Good Morning Bro John!

Jesus is spoiling me! I had the best encouraging dream this morning! In the dream, I saw the inside of a forearm with a deep open wound and it was being closed up (healed) by an invisible power! Immediately, the Spirit spoke and said, “Healing is coming!” Oh my! The doctors can say it, the scientists can say it, but when Jesus says it, it is going to be! Sweet, sweet Jesus. He makes my day! Here’s a hug from Jesus!

Sandy

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Amen, Sandy! I believe it.

jdc

Good Morning!

Really enjoyed this!

You wrote in a blog*, “But what is it that God sees in their hearts that He would refuse to give them His Spirit? Only God knows, and He is always right.”

I always find such peace in this. God knows and knowing that helps me not hurt for the ones I love that He has not chosen as of now. It also lets me just live and not push past God. I love the peace it brings. “He is always right.” That is like a healing balm to me.

All those people out there right now separated from false teachers, alone with God, makes me pray for tender experiences to be had with Jesus during this virus. I pray they cry out to Jesus and never go back. How many hurting hearts will cry his name during this time?

The email between you and Jerry the other day and this blog struck me. I pray to stay close to Jesus and be free from wrong thoughts and feelings. It has been hard to be away from the anointing and the body so long. I need the anointing, and I need the body. I ask Jesus to give me his feelings and his thoughts every day. I really, really miss us just praising God together.

Beth D.

* https://www.goingtojesus.com/gtj_thoughts.html?tname=rdt04-02

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A sobering truth.

Pastor John

Bro. John:

I wanted to share with everyone the Spirit’s encouraging and comforting words I heard this morning. My daughter is a nurse at UNC Hospital and she texted me a picture of the mask they provide her to wear. She said they have to wear the same mask all week. They are only provided 1 mask per week! My heart dropped when I read that because of all the Covid -19 virus germs floating around. You would think they would provide a clean mask each day, but I suppose this is the shortage of masks we keep hearing about on the news. After I read her text, I went into the kitchen to fix some breakfast, still thinking on what I had just read, and the Spirit spoke to me so sweetly and said, “her protection is not in the mask, it is from the Lord!” Oh my! How I love Jesus! He always knows what we need to lift a burden off our hearts! I pray to believe in him for all of our safety thru this trying time in this country. And particularly for the safety of all the health care workers on the front lines of this virus. I know Jesus cares and loves us.

I loved reading these verses in James 5 this morning:

15 “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

I looked up the words “effectual” and “fervent” and they basically mean sincere, passionate, fruitful, productive, to name just a few.

I believe, Bro. John, when we pray this way from the bottom of our hearts (heart seeking), God will hear our cries and heal us and this land in which we live. I have to believe it because Jesus IS the Answer to every problem.

He is giving us this time alone to seek him. We are at your mercy, Lord; hear our prayers. May God help us to stand still in Jordan and feel His Presence.

Love,

Sandy

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This is wonderful, Sandy. Thank you!

Pastor John

Pastor John,

Having a conversation with Beth last night, talking about how we generally can tell who authored an email within the first few words of the first sentence. It is the spirit of the person that we are perceiving. We are feeling the spirit of the writer and recognizing it – the words aren’t unique to one person.

That Spirit sanctifies people’s words and actions. It makes people acceptable to God.

Paul said he was judging by it, and the power of God. It is amazing.

Foolish words are sometimes found in the mouths of sanctified wise virgins, and wise words sometimes come from the foolish, but it is the Spirit that sanctifies. The words don’t mean a thing.

Jerry

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That’s true, Jerry. And it is a person’s spirit that influences others more than the words they say. “The kingdom of God is not in word,” Paul said, and we could add, “Neither is the kingdom of Satan.” Jesus said, “It is the Spirit [of God] that gives life,” But it is also true that an unclean spirit brings death.

Pastor John

Pastor John,

You wrote in your book, Speaking in Tongues at Spirit Baptism, “The tongue of man and the heart of man have a unique relationship. Jesus said, ‘Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks’” (Mt. 12-34), which suggest that when the Spirit of God changes and fills the heart of a man, his mouth is moved to express something.”

This is beautiful to me. I read it again and again. To know what it feels like to have your heart so full and not be able to utter human words as you try to speak of it makes it so very beautiful to me. That God has ever filled and touched our hearts, overwhelms me.

Beth D.

My sweet wife and I have really been blessed for the past six or seven weeks, allocating time every evening at bedtime to read a few chapters of the stories of your father*… Well, actually, “the story of God”.

Aren’t you fortunate to have been the one to receive the benefits of the best years of his life, growing up in his household of peace in order and godliness, and then to be able to interview him and compile all of these amazing memories?

It makes me a little sad that in our age there are so many distractions and attractions and responsibilities and obligations that deter us (or at least most of us) from following after the Spirit as diligently as George Clark did. Your manuscript title is very apt: he truly was a “pioneer of the faith”.

I can only express from a very grateful heart how thankful I am that God has put me under your wing, to learn the Truth, and that you have continued to obey God and walk in His wisdom just as your father laid the foundation for a life such as that. Both of you are examples of true men of God, and both Allison and I are blessed by the things we are learning to understand, a little here and a little there. Thank you for your wonderful writings. They enrich our lives every day and show us the way of holiness; and how we, too, can be a light in this world by Preacher Clark’s example and yours.

Brad

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Hi Brad.

The biographical stories from my father’s remarkable life could encourage and challenge any child of God, regardless of where they stand with Him, high or low. I cannot tell you how many saints have told me what reading those stories did for them. A life lived in the Spirit is a life that the grave cannot end.

Thanks for writing.

Pastor John

* Follow the link below to read the story of George C. Clark, a Pioneer of the Faith.
https://www.pioneertract.com/

Hi, Pastor John.

This morning Barbara was talking about not losing our testimonies while not having the meetings. This lesson has been on my heart, and it came in the form of a dream in 2008, I believe, and I want to write this testimony about God.

In my dream, I was running in the most lush ravine. On both sides of the ravine were straight hills covered with tall, thick, green grass. As I was running along the bottom of the ravine, I became stuck in thick, gooey mud that had been covered with grass. Both feet were stuck, and I couldn’t pull either foot out of the slushy mud. My feet were buried up to my ankles in the miry muck. When I looked up and down and in front and back of me, I noticed I hadn’t been running along a green hilly ravine, but I was in a drainage ditch in which the high levees were sowed with grass to help with soil erosion. The mud and muck in the bottom of the ditch where I had gotten myself stuck was leftover drainage, covered with grass and weeds.

I couldn’t move, and so I prayed to the Lord for help. About that time I saw you in front of me, with me in the drainage ditch, but you were not stuck as I had become. We were facing each other, and you wrapped your arms tightly around me and pulled me close into your chest. I was very embarrassed! After all, we were two males pressed together. I began to squirm and resist, but I could not brake your grasp and hold on me. With your left arm around me, still holding me tight, you took you right thumb and poked it into my left rib in my chest until your thumb penetrated to my heart. When I felt your thumb in my heart, I immediately became limp and still. I felt such a peace in my body and all resistance ceased.

About this time, while still in your grasp, I felt my body being lifted out of the mud and mess that I had gotten myself into. Still being tightly pressed into your chest, I looked down and saw my feet come out of my shoes (which were still stuck in the mud), and we both were lifted by the Spirit of God to the top of the grass covered levy. You then let me go, and I looked up to you as you were still being lifted higher, and you called down to me, “Don’t worry about your shoes; I’ll get you another pair.” I woke up.

We were talking this morning about the value of having a pastor from God like your Father, and now, you. I can look back over the years, especially since God miraculously healed me in your house in 2001, and see that you have been there in my life with the happy and sad times, up and down times, the trying times, kid times, and so on, and so on; too many examples to list. You have pulled me out of the miry clay with the Spirit of God, dusted me off, and have done nothing but encourage my heart to keep trusting in God and move up in the Lord and have faith in God.

I was telling Judy after I got back home this morning, and testified to her how Jesus used you to salvage me, as well as most of us all here now. Most of the children were born here and have been coming to the gatherings before they could remember anything, but most of the adults were not. We were pulled out of the drainage ditch by you, and lifted up by the Spirit and power of God, and transplanted to this place, where we can now live among each other in peace and fellowship. I told Judy today that I feel so humbled and honored to have such a pastor over me that knows me, loves, me, and cares that I meet God in peace on that great Day.

I do not ever want to forget the order of God that he showed me when I was in my early 20s: 1) God, 2) Jesus, 3) A godly pastor, 4) the husband, 5) the wife, 6) the children. I learned that the first two, and more than likely the first three in that order will not change, but if a family is having issues, then something is wrong with 4, 5, and 6; something is not in its place or order. When I first met you at Brother Delbert’s when I was a teenager, I knew that you had something that I needed, and that we didn’t have it there: standards from Jesus that brings fellowship to His Light, so that we my praise God acceptably.

We may always have differences in the flesh with temporary things, such as you may like blue and I may like yellow, you like fish and I like hamburger. But, with eternal things, to have the same mind for the truth and to be able to grow into perfection in fellowship is a wonderful gift of God. We may go though hardships, cancer, pain in our bodies, a million other things, but growing in the Spirit is worth it all. “Get the gold out of it,” I heard you say more than once.

I want to thank you with all of my heart for the many helps and the prayers that Jesus put on your lips for my family and me, for pulling me out of the ditch, for getting me a new pair of shoes to walk in, for a life that God has given me by using you for me (us). Yes, I’m thankful to have a godly pastor. It doesn’t matter whether I understand all things that you do or say, but I thank God when I do. Even when I don’t understand, to trust your authority that gave you for me is precious. Knowing (in my heart) that you are a pastor and that you are my pastor is a wonderful thing, and truly a gift from Jesus. I pray that I walk worthy not only of my calling, but especially yours.

Thank you, Pastor John for loving me.

Bill M.

Hi John,

I wanted to share a little something that Jesus did for me recently. Several days ago, I felt like I wanted to read something from Paul, so I started reading in 1Corinthians. I read through the first six chapters and stopped. The next day, I wanted to continue my reading, but I thought, this time I think I’ll continue reading aloud in 1Corinthians along with Amy, without realizing what the next chapter would be about. Well, it turns out chapter 7 contains very good instructions for husbands and wives. We both thought it was really neat that Jesus set it up for us to read that particular chapter together.

And then, just a day or two ago, I heard brother Tom tell about how the Spirit spoke to him recently, saying something like, “Husbands, feed your wives”. I thought that was very good counsel for us husbands at any time, but especially with us not having gatherings recently. And I was so glad to have had something from Jesus to pass on to Amy that day.

Vince

p.s. Our translation of 1Cor. 7 is really good. It’s even better when you read along with the video that is posted on the GoingToJesus.com web site. https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_translation.html?tname=1corinthians#CH7

Pastor John,

A few weeks ago I received a letter from a woman who had visited the house while Beth and I were away. In the letter, the woman spoke of some literature she had left in our door entitled “Why must we die?” She said she hoped we would read the literature and that she could visit us again sometime in the future to discuss.

I was moved in my heart by the woman’s sincerity. The letter was handwritten and the individual stamps were affixed by the sender.

I did read the material she left in our door, and when I reached the end, I realized that it hadn’t answered the question at all. But more importantly, I realized that I DID know the answer to the question in the pamphlet… “why must we die?”

Many years ago you visited the saints in Louisville and you asked us all that very question – “why do men have to die?” We all ventured a guess that day, mostly (and quite often) repeating the same answer in one form or another, “because man sinned.”

After many attempts you gave us the right answer; “because God is holy.” That is why men have to die, all men, “because God is holy.”

Men have to die because of Who God is, not just because of the things that men have done.

Men commit crimes worthy of death every day in this Nation, but the leaders of this country fail to require their execution. Children commit atrocities every day against their parents and they go unpunished. It is not a man’s actions alone (apparently) that demands the death penalty, but to whom those actions are against.

This country’s failure to carry out the death penalty on people that commit heinous crimes is not because of newfound enlightenment or mercy as many promote, but it is instead because of immorality in the people responsible for carrying out righteous judgment. Those responsible for executing judgment do not feel worthy to carry out such fitting punishment because there isn’t enough difference between them and those they are condemning.

The reason grown men and women allow foolishness and disobedience from their children is because their hearts are too much like their children’s and too far away from God to require righteous behavior. They don’t feel worthy to require God’s higher standard.

Mercy for the unrepentant is not mercy, it is just moral failure on the part of the judge.

But I understood something else pastor John, something wonderful! The very thing about God that requires all men to die because of Adam’s disobedience in the garden of Eden, is the same thing about God that allows all men to be forgiven of their sin if they will just repent. The holiness of God that demands death for disobedience, demands life for those who are repentant. Praise God that is good!

Jerry

Pastor John,

When I read Matthew 5:18, it just stopped me. I don’t even understand why it stopped me. I read it, and read the Blog, “Destroying the Law”, and read Matthew 5:18 again. For a moment, I could not even form clear thoughts. I had never really read what Jesus had said and it did something. I understand that the law was done away with and written on our hearts, so it was really even more confusing why I got so stuck. I understood “Destroying the Law” when I read it, yet something about reading Jesus saying that “until heaven and earth pass, not one jot or tittle, shall in no way pass,” did something to me.

When you answered that question this morning around the fire, it just fixed it. Whatever it was, it’s just settled. I feel like it just shook off. It wasn’t in words that I know of, because I can’t tell you what it was; I can just tell you it’s settled!

That’s pretty amazing!

Jerry asked me afterward more about what my question was, and in trying to explain it, I feel how wonderful it is that you and Jesus knew the question even more than I did, because what you said answered my question, whatever it really was, and brought relief.

Thankful for you.
Beth D.