Hi Pastor John,

In my dream, Gary and I were driving together, and Joseph was driving the boys to meet us to do some work.  Afterwards, we left and went to a place where an “up and coming” preacher was going to teach on the word, “saved”.  We thought we would like to hear what he had to say.  When we got there, he was using and teaching another form of human wisdom, and basically was lying; he was just preaching to the younger generation and attempting to get into their hearts and minds.  I asked the young good-looking preacher, “Please explain to me what Jesus meant when he said, “Unless you endure to the end, you cannot be saved.” The preacher sat there in silence.  Then Gary and I got up and left in unison with the boys. 

The scene changed, and we were in a room full of music equipment.  Gary and I were talking about your diagnosis, and the situations with the families in the neighborhood, and the young lying minister telling people how to be saved.  Then Brother Gary said, ” I can’t take this anymore; I’ve got to sing!”

Gary asked, “What is that old time song about Canaan’s land?”  I started singing this song (it is one of my favorite songs to sing) by a group called Heaven Bound :), “Canaan’s Land is Just in Sight.”

I started singing it at the top of my voice.  Then Gary said, “That’s it!  That’s what I feel!”  Gary and the boys started to sing with me.  The boys were so much in unison singing with Gary that you couldn’t tell Gary from the boys, or separate one of the boys from each other; it was perfect harmony.  We were singing from our whole hearts to Jesus.  It felt so great! 

No matter who is teaching God’s people lies, no matter what physical ailment we have, no matter what spiritual battle we are going through, if we sing (do) everything with our whole heart to God, He has promised us Canaan’s Land.  It’s up to each one of us to dispossess the inhabitants of that land in unison and perfect harmony, but with God’s power we can, in His strength. No tribe conquered any territory without the help from the other tribes. 

I awoke out of my sleep before I got to the 2nd verse :/ , but the burden and heaviness that I felt last night was gone.  I feel so encouraged this morning.  So what, if we have a few more battles to fight, a few more enemies of God to dispossess, more land that needs clearing?  Who is leading us and who is our God? 

We can do this!

Billy M

​PS​:  

Here is the video link;  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScXty64f_Rw

I loved this group as a young man growing up. 

 

Hi Pastor John,

I listened to your new song, “I’m here to praise his name”, all day long today.  Brother Gary gave me a cd Sunday before we left to come home with the new music on it.  As I listen to the cd, I could feel the spirit of God all over me.  All I could do was fall on my face and pour my heart out to Him and tell Him how thankful I was for everything He has done for me in my life!  And I asked Him to forgive me for all the times I may have missed what He was doing for me, and did not realize how much he loved me.

When you sang the words, “Before my eyes opened in this world of sorrow, He knew my path would be filled with sin and shame”.  All I could do was thank God and Jesus for what they have changed in me, in my life, and where He has put me.  It made me want to find someone that I have mistreated, or mistreated me in my life, and do anything I can for them to make their life easier or better somehow.   Without the spirit of God and his power in our life, we will mistreat one another, but all I could feel was love for everybody in my life around me.

I asked God, “Let me feel this way always!”  When you know that God is the only reason you are who you are, you won’t be able to mistreat anybody in any way.  There is no wrong spirit in that Love!  I felt so grateful and overwhelmed with his presence while listening to your song, John.  I can’t put into words just how I was feeling.  It was out of this world.  It’s a beautiful song, John.  I know where it came from.

Thanks​,

Stuart

 

John,

I have been thinking about the meeting​s​ ​recently. ​ ​I am so thankful for the things I got to feel and hear! ​  ​I am thankful that Jesus and his  ​F​ather still let me feel the sweet power and feeling. ​ ​ I know it doesn’t have to be that way. ​ ​ I wish I could put in words what I feel in my heart today.

Thank you​,​ John​,​ for being there ​ –​​ ​And everyone that Jesus has put in my life to help me.

​T​hank you!

​Brother Jimmy T.

Hi John,

Doris and I have been reading the book of Hebrews, and at lunch at work I will read through the chapters again.  At work I had the best feelings of thankfulness for your teaching come over me while reading. I understood what I was reading about the tabernacle, the sanctuary, the candlesticks, the table, the shewbread, the veil, the Holiest of all, the ark of the covenant, the golden censor, the golden pot with manner, Aaron’s rod that budded, the tables, and so much more because of your teaching and what the Jesus has let me see.  I am very thankful to have you as my pastor.

Today while reading “by faith Noah…”, “by faith Abraham…”, “by faith Sarah…” etc., I start thinking about the faith we have had.  By faith, we believed God when he called, by faith we believed your teaching, by faith we came out of Christianity, and by faith, we repented and received the holy Ghost.  And the list goes on.

I just wanted to share with you the good thoughts and wonderful feelings I have been having.

Randell

 

Pastor John,

I’ve read that going to a holiness meeting is not serving God.​ ​ Preacher Clark said it​;​ you said it​;​ and many others, I imagine; the meeting of the saints is not serving God, it is a payday for serving Him all of the rest of the time.​  ​But then I thought, “How do you serve God?”  It is a simple question that the faithful and obedient in the Lord may never have to consider, but it felt good for me to ask it.​ ​ I ​k​new it wasn’t a meeting of the saints.​ ​ And it is not passing out trac​t​s, necessarily​ ​…. and I put them out for years.  Nor is it going out and telling folk about Jesus, necessarily.

I  went through a list of acceptable things​,​ and realized it was none of them, specifically​, but that serving God is the act of yielding. ​Yielding to God, yielding our members unto the Lord​, yielding to the Spirit, yielding to the Power.  We can’t know God’s thoughts or desires every moment​,​ like a list of chores to act them out and call it service to the Lord, but we can –​ ​and perhaps only can​ – yield to His power at this moment. ​ ​And we will have served Him for every moment that we were yielding.​ ​ It made me immediately think that no wonder it is true that  “He who hastens with his feet, sins​.​”​

In the light of these thoughts​,​ it seems impossible to me that we would be or could be yielding to God, while ​”hastening​”, or being in a hurry​.  And then I thought about slowing down. ​ ​We can’t serve God acceptably, which is to yield ourselves to Him, if we don’t slow down, slow  enough to feel the next living move, as it is happening. ​ ​And if we aren’t yielding​,​ I’m thinking that we aren’t serving the Living God.

​Jerry D

Pastor John,

I was lying here thinking that we have to stay lowly to survive God’s blessings, and I had this thought.  The difference between a blessing and a curse is your spiritual condition.  If God blesses you with a million dollars, and your spiritual condition is such that it carries you away from God, then you have been cursed.

It seems so simple but feels like it is right.

We pray always for good health for everyone and better understanding. Good night sir.

Jerry

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Hi Jerry,

I agree.  The book of Hebrews says that the same blessing of rainfall produces both sweet fruit and thorns, depending on the ground it falls upon.

May God give us grace to bear good fruit.

Pastor John

Good morning John,

It has been a “different” six days for me.  It has been over 20 years or more since my body has been in a state where I could not do anything.  I have been asking why, I think we must do that when these things happen.  I don’t have an answer from the Lord.  I know it is a sober time, and I know Jesus has answers.

Yesterday Sue T. sent me these old “Thoughts for the Morning” that I sent you years ago, when, I don’t know.  But they were a blessing to me to read them, and I thought I would pass them along.  If anyone is hurting, weak, or afflicted, I believe it is good to consider these things too.  It will give us peace knowing that God is working, and although we may be weak, He is still God.

Gary

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Thought for the Morning 1-15

Rejoicing in Weakness, Part 1

Good afternoon.

Boy, I am having a blessed day today!

This afternoon I went to the coffee shop with my Greek New Testament book and started to read 2 Corinthians. Donna said you all got blessed at verse 10, in chapter 12. But I never got there! I was overcome by reading verse 9!

I don’t know anything really about the Greek language, but I can match up the words a little bit here and there – and here are some possibilities of what I read in verse 9:

“The power is perfected in weakness”

“My power is perfected in weakness”

“The power in weakness is perfected”

“My power in weakness is perfected”

“The power in weakness is made perfect”

“My power in weakness is made perfect”

“In weakness my power is perfected”

“In weakness the power (of God) is perfected” …. and so on.

I just could not get off of those words… re-reading and rearranging them. And then, I started to get all flushed, and feeling it. The feeling was, “I’ve been going about it all wrong all this time!”

The goal, we oftentimes hear, is to “be strong in the Lord”. That’s not what I was feeling. I was feeling that the goal is really, to be “weak”. How weak can we be? How genuinely humble can we be? I was nearly afraid to think and say the next thought – but I did pray it anyway before fear could stop me: “Jesus, send me opportunities to be ‘weak’. In insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in distresses. For this truth, God, give me the strength I do not have without you.”

All of the people that God touched were made weak. Abraham (went out), Moses (fled), Joseph (imprisoned), David (sinned), your father (failures and disappointments, persecutions)…. who’s willing to go there?

God help us. I pray that God’s children will answer such a call.

Thought for the Morning 1-16

Rejoicing in Weakness, Part 2

Hi John.

I have NEVER before made the connection between weakness (infirmity), and power (strength). It was exciting to see how many times it is in there. That’s good.

2Cor. 12:9-10 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

2Cor. 13:4 “For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.“

Heb. 11:34 “[Those of faith] quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”

1Cor. 2:3-5 “And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”

1Cor. 15:42-43 “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.”

1Cor. 1:24-25 “But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.“

Gary

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Thanks, Gary. That is good! Paul speaks of taking pleasure in his weaknesses several times late in 2Corinthians, “so that the power of Christ may cover over me.” Amen!

Pastor John

PS- You are such a weakling that you make me feel weak!

Pastor John,

Jenny’s email about the cross and her thoughts about how men stop there and worship it instead of going past it and on to Jesus (see post June 1, 2015, The Cross), along with the​ other​ emails​,​ reminded me of when I was at your house recently with a few others. ​ ​There was a brief conversation about the cross and how that Jesus had to go beyond it to finish the sacrifice.​ ​ I know that we already know that, but it was refreshing to hear it again. ​ ​The truth really never does grow old to our ears or hearts.

I am still thinking about what you said to me as I hugged you and said goodbye. ​ ​You said “finish the sacrifice​.​”​ ​ I left there thinking, ​”Yes, I can do that.​” ​ I knew that my life is the sacrifice, but these emails have made what you said more clear to me.​ ​ In finishing the sacrifice, we are living our lives out to where we, with Jesus’ help, will one day be able to present our sacrifice (our life) to the Father​,​ as Jesus did. ​ ​This has been very good to think about.

Darren