John,

This July 31 “Remember What the Spirit is Saying” stood out to me.  I thought of all the times I have prayed for courage over the years but usually in the context of speaking to people about Jesus or the truth. 

However, I have come to realize that I need courage from Jesus just to live day-to-day doing the will of God.  

I need courage to walk in the Spirit. I need courage to say “no” to my flesh. I need courage to trust Him in all circumstances.  

We need courage to “Stand Still in Jordan”. 

I am praying that Jesus will give us courage to obey and trust him during these trying times and beyond. 

Tom

Hi Pastor John,

I’ve been listening to the March CD and got to the last song with Anna, Rebekah, and Natalie singing “The Family of God”. So sweet!!!!

When they got to the verse about from the doors of an orphanage to the house of a king, I started thinking about that. I had been a spiritual orphan all my life until God allowed me to repent, get the Holy Ghost, gave me a real pastor, and I became part of this sweet family of God. My whole life I had been part of a group of imposters. Men with the title of Pastor but who don’t even know God themselves, so how can they take care of God’s children? Tears are streaming down my face as I write this. Oh how I wish I could get out how my heart is feeling, but words just can’t do it. The best I know to do is just to say thank you Pastor John and thank you Jesus for putting this little orphan girl into this family of God!

Doris W.

John,

I love this!!!! Where on earth has anyone heard anyone speak these things about the mystery of God! His Son! I am so excited about the gift that the Father and the Son has given to us!! To be able to know the fullness of the mystery of the Son that was hidden from the beginning of time. I hope and pray we all take advantage of that gift to the fullness of our ability that he has given to us!! What you were saying last night was out of this world!!!

Stuart

Hi, Pastor John.

This morning I called Donna C. We talked about loving God’s standard, about how we love that you have always held to His standard, and how it has helped us hold to His standard with our children that choose sin.

Because you love Jesus more than me, I know how to love Jesus more, too. Your loving Jesus has laid a clear path, through what could have been very hard times. That path was brightly lit and easy to follow from my first steps.  You holding to His standard makes me feel very safe and says “Amen” to what Jesus put in my heart for him.  I rejoice inside every time you say you love Jesus more, every time you say repent and get it right with God.  Knowing what this world is being taught about Jesus, I am so thankful you fell in love with him.  I think of you as my pastor, and that makes me see you are my brother, too.

Beth 

Pastor John,

The “Remember this” statements from the Slander book are so good!  This particular one jumped off the page at me:  “False doctrine and lifeless ceremonies are slander against the right way of the Lord.”  After reading some of your chapters on slander, I am seeing that true statement more clearly than ever!

I’ve been thinking about institutionalized slander since we talked this morning.  I can not think of one thing I was taught growing up in Christianity that was the truth. Not one!  I can state with full confidence that Christianity itself is a lie!  

But I had the thought today, “What if I had believed those lies?  What if I had believed that drinking that wine and eating those wafers was my only way of having communion with Jesus?  Or what if I had believed that having some water sprinkled on my head as a baby while my parents repeated some scriptures was the baptism that mattered?  What if I never heard about the New Birth?  What if I had sat in that dead religion for all these years?” I know without a doubt the answer to those questions.  I would be dead.  Even if my physical body was alive, I’d be a dead man walking.

But then I felt tears of thankfulness and relief welling up because Jesus didn’t leave me there to die.  He showed me the right way!  He gave me His life!  Jesus did that for every one of us and He will do it for any sincere heart that cries out to Him!  

I love that this book is full of light; exposing the truth about institutionalized slander!  

Lee Ann

Pastor John,

I was so glad to be able to listen to you all read a portion of the Slander book this morning.

The second to the last paragraph in today’s reading said this:

Our Guiding Principle: the Love of God

Even inconspicuous things like eating and drinking can offend (cause to stumble from the way of righteousness) an innocent child of God if he has been taught that it is wrong to eat certain foods or drink certain drinks. And sometimes when a child of God has been so offended, it is very difficult to win him again to the right path.

I realized as we read, pastor John, the “path” that you described here is not necessarily a set of rules or ordinances or a belief system. God doesn’t send those things to lead others to Christ, he sends people; His people. We are the light of the world, Jesus said, and if we fail to discern other’s hearts and fail their conscience with our so-called liberty, we are the path, the path appointed by God that they may not be able to reconcile with. They may have to make it to Christ IN SPITE of us, instead of with us.

My what a responsibility we have to discern others as we exercise our God-given liberties!

There is no right or wrong, there is just God.

Thank you for today.

Jerry

Pastor John,

Preacher Clark, in an old meeting, was telling what he just recently learned from a sister, who was also present:

“After God fills you with his Spirit, he gives you power and authority over Satan, and anytime after you receive the holy ghost that you sin – you have to volunteer to sin! That’s right. I couldn’t have believed that if God hadn’t come onto her and brought me the message. You say, ‘Well, I didn’t volunteer to do that!’ Well, He gave YOU authority [not to sin]. He doesn’t give Satan authority over you; he gives you authority over him! Somebody comes along and wants to hurt your feelings and …well, you’ve got to volunteer to get back under that spirit with them to even get your feelings hurt!

It means something to know that God has given you authority and power over Satan from the time you get started until you get the mind of Christ!”

Good!

Jerry

Good morning,

I had the sweetest thought yesterday. I thought that I don’t know one heart that has followed and follows God’s spirit, that would not want someone else to have it too. When God creates a right heart in man, a heart after Him, there is no division or selfishness. I went through every heart I know and thought how happy each would be for someone to seek to receive what Jesus has given to them. That is the difference between man’s heart and a heart God creates. One ought to examine the hearts that they are joined to, and seeing the hearts I am joined to bring a love for what Jesus has done for us. Seeing the hearts that God has created also says a lot about what He wants. I never thought about it like that before, but it really teaches us about our Father.

Beth