John,

Thank you so much for bringing out this treasure (your work on the Iron Kingdom book) and having us read it together the last two days.  I’ve always loved it, but this time was even sweeter to me.  As we read through together, I really was amazed that I, we, believe this!  In the reading this morning, for the first time, I heard with my heart when you wrote (and I’m paraphrasing), ‘God has to help us believe what is right in front of us, not what the Christian myth says it is.’  Christianity really is a big old lie.  And that lie is against the Father and His wonderful Son.  

The other point that really struck me this morning was your paragraph just before “The Tunnel”. 

You wrote: Our only real hope of arriving at the truth about the history of believers (the history which the surviving documents purport to tell) is to receive help from God.  Though disregarded by many scholars, God’s help is available to all who ask for it: “If anyone among you lacks wisdom,” wrote James, “let him ask of God, who gives generously to all and does not belittle, and it shall be given to him” (Jas. 1:5). It is because He has helped me that I am able to write this book.

I loved how these words touched my heart.  They are so encouraging! Thank you, thank you for all your love and work for us – for all of God’s children.

Donna N.

I have been studying for our big Gen-Deuteronomy test* and rereading some stories.  I wrote this in our group chat, but wanted to share my thought here.

God’s people always needed convincing of who He was and what He could do … and who they were!  Makes me so sad for God!  And sad for those people who are never satisfied.  I pray God keeps us satisfied!  I pray we don’t get swallowed up, plagued, lose family, die, etc…  it makes me wonder sometimes though.

…was reading again about Kohath and that story.  God’s people were even unsatisfied after that, and so, God sent a plague upon them.  He was trying to save them but…sheesh.  They just never got it.

I don’t want any other God in charge of me than this patient One!

Leah

* https://www.goingtojesus.com/gtj_otcourse-1010.html

I really like this email from Zoli.   Jesus was telling the truth when he said, “it’s better for you that I go away”.  As wonderful as it was for Jesus to be walking the earth and doing his Father’s good will, I’m so thankful he went away, so he could send his sweet spirit back to dwell inside of us: teaching us, guiding us, comforting us, and loving us so completely. 

I will never forget one time as I was riding down the highway talking to Jesus in my van.  It felt so sweet talking to my friend, and I said to him as I looked at my empty passenger seat, “Oh Jesus, I wish you were sitting right there in that seat, so I could see you and touch you”.  He said, “I’m here”.  Then, I said to him, “Jesus, is that really you, or is that me wanting it to be you so badly that I am just imagining you said that to me?

No longer had I gotten those words out of my mouth, than I felt his spirit starting down in my feet and rolling all through me!  It felt so wonderful and I got the point. Having the spirit on the inside, feeling what I’d just felt, trumped having Jesus sitting way over there in that passenger seat.  

I love carrying my comforter around with me everywhere I go. Actually, he is carrying me.  Either way, I love my holy Ghost!

Lee Ann 

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Dear Pastor John,

A few days ago I published a new post on my blog, it is the Hungarian translation of the ‘Communion’ gospel tract*. As I was reading some of the responses, and prayed about them, my mind went to different places, and I ended up at John 16:7, and I noticed something.

In that verse Jesus says to the disciples: “I tell you the truth; it’s better for you that I go away, for if I don’t go away, the Comforter won’t come to you. But if I go, I’ll send him to you.”  So, Jesus basically said, it’s better for the disciples to have the holy Ghost, than to have him.

Then it occurred to me, that Christianity teaches the exact opposite. They say, it’s better for believers to have “Jesus”, than to have the holy Ghost. Because, as they put it, when you receive the holy Ghost, it’s just a bonus gift; but when you “receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior”, you get saved. 

Now, the question all reasonable people should ask is: Who is this “Jesus” that Christianity talks about, that is better to receive than the holy Ghost? Because based on Jesus’ own words, it’s definitely not the one Christ Jesus we read about in the Bible.

Zoli 

*  https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_tracts.html?tname=tract-064-communion

I was listening to the morning recordings and enjoying Damien enjoying the shadows of the Son, and it made me think of something you said on the Old Testament* cds lately. 

You were talking about the refuge cities and saying not to call God a murderer if you step outside of the refuge city and He avenges His Son’s death. 

Whew, all bets are off for us to be safe from the wrath of God outside of the refuge He has sent.

That was so good to me. I love that the refuge cities are a shadow of His Son. I love Damien’s zeal for the things of God. It stirs that love of the truth in me, when I hear it. 

Beth D.

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Amen, Beth!

We are supposed to “provoke one another to love and good works,” and that is what happens when we feed one another the manna that Jesus has given us.

Keith’s testimony yesterday stirred up a wonderful memory in me of being helped by Jesus years ago.  That is the way fellowship works, and when it works in us, we grow together in joy and peace.

Pastor John

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

Hi, Pastor John.

I felt such an urge to pray for you in the Spirit, yesterday.  As I was speaking in tongues, I saw you standing in front of me. My eyes were panning down to your feet.  When they stopped at your feet, I saw that you had on a pair of white shoes. As I looked behind you, I saw your footprints where you had been walking. As I looked further back, I saw us following your footprints, or in essence following you. As I looked in front of you, I saw that you were following a set of footprints, too. 

I thought about your life and this path that we are on together. I thought about the best and safest times in my life are the times that I follow your example or footprints. Sadly, the times that I have had troubles, are the times that I did not value my Gift as I should have. But, when I repented and things straightened out, it was because I realized what a precious Gift you are from Jesus to us for this body. I know that if we follow you as you follow Christ, this path will lead us home, as Darren song goes. 

It’s a wonderful thing to have a shepherd that God has placed over you and brought you into the sheepfold, where there is safety from not only wolves, but also from ourselves. 

Love always,

Billy

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Hi Billy.

Every servant of Christ can only say what Paul said: “Follow me as I follow Christ.”

God help us all be faithful.

Pastor John

Hey Pastor John,

I have had the sweetest couple of weeks.  I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night with praises and thankfulness just pouring out of my heart.  I’m not exactly sure what Jesus has done but it’s been so wonderful!

I had a dream the other night, one part of the dream I was in a house and the carpets were being cleaned.  I watched as the dirt and mud was being washed away, in my mind I remember thinking, “Wow, I always thought that carpet was a dingy beige” but it wasn’t!  It was a beautiful, bright shiny white carpet!  Wow, that is what Jesus is doing for me!

I’ve been trying to write an email to tell you how thankful I am and what Jesus is doing, and has done, but I could not find the words.  Today, I was reading a book (Hinds’ Feet on High Places), and as I was reading, it felt like I was reading my own testimony:

This (from the book) is how I felt when I went backwards one time, and thought I had lost Jesus, you, and the body:

“During that awful moment or two, it seemed to her that she was actually looking into an abyss of horror, and to an existence in which there was no Shepherd to follow, or to trust or to love, no Shepherd at all, nothing but her own horrible self.  Even after, it seemed that she had looked straight down into hell.  At the end of that moment she shrieked–there is no other word for it.”

But this is what I felt after hearing from you, “it’s not too late, Michelle”:

“‘Shepherd! Shepherd! Help me!  Where are you?  Don’t leave me!’  In the next instant she was clinging to Him, trembling from head to foot, and sobbing, over and over again, ‘You may do anything, Shepherd.  You may ask anything, only don’t let me turn back.  Oh, my Lord, don’t let me leave you!’” 

Jesus brought me back, and I started one of the hardest but sweetest trials of my life…. (thus far)

“He lifted her up, supported her by her arm, and with his own hand, wiped the tears from her cheeks.  Then said, in his strong cheery voice, ‘There is no question of turning back.  No one can pluck you out of my hand.’

Looking back, the awful glimpse down into the abyss of an existence without him had so staggered and appalled her heart that she felt she could never be quite the same again.  However, it had opened her eyes to the fact that right down in the depths of her own heart, she really had but one passionate desire, not for the things which the Shepherd had promised, but for He himself.  All she wanted was to be allowed to follow him forever.”

Pastor John,  I sat here and read that and just started crying because that is my heart!  That is what Jesus has done for me!  He is my everything.  My dearest friend.  These quiet moments in my little apartment talking to him and hearing him talk back to me are priceless.  I love the sweet, precious life that Jesus has given me.  It’s truly remarkable, the deep settled peace I feel in my soul.  I never thought this was possible, but God.

Love you,

Michelle

The Iron Kingdom reading was especially good this morning.  When I sat down to read, I asked Jesus to help me take in what I was reading.  I asked him to let me feel about Christianity the way he feels.  I saw it so clearly this morning that this thing was never from God.  Its origin was man made, and satan has used it to deceive the whole world; including me at one time.  How thankful I feel to be out from under that curse.  I just want what is from Jesus, pure and clean.
Lee Ann

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John,

As we read the end of the first chapter of the Iron Kingdom last night, I could feel undeserved respect for men of high esteem leave. I was sitting there thinking, “Maybe next time someone says they are saved, I might agree with them and say, ” You have been saved from the truth.”
Wendell

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I know what you mean.  When that “undeserved respect” leaves, you can finally love them the way Jesus does.

jdc

Morning!

This blog is so good.* It’s tough sometimes when I think back on the times of my teenage years that I was away from the saints and the precious things Jesus was doing in peoples lives at that time, and to remember the foolishness of my youth. I remember my thinking at that time and how I thought I was wanting to do my own thing, but really, I was just running from God. I had to learn a lot of things the hard way. BUT, when Jesus started tugging on my heart, and I began to humble myself to his call, my life changed, my attitude changed, everything changed.  (I was 26 by then.)  Then I started seeing and feeling the remorse of the things I had done and missed. As time went on, it would be heavy on me the more I learned and felt in the Spirit. I would pray and ask Jesus for help and relief often. One night in a meeting, the Spirit was blessing us all, and in the middle of that, I heard “I have restored what the canker worm has eaten”. Shew! That went straight down to my heart. I knew from that moment on, everything that was happening with me in Jesus was new and not repentance from the past. What a sweet feeling that was!

Then, a few years later, after that relief, I would ask Jesus why I went the places I did, like why was it so bad the way I acted and some of the places I ended up in my life. I read a blog you wrote on “The losers are the winners”** written for Uncle Joe. When I read it, I just cried and cried. It put me under conviction. I got still and read it over and over again. At the end of it, I heard the Spirit say to me the answer to my question of why it was the way it was. The answer was so tender: “Because I wanted you”. That put an end to the wondering and the feeling so bad about things.  It allowed me to be happy and understand. Now I say, I’m so sorry I was that way Lord, but thank you for rescuing me! And he put a joy down in my heart that is everlasting!

When I read the George C. Clark stories***, and read parts of him feeling the feelings of things he had done wrong in his past, he said they made him go to God instead of going away from Him. That really pricked my heart. And I have tried to implement that in my own journey with Jesus. Sometimes I “need a little help from my friends” but I’m so thankful that I have a love in my heart for the truth and life Jesus has given me. The love of the truth and what Jesus has done for me has saved me thus far.

So, I agree that my years are not wasted. I have learned so much through my mistakes. And Jesus gave me what I needed to see those things for what they are, the love of God for me. I do wish I would have taken the higher road many times, that’s the best way, but I needed to learn who I was in order to be who I am.

Shew, that brings tears to my eyes. I love this life, and I love you all who Jesus has put around me.

Amy B.

* Pastor John’s House Blog: 12/14/22 (pastorjohnshouse.blogspot.com)

** https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_thoughts.html?tname=tfe12-15

*** The Pioneer Tract Society – Burlington, NC

Good Morning.

Jerry and I were talking yesterday, and we had such a good conversation!  We started our conversation talking about bad spirits hanging around and the fact it didn’t matter if it is a loved one dragging around a bad spirit or a bad spirit wanting us to drag it around, it’s all the same, and we don’t want it in the clean life Jesus has given us.  We want to honor what Jesus has done for us. 

Jesus once told me that it is dangerous to hold hands with bad spirits.  I feel like that has gone so much deeper in my heart these last two years.  Sister Willie has said you can’t be thankful and grumble at the same time.  They don’t fit together.  Man, she is so right!  I feel around for that nugget in my pocket a lot.

Our conversation led to Jerry talking more about wrong feelings, and he said that you can get to a place with Jesus where you don’t expect things to be your way; you are just thankful to belong to  Jesus.  I am paraphrasing because I can’t say it is as wonderful as Jerry does.  Jerry talked about a few times he has seen Barbara be an example of this.  We had a sweet time talking about your wife’s sweet spirit.  We talked about Bess too.  Their nothingness is what makes them great to us.  The world might get upset with me saying “their nothingness”, but that is such a precious gift to them from Jesus, to get to that humble place and to have a heart like that.  I hope this is coming across with the feelings we felt in loving their sweet spirits.  It left me asking Jesus to make me more like them.

Our conversation left me thankful for the examples and help that Jesus gives us.  We are not down here blindly feeling around.  Some are lighting the way for us and showing us exactly what to pray for.

Jesus gave you a good wife! 

And he gave me a good husband! 

Our conversation felt so sweet, I just wanted to share it with you!

Beth