Below is but a small measure of revelation that my father had received from the Lord. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father.
The Number 10
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
Ten generations of man lived on the earth before the flood came. Noah was the 10th generation. 10 plagues were poured out on Egypt in the time of the captivity and bondage of the Jews. But something very important happened after the 10th plague. The glory of God was made visible to both the Israelites and the Egyptians in the form of the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.
Dạy 10 of the 7th month is also the Holy Day known as the Day of Atonement. The final, spiritual Day of Atonement pictures the removal of Satan, the author of sin, just before the millennial reign of Jesus begins (Revelation 20:1-2). This corresponds to the removal of Haman and his 10 sons.
In other contexts, the number 10 speaks of trial and testing. The context we want to emphasize is illustrated by Revelation 2:8 and 10, where ten clearly speaks of a time of trial and tribulation.
8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
It is important to note that the above verses are addressed to the "angel of the church in Smyrna," where the word "angel" implies a leader, a pastor, an elder, or whoever is considered the dominant spiritual leader of a local church. But the message is also given to each believer in the local church. When we all stand at the judgment seat of Christ, no one can excuse his behavior on earth by saying that my pastor never told me that. What is the significance of the word "ten" in this context? We believe that the Lord, in His grace and mercy, gives a local church 10 years to decide and determine their destiny. After 10 years one possible destiny is for a local church to continue to go around the same mountain forever or to continue to dwell in the vast sea of religious mediocrity. That has been the end product of the vast majority of denominational churches, but it also applies to charismatic churches and house churches. The only other alternative is to walk with the Lord, to live and walk in the Spirit.
The Apostle Paul first visited the Church at Ephesus in 54 A.D. Ten years later, in 64 A.D, Paul wrote the Epistle to the Church at Ephesus. In Ephesians 1:17-18 Paul prayed,
17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
The first thing I want to emphasize is that Verse 18 does NOT speak of my calling or my inheritance. It speaks of His calling and His inheritance, which is far more important. That is the difference between a 'me-centered' Christianity and a 'God-centered' Christianity. What is His inheritance? It is the Bride of Christ, the overcomers, the remnant, the very elect, NOT the church.
Now if you have a brand new, top-of-the line Mercedes automobile sitting in your driveway, you would not pray and ask the Lord to give you a brand new, top-of-the-line Mercedes automobile. You do not pray to receive that which you already have! So although the saints at Ephesus had received all the counsel of God through Paul and an abundance of revelation concerning the Word of God, they had not yet received the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of the Lord God. It is one thing to know the written word of God; it is quite another thing to know the Author of the Word of God. Paul himself, after 30 years of ministry, prayed, "That I may know Him" (Philippians 3:10). But 32 years later, in 96 A.D., perhaps in the next generation, the Church at Ephesus had left their first love and was in danger of having their candlestick removed unless they repented (Revelation 2:4-5). That is proof enough that even Spirit-filled Christians need to repent! They did not lose their first love, so they did go to heaven after leaving this earth; but unless they repented they forfeited their opportunity to rule and reign with Christ for 1000 years.
I have always said that I have never seen a local church like the New Testament house church we were part of from 1968 through May of 1980. We never had a paid minister, never had anyone who had been through a seminary or bible school, had many good teachers from time to time, never had a church building, no written programs, never passed a collection plate, never used a podium, never knew who was going to start singing a song or when, and in general never knew who was going to say what or when. There were close to 100 adults in that local church. We had an abundant supply of gifts of the Spirit in operation and a good community spirit of helping one another in daily activities, but no one man was in charge of the various church operations. But it all started going downhill after 10 years. My wife and I saw the handwriting on the wall in 1978 and the Lord made it clear that we would have to leave that church or the ministry the Lord put us into could never be fulfilled. But we still had to wait on the timing of the Lord, which came on May 30, 1980. That church totally disintegrated in 1981.
This week marks the tenth anniversary of this church (Kingdom Lighthouse Church, a non-denominational church located in Providence, RI). For 10 years you have heard all of the wonderful teaching and preaching through Pastor Femi and his wife, Margaret. Pastor Femi, at some time in the near future, will not always be here in your midst for forty-some weeks a year. While he is here the enemy cannot gain any foothold. But what will happen when the Lord calls him to minister more widely? Do you think that you are more spiritual than those Christians at Ephesus who were taught by Paul? Therefore it is possible that you could face the same end as the church at Ephesus. Human nature has never changed and God is no respecter of persons.
Hebrews 3:13 admonishes us to "exhort one another daily while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Colossians 1:28 says that warning every man takes priority over teaching every man in all wisdom.
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