I don’t know anybody, except by the truth; I don’t know anybody except what God’s Light reveals to me.

I have watched as saints whom I thought were courageous in the Lord exposed as very uncourageous when they were asked by Jesus to believe what he says and stand for it.  I have seen them, precious sons and daughters of God, flee like frightened little children flee from gentle Jesus to hide behind the clichés and traditions that men had taught them, and they would not come back out.  Then I understood that Jesus was showing me how he saw them, and how he had seen them all along.  I then surrendered my high opinion of them (which had been based on what I saw and heard without the Light), and I trusted his judgment of them instead.

I also put away my sword when dealing with them, for Jesus had now shown me that they had no weapons with which to fight the word of God, and they were not my enemies.  They were afraid of the truth, and of whoever spoke it, because Christianity had made them distrust and fear it.  And I knew that if God was ever going to use me to coax them into His light, I would have to have a tender heart toward them (even the mean ones) like God’s heart.  Love alone – God’s comforting and healing love – will alone rescue them, and if I don’t have that for God’s little children, I am useless to Him.

The curtain behind which God’s frightened little children hide is the curtain of appearance.  Sometimes, they appear to be wise in the things of God.  (Many of God’s little children have grey hair; they have been little children for a long, long time.)  They may occupy exalted positions with impressive-sounding titles, given to them by a Christian institution.  And they may hide by putting on an act of righteous indignation against those who tell them the truth; indeed, under that spirit, they may say and do some very hurtful things to God’s true servants.  But God still loves them because He sees them as they really are.  Do we?

Jesus warned us to trust him and not to judge by what we can see and hear.  Because of long-standing religious traditions which had developed in Israel, the sinless Son of God and his followers appeared to be really bad.  And because of those same traditions, many of the leaders among God’s people who were evil appeared to be good because they hid their hearts behind the revered traditions.  Only with light from God could anyone see who was truly good and who was not.
Pray for that light!  With it shining in our hearts, we can see as God sees, and love as God loves.   And by the light of His truth, we may at last escape the bondage of making our own judgments based on what we see and hear and “judge righteous judgment” at last.

jdc

Pastor John,

Jr and I listened to Zoli’s testimony that Amy sent out. I felt so humbled to hear Zoli and everyone telling of their experiences. The feelings of thankfulness of what Jesus is doing. It’s so encouraging! Jesus is so GOOD to us!

Natalie

Hey Pastor John,

I just finished the pdf file on Romans 13.  Really enjoyed page 1 about Michael being the prince over Israel.  My favorite part was on page 3 (Romans 13:1), where it says, “Every soul [on earth] is to be subject to the higher [earthly] power [under Satan].”  That’s just a brand new thought.  I love what God has revealed to you in the Father and Son book. 

Thank you John,

Jr

Good morning John,

While I was on my way to work today I was pondering on what we read last night in the God had a Son before Mary Did book. ​ ​I want to say I am amazed by what we read​,​ and the insight ​God has given to us through you, but it all is because of the Son and him teaching us about himself and his Father.

I looked at people going by in their vehicles going to work and wondered if they know why we are here and who created us​,​ and if they​, too,​ hear form the Son. ​ ​It is overwhelming sometimes to even believe what he has shown us and done for us for decades​.  It is a lifetime commitment. ​ ​I can’t help but tear up and thank him for this life and the understanding he has put in our hearts and minds.​ ​ I look around​,​ and I know I would be no different ​from anyone else I see every day if it was not for him choosing it to be so. 

We read and hear thing​s​ in this book that nobody ​I know ​has heard and felt before, and it is all because we are learning who the Son really is and who his Father is by that revelation.​ ​ God​,​ help your children everywhere to love you​r​ spirit and hunger for your truth​!  In it is life and life more abundantly.​ ​ I am blessed most ​morning​s​​ when I ​am ​leaving to go to work to see some of the most beautiful sunrises. ​ ​I love the newness of the day and the fresh start again each morning​,​ and when I see them​,​ I can’t help but think of the family of saints he has put us together​ with​, because​,​ to me​,​ that is beautiful, like the new sunrise each morning in the sky. ​ ​So I have to share ​pictures of it sometimes in a​ text to you and others because ​God’s​ saints are who I ​am ​thinking​ of when I see it. ​ ​What greater creation is there th​a​n to see God working in one of his children!!

Stuart

Pastor John,

Well, I finished the George C. Clark book. I LOVED the very last part (Abraham).

Until now, I have read two biographies that had a very deep impact on me, and literally changed my life. This was the third one, no doubt about it.

Jesus, thank you, that you gave George C. Clark as a gift to the ecclesia! Keep teaching us and changing us through his inheritance, through the spirit he left us with.

God, give us grace to be conformed more and more to the image of your Son by the power of your Spirit.

Zoli

Good evening John,

I’m sitting here in my office working on the computer, and I started smiling, thinking of how thankful I am for God’s wonderful truths, and something you said in the meeting today. I can’t get it out of my mind, how good it felt to even understand you! 

In the meeting you were talking about Peter, and you said that he had “denied he ever knew Jesus.”  But that God forgave him, because it was true. 

One thing I loved about that was realizing that I understood what you were saying!  Without the knowledge of the truth (when a person is born again), that statement can’t even be understood.  Without the holy Ghost baptism, Peter really didn’t know Jesus.  Without the baptism of the holy Ghost, NOBODY really knows Jesus.  He was, and is, a mystery to those who are “none of his.”  And even though Peter denied he knew Jesus and wept bitterly because of it…. in reality, he told the truth – and so Jesus forgave him. That was just so sweet to me. 

The new birth is like a brilliant many-faceted diamond – there are always new angles on it, new information, new ways to see it, new truths to understand in it, new ways to see it and look at it.

This was one of them for me – it came from “above”, and I loved it.  I’m still smiling.

Gary 

Hi John,

Wow, what a sweet meeting this morning, and wonderful testimonies!  I love feeling the joy of the Lord like we felt this morning with each other – it is priceless.

I had a thought this morning when Brother Tom was testifying about the cross, and how it was a bloody mess with Jesus on that cross, just like it was with the Old Testament animal sacrifices.  Whatever part Satan played in Jesus’ sacrifice for the sins of the world – the torture, crucifixion and death of Jesus – ENDED at the cross.  And since Satan is the head of the abomination of Christianity, the cross would just naturally be Satan’s main focus.  He would be proud of the part he had, and make it seem like that was the most important event (he would probably see it as something he and God did together).

It just gave me a better understanding of why the cross is so important to Christianity – because it was so important to Satan!  He downplays what happened AFTER Jesus died – Jesus’ resurrection, his ascension, his offering of his body as a sacrifice, God’s accepting of that sacrifice, and the witness of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost – because Satan had nothing to do with it.  I love it when God helps you to see things more clearly like that!

Vince

Good morning Pastor John,

I loved the meeting last night. I have been thinking on what it means to be “dug in”.  So I’ve been reading my bible, emails, anything around.  Then I had a thought about a drug addict.  I had seen a show were drug addicts talked about chasing their first high, how they never could get that first high again.  Which led me to think of getting touched Thanksgiving, and how that when Jesus gets that close to you and touches you how you want that feeling again.  When you talked about Uncle Joe last night and how he wanted that feeling back [of closeness to God] when he was sick, man, that touched me, because I want that feeling where nothing else matters except that touch from Jesus.  Unlike drugs, we can get that high again and higher!

Well, have a good day.

Greg C.

A Jehovah Witness once told me that they are not Christians.  I disagreed.

Billy H.

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You were right.​  What we claim to be – or not to be – does not determine what we are.

Pastor John