I was in Milan, Italy in the mid ’90s and saw this cathedral.  I commented to some of the ladies on the trip that the cathedral was like something out of a scary Gothic movie.  I got some funny looks from the ladies!

Very thankful to be here with you all and the simplicity and beauty of the truth.

Debbie T.

Brother John,

I was feeling this morning that a good place to live in Jesus is to think so little of yourself that you can’t get your feelings hurt to get derailed. But to think so highly of God in you, that you occupy your place and speak his words with boldness, and tolerate no affront to his blessed authority in you.

We honor God by occupying our place.
That is the only place to succeed in Jesus.

Jerry D.

Dear Pastor John,

Ever since that few weeks period in February when I was preaching all over town, including during the nights in my street, and then God gently touched me through your e-mail message, and redirected me to the way of the Spirit, from time to time I have been tempted by the thought that I’m a “Jonah” who is running away from his calling. Thoughts and feelings of condemnation have been trying to find a way into my heart, but the longer I’ve been following the feelings of the Spirit, the less powerful these temptations have felt.

A few weeks ago, I had a very powerful experience, but I’ve been hesitant to share it. However, there were a number of instances during the Sunday morning meeting, when I felt God was telling me to go ahead and share it; which I had actually prayed He would do if it was from Him. So here it is, I hope it will help or encourage someone.

A few weeks ago, during the time I was re-reading Preacher Clark’s biography* (which, by the way, was a huge blessing in and of itself), I started to feel that familiar feeling which I was feeling back in February, that, back then, made me go out to the streets. It was very strong; so strong that I started to believe it was from God. I even got to the point that my mind was already made up to go, when suddenly 1John 4:1-2 came to my mind: “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God… By this, the Spirit of God is known: every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ when he has come into a person is of God”. But how do I apply that in this situation? – I asked the question. And I immediately knew: If this burden that I am right now feeling is really from God, then if I start praying in the Spirit, the feeling will only become stronger, and God’s Spirit will confirm that it is from Him. So I started praying in tongues and, to my astonishment, within moments the feeling completely disappeared, as if it had never even been there. What followed was feelings of immense relief and perfect peace. 

It has been a learning process for me to understand, accept and have peace about the idea that conviction (even having strong feelings) about a specific religious activity is not necessarily from God. That there are real religious (ungodly) spirits that can give you zeal about doing certain things “for God”, and yet doing those things leaves the Lord untouched, in fact, He would rather that you not do them.

When following and serving Jesus is very strongly tied to certain activities in one’s mind, it can be hard to believe, when the real Spirit of God comes and tells you: “I don’t want you to do this. This is not my burden. My yoke is easy, my burden is light. Be free!” You can be very seriously tempted with fear that abandoning that certain activity would be turning away from Jesus himself. But I am so thankful for you, Pastor John, because by learning the truth I have started to get to know the real Jesus, the real Spirit of God, the real love of God; and breaking free from spirits of superstition and false religion has made all(!) the difference in my life. A few days ago I wrote a letter to a brother I haven’t met for many months, and in it I told him this: “I have never felt healthier and more whole, mentally and emotionally speaking, in my life than I do now; and I know that if I continue in the love and the wisdom of God, it will only get better.”

To be sure, I am not saying that God cannot or would not call a person to public preaching (or to something else,). He might even call me to do that at some point. Who knows? But it is so important that we be led by the real spirit of God, and we do not let false religion put burdens on us that, under the guise of “serving God”, actually move us further away from that sweet communion of the Father and the Son.

Zoli

*  https://www.pioneertract.com/

Hi John.

I wanted to tell you that I was blessed by your blog on “Not Interfering” this morning.

First of all, just the fact that we have real food to spiritually eat, on a regular basis is a blessing in itself. But secondly, to have Jesus talk to us, and guide us out of Christianity is something to praise God for, and to be very thankful for. Who is hearing it??  Can’t find them.

I certainly do pray that we can have a part in passing along some of these things to God’s children somehow.  It seems like we are gathering truth here for a certain moment in time, and it also seems like that time is faster and faster approaching where what Jesus has given us is all the more relevant, but not any more understood.

I can see in the news how nations and kings are turning on the Israel/Jews in this hour.  But I have not seen much in the way of kings and people turning on Catholicism too much… at least yet.  it will be interesting how that plays out.

It’s amazing that what God says will happen, never fails.  We just haven’t seen it all come to pass yet.  Anyway, thanks again for these things. It’s good to think on them and ask Jesus to keep our hearts inclined to seek Him, so we can stay ready as events become clearer.

Gary

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Do Not Interfere

Revelation 17

1. Then one of the seven angels who had the Seven Vials came, and he spoke to me, saying, “Come.  I will show you the judgment of the Great Whore who sits on many waters,
2. with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and by the wine of her whoredom are the inhabitants of the earth made drunk.”
3. So, he carried me away in spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored Beast that was full of blasphemous names and that had seven heads and ten horns.
4. And the woman was arrayed in purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold, and precious stone, and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup that was full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication,
5. and on her forehead was written a name: “Mystery: Babylon the Great, the Mother of harlots and the abominations of the earth.”
6. And I saw the woman drunk on the blood of the saints, on the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.  And when I saw her, I marveled with great wonder.
7. And the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel?  I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the Beast that carries her, that has seven heads and ten horns.

. . . .

12. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings one hour with the Beast.
13. These are of one mind, and they give their power and authority to the Beast.”

. . . .

15. Then he said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the Whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and languages.
16. And the ten horns that you saw, and the Beast, these will hate the Whore, and they will make her desolate and naked, and they will eat her flesh and consume her with fire.
17. For God put it in their hearts to carry out His plan, to have one mind, and to give their kingdom to the Beast until the words of God be fulfilled.”

The Great Whore is the institution called the Roman Universal Church, and her harlot daughters are Protestant churches, for they came from her and carry her spiritual DNA.  All together, they make up the religion known as Christianity, a religion that has been highly honored for many centuries by “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and languages”.  The Roman Church in particular has through the centuries been afforded special privileges by earthly governments, such as exemptions from taxes and public service, which have helped enrich the fallen woman.  Human government is the Beast that has carried her since the fourth century AD, when backslidden believers crawled into bed with Rome, and earthly government will culminate in a Satan-empowered man called the Beast, who will rule the whole world.  But in John’s vision of the future, he saw that the Beast and his kings are going to turn on the Great Whore and plunder her of the enormous wealth she has accumulated over the centuries.

At that time, there will seem to be but two choices: (1) support the Beast and his kings in their brutal treatment of the Roman Church or (2) try to help the Roman Church.  Do not fall for the pressure to do either!   As the angel told John, “God put it in their hearts to carry out His plan.”   Yes, the Beast and his kings have been chosen and anointed by God to rid the earth of that Church, and it will be foolish for anyone to try to prevent that from happening.

The body of Christ is neither the Roman Church nor any of her daughters.  Just as the Beast is an evil ruler of men, so Christianity is an evil ruler over souls (cf. Rev. 18:9–13), and God will destroy them both.  Wise souls will heed God’s voice and get out of the way before He decides to do it.

God was pleading with His children to be wise when John heard a voice from heaven cry out, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins, and receive of her plagues!”  Let us be wise, and leave Christianity now so that we may avoid the awful judgment that God has decreed for it.  And let us who remain alive until then not interfere with His terrible work when that time comes.

Pastor John

Good morning, Pastor John!

I was thinking about fearing God this morning.  Why people don’t want to fear Him.  Why I didn’t want to fear Him in my past, before I knew better.  I know this is a decision and something that is being taught, like God’s mythical “unconditional love” is a favorite saying among Christians now.  The thought, “not fearing God is the worst form of arrogance humans have,” was put on my heart.  This feels right to me, but I have never had that thought before.  I wanted to share this thought.  I feel like His Spirit put that in my heart.  

Thanks,

Mark W.

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Hi, Mark!

I believe that is true.  It has always seemed incredible to God when mere humans dared not fear Him.  These verses from Jeremiah come to mind:

5:21. Hear this, if you will, O foolish and senseless people!  (They have eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but they cannot hear.)

22. Will you not fear me, says the Lord, nor tremble before me‽ Who made sand a boundary for the sea by an eternal decree, that it cannot pass beyond.  Yea, its waves rush back and forth, and roar, but they are unable to go beyond it.

23. But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they are turned aside and gone.

10:7. Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?  For it is your due.  For among all the wise men of the nations, and among all their kingdoms, there is none like you.

32:37. Watch me!  I will gather them from all the countries to which I banished them in my anger, and in my wrath, and in my great indignation, and I will bring them back to this place and cause them to dwell safely,

38. and they will be my people, and I will be their God.

39. And I will give them one heart and one way, that they might fear me always, for their good and for the good of their children after them.

Pastor John

Whew, I almost can’t take reading Hosea.  It pulls on my heart!  All I could think as I poured through those pages was, no wonder Catholicism didn’t have us read the Bible. The god they were talking about, sure didn’t match up with God in Hosea.   There would be so many questions and feelings by just reading Hosea!

I am so thankful I understand the sin of Jeroboam, the great showing of love and faith God tried to give them in Exodus, the mercy given to David, etc.  I am so thankful I know the story, Pastor John.  When I read Hosea, I know how much God has loved them, and I almost can’t take hearing His heart break.  Oh, Israel! 

Hosea 11

4. I led them with cords of a man, with ropes of love, but I was to them like those who lift up the yoke onto their jaws, though I had bent down to feed them.

Beth D.

Hi Pastor John,

I am up thinking about Job this morning.  As you and Jesus have been taking us through Job, I have tried to imagine how he felt in the day-to-day suffering. I know I have no idea how awful some of those days really were, or how encouraged Job felt on some of those days either.  I spent the last week with this migraine and just to see how I felt, in my heart, after mere days of pain, puts more awe in my heart for Job.  What a heart God gave Job!

When Jesus lifted that pain in my head and then it came back worse than it had been, my first thought –– my very first thought –– was, “Are you mad at me Jesus?  What did I do wrong, Lord?”  That hurt worse than the pain. 

At times, I would lie perfectly still and try to take the pain, and at other times, I would cry and beg Jesus to please take it away, telling him I couldn’t take another day of it.

When I looked up pain in the scriptures, I found this one. 

Job 16:6

6. If I speak, my pain is not relieved, and if I forbear, what pain of mine leaves?

To see and feel that for just a moment, and then to think of Job, does something more to my heart about what kind of heart he must have had.

God has children here with us right now who struggle to breathe every day, that have painful procedures to endure, that have cancer, that have lonely, hurting hearts. To see them and their beautiful hearts as they go through these things makes me love them more and more.  It also puts a deeper prayer in my heart for Jesus to encourage and to comfort each one of them as they go through these things. A touch to feel Jesus there does so much.

What a beautiful story of God we have here in front of us!  And what beautiful hearts He put in it! 

Beth D.

========

Thank you, Beth, for that precious testimony.  I believe that it is a seed that is now planted for your healing, and I believe you will reap what you have sown.  May God give the increase!

Pastor John

Dear Pastor John,

I’m in the process of translating the tract “Taking the Name of the Lord”* into Hungarian (almost done), and it is such a good tract.  As I was reading it and translating it tonight, it felt like every word, every sentence was for me.  I felt convicted, exhorted, encouraged; I just felt the Spirit moving and working inside of me.  Then I had to stop before the last paragraph because tomorrow I need to wake up early for work.  But before shutting down my computer I decided to check my Facebook feed, and quickly go over the news.

I found a news feed on what’s going on with Israel and the war against Hamas, and I only spent maybe 2 or 3 minutes with that, but then, as I was going to the bathroom to brush my teeth, I realized that the feelings I was feeling while translating the tract had already gotten dulled.  The urgency to live my life fully for God’s glory, so that I don’t bear His name in vain, was gone.  I felt the spirit grieved inside of me.  The phrase that immediately came to my mind was “choking the word”.  Then I was thinking about what Jesus said can choke the word in our hearts, and one of the things he mentioned was “the cares of this world”.

Then I asked the question in myself: What are “the cares of this world”?  What does the news about Israel (or anything else for that matter) have to do with “the cares of this world”?  And then I heard these words, not audibly, but in my heart: “Anything IN THIS WORLD that you care about.”  I immediately understood: Anything in this world that I care about CAN become the thing that chokes God’s word in my life, if I’m not careful enough.  (Family, politics, sports… anything.) And I know that having certain interests or preferences in this world, in certain areas of our lives, is not inherently evil.  But we need to always be led by the Spirit, and we shouldn’t allow any of those THINGS take up a place in our hearts that would allow them to hinder God’s holy work in us.

I pray that God would make us wise, so that we would realize when something is about to become a “care of this world”, that has the potential to choke out God’s word in our hearts.  And I pray that we would love the truth enough that when that happens, we would always choose to run the other way — to Jesus.  God help us!

Zoli

*  Going to Jesus.com Tracts – Taking the Name of the Lord

Pastor John,

I was listening to an old lesson on the book of John on YouTube tonight when a remembrance of a conversation with a relative was brought to my mind.  She was telling me about a friend who left Catholicism and went to Buddhism because she couldn’t believe God would or should allow babies to be killed, nor the innocent to be harmed.  I had reminded her of the flood and other times when God killed babies and children.  I told her God’s thoughts are not our thoughts.  He is not a big one of us.  And I ended with God is always right.  Then tonight, suddenly, this thought was put in my head when I was not even really thinking about this: “What makes us think God would reverence our children more than His own Son?  Didn’t He allow His own Son to be killed by men who hated Him?”  I have never thought about it that way.  It puts a different light on it.  I can see the truth in it, though.

Mark W.

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Hi Mark.

I agree with you, Mark.  The God of the Bible who fully revealed Himself in Jesus Christ is perfect in all His ways — and His ways are far superior to ours.  That is why we need the Spirit that Jesus suffered for us to have.  It teaches us God’s ways and gives us His thoughts.

God is love, just as the apostle John said, and He has always been love.  That means that when He rained fire down on Sodom and Gomorrah, and when He destroyed the entire human race except for eight souls in the ark, He was still love.  And as we have seen in the book of Job, God is accountable to no one for His actions.

Our part is only to submit to His Son, and be faithful.  And we willingly do that only when we understand that, regardless of how it may appear to the human mind, every act of God is entirely perfect in every way.

Thank you for writing, brother.

Pastor John