Mailbag

Send us comments on Twitter!
Watch What We Do!

Search

Looking for something specific? Try a search below!

  • Acts 5

    Good Morning Pastor John,

    Wanted to share that I was able to get hooked up on the Skype and take part in listening in on the meeting last night.  Was great to hear everyone.  The testimony about the elderly man calling in on the radio, and the brother’s obedience to follow the Spirit’s direction was beautiful.  Very touching!  I kept thinking how that man has lived all his 80 yrs, and how good God is to bring such joy and truth to him during this time of his life.  How blessed he is.  And how good it feels to know that the Lord is blessing him spiritually!   I’m sure it’s a joy for him to have his new chair, but God had much more planned with that delivery.

    It is definitely our blessing as well, when we see our bro/sis’s being blessed!

    Also, in reading the Thought for the Evening on line this morning, you began with one of my all time favorites (bunches of them I guess) Acts 5:30-32:  “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things, and so is the holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him”.

    I’ve always loved how direct and to the point this one is!  Those Jewish leaders were not a bit confused at what Peter was telling them.  That’s why they were furious and wanted to kill him.  You can just about picture it.  They totally understood that he was implying that they were simply disobedient…or in other words… the ones whom God hath not given to them that disobey him.

    Those beginning commands that Jesus said so many times over to obey: just believe and repent.

    Every time I read that scripture it has been so clear.  This is one of those scriptures where, by saying one thing, it actually states two facts…God gives the holy Ghost to those who obey, which only leaves that He does not give the holy Ghost to those who disobey.

    I’ve pondered many times on how to “lovingly” address this flip flop question, of this scripture, to the many who do not have the Spirit.  You know what I mean?  It’s such a good one!  Reminds me again how Peter stated in Acts 2:39, “For the promise is unto you,….even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” If He promised you something, and you hadn’t gotten it, wouldn’t you be questioning that???  Goodness, we get hurt and question it when even a man breaks his promise to us!  This is in regards to the many who think it’s just ok, and you don’t have to have the holy Ghost.  But GOD promised it, to those he calls. So again, if a person believes they are called of God, then that scripture states it is their promise from God, and He would’ve given to them.   And he doesn’t break a promise…no matter what a person may personally think.

    I feel and hope that these are a few of those scriptures that could really make someone begin questioning some things.

    Have you ever had any experiences where you have shared and addressed those scriptures (and hopefully helped inspire their self questioning) with anyone?

    Love,

    Melissa

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

    Hi Melissa.

    That is a very good point about questioning why the promise is not given, if we have not yet received it.  My father said it this way:  If a parent promises a small child anything, the longer time goes on, the more excited and insistent they become.  That is how we will be if we become “as little children”, the way Jesus aid we must, if we hope to receive the salvation of the Lord.

    I have pointed out that Scripture in Acts 5 many times, but I have learned that it does not matter how clearly I can see it, or how well I can explain it to someone.   If God does not have mercy on that person as He has had mercy on me, then that person cannot understand it.

    After God reveals truth, it seems so simple!  But it must be revealed to the next person, or the simplicity of the gospel will seem to him very complicated and confused.  That is one thing that should prove to us that the gospel must be revealed and that it is ONLY by the mercy of God that we understand it.  It IS simple!  If understanding God’s truth were simply a matter of intelligence, masses of  people would understand it.  But because of God’s choice, only a few understand it now, or ever will.

    If we rightly understand anything, let us bow very low at Jesus’ feet and thank him for showing mercy on us, and pray that he will show others the same grace.

    Pastor John

  • “Rapture”?

    Pastor John

    what does rapture of the church mean?

    Web Comment

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

    “Rapture” is a term used to refer to what will happen to faithful believers when the Lord Jesus returns.  Paul described it like this:

    From 1Corinthians 15:

    50. This I say, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither does corruption inherit incorruption.

    51. Pay attention now. I am telling you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we shall all be changed

    52. in an instant, at the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For he will sound the trumpet, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

    53. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality;

    42. The resurrection from the dead is the same way.  [The human body] is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption;

    43. it is sown in humiliation; it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power;

    44. it is sown a physical body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a physical body, and there is a spiritual body.

    And from Thessalonians 5:

    15 Now I say this to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are left here alive until the coming of the Master will by no means precede those who sleep;

    16 for the Master himself shall descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise up first.

    17 Then we who are left here alive will be snatched away together with them among the clouds to meet the Master in the air; and after this, we will ever be with the Master.”

    The term “rapture” is not found in the Bible, but it does refer to a real event that is coming for those who love Jesus.

    Pastor John

    PS   None of this has anything to do with “church”.  The promise of a “rapture” was made only to faithful saints, not to an institution.

  • web site

    Hi Pastor John:

    I can’t begin to describe the feelings I had this morning while visiting PastorJohnsHouse.com. I loved the feelings looking into the pics of what I do/what we do, section at Pastor John’s House. This work is so very important, and I’m very thankful Jesus is letting me be apart of this. It is no small thing where God brought me from, to where I am now.

    Thankyou bro. John,

    billy m

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

    I agree, Billy.  This is a precious gift we have from God, this work we have been given to do for His people.  God help us get it done!

    jdc

  • the wed night meeting

    Hey John,

    Thanks for tonight. Your message was fabulous, and I think that was the first time I have ever seen you preach yourself drunk!

    That was amazing!

    Gary

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

    Thank you, Gary, for knowing what is amazing!
    I received several phone calls today about the meeting last night. God is good to touch so many people!

    jdc

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

    John,

    Last night felt wonderful. I had the urge to come lie down next to you and I am so glad that I did! (I had the thought that if I didn’t do it, someone else might, and I didn’t want someone in my spot!) I felt so thankful for you and for the way that you have helped our family. Thank you for holding up the standard and not “keeping your mouth shut.” I am so thankful for the feelings that I feel in the holy Ghost. It felt wonderful to lie there next to you. I laughed, I cried, I “mmmm”ed. 🙂 Jesus is so good…words cannot describe it! Thank you for taking such good care of all of us.

    Love,

    Carrie

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

    Oh Carrie!

    That was the most wonderful feeling when you did that! Pure and perfect! I was so thankful! I still am!! Thank you very much. That was special to me. I think it blessed everybody.

    jdc

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

    I loved it when you all were in the floor, being so blessed. It was beautiful! 🙂 And we didn’t even have to stand (or sit) around and wait for somebody to do something. or say something. It was happening, right then and there. It was wonderful. I am thankful for the feelings we felt last night. And I am thankful for the standard, the government, that has made it possible. I’m glad you didn’t keep your mouth shut. Our God is good!

    Donna

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

    Thanks, Donna. Amen. I love it too!

    jdc

  • Brad – knowing the whole truth

    This evening, I just met with an old high school friend at her mother’s house. I reunited with her on Facebook and she is in town for her mom’s surgery tomorrow , so i thought I’d stop by and visit. Pleasant enough, as such visits go. But toward the end we talked about different peoples’ views of God, in different religions, and I was prepared to be bold enough to say, “My experiences with Jesus have been on the outside of Christianity, so I am not affiliated with that religion” (but I never got around to saying that).

    She is a Mormon, and I was aware of that at the beginning of the conversation, but she said something near the end of our time on that topic that was patently ridiculous:

    She expressed this viewpoint ( a “politically correct” view, so as not to offend, exclude or judge anybody):

    “Oh, I believe that everybody’s religion has a ‘piece’ of the truth, as long as it includes Jesus and the heavenly Father.”

    As I drove away, the Spirit [and I] shouted out loud to myself in my car, “WHAT’S WRONG WITH HAVING ALL OF THE TRUTH?!!”

    NO! It’s not okay to have a “piece of the truth,” because that’s a lukewarm way to live! It’s halfhearted, intellectually dishonest, biblically inaccurate, and it’s . .. it’s. . . ridiculous! Why would anybody settle for that lame excuse for faith?!

    Ohhh boy.

    Brad

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

    Hi Brad:

    It’s because Xty has discouraged people from believing the truth can be found. Even some of God’s own children don’t believe they can ever know the real truth of God until after death. They have told me that.

    It is given to us to know the truth. That’s not the same thing as knowing everything; only God knows everything. But knowing the truth does mean that we understand the gospel and, so, we know how to please God and can sense how God feels about the situations we are in. In this life, that’s all we need to know. If we know that, we know the whole truth.


    jdc

  • Sandy – Testimonies

    Bro. John:

    I had a beautiful dream last night.

    I was in my natural birthplace of New Bern, NC. I needed to get back to my real home of Burlington, but somehow I had ended up without an automobile and the only way to get home was by foot. The trip by car was a three and a half hour drive but I had no car. So, I started my journey home on foot. It would have been a long and arduous journey, but for one thing. As I walked along, I recounted the faces and testimonies of each and every person in the Lord that I knew. It was a longer trip by foot, but I had experienced such joy along the way through those testimonies that it did not seem long or hard at all.

    When I awoke, I thought of how that is the way it is as we journey through this life. Our testimonies in the Lord give us strength and keep us going until we reach our real home with the Father and the Son.

    What a sweet feeling was in that dream.

    Sandy

    “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
    And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Rev. 12:10-11)

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

    Hi Sandy, Thank you for that. What a remarkable dream from the Lord! We may not know who needs to hear our testimony, but one thing is certain. That is, if Jesus gives us a testimony, somebody needs it!

    jdc

  • things of value!

    Good morning John.

    Today I was organizing and mailing out various tract and CD orders from the Isaiah 58 site that came in over the past couple of days.

    When a person orders a CD from the site, Earl had given me, and I usually add one or two of extra old CD’s from the meeting room that went un-purchased to the order since it does not really add anything to the postage, and so that people can hear live meetings.

    This morning as I reached into the box, of perhaps 50 to 100 CD’s the sweetest feeling came over me.  I could have picked any of the CD’s in that box!   We have things of value!  Things that go unclaimed among us just might be golden nuggets of life to someone who is hungry for reality in the Spirit.  They’ve never heard what is on a CD that we have hundreds of extras of.  Tears came to my eyes, to have such things of value!  Where would we be without them, without each other, without this truth?  It’s hard to even wonder.  I am thankful, after your wonderful message recently from 1 Corinthians,  for you, for the saints who came before you and paid the price, and for every child of God whom Jesus has put in my life right now.

    And beyond that, I am thankful for soberness, for sanity, and for the readiness of mind and heart to want to get this truth to God’s wandering sheep.

    Gary

  • making God tires

    hi pastor john,

    i was reading in Malachi 2:17, where God’s people wore him out. They had to work hard to make him tired, after he created everything in 6 days. He never said he was tired and needed rest on the seventh day. I just started to think on this and it was like, wow, his breath made the stars and moon, and man was able to tire him out. I pray that God won’t have that kind of conversation with me. It scares me to even think it.

    Thanks,

    rick

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

    Yes, Rick, I have noticed that. God’s people make Him weary with false doctrines. May we never to do that to our heavenly Father.

    —
    jdc

  • At the Speed of Life

    Brother John, I am convinced that going too fast through life is the quickest way to ruin it. The only real reason that I am ever rushing through anything, is because I lack the faith to believe that God will keep me afloat if I slow down. This world and the spirits in it are moving at a whirlwind speed. They know that they are running out of time. God is not running out of time for anything, and His children always have time to enjoy the life they have been given and the task they have been given at that time. I have time to live today.

    I am going to move at the speed of LIFE and go enjoy sister Gwen. Have a good evening.

    Jerry

    ==========

    Hi Jerry.

    Sounds like a good idea to me. Tell Sister Gwen I said hello.

    As for here, we are getting together in about an hour to read the introduction to the Apostate Fathers book. If it passes inspection, we are really finished with it, and we can move on to something else.

    —
    jdc

  • Tares and the Man at the Wedding Feast

    Pastor John,

    Are the tares and the one at the marriage supper the same class of people? I thought that the tares were born again folks who didn’t choose to grow in God but rather remained carnal in how they walked. The one found at the marriage supper was a person without the spirit (holy ghost). Is that right or not? Just got me thinking after I read your blog today.

    tm

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

    In Jesus’ parable, the man at the Marriage Supper did not have a wedding garment, and according to Revelation 19:8, the wedding garment is “the righteousness of the saints” (Rev. 19:8). That man may have received the Spirit at some point in the past, but he had never attained to the righteousness, peace, and joy that is in it. The tares in Jesus’ other parable are sons of the devil that are planted among the saints. The devil plants them with seeds of discord; that is, with slander. They, too, may have received the Spirit in the past, but they did not pursue the knowledge of God or attained to His righteousness. They are what Jesus called “foolish virgins”, who will not be allowed into the Marriage Supper when the bridegroom returns.

    The remarkable thing about the man at the wedding feast is that he got into the wedding feast at all, for the wedding feast is the feast that the Bride of Christ will enjoy with Jesus the Bridegroom after the “rapture”! How did someone without the righteousness of God get into the marriage feast at all? But then, it isn’t wise to push Jesus’ parables beyond their intended point; so, we probably shouldn’t make too much of that man being there. Still, his presence does make me wonder if some will be cast out of the kingdom of God even after the rapture.

    Anyway, the overarching point of both parables is that being born of the Spirit is only the beginning. We must endure to the end in order to be saved.

    Pastor John

Recent Posts