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  • Today’s TFM

    Pastor John,

    In today’s TFM (https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_thoughts.html?tname=tfm06-18) you write,

    Jesus told Peter (…) that he could cry out to his Father and “more than twelve legions of angels” would come to rescue him.  So, Jesus endured the cross not to save himself; he could have returned home at any time. 

    If Jesus had saved himself from suffering and death wouldn’t that have meant that he had disobeyed the Father?  And had Jesus disobeyed God wouldn’t that have meant not being able to return to heaven?  Or would it simply mean that heaven would be a different place now (with Satan and his angels still there) than what it is today, and we wouldn’t have hope of salvation?  It is not a pleasant thought, but I have had this question in my mind a number of times before, I just never thought to ask it.

    Zoli

    ==========

    Hi Zoli.

    In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed not to have to go through the torture he was facing, that is, being brutally whipped and abused by the Roman soldiers and being crucified, which was a horrific way to die.  It is obvious that the Father gave Jesus the choice of not going through that torture for us, even though the Bible does not say so, because Jesus said to his disciples later that he could ask his Father, and He would send many legions of angels to save him.  In that case, Jesus would not have been disobeying his Father if he had chosen not to go to the cross; he would only have been making the choice not to suffer – a choice offered to him by the Father.

    The results of that choice would have been unimaginable, as you suggested, but there would have been no disobedience on the Son’s part if he had made it.

    Pastor John

     

  • Romans 10 sermon

    Hey Pastor John,

    I just finished watching you preach Romans 10.*  It was so good to my soul!  It just wipes the heart clean!  You were talking about getting rid of our opinions.  It was so good I had to type some of it out:

    He loves you so much he wants to get rid of you!  And boy, you’ll love yourself so much better when you’re gotten rid of!

    You’ll like that new man He creates.  You’ll feel better when He’s doing something!

    “Let me take that outta your mind, let me take that outta your heart!  Go be free! Let it go, the truth will make you free!”

    You can’t judge anybody right until you get your opinion out of the way and go by the Holy Ghost. That’s what the Holy Ghost is saying: “Live!”

    When we’re delivered from our opinions, we are delivered from our divisions.  Wherever there is a division, there’s an opinion.  That’s the problem

    You’ve got to submit to the righteousness of God, submit your will, what you prefer.  Get away from the pointing of the finger.  Get away from throwing that yoke on someone else, trying to make them live the way you want them to live.  That makes you miserable, and it doesn’t change them at all.  That’s your will; get rid of it.  Leave them alone; let God do something with them.

    If you see someone doing wrong, let me tell you what the answer is; it’s you submitting to the righteousness of God.  That’s the answer. That’s their answer and your answer.  If you see anybody around you doing right, your job is to submit to the righteousness of God.  That’s the answer to everything, submitting to God’s kind of righteousness.

    You don’t need to wish you had something from heaven; if you’ve got the Holy Ghost you do have something from heaven!  That’s the way, the only way, and the complete way!  He has chosen, he has given, he has invited!  What more do you want Him to do?  It’s time to praise God!”

    This blessed me so much tonight I felt like my feet were leaving the ground!   I love the truth, to hear it, to feel it!   It cleans out and lifts up!  So, so good!

    Michelle 

    *  https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_translation.html?tname=romans#CH10

     

  • Sunday meeting, June 15, 2025

    Hey, Pastor John 🙂 

    There were so many good things about yesterday’s meeting that I had to write them down.  First of all, I loved what Donna said, “If Jesus gives you a thought or a feeling or a person…hold onto it!”  I don’t ever want to let those things go again.  At one point, you talked about being an influence around people, and it made me think about Timothy. He recently went through something, and he told us, “I need Jesus’ help!  I want to testify like Uncle Earl and dance like Uncle Keith and be free in the Spirit like Mr. Coy!”  It made me thankful to have him around such Godly influences.  It means a lot when someone wants to be like you!  But it means more when that person is worth being like! 

    Another thing had to do with what Stuart said about staying willing.  That was so wonderful, and it was the exact feeling I was having the day before.  I actually posted a quote on FB that said, “If God changes your heart, be willing to change your plans.”  That has stayed with me for days, and Stuart brought more feelings with it.

    The last thing has to do with what you said about not chasing after someone when they leave.  I’ve seen this side of it, and you may not chase them, but I’ve seen you pray for them!  That is very sweet to me to have seen over all these years I’ve been here.  It solidified in my heart that fact that you have prayed for me if/when I have gotten off track.  That’s so valuable for me to know.  Thank you for your instruction and always being there! …and the rest of my family. 🙂

    Leah

     

     

  • Jesus can be touched!

    Pastor John,

    Ben and I read this in Hebrews 4 last night and it touched me so deeply:

    1. For we do not have a high priest who cannot be touched by our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way that we are, without sin.
    2. Let us, then, boldly draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

    It brings tears to think about our high priest, our dear Jesus, being touched by our weaknesses. I felt so much love in that. We have a wonderful Friend waiting for us to come to Him with our weaknesses. And when we do, it touches his heart. Whew. That touches my heart!

    LeeAnn

  • A Hidden Gem

    In Habakkuk 1:12, we find this gem concerning the hidden Son of God.  We will live because God has set Jesus on the throne!

    Pastor John

    1. Are you not from ancient time, O Jehovah my God, my Holy One?  We will not die, Jehovah, for you have set him on the seat of judgment, and you have ordained him, the Rock, to judge.

  • Feelings through the weekend

    Pastor John,

         I wanted to write out the good feelings from this past weekend!  First of all, I woke up Saturday morning and as I stepped on the ground from my bed to walk to the bathroom, my brain started singing, “All my life you have been faithful, all my life you have been so so good, with every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God.”  It was the sweetest feeling for my mind and heart to be singing those thoughts before it was even fully functioning 😀   It set my whole day in place from the beginning and I found myself singing it through the day. 

         Then on Sunday, something came up right at the beginning of the morning that tried to take my happiness and I decided I wasn’t going to fall into it like I have always done in the past.  I find myself telling Jesus all the time that I’m going with him, and how he makes me happy.  So as I was driving for an errand, songs were playing such as, “A Made Up Mind” then “Shine Bright” then “Godliness With Contentment” then finally “Have a Little Drink”.  Each one was just as good as the first!  Those songs were gold to me on my drive (the girls singing with me!) and let me know Jesus can (and will) make you happy through anything.

    Leah

  • God saves sinners?

    Pastor John,

    I enjoyed Allison’s email and your response (below).  My thought was, for a sinner to be saved from the coming judgement, they first have to be saved from sinning!

    Paul was describing that deliverance from sin in 1Tim. 1:15–16 when he said, “of sinners, I was the worst … but I was shown mercy….”

    Redemption from being a sinner committing sin was the mercy Paul was rejoicing about.

    It is amazing how religion conducted in the name of Jesus, but without the spirit and power Jesus gives, redefines the “mercy” Paul spoke of to mean that God in this new covenant no longer sees, or just doesn’t care, that men live a sinful life. 

    By that, men are saying, as you have pointed out, that the sacrifice Jesus, which was made for sin, didn’t change fallen man who needed redemption; it changed God, who was already perfect!  That is absurd for so many reasons, but those are our thoughts and our reasoning as humans without Jesus.

    Jerry

    ==========

    Good evening, Brother John.

    Brad and I just read the 6-4 Thought for the Morning*  where you mention Article 4 of from the Baptist church your sister ended up in.  You speak emphatically about salvation not being “…wholly of grace.”  But what jumped out to me was the phrase “… salvation of sinners…” right before that.

    Is it right to think that salvation can come to sinners?  It feels wrong.  There’s a step missing.  A sinner’s sins have to be washed away through repentance and the baptism of Holy Spirit.  No sinner is going to be saved!

    ~Allison

    ==========

    Hi Allison

    You are right in that salvation is a process, and that in the end, if a person is still a sinner, he will not be saved.  However, it is also right to say that God saves sinners because that is what we all were when He called us to His Son.  That is why Paul could rightly say this to Timothy:

    1Timothy 1

    1. This saying is true, and worthy of all acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – among whom I am the worst,
    2. but I was shown mercy for this reason, that in me, as the worst of sinners, Jesus Christ might demonstrate utmost patience, as an example for those who afterward would believe in him for eternal life.

    I am glad you asked that question.  Such questions spring from a knowledge of the truth, not an ignorance of it.

    Pastor John

    * https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_thoughts.html?tname=tfm06-04

  • The One Body

    Pastor John,

    The first section of the new Seven Pillars book (”One Body”)* is one of the greatest explanations of things I’ve heard you write.  It was as much a summary of the history and current condition of the body of Christ as it was an explanation of the body of Christ itself.  All in 10 pages.

    The fact that Paul referred to the Seven Pillars as “The Unifying Bond of Peace” (Ephesians 4:3) deserves to be shouted from the rooftops.  It should be a motto on t-shirts!  It is the healing salve for God’s broken children.

    Jerry

    * Seven Pillars 1-2.pages

  • Mercies are always new!

    Good morning! 

    I really loved the things said last night!  I was melting in the love and mercy I felt that God has!  When you said, “His mercies are new every morning…the blood of Christ will erase everything every single day” (or something similar), my heart was struck at how good He is and how patient!  And as I was thinking about it going to bed, the photo of the day and pearl came in, “Trust God and throw yourself on His mercy!” … and I was in the photo of the day feeling that at the same time.  God really does have perfect timing if you can see it!  I want to always stay there, it feels good! 

    Also, last Sunday right after the meeting (which was so good, too), little Avery ran up to Rob and when she got to his legs, she just stood there with her arms spread open knowing he’d pick her up.   She didn’t look up at him and ask to be picked up, she didn’t stand off and look at him to see if it was ok to run up to him… she ran up and expected it because she knew he loved her and obviously he had done it before.  I looked at that for a minute before walking away and thought, “Jesus, we can do that with you!”  It was a sweet feeling picturing me/us that way with Jesus.  Secure, loved, helpless, knowing he’s there and will pick us up if we run to him. 

    Sweet feelings this morning.  I’m loving what Jesus let’s me feel lately. 

    Leah

     

  • The One Body

    Pastor John,

    The first section of the new Seven Pillars book (”One Body”) is one of the greatest explanations of things I’ve heard you write.  It was as much a summary of the history and current condition of the body of Christ as it was an explanation of the body of Christ itself.  All in 10 pages.

    The fact that Paul referred to the Seven Pillars as “The Unifying Bond of Peace” (Ephemera. 4:3) deserves to be shouted from the rooftops.  It should be a motto on t-shirts!  It is the healing salve for God’s broken children.

    Jerry

    * Seven Pillars 1-2.pages

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