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  • Who Will Be Able to Stand?

    I love this.  God keeps his children protected – we need only obey the Spirit and stay pure.  The rest is God takes care of.

    John, I do have a question about this part of what you said: 

    “If any group of saints will keep themselves pure, God will not allow an ungodly person to stand for long among them.”

    In Jesus parable of the wheat and the tares, he says to leave the tares till the end, and then, they will be separated… so are there also cases where the ungodly ARE allowed to stand among the righteous (until the end, in that time of separation)?

    Gary

    =========

    Excellent question, Gary!  As with so many other spiritual matters, such as free-will vs. predestination, and in this case, there is a time to emphasize one way and a time to emphasize the other.

    Once a backslidden soul is committed to his sin and will no longer receive correction, God may keep him among His saints, but only to try the hearts of those who still have hope.  That spiritual condition, that of continuing among the saints in a permanently backslidden state, is called being “tartarized” (2Pet. 2:4), and it is the very worst spiritual condition of all.

    So, you are correct to point out that sometimes, God does keep a stubborn, backslidden believer among His saints.  But whenever He does so, it is never for that person’s good.  It would be better for that poor soul never to have known the way of righteousness (2Pet. 2:20-21).  Even being dead and in Hell would be a better place for him.  At least, in Hell he would not be continuing to sin.

    Thank you for bringing up that side of the issue.

    Pastor John

                                             Who Will Be Able to Stand?

    The wicked shall not stand in the Judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

    Psalm 1:5

    Moved by the Spirit of God, David declared that in the Final Judgment, not one ungodly person will escape the wrath of God; not one ungodly soul will be able to stand before God.  It will not be possible.  David said again, “You alone are to be feared, for who can stand before you, once you are angered?” (Ps. 76:7).  Other prophets asked the same rhetorical question.  Nahum: “Who can stand before His indignation?  Who can withstand the fury of His anger?” (Nah. 1:6).  And Malachi: “Who can endure the day of his coming, and who will stand when he appears?” (Mal. 3:2).  The obvious answer is, only the righteous.  To be judged worthy to stand in God’s presence will be a very great blessing, and Jesus exhorted his disciples to pray for it: “Stay alert and always pray, so that you might be counted worthy to escape all the things that are to come, and to stand before the Son of man” (Lk. 21:36).  

    But David did not limit his declaration to the Final Judgment; he said also that the ungodly will not stand in a righteous congregation.  God’s children who drift away from righteousness can no more stand in a congregation of godly people now than they will be able to stand in the Final Judgment.  For just as God will be the Judge in the end, so “God presides in the Assembly of God, and He judges among the gods [His people]” (Ps. 82:1).

    If any group of saints will keep themselves pure, God will not allow an ungodly person to stand for long among them.  And if any member of that congregation becomes ungodly, and sets his mind to it, he will not be able to stand among them, either.  God will give him a “good” reason to leave.  That judgment of God has always been, is now, and will always be the same.  That is why “the wicked shall not stand in the Judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.”

    In Psalm 15, David asked God to reveal to him who would be allowed to stand in His presence.  Take good heed to God’s response:

    Psalm 15

    1. O Lord, who shall abide in your tabernacle?  Who shall dwell on your holy mountain?
    2. He who lives blamelessly, and does righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart,
    3. he who does not gossip with his tongue, nor does evil to his fellow, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
    4. in whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord; he who swears tohis ownhurt, yet does not change;
    5. he who does not lend his money at interest; and a bribe against the innocent, he does not take.  He who does these things shall never be moved.

  • So Thankful! 

    Pastor John,

    Tonight, I’m sitting here thinking of the feelings from today. At one point I remember wishing I could look every single person there right in the eyes and sincerely say thank you. Thank you for loving Jesus, for loving me, for loving the truth, for being my family. It is an honor to be in your home, Pastor John, and to be fed and taught by you!  Thank you!  And it is an honor to be a part of this holy family Jesus has made. I cannot even express how grateful and humbled I feel to be here. So, for today, I want to say thank you again.
    Donna N.

    ==========

    Thank you, Donna.  Jesus has created this little body of believers as an oasis in this wicked world, and I am so grateful for every one of us!  Jesus does all things well!

    Pastor John

  • Solomon’s Wisdom Book

    Pastor John,

    This section in Solomon’s Wisdom* is really sobering.  It’s incredible that people would choose death over humility.  But how many times have we seen it unfold exactly as Solomon describes.  Makes me pray for a clean humble heart that can receive correction when it comes.

    Solomon bk

    Richard F.

    ===========

    Thank you, Richard.

    Yes, that message from Proverbs is sobering.

    Something about it reminds me of Proverbs 18:19: “An offended brother is a strong city, with contentions like the bars of a castle.”  Once someone takes offense at something he thinks has been done wrong and backs away, it is extremely difficult to win him again, for in his heart, he thinks he has good reasons for withdrawing from the life Jesus gave him.  Only God can break through the “castle bars” that such a man puts over his heart.

    Pastor John

    *  https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon00

  • What a Life! 

    Hi Pastor John,

    I am watching the video from Saturday morning, and I had to stop and write because it feels so good! 

    We are studying the law in the Old Testament* and as we go through it, it keeps ringing through me how wonderfully true it is. It is my testimony. It is our testimony.

    At our last Old Testament class, I told how before Jesus gave me the holy Ghost, I longed to be different. I wanted to be clean and good, but I couldn’t change some things. Back then I wanted to be like those who got up and went to church every Sunday and seemed to have a clean life. I failed so many times at even getting to that point, that when I did cry out to Jesus, it was to just take me out of this world, so I didn’t hurt so much in my failing life. 

    I never dreamed I could be what Jesus has made me. I never knew I could be clean and honest and good. I can say those things because I didn’t do that. Jesus did.

    Jesus really did create a new heart in me and write God’s laws on my new heart. 

    When LeeAnn talked about every time someone gets the holy Ghost, they are getting the law written on their hearts, everything in me said “Amen!”

    That is so wonderfully true, and I love seeing it and knowing that it is true. 

    To experience and live the truth of the shadow of the law is thrilling to me. I don’t have another word for how it feels. 

    What a life Jesus has given us! 

    From the inside out! 

    Beth

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

  • My Experienced in CPILS

    Hey, everyone.

    I’d like to share something of what I’ve experienced while I was teaching in Center for Premier International Language Studies (CPILS).  

    I had a student from Taiwan. He is 13 years old. He was the only one who traveled from their country. His parents wanted him to study English so they sent him to CPILS to study. During his stay at the school, he got positive for covid. He got isolated in a room for 4 days. After his isolation, he got back to the classroom to study again. He said to me that he had no roommate and someone to talk to even his parents didn’t care. He felt that no one likes him and he was just annoying to his roommate. I felt that this boy was sad and need someone to talk to. Sometimes when he goes to the classroom he just sleeps. I asked questions about his personal life. And he shared about what he likes and dreams in life and that his birthday would be on Sunday. On Monday, I wrote a note that says: “Happy birthday, Justin! Always smile”. And he said, “thank you”. On his last day at school, we ate Jollibee (fast food) inside my classroom. He wrote a letter to me. I was happy to meet this boy.

    A group of high school students from Japan came to CPILS. I had 4 students from that group. They were not allowed to use their phones for the entire 7 weeks and really focus on studying English. There was one girl who could make cranes out of paper. The English book talked about art so I told her to create art. She made 3 origami cranes. I was amazed by that time because cranes are tall birds with long legs, necks, and usually long bills. I didn’t know how to create origami and it originated in Japan. I was glad because I could put them on the bulletin board. “Japanese people are respectful however they have a cold personality” one of my Japanese students said.  She got sick for 4 days. After her isolation, she gave me many colorful cranes.  I decided to decorate my bulletin board so that she can feel that I value her effort in creating cranes. Eventually, we became close. Before their last day, they had a graduation speech. She said during her stay at school, she often cried because she missed her family and she felt comfort if she make origami. I was touched by that. On her last day at school, she gave me origami paper and a turtle, and a kind of colorful Rubik’s cube. She said:  “When you make origami cranes, please take a picture of it and send it to me”.

    rubik cube

    I had a Taiwanese student who came from the military and her leg was broken because of running. So decided to stop and rest. During the pandemic, she realized that she wanted to take care of sick people. She went to the university to study nursing. She went to the Philippines to study and improve her English to communicate with other people. She was willing to share her culture and make friends with other countries. On her last day of school, she said that “Can I have a hug?” and we became friends. 

    The other one was a Japanese man. He is 35 years old. He was depressed for months before he went to CPILS because his boss always scold him at work to the point that he felt terrified to go to work. Japanese workers are known to be workaholics and loyal to their companies. Even though they don’t like the work they need to stay in the company. However, he quit the job. He didn’t go to college because his father is a taxi driver and couldn’t afford it. He decided to study English to write songs because he likes music since he was a teenager and get a better job. He said he was happy that he enrolled at the school and met me as his teacher and he can share his problems with me. 

    I was sad that I didn’t pass the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and often times I doubted my ability in speaking English. I had fear of speaking thinking that I could make mistakes in English. However, God planned it to be part of CPILS to make me realize that there are people who are struggling too. I was happy that I could help them even in small ways. I won’t forget this experience and met different students that helped me grow in some way. Their letters have encouraged me. 

    Thank you,

    Leika

  • Exodus 22:20

    Good Morning John,

    Can you please explain Exodus22:20:  “Whoever sacrifices to gods other than Jehovah alone shall be devoted.”

    In the King James Version it says, “He shall be utterly destroyed.”

    Just wondered why you said in your translation “devoted”.

    Thanks.

    Margarite

    =========

    Hi Margarite.

    To translate the Hebrew verb in Exodus 22:20 as “destroy” is a possibility, and one could argue that it is the best choice in that verse.  But that verb can also refer to “devoting” a person, an animal, valuables, or a whole city to God, which means that no one on earth could have it.  A living being, whether person or animal, who was devoted to God had to be killed.  A city devoted to God had to be burned to the ground.  Precious materials devoted to God had to be brought to God’s high priest.

    Several modern translations of Exodus 22:20 have “devoted to destruction” or “set apart for destruction”, to get the point across.  We decided just to use “devoted” in our translation and let the Reader pick up on what “devoted” means after seeing it used a few times.  For example, Joshua declared that the whole city of Jericho was devoted to God.  So, all the goods were His, and every living thing in the city had to die.  When Achan secretly took some of the valuables from Jericho to his tent, he, his family, and all his possessions became devoted by contact with it.  And you know what Israel had to do to him and all that he had when he was found out.

    So, “destroy” is OK in Exodus 22:20, but there are other words that mean “destroy”.  This particular word can mean that, but it is the specific word that is used for “devoted”, and we opted for that.

    Hope that helps.

    Pastor John

  • Proverbs 8

    Pastor John, 

    In ‘The Father and the Son’ gospel tract* you attribute Proverbs 8 to King David. Is that an error? I learned that Solomon wrote most, if not all, the proverbs. Didn’t he write chapter 8 as well?

    Thank you.

    Zoli

    =========

    Hi Zoli.

    Thank you for the question.

    Inasmuch as (1) Solomon says plainly in Proverbs 4:3 that he is passing on to his son the instruction that his father, David, gave to him and (2) chapter 10 begins with the heading, “The Proverbs of Solomon”, I have always assumed that the material from Proverbs 4:3 to 10:1 came from David.

    Of course, that could be a wrong assumption, but that is how it looks to me.

    Thank you for asking.

    Pastor John

    * Going to Jesus.com Tracts – The Father And The Son

  • Song of Solomon

    Hey Pastor John,

    I was reading the “Thought for the Morning”.  It makes me want to go back and slowly read the Song of Solomon, what a sweet story.  For the past several weeks I’ve been asking Jesus to teach me what time it is.  After reading this, it really stirred up that prayer again.

    Michelle G.

    ==========

    Thought for the Morning
    10-21

    The Song of Solomon*

    A letter from Brother Frank in Nigeria

    Good day Pastor John,

    I read the book of Songs of Solomon, the whole of it and I could not understand any verse at all, please, do you have any teaching on it or any how you can make me understand it better. And I am even wondering, I hardly see or hear anybody teaching the Songs of Solomon. Why so, is it not important?

    Regards,

    Thanks for your help

    Frank

    Lagos, Nigeria

    ===========

    Hi Frank:

    The Song of Solomon is a parable of the consuming devotion of the bride of Christ for the Lord, and of the consuming devotion of the Lord Jesus for his bride (the faithful saints). The best lesson I have received so far from the Song of Solomon is how very good it is for us to give our whole hearts to whatever we do. When it is time to love, Solomon would tell us, love with all your heart. When it is time to give, give with all your heart. When it is time to dance, dance with all your heart. A person who lives that way can be greatly used by God.

    For example, the apostle Paul fought against Jesus with all his heart until he learned that Jesus was the Messiah. After that, he served Jesus with all his heart. In fact, he put more effort into the work of God than any other apostle. He wrote, “I am the least of the apostles, I who am unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the called-out people of God, but by the grace of God, I am what I am. And His grace upon me was not in vain; on the contrary, I labored more abundantly than all of them. . . .” (1Cor. 15:9-10).

    God calls us to love Him with all our hearts; in fact, Jesus said that the commandment given to Israel to love God with all their hearts was the greatest commandment ever given. But from what I have seen, most people do not know how to do anything with all their hearts, and if we cannot do natural things with the whole heart, how can we love God that way? The apostle John said as much: “. . . he who does not love his brother whom he has seen is not able to love God whom he has not seen” (1Jn. 4:20).

    In the Song of Solomon, it is the time of love for the young woman, and loving her beloved is all that the young woman has on her mind; thoughts of the young man over-ride every other consideration, even her own personal safety (3:1-4; 5:7). It is wisdom to give your whole heart to anything when it is time for it, and the young couple in the Song of Solomon are wise. To them, at this time in their lives, “love is strong as death” (8:6). And this was true for them because, at this time in their lives, love was their only purpose.

    That is the lesson I received from the Song of Solomon when I prayerfully read it before the Lord some years ago. I feel certain that there is more wisdom hidden in that unsurpassed love story, but I am passing along to you all that I have received from the Lord thus far.

    Your servant in Christ Jesus the Lord,

    Jdc

    *  Going to Jesus.com – The Song of Solomon

  • Malice

    I was thinking tonight of the feelings we have here in the body and the feelings of some who have drifted away from the Lord.  The word malice kept coming to my mind, so I searched it on the bible app to see what the scriptures say about malice.  This is what came up, and it struck me that we do not have these feelings here.  We do not have bitterness, wrath, anger, rage, slander, filthy talk or evil speaking, deceit, hypocrisy, or envy by any heart that is following Jesus and staying full of the holy ghost. Those feelings do not live among us towards each other, the world, or even any of God’s children who have left Him. We are free from those feelings. 

    We have feelings of sadness, mercy, prayer, hurt, and maybe frustration, too, but only because we know what others could be with Jesus. 

    It touched me tonight to go over some of what we are free from.

    Here is the definition I found of malice and the scriptures that came up in my search:

    malice măl′ĭs

    noun

    A desire to harm others or to see others suffer; extreme ill will or spite.

    The intent to commit an unlawful act without justification or excuse.

    An improper motive for an action, such as desire to cause injury to another.

    1Co 5:8 so that we might keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 

    Amen! 

    Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil-speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

    Col 3:8 And put away all these things as well: anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy talk from your mouth.

    1Pe 2:1¶ Therefore, having put away all malice, and all deceit, and hypocrisy, and envy, and all evil speaking

    Beth D.

  • Martin Luther

    Hi, Pastor John.

    I watched a Netflix movie about Martin Luther. Though dramatized, I liked how it showed the basic history of the Roman Church. In one part it shows Martin Luther with a young Lad holding a translation of the scriptures (I assume) in German. Did Martin Luther translate the bible from Greek into German as depicted? Is there any evidence with what we know about him that he received the holy Ghost?

    Thank you,

    Billy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eYUrgV4ONc

    ==========

    Hi Billy,

    Yes, Martin Luther translated the Scriptures into German.  And he may have received the baptism of the holy Ghost, but that is unclear.  He did write a song (“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”) in which he said, “the Spirit and the gifts are ours”.  So, if that was true, he did receive it.  We’ll find out everything in the end about all things, including Martin Luther.

    Pastor John

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