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  • Unclean Temple

    http://www.isaiah58.com/clark/clark07_18_99.html

    Dear Brother Clark,

    It is an awesome thing that this very day I decided to type into Google the words, “Unclean Temple”. Your story was the first one on the list that came up that I clicked on and read!! I have had an awful time for many years wondering if the Lord had left me and not knowing for sure if the Holy Ghost was the voice of one I have continued to hear since my baptism in 1992. About a year ago I visited a pentecostal church and the pastor there knew me from the past and told me that the tongues I now speak in are from the devil and she tried really hard to cast a demon out of me. I have had a horrible time trying to get it out of me myself ever since she tried and failed.

    I can’t tell you what a relief I feel right now knowing my instincts have been correct in thinking I have still had the Holy Ghost all this time. I for one have yet to see in the Bible where it says the devil even uses anyone to speak in tongues!

    I love the Lord so very much and read His Word daily. I saturate my mind with it. All I along I have kept thinking what is the point since I don’t know if He is still with me or not and have had such doubt!! I thank the Lord for leading me to Google what I did and I thank you for allowing the Lord to put the answer to my question on the internet for me to find it!! How awesome is that?? How Amazingly Awesome is our God who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords!!

    I do have some other questions though and I really need help!! I do read the Bible constantly and I have a vast knowledge of it, yet I don’t understand why alot of churches don’t teach that we live under grace and not the law?? I lasted at that pentecostal church for about 6 months and then started going to another church that I thought was non-denominational and then found out they were of the Minnonite faith. I think by all rights they should let people know what denomination they are!! I am not knocking the Minnonite faith I am however knocking any form of denominational church! I want to be a Christ follower and nothing else. I am now not attening any church because I don’t know where to go that teaches the truth and I am not going to sit under some preacher and listen to lies. I believe I am called to teach and preach the gospel, but thus far my ministry hasn’t come. Even Paul said if your calling is in ministering to wait for it.

    I have many gifts of the Spirit, and no place to use them because I have a past and am not sure where God would have me at this time. I also have the anointing to sing gospel music. I am divorced twice and I know many would condemn me and do, but it is between God and me and I know that I know He has forgiven me of any of my past. There is now therefore no condemnation to them which be in Christ Jesus, who walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh.

    I have so many things I wish I could talk to someone about. I wish I could talk Bible with someone. God has opened up His Word to me, I don’t yet understand all of it, and never will, but I do have understanding of what He needs me to understand at this time.

    Right now I have no job and no income whatsoever, and really no home. I am living in someone’s garage. I believe God has something big for me to do and it is about to be revealed. Actually I know He does. I remember He came to me when I was a child and told me so. Ok, so think I am crazy — everyone else does!! But it is ok, I have decided I will go out on a limb if I have to.

    Please just pray or me.

    In Christ,
    Kelli L

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

    Thank you for writing, Kelli. I am happy that you got some relief by reading my message on the Spirit dwelling in an unclean temple. Christian ministers have devastated lives and given people a false conception of God with the doctrine that “the holy ghost won’t dwell in an unclean temple” (which doctrine, by the way, IS in a Bible – the Mormon Bible).

    As for the rest of your letter, my advice would be to get still and listen, and learn, for a good while before you “go out on a limb”.

    Pastor John

  • Teaching on Sunday

    Hi John,

    I’ve heard you talk of slander/slanderer many times, but today went beyond what I remember having heard in times past. You brought it right out into the light, and with the antidote: sincerity and the love of God. I’ve been reading my notes, and I especially like this: “The answer is as simple as slander is complex.”

    Thanks,
    Debbie T

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

    John

    When I think of the quality of sincerity, which you emphasized Sunday morning, Brother Glen comes to mind.

    I have often wondered how to balance sincerity with the scripture a fool utters all his thoughts.

    I was just thinking if a person is not sincere would they be able to discern insincerity in others?

    Wendell

    ===========

    Hi Wendell,

    First, I agree with your comment concerning Brother Glen. What a wonderfully open heart he has!

    Secondly, I have contemplated the same issue concerning the balance between being sincere and not giving voice to everything that comes to mind. The Spirit lets us know the difference. That is one reason we need the Spirit so much; to know the difference between when to speak and when to be silent.

    Lastly, my first feeling was that an insincere person would not be able to pick up on another person’s insincerity. But then I remembered that every person whom I have seen Satan use as a slanderer (who is by definition insincere) has been very sharp, spiritually, to pick up on some unseen things. So, my conclusion is that at least in the case of slanderers, they can pick up very quickly on the insincerity of others who are NOT over them in the Lord; that is the insincerity of other foolish virgins and the insincerity of “little ones” in Christ. As for the insincerity of God, who Himself cunningly uses Satan and his slanderers to try the hearts of His children, they cannot discern His insincerity when He blesses them. They forget that he sends rain on both the just and the unjust, and sunshine upon both the good and the evil.

    jdc

  • Pondering on Apollos

    Good Morning Pastor John,

    Over last week, I had thought several times about a portion of scriptures in Acts regarding Apollos…

    18:24-26, And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
    This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
    And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.”

    I can really picture this scene in my mind, because I think it may be similar to many circumstances that we all may experience today too. I looked up “fervent” in the concordance…and it was to be “on fire” or “hot”. So Apollos was truly on fire for God, but with only the knowledge he currently possessed of John’s baptism. Isn’t that what we see so much today…someone who is good, wants to serve the Lord, and seems to be truly “fervent” in what they believe? A person may not have understood the “rest of the truth”, as Apollos had not…but it was then Aquila and Priscilla who eventually just took him aside and “expounded” (or declared) the more perfect way of God.

    For me, I thought this could really be a good example for us today too. And I love the opportunity to find scenes in the Bible that we can relate to today too, and learn by them. Any thoughts?

    Happy Thanksgiving,
    Melissa

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

    Hi Sister Melissa.

    Yes, that is right. Your comments stirred up a memory. In one of the gospel tracts he wrote, my father, “Preacher Clark”, lamented that an “Apollos spirit” thrives among believers today. He was feeling what you are feeling.

    My own observation concerning Apollos is that he was the first man to practice what has become known as “Christian baptism”; that is, a baptism in water that did NOT include John the Baptist’s exhortation to those whom he baptized: “There is coming another , who will baptize you with the holy ghost and fire”. God has never instituted but two baptisms, John’s baptism with a message to expect another and greater baptism, and His Son Jesus’ baptism with the holy ghost and fire. Other than for the kind of baptism that Apollos ignorantly practiced, there is no record in the New Testament of what is now commonly practiced as “Christian baptism”, and there is certainly no ordination from God concerning such a form of baptism. That kind of baptism is, from the beginning, altogether a ceremony practiced by men who are, like Apollos, ignorant of “the more perfect way”.

    Thanks for writing. Good to hear from you again! We hope that you and yours are blessed and happy this coming holiday season.

    Your servant,
    Pastor John

  • Radio Broadcast

    http://www.pioneertract.com/

    John
    I have been listening to old Pioneer Broadcast radio programs, from the late 1970’s and early 80’s. They are soul stirring!

    LeeAnn

    =========

    Yes they are, LeeAnn. They stir up my soul, too!

    jdc

  • Wednesday Night

    John,

    The gathering tonight was so wonderful. It just felt so peaceful.
    I am so thankful to be allowed to feel what we felt tonight.
    It is a wonderful thing!

    Love,Caroline

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

    Hey there,

    I can’t get over the feeling that was there in that room tonight. I felt so full of God’s love, my heart couldn’t take any more in. Just to love His Son…my what an opportunity. Jesus is just waiting for us to cry out to him to give us whatever we need.

    I’ve had a couple situations just this last week where he’s answered me! He’s given me thoughts to think, and words to speak for certain situations, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. That’s how I have to learn to live my whole life. That’s the only way to avoid the pitfalls and heartaches that otherwise you’re going to run into.

    I love this life.

    Aaron

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

    Hi John,

    While listening to Darren’s song at the beginning of the meeting I had a pain between my shoulders that would not go away. As Darren sang the words, “…find yourself a faithful friend in me”, I felt the Spirit move through my back, up to my shoulders — and my neck popped and the pain went away! The amazing part was that I didn’t move! The Spirit moving made it pop.

    Then, after you prayed for me, while I was lying in the floor, Jesus did something. I felt something gentle move through the inside of me. As it moved through I felt a contented, relaxed feeling and peace I had never felt before. I didn’t want to get up, I didn’t want to move.

    I loved hearing about Jesus tonight!!

    Randell

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

    Hey John

    I really love tonight. I felt so much love in it. When you were saying just to have faith that what you are praying for and that God will answer, that really encouraged me to kept seeking God. The thing that I want most is to love Jesus with all my heart; then everything else will fall in to place. It felt so good when you prayed for us.

    Thank you for all you have done for us.

    Doris

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

    Daddy

    I loved the feelings tonight. Darren’s song “Loving Me” was so peaceful. The love I felt you describe for Jesus was inspiring. I want to love Him more! But my favorite part tonight was when you were talking about the spirit being rest and refreshing and how we needed it. Every time you said the word “rest” or “refreshing”, I felt like I was drinking a big glass of water, and I was so thirsty and didn’t even know it! I want to take that and apply it to the rest of my week. I want to stay in that stream, because like you said, that is our “time-out” from this world.

    Then, the love I felt from you as you prayed for all the people was so good to my soul. I felt like I loved every one so deeply. Thank you.

    te.

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

    Yes, to everything Token said. It was so good. I cried through the song, the prayers. It was very sweet.

    On Monday, I heard a worldly song playing in the background of my head. I said to myself, “What is that?” Then I heard the words clearly, “Let my love open the door…..to your heart.” Whew. I have been praying all week to love him more and want what he wants. When you said tonight, “Your prayers are going to be answered,” it felt really sweet, and it made me cry.

    Thank you for tonight.
    Love,
    Cris

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

    John,

    I loved the communion last night between Jesus and us. As I was lying on the floor listening to that holy song, “Loving Me”, I kept releasing air from my chest. It was as if I was getting all of the cares of this world out and replacing it with fresh clean air. It felt so good feeling the feelings of Jesus that it made me very still and light headed. I was very thankful for the rest and peace.

    Thank you
    Rob

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

    Good morning John,

    How can we not say “thank you” to Jesus for last night? I don’t know that I have ever felt such a love for the Son of God as I felt last night. That was absolutely the greatest message on the “Son” I have ever heard. I think that would have been what the Jews would have heard from Paul as he traveled to their synagogues and such… whew, a knockout.

    It went very deep last night. The parts about Jesus being greater than all the Jews’ heroes, and about getting rid of our “dis-ease” really touched my soul. Jesus wants to take away ANY dis-ease we may have, oh that was so real. I lay in bed last night talking to the Son, in words, and in tongues. At ease. Resting in him. Loving Him. I could feel him so near.

    One of my favorite things I felt last night, though, was the love Jesus was letting me feel in my heart towards you John, for getting this to us. I loved the kind of love that you have for us. I felt it from the beginning to the end of your message, and then throughout the praying time. Anyone who would help us to understand the real love of the Son, loves us just like the Father and the Son love us. I felt safe, and thankful, and that the Father really did care for me, as I have never felt it before.

    “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son…” Oh, If we can only get that truth about the Son that we felt to God’s people. They could be comforted, and refreshed, as we were. I feel washed.

    Gary

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

    Hi John,

    One other thing Jesus did for me last night. For the past almost two weeks, I have been afflicted with pain. I went to the dentist about two weeks ago and somehow they must have injured my jaw during the cleaning. At first it was a nuisance pain, but it did not go away. After a few days of pain, it developed into a huge headache that would not go away, and I had it continuously. After nearly two weeks that pain, I could barely take it any more; the pain would not let up. It felt like my jaw was kind of locked up.

    I felt Jesus touch me when you were talking about “dis-ease” last night. I was hoping for a healing – but really, I was so overwhelmed by the Spirit during your message, even way before that, that I really just forgot about my jaw till then. After the meeting I felt “washed”. All “dis-ease” from it had left me. I went to bed in comfort and ease, talking to Jesus, no pain.

    This morning I feel the same way. The headache is completely gone, and my jaw, while it feels a bit stiff (like it needs stretching), is pain free today.

    I wanted to thank the Lord for giving me greatly needed relief through last night’s message. He is a wonderful Son.

    Gary

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

    Last night was so sweet to me. Darren and Julies song started to play and the sweetest feelings just hit me. I couldn’t do anything but slide into the floor and cry for the tenderness I was feeling. When you played it the second time and you told us to listen to the words, it was like you were encouraging me to drink up what I was feeling from/for Jesus. I just felt like last night I poured my heart out to him and he heard me. I know he always hears, but last night I felt like he was emphasizing the fact that he hears and he cares about us and our prayers more than I can even realize. I love letting go and letting God work.

    It was so good.

    B.M.

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

    Dear John,

    I am so thankful to have heard and felt what Jesus had for us last night. Being in this world hour after hour, and day after day wears on us, but then Jesus brings his peace and covers us with it.

    Hearing you tell about Jesus’ love for his Father and his love for us brought me relief from those things that were bringing dis-ease. And Darren’s song was like being under the shadow of God. Quietness settled in my heart and covered me. I loved seeing us all “lose ourselves” then find ourselves in Jesus.

    Love,
    Bess

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

    The peace and power in the meeting tonight was just wonderful and much needed. It was beyond words. And I sure felt it when you prayed for us in the camera. I love love loved all the feelings.

    Anna D.

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

    Hi John,
    Reading all the comments this morning confirms what I was feeling last night. Yesterday morning I was praying for rest and relief from the cares of this world. When you mentioned it last night my heart leaped with thankfulness. When you started praying the Spirit gently nudged me to stand up. I could feel the love and warmth Jesus was pouring out on us through you. When you reached out and prayed for us through the camera all I could do was bow my head and open my heart to what ever Jesus wanted to give me. Suzi was on her knees as well near the screen. It felt like we were there. Afterwards, all I wanted do was sit still and absorb the peace.

    Thank you.
    Tom

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

    Pastor John,
    I loved what we got to feel last night. I just sat in my living room floor with tears the whole way through. Darren and Julie’s song touched me so deeply. We’re blessed to feel such sweetness!

    God Bless,
    Michelle

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

    Hey PastorJohn,

    I loved what happened last night. It was mezmerising, full of peace and rest. I wanted more and more and yet at the same time felt as though I would burst. Then when you prayed for us all on live stream my heart spilled over and I could only cry and thank God for my life.

    Love Tina

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

    Good Morning!

    Just wanted to say that it was a “restful” blessing to listen in on livestream last night. We could feel the Spirit moving on this side of the screen, just as he was there in NC. So comforting that there are no limits or distance for the Spirit of the Lord. There is just constant energy when truth is spoken. It’s like sweet candy treats when you hear truth! Thank you for your prayer for all of us on this side…it was felt! Mom said it reminded her of what it probably looked like in all those meetings that the apostles would have had with the believers in the early days. It just makes you want to be closer to Jesus…and learn more of what Jesus wants to show each of us. I’ve been thinking about that here lately.

    Love,
    Melissa

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

    John,

    Even though we were on livestream last night (instead of there in person), what I felt more than anything was the gentleness and compassion of Jesus for me. It was a powerful feeling, giving me more faith and hope about how wonderful eternity is going to be. But we can get a taste of it while still here on earth.

    This morning, as I listened to Darren and Julie’s song again, a warm, tingling blanket of that anointing covered me and I was totally without control and fully His. I didn’t think that I could get to that level with Jesus, but He kindly opened the door for me.

    This week, Jesus has changed my life, and I am thankful for it. I want to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and messages.

    Love,
    Brother Jim K.

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

    James described the meeting last night like a big pot of honey, and he felt like he was part of the honey. I felt encouragement and love for my family – us. I also liked what you said about God is going to answer our prayers and to go ahead and have faith in God. 🙂

    Love,
    James and Lyn

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

    John,

    My soul is vexed at work. My soul is vexed walking through a mall with my children. My soul is vexed when television ads (and shows) come on, through newspapers, magazines, the internet, etc.. In last night’s gathering of the saints, listening to the words of that song and feeling it go through me, and hearing the words that you spoke, refreshed me greatly. This world keeps getting more filthy and vexing to our souls all the time. It seems that as this world keeps pouring out more and more filthiness, Jesus is pouring out more and more of his cleansing peace, rest and refreshment for our souls to be able to endure it all and to show us more about him and his father. He truly is looking out for all His children.

    Working together on that song with Julie has really touched us both. The song, “Loving Me” is Jesus singing to us, and if we love him, our hearts are singing that to each other. Julie told me yesterday that she was thinking of the last line of the song – “You and I for all eternity”. As she was thinking about her and I personally for all eternity, she was reminded of something I told her a while back, and that was this – “If you and I are ever going to be saved, it’s going to be together”. I really felt that when I told her. What a good and helpful thought it has been. This is real life and it is worth living.

    Darren

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

    Last night was so sweet! I loved the sweet feelings of peace & rest while listening to Darren & Julie’s song. I couldn’t move, and I had the most content, clean feeling!

    I love it. 🙂

    Tracey

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

    Last night, I was on the floor it was so sweet, the song and rest that I was feeling in JESUS. Then the message! Here it is, rest again, the rest I needed. It was life to my soul. Love you, John.

    Junior

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

    Pastor John,

    I could not get past the words in Darren’s song, “Loving me is an open door.” All the feelings in just those six words! Wow! All the love to and from! And as everyone else said when you came over to pray for us on livestream: “Thank you for loving God!!”

    Jammie

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

    Hey there,

    Last night was very sweet and peaceful, such rest. I just love hearing Julie sing with Darren on “Loving Me” and I especially love talking about the Son! It just does something to me!

    One scene that really touched me last night was toward the end, we were standing together and the Spirit fell on us. When I looked up, I saw several of the men standing there together being blessed. And not only standing there praising God, but arm and arm or leaning on one another. It was beautiful. Darren, Rob, John David, my Dad, Jason, Joel, Tim, Taylor, Gary, Richard, and Keith, Damien, James, Wendell and several others. It was so special. While I was looking at everyone in that moment, the word “bond” came. I looked it up and the description is “something that binds; something that unites people”. And the love that we felt last night did just that and makes that “bond” stronger between us. It brings tears to my eyes when I think on it.

    There was such love for us from Jesus, with each other, and from you John.

    We have a wonderful place in Jesus.
    Amy

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

    Last night was a much needed refreshing. The words in Darren’s song “Lose yourself along the way, and then you will find yourself in me” really struck me. Losing our fleshly carnal self and finding the Jesus that is inside, loving him and letting him live and shine – what great instruction.

    Thank you Amy for the description of “bond”. I really felt that bond with my family last night. As different ones were being prayed for, I had such feelings overflowing inside. We can’t do it alone. Jesus in each other is our help for one another.

    Richard

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

    Hi John,

    My whole body feels entirely relaxed, my spirit and mind refreshed. Last night was indeed a rest and a refreshing. Jesus is so sweet.

    Debbie

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

    Hey John,

    Last night was so wonderful to me. I felt so safe and so loved and so in love with Jesus! How easy he is to love! Seems like lately I’ve been trying to talk some of my children into loving Jesus. The feeling I have is, What is so wrong with loving Jesus and letting him love us? He’s so good! He’s just “it”!

    At one point, when Darren and Julie sang the words “lose yourself along the way, and then you will find yourself in me…” I told the Lord, “That’s what’s happened! I’ve lost myself somewhere along the way. And the place where I am with you is so sweet!” It’s that place under the shadow of his wing that makes me feel so safe and so loved. I’m typing this through tears because it is such a tender place.

    It was so sweet to be there with everyone last night sharing these wonderful, tender feelings. What a precious thing it is to have a place where we can have this kind of sweet fellowship in the light. When Julie and Darren sang that line, “Loving me is a golden road; a golden place to be”. Whew! I felt like we were on that golden road together last night! It was a golden place in God!

    There was real rest, a “sweet relief”, there last night for anyone who wanted it. It was very special, and I am very thankful that Jesus let me be there to feel that sweet peace and rest.

    Lee Ann

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

    Hey John,

    Last night was really special. There was such peace in Darren and Julie’s song, I just wanted to absorb it all. Thanks to Amy for sending it out so we could listen to it at home. It was the last thing I heard as I fell asleep.

    Your message was good to me too. Just thinking about our Father caring about our prayers more than we do makes me sit back and say “wow”. I really do just want to love him more and more. I am so thankful for his mercy on me.

    Last night when you prayed for me, you said (in the Spirit) that God will use every bit of humility I have, every bit that I will offer Him. I need more humility John. Walking humbly before our God is one of his requirements, and I don’t want to come up short.

    After you prayed for me, I found myself near Token and we hugged each other a long time, speaking in tongues together. Its hard to describe what I felt, but it felt like the love of God was flowing back and forth between us. I’ve never felt anything quite like that. It was very strong. I thank God for Token. Like you, she has watched out for my soul (you know what I mean). I hope I can feel that same thing with more of my brothers and sisters.

    I thank God for you, too, John. Just being able to be there and hear and feel the things we hear and feel, espescially here lately, speaks volumes about the mercy of God for me and the others. I want to stay faithful so he will feel like it was worth it for me to be there.

    Billy H.

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

    Pastor John,
    WOW! Last night was so sweet! Feeling Jesus love us the way he was, and how he wanted us as a body to have relief and rest! I loved when you talked about Jesus wanting to take your “dis-ease”. Whew! That was so very good for me. I am sure thankful today for the rest and peace. For the first time in about a week, I was able to sleep through most of the night, and just rest without all the “dis-ease”. I still feel those sweet feelings today as I work.
    We have victory when we stay in that place with Jesus!

    Last night was a much needed refreshing for our souls. Our God is mighty!

    Thank you!
    M.

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

    Oh my! I have been listening to the song from last night’s meeting all afternoon, and it is flooding my heart with love for Jesus and for my family. I had many highlights, such as hearing Pastor John talk about Jesus saying “Come unto me, and I will give you rest.” I saw so much rest in the room as I watched it on Livestream. As Pastor John prayed for each one, I saw the connection between each one and Pastor John. Jesus was the one who put those connections there by His love and sacrifice to make the spirit available so we could be connected to one another.

    I am so thankful for the peace that Jesus put in my home last night as we were on Livestream here at home. I could do nothing but weep tears of thankfulness. I never was so thrilled to watch and hear my wife speak in tongues so loudly and clear. It was so beautiful. She was getting touched by Jesus! So, between hearing her get blessed and seeing the love of the Father and Son on everyone in Pastor John’s house last night — well, it is still flooding my soul. Praise Jesus for His sweet refreshing touch last night!

    T.

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

    John,

    Thankfully, we were able to see through Lifestream last night. Thank God for technology. That is only our second Livestream. There were many times that I enlarged the screen on Livestream (therefore, not doing the chat) because I just wanted to see everyone larger and better. It was good to have the screen enlarged while Jim was watching it from the bed.

    Darren and Julie’s song is absolutely beautiful, not of this world. It is from Jesus.

    When you came to the screen to pray for us, I will never forget your eyes and face. I could not hear what you were saying because of the noise in the background, but I did not have to know what you said. I could REALLY feel it. I feel that it had to do with healing and I could feel your earnest prayer. It was so good.

    Jim and I are so thankful for you John. We love you and Barbara and our entire family very much.

    We are so thankful for where God has put us. . . . . . . . .. . . . It is truly a story of God to come from Wisconsin to North Carolina. There is no place on this planet that we would rather be.

    Diane

     

  • 2 Questions

    Hi Pastor John

    Couple questions………
    How do you know when to speak and when not. I don’t want to cast my pearls before the swine and do not want to be silent and not stand for the truth.

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

    None of us knows when to do anything the right way, including worship God. That’s why we must be led by the Spirit in every circumstance.

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

    Is there a difference between diverse tongues and tongues for interpretation?

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

    There is much that we don’t know about the gifts of God’s Spirit because the saints of God are so divided and confused by Christianity. But it seems clear to me that if one is speaking in a diverse language that is understood by those to whom the message is being given, such as happened on the morning of Pentecost, then no interpreter is needed. But if one is speaking a message to a person or group in a language not known by those listening, then an interpreter would be necessary.

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

    God Bless,
    Michelle

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

    Thanks! and God bless you and yours, too.

  • Like Stones, Silver As Nothing

    Pastor John,

    And all king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.” 1 Ki 10:21

    “And the king made silver and gold at Jerusalem as plenteous as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the vale for abundance. ” 2Ch 1:15

    John, I’ve always wondered how this could have been. Silver accounted as nothing? Gold as plenteous as stones? What would it be like to live in such a day?

    Today I got a little taste of that feeling, I believe.

    I was cleaning out old desk papers that had piled up for months. In the stack was an email about “The rod of the wicked will not rest upon the lot of the righteous” (Ps.125:3). It was dated 12-12-2009. It was so good. In it you explained how that God’s children can be put into situations by the wicked that are too much for our faith. And so, God will not put us in situations we cannot overcome by allowing the rod in the hands of wicked men to overpower us. You gave examples of David, and it was just good, solid, trusting-God stuff.

    The problem is, that I did not remember printing it out. It was valuable to me enough to print, and I vaguely remembered the topic, but I did not even know I had it in those papers in my office. Made me stop and consider.

    Over time, you have given us such good food, such spiritual riches, I would say we remember a small portion, except Jesus pull it out of us at the right time from somewhere inside of us. Hopefully, the “overall” goodness of it has left it’s mark and influence. We have “gold” in abundance. And even our “silver”, which would be of great value to children of God out there without gold, well, we just have too much gold to value the silver that much, I guess!

    I thank the Lord for what we DO have. Jesus, keep letting us take it in for living, and may we protect it and pass it on. It’s gold. Thanks for all the manna you have fed us, John. Who knows how many times it has influenced the things in my life that I think and do. I really felt an appreciation for it today.

    Gary

  • Anna

    http://www.pastorjohnshouse.com/video/filluswithglory.html

    Hey Pastor John,

    I was sick all this past weekend with coughing, body aches, and a slight fever. Lower back pain developed, but I figured it was just part of the body aches. For the most part, everything went away by Monday, but the lower back pain persisted. When I would cough heavily, my lower back would solely hurt, so much that I would have to brace myself anytime I had to cough.

    As I was driving home last night, I started to worry about it since everything else had gotten better. I was already dreading going to the doctor. As I was trying to figure out what I was going to do, I flipped on the CD that was in the player and just told God that I knew He could take care of it all. I wasn’t really hearing the words of the song (“Fill Us With Glory Now”), but immediately when the words “creator of the soul” were sung, which seemed to be amplified, this love and sweetness completely saturated me. My eyes were pouring with tears before I even had time to think. Every inch of my being knew it was Jesus coming to take over the situation, and it felt so peaceful and soothing.
    (I did a few test coughs to see if the pain was still there, but it was long gone.)

    Whether the pain in my back was kidney or bladder related, or simply a strained muscle, the pain and concern that I had about it completely left.

    I know I shouldn’t be surprised that when I pray, God hears it, but it was such a fast and thorough response; I am so thankful for the experience.

    Anna Drane

  • Doctrinal Influence

    Pastor John,

    Could not perhaps the law of Moses and the OT priesthood be the most influential “pagan” influence to shape Christianity? Is not the Eucharist a reoccurring sacrifice offered to God? And because of the need to sacrifice there became again the need for a priest, one similar to the Levitical priests who had authority to administer His ceremonies?

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

    What a remarkable insight, Michael! Yes, that is exactly the case. When God finished with and abandoned the works of the law of Moses, those works became as empty of value and, therefore, as “pagan” as any religious rite that the Greeks, Romans, and other pagans performed.

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

    Did perhaps the Judaizers in fact overcome Paul’s doctrine? Not so much on circumcision but in denying the hope and promise we received with The Holy Ghost thanks to Jesus’s FINAL sacrificial offering.

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

    Yes, Paul lost that battle, according to his own words: “All they of Asia have forsaken me.” The whole book of Galatians was written because those Gentile saints had been persuaded to forsake the gospel that Paul preached and to follow Peter’s gospel of the circumcision instead. There is hardly a letter Paul wrote which does not deal in some way with that issue; it is a main topic of most of them.

    In time, those Gentile believers even twisted those works of he law and devised their own form of them; hence, “Christian baptism”, Christian “holy days”, etc. But the root of all those pagan works among NT believers is that in the beginning, Gentile believers in Christ were persuaded by Judaizers to add the ceremonies of the law to their faith.

    I would not say that the Judaizers overcame Paul’s doctrine, however. I wouldn’t phrase it that way. It seems more correct to say, as Paul did in one case (2Tim. 2:18) that the Judaizers overthrew the faith of Gentile believers. Paul’s doctrine still stands, and it will meet them all in the Judgment, both the Judaizers and those who were deceived by them.

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

    If so, my only question is, is not Hebrews so explicitly clear on this subject that it can’t possibly be denied? Is the book of Hebrews not in the Catholic Bible?

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

    Ha! Yes, it is in there. But it is not understood. Had Churchmen understood Hebrews, they would have declared it non-canonical long ago. In fact, I am persuaded that if Churchmen of the past had understood any of the the NT books, they would have done away with all of it, in order to keep their status secure.

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

    And the more and more I read about the meaning behind the Eucharist, plus knowing what I know growing up Protestant, I truly wonder why Protestants even bother with it, even if it is only monthly in most cases. It’s like drinking a cup of tea that was made from a ten times already used tea bag.

    MD

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

    Practically all Protestant ceremonies are watered-down versions of Catholic ceremonies, just as Catholic ceremonies are watered-down versions of the OT law’s ceremonies. This is evidence as to why Protestant denominations are called “daughters” of the “great whore” in Revelation. Every Christian sect has the fundamental nature of the Mother of them all: Catholicism.

    Keep up the good work, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

    jdc

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

    I seem to recall that the canonicity of Hebrews was (and still is by some) doubted.

    djc

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

    Hi pastor John,

    This was very good I enjoyed reading it. While I was reading it, it reminded me of why king Jeroboam’s sin was so bad. He took the way that God had given his children to worship him and perverted it to fit what he thought would make it safer for him, because of the fear that he had in his heart that the people would turn back to David’s son Rehoboam as their king. So, John, would what the early Jewish believers did in the beginning, by trying to get the Gentiles to take on the old covenant, be the same as the sin of Jeroboam?

    Stuart

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

    It would be close, but not quite the same. Jeroboam’s religion was a lot like the rituals of Christianity; that is, it’s ceremonies and holy days never were of God. Both were wrong, though.

    jdc

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

    From: Bekah C.

    I wonder if by the time the Catholic Church was advanced enough to be completely opposed to what is really said in the book of Hebrews, etc., it had also already become too superstitious to dare touch the NT canon. Maybe that’s why they translated it into Latin and REFUSED to let the common person read it for centuries…? Maybe they did, to some extent, see the condemnation of their rituals in books like Hebrews, and therefore they did not want the book to be in the hands of the people — while at the same time, they were already too superstitious to eliminate certain passages, books, or the Bible altogether.

    ===========

    Well, that is certainly food for thought.

    jdc

  • Email From RWEA Website

    http://www.goingtojesus.com/tongues-at-spirit-baptism.html

    Greetings in the name of Jesus!

    In my research on the development of the religious system of Christianity, which system I have renounced in favor of Christ Jesus my Lord, I came across The Two Babylons, and then, of course, your two books related to that one. I just wanted to tell you that I was touched by your sincerity in making the effort and going to the expense of correcting your errors when you discovered that you had made them. I have been through similar situations, and I know what it takes to make that kind of choice, when it entails significant personal loss. (But what is the alternative if we truly love the Lord?) May God bless you for your integrity, and may He continue to guide you and yours to His ever-increasing light.

    Pastor John Clark
    www.GoingtoJesus.com

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

    From: Ralph W

    Thank you for being in touch and your kind thoughts. I have looked at your website; this is quite a layout of subjects, etc., very well done. It seems you are saying that when one is born again he will speak in tongues. I have been to the location of the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles. A lot of the speaking in tongues that is well known today seems to have stemmed from this revival in 1906. But my question is: What about all the centuries before that back to the early church. Who spoke in tongues in those centuries or, the greater question, was anyone saved or born again in those centuries? I believe in speaking in tongues, so that is not an issue with me. Any thoughts? Blessings.

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

    Thank you for your reply. Your question is perfectly reasonable, and everyone who deals with this subject has asked it, or should have asked it.

    Of course, you know that the baptism of the holy ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues was being experienced and taught before it was made famous at Azusa Street, by people from Kansas and Texas, etc. But even at that, the issue of a marked absence of the testimonies of such people in the historical record from the days of the apostles still must be addressed. Were it not for a few suggestive episodes and comments scattered throughout the historical record, one might assume that Spirit-baptized people did not exists at all from the time of the apostles until the Azusa Street revival (I have also been in that area several times, visiting my daughter who is in graduate school at Fuller Seminary).

    It is common knowledge that the surviving historical records of Western Culture were made and maintained by Churchmen. These Churchmen, as their own records show, were so devoted to their faith that they did not often wince at resorting to cruelty or injustice in dealing with those who dared to oppose their power. We know that, for example in the case of Arius, the Emperor Constantine used the full weight of his empire to eradicate Arius’ influence after the council of Nicea. All of Arius’ writings were ordered destroyed (none survive), he himself was exiled, and any home in which Arius’ doctrine was taught was confiscated by Empire and turned over to the Catholic Church. The only information about Arius that was allowed to survive was that which Churchmen themselves wrote about him. It was entirely in their hands as to whether or not any records concerning Arius would remain.

    An even more interesting character is Montanus. At the critical time when the Catholic Church was taking shape, while charismatic assemblies were swiftly fading from view, Montanus (according to the records left by Churchmen) denounced “the whole catholic church under heaven.” The very few sentences from Montanus which Churchmen recorded for posterity strike me as exactly what Paul or Peter might have said in similar circumstances. We cannot safely judge Montanus at all, whether he was of God or not, but he is an intriguing character. But the Churchmen of his time certainly condemned him, and the commentaries of Church scholars and Christian ministers follow suit. They typically trust the ancient opinions of those who hated Montanus without sufficient consideration of what Montanus might have seen happening to the faith.

    So, my answer to your very good question is that recorded history can only be as reliable as the recorders of that history. And if the recorders of that history were ungodly and unreliable, then an appeal to that history is fruitless in one’s search for truth. The recorders of history from the time of the apostles until the Reformation were servants to an iron kingdom which was committed to one goal: earthly power. And they brooked no dissent.

    It seems obvious to me that the deep, oppressive darkness which that evil Institution brought over mankind in the West lingered, even after men knew that the darkness existed, that the Institution was evil. Martin Luther, in the beginning, had no thought of leaving the Church. He just wanted the obvious corruptions dealt with. In his 95 Theses, if I remember correctly, he spoke very reverentially of the Pope, still calling him “holy father”, contrary to the expressed command of Christ (Mt. 23:0). So, I see the events subsequent to the Reformation as a gradual “waking up” of God’s scattered and confused people, drugged and drunk as all nations have been on the wine that is in the great whore’s cup.

    In sum, because of who has been in charge of the existing records, I cannot see recorded history as a just arbiter in the controversy over whether or not all who are baptized with the Spirit (i.e., are born of the Spirit) speak in tongues at the moment of their baptism. In the end, we cannot trust anything but the Spirit to guide us into to all truth, along with the Scriptures, which were inspired by and are rightly understood only by that same Spirit. This is why I wrote the little book, Speaking in Tongues at Spirit Baptism. I am convinced that the typical Pentecostal position (I am not a “Pentecostal”) is the correct one; to wit, that speaking in tongues (or “stammering lips”, per Isaiah) is the “initial evidence” of receiving the Spirit of God. If one can just put, for a moment, the religious system of Christianity out of mind, I believe that what the Bible says on the matter would be much easier to perceive.

    Thank you again for writing. I have been hoping, before too much longer, to visit some friends who recently retired to Palm Springs. If so, maybe we can find some time to sit down and chat.

    God bless.

    Your servant,
    jdc

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