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  • Cares of this World

    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

  • Thought from the Spirit

    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.

    =========

    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

  • So Rich

    Pastor John,

    I feel hesitant to speak because words detract from it, but my, my, that was so rich tonight!  It felt like you could swim in the spirit accompanying that good message.

    I couldn’t (and didn’t want to) speak for some time afterward.  I feel saturated with the spirit that came with (or delivered) that message.  I feel it now.  It is indescribably rich.  That spirit changes things – it changed me!

    When brother Earl obeyed the Lord Saturday and stopped and prayed for Beth’s headache, which immediately lifted, I heard the spirit of God say “Expect Jesus to change your day!” Glory to God, something is going to change when Jesus shows up – that is the gospel of Christ!  My, my, what feelings in the power of God.

    So rich. I can’t say that enough.

    Jerry

  • The Choice To Be Holy

    Pastor John,

    Beth and I were discussing today’s wonderful meeting, and we had to consider what an honor and a privilege from God it is to be given a CHOICE to be holy!

    Men whose hearts haven’t been touched by God cannot choose to be holy because holiness isn’t in a man; it isn’t of this world.  Without God’s help, men can only choose a path devised from their own sinful heart.  Some sins look better than others, and sins that are decorated with money or education often appear to be good, or not as bad, but it is all just sin if it comes from the heart of a man.  Jesus said so.

    Holiness is from God, not man, and it is not an option for us humans unless Jesus takes his abode in our hearts.  Then (and only then) do we have the choice to die out to the fleshly nature we are born into, so we can live according to the new nature of the holy One who now abides in our hearts.  And we will all be judged in the end according to our choice.

    There are about seven billion people on earth now, and only those who have been filled with the holy Ghost can make the choice to live a holy life in Christ so that they can one day meet God in peace. (Heb 12:14: Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.)

    What an opportunity from Jesus!

    Jerry

  • If You Do What’s Right…

    Pastor John,

    What you said today about how the world treats God’s people is so right and simple — and as you said, “It sums it all up:” 

    “If you do what’s right, people are going to call you a ‘cult;’ because what’s right is not from this earth.”

    You also said, “Let them do it.  It’s just the world without God. We probably would have said the same thing, before Jesus had mercy on us.”

    That is so good. The goodness of God allows for everyone to hear from Jesus and repent  🙂

    Jerry

  • Matthew 24:9,14

    Good afternoon, Pastor John,

    I hope all are healthy and well. 

    With the recent escalations in Israel, I have been seeing an uptick of “talk”.  When things escalate, I sometimes like to read through and keep myself on track as to where we are timewise.  I have some questions below.  I pasted the scriptures from myPJV app, and I don’t know how to correct the font in my phone.  Sorry about that if it looks messy. 

    In Matthew 24:9, Jesus says “After that, they’ll turn you over to persecution, and they’ll kill you; you’ll be hated by all nations because of my name.” I know eventually all of God’s people will be persecuted.  In this scripture, is Jesus specifically talking about the Jews in Israel as a nation, since this was prior to the holy Ghost being poured out on Gentiles?  Or was Jesus talking about Israel in a spiritual sense, meaning us with the holy Ghost?

    ==========

    This is prophecy, Margo, of the time at the end, and it has to do only with people who belong to Jesus.

    ==========

    In Matthew 24:14, Jesus says “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the earth for a witness to all nations, and then, the end will come.” Over the years, I never really gave it much thought.  We know that Christian doctrine has been spread throughout nations, and it is obviously not what Jesus was talking about when he says, “this gospel”.  When Jesus says, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached,” would he be referencing that the holy Ghost baptism is the new birth?  Or am I missing something Jesus is trying to say there?

    ========== 

    Jesus means that, and whatever other truth is in his gospel, which Christians are not preaching anywhere that I can find.  They have their religion, and Jesus has his.

    ==========

    I have been going back and listening to the final weeks of your teaching series on Matthew this morning (at TheSpiritIstheWitness YouTube channel), but still had these questions. smiley face2

    I appreciate any thoughts Jesus has given you on these scriptures.

    Thank you,

    Margo

  • Back to the Basics!

    Good morning!

    You wrote:

    Jesus did not invent the idea that those who hear and obey God belong to Jesus’ family; Jesus got that idea from his Father in heaven!

    We know how Jesus answered the question, “Who is my family?” Now, how do you answer it? 

    https://www.goingtojesus.com/gtj_thoughts.html?tname=rdt10-12

    I read this excerpt from the Random Thought, October 12.  I love this because when Jesus first brought me here to the body, this is exactly how I felt.  It wasn’t manufactured or drummed up; it was what Jesus put in my new heart!  Somewhere along the way, I began to feel like I was taking that too literal, but you know what … I wasn’t.  This is exactly what Jesus put in my heart then and it is still there now.  I text with Ashley for just a minute this morning, and just seeing her name on a message made this feel even sweeter.  Ashley is my sister.

    I think I am learning that going back to the basics with Jesus is a wonderful thing!

    Beth D.

    ========

    Amen, Beth!

    Never get far from the basics.  There is peace with Jesus in those simple truths of the gospel.

    Pastor John

  • The Word “Church”

    John,

    Thank you for all your research and work you have put into the Iron Kingdom series.  It is amazing how much proof and information is out there on Christianity and its rise. 

    The more we receive and understand from the Spirit about our Father and his Son, the more miraculous it seems that we are here, together, believing the truth. The whole world lies in darkness, and it covers everyone on it, but by the grace of God we can walk in his light by his Son Jesus!!  And I am so thankful and grateful that we are here!!

    Stuart 

  • To Forgive or Not to Forgive

    Good morning, Pastor John. 

    I am confused.  I know that when Jesus was on the cross, he asked God to “forgive them for they know not what they do.”  But in Psalm 69:28, concerning those in Israel who would reject and abuse him when he came, the Son of God prayed, “Let them be blotted out of the Book of Life and not be written among the righteous!” (Ps. 69:28).  How is he asking to forgive and not to forgive?  Is there a group to forgive and a different group to not?  None of them asked to be forgiven.  How does this apply to us?  Do we need to differentiate who to forgive even when they don’t ask forgiveness? 

    Thanks

    Mark W

    ========

    Hi Mark.

    When I was starting out in the Lord, I decided that as I read through the Bible, I would keep a list of any contradictions I found along the way.  In a short time, however, the list grew so long that I had to quit.

    The Son of God said both those things, one through David in Psalms and one from the cross.  There are those whom the Son has asked God to curse and others whom he has asked God to bless, and I am sure that God answered both those prayers.

    That is why Jesus told his disciples to rejoice that their names were written in heaven.  It didn’t have to be that way.

    Also, nobody knows whose name is in God’s Book.  Therefore, be kind to everyone; you may be talking to a lost sheep of God.

    Pastor John

  • Church-Based Religion

    Hi John.

    I’ve been reading your writings on “Church-based religion”.  It’s very good.  When I was reading it, the one word that came to my mind was a corporation. The backslidden body of Christ tried to incorporate.

    I looked up the definition of corporation: “A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity and recognized as such in law for certain purposes.  Early incorporated entities were established by charter”.

    Christianity, spiritually, is just that, an organized group of people for a purpose.  And Christianity’s purpose was to offer sinners an alternative to being baptized by the Spirit into the true body of Christ.

    I’ve never really thought of the word “church-based” before.  I thought it was real good.

    Thanks for your Iron Kingdom samples!  Cheerio!

    Gary

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