Hi Pastor John,

I wanted to write about my testimony that I gave in the meeting today. I know I left so much out, and I think it’s a good testimony that might help others who don’t live here, but want to.

When I first learned the truth was the truth in late September 2005, I loved it! I knew I wanted to live here because this was everything I had been searching for in Christianity, but never found. I immediately left Christianity and followed you. I received the CD’s and followed on whatever I heard from what was going on here. After a couple of years of receiving the CD’s I started visiting back and forth from Australia each year or two. Then, knowing I wanted to live here, I started cold – calling hospitals here in NC, making applications to jobs and making nurse profiles on hospital websites to try and see if a hospital would sponsor me as a nurse for a Green Card. I would make applications and get no reply, then wait a few more months and try again. I knocked on many doors, and got zero response. I don’t even think anyone ever replied to my emails.

At the same time as this I also put my name down in the Diversity Visa Lottery. The lottery does not automatically award you a Greencard; only the right to apply. So, if you win in the lottery you still have to go through the lengthy application process. I applied for the Green Card via a secondary company which turned out to be unnecessary because you can make the application for free once every year. But I didn’t know that, so I paid the company a one-time $400 fee to enter my name in the lottery each year for 4 years. The company placed a LOT of emphasis on making your application for 4 years, so I did. Then I all but forgot about it, and placed my effort in applying to hospitals for Green card sponsorship.

In the meantime, I kept up my normal life. But after a few years, and seeing there was no response from the hospitals, and thinking the 4-year Diversity Visa lottery time period was up, I finally concluded within myself that maybe moving to the US was just not going to be for me. I began to feel at peace with that, and finally I just let go of the idea of moving to the USA. I accepted that it would be perfectly okay for me to stay in Australia, just live right and continue to receive the CD’s, watch livestream when I could (internet connection was always an issue for me), visit when I could, and continue to follow you; my pastor. I fully felt myself let go.

(I want to say at this point I NEVER felt it was essential to my future salvation to LIVE in NC. Never at any point did I think that – I just WANTED to live here.)

When I let go of the idea of moving to the USA, I decided that I didn’t want to live in Sydney where I was almost completely alone. Instead, I wanted to move up to Tamworth in the country to be nearer to my Mum and Dad. Tamworth is 5 hours north of Sydney out in the country, so I didn’t see them a whole lot. I figured at least I could be near them.

So, I got a nursing job at the hospital at Tamworth, and packed up my Sydney apartment and moved everything to Tamworth. After I unloaded my belongings at Tamworth I returned to Sydney to clean up my apartment to have it ready for renters. Well, you wouldn’t believe it, but the very next day after I returned to Sydney to clean up the apartment, I received a phone call from the Green Card Lottery company telling me I had won a place in the Green Card Lottery!! I was astonished to say the least! At first, I thought they were scamming me and I cried and begged the lady on the phone, “please don’t tease me”. She assured me it was real, and she had me go on the website and confirm the details. And as you know it was real! She also explained that the 4 year time period had elapsed, but they take a few ?weeks before they get to calling people to tell them you’ve won. Anyway, as we know from Brother Gary’s song; Jesus had that lottery fixed!

The lesson I learned is that sometimes you have to let go, before God will do something.

And I think maybe the reason I didn’t find out about the Greencard until after I had moved to Tamworth was because Jesus knew I wanted time with my parents before I would live here; in fact, I had prayed that if I ever did get to move to the USA I would want some time of being closer to them before I left. But he also knew I would not have moved to Tamworth if I knew I’d gotten the Greencard – I would have stayed in Sydney to wait out the Greencard application process. I’m very thankful Jesus did it this way, and I’m thankful I won the lottery, and that I got a Greencard, and now I am a US citizen! But more than this, I am glad I live here in NC with everyone here. There’s no where else on earth to be! And I am most thankful you are my pastor.

Love, Jenny

Hi Pastor John,

Just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed the meeting on Wednesday.  Your message was so good about the simplicity of Christ and how to be rich in God! When men try to improve upon what God has already set up it causes so much confusion. I know a lot of it has to do with pride.  I guess men think they can out do God but they are sorely mistaken. 

My desire is to put all of my eggs in that one basket of Jesus.  That’s the greatest investment one can make because it’s an eternal one. I liked how you said that spending your riches make you more rich by testifying about Jesus.  That’s God’s economy not this world’s! There is no other satisfaction that I want more than to be content with Jesus.  If you’re satisfied and stay full of the Holy Ghost,  you don’t want to go anywhere else.  I liked the verse you shared in Proverbs 10:22 that talked about the blessing of the Lord makes one rich and adds no sorrow to it.  The Holy Ghost is the greatest gift that man can receive on this earth and it’s only by His mercy and grace.  That verse reminds me of 1Tim 6:6, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” 

I enjoyed Gary’s song about if man calls you a fish, are you a fish? It’s a really fun song but it’s also serious.  Doesn’t matter what man says about anything.  What matters is what God says about the matter.  That song is very relatable because, as I said before, D—– was looking at websites about you.  They were slandering you and saying we’re a cult.  I don’t hear God saying that, so all that is is noise. It’s only a man’s opinion and not factual. Like in the Old Testament, it takes 2 or 3 witnesses for something to be established as factual.  All they are doing is bearing false witnesses, so it doesn’t count.  In the New Testament, the Spirit is the witness, and He’s not testifying it to be true. 

Amy set me up on Signal.  So, I’m good to go on that and should be a great communication tool with everyone. I appreciate you.

David

Hi Pastor John,

This morning as we were reading the Iron Kingdom, I kept thinking, “Wow!  What pride those men had!”  Then, the image of Jesus washing his disciples feet took over my thoughts, and the sweetest feeling came over me.  It was like Jesus was saying, “People try to find me that way [Christianity], but this is the way.”  I’m so thankful we’ve found the way!

Michelle

Pastor John,

I was reading Proverbs this morning, and through a cross-reference I got to Proverbs 25:13: “As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: For he refresheth the soul of his masters.”

You are a faithful messenger, Pastor John, which means that you refresh your master Jesus’ soul.

May God help us, so we would all be faithful witnesses of Him and Him Son.

Zoli

Dear Pastor John,

I was looking for something online when I bumped into this video, and first I didn’t even want to spend time watching it, but I just had a feeling that I should. So I listened to the whole material, and it’s a very thorough, Bible-based study about why there is only one God, the Father; why Jesus is the Son of God, and why that’s important; and why the holy Spirit is not a separate individual, but the spirit of the Father and the Son, in fact, the Spirit is Christ himself.

There are a couple of points where the speaker contradicts the truth, i.e. he thinks the OT prophets knew that God had a Son, he also believes that Jesus was already the Christ, when he was born in Bethlehem. But there was one point he made that really blessed me, and I’m not sure whatsoever, that he’s aware that he made a wonderful case for why speaking in tongues must happen every time a person is born again.

This is what he said (it starts at 19:21 in the video, and ends at 22:38): In the gospels there are three times when the Father audibly speaks from heaven. Two of these three times He declares that Jesus is His Son (first at Jesus’ baptism and the second time on the “mount of transfiguration”). The speaker makes the point that Jesus being His Son was so important to the Father, that He didn’t send an angel or a prophet to declare it, even though He could have, but did it himself, both times. Then he says this: Jesus being the Son is “so important, that God says, ‘This must not be entrusted with anyone, I will say it myself’”. As I was hearing these words, I felt like the Spirit was telling me: “So is the case every time someone becomes a son.” It must be the Spirit giving the witness! As Paul said: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God”.

Here’s the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TpRpKi5N_o

Zoli

Hey Pastor John,

About a week ago I felt like the Lord put it on my heart to read Ezekiel.  I’m not finished yet, but whew it is very sobering.  These verses stood out to me:

“Then said he unto me, ‘Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, the Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth’” (Ezek. 8:12)

(This reminded me of what you have been saying, “Serving the Lord Jesus means that you are suppose to live right, that you are supposed to be faithful, honest, and conduct yourself with integrity and not do evil in secret.”) 

“And the Lord said unto him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.’

And to the others he said in mine hearing, ‘Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity.  Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women, but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary.’  Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.  And he said unto them, ‘Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth!’  And they went forth, and slew in the city.  And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, ‘Ah Lord God! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?’

Then said he unto me, ‘The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, “The Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not.”  And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.  And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, ‘I have done as thou hast commanded me’” (Ezek. 9:4–11).

After I read this, the fear of God covered me.  This is real!  Nothing, absolutely nothing, is hidden from God.  I just sat here and prayed, “Please Lord, help me, help us, to get out into the open whatever may be hidden so we can make it home together!”  I asked him that if there is anything in me that I don’t know about that does not please him, to bring it to the open, so I can get it right, to give me/us a chance to repent so that we can all be together forever.

I don’t want to be lost and I don’t want to lose anyone else.

Thank you for loving and guiding us, Pastor John.  What an honor and blessing to have an anointed man of God to rest in while in this weary land.

Michelle