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

Pastor John:

I have talked in tongues one time i was at a conference with my church.  i haved tried multiple times after that in my personal prayers at home.  why can i not pray in tongues like i did tht one time?  Have i done something wrong?

Ben

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

Hi Brother Ben!

You would probably be surprised at how many people over the years have expressed the same kind of questions you have about this. Jesus wants you to be free in the Spirit.  And he will lead you to his liberty.

The problem is a difficult one to deal with because the thing that causes the problem — church religion — is the very thing that God’s people trust the most.  If you could find a body of believers who are full of the Spirit and that have rejected the religious system known as Christianity (there are many such saints, I have found), your spirit might be liberated from the shackles that are holding your spirit down.  It is most often the weight of religious form and tradition that prevents God’s children from experiencing life in the Spirit as they want to — the way it should be experienced.

Other than that, I can only exhort you to keep your conscience clear so that you know the problem is not one of a guilty conscience. Keeping God’s moral commandments is very important!

We will be pulling for you as you pursue the knowledge of your heavenly Father.  The materials on our other web site, www.GoingtoJesus.com, will help you.  And if you want edifying music, whenever you are on a computer, go to www.SongsofRest.com.

God bless, and stay in touch.

Pastor John

Name: Sean K

comments: Hi Pastor John:

I had read some of your teachings on your website about the Holy Spirit and about Jesus, and had a few questions:

1) If I understand your teachings correctly, you do not believe that the Holy Spirit has a personality as the Father and Jesus do, but that it is a force or power.  How do you view Matthew 28:19, 2Corinthians 13:14 and Rev. 1:4-5, where the Spirit is placed prominently alongside the Father and Jesus (in fact, in Rev. 1:4-5, the Spirit, described as the “seven spirits” or the “sevenfold spirit,” is place BETWEEN the Father and Jesus)? It seems the Spirit is treated as equal with the Father and Son in these verses.

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

In my study, “The Influence of Trinitarian Doctrine on Translations of the Bible”, I point out that “power” could be taught as a fourth Person of the Godhead, using the same logic that is used to teach that the Spirit is a third person of the Godhead.  If God has a spirit, we would expect it to be referred to as having personality — God’s!  The same can be said about His power.  Below is an excerpt from that study:

 The Power of God:  A Secret Fourth Person?

Trinitarians see as evidence of personhood the Scriptures in which God’s Spirit is said to have spoken, or to have felt something, or to have done a deed.  But Trinitarians see this in the Scriptures not simply because of what those verses state but because they have been taught to see it there.  Consider the power of God, by way of illustration.  There have been no voices raised to promote a doctrine which states that the power of God is a person; yet, “spirit and power” are frequently used in identical ways.  Jesus is said to be sitting beside power in heaven (or should it be “Power”? Mk. 14:62), and we are told that power (Power) will come back with him when he returns (Lk. 21:27).  It was God’s power, along with God’s Spirit, that overshadowed the virgin Mary (Lk. 1:35).  That being true, is Jesus then the Son of God’s Power or the Son of God’s Spirit?  According to Peter, Jesus was anointed by God with both “holy spirit and power” (Acts 10:38).  It was power that raised up Jesus from the dead (Rom. 1:4), and power will also raise us from the grave (1Cor. 6:14).  In short, the power of God is said to have done many of the same things the Spirit of God is said to have done.  Does that mean that God’s power is a person?  Of course not.  Still, were we to capitalize Power and (since power is a feminine Greek word) refer to it as She, and then teach naive souls that She is a fourth Person of a quadripartite God, some people would no doubt point to the verses in which activity associated with personality is attributed to God’s Power and “see” the evidence of personhood for themselves.  Doubtless, some would become indignant and angrily condemn as heretical (dunamamachianism?) all who would not believe that God’s Power is a fourth Person of the Godhead, equal in all respects to and “consubstantial with” the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.  And would there then be another group of persecuted martyrs, burned at the stake for denying the Holy Quadrinity by denying the personhood of the Power of God?  The blood of many saints who refused to submit to the Trinitarian faith over the centuries bears witness that this question is not as far-fetched as would first appear.

There is no “seven-fold Spirit” mentioned in the Scriptures.  The seven spirits of God mentioned in Revelation are seven heavenly beings, perhaps angels, that stand before the Father’s throne.

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

2) You also teach that the Father created Jesus as an equal God, since the Father has the power to do this. What about Isaiah 43:10: “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he; before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me” (RV). Thank you once again for taking time to answer my questions.

In Jesus,

Sean K

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

I think you must have misunderstood something I have written.  If you would show me what I wrote that led you to believe that I teach the Son is equal to the Father, I might need to change that!  The Son himself said that the Father is greater than he, and I believe what he said.  So, if I wrote anything that led you to think differently, I will change it.

If you have done the amount of Bible study I think you have done, you know that the word “god” has many applications.  The rulers of Israel were called “gods” by God Himself at Mt Sinai and other places; demons were sometimes called “gods”; and Jesus quoted the verse in Psalms where God referred to people to whom He sent His word “gods”.  Surely, then, if the Son was God’s agent in creation, the title “God” applies to him (Heb. 3:4)!  

The word “God” in Isaiah 43:10, the verse you quoted, was being used by God to try to persuade His people Israel to stop trusting in and worshiping foreign deities.  He was not denying that the Son existed as God, or that there were no “gods” among the people Israel, to whom God’s word had come.

If that does not answer your question, feel free to write again.  God bless you and those with you.

Pastor John

Hi John.

In a recent teaching , you happened to mention that Satan, the devil, does not bother most people, even though they say, “Ohhhh, I’ve been wrestling with the devil lately!” or similar complaint.  I have observed that many Xns are accustomed to referring to the devil as “the enemy” and claim that he torments them on a daily basis by tempting them into sinful ways, or by challenging their faith with lies.  As I understand it, you claim that is nonsense and that it is demons who challenge the faith of believers by tempting them with sin and disobedience.  Only people who are close to God are capable of wrestling with the devil himself (such as Paul, David and Jesus Himself).

Hearing you say that provoked this thought:
Please explain to me, then, Matthew 13, in the parable of the sower, in verse 19, the Bible says “the wicked one” (the devil himself) catches the seed that is sown in the heart of a person, and steals the seed of belief from that person, so that they fail in their faith immediately after hearing the good word about the kingdom.  Am I right so far?

Then, in Matthew 13: verse 25, “the enemy came” and sowed tares among the wheat after the the farmers who had sown the good seed were sleeping.  Isn’t that Satan. . . working after hours. . . in the dark?

Doesn’t that indicate that the devil himself influences the lives of weak people, deceiving them and preventing them from being all that they can be in God?  Matthew 13 doesn’t speak of demons, but of the enemy himself being very active.  Am I not perceiving this properly?  Can you clarify this issue more, please?

Thanks in advance for you explanation.

brad

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

Hi Brad:

The answer to your question is a simple one.  Let me give you an example.

In the OT, we are told that Nebuchadnezzar came against Israel.  But in reality, Nebuchadnezzar was a hundred miles away.  None of those slain in Judah, and virtually none of those Jews who were taken captives ever laid eyes on the Babylonian king.  Still, he got the credit because what was being done wsas being done by his will and command.

Or, for another example, we are told that when Solomon became king, he sacrificed thousands of animals to God.  Actually, Solomon did not sacrifice a single animal.  It would have been sin for Solomon himself to do such a thing.  The priests offered them all, according to the law of God.  I doubt that Solomon even bloodied his royal hands by even touching the animals, much less slaughtering them and cutting them up into pieces.

Yes, it is true that God pits no one in spiritual battle against Satan himself except His children who are very strong in faith.  His children who are misled by false teachers wouldn’t stand much of a chance against the cunning prince of darkness.  That is why the family of God on earth is in such a confused, divided condition.

Hope that helps.

jdc

Hello brother John,
 
Zachary my grandson and I were sitting here talking and he had a few questions that has stirred in his heart about God.   We started watching some utube gospel videos, as we did when he received the holy ghost about a year ago, and I thought about taking him to your web page to hear some music.  We found the youth page, and he wanted to ask you a couple of questions.  Here they are.  He is 9 years old.
 
#1 Why does God not talk to me?  I have been asking him to and have not heard from him yet.
 
#2 Is God really coming soon like some people say and are the earthquakes a sign of him coming.
 
K. E.
SMILE!!!

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

Hello Zachary.

As for your first question, God speaks in many ways.  David said he heard God speak through the stars at night (Ps. 19).  And in the book called Proverbs, we are taught that we can receive wisdom from God by watching the way little ants work (Prov. 6:6-8).  Jesus told us to take time to consider nature (Mt. 6:26-30), and he said this because God talks to us through the things that he has made.  The clouds teach us about His glory, and the rain and sunshine teach us about His goodness.

God also talks to us through the feelings that He gives to us.  This is especially true if you have His Spirit on the inside of you.  Jesus said that the Spirit will guide us into all truth, and many, many times, this the Spirit does this by our feelings.  When we do a good thing, the Spirit will make us feel good.  And if we do something that is not good, the Spirit will make us feel bad.  Those feelings are God talking to us on the inside, letting us know what is right and what is wrong.

You probably are wanting God to talk to you the way you speak to other people, in the plain English language, and God does do that.  Many times, His voice is very still and gentle, and we have to be very still in our souls to hear Him.  But sometimes, God speaks a little more forcefully to people.  And then there are times when chooses to speak to certain people very clearly.  Those people are special to God.  Never do anything to harm them.

One time, long ago, Moses’ brother and sister said some bad things about him.  God was very upset about that, and He scolded Moses’ brother and sister.  One thing God said to them, was something like this:  “If somebody is a prophet, I will speak to him through dreams and symbols, but Moses is more than a prophet.  I talk to him face to face!”  In other words, God was telling those two people that Moses was special to Him and that Moses should be special to them, too.

Maybe one day God will choose to speak to you, Zachary.  He spoke like that to a little boy named Samuel (1Sam. 3), and to another little boy named Jeremiah (Jer. 1).  If he does ever speak to you like that, do exactly as he says.  Leave nothing out, and add nothing to His words.  They are perfect.  In the meantime, listen for God’s voice in your feelings, in nature, and in the testimonies of God’s people.  His is talking to us all the time by some means.

As for your second question, Jesus is not coming again any time soon.  You will be a grown man before he comes back, and you may even be an old man.  In fact, you may go to your grave before the Lord Jesus returns.  So, don’t be alarmed by those who say Jesus may return at any moment.  They are mistaken.  So, you have time to grow and learn what the will of God for you in this life is.  Isn’t that good news?

As for earthquakes, they will continue to increase and grow worse as time passes.  But they things are just “the beginning of sorrows” for this evil world, according to Jesus (Mt. 24:7-8), and Jesus knows about these things.

Thank you, Zachary, for your questions.  Be a good boy, and don;t follow others in school who do bad things.

your friend,

Pastor John

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

Dear John,

I love that little Zachary has questions about God talking to him!  It reminded me so much of Jonathan a couple of years ago asking why God didn’t talk to him.  He was really wanting to hear from God.  Those questions led Jonathan to the place of wanting to make things right in his heart with God and doing the things that made Him happy, and it led Jonathan to repentance and God baptising him with the holy Ghost. Those innocent little hearts long to learn about Him and hear from Him.  No wonder He and Jesus love the little children.  I love your simple and tenderhearted answer to Zachary.  That was right from the Father’s heart to him.

Love,
Bess

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

Hi Bess,

In the Bible, during those times when an older generation had disobeyed God and ruined things in Israel, God would by-pass the elders and speak to little children.  He would raise up children as prophets, such as Samuel and Jeremiah, and would raise up children to be kings, such as Josiah.  Then he would use those children to turn the nation around.

We need God to speak, to heal, to cleanse.  If the elders among His people refuse to hear Him, then let’s pray that He will again speak to some young people and set them on fire for Him!
 
jdc

http://www.goingtojesus.com/site/php/books.php?tname=word:2

Name: Gary
Comments: I want to know how I may speak with John Clark? I cannot believe what I just read about Is the Bible the word of God. If its not the word of God then we are all going to hell. I need some answers and Johns responsible for giving them, there’s a lot of blood on his hands.

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

Hi Gary

Pastor Clark is away for a short time at present but I will pass on your comments.  You may contact him directly from his personal web page at www.pastorjohnshouse.com. There is a contact form near the bottom of the home page.

Gary, I’m glad that you have apparently got the point of that book but why do you think we would be on the way to hell simply because the bible is not the word of God?  Quite strange really.  Do you believe Jesus provided all we need to be saved in the end? Is he enough?  The bible as such did not even exist when he lived.  The bible is a great blessing from God in helping us to come to know Him but the word of God is what comes out of His mouth, not a record of it or a description of its effect on people and situations.  God is still speaking and those who are led by the Spirit, not those who read the bible will be saved in the end. We do not serve a dumb, mute idol. There is a word of God that we can eat every day in order to live just as Jesus said.

There is blood on hands for sure but you have the wrong man at present.

Damien Callaghan
webmaster
www.goingtojesus.com

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

John,
I hope all who are under you at some point can be in at least 1 if not 2 translating sessions.  I think it would fill in any cracks which may exist about this issue.

B Wendell

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

You are so right, Wendell!  The humbling experience of attempting to translate the New Testament would eradicate from any honest man’s mind the non-biblical notion that the Bible is the Word of God, and especially that any particular version of the Bible is the Word of God.  If nothing else, just comparing the many, many different translations already in print, most of them good translations, demonstrates our need to hear God’s word now in order to understand what has been written in the past.  And it is that communication from God now which is the word of God.  The word of God, for us, is what God is saying to us, not the record of what He has said to others.  He is a living God, and, thankfully, He still speaks.

jd

Hi John,

I have a question for you.  Are the events of Armageddon described elsewhere in the bible besides Revelation?  Seems to me that Ezekiel and perhaps Zechariah referred to it, or something like it, but I can’t find it.

I thought there was reference to Meggido or something like that, but I couldn’t find anything substantial on that.  Or am I just remembering Christian prophecy teaching from my past, and it’s not there at all?

Gary

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

The battle of Armageddon (the word, “Armageddon” is the transliteration of two Hebrew words that mean, “hill of Megiddo”) is fought at the beginning of the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth.  It is mentioned in Revelation 16, and is also mentioned in the last half of Revelation 19.  You should be able to find more on that great battle in Ezekiel 39, and parts of Zechariah 12-14, though not by the name, “Armageddon”.

As for the final battle against evil, the one that takes place at the end of Jesus’ millennial reign, you can read Revelation 20 and Ezekiel 38.

jdc

http://www.goingtojesus.com/text/books/fatherandson.pdf

Hello Pastor John,

Just have a question.  If nobody in Heaven or on the Earth knew that Jesus was the Son of God, before the Son of God cast Satan and his demons down to earth at Pentecost, how did the demons who were in the lunatic in the cemetary know?  I am talking about the man which had the legion of demons in him.  How did they know that the Son of God was in Jesus, and ask him if he was there to torment them before the time?

Thanks for your time.

Thomas.

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

Hi Thomas.

I address this issue in some depth in my forthcoming book, God Had a Son Before Mary Did.  I would be happy to send you the chapters I have completed so that you can see in detail how that question is dealt with.  To be brief, I believe that even if angels and demons knew that there was in heaven a creature called the Son, they did not know what being God’s Son meant.  They certainly did not understand that the Son created them or that he was actually ruling over all things from the beginning.  No one knew that was the case because God had been keeping that a secret from the foundation of the world.  The most obvious answer to your question is that not only the OT prophets, and Peter (Mt. 16), but also the demons who cried out concerning “the holy One of Israel”, were all speaking because they were being overcome by the power and presence of the holy Ghost, not because they had any personal knowledge of the Son.

Now, we know this is the case with the OT prophets, and with Peter in Matthew 16.  It does appear that they knew what they were saying when they spoke of the Son, but the Bible makes it clear that they absolutely did not.  So, my point, as it relates to your question, is that it was the same with demons, whenever Jesus approached them and they felt the power of “the holy One of Israel”.  And, don’t let the fact that the demons were evil cause you any theological problems.  The holy Spirit sometimes came upon evil people in the OT and compelled them to prophesy truth and speak of things that they themselves did not know.  Two examples of this are the foolish prophet Balaam and the backslidden king Saul.

Hope that helps.

Pastor John