Pastor John,

The “pearl” from preacher Clark that was posted a few days ago was sobering, regarding being balanced enough in the Lord so that there’s no difference between your needs and your wants.

Here in this bizarre city of Las Vegas, I’m fascinated (and vexed) by the attraction that people have for embracing extravagance, excess, and sin on so many levels.  Everything here is designed to provoke the “wow” factor.  Technology has made it so that everywhere your eyes glance, there’s media and advertisements and videos, most of them displaying ostentatious indulgence.  And everyone takes it in stride, as if it’s normal and harmless.  The city is a vast and bustling playground for those who are seeking to have “fun”.   Not everything here is sinful, in and of itself, but I’d presume that most who indulge have sinful intentions and habits.

The seduction of gambling isn’t the only enticement (the enormous rooms with game tables and slot machines are overwhelming).  Everything else is intentionally designed to lure all of the five senses as well.  Absurdly fancy food, expensive dining and drinking, high fashion attire, diverse and perverse entertainments, and palatial architecture and decor to tantalize the eyes and amaze our spirits.  What is it that drives human beings to “desire” these things without considering whether they actually “need” them?

It’s all about the deceptive “wow” factor.

In the midst of observing all of this, standing in the lobby of the hotel, I’m smitten by the “wow factor” of God.  Grateful for and humbled by the gift of knowing God—and loving God— so thoroughly that all of these distractions are “of none effect”, as it is written.  My spirit is not phased nor attracted to any of these indulgences.  It almost makes me want to cry out loud and shout to all the passersby, “There is something REAL and TRUE that can bring you joy, peace and contentment!”… It’s something they’re all looking for, but their carnal minds are grasping for it in all the wrong venues.  Nothing in this world can satisfy us, because it’s all temporal… temporary…ultimately unsatisfying.

I am blessed, blessed, blessed to be satisfied by the living holy spirit of God, and content in that.  None of these temptations have any pull on my heart, and there’s such a relaxed satisfaction in that.  That, too, is fascinating to me…to realize how much I’ve been changed from my former self.

All it took was a touch from Jesus!   Nearly 30 years ago, he put in my heart and my mind a desire to put aside sin and step away from the clandestine behavior that had become so familiar to me.  He convicted me, and drew me with an intense curiosity to be born anew, and relinquish the attractions that had held me in bondage for most of my life.

To be clear, I never cared for the things Las Vegas had to offer even when I was a sinner, with the exception of an occasional theatrical entertainment.  It’s a godless, artificial place, and I always felt that, in my spirit.  God protected me from its deceptive allure.  Now, it’s safe to visit, as an observer, unmoved by anything it presents; clean and holy in my spirit…and genuinely happy.

I’m asking God for more balance in my life so that my wants and my needs are the same, with nothing excessive or impure competing for my attention.  Gary’s advice to the young people yesterday in the meeting can be effectively applied to us all: devote more time to knowing our wonderful God, while we are able!

We owe Him everything for what He’s given to us.

Brad

I believe madness and insanity was one of the things God promised His Old Testament people if they forsook Him and His law (Dt. 28:28).  For New Testament believers, this means forsaking the holy Ghost, which they have done.  I think the world is just getting the trickle-down effect… There’s no light for them from God’s people if there is no holy Ghost leading.

Gary

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I agree, Gary.

Paul could see the bleak future that lay ahead for God’s dear people when they began to reject him and the astonishing gospel Jesus revealed to him (cf. 2Tim. 1:15; 3:1–8).  When John foresaw the curse with which God would curse His New Testament people, the religious system of Christianity, he said “I marveled with great wonder” (Rev. 18:6b).  And it is an astonishing thing to behold, so astonishing, in fact, that it cannot be believed without help from God.

May God continue to help us!

Pastor John

Good Morning John,

I was thinking on the good things we felt this weekend, and your teaching on Christianity, that removed another weight from us in the Spirit.  It’s another instance of learning, and relearning something, because we need it, i.e., that Christianity was not ever of God… I guess there were still fragments left in us that still feels something about it must be OK, because Jesus’ name is connected.  I hope we get this truth all the way in us!  The holy Ghost can!

One thing I saw that touched me too, was Leah’s little movie of Hope being blessed by the Spirit during the singing and praying time on Sunday.  What a blessing that was to see her yield to the holy Ghost. Like Keith was talking about – overcoming the flesh to go with the “pull of the Spirit”.  Hope blessed me by doing that.  Just by yielding… it was so beautiful to me.  We do more good by going with the Spirit than we ever know, more than we knew possible, and more than we feel “qualified” for.  Yielding takes no special qualifications, and no special talents.  All it takes is being a living sacrifice. We can all do that.   Like you said, “what does being shy have to do with anything.” 🙂  We who have the holy Ghost can deal out something of value to God’s family by that surrender to God.  That’s all it takes – we get to feel what we want to feel, and then go with it.  And doing that is sure to bless somebody!

Gary

Good morning,

I’ve never been much into politics, but anyone can see and feel this world going mad and insanity is taking over.  It can be a burden sometimes, but reading this response to Brads email*: “The cultural madness we see now is all a setup, to make people welcome the Beast, who will be a law-and-order guy.”  Somehow I felt comfort in being reminded that, yes this world is really full of madness and insanity but God is in control of everything.  

Feeling very thankful for the truth we’ve been taught.  There is such safety in it.  Don’t get burdened by the world, just trust Jesus.

Michelle

* See post: Current Christian Activists: Brad, August 21, 2023

Pastor John,

Allison and I were blessed beyond expression watching Saturday and Sunday meetings (while in our Las Vegas hotel). Your new discoveries about Christianity are refreshing (and harrowing). 

I began writing this email BEFORE your Saturday teaching, while in flight. Now it is more relevant!  

As I browse through YouTube, all too frequently, I’ve noticed an intriguing trend:  Many of the new outspoken “conservatives” who are rallying for a return to Judeo-Christian morality (and sanity) in our culture are Catholics.  I found that to be curious.  

Matt Walsh, Michael Knowles, and Candace Owens are the front-runners, along with two articulate Jews—Ben Shapiro and the eloquent and wise Dennis Prager.  Tucker Carlson, too, could be on that list, as an Episcopalian, whose own personal Bible study has reignited his enthusiasm for his faith (May God help him to find JESUS and not rejoin himself to Christianity.) 

I find it interesting that the ones who are most actively leading the charge against cultural hypocrisy, political duplicity, and bankrupt morality happen to be Catholics.  None of them know the real Jesus, as they presume.  None of them have the holy ghost, as far as I know.  Yet they are actively voicing their perspectives to expose the evils in society, often mocking their opponents (sometimes with same sarcasm they resent in their opponents). 

Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised.  Religious people are beginning to take a stand against the influence of the onslaught of the current madness.  But, aren’t Catholics part of the same problem?  After all, they would persecute God’s people too, just like the secular culture does.  Conservative religious Catholics could censor our spiritual activities just as easily as the Left is censoring (cancelling) the freedom of speech of their opponents on the Right.  While it might be gratifying to see them making reasonable arguments for truth and sanity and justice, freedom, and a return to decent morality, that “great whore” is still very much a part of the world.  I don’t trust it/them.  It’s like what you have said before: it could be just as dangerous for conservatives to be in power, as it is for the leftists to be in power, politically, that is—dangerous for US.

Thankfully, we can give it all up to Jesus, and use our weapon of prayer to influence God’s ear, and not be moved by or take sides with the seemingly hopeful activism of the religious conservatives, even though we might agree with their viewpoints on several issues.  This world is NOT holy.  And those without the Spirit of God are not holy; whether liberal or conservative; articulate or moronic; white or black; Jew or Gentile; religious or atheist; etc. et. al. 

We wouldn’t be comfortable in a theocracy if it were Catholics that were ruling over us.  I would wager that even those who are right-leaning Catholics would still inflict harm on holy children of God if we didn’t bow to their god.  (And we know who their Lord actually is.)  Cruel persecution of children of God has happened in the past, and history tends to repeat itself when power corrupts men’s minds, whether or not they wave a banner for “truth.”. . it is seldom God’s truth. 

Isn’t it fascinating that those who proudly affirm their affiliation with what you call “the Roman empire in drag” (Christianity), fighting against the evils of our culture, are themselves adherents to an evil institution, without even realizing it?

Brad

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Yes, Brad it is.  The cultural madness we see now is all a setup, to make people welcome the Beast, who will be a law-and-order guy.  The world will love him, but Jesus is saving us from being seduced into socio-political action.  The answer, and the ONLY answer, for the whole world, conservatives and liberals alike, is the holy Spirit that Jesus purchased for fallen man with his blood.  We do not honor his sacrifice by resorting to earthly kinds of warfare.

If it is true that “he who takes up the sword shall die by the sword”, then it is also true that he who takes up a gun, or a rock, or the ballot box, or a political action committee shall die by those things.  They are all earthly weapons, and the weapons of our warfare are spiritual – but mighty, to the pulling down of strongholds, vain imaginations, and anything else that exalts itself again the way of Christ.

Whoever walks in the Spirit and resists the pressures of carnally minded men to do something their way, is mighty in God’s sight – and in the sight of every person who knows Him, though they be few.

Pastor John

Pastor John,

I feel so blessed to not only be able to feel the feelings today but also to understand and let it sink into my soul!  It was the icing on the cake from last night’s message.  I loved Uncle Gary’s part about putting your heart and time into things of God.   It made me feel good inside knowing that’s exactly what I’ve been doing with music, trying to learn the digital part of it for recording, and just getting to know software and what I need to know to be able to put physical things digitally.  And to know that in my heart that the reason is to help bless Gods people in any way I can and do what God wants me to do.

I feel like I missed out on something by not playing for years, from 16 to now, but I don’t wanna miss what God has for me now or what I can do to do my part and bless someone when I can.  Gonna take advantage on what God is doing.

-Jacob

Pastor John,

What an experience in Jesus today.

There were so many things. I wrote down two (make that three) as quick as I could – they were so good!  (I am paraphrasing):

(1) What Gary said, “it (Christianity) isn’t a big thing because of the devil, or because of Christianity’s so-called power; it is held up because God’s people have lost their way.”

Wow! So good.

(2) Listening to Damien, you, and others: “Jesus is understanding. Many scholars have all the facts, but they have no ‘Understanding’.”

We can add to that, that some of the greatest saints we have known or heard of, were full of Understanding, but they had none of the facts 🙂

So much better to have Understanding!

(3) “Hide in Jesus’ strength.” ~John Jr.

Wonderful!

So good today. We loved it!

Jerry

Pastor John,

Last night was so good!  I felt the love of God in what you we’re sharing with us. To be rid of Christianity because it’s nothing; it’s the biggest lie ever told.  Wow!  To be free of its influence – I pray that for us and for all God’s children.

I loved listening to “The Book of Hebrews”* last night!  The joy of the Lord flooded my soul!  I came home and started reading Hebrews!  It IS full of good news!  Jesus, the real Jesus!  Our hero, our Savior, our best friend.  I fell asleep happy, so thankful for his mercy for calling us out and giving us life!

Thank you, Pastor John!

Michelle

*   (19) The Book of Hebrews – YouTube

Hi, Pastor John.

It was a wonderful message educating us on when Christianity began and the laws from it given through the centuries Saturday night. I was reading Matthew 24 this morning when Jesus was telling his disciples about the signs of the end of the world, when I came upon vs. 14: “And this Gospel shall be preached in all the earth for a witness to all nations, and then the end shall be.”

I thought about the (true) Gospel of Christ, Paul’s Gospel, and I thought, “The “true” Gospel of Paul is not being preached around the world, even though I would imagine, that hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of missionaries, priests, and explorations around the world throughout the centuries by Christianity’s ministers have spread their gospel and influence.  But in fact, they are spreading lies about a false christ and gospel.  It isn’t the Gospel of Christ as Paul preached that that abomination is spreading.

I feel when the true Gospel is preached around the world, the end will surely come.  In this day and age with the internet, one person (possibly) could be spreading the Gospel around the entire world by himself.  I humbly pray and know that we have a part in spreading that true Gospel; we have seen the results (in a small way) with precious souls like, Darren, Gary, Leika, Damien, Jenny and others that have been reached through the Gospel that you have preached from your websites and found us.  It is no small thing.  I hope there are more like you and our websites that are truly spreading Paul’s Gospel of Christ.  I surely would like to meet at least one of them.  If not, I am grateful and thankful that we here have headed to the call.

Love always,

Billy