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  • on the blog, “The Law is Holy”

    Hi John:

    I love these truths from your latest blog:

    http://pastorjohnshouse.blogspot.com/2009/09/law-is-holy.html

    ” . . . John said the definition of sin is still “transgression of the Law.”

    And then, “The Law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.”

    Amen!  And then talking of the New Testament, “It was revealed from heaven when the Son was revealed.”

    I just love it!

    We can add NOTHING to what our great God has done.  He is so great, so good, he’s already done it!  And vain man, in all the theories, postulations, philosophies, and blah, blah, blah, is always looking for a way to explain something.  Our flesh is always looking for an excuse for sin.

    But our God is great!  I love the simplicity and truth of the Gospel.  He has rescued us from sin and even looking for excuses for sin!

    Donna

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

    You have said before and said again just the other day that the Beast (of Revelation) is going to have to come to help God’s people get ready for King Jesus by being a king himself because we are so used to a democratic society.  We really do live in a world where everything is negotiable…evolving and democratic.   I have been born into this gray world and therefore something that doesn’t evolve, that never changes and doesn’t need anybody’s help seems fearful, even cold.  But we have to get to the point to where we realize that there is nothing godly in this generation’s mindset, nothing good in ourselves and so we can find relief, not fear, and love in completely trusting Jesus, and His laws in our hearts, which we can feel daily.  What a different place it would be to have King Jesus ruling this wicked planet, who we loved and trusted completely.  I know because of this democratic, ever-changing, Christian society I was born in, I can not understand it unless I walk in the Spirit.  All my thoughts will be wrong.

    te.

  • All Things

    http://www.pastorjohnshouse.blogspot.com/2009/08/all-things.html

     

    The PastorJohnsHouse.com Blog on All Things is a beautiful massage.  i understand it.  I just want to know how to respond to a question my niece made to me few years ago,  “why does God allows all the sufferings and hungers on kids dying of hunger in Africa and others countries”?

    if you could answer, that will be great.  thank you

    Manny

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

    There have been many who asked that question, and the answer is found in the holiness of God.  David understood this and wrote that God “has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities” (Ps. 103:10).  Sin is far worse than people realize because God is far holier than people realize.  If He were perfectly just, instead of being perfectly just AND very merciful, we would all be in hell now.  Thank God that there is more to Him than justice!

    When God destroyed the earth with the cataclysmic event called “the Flood”, there were, no doubt, many infants, toddlers, and elderly folk who choked helplessly in the waters.  God graciously spared a few in the ark with Noah, but think of all the ones who died!  Was this right?  Of course it was because God is right in everything.  We have to adjust our opinions according to the works of God if we want to understand righteousness.  If “God is known by the judgments that He executes”, then in order to know Him, we must see and submit to whatever he does.  Paul speaks of this in some detail in Romans 9.

    An elderly Jewish man who as a boy survived the Holocaust wrote a famous book about it not long ago.  The book was required reading at the High School which my children attended.  When I read it, I could hardly believe the arrogance against God that was in the book.  The biggest lesson the book taught, as far as I could tell, was that human beings are incapable of doing anything deserving of such suffering as the Jews suffered and that there is no adequate explanation for such cruelty as the Nazis imposed upon the Jews.  But that is false, and it was very harmful to the young people who read that book to see God condemned that way.

    The Jews’ cruel rejection of the sweet Son of God when he came made them deserving of even worse punishment than they have received.  This is true because of how good the Son was and how much his heavenly Father loved him.  The Father loves His Son so much that if we love His Son, too, then the Father will take some of His eternal life out of His own bosom and share it with us so that we will live forever.  But if we reject the meek and innocent Son of God who came to earth and died for us, then we are deserving of the greatest of punishments, and we will certainly receive it.  There is, as your niece has observed, great suffering of all sorts in every culture around the world, but whatever suffering exists on earth is less than we humans deserve for the world’s incredibly hateful response to God’s harmless, holy Son when he came.

    Whether or not men understand or believe what I am saying about this makes absolutely no difference to God whatsoever.  Life on this cursed planet is what it is, and God has made it that way because of our sin.

    But there are two sides to the Father’s feelings about His Son.  The Father has promised to bring those who love His dear Son into His very presence, and He has prepared for them a place where no suffering of any sort or degree will ever be known again.  That is as great a blessing as we could ever imagine – just for loving and following Jesus!  So, how much the Father loves His Son is indicated on the one hand by how very much He will bless those who honor His Son, and on the other hand by how much He will curse those who dishonor him.

    Pastor John

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

    Pastor John,

    Your reply to Manny is so good!!  It means so much more to me now after learning all the things we did about the father and the son recently.  I had a testimony years ago about being an example for others.  We either are going to be a good example to the body of Christ or if we reject the Son we are going to be a bad example to the body of Christ.  Either way, we are going to be an example, and God is just and holy and right with whatever he does about it.

    Stuart

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

    John…this is just simply…brilliant.   I am grateful you answered Manny’s familiar question so thoroughly, articulately, with such understanding and respect for God’s holiness.  This is a great reply to an oft asked question.

    I love you so much.

    Brother Brad

  • It only matters how God sees it

    Bro. John:

    Last week, I watched some of the TV coverage for a famous government official who had died.  From the Roman Catholic service to the procession through the streets of DC, he was praised and given great recognition for who he was.  It was to such extent that the family did not arrive at the burial site until dusk.  By the time the priest read a lengthy letter written by this man (in his dying days) to the pope, and then read the reply from the pope, it was so dark that the cameras had to stop coverage and only the audio was carried.  One of the man’s younger grandchildren tried to read something she had written as a tribute and tearfully said in the dark, “I can’t see!  I can’t see!”  I felt sad for her.  As I sat listening to it all, I said to myself, “Lord, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a burial in the dark.”  Immediately I heard the Spirit say, “He is being buried as he lived – – in darkness.”

    Whew!  Though I had just viewed what appeared to the world a man of magnitude, I knew what the Spirit said was right.  It made me tremble and my thoughts went to all that had been seen and heard by the world that day in praise concerning that person.  All that had been said and all that had been done held no weight with God.  No matter how emotional or how lengthy, it was all in the flesh.  It was all darkness.  It reminded me of the blog you just wrote on “Flattering Titles” and the scripture you included from Job:

    “Let me not, I pray you, accept any man’s person;

    neither let me give flattering titles unto man.

    For I know not to give flattering titles;

    in so doing, my Maker would soon take me away.”

    It also reminded me of what the Spirit woke me with a few months ago: “You don’t realize how dark your world is until you stand beside Jesus.”

    Jesus is the measuring stick.  All else is darkness.  The reality is staggering to the flesh, but the judgment of God stands no matter the person.  I thank God for Jesus and for his mercy on all of our lives.  Without Jesus, I would be just as caught up in the world and its praise as those who do not know him.

    Sandy

     

  • Isa. 47 and Rev. 18

    Pastor John,

    I opened up my Bible and randomly started reading Isaiah 47, and it chilled me.  Is it prophetically saying the same thing as Rev 18?

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

    Yes, it is speaking of the final destruction of Babylon (the religion of Christianity).

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

    I don’t know why God wanted me to re-visit that topic, out of the blue, but it made me fear for our brothers and sisters even more.  (Oh, why doesn’t our Father let  them SEE and HEAR what we have heard concerning Christianity?!!)

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

    We fear for our brothers and sisters who are still in Babylon because if they stay there, they will (1) partake of Babylon’s sins and (2) partake of Babylon’s coming plagues, which are, as you saw, described in Isaiah 47.  Let’s continue to pray that Jesus will open their eyes.

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

    Then I wondered about one of Darren’s newer songs. . . where he sings, “Where is my bite?  Where is my sting?  Who do I blame for anything?  Where is sarcasm in my voice? Tell me please.”  It sure seems as if God is harshly scolding and mocking the people (Babylonians, not Jews?) with much sarcasm.  Also, in other books and verses, God has spoken with sarcasm and disdain towards Israel, hasn’t He?

    Thanks in advance for your comments.

    Brad

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

    There is a time for all things.  Yes, God did ridicule foolish men, several places in Scripture – but only when it was just to do so because His mercy, and patience, and earnest warnings were proudly refused for a long time.  Proverbs 1:22-33 describes circumstances that could lead to the Almighty mocking humans:

    “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?  Turn you at my reproof!  Behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you; I will make known my words unto you.

    Because I have called, and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded, but you have set at nought all my counsel and wanted none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your fear comes, when your fear comes as desolation, and your destruction comes as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish comes upon you.  Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me.  Because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they wanted none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof.  Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices.

    For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.  But whoever listens to me will dwell safely and be quiet from fear of evil.”

    Hope that helps,

    Pastor John

     

  • message from January 11, 2006

     

    John – Here is a message from you that my mom found today from 2006.

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

    The Lord showed me tonight that the reason that some of His children refuse to testify openly of what He has done for them is that they know that testifying brings with it a responsibility of holy living that they are unwilling to bear. God is good to all His children, but not all of His children are willing to confess His goodness in an assembly of saints because they are unwilling to live so as to bring God glory.  They may very much enjoy receiving glory from God, but they will give Him none in return, lest the saints begin to notice how they are living day-to-day.

    Testifying puts a child of God in the spotlight, if but for a brief moment, but even a brief moment in the light is too much for a heart that is ashamed.  To be observed is not what uncommitted saints want, and so, they shy away from confessing Christ in the assembly of the saints, even if God does a wonderful work in their lives or gives them an especially needed blessing.  As I said, saints may gladly receive God’s special blessings, but then they bury their testimony in silence for fear that if they stand up and be a faithful witness of God’s grace, they will be expected to conduct themselves like one.

    What has God done for you that you have hidden from the saints?  Of course, not all blessings are to be spoken of in public; they are of too personal a nature to be broadcast in the assembly of saints or anywhere else.  But the Lord let me know that there are multitudes of unconfessed blessings hidden within the breasts of guilt-ridden believers because they fear that if they confess what God has done for them, they will be expected to walk uprightly.  They are right.  Those who confess Christ automatically become beacons for others who are looking for him.  The choice that confronts these saints, then, is either confess Christ and be seen, or hide their testimony “under a bushel basket” and hope nobody is watching.

    Somebody is watching.  So do not be so foolish as to hide your testimony in your breast in hope of not being watched.

  • reading about the kings this morning

    John:

    As I read in 1Chronicles this morning, I thought about how much God loved his people.  When the people wanted a king, God said they had rejected Him.  Yet God gave them what they wanted.  Then the king did all the things God warned them he would do, and sometimes even worse.

    This question comes to my mind.  If a person rejected me, would I still work to take care of them and help them with the zeal which God did?  I am glad that, even when they reject him, God is willing to touch somebody’s heart for their good.  God put it David’s heart to do His will.  David’s boldness, wisdom, and love for Israel didn’t come from David.

    This in itself should encourage us to keep after God, to tune us in to his will.

    Br Wendell

  • Divided into a 1000 sects?

    Pastor John

    I became curious to know how many christian denominations there are.  We often use the number 1,000 but I wondered.

    First problem seems to be to define a denomination. That seems somewhat hard to do.

    This link (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary – World Christian Database)  http://www.worldchristiandatabase.org/wcd/about/denominations.asp suggests there are over 9,000 denominations but if you go here http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/a106.htm they get to suggesting there were 33,000 in the world in the Year 2000.

    If you go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations you can scroll down the page and be staggered at the lists of denominational names.  There a couple of charts showing the history of division in christianity as well.  Really, it defies description. It is confusion.  Which is how I got to this.

    I had looked up the word Babylon wanting to check its meaning.  What I found interested me.

    In Hebrew it is from babel apparently meaning confusion, but this word comes from another word balal.

    The definitions for this word were interesting.

    1) to mix, mingle, confuse, confound

    It showed me that Babylon is confusion but it is confusion arising from a mixing or mingling. Mixing believers with unbelievers, life with ceremonies, truth with error and superstition.  That is a perfect description of God’s people in Babylon.  Just one reason why coming out of her is the only way to deal with it.

    Damien

  • re-defining holy ghost baptism

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

     

    Pastor John,

    I am seeing more and more comments from people saying, “I have had the Holy Ghost baptism for years now, but I would like to order your book because I am seeking the experience of speaking in tongues.”

    People have separated the two things!

    When someone says they have the ‘holy ghost’ baptism, this does not always mean that they speak in tongues.  It might be clearer to ask them plainly “if they speak in tongues” because people seem to have redefined the Holy Ghost baptism.  John, what do these people believe the Holy Ghost baptism is?

    love you,

    Kay

    ==========

    They believe that the baptism is something that happened when they first believed the gospel, and they believe it because that is what Christian ministers tell them happened at that moment.  And if they actually felt the spirit of God when they believed the gospel, they seem to take that as confirmation that the baptism took place.

    Yes, some of us do ask our friends who write if they have spoken in tongues to make sure everybody is talking about the same thing.  And you’d be surprised how many people answer that they do speak in tongues.

    It is precisely because Christian ministers have separated God’s witness of the Spirit baptism (stammering tongues or speaking in tongues) from the Spirit itself that I needed to write that book Speaking in Tongues at Spirit Baptism.  One of Satan’s chief means of ruining the fellowship of the saints is by re-defining elements of the gospel.  The truth seems wrong to many believers only because so many things of God have been re-defined for them by the religion of Christianity.  We are only trying to help them regain their long-lost love for one another and to know again the sweet fellowship that is in the light of Christ.

    Thanks for writing.

    We love you, too.

    Pastor John

    ==========

    And then you have all those who said that although Spirit baptism IS evidenced with speaking in tongues, that it is not conversion (sanctification).  Right?

    Which is more commonly taught now?  Any idea?

    Bekah

    ==========

    Yeah.  Same doctrine, just different words.  The book deals with that issue from both this angle and the one Kay brought up.

    Hard to say which is more prominent in fact.  But according to the standard that Pentecostals have traditionally upheld and published in official documents, yours would be the more common among God’s people.

    Of course, the vast majority of Xns would say that speaking in tongues has nothing to do with anything any longer.  That’s why in my answer to you, I did not consider them.

    jdc

    ==========

    Pastor John,

    You wrote to Rebekah,

    “Of course, the vast majority of Xns would say that speaking in tongues has nothing to do with anything any longer.”

    Pastor John, I will never forget that when I told one of my Xn biological sisters about receiving the holy Ghost, she said “Oh, no…that is something that happened way back in the old testament!” Oh my, some hearts cannot believe us and some are very hungry for the truth. I am just trying to be grateful, no matter what. 🙂

    =========

    Now Sister Ruth, that is a new one.  I have never heard it taught that speaking in tongues was only part of the Old Testament.  Well, at least she admits it happened to somebody at some point in history.

    Let’s just be thankful, and move on.

    Pastor John

  • Not Important?

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

     

    Pastor John

    I Speak in Tongues but, many of my christian brothers and sisters Do Not think it is important.

    Frances

    =========

    That is why, Frances, that God is calling His children out of the religious system called Christianity.  It is a mixed bag of obedience and disobedience, of faith and unbelief, of born-again people and religious sinners.

    You are feeling the right thing.  Stick with it.  The Spirit baptism that Jesus suffered and died for is VERY important.  In fact, it is so important that no one will escape damnation without it.

    Thank you for writing.  God bless you as you read my book.

    Pastor John Clark

  • Going Through Tribulation (web comment)

    http://www.goingtojesus.com/suffering-and-the-saints.html

     

    Pastor John

    does people that are saved go through tribulation?

    Rita

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

    Dear Rita:

    We are saved only after we have endured to the end, just as Jesus said (Mt:10:22; 24:13).  Salvation is the reward that we are looking forward to receiving from Jesus when he comes back.

    I think what you are wanting to know is, will born-again people go through the period of time described in Revelation as the “Great Tribulation”.  The answer is yes.  In fact, there are two times of tribulation described in Revelation that the saints have yet to go through.

    The most important thing is to be obey the commandments of God, no matter what he determines that we should suffer.  If you do God’s will, you will be saved in the end whether or not you have gone through a time of tribulation.

    Pastor John

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