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  • Bible Verses on Faith

    Morning Pastor John,

    I have my coffee in my hand and my mind on Jesus!  I have slowly soaked up the verses on faith, and I am sad there are only 225 of them.  I don’t want them to end.  The last 25 made me sing, “Amen!”

    And I am loving Hebrews 11! 

    Heb. 11:1 Now, faith is the certainty of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

    Heb. 11:3 By faith, we understand that the worlds were created by an utterance from God, so that things that are seen were not made from visible things.

    I love that! Things that were seen were not made from visible things but by an utterance from God!

    Heb. 11:4 By faith, Abel offered a better sacrifice to God than did Cain, by which he was borne witness that he was righteous, God bearing witness to his gifts, and by it, he, being dead, still spoke.

    Heb. 11:5 By faith, Enoch was translated so that he did not see death, and he was not found because God had translated him, for before his translation, he was borne witness that he pleased God.

    Heb. 11:6 But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

    Heb. 11:7 By faith, Noah, having been warned of things not yet seen, moved with fear, constructed an ark for the saving of his house, by which he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that is by faith.

    Heb. 11:8 By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obediently went out toward the place which he would later receive as an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

    Heb. 11:9 By faith, he lived in the land of promise as a stranger in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, joint-heirs of the same promise,

    Heb. 11:11 By faith also, Sarah herself, though past the age, received strength to conceive seed and gave birth, for she considered Him faithful who made the promise.

    Heb. 11:13¶ These all died in faith, not having received the promises; however, they saw them far away, and welcomed them, and confessed that they were foreigners and pilgrims on the earth.

    Heb. 11:17¶ By faith, when Abraham was tried, he offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his uniquely begotten son

    Heb. 11:20 By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

    Heb. 11:21 By faith, Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and he worshipped, leaning on the head of his staff.

    Heb. 11:22 By faith, Joseph, nearing the end, made mention of the exodus of the children of Israel and gave instructions concerning his bones.

    Heb. 11:23 By faith, Moses was hidden for three months by his parents after he was born because they saw he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the king’s decree.

    Heb. 11:24 By faith, Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,

    Heb. 11:27 By faith, he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he persevered as though he saw Him who cannot be seen.

    Heb. 11:28 By faith, he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest the one destroying the firstborn should touch them.

    Heb. 11:29 By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as if on dry land, which the Egyptians attempting to do were drowned.

    Heb. 11:30 By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down, after being encircled seven days.

    Heb. 11:31 By faith, Rahab the harlot did not perish with the disobedient after she had peaceably welcomed the spies.

    Heb. 11:33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,

    Heb. 11:39 And these all, given a good testimony because of their faith, did not receive the promise,

    Heb. 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured a cross, despised the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

    Heb. 13:7¶ Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken to you the word of God; imitate their faith, considering the end result of their manner of life.

    Reading all those verse, I could feel a surge of …I don’t know, just a surge!  It feels wonderful, so I thought you would want to read them with me.

    Love,

    Beth!

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1865102832984269254

     

  • Lured to Join the Church

    Pastor John,

    I will soon finish translating the Broadcaster titled “Martin Luther: The Midwife”, (https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1852381046345490599) and this sentence towards the end really hit me:

    “It is the distinctive family trait of Christianity to lure men (…) to join the church.”

    It has brought to my remembrance something that happened to me 24 years ago. I had a powerful experience, a dream that basically turned me from an atheist into a believer overnight. When I woke up from that glorious dream, first of all I knew it was more than just a dream. I knew something very real had just happened to me. Secondly, from that moment on I knew in my heart that God was real. So what I did is I wrote a letter to a Christian lady (American) who, a couple of years earlier, was my English teacher in high school, and whom I trusted more than anyone else I knew at the time. I let her know what had happened to me, and she wrote back to me, encouraging me, telling me about Jesus, etc. She also told another former English teacher (also from the U.S.) about my experience, and this other former English teacher had friends in a church in Budapest that she used to attend.  She wrote to someone at that church, and a few weeks later I got an e-mail from this person, who invited me to one of their meetings.

    What came to my mind, while reading and translating this Broadcaster, is what my initial reaction was to her invitation.  I remember I wrote something along the lines of “I want to seek God for myself.  I don’t necessarily want to go to any church.”. The point being, I had just had a real touch from the real God, I wasn’t yet influenced by any religious traditions or doctrines, and it seems that in my innocence I probably felt that something was off about the idea of “going to church”.  I also remember that one of the arguments I was told (perhaps by this lady, too, but surely by others later, as I was being introduced to Christianity) why it was important for me to belong to a church, is that if I stay by myself, my “fire” will eventually die out and I won’t have any protection from the evil influences of this world and, I guess, Satan.  What I just now realized is that these well-meaning people were instilling fear into my heart, teaching me that NOT going to church is one of the most dangerous things that could happen to me as a new believer.  I was being lured, by fear (and other things for sure), to join the church. 

    It is fascinating that as you learn the truth and keep walking in it, you start to see even your past experiences in a new light, for what they really were. Thank God for allowing me to see the things I now see, and for giving me the chance to walk in the light. 
    May I be a wise virgin and take advantage of this unmatched opportunity. Praise Jesus!

    Zoli

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1866137011767108014

  • Gospel Tract- #27 “The Keys of the Kingdom”

    Pastor John

    I just reread “The Keys of the Kingdom”. (https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_tracts.html?tname=tract-027-keys)I remember you telling me that one was a favorite of yours because your father taught you that.  All I got to say is wow.  I never realized that Peter was the holder of the Keys. For some reason or another, I thought it would’ve been John, only because he was shown a Revelation he never knew, when God showed him His plans for the second coming to Earth.

    I really enjoyed listening to that tract again.  There’s something about it that sticks out to me; I just don’t quite know what it is.  I’ll definitely get back to you about that.  I’ll have to do another listen.

    Alex Sims 

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1864329471437803728

  • The Love of God

    Hey Pastor John,

    Last night I was reading some scriptures on the love of God.  I came to Ephesians 2:6

    “He raised us up together and set us down together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”

    But then I  read in verse 7 the reason why and it touched me.

    “That He might show throughout the coming ages, the overflowing richness of His grace by the kindness bestowed upon us in Christ Jesus.”

    Wow, Pastor John, He has done that for us!

    Michelle 

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1864327406338613606

     

  • Your answer to Wendy’s question

    I LOVE your answer to Wendy’s question!

    (https://pastorjohnshouse.com/mailbag/15219/thousand-year-reign/) It reminds me of the answer you gave me about two years ago to a question I had about God’s Son and Mary’s son (https://pastorjohnshouse.com/mailbag/13454/zoli-gods-son-and-marys-son/).

    What touched me about that answer was your openness and genuine humility about what you still do not understand and, thus, cannot explain. That letter, back then, did something to me. It revealed something about the kind of man you are, and I remember after I finished reading it, my first thought was: “I don’t need to be afraid to follow this man.” 

    We are blessed to have you.

    Zoli

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1864325748615504359

  • Jenny’s question regarding Genesis 4:8–9, Part 2

    Thank you for the reply, but I still think there was something wrong with Cain’s question, because Cain DID know where Abel was, because Cain had killed him. So his question must have been inherently evil because he replied to God in a question to mask his knowledge of where Abel was. If he had not been lying he would/could have said, “I don’t know” and not add the question about “am I my brother’s keeper”. Cain was lying so the question was designed to distance himself from the truth, which is lying and evil. 

    Jenny

    ========

    Hi Jenny.

    I think we will agree if I explain myself more carefully.

    If Cain had been righteous and was wondering one day about God’s order, he might have asked God in innocent prayer, “Am I my brother’s keeper, or is he my keeper?”  So, you see, there would be no sin in that question.  That is what I meant when I said that there was nothing wrong with the question itself.  The wrong was in Cain’s heart, who was using an otherwise be an innocent question to hide the fact that he had sinned.  ALL the wrong was in Cain; none of it was in the question he asked.  And the wrong that was in Cain’s heart is what transformed the question into a lie.  As I understood your reply, that is what you were saying, too.

    Thanks again for the response.  I hope what I am saying is clearer now.

    Pastor John 

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1863963466773479699

     

  • Everyone is Thanking God for What They are Doing

    Pastor John,

    This morning, I was considering how the whole world is thanking God for the things it is accomplishing in their God’s name, no matter what it is. 

    The disciples were thanking God for Jesus’s presence on earth, while many of Israel’s elders, scribes, Pharisees, and others were thanking God for Jesus’s execution!

    It is just how you said Preacher Clark described it: “Everything you believe could be a lie…for all you know!”  And it may well be a lie if Jesus hasn’t revealed it.  And even then, it doesn’t have to be truth because he can send a delusion! (1Kings 22:21-23)

    It made me tremble this morning when I felt how I cannot know truth unless He reveals it to me.  I cannot be free from lies unless He frees me.  We are born into the lie that this world celebrates every day, namely, life in sin is life at all.  We have to be rescued or there is no getting out.

    No one, absolutely no one, figures out what is right – because nothing under the sun is right.  There is only Jesus and what of him is being revealed to us by the Father right now.  Whew!

    It is both fearful and wonderful.

    Jerry

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1863960792736948710

     

  • Randell’s question regarding 1Peter 3:9

    Hi John,

    I have a question that has come to mind several times.  In 2Peter 3:9, Peter tells us, “The Lord of the promise is not slow, as some think of slowness, but waits patiently for us, not wanting any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.”  Do you think that all those years that God was patience in heaven with the sin that was in heaven that He may have been giving Satan and other creatures time to repent? 

    Randell

    =========

    I don’t think so, Randell.  I believe that scripture from Peter applies only to humans.  Satan and his angels had seen the face of God and had been in His very presence many times, and probably were condemned eternally the moment they sinned.  As Jesus said, “To whom much is given, much shall be required.”  Much had been gven to them, and what was required of them, they failed to render to God.

    A good example of this is Moses.  God would not allow him to lead Israel into the promised land of Canaan just because Moses struck a rock when God had told him just to speak to it (Num. 20:1–13).  That seems like a heavy price to pay for what would normally be a minor offense, but much had been given to Moses, and so, much obedience was required of him.

    That is how I see it.  What do you think?

    Pastor John

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1863624390274957481

     

  • Jenny’s question regarding Genesis 4:8–9

    Re: Genesis 4:

    1. And Cain spoke to Abel his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
    2. And Jehovah said to Cain, “Where is Abel, your brother?”  And he said, “I don’t know.  Am I my brother’s keeper?”

    Hi Pastor John,

    I’m wondering about last night’s reading,* on the bottom of the first page where it says, “There was nothing inherently with Cain’s question.”  Would it be more accurate to say, “On the face of it there was nothing inherently wrong with Cain’s question”? … because there was something wrong with his question. 

    Jenny

    ==========

    Hi Jenny.

    I disagree.  There was nothing at all wrong with Cain’s question; that is the very reason Cain asked it.  There was something wrong with Cain, however, and he was using an otherwise innocent question to hide his guilt.  If the question had been inherently evil, Cain would not have asked it because an evil question would have given him away.

    I hope that helps.

    Pastor John

    *Father and Son Reading 28 PDF

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1863622124780339337

     

  • Thousand-year Reign

    Hi Pastor John,

    Referring back to Aunt Barbara’s question about when the old covenant believers will receive the Holy Ghost, there was a discussion a few weeks back about two excerpts in the Bible where it alluded to us doing animal sacrifices again during the thousand-year reign of Christ on Earth.  We all agreed that the timing didn’t make sense for doing this again, but I cannot find the verses that were being discussed.

    I was wondering if we’re all going to experience each other’s covenants together at some point.

    Wendy

    =========

    The verses about ceremonial worship during the Millennial Reign are all in the prophets, and they are still puzzling to me.  I cannot answer your question because of that.  I will say, though, that (1) I cannot fathom why we would revert to ceremonial worship after Jesus returns and (2) my inability to fathom it is irrelevant; God does what He does no matter what we poor humans think.

    Thank you for the question.  I wish I could give you a better answer.

    Pastor John

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1863618299034026422

     

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