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  • Psalm 139:20

    Hi John,

    While reading in Psalms it struck me that David mentioned the Lord’s enemies took His name in vain. In the context of the surrounding verses it’s hard to believe these men were anything but wicked. Were these men Jews?
    Thanks

    Michael
    ===============
    Hi Michael.

    Yes, David was referring to God’s people, the ones who had “taken God’s name” upon themselves by entering into covenant with Him.  They had made themselves His enemies by disobeying His law.  “A man’s enemies”, one of the prophets said, “shall be those of his own household.”  And when those in the household of faith walk contrary to the will of their Father, then He has enemies in his household, too.

    Thanks for the question.  It’s one that is asked by everyone who knows what “taking the name of the Lord” means, and then comes upon that verse in Psalms.

    Pastor John

  • Sweet dream

    Mornin’ Bro. John:
     
    I just woke up from a sweet, wonderful dream.
     
    In the dream, we were all in a meeting and Aunt Leatha was there.  She was testifying so joyfully, dancing around in thankfulness “just to be a thing of God’s”  She was telling us that “just to be a thing of God’s” was reason enough to be thankful and joyful in the Lord.  The feelings were so sweet.
     
    I remember years ago when the Lord told me “you are not a product of that union anymore” concerning my earthly parents.  I thought “a product?!”  The Lord just called me a product!  🙂   But that is exactly what we are – products – things created and owned by God!  Isn’t that wonderful!
     
    I looked up the word “thing” for a fuller understanding and here’s what I found:
     
    “whatever may be possessed or owned or be the object of a right“
     
    We are possessed and owned by the Creator of All.  Being called a “thing of God’s” is a wonderful label to have.  And that was Aunt Leatha’s point in the dream.  If you can think of no other reason to praise God today, be thankful that you are His “thing”!  🙂
     
    What a wonderful thought to start the day! 
     
    Sandy
    “a thing of God”

  • Losing Peace

    Hey there,

    You were talking this weekend about having peace from Jesus that will anchor us down and that the world can’t take away. I was thinking – so often when I leave work after spending 12 hours with bad attitudes, ungratefulness, dirty talk, sickness, and other such garbage from patients and coworkers, I feel so beat and dirty, and know I need a spiritual bath.  Am I losing peac , or am I just in need of a spiritual bath when I leave?

    Thank you,

    Anna

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

    Hi Anna.

    That’s all it is.  God’s children need spiritual baths as they go through this life, much the same way that all people in this world need physical baths.  A person doesn’t have to do anything wrong to feel the need of a bath, spiritually or physically.

    That’s the importance of gathering with the saints.  The fellowship, the songs, the testimonies, and the messages from the Lord wash our spirits, so to speak, from the spiritual grime we may pick up each day as we deal with the ordinary cares of this life.  So, be encouraged, and keep taking those spiritual baths!

    Pastor John

  • Genesis 6:4

    Good Morning!
    Could you explain Chapter 6 verse 4 in Genesis? It sounds a lot like Greek Mythology. Who are the sons of God?

    : )
    Beth

    ==========

    Hi Beth!

    Here is Genesis 6:4:  “There were giants on earth in those days, and also afterwards, when the sons of God went in to the daughters of man. And they bore them children, and they were mighty men, men of renown, from long ago.”

    The book of Genesis pre-dates all Greek mythology, and it is easy to see where Greeks got the ideas for many of their myths.  They have flood stories, which are just perversions of the true flood story, etc.  So, your comment would better be put like this:  Greek myths sound a lot like Genesis 4:6″ instead of “Genesis 6:4 sounds a lot like Greek myths.”

    We know that the “sons of God” mentioned in Genesis 6 are not angels because Jesus said that angels do not marry.  Instead, they are men who were righteous and who were seduced by ungodly women of this world, “the daughters of men”.

    Thanks for the question.  I think that we all have wondered about that as we learned the Bible.

    Pastor John

  • Two ways

    Pastor John,

    I was in the shower praying this morning, when the Spirit spoke to me and said, “There’s a difference between you having children and God giving you children. Abraham had Ishmael, and God gave him Isaac.”

    I thought about this all day.  It’s the same way with anything.  You can have a family, or God can give you one. He makes all the difference!!

    Jammie C
    ==========

    Yes, Jammie, that is a good testimony.  Let me add this note of caution, however.

    Many times, as you know , people have what they have because they are disobedient to God.  But there need not always be evil involved in someone “having children” instead of God miraculously giving them children, or in simply having a family, or a car, or anything else.

    When God miraculously gives us anything, it is a great blessing.  But He often gives us choices as to what we would have, and when He does, He blesses whatever choice we make.

    Thanks for telling us what you heard from the Lord today. I love testimonies like that.

    Pastor John

  • Daniel 12:11-13

    Daddy,

    Naomi and I were reading in Daniel and I wondered what these scriptures mean in Chapter 12:

    11. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

    12. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

    13. But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.“

    I know that the “abomination of desolation” is Christianity coming.  What was it is that one is “blessed for waiting” 45 more years Beyond Christianity coming?   It would seem that was either Jesus’ time or the holy Ghost coming.   But didn’t Christianity come after that?   Is it possibly saying that the roots of Christianity began BEFORE Jesus came?   

    Thanks, te.

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

    Yes, those verses can provoke some good questions.

    I don’t think the abomination of desolation is “Christianity coming” as much as it is the “strong delusion” about which Paul prophesied and that Jesus said would be so strong that “if it were possible, even the very elect would be deceived.”  Christianity certainly is an abomination, and it is a strong delusion, but there is still a greater form of that delusive abomination to come.  Both Paul and Jesus were speaking of end-time events.

    As you know, we are living in a time when the mysterious Third Seal of John’s Revelation is being opened.  How long these days of the Third Seal will be, we cannot say, but we know that after this puzzling Third Seal, there are no more mysteries as to what will happen, and in what order. This means that the saints who are living in those times will know exactly where they are, in terms of when in the order of last-day events they are living.  They will, then, know when it is time for Jesus to come back.  You will remember that Paul said, even though the world will be unprepared, the return of Jesus would not come upon God’s saints “as a thief”.  They will be expecting the Lord to come when he comes.

    This is where I have always understood those verses in Daniel to apply.  It is like the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins.  Those “virgins” knew when their lord was supposed to return, but when he delayed his return, some were not prepared for that.  Daniel seems to be saying that (1) when it is time for Jesus to return, all believers will know it and (2) when it is time for Jesus to return, he will delay his coming by the amount of time the angel told Daniel.  That delay will certainly try the faith of the persecuted believers remaining on earth at that time.Good question.

    Daddy

  • His Love

    Dear Bro. John:
     
    I loved our testimonies tonight, how the love of God has brought each one of us down a path of His own design to end up right here in this wonderful place with Him and His Son!  Our testimonies of Jesus open our hearts to see just how patient, merciful, and loving he has been with each one of us, all along the way.
     
    On the way home tonight from the meeting, I started thinking of just how and when my love with Jesus started deepening in my heart.  I realized that it was down all the paths of correction he prepared for me.  During those times, Jesus was always there loving me through and to the end of each correction.  And every time I obeyed him, the love between us deepened because he never left me to wonder if he still loved me.  He was always there waiting for me to prove my love for him.  I know of no other love story as great as the one we are living right now with Jesus.  It never grows old, it is never tiring, it is never dull, and it never ends.  Our testimonies never grow old either!  They are LIFE and they spread like wildfire in our hearts when we share them! 
     
    Jesus has been so good to us with a constant love that never fails even when we may not see so clearly.  I love OUR love stories with him.  We just need to keep telling them – – and let there be no chains except the ones that make us prisoners of his love! 
     
    Thankful tonight for the good feelings! 
     
    Sandy  🙂

  • Embarrassment

    Pastor John,

    Is embarrassment a form of pride?

    Michelle
    ===========

    Hi Michelle.

    It can be, but it need not be. God considered it an very bad thing when His people became so immoral that nothing could embarrass them any longer Jer. 6:15; 8:12). But Ezra was so embarassed by the sin of the people that it made him hesitate to so much as look up to heaven and pray (Ezra 9:6).

    Pastor John

  • KY Snake-Handler is Bitten & Dies.


    I saw this man and others on TV last year, and was so hurt for these dear souls that I had tracts sent to this area of Middlesboro, Kentucky.  I wonder what he said about the message we sent, or if he ever got the tracts at all.
     
    God have mercy.
    jdc
     
    Hi John,
     
    I was wondering if you could help me to better understand those scriptures in Mark16:16  –  especially the part that says, “They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them.” – and how they relate to the little Pentecostal groups over the last several decades who have participated in snake-handling.
     
    Why do some of God’s people feel they are supposed to handle snakes and drink poison?  Is this something God has commanded some of His people to do as a demonstration of His power?  or are they misunderstanding the scriptures?
     
    Thank you.
    Vince
    =========
    Hi, Vince!
     
    My father told me that in the early 20th century, when God was pouring out a revival of life in the Spirit (which Christianity later quenched, of course,) God would send snakes to the meeting of His saints if He wanted one handled.  My father talked about specific instances of deadly serpents crawling into a gathering.  
    The most impressive to me was the story he told the time a minister was preaching and a deadly serpent crawled down to isle to him.  The preacher took him up, laid him across the Bible, and kept on preaching.  My father said the preacher had to roll the snake over on its side to finish reading the verses he was reading from the Bible.  Then, the man of God carried the serpent out and turned him loose.
     
    We don’t have to go looking for serpents and poison; God will create true situations we need, as we need them.  I was told that I drank poison when I was two, and when my mother cried out, my father came in and laid hands on my little head, and the poison came back up, and I went back outside to play.  It was not a ritual we went through; it was a time when we needed the power of God.  I am thankful that my father had it!
     
    jdc

  • Who is Happy?

    Pastor John,

    I was listening to a sermon this morning from 2009, “Fully Alive in Your Spirit.” You were talking about the difference between a happy person in Jesus and an unhappy person. Those that are happy have done their work (whatever job Jesus has giving them ).If you have done your work, then you are Happy! It is not a matter of who PJ likes best. That has nothing to do with it! Have you done your job, the one Jesus has given you? If you have not, you will be unhappy and be looking for fault in others. You said, “KEEP AWARE! STAY ALERT!” Jesus has a job for you, but you have to be able to hear his voice.

    It was a good reminder. 

    Love,

    Jammie

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