Pastor John,

You wrote in the book, God Had a Son before Mary Did*, “Adam and Eve were not made sinful by eating the forbidden fruit and obtaining ‘the knowledge of good and evil’ (Gen. 2:16–17; 3:6–7, 22). They ate the fruit and obtained that knowledge because they had already become sinful. Sin is a matter of the heart, and their choice to disobey God was the sin.” 

That makes me think of Judas.  What difference did it make to God if Judas returned the 30 pieces of silver?  It was a matter of the heart.

Wow!  What a thought! 

“Children, in their innocence, are in some measure clean before God. Jesus even said that we must become like innocent children if we hope to ever see God’s kingdom (Mt. 18:1–3). But when young children in Israel came of age and learned from the law what sin was, they realized their guiltiness before God and “died” to their innocence. Paul described how this happened to him:

Romans 7

9.I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died.

10.And then, the very commandment that was ordained for life was found by me to be for death.” 

Beth D.

* Going to Jesus.com – God Had A Son Before Mary Did

John, 

I just wanted to say thank you for everything you have done for us, this morning’s reading of Revelation was so good.  As we were reading about the destruction of Babylon and the end time events for the Jew’s, God’s people whom He loves, a feeling of thankfulness and gratefulness came all over my body, to be able to understand and take in what God has given to you for us is an honor!  All I could think about was all the work and time you have put into us and our education to learn and teach us about the God we love. There is no way to understand these things without the education you have given us all, learning the Old Testament and the prophets and what is in their writings, along with following the Spirit with it all.

Life in God is an education and a lifetime of growing and learning in the Spirit about who and what God has made us and where we are with Him. I know it has been God who has led you and taught you and given you everything you have written and taught us, but you had to be willing and ready to dig all the holes to help get it out to us all!  What an honor to be here with you and everyone else who feels the same way. This is a way of life that we get to live every day and love it, if we want to. I just feel so blessed and thankful to be a part of what He is doing with us in this place at this time.  We need it all, and I pray that we can take it all in.

Thank You, John!!

Stuart

I just experienced a similar experience to the one you told us about regarding Brother Murray and the spirit that passed through telling him to jump out the window.  He pushed it aside, and that spirit left him and found some weak spirit to take over, with that man jumping.

I was driving down the highway and a spirit came passing through, telling me that if I veered more to the left to hit the median, I would flip the car.  I said in my mind, why would I want to do that and injure Brad and my dog?  I felt the demon spirit leave but before it left, it left me with the feeling that It would happen up ahead.  I immediately thought of Brother Murray’s testimony.

Just 10 minutes or so later, traffic came to a stop, and on the other side of the road was a horrible accident that had just happened, and there was debris everywhere with motorcycles and a car flipped on its side.  What!?!

I praised     God told Brad about what had happened and was overwhelmed by the experience and the love of God.  What a blessing to have his Holy Ghost!  How important it is to walk (and drive) in the Spirit!  How sorry we both were for those weak spirits who that demon spirit was able to enter.

There is a war raging, and only our armor of the Holy Ghost keeps us safe.

Love you, Jesus and my family

Pastor John,

The Wednesday night Matthew teaching was wonderful!! 

I really wanted to take in what you were saying in the beginning about Jesus being very burdened.  At first, I couldn’t take it in fully.  The man who performed such mighty miracles was burdened?  I knew he had a load to carry, but feeling afraid and burdened?  Then there was a point when you were describing Jesus as being one of us!!  It was as if you brought him straight down out of heaven!!  I could see past the man who performed miracles!!  I could feel him!!  It was so real. Knowing what is coming, I didn’t want to leave Jesus there!  I wanted him to get back to his Father.

At the end of the meeting, I sat there for minute looking down at my papers.  The very first verse on the Matthew papers jumped off the page: “You haven’t chosen me, but I’ve chosen you.  I couldn’t go any further!!  I just had to weep!!  He is worthy!! 

Thank you for all your work!! 

Love Jammie

This is so good, from Psalm 42!

5. O my soul, why are you cast down and in turmoil within me?  Hope in God!  I will surely praise Him again in the full salvation of His countenance.
6. O my God, my soul is cast down within me.  Therefore, I will remember you from the land of Jordan and Hermon’s heights, from the mountain of Mizar.
7. Deep is calling to deep in the sound of your waterspouts.  All your waves and billows have swept over me.
8. By day, the Lord commands His loving-kindness, and by night, His song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
9. I say to God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me?  Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10. As with a deadly blow in my bones, my adversaries reproach me every day, saying to me, “Where is your God?”
11. O my soul, why are you cast down, and why are you in turmoil within me?  Hope in God!  I will surely praise Him again, the salvation of my whole being, and my God.

Whenever I start to feel pain, loneliness, hurt, discouraged I remember David stirring his soul!  I’ll call out to Jesus for help and he reminds me of all he’s done for me.  All his blessings come flooding in!  He sends me help in whatever way I need it!  It’s always perfect and it’s always on time!  He gives me a praise in my heart and stirs my soul!  What I love most is each time he does this for me, I feel like it’s going deeper in with an assurance Jesus will always be there for me.  I love that!  Feels good, safe and secure!

Michelle

I really enjoyed the reading this morning.  Firstly, that Jesus gave you such an important message for understanding who and what Jesus was saying – “to the messenger of the Assembly in….”  Jesus was talking specifically to the pastors over the Assemblies and not directly to the congregation.  That is so good, and most importantly, to know who Jesus is talking to.  And then the love from Jesus for his pastors and their congregation that he explained what he was going to do and what would happen to them if they overcame. And then he gives the message about his coming (which is yet to come in our reading)!  There is much love from Jesus for his pastors in these admonishments, but also stern and sober lessons to be learned.

As we were reading, I started noticing how Jesus told every time who he was and his authority! I went back and underlined them all and put them together.  Here is who Jesus said he was taken from Revelation 2:1-3:22:

“I am the one who holds the seven stars in my right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lamp stands, who was dead and is alive, who holds the sharp-double edged sword, who has eyes like a flame of fire and whose feet are as fine brass (I am the one who examines the minds and hearts and I will give to each of you according to your deeds.), who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars, who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one closes, and closes and no one opens, the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God, I say these things.”

Whew! That is so good!  Jesus lets them know upfront who is talking.  And then he says that “he who overcomes” will have this:

“To those who overcome, I will give you to eat of the tree of life that is in the paradise of my God.  I will give you the crown of life.  You will not be harmed by the Second Death. I will give you to eat of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written which no one knows except the one who receives it. I will give you authority over nations  and you will rule with an iron rod (like potters’ vessels, they will be shattered), as I also received from my Father, and I will give you the morning star.  You shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot your name out of the Book of Life, but will confess your name before my Father and before His angels. I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem that is coming down out of heaven from my God, and my new name. And I will grant you to sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat with my Father on His throne.

He who has an ear, let him hear.”

I love that!  Jesus is so encouraging!  He said to them as he is now saying to us: “Be watchful; Be faithful unto death; Hold fast; Hold on to what you have; Remember; Repent!”  He wants us to make it.  If we can “hold on to what we know”, as you have told us, we can make it home to be with him, his Father, and each other. 

Amy B.

Note: Pastor John’s third edition of his book, Revelation should be available soon at: Going to Jesus.com – Revelation

The teachings the Lord has given you are amazing.  It’s like the bible in that every sentence has a special meaning for us.  Some are for right now, others as we learn more.

The “seven ones” keep coming up, so I looked up Ephesians 4:4-6 and tried to memorize it.  I kept having to go back and reread as I couldn’t keep it in my head.  Again this morning I looked it up.  As I was studying them the thought was given to me, “What does this mean?”. With that thought came the answer!  One body means no thousands of different sects.   One Spirit is the holy Ghost, no following the spirits of this world.   One hope is the hope of salvation when our Savior, Jesus, returns and takes us to our Father in heaven.   One Lord is our Savior, Jesus, not the many lords of the different sects by the same name.  One faith is the teachings of Jesus, not the rewritten words made to achieve some person’s goals.  One baptism is of the holy Ghost, not water, no reciting some bible verse or any other man-made idea.  One God is our Father in heaven, Creator of all things through Jesus, our one Lord.

With this given to me I don’t think I will have trouble remembering the “seven ones” anymore.

I have been watching, from the beginning, the Matthew teachings*.  I thank God I found them online, as I had missed the first half of the series.  They are so good for me, and anyone who truly wants to know God.

Thank you,
Mark

* pastor john clark matthew you tube – Bing video

Good morning, John.

I’m going over some of my notes from the recent Matthew reading, and never can read this just one time!  It is so encouraging in every way.  I also got a “speech to text” app where I can get my notes better, and I get your notes now too!  Here is one of my favorite parts:

The Scriptures say that “Jesus answered them, the hour is come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”  Men didn’t decide any of Jesus times, and men don’t decide any of your times.  Your times are in God’s hands. Your heavenly Father has all your times in his hands. When you weep, when you laugh, when you win, when you lose, when you gain, when something gets gone, when you’re burdened, when you dance, when you were born, and when you will die–All your times.  We’re in God’s hands.

You can also say, just like Jesus, “You are my God, my times are in your hand.”  God has given us this time to learn of him and rejoice in his mercy.  This is what this time is for.  Don’t miss it.  Be in time with God!”

Thank you for this two years of reading Matthew!

Debbie T

Good Morning, Bro. John!

I read these scriptures in Luke 10 after the meeting last night and thought of what Jesus has revealed and is still teaching this little Body through you.*  So thankful! 

[22] All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

[23] And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:

[24] For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Have a wonderful day! 

Sandy 🙂

* Going to Jesus.com – God Had A Son Before Mary Did