Good morning Pastor John,

I have been listening to the fireside chats and it makes me smile.  Hearing the sweet testimonies of wanting and seeking and getting the holy ghost are better than anything this world has to offer.  I have had quite a few nights of waking at 2 or 3 a.m. and having quiet talks with Jesus.  One of our most recent late‑night talks was about how completely different he has made me.  I lay in my bed quietly listing off the things that he has changed and how amazed I am that he did that.  I had to wipe the tears away as I told him that he really did make me a new creature. 

So, as I listen to the other hearts Jesus has created tell about His Goodness, all I can do is smile and love every story of God that I hear.  We really are changed.  I look forward to watching and hearing the story God writes for Hannah. 

Beth D.

I

From Lee Ann:
I don’t think I have told you, but your “Jerusalem Council” book is a masterpiece. (Going to Jesus.com – The Jeruslaem Council) I have been reading it for the past week and a half and I just shake my head and have said it out loud, “This is a masterpiece”.  It definitely takes someone who knows Paul and understands what he was up against to write this, but it’s so much more than that. So many layers of truth. It’s so well done.  It’s been hard to whittle it down for the girls because I don’t want to leave anything off.

I’m finishing it up now.  Makes me appreciate the time and tremendous effort you put into writing these books.  But they have been a tremendous blessing, so it evens out!  I believe Paul would enjoy the Jerusalem Council himself!  (Wouldn’t that be neat to get feedback on your dialogue from Paul:). 

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From Amy B:

This is beautiful from LeeAnn. Reminds me of this I read going through my meeting notes last night. It’s from May 2025: John told experience of being in bed (at our house) and the Spirit started speaking to us all (the body of Christ here). John told us his testimony about being in college and reading Socrates and how he got to know him. Point: “I want you to know Paul, from Jesus to you. Do you know Paul? Do you know Jesus? Do you know the man?” Sounds like you got it across  and I agree with Leeann, I think Paul would enjoy reading his testimony, and yours!

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From Zoli:

This reminded me of a conversation Jamie and I had had the other day while reading the Father and Son book, (God Had a Son Before May Did) (https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_books.html?tname=fands)

 more specifically in chapter 6 about the wheat and the tares, the whole topic of who Satan is, what God’s people before the revelation of the Son must have thought about him, God’s “terrifying patience”, etc. During our reading I had to stop and tell Jamie: I don’t think you will find this understanding anywhere in xty or anywhere else! Even though, if you read what the Bible actually says (and what it doesn’t say), it makes perfect sense, and there is nothing wrong with it. 

Often times, I stop and marvel at the grace God has shown me in this obscure place, in the tiny country of Hungary, somewhere in Central-Europe, by allowing me not only to receive the most precious gift ever given (the holy Ghost), but also allowing me to hear the truth, to believe it and to love it. I hope and pray that I really do appreciate what God has done for me and us as much as it it deserves to be appreciated. The only right and acceptable way to show our gratitude for it is by letting go of anything and everything we might still be holding on to, trusting Jesus with our whole lives, and loving the Father with everything we have. Amen.

From Wendell:

I feel that “God Had a Son Before Mary Did” can communicate to anyone with an open mind with its simplicity.  It is one of your best works.

From Hope M:

Aww that is so sweet and true! Aunt Lee Ann and I went for a walk yesterday evening, and she was telling me the same thing! Thank you for all you have done with writing these books. I love getting to read them, and every time I do, I learn many things I never even imagined or could have even dreamed! It makes the whole Bible come to life! Thank you for all your hard work!

From Bess:

Lee Ann is so full of the Spirit. She writes her feelings out so beautifully, and God has blessed her with a special place in this body with her work with the girls and an encourager to us all.  

I am thankful, John, for your labor of love for the work Jesus has laid in your heart and for the heart of love Jesus has put in you for us who are in your care.

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From Billy M:

That would be neat hearing Paul’s feedback. The labor of love from God to you to us in writing these books can simply overtake you.  There is a topic covered for any situation, and they are full of sound doctrine for anyone who has a desire to learn truth.

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From Tom:

Lee Ann’s comments make me want to read “The Jerusalem Council” book again. I feel the same way about the Father and Son book. I just finished reading it for the second time. I wish I could express how much I appreciate that book. It defines who we are and what we have become. 

I consider it a gift from Jesus. 

Thank you for all the work you have put into these books. Jesus has given us through you, “his best!”

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From Jimmy T:

That’s WONDERFUL!  Your books are more helpful than the Bible, the way Jesus has put them together through you for his people!  My second time going through “God Had a Son before Mary Did” had my heart doing flips inside. 

Pastor John,

Tonight’s message that we are to —bring our best—be our best—do our best— unto the Lord was good. It felt like a different way of looking at things and explaining them, too.

There is a “Pearl” that went out a couple of years ago that says something like, “God never said for you to do your best.” That doesn’t contradict tonight’s message at all. That old Pearl means… don’t try to please God by being the best YOU when Jesus paid the price for you to be a HOLY reflection of HIM. 

We can “do” our best at anything that we do, and the effort mean nothing more than that we are too self-willed or too proud to appear less than excellent.  But for us to “be” our best before the Lord, for that, we have to submit to the Lord’s purging and willfully purge ourselves (as Brother Jimmy once said) of whatever isn’t Jesus.  The nature of God that remains after that will only do its best in everything, because everything it does is unto the Lord.  In that condition, we can be a flop, sound terrible, present terribly, whatever, and still be perfect. 

It just felt like a different, right way of looking at things tonight.  

Jerry

I have enjoyed my day today, working and organizing things.  As I was going through some of my files, I found this you wrote to us.  I thought it was worth passing on.  It’s from May, 2007.

Amy B

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What must I do in order to be more acceptable to God?

In order to remain acceptable to God and grow in acceptance with Him, you must protect the feelings He has given you; they are precious.  You protect them by using them, by holding them dear, by not neglecting them, and by not allowing them to become subject to any religious ceremonial form.  In the kingdom of God, life is always a matter of the heart.

Staying alive in spirit is acceptable to God; staying clean in heart is acceptable to God; staying filled with the holy Ghost is acceptable to God.  And we become more acceptable to God by becoming more in tune with what the Spirit is doing in us and on the earth, for walking in the Spirit is the only thing that makes us cleaner and more perfect in Christ.

Just keep living! Don’t die! Don’t let your holy feelings be overshadowed and overwhelmed by any form – including Christian ceremonies, but not just that.  Live!  Live unto God, and refuse to die.  Be aggressive with God’s goodness; go for the gold! If you realize the preciousness of the holy feelings you have from Christ, then let them live!  Nurture them; give them expression.  Bring them out of the closet and let them live in the sun and be seen!  Remember what Jesus said, “You are the light of the world; a city on a hill cannot be hid; and people do not light a candle and then place it under a bushel basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  Let your light shine like that before men, so they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Give place to the feelings and thoughts of God in your words and in your deeds; let them breathe!  If you do, they will grow within you; and if they will grow within you, you will become more acceptable to God.

Pastor John

5/15/07

Dear Pastor John,

I’m enjoying listening to your Hebrews teaching, (https://www.goingtojesus.com/gtj_translation.html?tname=hebrews) and you just said something in it that we were talking about one morning: Scripture doesn’t change.  The words on the page have been the same for thousands of years, but our knowledge of what those words mean increases IF we, the reader, are growing in Christ.  A whisper came to me saying, “The Scripture doesn’t change; you do.”

~Allison

Hi Pastor John,

I wanted to reach out and share an experience I had with Jesus earlier this week.

Tuesday after my first PT session, Margo brought me home, and I started doing my homework aka stretches.  While doing my stretches, our YouTube was playing a mix of music, US getting the Holy Ghost, sermons, so on and so forth.  Soon after finishing my stretches lying down, I stayed lying there. One of Aunt Donna’s songs came on “It’s Just Like You”.  And I just got real still and let her song take over.  Jesus spoke to me and told me to slow down and rest.  Just slow down and rest.  I knew at that moment life had been fast-pace and constantly busy with something.  I knew then and there my injury wasn’t just by accident.  It was Jesus showing me that slowing down needs to happen more often.  In order for me to connect with Him, I need to slow down and rest.  Yes, life happens, and you can start moving faster than normal.  But are you going to slow down and hear Me talking to you.  That’s what I felt, and in that moment, I knew He meant it in all things as well.  Not just a back injury.

Goodbye for now,
Alex 

Hey there! Jesus and I had a sweet time this morning and I wanted to share.

When I got up this morning I wanted to get started on my weekend household things. Most of the time that’s just basic cleaning and getting things ready for the work week. Today I felt like I needed to go a little deeper. I thought well I haven’t pulled out the stove and fridge in a while so let’s do that too. While I was pulling out the stove I was thinking about someone who is no longer with us. I had visited their home and there was food stuck to the counters and they were very unprepared for our lunch date. I was telling Jesus while thinking on this that I want to have a kept up home. Within reason because we have kids. But I want to take pride in what Jesus has given us. For us to have a loving and peaceful home. Where when people come they feel Jesus. That my heart and home are always prepared and in order. I managed to get the stove pulled out and cleaned under. I went on to the refrigerator. When I pulled it out I realized one of the kids had spilled lemonade and it went under. It had obviously been there a while. It was pretty yucky and I had no idea. I then started hearing questions. “What would have happened if that would have sat for years?” I said, “It would get moldy and nasty. It could attract ants and be a much harder job.” The next thought came that is what happens in our hearts when we just let things go unchecked and not taken care of. From the outside by all appearances it looked clean but underneath it was a mess. No one even knew it was there but I felt so embarrassed this was even in my house to clean up. Then I had these images in my mind of Jesus pulling out all of the furniture of our hearts. Getting in every crevice, scrubbing, and cleaning. He doesn’t do surface cleans. He gets in those inner most chambers and does the dirty work. And when he is done, it’s our job to then maintain that. Don’t let it get back in that same condition. It made me pray for me to not just appear holy from the outside. For Jesus to keep digging deep and cleaning out. To respond to the Spirit when something needs taken care of.

I am so thankful for those little simple experiences while just going about the day. I really love when Jesus decides to stop by. It makes me think of when he walked with the disciples. How he used such simple every day examples on how to live. And it definitely made cleaning a little more enjoyable.

Love you!
Margo

Hi Pastor John,

     The morning reading of Paul’s letters have been full of so many wonderful feelings and understanding from Jesus.

     When Jesus gives us the Spirit, he is writing the law of liberty on our hearts.  God is jealous over His children and He loves us too much to share our hearts with anything on this earth that is going to pass away. 

     Paul didn’t know what he was doing was going to be so meaningful for God’s family for centuries to come; he was wholeheartedly obeying God, trusting no man and especially not himself!  He went through all the persecutions that Jesus said he would go through.  He preserved, obeying God’s will to carry the gospel of Christ, even when he discerned that each congregation and some of his beloved brothers were slowly falling away to false doctrines and opinions.  What disappointment he had to overcome and what hurt he felt for Jesus, but look at how much God blessed him through it all!  What heavenly treasures Paul has to look forward to, and I want to see him enjoying them!  If we have the law of liberty written on our heart, He always wanted us!  If your heart was put here; believe 100% that God wanted you here with us and we have a purpose together, even when — like in Paul’s time — our purpose is not yet fully revealed. 

   Reading the Revelation book (https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_books.html?tname=revelation) has made me realize there is no fence.  What clarity Jesus brings with that reality!  There is a godly way to think, to live, and to work towards fellowship together in and through Christ.  You’re overcoming the world, including your flesh and the powers on this earth that will be destroyed in the end, to live in the hope of eternal salvation.  We will always be His, eternally, and God never wanted eternal damnation for us.  There’s plenty of space for all of us on the new earth.  No matter what God used on this earth to get us here and there — things that have earthly form, like Christianity, specific biological families, etc. — we can be thankful for whatever means He used because it all belongs to Him and lovingly brought us to Him.  When overcoming the world, we are free to die daily in our hearts to all of its forms and laws (including the ones He used to get us to where we are today) so we can truly live wholeheartedly in God’s law of liberty for us. 

     I’m so thankful He chose us!  It is the eternal blessing.  Let us make God happy that He chose us! 

Wendy

Good evening, John,

I have loved reading these letters from Paul in the mornings!  In them, we are learning more about who we are!  Who Jesus created us to be!  Ephesians was packed with so much richness this morning, and there was not one wasted word in the whole letter!  I could feel Paul exhorting us to move into a place with Jesus where we could experience the “breadth and length and depth and height” of His love.  I told Ben yesterday that Jesus has blessings he wants to give us, but we have to at least make ourselves available to receive them!  If we are running here and there, constantly consumed with the cares of this life, then we are going to miss out on something precious that Jesus has waiting for us, and I have told Jesus that I don’t want to leave anything He has for me on the table! 

I loved Tom’s song from yesterday, “I Want My Lord to Be Satisfied With Me”.  That last verse has been my prayer:

Lord give me strength, give me courage, make me bold,
     that I may lead some lost sheep into the fold,
     that I might stand unafraid and work for thee,
     that you might be fully satisfied with me.

But Jesus has been teaching me through Paul’s writings that the boldness I am seeking is not something that He will sprinkle on me like fairy dust.  I am learning that the key to having the kind of boldness that I desire is to simply fall in love with the Truth so much that the Truth becomes who I am.  As Damien says, “It’s in the man.”  So then, whatever I say or do is just right!  The boldness is in there.  It doesn’t have to be loud.  It doesn’t even need a voice.  It’s just who I am!  Just be who Jesus has created me to be, and that’s all the boldness I will ever need!  I believe it’s all part of growing in God.  Growing into that new creature He created me to be.  I love it.  If we stay available, God will teach us and we will continue to grow!  Thank you, Jesus!

Lee Ann

Hi Pastor John,

I loved this morning’s reading, so good!  I didn’t want to leave!

Reading about Paul and getting to know the man has stirred something in me.  It’s put a prayer in my heart for more of the love of God.  When we get full of the love of God, we’ll speak right, act right, and treat people right, no matter what that looks like.  It takes the worry out of life.  Paul could correct Peter because of the love of God.  Paul could withstand being in prison because of the love of God.  Paul could go where the spirit led him because of the love of God!  I love that!  That is liberty!

Michelle H.

www.pastorjohnshouse.com

www.goingtojesus.com

www.songsofrest.com