Pastor John,

I had some good thoughts from the Spirit this morning, mainly: “Stop reacting to your surroundings. Your relationship is with Jesus, not your surroundings.”

That is life in this new covenant: being in this world, but not of it.

We move when Jesus says move.  Our being is in him.

If we respond to our surroundings, which are ever-changing and usually in some kind of turmoil, we will be tossed in every direction. We’ll never know what to do, or how much.

We move when he moves.

It was a good reminder this morning that He is Lord of all of it.

Things are changing in this world, more than I ever thought I would see in my lifetime.  But we are called to perfect peace, with our hearts and minds stayed on him.

Jerry

John,

I am so thankful and excited about what you taught us tonight in the introduction to the Job study we are about to read together.  In Proverbs 4:7, it says, “Wisdom is the principal thing; get wisdom!  And with all your getting, get understanding!”

What you taught us tonight about Satan was clearer to me than what I have learned in the past.  As you said, it “cleared out some smoke.”  We are getting a better understanding of who God is!  And that understanding takes away fear and doubt and confusion about Satan and who he is. 

How much better it is to have understanding!  It takes away fears, confusion and doubts, and replaces it with trust, confidence and respect in the One who it belongs to: God. Thank you for clearing out some of the smoke tonight.  What an honor it is to be able to be taught by someone God has sent, such as you, John!  

Thank you. 

Stuart

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Good Morning Pastor John!

What a wonderful lesson last night.  A whole new perspective on the accuser, Job, his friends and even; probably most importantly, God.  Wow!  I have to let this sink down to my heart.  Thank you!

Mark

Pastor John,

Several months ago, I was hugely blessed by two “thoughts for the day” that I read on one of your websites within two weeks from each other.  One was a letter you had received from a brother in which he, among other things, wrote that the holy Ghost is not the third person of a “trinity”, but Christ himself.  The other one was titled, ‘The Breath of Our Nostrils’, and it was about how Aaron Nelson and your son Elijah discovered a reference to Jesus’ descent into hell in the book of Lamentations.  That verse (Lam. 4:20) was another confirmation from the Scriptures of the truth that the Lord, indeed, “is that Spirit”, as Paul called him.  The verse from laminatations calls the Messiah (the anointed one) the “breath of our nostrils” – which is clearly a reference to God’s Spirit.  By the time I read these “thoughts”, I had already believed in my heart that the doctrine of the trinity was a lie; but the Spirit used these two pieces of writing in a special way to make this revelation (that the Spirit descending on Jesus at the Jordan River was actually the Son himself “suddenly coming into His temple” – Malachi) more real and more personal to me than it had ever been.

Now, today, about two hours ago, I was reading today’s “Thought for the Evening” (8/5)*, and while doing it, I think I found another clue in the Bible that reveals this very same truth.  It brought joy and excitement to my heart, so I wanted to share it.  In today’s TFE (The Gods, Part Four) there is a quote from Psalms that goes like this: “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” (Ps 33:6).

After reading this quote, I had the following thoughts: From John chapter 1 and Revelation 19 we know that Jesus IS the Word of God, and from a number of NT scriptures it is also clear that God created all things through His Son (except for the Son himself who was created by the Father).  But here, in Ps 33:6, the Spirit reveals that the work of creation took place not only “by the word of the Lord”, but also through “the breath” (ruach) of the “mouth” of Jehovah.  One of the very few things I know about Hebrew is that ruach (just like pneuma in the Greek) is not only the word for “breath” and “wind”, but also the word for “spirit”.  Isn’t it clear then, that if God created all things through His Son, but the Scriptures also tell us that God did His creative work by His Spirit (the breath of His mouth), then the two cannot possibly be two separate persons?  Isn’t it wonderful?

One of my favorite discoveries on the subject is how plainly Jesus spoke of this, when in John 14 he promised the disciples to give them “another comforter” that he also calls “the spirit of truth” that “shall be in [them]”; and then, right after saying this he adds, “I will not leave you comfortless:  I will come to you”. I had read these same verses so many times over the years, but it never occurred to me what is now so clear and obvious, after having learned the truth.  Praise God for it!

Zoli

*  Going to Jesus.com – The Gods, Part Four: Judging

I remember reading about all the people in history who would look for the pool of water that would allow them to remain young and live forever.  People spent fortunes and even lost their lives looking for this magical pool!  And God tells us where it is in the bible.  We can all drink freely if we just follow Him!  How wonderful that is to know.  

6. And He said to me, “I have become the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I, myself, will give freely of the fountain of the water of life to him who is thirsty. (Rev. 21:6) 

I just wanted to share.  

How odd man is.  Just follow Jesus.  But man wants it to be his way.  So they chose death, just to be right when they are not.

Mark W.

Hi Pastor John,

These are the things that I learned from the Job bible study. 

~ To belong to God is more valuable than any earthly condition.

~ Faith in God and the joy of the Lord can make you know that loneliness can’t compete with belonging to God. Suffering in this world no matter what form it takes is going to end but joy in Christ is an eternal condition. When this world begins to weigh you down flee to your eternal condition. 

~ I learned that patience is not enduring suffering in silence. It’s overcoming suffering by complaining to the one who can do something about it and continuing to do God’s will in the meantime. 

~ If you want something from God mean it.

Thank you for your teaching. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Leika

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Hi Leika!

I am so happy that you were able to watch our meeting from the Philippines!  When I think of the technology involved in that, I feel like praising God again “for His wonderful works for the children of men.”

Thank you for letting us know what you received from the beginning of our Book of Job study.

God bless you and yours.  Hope to meet you in person one day.

Pastor John

 

Beth’s email (see post 8/3/2023 One Heart) reminded me of something Jesus did last week and I wanted to share…I was cleaning and ran across an old meeting handout on “Being One”.  I kept it out, thinking I would give it to someone.  Later that morning, I was going through my CDs to organize my music and ran across the CD on “Being One”.  The title caught my attention since I had found those papers, so I sat down and listened to it.  As I listened, I felt the Spirit washing over me, and the message went somewhere deeper than before.  The message blessed me on so many levels.  We are one body, and we have rights and responsibilities to help each other and to keep ourselves clean. To function…testify, admonish one another, etc.  And we are one with Jesus, and he cares for his own body!  It was so good… I’ve listened to it several times since then and want to soak in every drop.  I highly recommend this CD to everyone!

I know this was no coincidence that I found the papers and the CD the same day.  I will gladly lend my copy if anyone wants to borrow it.

Lyn

Good morning,

I just have to say again, “last night was out of this world good”!  The truth, no matter how you look at it, is encouraging!  I love that and it still amazes me when I feel Jesus’ big, sweet hand lifting us!  I’m looking forward to more Job and what Jesus has in store for us.

I’ve been going through a lot of paperwork and this morning I found a testimony from Jim Gregory, it was during our Matthew study but I didn’t write down the date. I thought this was so good, goes with the feelings from last night.  He said: “Get happy in Jesus cause he’s always right!  Whatever your life is going through its gonna be right, whether its hard or whether it’s easy just know he’s right and keep on truckin’.”

Yay!  We’ve got the holy Ghost!  That’s worth shouting about!

Michelle

Good morning, 

I was thinking about how wonderful this scene in 2Chronicles 5 must have been, trying to picture what that looked like to God, to see them all together, singing to Him as one. I thought about John David’s song “I wonder if he ever cries.”*

Makes me want our hearts so connected when we are together and singing about how good God is, that He fills the WHOLE room! It means something to God for us to all to be one. This added something to me about how God feels about fellowship and having one heart.

It also made me think about brother Coy testifying about, looking up in a meeting long ago, seeing that fog covering the ceiling! 

2 Chronicles 5

    13.and those sounding the clarions and the singers were as one, making one sound to praise and give thanks to Jehovah when they lifted their voice with the clarions, and cymbals, and instruments of song,) that they gave praise to Jehovah because He is good and His mercy endures forever, that then a cloud filled the house, the house of the Lord.

14. And the priests were not able to stand to minister before the cloud because Jehovah’s glory filled the house of God.

Beth D.

* Song by Jeff and Sheri Easter

Good Morning John,

I wanted to send you my “Ezra 7, Revisited”.

I have been translating Ezra for our Bible translation group, and I came upon chapter 7 yesterday.  As I was reading it, it occurred to me that it was about US!  A parallel, if you will.  So I started substituting words and phrases (like we did in Psalms) to make it contemporary – where we live.  It was so interesting to do that… and when I got going on it (what I’m sending is as far as I got), I just burst out crying.   It was a good cry, and a sad cry.  For a few reasons.  First, because we have been so blessed through your work, and God’s mercy on us.  But secondly, I think, because I know what’s coming in the Ezra story – God’s children will NOT be entirely faithful, and that saddened me.

But just knowing what we are a part of left me with a cry of joy – that is chapter 7.  People in the ancient world probably could have cared less what was happening to this little nation, or in Jerusalem.  But the King was involved.  To God, this was the biggest news on the planet.  (Sometimes I wonder if we don’t think less of what God has done for us than HE does, but that’s a whole other story!)  We don’t know God’s purpose for appointing us to do what we are doing, or where it all is going, it seems.  But it also seems to me that what God has done and is doing with us is bigger than we ever could imagine.

Anyway, attached is my “Ezra 7, Revisited”.  There was a lot more that could be said, from this chapter, a lot more parallels, but this is a humble start.

Gary

Ezra REVISITED

Why Some Thought that Jesus was a Cult Leader

The following would have been the thoughts of some who heard Jesus preach but did not believe him.

1. “Jesus thinks that nobody can come to God except by him.”

Jn. 14:6. Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.”

2. “Jesus thinks that he is the only person on earth who knows God.”

Mt. 11:27b. “No one really knows the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son may choose to reveal Him.”

3. “Jesus has convinced his followers that he is the Savior of the whole world.”

1Jn. 2:2. He is the propitiation for our sins, not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

4. “Jesus thinks that anyone who rejects him is going to be damned.”

Jn. 24. “If you do not believe that I am the one, you will die in your sins.”

5. “Jesus claims that he can keep people from ever being hungry or thirsty.”

Jn. 6:35. Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.”

6. “Jesus thinks that everyone who truly hears from God will believe in him.”

Jn. 6:45. “It is written in the prophets, ‘They shall all be taught by God.’ Everybody, then, who hears and learns from the Father comes to me.”

Here are some others that were sent to me:

7. “Jesus is trying to start a ritual of drinking his blood and eating his flesh!”

Jn. 6:45. Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”

8. “Jesus is crazy. He doesn’t even know who is mother and siblings are.”

Mt. 12:46–48. All the while that he was speaking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and brothers had been standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone said to him, “Behold, your mother and your brothers have been standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” But he answered and said to the one who had spoken to him, “Who is my mother? And who are my brothers?”

9. “Jesus thinks he is going to take over the world and make his disciples kings forever – if they forsake everything and follow him.”

Mt. 19:28–29. Jesus said to them, “Truly, I tell you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man sits down on his glorious throne, you will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left homes, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name’s sake shall receive a hundredfold, and then shall inherit eternal life.

10. “And Jesus thinks that he will do that soon, in just a few years.”

Mt. 16:28. “Truly, I tell you, there are some standing here that will not taste of death until they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom!”

11. “Jesus believes in reincarnation.”

Jn. 3:7. “You must be born again.”

12. “Jesus breaks up marriages and families.”

Lk. 12:51–53. Do you think that I have come to give peace to the land? No, I tell you, but rather division! For from now on, there will be five divided in one house, three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

13. “Jesus thinks the few people who believe him are the only ones who will be saved.”

Mt. 7:13–14. “Enter by the strait gate because the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to damnation, and there are many who enter by it. How strait the gate and narrow the road that leads to life! And few there are who find it.

14. “Jesus thinks he has power to forgive sins, like God.”

Lk. 5:20–21. Seeing their faith, he told him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And the scribes and Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who is speaking blasphemies? Who, except God only, can forgive sins?”

15. “Jesus is crazy. He thinks he came down from heaven.”

Jn. 6:38. “I have come down from heaven.”

16. “Jesus is crazy.  He thinks he is one of the gods, older than Abraham.”

Jn. 8:56. “Your father Abraham was overjoyed that he might see my day, and he saw it, and rejoiced.”

17. “Jesus is so proud that he thinks he is greater than the wise men and prophets.”

Mt. 13:17. “Truly, I tell you that many prophets and righteous men longed to see the things you’re seeing, and didn’t see them, and to hear the things you’re hearing, and didn’t hear them.”

18. “Jesus thinks he has magical building powers.”

Jn. 2:19. “Jesus said to them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.’”

19. “Jesus commands his followers to sell all their possessions and follow him.”

Lk. 18:22. When Jesus heard these words, he said to him, “There is still one thing missing in you. Sell everything you have, and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and then come, follow me.”

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Pastor John,

This is hilarious.  And so amazing!   Jesus really is a cult leader… which lets you off the hook, Pastor John!  

So glad to be a part of Jesus’ cult.  It’s safe here.  I have nothing to add, but gladness.

Brad