I was reading the Doctrines of the Bible in a Bible given to Brad many years ago by a Pentecostal minister. It quoted 1Timothy 3:16 (“God manifested in the flesh”) in answering the question “who was Jesus?”. This confused me as it sounded like Timothy was saying God was Jesus and I know that’s not true.

I took out my KJV and went to 1Timothy to read the entire verse and reading it didn’t really help. I know Timothy is talking about Jesus and   felt like the way entire verse reads perhaps there could be the word “as” instead of the comma after flesh and before justified – God was manifest in the flesh as justified in the Spirit.

So, I went to goingtojesus.com. Went to our translations and read the verse there. It is exactly what the KJV has. Now I wasn’t sure what to think. But thankfully there is a video of your teaching this chapter and my question was answered!!!! You knew this phrase would be a stumbling block for young people in the Lord like me and you spoke directly to it!

I want to say thank you for your teachings and  thank you for the brothers and sisters that worked to provide these clips in our translation. It is a wonderful thing to have such knowledge readily available! I wish more people would eat of it.

Love you,

Allison

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Thank you, Allison, for writing. Yes, that verse is abused by Christians when they use it as evidence that Paul believed and taught the bizarre doctrine of the Trinity. God was manifested in Jesus, and He is supposed to be manifested in all His children. Jesus told his disciples, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father” because he perfectly represented the Father’s character and power.  After reading that scripture to a congregation one time, my father, “Preacher Clark”, asked them, “Has anybody seen God in you lately?” 

People seeing the Father in us does not make us the Father any more than seeing Him in Jesus made Jesus the Father. We are all supposed to be manifesting the Father to people, and if we do that, Jesus said that men will glorify the Father.

Let’s walk in the Spirit as Jesus did, so that people can see in us what God is really like!

Thank you for writing. 

Pastor John

Pastor John,

Beginning any sentence with the words, “I gotta” (I have to), encourages us to place and carry ungodly burdens on ourselves, or tries to convince others of our ungodly burdens.  It is good to know to lay that kind of talk (and its effect) down. 

That reminds me of years ago when the Lord corrected me about saying “I have to work” whenever my work schedule conflicted with other things.  He let me know I didn’t have to work, I get to work.  It is a blessing to be able to pay your bills and eat.

It is funny how a few words can set the tone and attitude (spirit) of a conversation.

Thank you for that thought Saturday morning.

Jerry

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Hi Jerry.

If the Son of God sets us free, we are free to put the will of God first, in everything.  That is the “liberty of the sons of God”.  To walk in that liberty is to taste of our eternal rest.

Pastor John

Morning!

I wanted to say how much I have been blessed by Jonathan and Karlee singing “There was Jesus”.  The words to that song are so very true.  It reminded me of my own life and how so many times when I was a teenager trying to find my way.  I made mistakes and I made some good choices along the way and every time “There was Jesus”.  Being a teenager/young adult is not easy with all the things in your face pulling on you….but Jesus knows exactly where you are.  He is so good!  I am so thankful Jesus was there, and he brought me to where I am today, happy in him.  When you have been disappointed, hurt in various ways, people who you thought were your friends turn on you or leave you, and Jesus comes and takes your hand, there is no other comfort this world can offer.  I found out what was REAL and true and what true is love.

I looked up the writer of this song, and he has a sweet testimony.  Jesus help him. 

Thanks to Jonathan and Karlee and Brother Gary also for singing and playing this song.  It really touched my heart, especially coming from them.  This is an experience song……

Love you all,

Amy B.

I sure love your teaching on the Kings!*  Two statements of yours:

“I’m not lucky, I’m obedient! “

“Go ahead and get in your place and ask God for a blessing! See what happens!”

Those are just two things that thrilled my soul!  That isn’t even the main course.  It’s full of gold!

I am on the 12th video and I want to listen again because I don’t want it to end – but want to get to the next bite too!  What a spot to be in!

Heard that song, “Come and Dine” and it brought tears to my eyes.  I see that song in a whole other way now.  If we even hint we are hungry, Jesus lays out the whole banquet table.  It really is true; we can feast at Jesus’ table anytime.

Beth D.

*Follow the link below for our online store where you will find Pastor John’s teaching on the book Kings:

Pastor John’s House.com Gospel Material Available for Purchase. (pastorjohnshouse.com)

Pastor John,

I loved the feelings this weekend!  There were so many good things.  How sweet to be there when our new brother Mark was born!  What a precious sight!  The songs, the testimonies, the wonderful message on Thursday!  Thursday night when you said all of this is for us, that Jesus had mercy on us and brought each one of us here together to be fed by you, all I could say was, wow!  There is so much love in that!  I feel like I did when I found out my name had been written in the Lambs book of life since the beginning of time! I’ve been feasting on that thought for days!  It felt so good to be there with my family.  I just wanted to hug everyone and hold on tight!  

Feeling very thankful!  Love you! 

Michelle

I’m so tickled at what Jesus did for my knee this weekend. As many of you know, I have been having trouble with my knee for several weeks. At the beginning of the beach trip, about the 2nd day, my knee started swelling and getting stiff. I couldn’t put any pressure on it or bend it. It felt like I had a cottonball behind my kneecap – squishy.

I went to the doctor and he said I had overworked it. He took an X-ray and everything looked normal. He gave me a stronger inflammation medication, told me to ice it, and stay off of it for a few days.  So I did that.

I dealt with it pretty well considering it was very tough to miss out being with everyone at the beach.  And not to mention the strain it was putting on the other parts of my body. It’s amazing how much one part of the body affects another. It puts so much weight on the other parts. Needless to say, by the 5th or 6th week, my body was getting tired.

I was so exited about tract night and the weekend!  By this time, the swelling had gone down but I still could not bend it and it still felt like there was a cottonball behind it. So Friday night, I bandage it up really good and wore my good shoes…. 

Saturday night I was so wanting to pray with our soon to be new brother.  So when the time came, I was so tickled! Then, he went down on the floor.  I thought, what am I going to do, I can’t bend my knee. It felt so good praying for Mark, I said, “Lord, I’m just going to do it”.  I didn’t even know if I could but I did! I knew someone would help me if I couldn’t get up later.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time there on the floor! We have a new brother now!! I had sweet Ellie right there with me and little Isaac. And so many sweet people around me.  I was on my knees, bent, the whole time I was on the floor.

At the end, I was a little stiff and needed help getting up. We went back to Randell and Doris’ and I doctored it up. When I woke up in the morning, I could bend my knee and there was no squishy feeling behind my it!! 

🏻 Thank you Jesus.

Yesterday, after we got home, I took a nap and when I got up to walk across the floor, my body had been trained to limp and not put pressure on that knee. I heard the Spirit say to me, “walk normal”! So I did, and have been since. I love that. When Jesus heals a part of our body that has been broken, he wants us to walk normal in that. If we don’t, it will remain weak.

So thankful. It’s a relief. Not only am I thankful for what he did for me, but it is because of us that he did what he did. Love you all and so thankful for the wonderful time we had together this weekend.

Amy

Good morning, 

I have been reading Deuteronomy and listening to you teach Kings*, and it is so good to me!  I love the feelings I feel hearing about God.  I feel alive!

This morning as I read about God giving instructions for Israel if they should want a king over them, it touched me to see that God knew they would want a human king over them before they did, and to see God still love them enough to say that when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he must keep a book of the law and read it all the days of his life.  My heart hurt for God.  I just wanted to say to Israel, “Stay with God and let Him love you.  Don’t leave Him!”

After hearing you teach about the sin of Jeroboam, then thinking about Christianity, and the condition of this world, and what leaving God and doing things your own way leads to, I just want to curl up even closer to Jesus and let God love me!

Makes me cry to know God gave us Jesus for our King.  God gave us His best! 

Deuteronomy 17

14 When thou art come unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;

18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:

20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

Beth D.

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Hi Beth.

It is good that you are making the time to get anchored in the things of God.  Doing so is going to pay big dividends for you, and for anyone who does that.

Thank you for letting us know how and what you are doing.  It is a good example for us all.

Pastor John

*To order Pastor John’s teaching series on Kings, please follow the link below for our online store:

Pastor John’s House.com Gospel Material Available for Purchase. (pastorjohnshouse.com)

Hi, Pastor John;

I was walking over to your house this morning and enjoying listening to all the sounds of life. Different types of birds; mourning doves, owls, and even a Cardinal. There were types of frog sounds, crickets, a dog barking, and insects.  Each species of each bird, animal, insect and such, have their own unique sound or tongue in which to identify them. It made me smile knowing that God’s Son created every distinct sound for each species. Each of them is identifiable by the type of sound that they make, and all of them give glory to God’s Son. If we can hear it, they point to the one who created them.

Then, while walking,  I thought about the new creature that God created on the day of Pentecost. This creature was given a language, too. A Heavenly language that points and leads to the Creator more than any creature ever created, because the life of this new creature is God’s life. Whoever has this language testifies about the things of God, as they have been created to do. Without the creatures singing out this morning, I wouldn’t even know they were around. I walked back home and they were still telling on God.

Like Dr. U. told me in the hospital, “There’s life out there, Mr. Mellick” (as he pointed out the window).  We are in a very special place, where we are encouraged to speak the language that God created in us and live; this is, “no small thing”.

Simple things, but I like simple things.

Billy

Good morning!

I love this.  God spoke to Moses “mouth to mouth, and plainly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the likeness of Jehovah.”. It was not in a dream or vision, but intimate and personal because Moses was faithful in all God’s affairs!

What does that say to us in the times God speaks so plainly to us?  It made me think of the time I had a bad attitude about Jerry telling me I needed to make sure to pick up all the sticks before mowing and I wasn’t going to do that,  then Jesus told me, “Run over one stick and see if I do not break that mower.”

I felt such a fearful awe that day.  I didn’t want to move or breathe.  I can still feel it when I think of it.  It is a similar feeling when I think of Jesus speaking plainly to us, that God would even consider having His Son speak plainly and intimately to us. 

It really is a wonderful and fearful awe.

Numbers 12:

4. And Jehovah spoke suddenly to Moses, and to Aaron, and to Miriam, “Come out, the three of you, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them came.

5. And Jehovah came down in a pillar of cloud, and He stood at the entrance of the tent, and He called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward.

6. And He said, “Hear now my words. If there be a prophet among you, I, Jehovah, will make myself known to him in a vision; I will speak with him in a dream.

7. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my affairs.

8. Mouth to mouth do I speak with him, and plainly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the likeness of Jehovah. Why, then, were you not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?”

Numbers 21:

14. (Therefore, it is said in the Book of the Wars of Jehovah…. “

I didn’t know there was a book of wars of Jehovah! 

Beth D.