Lessons from Deuteronomy 14

Pastor John,

I was listening to an Old Testament cd tonight from your class*.  This is so good I had to share:

Lessons from Deuteronomy 14

“God has blessings for us that we can only obtain if we obey Him.  There are blessings that you want but you can’t have unless you honor God.  No matter how much any of us has missed God in the past, there is still a best that we can have if we obey God!  We can say to Jesus, from this point, I never have to do wrong again!  There is something out there that you want that you can have if we start now.  God, nobody but you!  Not my way, but your way!  It takes courage and the love of God.  That’s how you love people, you obey God!

There is healing, there is health, there is spiritual strength, there is understanding- it’s all just waiting out there for whoever will take the path to get to it!  And it won’t be denied anybody who takes that path!  Everybody who takes the path of obedience to God, diligent obedience to His commandments, gets those blessings!  And nobody can stop you because it’s God!  It’s God waiting there to take you in His arms and give you the best for the rest of your life, if you take that path!  It’s a simple path, you just obey God!  Put into practice the word of God that comes to you without respect of persons and without fear of people.  If you can overcome those who know what you like for breakfast, those who know your shoe size, you can overcome the world.  Jesus did!”

Whew, this is so good I can just feel it stirring in my soul!   I want that, Pastor John!  I want those blessings for us!

Mmmmm, this is wonderful!

Thank you, Pastor John!

Michelle

* https://www.goingtojesus.com/gtj_otcourse-1010.html

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Wonderful Feelings

Hey Pastor John,

I had to tell you about all these wonderful things I have been feeling.

First, Jesus has been giving me some sweet testimonies, helping me find things, sending me things I need and letting me know he’s here taking care of me!  The encouragement that Jesus has let me feel, it is overwhelming. Between what he has been doing for me and listening to the OT cd’s* and hearing the wonderful testimonies from Tim and Bess, Sandy, Jimmy…I feel like I am overflowing!  There’s been so much! The other day I was taking a shower and I was talking to Jesus and had the thought, if you stop looking at your circumstances you’ll start seeing Jesus!  I know this is true!  This is my gold nugget in my pocket!

Then, last night we watched this documentary on Israel.  It was very interesting.  There were scenes right after the holocaust when they opened the prison doors and told the Jewish people they were free.  The people were just wandering around, not knowing what to do or where to go.  They no longer had homes and most had no idea if their families were even alive.  As it went on it showed the history of the Jewish people until they were given their land in Palestine. Those people really went through some horrible things and still are.  But as I was watching I kept thinking about Jesus and what the people were screaming in Matthew 27:25 “And all the people answered and said, ‘His blood be on us and on our children!'”  It was sad and heartbreaking, but to know it was God really did something to me.  I could feel the fear of God in my heart, but also faith rose up – faith in God’s curses and his blessings.  Everything that God has said was going to happen has happened.  He is in charge of it all.  I could see God’s hand in every bit of it, whether it was a “good” thing for the Jewish people or a “bad” thing, it was all God!  Just taking all that in last night I went to bed feeling like Jesus had touched my heart with a little more faith and with that faith came rest.  That sweet rest from Jesus.  It felt good.

All day I’ve felt like my cup is running over!  I want to hold on to these wonderful feelings.

Michelle

* https://www.goingtojesus.com/gtj_otcourse-1010.html

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Iron Kingdom, Chapter 1

Pastor John,

I finished reading the Iron Kingdom chapter 1.  I love it!  It gets better every time I read it!

I was one of the people who thought I would have a hard time reading and understanding it.  There are many parts quoting the theologians that do go over my head, but what I love the most is what I feel when I read it.  When I’m reading I can feel the confusion and frustration, especially the section “The Swamp”.  But I love that you always circle back to the truth, and with it you can feel the relief.  I pray that there is a child of God out there that reads this and feels the relief that only the truth brings. 

So many times while reading, I had to stop and thank Jesus for what we have been given, to understand the abomination that Christianity really is.  We have so many testimonies among us of hearing that still small voice and feeling afraid, thinking we were crazy or questioning what we were hearing because it goes against what is taught as the norm in this world.  What relief to know that we are hearing from our Father!  

I love this: “The Faith of Christ changes men; men do not change it.  Nor can it ever perish, for it is in the spirit, which is life itself! Amen!  Spirit is life!”

Thank you, Pastor John, for teaching us, encouraging us and loving the truth!  What you pass on to us is so valuable, it is our life!

Michelle

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Iron Kingdom, Chapter 1

I just read the Iron Kingdom forward, and I can’t tell you how much I loved it!  I love how you begin by simply stating your beliefs, and also stating simply that Jesus has filled you with his spirit and taught you, and you are his servant.  I imagine most believers who read the first paragraph will say “Amen”.

Then, there is the second paragraph that is equally wonderful, but I imagine it will only be by the grace of God that your reader will make it past the first sentence of this paragraph you wrote:

I also believe that the religious system known as Christianity is an abomination to both God and Jesus. I believe that, to date, Christianity is Satan’s crowning achievement, that by it, he has successfully divided and confused the body of Christ, and that he reigns over the flock of God through Christian ministers, though they do not realize it. And I believe that in order for God’s people to attain to the unity and purity that Jesus prayed they would enjoy, they must come out of Christianity. 

The second paragraph is written in faithfulness to the revelation given to you, and faithfulness to the One who filled you with his spirit and taught you!  I love it so much!  My prayer is that reading that will echo what the spirit is already saying to sincere children of God, and reading this book will give them the courage they need to come out of her! I pray that some sincere child of God will read the second paragraph and say, “Amen!”  Oh Jesus!  Let it be so!

I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this chapter!

Good night,

Lee Ann

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Iron Kingdom Reading

Reading more of the first chapter of your Iron Kingdom book is giving me a clearer understanding of at least one reason Christianity began.  Since its inception, Christianity has been a hiding place for any backslidden saint who didn’t want to obey the will of God.  Who chose to live in sin.  Simply put, Christianity is a hiding place for sin!  It doesn’t matter your lifestyle, Christianity welcomes you with open arms!  Think about some of Christianity’s most seductive little catch-phrases, all designed to justify the sinner:

Come join the church of your choice
You gotta love everybody unconditionally
Once saved; always saved
Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven
The blood of Christ covers a multitude of sins
Take it on faith; Don’t go by your feelings
It’s by grace that we are saved, not by works
Stand on the word
God loves everyone
Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior
Bloom where you’re planted
The Bible is the Word of God
John 3:16 (For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life)

I looked up Christian slogans and found a few that are not as common, but were notable:

The church is the safest place on earth
Keep quiet and let it be handled by a Christian
Live today as a Christian, or burn tomorrow in hell
Follow Christianity to cleanse your sins
To be like Christ is to be a Christian
Christianity is the only true religion 

In all my search of Christian sayings or slogans, I can tell you what I didn’t find:

“You must be born again with the evidence of speaking in other tongues”. 

Amen!  I love the simplicity of the truth!  I love that our hiding place is in the shadow of his wings!  I want to stay hidden in Him!

Lee Ann

       

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Good Thoughts

Pastor John,

These are some of the good thoughts that have been rolling through my heart lately. They aren’t in any particular order but as they came up, I wrote them down. I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing about your work on The Iron Kingdom as well as listening to The Law series. The music and testimonies have been beautiful to my heart, too. All the feelings and thoughts just filled me up with thankfulness.

Love, Bess

-there is a right way to treat each person who is in our lives

-God is a God of relationships

-Jesus shows us through the Spirit how to live as the head and not the tail

-I love living under the authority of Jesus and PJ

-I love how all the things PJ taught us by way of the Spirit are meant to enable us to keep the standard of holiness and to live in the liberty Jesus purchased for us

– I love how this little body values each other and the testimonies and blessings from Jesus as he knits our hearts together. We need each other

-I love the thankfulness I feel towards PJ for being willing to dig in with Jesus so that we can learn God’s heart

-it is amazing how The Iron Kingdom information PJ has been putting together goes hand in hand with The Law Series.  Through slander, the false prophets controlled what God’s OT people believed, just like Xty got control over believers through slander

-I love The Law and how Jesus has put it on the inside of us now.  We have learned that Xty puts no value on learning The Law, therefore they cannot value the Holy Ghost

-the false prophets always downplayed the significance of The Law, and God’s faithful prophets always pleaded with God’s people to realize their need for it before it was too late. It’s the same today with Xty devaluing the hG and God’s faithful men telling His children to love it b/c it is life, their resting place and refuge.

-tongues are the sign of where the holy Ghost is. God’s people don’t know this

-God’s people are ashamed of the Holy Ghost b/c of slander, but we have been blessed to love it and value it and stay hidden in it. It saves us from our own opinions and our own carnal nature.

-the faithful who declared the goodness of The Law to those who did not value it put their lives at risk. That is like the Iron Kingdom.

-I love what we are learning as a body about the Iron Kingdom – to have an understanding that Xty never was from God and it’s full of men’s opinions – it is that straw man that God gave PJ a vision of as a young man

-the Spirit brings God’s Law into our heart by the power of the Holy Ghost

-Jesus has allowed us to understand and love that there is only one way to worship him – by the Spirit – and any other way is wrong and unacceptable

-it is worth everything to have found my place and to live in it and love it

-we are happy because Jesus filled us with his holy Spirit and his wisdom

==========

Amen, Bess!  Thank you.

jdc

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Warnings

Good morning. 

The past few days, I have been pulling up YouTube and these Tsunami videos have been coming up.  Being the weather person that I am, I started watching a few of them.  The ones that kept coming up were of the tsunami in March 2011 in Japan. It was overwhelming the amount of destruction and damage caused by it.  It was a nightmarish experience I’m sure.

All throughout the videos, you can hear the warnings.  They are in Japanese, but the words are written across the screen, and the alarms, the man talking, over and over again.

As I watched, I noticed time and time again, people not heeding the warnings.  Curious to take a look or not thinking much about it, “we’ve had these before” attitude.  Some people went down to the water and others carried on like business as usual (you could see cars going back and forth and crossing the bridges).  The videos show people running at the last minute, or trying to drive away, and even being pulled out putting others in danger.  They had no idea their lives were going to change that instant. That night some of the survivors were standing on rooftops with the only light being the fire on the water.

This morning when I woke up, I just kept hearing over and over: “heed the warnings.”  The Spirit is talking all the time.  It made me pray to be in tune with what the Spirit is doing and to stay ready for whatever the Spirit says for us to do, and pay attention to where it comes from.

Pretty sobering thoughts.  I feel like I’ve been “waiting” in my spirit lately.  It really is true that things are going to change. Lord help us be ready when it comes.

Glad to be feeling better.  And hope to see you soon.

Amy B.

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Do I Have the Spirit?

Pastor John,

I have had this question for many years.

I speak in other tongues but never experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

A brother prayed for me one time for the baptism in the Holy spirit and asked me to start speaking out by faith in tongues. I didn’t feel anything or notice any change but I could speak in tongues. I can still speak in tongues 20 years later.

Is this experience right ?

Shouldn’t I know if I have been baptized in the Holy Spirit?

Thank you,

God bless you,

Daniel

=============

Hi Daniel.

Yes, you should know that you have received Jesus’ baptism, but God does things His own way, and so, we can only say what we think or how we feel about such matters.  We here do not believe in teaching people to speak in tongues or in telling people when to speak in tongues.  Also, I have made it my practice never to tell people whether or not they have received the Spirit.  That is the Spirit’s job.

It does, however, sound to me as if you did receive the baptism of the Spirit, but that is all I can say about it.  If it means anything to you, you are by no means the only person who has experienced what you are experiencing.  My advice to you and to them is that to continue to seek the Lord about this, and I will pray with you that Jesus will make things clear and certain.

God bless you, and let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.

Pastor John

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Peace

Pastor John,

Do you remember a few years back when Jerry told a testimony about me needing a finishing point with God, the feeling of being saved?  At one point Jerry said, “What are you trying to do?  Sneak in with something in your back pocket?  Are you an ax murderer and I don’t know it?”

I hope you remember because the sweetest thing has happened.

For days now I have been overwhelmed with peace, a peace about everything.  I have been listening to you singing “A Deep Settled Peace” over and over.  As I listened to it, I thought, Jesus, the truth in songs is so much better when you experience it. Sometimes you can sing it and know it’s true, but not experience that truth yet, and it’s so much sweeter to sing and feel it when you do!  I was telling Jesus that I would like to tell about this peace, but I know as soon as I do, I will probably fall apart or something.  I said out loud to Jesus, “But it’s in there Lord!  There isn’t any talking it away when it’s in there!”

Then Jesus brought to mind that testimony Jerry gave, and my feelings about needing to feel saved.  That has always been there since I found out the truth.  Something in me needed to feel the security of being saved.  I have had a fear that if I could mess it up with Jesus, I would! 

Well, when Jesus brought that testimony and fear to mind, it was instantly followed with what he just let me experience with Jerry’s mom.  I will try to explain.  I didn’t know Jesus was coming that day.  Jerry’s mom did not know Jesus was coming.  Jesus came in that back door so fast that we didn’t have time to pray, or think, or do.  His mom’s heart met all Jesus’s requirements in that moment, and our faithful Jesus came in like a mighty rushing wind and saved her.  Not in the way the world says “saved”, but really came and rescued a dying woman. 

I had Jesus in such a box, but I couldn’t even see that until he came in and worked outside of that box.  I saw it with my own eyes.  I would have told her to do all these things, but none of it was what Jesus required of her.  Jesus did not need me to help him save her, and Jesus does not need me to help him save me!

There is such a peace in that!  I feel like Jesus let me see him work so he could add that peace to me.  I am still in awe at what I experienced that day.  And deep inside, I know I still have him in a box BUT I know I do, and that brings me such faith! Knowing it gives me such faith!  I absolutely know Jesus works outside of my box; I saw him with my own eyes! 

I feel like I started out with Jesus blindly and wildly groping for him in the dark, terrified I wouldn’t be able to grab onto him, and over these years, with experience after experience, the wild groping has stopped and a calm listening for his voice has begun.  I would almost say I feel a sweet, finger-snapping stroll at the moment … but I’m not that brave yet! 

But isn’t that wonderful, PJ!  Jesus is always working for all of us!  What a faithful and true friend we have!  I sure hope you remember that other testimony so you can share this sweetness with me. 

Beth D.

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Simple Truths

Thanks John for your labor explaining Christianity’s mess. The simple truths we were taught has saved us over and over again. Thank God for His mercy on us! Christianity’s straw man will fall.

Love You,
Earl

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