Good morning, 

Jerry and I were just talking about stubbornness and where it can lead.  This part of Samuel struck me, and it makes me pray that there be no stubbornness in me, and to just do what God says to do, how He says to do it! 

1 Samuel 15:

20. And Saul said to Samuel, “I obeyed the voice of Jehovah! I went the way that Jehovah sent me; I brought back Agag, the king of Amalek; and I utterly destroyed Amalek!

21. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and cattle, the best of the devoted things to sacrifice to Jehovah your God in Gilgal.”

22. And Samuel said, “Does Jehovah delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen, than the fat of rams.

23. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you from being king.

Beth D.

Hi Pastor John, 

I wanted to share how I was feeling today. I had a sweet day at work, just a normal day, but I felt so blessed by God to know the truth and belong here. Early in the morning I looked at the photo of the day of you and brother Earl in a meeting, and I thought, “wow, those are my people”! I was so happy to belong! And then at times today, it felt so good and I just FELT so blessed; it was as though Jesus was thinking of me. It just felt so good, to feel blessed. I don’t have words to describe it. Then this afternoon I had a conversation with a co-worker; she has the holy Ghost, but is stuck in some type of Pentecostal denomination. She was reading online about what the Methodists believe because a patient was talking to her about it, and she wanted to learn. It made me think of the mess of the Methodists, and the mess she is in, and I just felt so thankful for the pure, and good food we have from you, and Jesus. 

I just wish I could describe how thankful I am. It is SO good! Anything that is true; I love it! That’s all – I just wanted to share that. 

Jenny

Brother John,

I wrote this down today on my papers.  I felt like it was what you were saying to us all:

Everything created on earth is just a tool to this end: What does God want me to do?

Jerry

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Pastor John,

Everything you said today felt beautifully perfect and perfectly beautiful! 

Beth D.

Pastor John,

Wednesday night’s meeting was so good! Thank you for feeding us the words of life! They are so precious! 

One thing that stood out to me was something Rob said in his testimony about needing help on what to do as he was caring for Joel when he was sick with Covid. Rob asked Jesus to make it very clear on what he should do. I have been writing out my testimony about the events that lead up to our decision to get the vaccine after our exposure to Covid in the mountain house, so I wanted to share it. I am very grateful how Jesus can make things very clear for us when we don’t know what to do. 

Since the beginning of the Covid pandemic things have really changed. Some of the changes have been wonderful blessings but other changes have seemed to cause division and confusion. One of the areas of concern surrounding the virus has been the vaccine.

I have heard scientific data as to why we should get the vaccine and the natural immunity arguments as to why we shouldn’t get it. The information about the virus and the vaccines is ever changing and people’s attitudes toward all of it, at times, has been very alarming no matter which side of the argument they fall on. I have heard of nurses and other healthcare workers who quit their jobs because they refused to take the vaccine. While other medical workers plead with everyone to get the vaccine to help save lives. I had been praying for Jesus to help make it clear which direction we should go regarding the vaccine. I wanted to stay neutral and let Jesus provide direction.

I feel like Jesus set us up to go on an unplanned trip to the mountains to help make things very clear on which way to go. We were going to stay in the mountains from Sunday to Wednesday afternoon. The trip was wonderful and we had a very sweet time with everyone. We were having such a great time that we stayed an extra night. 

While we were on the trip, we visited with Joel N. when he unknowingly had Covid. Staying at the house that extra night, we spent several hours with Joel which gave us a significant exposure to the virus. Richard and I left on Thursday morning and our girls stayed another night returning with the Nelsons on Friday.

On Sunday morning, I pulled up Facebook and on my Newsfeed there was a post by one of my former co-workers that I stopped to read. Normally I would skim past such posts about Covid and vaccines but this time I stopped and read it. It was an article written by a physician that has worked on a Covid unit since the beginning of the pandemic. He spoke of how hard it was to watch patient after patient struggle to breathe. It was physically and emotionally draining for him and all the staff to take care of these people and watch them die from the virus. 

One of the striking things he said in the article was that he was having a difficult time mustering up compassion for patients that are now coming into the hospital struggling to breathe and then dying because they have made a choice not to vaccinate. 

The physician spoke about one man in particular that had come into the hospital with Covid. The man was around my age, married, and had young children. The physician asked him why he chose not to get vaccinated. The man’s reasons sounded similar Richard’s reasons for not wanting to get vaccinated. The man eventually died in the hospital. The physician felt people were dying unnecessarily since there was now a vaccine that can help decrease the chance of dying from Covid.

At the end of the article he wrote: “Covid will find you!” When I read that, the words jumped off the page at me. I clicked off Facebook and saw I had a text message from Donna N. telling us that Joel was very sick. He was in the ER with a high fever and had tested positive for Covid. Covid had found us!

Up to that point we had been so careful. We had been diligent in staying as safe as we could to keep ourselves, our children, and the ones we love safe. We had done our part to the best of our ability. But yet, there it happened, we were unknowingly exposed to Covid. I felt more strongly than ever like it was ok to get the vaccine. I told Richard about the article from the physician and how he said Covid would find us. Richard told me I was free to get it if I wanted but he still did not have the feeling to get it. 

Later that same morning my dad called and told Richard of a dream he had a couple days before. It was a strange dream and my dad wasn’t going to tell him about it but given our virus exposure from the mountain trip, he felt he should tell the dream. Richard and I both felt like the dream was a message from Jesus letting him know he was unnecessarily exposing our family and others to the virus and that it was ok to get vaccinated. When Jesus gives us a clear direction it makes everything else nothing (our thoughts, opinions, research, reservations) and brings a huge relief. I am thankful for Jesus’ help in this crazy time. His words make all the difference. 

Amy F.

Brother John, 

I love what you said tonight about liberty — complete liberty.  God’s children have a liberty from many of the things that burden men, including earthly laws that are made to bind a man’s flesh (for his sake and for the sake of others).  We are free, not because we have the liberty to do evil or to be lawless, but because God’s children don’t need to be bound to be good.  God’s children don’t need restraint against their nature.  The saints’ nature isn’t contrary to law; it is the law.  Only the spirit of God in a child of God is ever holy.

We are that free.  God has made us so.

But you asked tonight, “Are we free enough to live under the burdens that we are free from?  Are we that free?”

Are we free to wear shackles that Jesus broke off of us, if it furthers the gospel?

Are we free to hurt when we can have relief, if it is good for others?

Are we free to suffer wrong to keep godly peace?

Are we free to be less successful than we might be?  Are we free to do without?  Are we free to fail?

“Free from what, or whom?” Someone might ask.  The answer: free from ourselves of course, is the answer.  Am I free enough from me to do all these things?  If I’m not free from me, I’m not free at all; I’m my biggest captor.

It is like you said so many years ago on your radio program.  You challenged the toughest man listening, “Just try to stop sinning if you can. Try to stop being self-willed.  If it is your choice, then stop today; just try it.”  It was a plea for people to realize they are not free. They are bound to the will of their flesh, and they need help from the only One who can make them free. 

Jesus has made us free.  I believe we are free enough in our hearts and conscience to walk away from anything in this world we perceive not to be Jesus (so far) — regardless of how good it looks.  I believe Jesus broke those kinds of chains off of us, and you have been coaxing us to believe it for at least 20 years.  At least.  I believe we are free enough to run away from what looks good with no fear at all.  But the question you asked, is, “Are we free enough to stay – if it is pleasing to God?”

Another way of saying that might be, “Do you have enough humility to stay?  Are you humble enough to stay in chains when you don’t have to wear them, if it could do someone else some good?  Do we have the humility to be in bondage for other’s sake?”  I think is what you were asking tonight.  I think you helped us with the answer when you said attitudes toward some current events have indicated the answer is no, at times, and that those attitudes are dangerous to our souls.

A couple of years ago, you told us that you had no fear for a man to come in and preach to us if he had a message he wanted to share.  You had no fear of us being confused or swept away by a man’s ignorance or wrong ideas.  You said it wasn’t his effect on us that concerned you, but how we might treat him.  That is what worried you.  I’ve never heard you repeat that since that evening, but I feel you were saying that in all of the goodness and liberty Jesus has extended, we could hurt someone with what we have if we lead with the pointed end of our blessing.

I was in the shower the other day and I feel like Jesus was reinforcing something that I think He’s been saying to me for some time now.  The same things keep coming back around.  I felt like He told me, “The truth is not a sword, it is your shield.  It is to protect you from what others might do to you; it is not for you to attack the defenseless.”  I am reminded of that experience when considering all you said tonight about attitude. 

There sure are a lot of people out there with some strange behaviors and ideas about God before they end up getting the holy Ghost.  Who knows how God communicates to them until they really know something.  I guess, in whatever way they understand.  Things like that make me consider what you told us about your father.  You said that God told him, “Don’t ever speak ill of someone who speaks well of my Son.”  This last month, I’ve been wondering before the Lord how many people with sincere experiences I might have winced at and, perhaps unintentionally, discouraged over the years, just because they didn’t have the blessings I have been given.  It has made me want to slow down and wait to hear from Jesus about anything that has to do with the Father or the Son.  He can surely tell me what is Him – He’s done it before.

Thank you for tonight and that excellent question – “Are we free enough to stay bound?”

I was thinking about how bound Jesus was for us.  He was bound by hunger, sleeplessness, loneliness, and the list goes on.  Jesus stayed bound inside the flesh of a dying body, to save us, and he bore that death to its dying breath, refusing every moment’s impulse to be set free, knowing God had promised Him countless angels to do it.  He wouldn’t have had to turn down that offer just once; He would have had to turn it down with every labored breath he took, until there just weren’t anymore.  Jesus had to be free even from living in order to do that.

Thank you again for tonight.

Jerry