Hi all,
Thanks for those asking about my Atrial fibrillation – AFib – the doctor said to lose another 10-20 pounds to be sure my blood pressure is down to normal, and he will see me in February to discuss the nerve ablation, which is when they insert an electrical probe to the nerve in the heart that is firing continually, and with a shot of electricity, deaden that nerve so it doesn’t fire at all.
I’m praying, as I’m not sure I want to do that because I don’t seem to have symptoms of anything wrong. But at the same time I wonder if the AFib is like the ‘check engine’ light on the car – nothing major is wrong but it needs to be corrected at some point as it could lead to something more wrong down the road…thanks for praying for me. I will go with peace and whatever the Father says or leads, but that peace and direction often comes only after gathering all the information possible and THEN He speaks or directs. So I will lose weight and talk to them in February.
“Watch out when Hillary takes office”
I don’t like to keep going over this but I continue to receive many emails about what the Father told me so let me set the context. In the spring of that year He had told me of a plot to smuggle shoulder fired missiles/RPG into the US to shoot down aircraft and launch attacks, and He said “You need to pray.” So I did, asking the Father to have the plot discovered and stopped, and in August or September the discovery of the plot made the news (I’m just a small cell in the body of Christ so I’m sure many were praying).
As a result of that plot being uncovered I asked the Father in context of terrorist attacks on US soil, “How’s the country now?” and He replied, “Okay for now, but watch out when Hillary takes office.”
At the time she was a US Senator and a few years later, in 2009, she was named Secretary of State. So I consider that word fulfilled when she became Secretary of State in 2009, for we have seen an escalation in terror attacks in the US since then, almost on a monthly if not weekly basis it seems at times.
But the larger ‘watch out’ is broader than just terror attacks within the US, for the culture and economy of the US have declined faster than anyone thought possible in that same time frame He outlined. So I wonder if that was what He was talking about, or if the larger fulfillment will be her being elected and the negative in a much more intense and larger scale. We watch and pray.
Additionally
After I first shared that some 12 years ago, a friend told me that William Branham saw in 1933, before he got off-balance in his beliefs, a vision of a time in the US with driverless cars that were shaped similar to eggs, women cutting their hair, dressing like men and shedding their clothes, and well as a beautiful woman become President who rules with cruelty, followed by explosions all over the US. (Not to insult the nominee, but in 1933 a man seeing a vision of 83 years in the future of a glossy made up for TV woman President might be described by him as beautiful)
I don’t fear, but I watch and pray. My main focus is actually on the amazing things the Lord is doing all over the world, family to family, friend to friend, home to home – focus on Him and news related to what He is doing and you won’t have fear of world events.
You may also recall (I’ve shared this a few times) the Father told me; “The President and his policies will be more dangerous after he leaves office than when he was in (office).” Last week a friend sent me a link to the President’s interview with Historian Doris Kearns, in which he said he planned to start speaking out more like an activist than a president after he leaves office. Traditionally former presidents step aside and don’t comment, but the US and world should be ready for the first post-office activist president.
Translators needed
Our German and Finnish translators are overwhelmed and we need help! They have faithfully translated my Weekly Thoughts and e-newsletters for years, but things have fallen on their shoulders alone and it is time to take some of that load – if you are interested in translating my Weekly Thoughts and e-newsletters into German or Finnish (or other language if interested and needed) please contact Wil Kleinmeulman at cwowi@solcon.nl for information. Thanks!
30th anniversary of the Lord appearing to me October, 1, 1986
That 10/1/86 teaching visitation was the 2nd time I had seen Him, the first being in April of that year, but the first of many teaching visitations – and this one impacted my life more than any other. He opened by saying “I want to teach you how to hear the Father’s voice”, and then taught for a total of about 50 minutes. I’ve shared the core points in a DVD recorded at TV7 in Finland, and also several CD/MP3 series, and we’re offering those series at a discount this month in addition to the new series, “The Friendship Crisis; When Christian Friends Act Like Unbelievers”. I’d also suggest reading my first book, Pursuing the Seasons of God (available as an e-book too), which details many of the early visitations from 1986-1992.
Facebook Live
I’m going to start doing live Facebook mini-teachings, just a few minutes in length each – if you happen to be on FB while I am you can listen and watch live, and if not they will be posted to be watched when you sign on. I don’t have a regular schedule, but they will be things on my heart, food for thought, short teachings and things to think about – so watch for those in the coming weeks.
House church; Not something you ‘do’, something you live
As I scan the world for what works and what doesn’t work in house church, the key of course is the relationships not the house – meeting in homes is the natural outgrowth of those relationships. As we get to know someone it is natural to invite them into our home, share a meal, and from there having a time of prayer, worship, thoughts on something the Lord has shown or taught us, is natural.
We continue to see rotating who leads each week, and rotating homes as it is practical works best – across borders, across cultures – this seems to be what they did in Acts – going “house to house” as it says. Even if you meet in the same home most of the time, rotate who leads each week.
In the New Testament we see ‘main homes’ with key leaders mentioned by Paul in his letters – Gaius Justus in Corinth, Lydia in Philippi, Philemon in Colossae, and Aquila and Priscilla seemed to have opened their home no matter where they lived, for they are mentioned as hosting in Rome as well as Ephesus, Nymphas in Laodecia, Jason in Thessalonica, and so on.
For many, the fact the letters of the New Testament were written to specific individuals and the members of the body of Christ that met in homes, is a revelation. Many never connect the names in Acts with our titles of the letters, missing the fact that Paul was writing letters to real people in real homes. This means if you’ve tried to understand the New Testament (even the gospels) through the auditorium setting you have understood it all wrong – the instructions written to them were in the context of relationship based faith as they met in homes. The 5-fold, the gifts of the Spirit, giving and receiving – all in context as written, were to be practiced in homes within close relationships in Christ. And this is what God is doing all over the world!
The investment of ourselves in relationships
One of the most frustrating aspects of house church I hear is the contrast between those willing to invest themselves in others by getting to know them, versus those who come to house church to be fed like a baby bird. Often they are people in search of a home, of safety as they define it – meaning they can sit and do absolutely nothing other than ‘receive’.
There is space for that in house church, but what happens is that person will at some point just a few weeks later, open up and begin sharing like everyone else (if they will stick with it and return).
That said, taking the step to get to know new people is huge. That is why most growth in house church in scripture and today, is through friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers. Relatively rare is the stranger who comes to house church knowing no one there, and stays.
Invest in each other by sharing meals together, lunch hours, outdoor events, social events, prayer, worship, study of the Word – share life! This world will pass away, but people are forever. Look at the big picture that you and I and those we lay down our lives for in Christ, will still know each other 1,000 years from now. You can get over the bumps that naturally occur in relationships if you look at the big picture.
Thank you!
Paul said of those who contributed to his ministry in II Corinthians 8:4, they gave for the “privilege of sharing in this ministry to the Lord’s people.” It is a privilege to give so as to share in ministry to the Lord’s people.
As in Paul’s day, not everyone has this in their hearts, even many who have been with us and CWOWI for years never or rarely give – so we are very thankful for those who do remember us in their giving. Not that we want it solely for us, but that giving and receiving is part of a mature and balanced Christian life which is our call in life, to mature people in Christ. And when we see people walking in this grace of giving, it means we have had an impact in their growth in Christ which causes us to give thanks to the Father.
Thank you so much! Love and blessings upon you and yours,
John & Barb
