​years ago, ​when I told pastor E​—​, at the Assembly of God church, that Isaiah 28:11-12 was ​a prophecy of ​speaking ​in tongues and the “rest” of the new birth – he told me I was wrong and that that verse was talking about invaders coming into Canaan’s land, whom the people of Israel would not be able to understand, and that after that, the land would have rest.

    I told him that I agreed with that part, but it was also a dual fulfillment because Paul quoted the same verse in 1 Cor.14:20-22 and said it had to do with tongues today.

    He said, maybe so, but you still don’t need to speak in tongues to be saved. What could I say. :/ That’s how those discussions went.

    Gary

    ​============

    Yes, that prophecy had a double fulfillment, it was so great.

    Your former pastor’s response sounds like what that Christian minister said about me on his web site, the man who accused me in the local newspaper of teaching that a person has to live in North Carolina to be saved. On his web site, he ridiculed me for saying that Proverbs 8 was the Son of God speaking through the prophet. I mean, how much more of the Son of God could it be?

    Tell you what, if a person rejects the truth about the new birth, there is no telling what they will think, say, or do next.

    Whew. God have mercy … on him and on us all. Every one of us are fools without Him.

     jdc

     

  • Malachi 4:5-6. #2

    Hi John,

    I always thought these verses from Malachi 4:5-6, also in part at least, were prophetic of John the Baptist:

    Luk 1:17-18  “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.   And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years…”

    Mat 17:10-13  “And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?   And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.  But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.  Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.”

    I’m assuming that Elias in the NT here is Elijah…. and seems that the wording is similar in Luke and Malachi…is that correct?

    Gary

    ​============

    Hi Gary,

    Yes, that is true, but John the Baptist was himself a figure of the real Elijah, whom God will send to Israel, along with Moses, immediately before Jesus returns.

    Pastor John 

  • 2Samuel 21:8

    Pastor John,

    In this verse f​rom​ ​2Samuel, it speaks of Michal​ ​(Saul’s daughter who despised David for dancing before the LORD) bringing ​up ​children for ​Adriel ​the son of Barzil​l​ai.​  ​Would it have been customary for the king​’​s wife to do this? ​ ​I was thinking maybe also David had mercy on Michal and allowed her to raise these children. ​ ​Then I thought maybe that was part of the punishment from God for her hard heart and her pride. ​ ​It would have been hard for her to have them given up for death after raising them.

    Seems a little odd that she would raise children after being shunned for conceiving children.

    Just wanted to see if you have any information or thoughts on this?

    Beth

    ​===========

    Hi Beth,

    Those children were Michal’s five sons that she had by Adriel during her years of separation from David, after Saul gave her to Adriel instead of David (1Sam. 18:19).  She was not the king’s wife when she was given to Adriel.  She was the wife of an outlaw, in King Saul’s eyes.  Her marriage to David had been annulled, so to speak, by Saul, and she became Adriel’s wife.  When David became king, he demanded that Michal be given back to him, and she was.  later, he executed those five sons of Michal (2Sam. 21:1-9).

    Pastor John

  • Reading Psalms

    Good Morning Pastor John!

    We are reading Psalms for part of OT homework.​ ​ I just love Psalms.​ ​ I feel like saying out loud​,​ “I know David!​ ​ Isn’t God good!”  It​’​s like knowing a VERY big important secret and stumbling across something written from someone else who knows the secret. ​ ​I get waves of excitement when reading different Psalms. ​​I would have liked to have met David! ​ ​So many feelings Jesus gives us can be found in PSALMS! It​’​s like a sweet​,​ sweet reminder from God that He gave those feelings​​ then​, just​ like He gives to me today.​

    ​Even Absalom turning against David, those feelings of loving your child but not being able to be a part of their lives, is part of my life.​ ​(I know that was due to David​’​s sin​,​ but it is still feelings of a longing for ​a child to get it right so you can be with them​.​)

    It is a shouting kind of excitement to feel the words written!!!!!!

    Excited in Jesus,

    Beth

  • Malachi 4:5 & 6

    Hi John,

    I was reading in Malachi this morning and ran across the two verses below.

    What is verse 6 saying?

    How will hearts be turned?  Is he referring to Elijah from verse 5, or is it the Lord?

    Malachi 4:

    5.
    Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
    6.
    And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse”

    Tom​

    ============

    Hi Tom,

    We can see many benefits to what God says He will send Elijah to do.  Primarily, what God is promising is that He will heal relationships and re-establish the order ​among us that He intended in the beginning.  When elders  (“the fathers”) are in God’s order, they have a kindly and nurturing attitude toward those in their care.  At the same time, when those who are being cared for (“the children”) are in God’s order, they view their forebears with respect, which is contrary to the way a proud generation thinks, as Solomon’s friend Agur observed:

    Proverbs 30

    ​11.
    There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
    ​12.  ​
    There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.
    ​13.  ​
    There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.

    What else God may have had in mind when He promised to send Elijah with the blessing of good order in the home, I cannot say.  But I will say that the blessings that come from God’s order ​are many, and to be in God’s order is something we pray for, so that we will be a blessing on the earth

    ​Pastor John​

     

  • His Mercy

    Good morning Pastor John,

    The last night at the beach Jenny and I went for a bike ride.  It was a beautiful night. As I was riding back I started thinking about you, Kathy, Gary, Sammy, the little girl that was bitten by the shark and many more.  Every time I had a thought about each I heard, “but I had mercy…” 

    Last night I was turning the TV and saw some show about an accident that happened in 2007.  A huge bridge had fallen and the survivors were telling of their experiences.  One lady was in her car and fell into the Mississippi river.  She was saying how she knew she was going to die but kept hitting against the car to get out.  She does not remember how she got out of the car but she did and she made it to shore.  One man’s car took a nose dive 70 yards straight down.  All his window were blown out and the car was crushed in except where he was sitting.

    All I kept thinking as I was listening is, “What would we do without His mercy?”

    This morning I woke up with this still on my mind.  I began reading Psalm 136:

    ¹O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

    2 O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.

    3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.

    4 To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.

    5 To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.

    6 To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.

    7 To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:

    8 The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:

    9 The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.

    10 To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:

    11 And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever:

    12 With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.

    13 To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:

    14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:

    15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever.

    16 To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.

    17 To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:

    18 And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:

    19 Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever:

    20 And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever:

    21 And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:

    22 Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.

    23 Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:

    24 And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.

    25 Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.

    26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.”

    I’m so thankful for His mercy Pastor John.  Makes me want to stay in the Masters hands.

     

  • The Lord Will Not Cast Off Forever

    ​Pastor John,

    Michelle’s email goes along with what I am reading in Lamentations. (See blog 6/14/2015, His Mercy). ​ ​This morning I was reading from chapter 3​,​ and I really wasn’t looking forward to it because chapters 1 and 2 were so hard, and so sad – God was very wrath with Judah. ​ ​But chapter 3 is where the light starts to shine in and there is a kindle of hope! ​ ​Verse 22 and 23 are my all time favorites.​ ​ “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness”. ​ ​All those verses around there are very good, but v 22 is the best​:​ “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed”.​ ​ It makes me agree with Michelle and think how it always His mercy that we are kept safe and not harmed, and it was of His mercy that none of us were harmed by the shark, and that Sammy’s condition was not much, much worse.

    But also, this time I noticed v 31 “For the Lord will not cast off forever”.​ ​ Oh my! ​ ​I love that! ​ ​It brought to mind a time way back, when I was about 23. ​ ​I did something the Lord was extremely displeased about – it was not a “sin”, but I knew the Lord was displeased.​ ​ I believe I had really offended God in a way.​ ​ After that episode was over I could not feel the Lord anymore.​ ​ I felt very much like He’d turned his back. ​ ​This went on for about 6mo or more.​ ​ Finally, I was feeling so bad at not being able to find him anymore, and knowing my prayers were not going up.​ ​ I felt like I was in a dry, arid desert. I called out to Him with all my heart and said, “Lord, I am in a desert. If you don’t help me I will die.​ ​ Please help me. I’m sorry”. ​ ​Then I made some things right – some things I’d just been careless about. ​ ​And I sought the Lord again, and found him again. The Lord did not cast me off forever.​ ​ I love His mercy, and am very thankful for His mercy on me.

    Jenny

  • Beyond Choosing

    Pastor John,

    There are a lot of thoughts floating around my home, thoughts about emails, Pearls of the Day, and the like. They have been building one on another for days.

    It sure feels like Jesus.

    Things for me just keep coming back to the place that you spoke of a month ago, the “neither this nor that” place, that you described. That place where you don’t choose between good and evil, the place where you just are and what you are is holy. When you described it for us pastor John, you described it, that evening, as the place where we could properly love God’s children. The place above drawing sides, which always forces others to do the same. The place above choosing between one or the other of anything. The place above the division caused by choosing good over evil.  Pastor John, when I awoke this morning, I never once made the choice to be a human being, and I have been a human being all day. That, to me, is what this place is like, that you described to us.   It’s where you are a holy creature, by God’s design, and whatever you do, whatever you think and whatever you say is holy. It’s a place where you are free to function and be of service to God, without carnal worries. You would have to leave the place of holiness to make a choice to be good. You would have to become carnally minded to choose the good.  You would have to backslide from Holy… to be good.

    That old Pearl from last year, posted this week on FB, by TE, was such a reinforcement of what you described to us that evening in your home. Preacher Clark explained, in that Pearl, the promise of perfect peace, described by Jesus, when our minds are stayed on Him.  That perfect peace only exists in that place above decision that you described to us.  That place of liberty, liberty to just live as a holy creature, free from worry of wrong decisions and free from worry for our own well being, which is without fail a full-time job for the carnal mind.   In that place that you described, we are free to be perfect.  We are above the law, above reproach, above the judgment of men, and for all that, we are most beneficial to all men.  We are this world’s help because what God is perfect. 

    Preacher Clark pointed out that we insult God with hand-wringing prayers of fear and doubt. You have to leave that place of holiness that you described, pastor John, to have those fears and that doubt…and then to pray about them. They don’t exist in that place above decision-making. Prayers of faith come from the place you described to us. You have to backslide from being holy to pray for food, clothes and shelter. I believe Jesus told us not to do it.

    In the place that we are to be, our abode, where the Power is, praise, thanksgiving, and prayers from God’s heart erupt, you can feel them. There is never fear or uncertainty there. That is our home.

    We cannot yield ourselves to God and perform God’s work if we are worried for our survival. It would be like one of us setting down and trying to teach our young son or daughter something, and that child interrupting us to tell us how worried they were about where they were going to get food for their lunch, when WE, their parents, have provided every meal they have ever eaten.  It was important to God, so much so that Israel was required to take one day’s rations every morning.  They did not have that spiritual place, that you described, available to them then.  But God made them live like they trusted Him.  He was trying to teach them then that all their needs were met by Him, daily, and not their storing up of manna or anything else.

    Pastor John, if we are nervous when our bank account is lean, we do not trust Jesus.  There is a place of perfect peace and rest, where prayers are made of power and where we live for the glory and service of God.

    I have failed God so much in my life that knowing this place exists thrills my soul.  I want to go there.  The old Preacher Clark recordings make me think of this place.

    You have been describing holiness for as long as I know of. I have just begun to see. We love you brother John.

    Jerry

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