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  • Sunday’s Meeting (February 12, 2023)

    Hi John,

    I love all the scriptures that were read today about what happens at the new birth!  I wish every person on this planet with the holy ghost could watch and take in what we saw today.  What a wonderful time we could have with all our family if we all only knew what Jesus did for us the day we received the blessing of the holy ghost.

    It really is all we need to worship him in spirit and truth, because if we follow the Spirit, it leads us to all truth.  Thank you, John, for teaching us what God gives to you.  It was beautiful today to watch and feel the love God has for us in His Spirit!

    Stuart

    ==========

    Thank you, Pastor John, for sharing the truth that the Lord has shown you.  The message today was about truth, love and hope for all who want to serve God the right way and the required steps to begin. The verses from the bible strongly supported your message.  No wonder the Catholic leaders do not want anyone to read the bible.  “Trust us” they say.  “We will show you the way.”  Just not the way of God, is what they don’t tell you.

    I was reading in Psalms 115 tonight.  The dead idols mentioned fit exactly what I was taught.  A rosary in your pocket, scapular around your neck, idol of Mary in the yard, Jesus on the cross on the wall, none of which ever had an answer.  I remember as a young child praying, crying out to these idols and never getting relief.   The despair it put in my heart knowing there was something wrong with me.  Never any hope.  Later, when I was 15, I went on a band trip.  I was to room at a host band member’s home.  My dad had a gift, as he could sometimes just know things.  Before this trip he made a comment to me, be sure and make them take you to a Catholic place as there are a lot of holy rollers in that part of the country. 

    Randy, a Baptist friend, and I were going to stay at the same home.  We discussed this and decided not to burden the host family and just go where they did.  Boy, was that an eye opening experience.  People were shouting, dancing, rolling in the isles.  I heard them talking but couldn’t understand a word.  But I did feel something was different while there.  I asked Randy later and he told me they were speaking in tongues.  I didn’t know what that meant and couldn’t ask when I got home, or else.  I am glad I didn’t make fun. 

    This was about the same time I was learning about the crusades and the cruelties used to convert people to Catholicism.  These two things caused me to start to secretly question the Catholic belief, which caused me to work harder at being a good Catholic. It took many more years and me going to a place, Jimmy’s, to rescue a lost Catholic soul before I finally heard and felt the truth.  I just didn’t realize it was my lost soul that was to be rescued. 

    I thank Jesus that He loved me before I even knew who He really was!  And then a few more years.  Because in 2001, when I asked you what was happening, I failed to listen to your advice when you said you were not sure yet but to stand still and see what the Lord was doing.  My carnal mind took over and I left, only to wander in the wilderness for 20 more years.  I am so grateful that the Lord has blessed me by allowing me to come home!

    Sorry I didn’t mean to get so long but reading Psalms for the first time ever has been slow for me, but at the same time a blessing.  I have to read many of them over and over.  It feels like every Psalm has something that relates to my experiences even when I don’t understand the whole Psalm, maybe only a single verse will I get. But it’s in my heart!

    Thank you.

    Love,
    Mark W.

  • Psalm 103:1 – Blessing the Lord

    Good Morning, Pastor John,

    While reading Psalm 103 this morning a new thought came to me.  103:1 “Bless the LORD, O my soul!  And all that is within me, bless his holy name”.  I have said and prayed, “Bless the LORD!” many times.  But as I now know, we have nothing of benefit to God.  How can we bless the LORD?  I think I know what it means when the Lord blesses us, whether it be receiving the holy Ghost, being healed, or some burden lifted.  But how can I bless the LORD?  But as it is in the Bible several times, I have to believe that it is something possible and good to do.  Still, I don’t like the fact I have been praying something for years (“Bless the Lord”) and don’t understand what I have been saying.  Can you help me understand what seems to be simple, but is confounding me this morning?

    I also read in Proverbs 8 where Jesus was there before heaven and earth, even before eternity itself.  That has been on my mind ever since.  “Before eternity” doesn’t seem possible, but then, what do I know?  Does this mean that God, through Jesus, made time?  It seems to imply there was no time before this, and will not be, once the Final Judgment is made.  There’s another verse where it says a 1000 years is as a day to God.  I have heard you say eternity is not the same to God, but it didn’t think that meant there was no time.  It seems to imply that God is above or outside of time even now.

    Your thoughts and insights are greatly appreciated!

    Love, 

    Mark Whelan

    ========

    Hi Mark.

    I am happy to see that your mind is on these things.  As for your first question, we bless God by praising Him with an upright heart.  That is basically what “bless” means in that context.  We cannot bless God by improving His situation, as He does ours.  But we can praise Him.

    As for your second question, there is a mystery to eternity that is just beyond us.   It does no good to analyze eternity, though we all have wondered about it at times.  Here is our translation of Proverbs 8:22–23, where the Son is speaking of his existence with the Father before creation: “The LORD created me the beginning of His way, the first of His works.  I was formed before eternity, before the beginning, before earth existed.”  We debated the phrase, “before eternity”, since, as you said, that seems impossible.  But in the end, we decided to leave it because that is what the Hebrew of that verse says, and we like the mystery of that phrase, and it accurately reflects the wonder of eternity, from our perspective.

    I hope that helps.

    Pastor John

  • Sunday Meeting (February 12, 2023)

    Hi Pastor John,

    I had such a wonderful and blessed time this past weekend.  There was such an awesome feeling of praise, redemption, restoration, restitution, surrender, and lifting of burdens during the meeting and through my stay! Those same feelings were all throughout the music as well. I was so elated and was rejoicing in my heart when Hope received the Holy Ghost! It was so special to be able to witness that.

    The message about the battle between the carnal mind and the mind of Christ was really good! We’re in such a spiritual warfare with the carnal mind, but once our hearts are fixed and established in the truth we won’t be moved by it.  You said that our hearts are fixed when they are taken apart (out with the bad) and cleaned by Jesus (in with the good).  And once you know people’s hearts, you won’t take up any gossip to use for slander.  And as soon as you get past the carnal mind and into the mind of Christ, you said, you get over fool’s hill!  My sincere prayer is that Jesus can give me a new, clean heart, uncluttered from every unclean influence!  Always willing to receive new instructions and corrections.  Anything that I’m currently not doing; but should and anything that I’m doing; but shouldn’t.  

    Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

    I want the mind of Christ, where I’m alive to the things of God and have a “peace that passeth all understanding!” My desire is for Him to put the desire of His heart into my heart.  I often ask myself if it’s my desire or God’s?  Hopefully, it’s both!  I’m learning to just wait on the Lord for His answers.  

    I also loved how you said that our meeting place is in heavenly places and NOT in NC!  That was a relief to hear and a burden lifted from me.  I didn’t want to be a loner, but now I realize that it’s just a spiritual condition where we meet and not a physical place.  The “meeting” (Holy Ghost) goes wherever you go.  You also said that if a person doesn’t meet Jesus where you meet Him, he is going to hell.  That’s a fearful and stern warning for us all!  I believe that what you were saying is that even though someone is physically there at the meeting, it does not necessarily mean that he is in fellowship with the saints there.  Only with an upright heart, clear conscience, and living right can we experience that fellowship/connection/bond with the saints and God.  My desire is to have a perfect unity with all the saints.  I want my thoughts, feelings, and heart to be aligned with God’s.  I want Jesus to be my North Star, my anchor, rooted and grounded in Him.  Never wavering! Amen! Without Jesus, I’m in complete and utter darkness.  Thank God that he orders my steps! 

    Psalms 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.

    I believe God spoke to my heart and said, “Wait”.  Everything will absolutely fall into place exactly as He designed my life to be.  That place will be where I’m the happiest.  In due time, if God opens a door for me to move closer to the saints in NC, I would certainly do that.  Only He knows what’s right.

    Pastor John, there are many decisions to make here in the relatively near future, but I’m going to completely trust in Him!  I just pray that I can believe what He says and have the strength to obey Him!  Please continue to pray for me as I will certainly do for all the saints there.

    Love in Christ,

    David

  • Online Trinity Study

    Brother Clark – I just read your article on goingtojesus.com “Did New Testament Writers Think That God’s Spirit Was a Person?”

    I enjoyed your detailed study, but have one point of contention: English words do not have gender. And so translators cannot always rely on the gender of the original word to determine meaning. For example: We know that girls are female. However, in German (for example) the -chen ending makes the word for girl (Mädchen) neuter, and the possessive takes the masculine form, So the literal translation of Das Mädchen kämt sich sein Haar is “The girl combs [itself] his hair.” However, because we know girls are female, the correct translation is: The girl combs her hair.

    I think in you dissection of the Greek grammar, you overlooked this distinction – insisting that literal translations would be consistent with the gender of the Greek noun. This is a fallacy. As a professional translator/linguist in multiple languages, I tell you that NO professional translator would follow the procedures you outline in an attempt to ensure a translation was correct. No translator would consider a literal translation to be more correct than one that captures the intent.

    Example: Translate the following English into any other foreign language – “The documents were burned UP when the building burned DOWN.” How important is the directional adverb in rendering the translation. If one translated that the document were consumed in the same fire that destroyed the building, the translation is correct, without mentioning UP or DOWN.

    While I respect your knowledge of Greek grammar/linguistics, trying to twist this into a refutation of Trinitarian doctrine goes FAR beyond the intent of the New Testament writers and their word/gender choice.

    Stephen S.

    ==========

    Dear Sir,

    Thank you for writing.  I think you must have seen a shortened version of my Trinity Study that did not provide you with a crucial point of my study.  In the full version (URL below), I state clearly that the apostles were perfectly free to use masculine or feminine pronouns when referring to a neuter noun IF they thought a neuter noun was referring to a person.  For example, the Greek word for child is neuter, but a child would be referred to as a he or she, depending in the sex of the child.  I give several instances of this from the Greek New Testament.  Indeed, that fact of Greek grammar is central to my entire study.

    The point of my Trinity study was to show that although the Greek word for spirit is neuter, the apostles were free to refer to the Spirit as he IF they thought the Spirit was a person, but they never did.  Not once.  That indisputable fact tells us that the apostles did not think of the Spirit as a person. 

    I hope you will read my complete study.  If you do so, you will see that my position is accurate, being solidly based on Greek grammar and the evidence found in the Greek text of the New Testament.

    Best wishes,

    Pastor John Clark

    P.S. Here is my complete study:

     https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_books.html?tname=trinitystudy

  • Last Night

    Good morning!

    Just wanted to say how very good it was watching and feeling last night!

    It felt so wonderful being able to pray after you mentioned we want to be the kind people who will sincerely ask the Lord if there’s anything He wants us to change.  I felt scared to do that for years. To get alone and really ask those questions and pour my heart out on those.

    But, praise the Lord, I can now, and I have asked that question a lot lately!  It is such a miracle Jesus has done for me, us!!

    To be at work and just say out loud “thank you Jesus!”  To lay in bed and just think on Him and feel a wide open tube or conduit with no junk or build up in it. Ready if He speaks, knowing He is listening to me.  Just incredible.

    Just sitting here now my chest feels wide open and bright. 

    I sincerely love Pastor John and all my family here with us!!  I’m so thankful Jesus answered our prayers, through you!  He does the impossible so we can do the possible. 

    Bro Paul

  • I Love Who I Am

    Hi Pastor John,

    This weekend was so sweet. It seems like so many things came together for me on the weekend. The message you gave about spirits talking to us was so good. I know there are many of us, myself included, who know we have this habit of listening to these horribly crushing and divisive spirits. It was frightening when you spoke about how when spirits say convincing things, you will say either way, “I just KNEW it”. Goodness, how scary. We MUST wait patiently on Jesus and not listen to everything that comes into our hearts.

    The thing I most commonly hear, and listen to, is “You’re bad. There’s just something very bad about you”, and “You’ve messed up your life and you’re not good enough; you don’t belong”. These spirits want to crush any hope you have, and stop you from being free. They have nothing but ill-will for Us. But, I was so glad to hear the antidote; waiting patiently on the Lord, and He will support, strengthen and establish you. And I especially loved Psalm 112 v 7 that you gave, “He does not fear an evil report; his heart is fixed, trusting in Jehovah”. Oh, I love the word “fixed” in this context. I pray I will be ‘fixed’ on Jesus! Pray I will stop listening to these spirits, and wait on what Jesus says about me/us. Wait for the REAL answer. And then I loved the song of Aunt Kathy’s that was sang, “I Love Who I Am”. I loved singing that in the meeting. I sang along too and meant it, “I Love Who I Am”.

    I feel like the message you gave has been touched on before. I pray I get the message this time and quit listening to those spirits that don’t want us to be free, and want to crush our spirits and not let us LIVE. 

    Thank you, Pastor John. I love Us, and I love who I am!

    Love,

    Jenny

  • Psalms

    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:

    1. Search me, O God, and know my heart.  Try me, and know my thoughts,
    2. 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

  • Where the Meeting Is

    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

  • Proverbs 8: Jesus and Wisdom

    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

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

    …

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

    …

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

    …

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

    …

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

  • For the Sake of Your Prayers

    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/

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