Good Morning Bro. John:

This is what the Spirit woke me with this morning:

“People need the holy Ghost to burn away the dross of the world”

Webster’s meaning of “dross”

1 : the scum that forms on the surface of molten metal
2 : waste or foreign matter : impurity
3 : something that is base, trivial, or inferior

There are many scriptures concerning “pure”, but this one in Proverbs 30:12 (that whole chapter is wonderful!) is so true for today:

“There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.”

I love the simple, pure words of the Lord! Thank God for the Purifier! We need to bathe daily! 🙂

Sandy 🙂

Hi John,

I loved the George Clark CD again today.  Your father said a few things that stood out to me,  I have been thinking about them on and off today.  Good feelings.

He was talking about the “blood (of Christ) flowing” – that is the holy Ghost.  I think he said at one point, I may not have the words precise, that the holy Ghost flows through our blood.  That is why we can feel it in our hands and in our toes.  I don’t know why it blessed me so much, but when he said it, I felt it!  If we feel that feeling, the blood is flowing, it living and alive, and we can rejoice in it.  I feel it even now!!  It’s in my blood!

The other thing he said was that we can learn from everybody.  That some of the best things he learned were from school teachers, not in the body of Christ.  It made me want to pay closer attention to everything.

Like today:  I was typing a text message in my cellphone, and I have “word leading” on it – that means as I type a word, it enters in the word it thinks I am going to type that have the same letters.  I was typing in the word “resting”.  The word that my cellphone entered in was “serving”.  I learned something from my cellphone today!   When I am serving someone with the love of Christ, that is the best rest I have.  There is no strife, no self will, and no sin in it.   I know it’s true because it has been my experience – there is peace in considering one another.  Serving=Resting.

And the other part that was so good was about loving the “least of these our brethren.”  The ones in God’s kngdom who are teaching false doctrine.  When he told that Pastor and Overseer about loving their brethren up the street, I don’t know, but it did something to me.  At that part of the CD, a backslidden sister, M——, came to my mind very strongly.  I could not get her off my mind for about 5 minutes, and I prayed for her.  I wished that God would give her peace and forgiveness.  Maybe God is wanting to open a door for her.

I love those Old Meeting CD’s.

Gary

Gary:

I looked again at our YouTube video of Haskell receiving the holy Ghost, the video that the hate-filled man commented on.  Then I watched another video that was labeled, “Receiving the holy Ghost”, where a young girl was being blessed, along with many others.  It looked like a legitimate holiness meeting, one we would love to be in, and yet the responses to that YouTube video were much more favorable than the responses to ours.

The only difference that I could see was the sound.  That other YouTube video had put up the pictures of the meeting, and they were wonderful, but the actual sounds of a holiness meeting were omitted, the sounds of music, of crying and laughing, of shouting and speaking in tongues, of rejoicing, etc.  Instead, lovely background music had been added, a sweet kind of folk ballad that nobody in the world would object to.  It made me wonder.  Is it that the world can approve of the pictures of God’s people “seeking God”, as long as the “joyful sound” is left off.

“Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound.”

jdc

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That is one reason I believe your work is so important John.  You are not ashamed of the “gospel”, and we are not ashamed with you – it is the power of God unto salvation.  It is our value to God’s children.

When we start hiding who we are so it will be “accepted”… When we resist being despised for what God does amongst us…. and when we stop holding on to the necessity of the holy Ghost (and its sounds, feelings, and truths), then I believe we will be replaced.  It has happened many times before, even in our own lifetime.

I love to lift up what makes us “valuable” – the power of God and the holy Ghost!   May He help us do it with wisdom.

Gary

 

Pastor John,

I just want to tell how wonderful it was to finally see everyone last night.  It was beautiful!  The way the spirit was falling (brings tears to my eyes typing this) was just out of this world.  I am learning how to be loved and loving it!  How special it is to feel his love.  The song we sang about the spirit decending like a beautiful dove was just out of this universe to me, it literally felt like it was taking my breath away, I felt so thankful.  I cannot wait until the day we see his face!

What can I say…I feel so so blessed!  I love you and want to thankyou for teaching me and loving me.  See you Saturday!!!

love,

marleyna

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Hi Marleyna

It was beautiful to see God blessing so many, and so deeply, you esepcially.  I could tell the Lord was loving you, and you were loving him back.  I also very much enjoyed watching Frank be blessed because of your blessing!  You know, blessings like the ones we received last night just make you want to live right!

 

Pastor John

Hi Pastor John:

I remember my Dad telling me when I started coming to your house, “I’m not going to follow any man, no man is going to tell me what to do.” I look back at his life and see the destruction of his and our families’ lives by following his rebellious thoughts, by doing his own thing.  There are many horror stories to tell, but Jesus knows.

It was only by following a Man whom Jesus sent that my life was repaired.  Dad didn’t know it, but he was following a man — his own self.  As you stated, you’re going to follow and be led by something.  I feel very grateful.  I am humbled, and loved, to be following whom Jesus sent.

Thank you John!

billy

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Hi Billy:

I read a magazine article years ago in which a famous football player was being interviewed.  He was a big, brawny, tough-looking guy.  One of the things he said was, “No man on this earth can tell me what to do.”  When I read that, I laughed and thought, “So, he pays taxes, drives according to the speed limit, and pays for whatever he wants in the marketplace, just because he wants to.”  Right.

Practically every human on earth is being told what to do, all the time, by the government and customs of his society.  What we desire, if we are wise, is to submit ourselves to the legitimate authorities whom God has raised up.  That is where peace and happiness really is.

How blind and arrogant we frail mortals can be!

Pastor John

 

John,

As I read this book, God Had a Son Before Mary Did, I am marveling at the understanding God has given you on this and the ability to make it so understandable.  I can’t really describe the feelings I am having about this book.  When I read this, I wish all of God’s children could see and understand it.  You have made it so good and so simple, yet I know it is because God is letting me see and understand it in a deeper way than I have ever understood it before.  God had a Son before Mary did.  I love the way you have laid it out step by simple step.  I agree with Leeann, this is the best book yet.  It has such wonderful feelings with it.

Thank you John for all the hard work you do for us.  Like you and others have said, “This is too good for just us”.

Love,

Sarah

 P.S. I’m so thankful to be a part of this work.

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 Uncle Joe was the first person I remember saying that. I have never forgotten it.

 jdc

 

Several weeks ago when you delivered the message on “sometimes evil wins” I was delivered from some very wrong ideas. The experience itself was very subtle, but the results have been overwhelming. I am still in awe over the how wonderful I feel inside. I can’t even really begin to put it into words. The best way I can describe it is ……… I feel like God has put me in order. I can see clearly now (the rain is gone) who I am and in turn who you are. What a special gift from God it is to have you encourage me when I need it the most, pray for me and speak words that only Jesus could know, correct and guide me, and tell me the truth.

Thank you, Pastor John for everything you do.

 Love,

 ~Amy F.

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It’s a pleasure when the light is received, the way you take it in. I am glad you can “see clearly now”.

There’s an old joke about a judge who slammed his gavel down and demanded “Order!” And then the goofy defendant says, “I’ll take a Hamburger all the way, and fries.” In reality (that is, in the Spirit), that may not be far from the way it is in the Lord. When we get in his order, we will ask, seek, and knock, until we receive. Jesus said for us to do that!

Darren’s song says, “What do you want from Jesus?”

Jesus says, “Order!”

I hope you are richly blessed when your prayer is answered.

Pastor John

 

Pastor John:

Did you know about this?  Yuck!  [Excerpt of news report below.]

TE

Openly gay bishop to deliver first inauguration event invocation

(CNN) — The first openly gay priest ordained by a major Christian denomination will deliver the invocation at the kickoff inauguration event Sunday at the Lincoln Memorial.

The Rev. Gene Robinson, Episcopal bishop in New Hampshire, has accepted an invitation issued by the Obama team prior to the announcement of the Rev. Rick Warren’s selection to deliver the invocation at the president-elect’s swearing-in, Politico reported Monday.

Robinson had been a critic of Warren’s role, calling his inclusion in the event “really, really unfortunate” because of the California minister’s support for California’s Prop. 8, which barred same-sex marriage.

“It’s about this particular venue and the role that he has in praying for all of America, and I’m just not sure he’d pray to God the same way I would,” Robinson [said] last month.

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Hey TE:

Yes, this is awful.  How bad it feels!

Every young person around the world who watches that inauguration event will no doubt see the AmericaIsrael, “ media glorify that perverse man’s character.  Being elected President has put Barack Obama in a position to influence young people for good, but with this choice, he will be using it to do much evil.  What is God going to do to this country?  His silence does not imply His consent.  he told the sinners of I held my peace, and you thought I was altogether such a one as you” (Ps. 50:21).  How many people mistake God’s patience with God’s approval!

Years ago, a comedian got a lot of laughs when he commented on the number of sodomites out west.  He said, “If God doesn’t destroy California, he’ll owe Sodom an apology.”  It’s not just California now, and when God finishes his work of judgment (whenever He chooses to do it), He will owe no apologies.

How we need this to happen:  “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.”

Who among our young people is on the Lord’s side?

jdc

Hey Pastor John,

While at school, I have recently noticed a new idea that people have come up with (or at least this idea is new to me).  It’s basically that you just have to find what religion (or lack there of) is right for you.

This just feels completely wrong to me every time i hear this idea expressed. I just feel like saying, NO! thats wrong, you need to follow Jesus (and even if I did, I would immediately be silenced by a teacher or adult leader and no one would agree with me). There are just so many wrong ideas about religion and about God out here and in the world, it just saddens me.

But in other news, Jesus has been showing me the opposite of what these teachings are. That he came to set us free from all the finding and thinking about doctrines and to let us learn from him. I hate that everyone else just can’t understand that simple truth. Sandy’s song “What I believe in” (I think thats the name) seems more true and more of a right answer to me than ever before.

Love,

 Jacob H

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Hi Jacob:

You’re right to suspect that that idea is not new.  I heard that when I first started in the Lord.  When I wrote one of my professors and told him about the change Jesus had made in me, she wrote me back, saying, “We all have to find our own way to God.”  When my father read that, he said, “Jesus came to keep us from having to find our own way to God.”  That cleared things up for me pretty quickly.

We just have to let people try to find their own way, though, until God calls them.  And Jesus said that when anyone really hears from his Father, that person will come to him, every time.  So, just pray that God will have mercy on the confused people around you.  When God calls them, they will know where to go for relief.

Pastor John