Mailbag

Send us comments on Twitter!
Watch What We Do!

Search

Looking for something specific? Try a search below!

  • Simple truth

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

    What a marvelous thing to say!
    Uncle Joe and the old saints sure had some sweet wisdom.
    Simple, and pure, without guile, without condemnation of others,
    their spirits were so in line with Christ.

    Gentleness… and truth… simple truth.
    They didn’t complicate anything or dramatize anything.
    They merely spoke plainly and simply, and thus, it carried so much more weight.
    Their feelings and testimonies from the Lord are INVALUABLE to us today.
    I am amazed, and humbled.

    Brad

     

    PS: This “Pearl” comes at an appropriate time, for I’ve been really blessed lately listening to the old songs on the PTS site and viewing that slideshow of vintage photos. The holiness comes through in those songs, John! It has a therapeutic effect! Of course, I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, but I have found it refreshing to spend time on that site, as of late. God is working in my heart, saving me, preparing me, adding to my faith. . . it feels good.

    Please have a safe trip down south.

  • speaking in tongues?

    Hi Pastor John,

    Have a question that has been on my mind lately. I know from what I have read, heard, and learned from your teachings and that wonderful first book I received on Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Speaking in Tongues that the only way to Heaven, where God Reigns forever, is to have that Baptism WITH evidence of speaking in tongues.

    Some moments I can accept this idea but more often it is a struggle. When I learned of the Gift of Tongues, I thought it was a Gift and not a requirement. I guess I might need to read that book again and pray more as I read.
    I suppose the adversary is working extra on me these days.

    ron
    ====================

    Hi Ron.

    It’s good to challenge yourself concerning your faith, and it is good to challenge others concerning the faith. Paul told the Corinthians to examine themselves, to make sure they were in THE faith of Christ. I have doubted and examined myself many times, and told myself, “OK, let’s just start over again from scratch.” Then, I’d try to throw out the window everything I had been taught to believed and try to read the Bible as if I were a blank page, and I earnestly prayed that God would help me do that. I believe that He did, repeatedly. He is VERY patient.

    In brief, the answer to your question is this. There is no such thing in the Bible as a “gift of speaking in tongues”. The gift mentioned in 1Corinthians 12 is a the gift of “diverse tongues”, which is an added measure given to some of those who already speak in tongues, just as “the gift of faith” is an added measure given to some of those who already have faith, and the gift of healing is an added measure given to those who can already pray and be healed.

    On page 1 of my book, Speaking in Tongues at Spirit Baptism, I say that the book does not deal with the issues of praying in the Spirit or the gift of diverse tongues. It is only a book about the baptism of the holy ghost and the evidence of it; namely, speaking in tongues, or “stammering lips”, as Isaiah said, or the “pure language” that Zephaniah foretold, or the “sound of the Spirit” that accompanies every new birth experience (Jesus), a sound which “cries out, ‘Abba, Father!’ declaring us to be the children of God (Paul), because it is the Spirit that bears witness that we are the children of God (Paul and John), giving rest to the spiritually weary (Isaiah, Jesus, and Paul), and providing a sign for unbelievers” (Paul).

    Pastor John

  • The Key of David

    Pastor John,

    I had some trouble understanding the section on “The Key of David” (Rev. 3:23-25). Especially the verse in Isaiah 22:24: “And they will hang upon him all the glory of his Father’s house, the offspring and the issue: all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.” Not sure I understand what they are referring to here regarding the issue and the vessels?

    This sentence is definitely a keeper! – “We are blessed that we have the Son as both a father and a God, that we have him as our brother, our high priest, our counselor, our life, our friend, and our Savior.”

    Thanks,
    Rebekah E.
    ============

    Hi Rebekah.

    That verse from Isaiah 22 is there to make the point that even the smallest things in David’s house will be in the hands of the man with the key of David. From the greatest assets, the children, to the least important assets, the little vessels in the house, all are under his care and are his responsibility. For a man in the Old Testament to be given this authority in the king’s house was another Old testament foreshadowing of the authority of Christ in the kingdom of God. Joseph was also a figure of Christ. Pharaoh, you will remember, gave Joseph complete charge of every element of life in Egypt. “Without you,” Pharaoh told Joseph, “no one will so much as lift up a foot or put it down.” That is the sort of power and authority which God gave Jesus over all Creation. Our very breath is in his hands.

    Thanks for writing!

    Pastor John

  • Let it shine

    Good morning John,

    I was on my way to work this morning thinking about last night and how good it felt at the gathering on Justin TV. All the songs sung and testimony’s were going through my mind. What a wonderful life we have in him! As I came around a bend in the road by my house, I looked across the field, and the sun was coming up over the trees, and I had a cd playing in the truck, and brother Gary and Joel were singing, “Let It Shine!” What a blessed way to start your day!

    I was thinking about how free we are. I am doing everything I want to do. People everywhere are being led by something, thinking they are free to do whatever they want to do. The only people on this planet who are free are the ones walking in the Spirit because they are the only ones who have a choice to do good. “He is my buckler and my shield.” He is my light. He is my day and my night. He is my life. Without him, there is nothing. What an honor to be a part his body and to have such wonderful feelings.

    Stuart

  • sweet experience

    Hi Pastor John

    I had a real sweet experience with Jesus and wanted to share. The past several weeks have been very very busy. There is a lot going on at work. We are hiring another physician and are in the process of purchasing the suite next door to expand the practice, and we are about to integrate a completely new EMR and practice management system. And on top of that, at home, I have been preparing to move. I have been going non-stop. For the past several days I have felt really heavy. I have tried to talk to the Lord and just didn’t seem to get where I needed to be.

    Yesterday it all just seem almost unbearable. I felt like if I could have just gotten off to my self I could have just cried all day. I kept thinking I need rest oh Lord please help me I need rest. So when I got home last night I did nothing but keep my mind on Jesus. I didn’t bring work home. I didn’t pack one box. I just wanted my thoughts my mind and my heart on Jesus. I put on a dvd Aunt Betty had made for me and really enjoyed it. I started praying, and I felt to just lift my hands, and when I did, I felt like Jesus was just pouring water down all over me. I could not stop praising Him, nor did I want to. I could not stop speaking in tongues, and I could not put my hands down. As long as my hands were up I felt a rush of relief!

    I don’t know how long this went on, but when it was over, I felt that sweet rest I had been longing for for weeks. I was so thankful for what Jesus had done for me. I went to bed and woke this morning feeling so refreshed! I remember when Donna came to visit me she told me, “Stay under Jesus’ wings, Michelle,” and that is what stays on my mind. I know I can find my help, my relief and my comfort when I stay under Jesus wings!

    Jesus has been so sweet to me Pastor John- I just love Him so much!

    Michelle

  • quote

    I Just read this. It is from one of my books for school. How true!

    “The canonical Scriptures, as the term implies, are the standard according to which all claims are judged. Christianity is, like or or not, a religion of the Book.”

    I’m glad I have a religion of the Spirit!

    ~ Bekah
    ==============

    I am, too! As Paul said, “The letter [the book] kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

    jdc

  • PJH Website Testimony

    Pastor John… I would love to share with you my testimony … As I shared with you in a previous email, I was raised in a Baptist family.. My Father a baptist preacher.. However, my Father was not a normal Baptist preacher… He actually desired to live for God and pressed upon me the need to serve him as well as living right… He believed in Holiness and lived as close to God as possible for a southern Baptist…I was not raised listening to Billy Graham but remember listening to Jimmy Swaggart, if you can believe that… My Father did not believe in tongues but did believe in the anointing …. After being led to say the sinners prayer and become SAVED for the millionth time by my Father, I was now 20 yrs of age and trying to live as best I could in a marriage that was headed for disaster…. However, my wife was Pentecostal not filled with the Spirit but Church of God… The story gets better… I had always been interested in prophecy and the rapture of the church… My mother n law worked for Golden Flake.. I was workin for Alabama Graphics… She helped me get on at Golden Flake… I met several friends at Golden Flake that I sat with during break… One of them was a strange man named Kevin…A few days go by and a man enters the breakroom named Bobby.. This man had a demeanor about him that was unlike any I had ever seen before…. He sat down at the table and began to talk to Kevin about the Lord… I was like what is going on??? I didn’t know Kevin was a Christian to begin with based on the worldly conversations we had.. He had seemed a little strange like me but he begin to talk to Bobby as though he had spiritual authority… I was intrigued to say the least with Bobbys love and the change that had taken place in his life was something I desired… At Golden Flake, we had a 3 month probation period… We could not bid on another job until that period was completed… So right at the time that my probation period was completed a cook job came open.. At Golden Flake, a cook job is big money and one of the best jobs… So it would be impossible for me to get that job with only 3 months with the company, right??? Wrong… I bid on it and got it cause no one else bid on it??? It gets better… I was placed on this new job training with Bobby… Bobby like me had been raised in the Baptist church, which was a great testimony to me… He shared with me his testimony of how he had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit evidenced by speaking in tongues… Now I had heard of speaking in tongues… My wife, her family, and my best friend were all Pentecostal, but I had no idea what the Baptism of the Holy Spirit was… I realized that he was sincere but I was very skeptical… One thing he also liked to talk about was the rapture of the church… Now that was a subject I was also interested as I told you earlier…He had a new take on the rapture, something we called the Prewrath rapture.. This led me to intense Bible study and a understanding of prophetic scripture that I never knew existed… I had questions that he encouraged me to share with other people…I ask my dad and my father n law many questions about the rapture… None could disprove or convince me that what I was seeing was not the truth…This new found doctrine led me to a intense Bible study on the day of the Lord… Because that is the basis of this teaching…I noticed that the outpouring of the Spirit according to Joel and Acts would be followed by the day of the Lord… I was learning that the day of the Lord was the day of his wrath and the rapture as we call it…This new found truth led me to understand that the gifts of the Spirit had not ceased… My dad said it ended with the Bible.. The Bible seems to indicate that the gifts would continue until the Lords coming…So I began to study about the Holy Spirit Baptism as I studied about the rapture… God started revealing to me things in scripture that I never realized … Now Bobby was a man of great love for the Lord and seem to be very happy… He talked about the joy of the Holy Ghost which made me desire to feel that joy … Me and my wife started goin to a charismatic church about a year or so after intense Bible … They were teaching about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit if you can believe that… One Sunday, maybe a few weeks later, they had special prayer for anyone that needed it… My wife encouraged me to go up and get special prayer for my dad.. I was a little scared cause I had never had hands laid on me… Never even been up to the altar in a Pentecostal type church.. But I decided that I would give God a chance and when the preacher laid hands on me, I felt the power of God for the first time in my life… I went to the floor and I was no longer skeptical… For the next week, I was seeking the Lord for the Holy Ghost… I prayed continuously … I was repenting… I was trying to stay away from sin as much as possible… I was hungry and wanted to be filled… So the next Sunday, I was ready… I don’t even remember what the message was… All I could think about was receiving the Holy Ghost… When it came time for altar call… I began to cry and continue to repent as I went up front… The preacher said call on Jesus and he will give it to you… As he laid hands on me, I began to feel the fire of the holy Ghost burning through me and begin to speak in tongues… I fell out under the power of God and when I came to my feet.. I felt like a new man… Full of Joy and Love… I could not wait to fill that power and to fill that joy again and again… I have more to share …. My story is still goin … I don’t know what is next

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

    Dear Brother John,

    Thank you for letting us hear your testimony. It, along with the blood of Christ (=the holy ghost), will overcome the world and everything in it (Rev. 12:11).

    Pastor John

  • 1Peter 2:2

    Pastor John:
    I have a question about you “grow unto salvation” article (TFT for Dec 26, ERRORS IN THE KING JAMES VERSION NO. 3 – GROW UNTO SALVATION). I see no sources here for you claim that Peter actually said we have to grow unto salvation..could you send me the sources please?

    bassman
    ===============

    Thanks for the question.

    The vast majority of biblical scholars world-wide use the UBS Greek text as the standard for translating the New Testament. If you pick up any modern version of the Bible, you will most likely see a translation close to what you read in that TFT for December 26. While I come to prefer the Byzantine Greek text since I wrote that article, the truth contained in that translation from the UBS remains. Regardless of the Greek text used, all who put their trust in Jesus continue to grow in grace until Jesus returns and brings them salvation. That is as simple a biblical truth as we can find. And that is what 1Peter 2:2 says, as I translated it in that article.

    Salvation is the hope of God’s people; it is what the Lord has with him, and in the end, he will give that salvation to everyone of his people who has been faithful. Let’s live according to the will of God so that when Jesus returns, he will give us the salvation that is promise to all who walk uprightly before him.

    Pastor John

  • Woman praying in the Spirit for God to take the tornado

    Bro. John:

    This video really touched my heart. This woman was really calling on Jesus. God help those people.

    http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2#/video/bestoftv/2012/03/03/vo-nat-west-liberty-tornado-prayers.cnn

    Sandy
    ==========

    It touched me, too, Sandy. That was one of our sisters out there pleading with our Father.

    jdc

  • Tithes and offerings

    http://pastorjohnshouse.com/books/tithesandofferings.html

    In response to reading your online paper “Tithes and offerings” I have taken this time to write to you.

    I am an aspirating “servant” as you write: not yet called officially of the Lord, but being led in that direction.

    Being willing to go, and do as the Lord leads; whether being a Pastor, or Evangelist, or missions, I am preparing for the ministry, “FULL-TIME”!

    In my full-time pursuit I am searching for education about the ministry, and the things that pertain to this service to God.

    The subject of Tithes and Offerings, and giving in general is a part of the ministry that is of great controversy, or so it seems. As I have been looking on-line for example; there seems to be two extreme versions as to how charitable donations and or giving are suppose to be conducted. Some are saying “Tithes and the giving of Offerings”; and others are saying a “free will giving”, is the best way to receive donations.

    I must Have searched about ten articles, and posts before reading your’s, and it seemed to me that your article was the only one that gave an honest, and straightforward approach. The others seem to be too defensive of position, that is they seem to want to fight, rather than edify, or educate the reader. After all I am just trying to learn, and not shopping for an opinion.

    In your article you stated, that taking up a collection was wrong, but rather a basket in the back the the church, would be less intimidating. I agree, because I would feel obligated to put something in a basket that was pasted by my lap, whether I was called of the Lord to do so or not. A basket or box in the back would be something I would pass by, or contribute to without any regards of what others might think.

    I would like to poss a question although, Would it be right in the teaching of stewardship to suggest to the congregation, that tithes and offerings is a way of giving, and that free will is another way; since there is so much controversy, and opposite opinions on the subject.

    Gerald G

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

    Dear friend,

    Thank you for writing. I appreciate your effort to avoid controversy by suggesting that the opposing views are just two ways p0f giving. Strife and division among those who believe is a reproach to the name of Jesus, and I earnestly pray that God will have mercy on His children and deliver them all from divisions.

    Concerning your idea of describing tithes and offerings as a form of giving, let me invite your attention to the first two chapters (added as an attachment) of my new book, Tithes and offerings, which will be published within a couple of weeks. I believe that your question will be answered on the opening pages.

    Your servant in Christ,
    Pastor John

Recent Posts