Good Morning Pastor John,

In our Old Testament course* we have been reading in Psalms. I’ve always loved to read how David, in anguish, cried out to God, and then to hear his relief when encouragement would come. It would always touch me and encourage me to read how David would stir up his soul and to feel his faith in God.

However, last night I had a new experience.  In the cd, you were talking about how then no one knew the things we know now about God.  We know that there is only one God, that He is creator of all things, He knows all things at all times, and is in control of it all.  You explained that back then, the thought of only one God was so foreign, no one could believe that unless God touched his heart.  Only people like David and the prophets who had an experience with God could believe that, and they were all hated for it.  You compared it to now with Christianity, how Christians now cannot believe that only God is in charge of all things in their lives.  He’s in charge of the good things and the bad things, and the devil has no control of anything.  And like then, unless you have an experience and God opens your heart, you cannot believe this.  And just like back then, if you believe this, you are hated and slandered.

As I was reading and listening to you on the cd, I felt the fear of God like I’ve never felt before.  It was a good, clean fear that fell on me like a blanket.  It made everything in me feel quiet and still.

Since I woke up this morning, I’ve been thinking about what I felt last night.  It made me think of these verses in Psalms 139:

23. Search me, O God, and know my heart.  Try me, and know my thoughts,
24. and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

I don’t want to be found lacking in anything when my time comes to stand before Jesus.  The other day I was thinking about being perfect.  I remember meeting a woman one time who would say we cannot be perfect, that the only one who was perfect died over 2000 years ago.  I remember thinking how bad that felt.  Then I was listening to you in a cd, you read Matthew 5:48: “So, be perfect, just as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.”  You said, “We can be perfect because Jesus said so!”  That was so encouraging.  When we received the holy Ghost, we were given everything we need to be perfect.

I don’t know how to exactly write all this, but it feels like it all goes together.  I don’t want to be lacking, Jesus has given us everything we need to be perfect so that on our day of judgment we can be found worthy.  While I’m here, I pray that Jesus will search me and know my heart.  While there’s time, I want to be cleansed inside and out; I want to be perfect before the Lord.

I love good, clean sobering thoughts from Jesus.

Michelle

*  Old Testament Course (Pt. 1) – Going to Jesus.com

Pastor John,

Today was the best description I have ever heard as to what it means to come together in your home for a “meeting.”

You said “the meeting place is not this house, it is a spiritual condition.”

We are just bringing our bodies to your home so we can share that experience together.

The meeting is being had everyday with Jesus for each of us, if it is. And it seems that Jesus lets the light burn brighter when all the experiences come together in unity.

Jerry

Hey Pastor John,

This morning I came across something in Proverbs 8 that was so good to me! I knew about the bible verses talking about Jesus being with God in the beginning and being “daily His great delight”, but I thought that was something that was just inserted into Proverbs without any prior references to Jesus. Instead, I found that the verses began by talking about “wisdom”, and then it shifted towards talking about Jesus as an individual. When I went back a few verses and started reading it again, I realized that “wisdom” was “interchangeable” with Jesus and it was just being used as another name for Him! That was so neat to me!  Maybe Aaron and I can team up to see if the “w” on wisdom can be capitalized! Ha!

Samuel

Proverbs 8

12.  I, wisdom, dwell with prudence; I uncover knowledge of cunning ways.

…

14.  Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom. I am understanding. I have strength.

…

17.  I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.
18.  Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness.
19.  My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold, and my revenue better than choice silver.
20.  I walk in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of justice,
21.  to cause those who love me to inherit substance; I will fill their storehouses.
22.  The Lordcreated me the beginning of His way, the first of His works.
23.  I was formed before eternity, before the beginning, before earth existed.
24. 24.  I was brought forth when there were no depths of the sea, when there were no springs abounding with water.
25.  Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth.

…

27.  when He prepared the heavens, I was there. When He decreed a circle on the face of the deep,

…

30.  I was at His side, like a master workman, daily His great delight, always laughing in His presence.

Morning, I ran across this verse today looking for a caption for the photo of the day (Feb. 4)*.  I don’t think I noticed it quite like I did this morning.

IPeter 4

¶7. But the end of all things is at hand; therefore, be sensible and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers,

That gives you another incentive to walk holy and live right, remembering the prayers you have prayed to be heard. And expands more on what it means to live for others.

Another reason to keep on keeping on. 🙂

Amy B.

*  https://pjhphotooftheday.blogspot.com/

Today I was listening to the sermon from 1993, “Destruction by Redefinition”*.  WOW!  I don’t know if I’ve ever heard that message before.  When you said, “I’m not a Christian; I’m a follower of Jesus,” the purest, cleansing wind blew through my truck that I felt from head to toe!  I began speaking in tongues and thanking Jesus for rescuing us from that abomination!  Wow, I still feel that!  Thank you, Jesus!

I loved it!  When I first started listening to it, you were saying it but not saying those words.  Then when you said it, “I’m not a Christian”, you could feel it!  That was amazing!  It felt like Jesus was showing you as you were speaking, and you could just feel the relief!

Michelle

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcghEJunScw

Pastor John,

I’m thinking this morning that many in the world are persuaded to take the “easy street” and claim they are a victim of this life, thereby throwing off responsibility for their own actions.  But I remember not long ago hearing brother Bennie Hinn say that Brother Oral Roberts told him, “if you go to this city to preach, you will be killed. And I [the LORD] will hold you responsible for dying.” (I am paraphrasing but that was most definitely the message). 

In a world where it has become as normal as breathing to proclaim victimhood, the Spirit of the Lord, I think, is asking questions such as, “Why don’t you know you are being lied to?” “Why don’t you know where to be when the time comes?”  The spirit of God in us is real, and it knows how to live this life, and according to brother Benny Hinn’s testimony, God is holding us responsible to follow it.

Jerry

Pastor John,

I thank God for the meeting I had today, because the Spirit was moving, and the door opened up for me to share the truth. Yesterday I read a booklet A— had given me, it’s about “God’s Work”, and the author is called Watchman Nee.  It’s about how God is building the body of Christ, and is filled with wonderful thoughts and wisdom, you can feel while reading it, that the author had a lot of weighty experiences with Jesus throughout his life, but something was really missing from the writing, although I wasn’t surprised by it.  It didn’t clarify who exactly belongs to the body of Christ, and how do we know it. 

I thought I could bring up this subject in the meeting, but I didn’t feel the Spirit’s permission to do so, so I waited. Finally, we ended up reading from another booklet, in a way that everyone read a paragraph, and we kept going like that in a circle until we reached the end of the chapter.  Well, what we were reading was also about the body of Christ, in fact, there was a section with the title: How does one get into the body?  But there was no definite answer, as far as I can recall. 

A— encouraged all of us to inject any questions or disagreements we might have, so when there was a longer pause, and no one was saying anything, it felt the right moment to pose the question to the group: How do you think one gets into the body?  A— and F—– both said some things, and when they were done, A—- encouraged me to share my answer with them.  So, I pointed to 1Cor 12:13, showing that the Bible does give us a definite answer; that it happens through baptism, and it’s not a baptism with water, but with Spirit.

I told them that it is this experience by which we are born again, and that I believe it is always accompanied by speaking in tongues or stammering lips.  At first, everyone seemed to be okay with what I said, but towards the end of the meeting S—- said that she has a problem with my stance on speaking in tongues, because not everyone receives the same gifts.

I thank God that He gave me the wisdom to answer all the questions and disagreements, and was able to do so with meekness. The meeting seemed to come to a conclusion, but I felt the Spirit telling me to bring up 1John 3:24-4:3. This was the moment when I really started feeling the Spirit touching people, in fact, there was a lady (her name was B—-), who I realized buried her face in her hands, saying she’s tired, and then she started saying things like: “Well, if we have the assurance that we are ‘saved’, that’s good enough, right?” (At the beginning of the meeting I thought she surely has the Spirit, but by the end I wasn’t so sure at all.) 

A—- also seemed to become uncomfortable, and I know it was because she was feeling I was speaking the truth.  Especially when I brought up that because of our deceitful and desperately wicked heart, our confession of faith is not sufficient, there needs to be a witness from the One who really knows what’s in us.

I know that in the realm of the spirit something very significant happened tonight, and it was, again, something way beyond me. It creates an even greater awe and fear of God inside me.

I don’t know where God is taking us, where He’s taking me, but I know I just need to draw closer to Him, and obey Him, whatever He’s telling me. On February 9 there will be another home prayer meeting, and I am invited to that, too. 

Please keep praying for us here in Dunaújváros.  May Jesus do his wonderful work in each one of us, may we be humble and obedient to his spirit.

Zoli