John,
When I read this “Pearl”, my next thought was, “Thank you for rescuing me from that abomination.”
Wendell
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Amen, Wendell!
jdc
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Feelings tonight
Pastor John,
After this weekends meetings I have just felt so happy and so encouraged! This afternoon driving home from work I was listening to a meeting cd and we were singing, “I’m on the battlefield for my Lord”. It was so good. The spirit fell on me in the car and I began to speak in tongues. Then I thought about what I had just sung, “I promised Him that I would serve Him until I die.” That was a very serious statement and I thought, “Lord I really want to serve you until I die.”
Then when I got home I wanted to say hey to Sandy. I walked in her house and hugged her and starting talking about how good the meetings were this weekend and different one’s telling me that what I saw was the Aunt Sandy they knew. Then Sandy was talking about how much was going on in the meetings and about “slander”. We didn’t have a chance to talk long so I came back home.
When I left I felt “something”. I started crying and really felt to check myself. I asked the Lord to look at my heart and let me know if there is anything that needs to come out. After a little while I felt like the Lord lifted something. I told Him that whatever needs to be changed, pulled out, or moved over I want to be willing and obedient to what ever correction I need.
I recently got the book, “Azusa Street” and after writing for a while in my journal I started to read. These are some things that I read that just jumped out at me:
– The Lord will visit those willing to yield to Him.
– Humble yourself
– Doubts and fears cannot abide in His presence
– Jesus is real
– God can perfect those whom He chooses
When I read these things I felt like they were jumping into my heart! Be willing, be humble and those doubts and fears will leave. Humble yourself so that you can be made perfect!
Then I read this: “Mercy rejected means judgment”. Oh Jesus I never want to reject your mercy. All of these seemed to go with the meetings this weekend.
Pastor John I want to walk worthy of these precious treasures Jesus has bestowed on us. I never ever want to reject the mercy that He gives us each and everyday. This is a sweet life and I’m so very thankful for it.
Michelle
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real religion and each other
John,
I was thinking about the scripture today, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world,” and it hit me like a ton of bricks that real religion is mostly a matter of who we are, rather than what we do (I think I would have said, really, that it was the other way around). Anyone can visit the fatherless and widows, but if who they are isn’t full of God’s spirit (or under conviction to receive it), and they aren’t unspotted from the world, then they haven’t done anything of real value. This made me feel like one of my chief concerns in life should be to keep a clean heart, for if that’s lacking, there’s nothing I can do to “make up the difference”. Seeing this also made it more obvious how backwards this world really has it – the world will encourage people to “do good” (you’ll see that on TV, in other religions, etc.), but they think they can do that regardless of who they are, with or without God’s help.
When I was coming into one of our meetings last week, I said hello to a few people at the door. By the time I got to Randell, it hit me, “These precious people!” To have just one person in my life like Randell, a man who understands the truth, walks in it and loves it – what value! I felt like scales fell off my eyes to see the enormous value of anyone/everyone whom God has touched. And we don’t know just one Randell, we know a hundred or more! This reminded me of what the spirit said through Sandy on Saturday night, “Daughters and sons, I’ve given you the best that I have” (or something like that). I feel like God has put the very best people He has in our lives, and we are so very rich because of it.
Taylor
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Amen, Taylor!
To “visit” the sick or someone in need means more than to just show up where they are. In the Bible, whenever God. “visited” someone, things changed! May God help us be like Him, and bring real comfort, encouragement, and healing with us when we visit those in need.
jdc
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Numbness
Hi John,
What a wonderful weekend! Full of the sweet feelings of the power of God. It sure was good seeing Sandy be blessed and see God use her to bless whoever would drink. Really good messages Saturday night too – Michelle’s message from the Lord about removing the worm that was wrapped around her heart and how those worms are amongst us right now – and then how that led into your message on slander – really something. God help us to recognize and reprove every seed of discord!
I wanted to tell you about a little experience I had this morning as I was waking up. I had my arm back behind my head in an awkward position on the pillow, and it was completely asleep, and numb. I rolled over a little, and my arm fell off the pillow – it felt like it wasn’t even my arm, like it was dead. I made a conscious effort to position myself to straighten my arm out, and when I did, blood started to flow again, and the feeling slowly came back. Right after this happened, I feel like the Lord showed me that this is how it is in the Spirit. When the blood is not flowing to a particular member of the body, it begins to grow numb, and the feelings and the connection with the rest of the body (most especially the head of the body that allows you to feel the feelings) begin to grow dull to the point that the feelings are completely gone. But, there is still hope for that body member at this point. Those feelings can be restored, if we do our part to stir them up again!
It was good to me to learn that when we lose our feelings and connection with Jesus, we can “stir up the gift of God” to get the blood flowing again. Life, and the feelings and function that goes along with it, truly is in the blood. And when that blood stops flowing to any particular body part, it becomes numb, and then eventually dies if the blood flow is not restored.
Vince
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Prophecy of Baptism
Hi John,
Amy and I were reading in John 1 tonight, and we were talking about John the baptist’s conversation with the Pharisees. They assumed that John was the Christ because he was baptizing people (Jn. 1:25). I was trying to remember, where is it prophesied that Christ would baptize?
Vince
================Hi Vince!
I used to ask the same question. It is a reasonable question to ask, and here is the answer that the Lord gave me.
The word, “baptism” is nowhere in the Old Testament. The only place in the OT that suggests that the Messiah would do what we call “baptize” people is from Deuteronomy. There , Moses prophesied that God would one day “raise up a prophet like me”. Moses was the only person in history (before John the baptist) to ceremonially wash people. He washed Aaron and his sons, which began the Levitical priesthood for Israel.
So, when John came preaching and baptizing in water, the Jews who knew the scriptures recognized John’s unique ministry, and wondered if he was the Messiah.
Thanks for the question.
jdc
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Tithes on non-monetary benefits
Dear Pastor John,
Greetings in Jesus’ name! I have a question about paying tithes on non-monetary benefits from my job. For instance, health insurance, life insurance, workman’s comp, employer-paid social security (6.2%) and so forth? It’s estimated that these employer-paid costs are 30% – 35% of one’s income?
Also, is the 10% tithe not owed on social security until it’s received at retirement. Likewise, workman’s comp. is not paid until one is injured? I’m just trying to figure out what non-monetary benefits need to be tithed.
God bless, Stephen G
Marietta, GA
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Hi Stephen.
Thank you for your question. You heart is in the right place, to even be pondering this issue.
The simplest solution to the question of paying tithes on retirement contributions such as Social Security is to pay them only when the benefits are received. The same holds true with Workman’s Comp.
As for the perks that companies choose to offer in order to attract good workers, such as health and life insurance, I would not consider them to be “increase” to you, that tithes should be paid on. I can see how someone might make a different argument, but that is how I see it.
Fortunately for us all, God is not as picky as men are, and He is easy to please. When Jesus told us to “be anxious for nothing,” he was trying to get that point across to us. Our relationship with God is a matter of the heart, Stephen. We cannot do wrong in God’s sight as long as we are following after His righteousness and we keep our hearts free of condemnation. Ask Jesus about what I have told you, and if he agrees, do that! (And if he tells you something different, please let us know!)
Thank you again for your very good question. God bless you and those with you.
Pastor John
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“Friend”
Hi John,
Recently I was practicing reading a few verses in Greek from John 15. Verses 14-17 really stood out to me:
You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves because the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends because all things which I heard from my Father I made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and your fruit should remain; so that what ever you may ask the Father in my name He may give it to you. These things I command you, that you may love one another.”
It is no small thing for Jesus to call us his friend.
I am very grateful to have a part in this family.
Tom
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In the Middle of Satisfaction!
Pastor JohnAs I was driving home last night I had this smile on my face. I was completely happy, satisfied and very content! I kept thanking Jesus for putting me here. I really enjoyed “play day” yesterday with the kids. Getting to know them….Caleb and how he stands at attention, Karlee and her sweet smile, David…whenever he starts a story how he says……..well…then hold on! Watching Barbara and Jamie with the kids last night was very sweet. They are so good with the kids. This is truly a wonderful place to be, and the best family ever. I could not have asked for a better home, to learn and to grow.When I was driving into work this morning I was listening to a cd from 2009, and Gary was singing one of Aunt Betty’s songs “I’m in the middle of Satisfaction”. And I thought……….that’s it! That is exactly how I feel.Michelle
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The Fire within Babylon
John,I often have wondered how to understand these two statements correctly, assuming what I think they are saying is true.
1. The Spirit is saying, “Come out of Christianity!”2. The fire that will destroy Babylon (Christianity) will start inside Babylon.
Wendell===============Hi Wendell.Yes, Ezekiel did say that a fire would be ignited within Babylon [Christianity] that will destroy her, and yes, God said through Jeremiah and John that He wants his people to come out of Babylon. Those two events need not be associated directly if the fire that starts within Christianity is not the fire of the holy Spirit, as we have often thought. It could be a case of a fiery rebellion of carnal men within the Christianity who do not belong to Christ. Also, we know that the Beast and his ten kings will be the ones who actually destroy Christianity; therefore, the fire that starts within Babylon doesn’t have to be the “holy ghost and fire”.Still, the prophecy in Ezekiel about the fire in Babylon strikes me as referring to the “holy ghost and fire”, and if that fire that is within God’s people ever gets ignited again, they will see the truth about Church religion and follow the lamb out of it. In doing so, they will be removing from Christianity the only thing preventing God from destroying it. After all, Paul did say that God is ready to avenge all disobedience when our obedience is fulfilled. So, if the Spirit wakes up God’s people and they hear the voice calling them to “Come out of her, my people!”, that exodus of out Christianity by God’s people could be the spark that will lead to Christianity’s eventual destruction by the Beast.Thanks for the question.jdc -
Perverted nation
This was unthinkable just a few years ago. How swiftly a nation can be plunged into darkness! A postage stamp honoring such a wretched human being?This government is not only evil; it is haughty and proud of how evil it is. How long will God put up with man thumbing his nose at righteousness?
jdcFrom: Brad CrookerThis is extremely well-written and unapologetic: