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  • Being Human

    Hey There, 

    I just stumbled across this email I sent about a year and a half ago. Felt good reading it again. I read it and thought, wow, that’s exactly how I feel today, still! 😉 

    I really, really appreciate you John, for doing your part. If we all do our part, we are all going to be fine now, and in times to come. 

    Paul

    Date: September 25, 2013

    Pastor John,

    I wanted to share something that happened to me while I was traveling this week.

    I was in my hotel room with Jacob, after leaving the job site. I haven’t watched TV in a very long time, probably months.

    I was watching the History channel and every commercial that came on I had to mute. They were terrible. Jacob was on his iPad, not paying much attention to me. I found myself having to turn the station while commercials came on because they were so filthy!  I began tell myself “humans are terrible! How far will they go?”

    It seemed like the few months I have stopped watching TV it has doubled in perverseness, most all commercials, programs, and even to the news anchors!

    I felt the spirit tell me “you are not human!” It felt so right! All I could say was “Thank you Jesus! I’m not human!”

    Humans, and the nature that comes with “human beings” is all about them, all perverse in some way or another. I could rally feel in that, that I’m a new creature! 

    It’s more than words can say, or that I can write down. All the problems I have had or that you see others struggling with is human nature. There has never has been true happiness and fellowship in human feelings.

    It’s so, so much more than I can describe. Human feelings are always up and down, sad and happy. Never each for a long time, but always unsettled. The only true happiness and fellowship comes from Jesus, not any promotion and advancement from human positions, or friendships at work etc..

    This human body was only created as a vehicle for my spirit to do God’s will. This body is at war with that daily.  As much as I love the feelings from God, the flesh hates them.

    I’m only here to do my part for God, teach my young children His ways, and to be available to do all that He wants. And there is plenty of time to do it all. 

    I came from a very busy, fast-paced life. I know most people have seen that in me over the past years. But this past year, being brought down to zero, and being re-built, has been a true miracle.  My thoughts and feelings are so different.  I used to have my mind so over-worked and smoking at times, where I couldn’t even think, being in that condition I was unable most of the time to hear Jesus speak.  I’m learning that there is a way to work hard and still hear and see what Jesus is wanting. The job Jesus has me doing now, (which is great!):-) never ends.  When I come home from working my job that I have, to provide for my family, I start taking care of them in a little different way.  My care for them never stops. They need me doing both.

    I’m just saying, I love having my mind on the things of God, wherever this human body is.  That’s doable!  I love listening to the Old Testament study in my work truck. The people back then are us! We have the one thing they were missing, and we can do it!  Jesus said so!  Sure love you all!

    Very satisfied,

    Paul 🙂

     

     

  • Old Testament Study

    Morning Pastor John!

    I hope you’re feeling well. I am reading Kings and the paperwork from Your OT class. I hope to see your pictures from Israel sometime. I am amazed at how many people in the OT had such amazing experiences with God, and then turned away. Too many thoughts and feelings to put in a letter! I am really enjoying learning about God’s feelings and desires. I hope you have a sweet day today!

    Beth
    ===========

    Thank you, Beth. It is a wonderful thing to see you enjoying your study of the Old Testament so much.

    Pastor John
    ===========

    It has really helped me understand God’s feelings and wants for us. I used to feel like God was very hard (ha! kinda like I felt about you…never really put that together) now I can’t believe how much He loves us.

    Beth
    ===========

    Oh Beth! Well, my goal is to be able to say what Jesus once said: “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” I mean that the way Preacher Clark meant it when he asked a congregation, years ago, “Has anybody seen God in you lately?”

    Pastor John

  • Sometimes, Evil Wins

    Pastor John,

    I have really enjoyed our Old Testament study.  Thanks for all the time you put in it so that we can learn the bible.  Jimmy has done a nice job.  We read the story of Ahab, Jezebel and Naboth.  I remember when you told us that evil does win sometimes.  That’s what I thought about when I read that story.  Naboth was righteous and he died by the hands of the unrighteous.  Ahab and Jezebel may have thought they could get by, but no one ever does.  Jesus is our near kinsman. 😉

    Natalie
    ==========

    Amen, Natalie.  The old saying, “He who laughs last laughs best”, comes to mind when I think of this terrifying portion of scripture:

    Proverbs 1:24-28 KJV
    [24] Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; [25] But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: [26] I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; [27] When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. [28] Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:”

    Let the world and even unwise children of God laugh and mock us; only, dear God, may we never hear the Almighty laugh at our calamity and mock at our fear!  May He always be our Redeemer, our avenging Near Kinsman!

    Pastor John

  • Merciful without Sin

    MERCIFUL WITHOUT SIN

    “Every high priest . . . is able to deal gently with the ignorant and misguided

    because he, too, is encompassed with weakness.”

    Hebrews 5:1–2

    When we know ourselves, we are merciful to others. Until we come to know ourselves, however, we usually are not so merciful.  People who are proud of how good they have always been are the least merciful and the most impatient with those who fail. One of my earliest feelings about the Lord was wonder, when I thought about how merciful and patient he is, and yet, he never sinned. How did Jesus come to be so incredibly forgiving without first being humbled by failures of his own?

    What Jesus told his disciples really is true: “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”

     ==============

    I love this John.

    To love mercy and to walk humbly with our God is a blessed and wonderful thing. To be able to have mercy without sinning is nothing short of miraculous. Oh, for us to have hearts of mercy, yet still walk in God’s holy standards, upright in His integrity! That takes God’s power – it’s impossible for man.

    As you said here, if we don’t know ourselves (that is, how much we are being held up by Him every moment, every day), we can become proud. Proud of how good we are doing (compared to other people that we think are “blowing it”). 

    When it gets that way, and we are puffed up, I believe it can benefit our proud heart if we have a BIG fall, and then, if we are wise, it can be a stepping stone to learning the mercy of God. When we have fallen, we learn how precious mercy is. But to learn it without falling,  like Jesus did… woo hoo, what a short-cut to life in the highest!

    Thank you for sharing this – it really felt good.

    Gary

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

    Pastor John,

    Whew. This [Pastor John’s message, “Mercy without Sin”] is the truth, and I am still learning it. That pride messes up everything!  That is a new thought to me, what you said at the end about how Jesus is so merciful, yet he never sinned. My, what great compassion, and what great love.  It makes me think of that song, “To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus, that’s all I ask, to be like him.”  And Jesus loves people.

    Donna

     

  • He Did Not Glorify Himself

    “No one takes this honor upon himself, but one who is called of God, as in the case of Aaron.  Likewise, even Christ did not glorify not himself to be made high priest; but He who said unto him, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.’” Hebrews 5:4-5

    Dear friends, “Come, let us reason together.”  If either of the doctrines of “the Holy Trinity” or “Oneness” was true, if the Father and the Son were actually, somehow, the same Being, then the man of God who wrote the book of Hebrews would never have thought to write the above verses.

    jdc

  • The Meeting this Morning (February 15, 2015)

    Hi John,

    What a wonderful song by the children today, and sweet hugs for everyone 🙂 What  wonderful feelings in his sweet holy Ghost!  I love sweet fellowship in his holy way that he has given us.  It makes life worth living.  He cares how his people feel and live together with one another.  I thank Jesus for the spring of living water and the “joy unspeakable” that he has shed abroad in our hearts by the power of the word that his Father gave him!!!  What refreshing from above!  I love the beauty of holiness; it looks so beautiful on his people!  Oh, God, let us be a light to your people, a light that shines brighter and brighter every day with your love and peace and joy!!

    How much more he is beyond the cross, all that he was raised up to obtain from his Father for us when he presented himself to his Father for our sins and was accepted of him.  How glorious that day was for every soul that is his, old testament and new!  I heard a saying the other day and it was, “You can’t teach someone what you know until they know how much you care.”  I know that when God called us, we fell in love with what we felt more than what we were hearing at the time. We did not know how much he cared for us until we felt how much his people cared for us, and then it became more than just a feeling.

    Stuart

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

    Wow!  The meeting today was just overwhelming.  I loved watching everyone loving one another after all of what Jesus had brought us through.  I had tears and shouts of thankfulness.  Then how you helped the young ones.  It is what they really want.  The Praters singing together was beautiful.  I don’t have enough time or words to tell all that I seen and felt today.  Thanks Bro John for giving us and our children the best place on this earth to serve God and his Son! 😉

    Natalie

     

  • John 12:14-16

    Pastor John

    I had my attention drawn to these verses this evening.  It says just what is said in your book God had a Son before Mary Did about there being no understanding until the day of Pentecost was fully come.  John says it plainly here, (and wants the reader to understand that they only understood that prophecy later on) and so does the book (without quoting this scripture by the way :)) but, of course, you must understand when Jesus was glorified.  

    How blessed we are to know these things!

    Damien

    John 12:14-16:

    Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, ‘Do not be afraid, O daughter of Zion! Look! Your king is coming, seated on the colt of a donkey.’  The disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they realized that these things were written about him and that they had done these things to him.”

  • Speaking in Tongues in the Assembly

    Dear Pastor John,

    Thank you for your answer to my question concerning the kingdom of God and OT saints. 

    To your final greeting “May God bless you and all the saints there with you!”, I am at this point have no believers that I come together with on a regular basis. I’m not attending any church and the brothers and sisters that I am in contact with do not agree with this decision of mine and that created some distance between them and me. I keep praying that the Lord would strengthen me and build me up in His truth and give me wisdom and guidance in how to share what I received from Him with those that I know. I live with my Mother, by the way, who has faith in Jesus but has not received the Spirit so far, and she always loves to listen when I share with her what the Lord has been speaking to me.

    Recently I wrote an e-mail to many of my friends and acquaintances in which I explained that I believe the experience of baptism in the Holy Spirit is the new birth and that those who have not received this experience should seek it. I received some encouragements from some of my friends, but some of the leaders of my former church told me that what I’m saying is heresy. It’s a very interesting experience though that the Lord seems to give me an ability to discern the spirits that are working in those that respond. When someone sends me a word of encouragement I really feel that it is the Lord who speaks through them. But in some of the negative responses I sensed spirits of pride, anger and even religiousness. Actually in none of the negative responses did I sense that the Lord would lovingly try to correct me, even though I am opened to it. The strongest attacks of the enemy came through people who passionately told me that they are really concerned for me and that they will be praying for me.

    The question that came up in me is concerning speaking in tongues in the assembly. When I watch the meetings in your house online I see that at times everyone is praying out loud and everyone is praying in tongues. It is always uplifting for me and I really feel the Spirit moving in those meetings, but I am always reminded of what Paul said about this to the Corinthians:

    “If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?” 

    “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.”

    What do you think about the whole matter of speaking in tongues “in the church”?

    Lastly, I would like to let you know that last night I was watching the February 11 meeting of yours online and I was really touched and my spirit was lifted up, and I needed it so much! It was so good to hear the testimonies of different people and feel that gentle, loving spirit that spoke through ALL of them, and how you guys were discussing the terrible spiritual condition of God’s people and just feel the compassion and the love in you guys. I prayed to the Lord while I was watching it: Lord, this is what I want in my life! That the love for the people of God would be so much greater than any fear (fear of rejection, fear of failure), that I would be absolutely free to love my brothers and sisters and speak the truth to them.

    So, this is my prayer and I know the Lord is working in me, but I’m also aware that I need so much more of His love, His Spirit and His truth. Thank you for taking the time to read all this. Many blessings to you and all the saints there in Burlington!

    Your brother,

    Zoli

    ​============

    Hi again, Zoli!

    If you are open and honest about the light Jesus is giving you, then you will certainly suffer rejection (and even pity) from the very ones the truth is for: God’s children.  It has always been that way; it is unavoidable once you hear and believe the truth.  I marvel at it, every time Jesus shows someone the truth and that person loves it (which is not often).  You are a rare person!  As you no doubt are beginning to realize, the truth creates within us a deeper measure of love for God’s children, even though most of them do not understand this love, and many are suspicious of it.  When Paul felt these things, he told some saints, “The more I love you, the less I be loved,” and asked, “Am I become your enemy because I tell you the truth?”  To be willing to suffer for the good of God’s people is part of the process of being crucified with Christ, but it is the small price we are asked to pay for the greater honor of having our eyes opened to the truth of the gospel of Christ.

     Now, as for the issue about speaking in tongues “in the Assembly”, I believe that exhortation from Paul concerns speaking to the assembly and not simply speaking in tongues during a gathering of the saints.  I don’t consider myself or the others here to be “speaking in the Assembly” just because we are speaking in tongues while we are praying or praising God together.  In my view, we are doing as Paul said we should be allowed to do at the end of his instruction:  “but if there be no interpreter, let him be silent in an assembly, but let him speak to himself and to God.”  I jokingly tell people who complain about us speaking in tongues in the meeting not to interrupt us; we are only doing what Paul said to do; we are speaking to ourselves and God.  Besides, sinners need to hear people speaking in tongues because it is God’s appointed sign of where to find eternal life (1Cor. 14:22).

    Once, many years ago, a Baptist man told our Uncle Joe that we were out of order in our meetings if we spoke in tongues without an interpreter because Paul said not to speak in tongues without an interpreter, to which Uncle Joe replied, “Is that how you all do it in your services?”  The man then angrily said, “Absolutely not!”  His Baptist church did not believe in speaking in tongues at all, and yet he was instructing Uncle Joe in how his congregation ought to do it!  I think it is important also to note that Paul himself does not say the saints are insane when they all are speaking in tongues; he says that unbelievers and those who are ignorant of the things of God might think so.

    Many times, I have heard Christians criticize the saints in ancient Corinth because, they say, the Corinthians were out of order in the exercise of their gifts.  Would to God that His people now had enough gifts of the Spirit to have some problems with them!  From what I see, the body of Christ is suffering from a lack of spiritual gifts and power, not the misuse of them.

    Pray for us and all the saints,

    Pastor John

     

  • Old Testament Saints and the kingdom of God

    Dear Pastor John,

    I was reading Luke 13 the other day and in verse 28 I’ve found this written: “You will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out.” On the other hand Jesus said: “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” and “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

    I believe that the born again experience was not available before the day of Pentecost after Jesus’ ascension, but I got confused by this verse.  How will Abraham, Isaac and Jacob enter the Kingdom of God if they didn’t have the opportunity to be born again?

    Also, in Luke 7:28 Jesus says: “For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

    So, it seems as if Jesus in certain cases spoke of the “Kingdom of God” as something specifically for New Testament saints, but in Luke 13:28 the mention of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob seems to ruin that theory.

    What do you think?

    Zoli

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

    Greetings, Brother Zoli!

    First of all, let me affirm that the salvation of every soul who has ever lived rests in Jesus and his sacrifice for our sin.  Nobody will be saved in the end without believing in him and receiving the holy life that he died for us to have from God.  Abraham (and probably many others in paradise) rejoiced to see Jesus’ day (Jn. 8:56) because he associated Jesus with his hope of eternal life and peace.

    Jesus did teach that entrance into the kingdom of God was possible only for saints in this covenant, but in the coming resurrection, all the righteous from the beginning of the world will be raised into the kingdom of God and enter into this covenant.  In other words, those who died before Jesus came will be born again when they are raised from the dead.

    This might be easier to understand if we focus on the word “life”.

    To be born again means to receive God’s kind of life (see the second chapter of my book, God Had a Son before Mary Did).  The new birth is so great an experience that many terms are needed to described it, but it is actually just a matter of receiving God’s eternal, holy kind of life.  Those who have received God’s kind of life are born again, and those who have not received it are not.

    That the righteous of all ages will be raised in what John called “the first resurrection” (Rev. 20:5–6), and since Jesus described the first resurrection as “the resurrection of life” (Jn. 5:29), it seems clear that the righteous will receive (God’s) life when they are raised from the dead.  Then will be fulfilled what Jesus said: “The first shall be last, and the last shall be first” (Mt. 20:16).  Then, having received eternal life, those Old Testament saints will be in the kingdom of God together with New Testament saints – and everything Jesus said about the kingdom will fit and make perfect sense.

    As for Luke 7:28, Jesus was saying that anybody with God’s kind of life is greater than John the Baptist because John died without it.  John the Baptist was so great that he was prophesied about, just as Jesus was, but when believers in this covenant receive God’s kind of life, they are transformed into new creatures in Christ Jesus, the very least of whom is greater than John, Abraham, David, Noah, Elijah, Job, and Samuel – combined!   That is how great a change is wrought in our souls by the baptism of the holy ghost.  Understanding this, the apostle John could even dare to say, “As He is, so are we in this world.”  Praise God for His unspeakable gift!

    Thank you, Zoli, for writing us again.  May God bless you and all the saints there with you!  And if my answer is not clear, please let me know and I will try to make it clearer.

    Your servant in Christ,

    Pastor John

     

  • Very Thankful!

    Pastor John,

    Good morning! Just had to write and tell about an experience Jammie and I had last night after leaving your house.

    We had left our house to head your way and we jumped into Jammie’s car, she drove, which I usually do most of all the driving. After leaving your basement, walking to the car, Jammie still had her keys, she went to open the car door, (here’s the great part.) I just said without thinking “don’t you want me to drive?”  she replied, “yes.” So, we had to run and pick up Noah at basketball practice, Jacob, was across town at his practice, which I pick up at 9:30. Well, while driving to Noah’s practice we were just talking about how good God has been to us.:)  Jammie, again, sitting in the passenger seat… We were heading down Rogers Rd., pretty dark, driving around 40 mph-ish.  I looked up and there was a vehicle coming into my lane, I didn’t bother Jammie with it, I just got over a bit and all would be good. So, I thought!!  The vehicle kept coming into my lane and I could see at this time it was a large work van, loaded with ladders on top and was driving very fast. At this point the ENTIRE vehicle was in my lane, and headed straight towards us, going a lot faster than I was. With out much thinking I glanced to my right to see if it was ok to leave the road and go into a field, yard, or whatever was not in front of this vehicle coming towards us. I knew not to hit the brakes and just brace for impact, which I believe that’s exactly what Jammie would have done if she was driving. I pulled the car over as hard as I could without flipping it, slid into a field while keeping full control of this car (with Jesus help!) sliding in the dark kicking up mud and grass, was able to slow down a bit, then made it back on the road safely, all without Jammie seeing what just happened, and why.

    So, I’m very thankful for so many things! I usually don’t make it to Noah practice to pick him up on Thursday’s. So, Jammie would have been driving that road which she does every Thursday night with the kids in the car. Things could have been a lot different for this body today!

    After back on the road I was explaining to Jammie what had happen, then I noticed that about 500ft away from where I left the road way to escape,  there was a bridge, there’s no way I could have missed that on coming vehicle at that point in the road. – GOD IS GOOD!

    AMEN!  Paul

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