Restoration

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.

Restoration 

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

In our two previous messages we shared some thoughts about the need for restoration within the church, which consists of all born-again believers. Before continuing let us consider three of the major hindrances to maturity or to the unity of the faith within the body of Christ. This is NOT to say that there are ONLY three hindrances to maturity in Christ. Far from it! But the following are three of the largest. They have both an individual and a corporate application, particularly in the charismatic/Spirit-filled community today. These three hindrances are very much inter-related.

First, man, even Christian man, is FOREVER trying to pull down that which is spiritual and holy to the natural level. Why? So that man can try to understand the ways of the Lord and the mystery of God with his own natural, carnal mind. Let us repeat and emphasize that. Man, even Christian man, is FOREVER trying to pull down that which is spiritual and holy to the natural level. Why? So that man can try to understand the ways of the Lord and the mystery of God with his own natural, carnal mind. The book of 1 Corinthians is a letter of correction to the Church at Corinth. Paul tells them that they are carnal, babes in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1). Paul also says,

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14 

Evangelicals, as a generality, emphasize a literal interpretation of the Bible. But there are hundreds and hundreds of verses in the Bible that cannot (or at least should not) be interpreted in the natural realm. For example here are a few. There are many more. 

• A cup that is not a cup. 
• A crown that is not a crown. 
• A sea which is not a sea. 
• A woman who is not a woman. 
• A smoking furnace that is not a smoking furnace. 
• A burning lamp that is not a burning lamp. 
• Seven stars which are not stars. 
• Babylon that is not a geographical area called Babylon. 
• Armageddon that is not a geographical area in the Middle East. 
• The Morning Star which is not a star. 
• A Lamb who is not a lamb. 
• A lion that is not a lion. 
• A woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, on her head a garland of 12 stars, which is neither woman, garland, sun, moon, nor stars. 
• Jerusalem which is not the city of Jerusalem in the Middle East. 
• Zion which is not Mt. Zion. 
• A wilderness of barrenness which is a place of sustenance. 
• A loaf of bread that is not a loaf of bread. 

A second hindrance ... Church groups make the same mistake as individuals. Christian man is forever searching the scripture to find the pattern for this and the pattern for that ... how to do this ... how to do that ... and then crystalizing their doctrine into a hard and fast set of rules and dogma, all set into concrete and then written down in pen and ink for all to see. Sounds like Judaism or legalism. I remember a time many years ago in an "elders" meeting when one man brought a suggestion from another charismatic church. The suggestion was that every charismatic church in Northern Virginia should write down all of their basic Christian beliefs (doctrine) and compile them into one consolidated pamphlet. That way when a new believer came into the Northern Virginia area he/she could read the pamphlet containing the different beliefs of all of the various churches and then choose the church which he/she would be most comfortable attending. Well if such things are appropriate then we no longer need the Holy Spirit.

Many years ago a good brother with a lot of maturity wrote a book titled, "The Pattern." In that book he described the pattern for church government, which includes apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, elders, deacons and their function and operation within the Church. That is well and good except there is no such thing as a static pattern for Church government. It must be dynamic where the government of God forever moves away from man to the Lord's shoulder (Isaiah 9:6). The only pattern is the Lord Himself.

The third hindrance among the members of body of Christ lies in the area of human communication. The most difficult aspect in charismatic/Spirit-filled circles today is communication. Communication requires both a transmitter and a receiver. Even if the transmitter is perfect (the Holy Spirit), without a receiver tuned to the same frequency, no communication is possible. Lord, give us ears to hear! The church cannot thrive or survive on yesterday's manna. This area is much more difficult than communication between those who do not know the Lord. Why? because those who do not know the Lord have no access to things of the Spirit. Therefore they have far fewer areas to argue about. This is a day when every (Christian) man does that which is right in his own sight. The same written and/or spoken word is interpreted in many different ways by different believers, because of the first two hindrances. We like to hear only that which agrees with our own understanding of this walk. Now we need to make absolutely clear what the Word of God says about restoration. Let us first consider the word revival, which means to recover or repair.

Most believers want revival, but don't know what it is or how to get it. We know of some good brothers who have been praying for revival for many years. The most recent known revivals are fifty years old. Does that mean the age of revivals has come to an end? We will try to answer that question later.

In their book, "The Ten Greatest Revivals Ever," by Elmer Towns and Douglas Porter, January 2000, the authors list, in order, what they consider to be the ten greatest revivals in the history of mankind. Their book is primarily an historical account of what happened during those ten revivals. Their order of importance is:

1. The 1904 Revival, Beginning in Wales with Evan Roberts, along with Azusa Street
10. Pentecost 30 A.D. Peter, Paul

Here I must disagree. Although every revival brought forth by the LORD is important, I would put the day of Pentecost as the first and most important of all revivals. That was the birth of the Church.

The authors define revival as "God pouring Himself out on His people". They say that usually revival breaks out at the same time in many places around the world, not just in one place; so each of the "greatest revivals" are not just isolated events.

We might interject here that what happened in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost was definitely an isolated event.

We quote from their book ...

"When you pray for revival, you're asking God for life-shaking experiences that will cost you plenty. It's agonizing because in revival you become terrorized over your sin and you repent deeply. It's consuming because in revival you have no time for hobbies ... for chores around the house ... for work ... for sleep.

Revivals are not simply displays of emotions. These unusual expressions are not what revival is about. The whole purpose of a revival is for God to revive our hearts. Some see revival as an end in itself, rather than an opportunity to know God Himself. The most important thing about a revival is knowing God, not experiencing its manifestations. When that happens, revivals become inclusive and sectarian, sometimes even falling into the ranks of cultism. Don't seek the hand of God in miracles [and by that I assume they mean external manifestations], Seek the heart of God in intimacy.

The eternal quest of mankind is to know and experience God. Some want God to split open the heavens and descend to earth so they can see Him. Others want God to write His message in the sky or on a mountain so they can see it and know for sure what to do. Still others want to hear the actual voice of God yelling like thunder. Still others want God to "zap "em" so they'll quiver on the floor or jump like a kangaroo. Essentially, an evangelical revival is an extraordinary work of God in which Christians repent of their sins as they become intensely aware of His presence and His extraordinary works, and they manifest a positive response to God in renewed obedience to the known will of God, resulting in both a deepening of their individual and corporate experience with God and an increased concern to win others to Christ." (end quotes)

We perhaps should note that the authors of that book are no doubt Evangelicals. Perhaps in a later message we will share with you about the major beliefs and actions of Evangelicals.

What we are about to share in the next few minutes was sparked a number of months ago from a message by Leonard Ravenhill, a well-known 20th century evangelist.

Hosea 10:12 says: "Sow to yourself in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord till He come and reign righteousness upon you." 

What is fallow ground? Fallow ground is ground that has been fruitful, and then it has been plowed over, and no seed has been sown in it, and therefore it has become unproductive.

Note our responsibility here - we are to break up - you break up your fallow ground.

The word "revive" presupposes life. You can only revive what has once had vitality - life that has become sick, weak, or apathetic. It means to revitalize. It means to restore lost power or to recover lost energy. Has the Church ever had that power and energy? Yes! It is recorded in the Book of Acts.

In Acts 3:19 we read, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."

Revival is an act of grace and mercy by the sovereignty of God. There is a big difference between revival and evangelism. When we speak of revival in America we think of a church advertising, "Our revival will begin next Sunday night at a certain time and it is going to finish the next Sunday night at a certain time." Obviously this is something purely mechanical; it is something which men have engineered.

Revival cannot be organized, subsidized, computerized, rationalized, or advertised -evangelism can be all of those and usually it must be. Neither can a revival be predicted. You can't put your finger on the spot as to how or why or where it began. It is above all else an act of God.

It may cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to have one of our huge, modern, so-called revivals. You have to pay large sums of money for time on TV or to rent a huge auditorium. That's incredible and unthinkable in the context of Biblical revival, or even historical revival. That is why most folks who advertise "conferences" or "revivals" charge $100 or more to attend. Why doesn't revival need to be advertised? because fire is the most self-advertising thing that exists, whether it is a physical fire or a revival fire. Fire draws people like a magnet. There are periods in which one specific thing predominates. Sometimes revival is totally taken over by sorrow. Sometimes revival is totally taken over by joy or ecstasy until you don't know whether you are in the flesh or whether you've gone out of the earth. Sometimes revival is taken over by stillness. In one of the very few times that I have witnessed the presence of the Lord in an unusual and mighty way, it came through a spirit of weeping which permeated the entire room.

A man may go with a series of messages to one community and before long that community is vibrant and alive. He goes to another town and the same type of prayer is poured out, the same sweat and soul travail, and there is no response. Why? because you can't organize where the wind is coming from. Jesus said, in John 3:8, 

"The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." 

Also, revival usually comes through unknown people.

This nation, as well as the world, has never been in a greater sense of turmoil than it is today. There has never been revival that has not been preceded by agonizing prayer. You might say, "I am not yet to that stage of agonizing prayer. How does is come?" It comes through VISION. If we are really going to get a concept of revival we have to get a vision of God's sorrow over sin and the lack of maturity. We have to get a concept of how, day by day, we grieve the Lord.

Then we should ask, "How do we receive that vision?" Well the major function of a true prophet is not to prophesy but to enlarge the vision of the Church. Therefore we would do well in every local church to pray that the Lord will raise up a true prophet in our midst.

Now to somewhat sum up this brief overview of revivals, we should note that none of the scriptural and historical revivals have ever lasted for a lengthy period of time. I do not know for a certainty but I suspect that the longest lasting revival was what happened after the Day of Pentecost as recorded in the Book of Acts. We will mention two specific revivals in a later message and how and why they both quickly went downhill. But even the fading out glory of God is a wonder to behold. Although it is true that all genuine revivals have made profound changes in the lives of a few (which we call the remnant), no such impact has been made on the Church as a whole.

That is why these messages are not about revival, which has always been temporary and short-lived - but on restoration. Restoration, to me, seems to carry more of a sense of finality. Perhaps we could speak of numerous revivals but only one restoration. In any event, the Lord never allows a revival or restoration just so we can continue to do our own thing. That brings up a good question ... Who is in control?

This is a key question which must be answered by every believer, particularly those who have been placed into a leadership position in a local church. The answer to this question will determine our place in the kingdom of God. It is one thing to be led astray as an individual. It is quite another thing to lead many other believers astray. May the Lord be gracious and merciful as we seek His face.

In our next seven or eight messages we will continue sharing about restoration from the Lord's perspective ... a restoration back to what was in the heart and mind of God before the foundation of the world. Amen.

Restoration and Repentance

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.

Restoration and Repentance 

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

1/22

We are continuing our message on restoration in reality with some additional thoughts on repentance. It is profitable for us all to reread the rewards or results of repentance found in Deuteronomy 30. We quote only parts of that Chapter below. Please go back and read the entire Chapter.

1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee,

2 And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey His voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;

3 That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.

9 And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the Lord will rejoice over thee for good, as He rejoiced over thy fathers.

Deuteronomy 30:1-3, 9

Please notice the little word, "then," in Verse 3. Little words mean a lot in the Bible. In other words, the blessings, prosperity, etc., spoken of starting in Verse 3 are conditional upon the repentance in Verses 1 and 2. The same is true in the Book of Joel. Exactly in the middle of the Book of Joel (Joel 2:18) is the word "then." This is the only occurrence of the word "then" in Joel. What follows Joel 2:18 is deliverance, blessing, prosperity, etc. What precedes Joel 2:18 is repentance. Please also go back and read again all of Isaiah 58. Those 14 verses in Isaiah 58 contain the word "then" four times. Each time, it describes how the Lord will bless us IF we repent. We suspect that there have been a multitude of people who have said, "Lord if you will just do this for me, then I will ..." In general, those who make such a statement generally do not keep their vow. But AFTER we have accepted the saving grace of our Lord, there is no more place for that kind of statement or vow. At that point it is the Lord who says, "If you repent, then I will ..." Will what? Then the Lord will restore.

Now let us consider the second of the two most important actions on our part before the Lord restores the Church to that which was in the mind of God before the foundation of the world ... namely intercession.

A number of years ago I heard a good brother say, publicly, that he was not called to a ministry of intercession. What he should have said was that he had not yet recognized that call on his life. If you are a member of the body of Christ, you are automatically called to intercession because you are part of the holy, royal priesthood after the order of Melchisedec! Because He ever liveth to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25) we likewise, in identifying with Him in all points, are called to intercession for the lost (who will be found) and those already in the Church.

And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall. Nehemiah 4:10

The bearers of burdens represent true intercessors, whose strength is decayed. Also, no one can build a wall on rubbish because it has no firm foundation. Such is the condition of far too many churches today.

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. 1 Timothy 2:1

Paul tells us that the first priority of a Christian assembly is prayer. He mentions various forms of prayer. Supplication means a petition or request. The Greek word comes from a word which means to beg, as binding oneself. Prayer signifies to pray earnestly. Jesus said to those in the temple,

It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer. Matthew 21:13

In addition, Paul says,

I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. 1 Timothy 2:8

The word "men" in the above verse is actually the Greek word for males, not the generic word for human beings. Just as the Lord instructed every male to gather the manna each day for himself and his family, here again is an exhortation for men (males) to pray. This does not diminish or de-emphasize the importance and tremendous effect and fruit which springs forth from the prayers of women. For example, in the following verse, the word "man" is the Greek word for human being and thus includes both male and female.

The effectual, fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16

Samuel said that it was a sin against the Lord if he ceased to pray for the people.


23 Moreover, as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:

24 Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all of your heart: for consider how great things He hath done for you. 1 Samuel 12:23-24

Note that Samuel prayed for Saul even after God had rejected him from being king (1 Samuel 15:11). That verse says that Samuel cried unto the Lord all night on behalf of Saul.

To intercede literally means "to come in between." The intercessor is one who comes in between God and man, on behalf of men, frequently those men who deserve His wrath and punishment.

The great Intercessor, of course, was and still is Jesus.

Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:12

In effect, when Jesus died on the cross, He was saying, "Let the judgment that is due to the people come upon Me." Then after His death, resurrection, and ascension, we are told,


24 But this Man, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.

25 Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:24-25

What a comfort we have to know that Jesus continues to make intercession on our behalf before the throne of the Father! Jesus spent thirty years in relative obscurity, in "normal" family life; three and one-half years in public ministry; and now about two thousand years in intercession, unseen by any natural eye. Do those time frames say anything about the importance of intercession?

Some careful thought will bear witness that the greatest saints were often the greatest intercessors, for they were those who were closest to the heart of God. Some of these great intercessors were Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, and Paul, to name a few.

Abraham interceded on behalf of Sodom because his nephew, Lot, was there. Abraham knew that if judgment came upon Sodom, then Lot and his family would be part of the judgment. Abraham kept interceding for Sodom until the Lord promised that He would not destroy it if He found ten righteous persons in the city. I have read that at that point in time, Sodom was a major city with a population of no less than 10,000 people. So for the sake of ten righteous people out of 10,000 persons God was willing to spare the entire city. That is one out of a thousand! Elihu, in the Book of Job records this same proportion.

23 If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness:

24 Then He is gracious unto him. And saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom. Job 33:23-24

One out of a thousand! That does not seem like a very large percentage ... 0.1% ... or a tenth of a tenth of a tenth. Let us apply this same proportion to the United States. As of 20l1, the population of the United States is very close to 300,000,000 people. Does that mean, if we use the same proportion, that God will spare the United States if He finds 300,000 persons who walk in righteousness? A better question might be, are there 300,000 committed believers in the United States who walk in righteousness? (That does NOT mean those who have their names on a church roster; nor does it mean those who are born-again believers but are doing their own thing.) Do you think that America is in trouble? Is it time for the judgment of God to descend upon our country? Do we need some real intercessors, such as Abraham was in his time?

A second striking example of an intercessor was Moses. The apostasy of the Israelites who came out of Egypt during the Exodus was so great that only two of those over the age of twenty actually made it into the promised land. But Moses interceded.

31 And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.

32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book, which Thou hast written. Exodus 32:31-32

That is intercession! How many such saints do you think there are in the United States who would sincerely make that same statement? Only the Lord knows, but I would guess not too many! The Lord surely would have destroyed his chosen people had not Moses stood before Him in the breach, to turn away His wrath.

In Verse 31, the people had made gods of gold. Do you think that some believers today have likewise made gods of gold? Money is a HUGE driving force in America, both in the world and in the Church. Almost all of the teaching relating to money that I have heard in person and from the television preachers is WARPED and DISTORTED!

The apostle Paul made the same statement as did Moses.

1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,

2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.

3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. Romans 9:1-3

Ezekiel 22 records a different scene. Just as in the time of Abraham and Moses, the sins of God's people are portrayed once more. But this time there was NO intercessor found to stand in the gap.


30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God. Ezekiel 22:30-31

One man ... one intercessor ... could have saved an entire nation, even though every section of society was corrupted (see Ezekiel 22:23-29 for proof of that). Can one man save the United States from the judgment of God?

The same apostasy existed in the time of Isaiah. Please read all of Isaiah 59 to get the complete picture.

And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him; and His righteousness, it sustained Him. Isaiah 59:16

What an amazing verse! Not one intercessor! Even God Himself wondered that there was no intercessor! Therefore, He sent His Son, Jesus, to be that intercessor. Thank you Lord! Therefore, it is crucial for those who have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand, to ask the Lord to raise up true intercessors in our midst.

From my somewhat limited experience, I have seen very few saints who even know what intercession is, much less move in that vital ministry. Even the so-called "intercessor conference" that I attended many years gave little sign of genuine intercessors. There is no higher calling than that of an intercessor. Man will not see, recognize, or applaud you, but in the Kingdom of God your life will count for eternity.

What shall we as intercessors pray for? that the spiritual leaders of the Church will return unto the Lord, laying aside all mixture and things that hinder. Scripture is clear that judgment is according to the light that has been given. The greater the light, the more severe the judgment.

For unto whomsoever much is given, of him will be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. Luke 12:48

In all of the history of the human race, there has never been a generation on the face of the earth that has been exposed to greater spiritual light than this generation in the United States. Most believers have heard an enormous amount of good teaching, both through first hand exposure and through books, tapes, and videos. Yet the Church in America has strayed far from what the Lord desires.

Intercessors also need to ask the Lord to open the eyes of each believer in our midst to come and see Jesus, to hear His voice, and to walk in His ways. Ask the Lord to give each member of the local church discernment concerning the body of Christ. Ask the Lord to bring you a true apostle. Ask the Lord to raise up a true prophet(s) in your midst. Then when the Lord grants your request, ask the Lord for His grace to hear, understand, and walk in the higher ways set forth by the true apostles and prophets.

The need for both repentance and intercession is stated very clearly in the Book of Joel. The first half of the Book of Joel reflects the state of the visible Church today.

17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

18 Then will the LORD be jealous for His land, and pity His people. Joel 2:17-18

Verse 17 speaks of the intercession of the ministers of the Lord, not those who minister to the house (see Ezekiel 44). That has not yet occurred but is in process. Only after that will the Lord restore the Church. That is signified by the first word of Joel 2:18 ... then.

Come quickly Lord Jesus.

Restoration

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.

7/22 

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

In our previous message we shared about the Tabernacle of Moses as a type of the true restoration that is in process today. In this message we want to share some thoughts about restoration in reality.

As we stated in our first two messages on restoration, the majority of the Church in America today is in bondage to many foul spirits and does not know it.


20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers.

21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Isaiah 30:20-21

Let us note in Verse 29 that it is the Lord who gives us the bread of adversity and the water of affliction. Bread and water is the food of prisoners ... those who are in captivity ... in bondage. But God offers a way of deliverance! Where there is no way, Jesus is THE Way! From Verse 21 we see that we must walk by faith. There is a stirring in the mulberry bushes! God will have His way, despite all of the failures of men! But we must distinguish between commandments of the Lord under the New Covenant and the customs and traditions of men. More on that later.

Historically, ever since the "dark ages," which lasted 1000 years, God has gradually been using chosen vessels to light the fires of revival. If we think about all of the major revivals in history, the last revival of any significance began about 60 years ago with what some have called the "charismatic" movement. The New Testament house church in Northern Virginia that we were part of from the late 1960's until the early 1980's was part of that. But historically almost every revival started by God through a few good men quickly started downhill as man tried to take control of what God wanted to do. But God is on the verge of one final restoration! The Lord Jesus Christ is searching for a people in the earth today ... a people to complete the work of restoration of His glorious Church! Whenever God desires to restore the Church, the eyes of the Lord begin to search the earth for a suitable vessel. The suitable vessel is always a man (or men) whose heart longs for the fulfillment of God's purposes upon the earth.

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.

2 Chronicles 16:9

What happens as God ushers in more revelation about Himself and His word and brings the Church, through human vessels, closer to full restoration to what was always in His heart and mind before the foundation of the earth? It is a scriptural and historical fact that each major step of restoration is accompanied by more persecution, more misunderstandings, more confusion, division, riots and revolution, wars and rumors of wars, torture, and many other problems. Further, the persecuted in one generation or move of God eventually become the persecutors of a future generation. The Roman Catholics persecuted the Lutherans, the Lutherans persecuted the Anabaptists, the Anabaptists persecuted the Puritans, the Puritans persecuted the Wesleyan churches; many denominations, as well as the Roman Catholics persecuted those who were baptized with the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues. History is on the verge of repeating itself! Who will (or perhaps we should say have) the charismatics persecute? The overcomers, those chosen vessels who have been selected to usher in the final restoration of truth. Yes, there will be an end to the process! The last-day remnant, which I believe is in the earth right now.

Around 1972, Ken Bennett, a solid man of God, began to see, with his natural eyes, "spiritual rain." At one point he told me that he had seen that spiritual rain for 75 consecutive days. When my wife and I stayed with them at a beach house in South Carolina in the late summer of 2002, both of us also saw that spiritual rain. We know that there were at least a handful of other believers who saw that same spiritual rain. Only the Lord knows how many others around the world saw the spiritual rain. It looked exactly like a gentle, slow drizzle or mist of rain, except that no water ever hit the ground. It was easier to see on a clear day. I now believe that was the beginning of God's restoration of the spiritual golden pot that had manna. In the past few years, we have experienced a further acceleration of revelation coming down from above. I have talked with a few believers who have told me the same thing has been happening with them.

Now we must remember that Aaron's rod that budded was laid up before the ark of Testimony some 20 years AFTER the golden pot that had manna. That means that the Lord will bring true prophetic revelation to the Church before raising up and manifesting true apostolic authority in the earth. We are convinced that prophetic revelation is beginning to come forth now, but to a much greater degree than what we have seen in previous years. Undoubtedly those who will receive such anointing are even now in the earth, being prepared for their ministry in these end times.

However, there will be one final removal of these two items from the ark ... namely when Jesus returns to the earth at His second coming. And yes, despite some claims to the contrary, Jesus Himself will return to the earth. When that happens, there will no longer be a need for apostolic authority through men or for raining down revelation from heaven. When that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away (1 Corinthians 13:10). That will leave only the Word of God in the ark for eternity. The trumpet is sounding! The trumpet no longer is giving an uncertain sound (1 Corinthians 14:8). It is time to prepare ourselves for the battle! I don't know about you, but I would like to be on this earth when all of these things shortly come to pass!

Based on the light we have received from the Holy Spirit concerning scripture, as well as some understanding of the ways of God, plus our own personal experience, we believe that the following steps are important (but not all-inclusive) on our part to prepare for the realization of the mind of God concerning the restoration of the Church. God always requires something from us. Our God is not a God of cheap grace (grace that does not cost us anything). He requires a step of faith on our part. He requires us to agree with His Word and to take certain actions on our part in response to His Word.

At the top of our action list is repentance! Repentance is not just for those who do not know the Lord. It applies to all of us today. To repent means to turn around, to change one's mind, to go in a different direction, to feel sorrow, regret, or contrition. Repentance is the first principle of the doctrine of Christ. The first word of the kingdom is repent.

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works. Hebrews 6:1

Let us remember that the verse above is written to Christians, not heathens. Dead works are works of the flesh. We must repent from anything that is not led by the Spirit. If we cannot get through that first principle, there is no reason to try going any further.

Come and let us return unto the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up. Hosea 6:1

That verse in Hosea is current events. Why has the Lord smitten us? because we have strayed from Him and His ways. The prerequisite for healing is to return unto the Lord.

The first message preached by Jesus was, "repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The first message preached by John the Baptist was, "repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The major word spoken in the first half of the book of Joel is repentance. The message preached by all of the prophets was "repentance."

True repentance does not consist of superficial words or thoughts that are "short lived." Shallow, sentimental tears will not suffice. A mere admission of guilt will not solve the problem. Neither will an outward performance of ritual satisfy the demands of a holy God. Unfortunately, this is why many of us go around the same mountain for years and are never able to walk in the victory which is found in Christ. Something must happen in the heart which will reflect itself in the way of life. John the Baptist put it correctly when he told the Pharisees and Sadducees who had come to his baptism:

7 O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance. Matthew 3:7-8

True repentance requires our ability to sense the grief of the Lord as a result of our own ungodly thoughts, words, or actions. If we really love the Lord, we don't want to HURT or GRIEVE HIM. So often, we superficially repent because our words or actions backfired on us or we have harmed another person or persons. However, our grieving the Lord must affect us deeply and supercedes all other reactions which lead us to repentance.

Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. Romans 2:4

When our heart is broken because we let the Lord down, only then can we earnestly hate our "sinful nature" and desire only to please the Lord. At this point, we are able to turn in the direction of the Holy Spirit and be "born" into the victory which is in Christ. This may be a long process and painful to the flesh, but the Lord is able to complete that which He has begun.

Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6

These principles apply also on a corporate level as the Lord allows us to see an aspect of the state of His Body, the true Church, that grieves the Lord. Weeping, travail, and intercession should spring forth as we identify with the wrong in our midst and cry out to the Lord for mercy, healing, and restoration.

Repentance is NOT a popular word! We believers like the "good" part, but we don't care too much for the suffering, travail, denying of one's self, etc., that must precede that "good" part.

Let us consider Job. The Lord was proud of Job, when He said,

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Job 1:6-8

After 40 more chapters of carnal reasoning between Job and his three "friends," the Lord gave Job a revelation, such that Job said,

5 I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee.

6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. Job 42:5-6

Now let us look at Isaiah, Chapter 6.

1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple.

2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.

When a word is repeated three times in the same verse, we best take notice, because that emphasizes the great importance of that word. It indicates a state of completion or absoluteness. For example, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts" in Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8; "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord" in Jeremiah 22:29; "I will overturn, overturn, overturn" of Ezekiel 21:27; "The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord" of Jeremiah 7:4. I am not aware of any other such repetition, but there could be more.

We should note that the only such repetition in both the Old and New Testaments is "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts." That is the only characteristic of God that is repeated three times in succession. His holiness is so far beyond human thought that a super-superlative has to be used to express it. If you and I want to sense the manifest presence of the Lord and bathe in His Light and Glory, we must first receive a revelation from the Lord of His holiness.

Job 11:7, "Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?"

Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law."

Ephesians 1:16-17, "Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 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:"

Continuing in Isaiah, Chapter 6,

4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

If the posts of the door move at a voice, that is a sign of great power. I have experienced two times in my life when the room I was in was filled with smoke.

5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

The word "undone" can be translated as "lost" or "cut off." But there is NOTHING in the previous five chapters of Isaiah that indicates that Isaiah had done anything wrong or said anything wrong. Isaiah saw that his very being was unclean, in comparison to the Lord. We need to be quick repenters, like David. Many believers might say, "repent? of what?" Perhaps for starters, we could repent of any self-seeking attitude. We must repent of any sin that we are aware of in our life; and repent of any and all fleshy desires, such as self-pity or ANY needs of self.

We must repent from our two-way thinking and life style, with one foot in the kingdom and one foot in the world. Repent of any obsession to fulfill some lower-level goal. Repent of any attitude that falls short of, "Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God." Repent because of our human nature.

Back to Isaiah, Chapter 6,

6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged

8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

One word of caution ... there is a price to be paid for saying, "Here am I, Lord, send me." That price is the same price that Paul and many others paid. It costs our self life.


9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. 

11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,

12 And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.

13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

The Lord has always had a remnant. His remnant today is largely hidden but soon will be made manifest. Lord, bring forth your elect, your Bride. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Matters of the Restored Heart

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.

8/1 

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

We are continuing with matters of the restored heart; i.e., what is the result of our preparing the way of the Lord? Now let us consider Exodus 19:3-6.

3 And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.
5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Another way to say that is "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it."


1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:

2 And both Jesus was called and His disciples, to the marriage.

3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto Him, They have no wine.

4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come.

5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.

John 2:1-5

The word translated as servants is the Greek word diakonos and indicates those servants who have become servants of their own free will. Only the true servants of the Lord can respond to hearing and doing the will of the Lord. Verse 5 contains Mary's most significant words that are recorded in Scripture.

Jesus said,

1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

John 10:1-4, 27

In order to do whatsoever He saith unto us, we must first of all hear what He is saying. In early Bible times Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and many others heard the voice of the Lord for themselves. They did not have the benefit of a Bible, Bible commentaries, good Christian books and tapes, or wonderful teachers to help to guide them. They had to depend upon that which the Lord told them. The Bible does not state HOW they heard or in what form His voice was communicated.

Many long years ago, I taught electronics in the Air Force. One of the courses that I taught was called "basic radio." I taught, in great detail, all of the circuits required to make up a radio. For a radio to be effective, there must be two major components ... a transmitter and a receiver. One without the other is of little value. You may have the best transmitter in the world, but if there is no adequate receiver, then that which is transmitted produces no fruit. The same is true if you have a great receiver but no transmitter. There must be communication between the two components.

The Lord Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, is the greatest transmitter ever known. There is no lack to His ability to communicate with men. He speaks to us in ways that we do not realize. I once knew a man who said that he had heard the Lord speaking to him through dining room table place mats, a man's hat, a man's pants, window blinds, and a dog, to name a few. He also heard the voice of the Lord sovereignly, through reading Scripture, through other believers, and through heathens.

I am thoroughly convinced that the Lord wants to speak to us more than we want to hear. We need to sharpen our desire to hear His voice and then sharpen our spiritual ears to hear Him in any of the many ways that He speaks to us.

And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. Isaiah 65:24

The only question is, how good is our receiver? Have we had our ears circumcised to hear all the truth of God? or just the part that we want to hear? Are the traditional teachings of men, even mature believers, so stuffed in our ears that we cannot hear His word?

But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Hebrews 5:14

The senses in the above verse does not refer to our natural senses, but to our spiritual senses, such as having eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart to understand. Note that the above verse says "both" good and evil. The verse does NOT say "between" good and evil; neither can that Greek word be translated as "between." What the verse says is that we need to have our spiritual senses exercised (through use, or practice) to discern the difference between the will of God on one hand and good and evil on the other hand. Remember that God forbade Adam and Eve to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Why has hearing the voice of the Lord become almost a lost art? For a variety of reasons: lack of understanding the ways of the Lord and self-centeredness are certainly two such reasons.

Laziness and impatience are two more reasons. We live in an age when people demand instant gratification. It takes time and effort to sit and wait on the voice of the Lord to speak to us. It is much easier to just read a good Christian book, listen to a tape, watch a video, or hear what the pastor says. We also have hardened our hearts.

7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear His voice,

8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:) Hebrews 3:7-8

Is the Church teaching believers to hear the voice of the Lord for themselves? Are Christian parents teaching their children to hear the voice of the Lord for themselves? It appears that the answer in both cases is "No." The greatest service any minister can perform for others is to help younger believers to hear the voice of the Lord for themselves, to have an understanding heart to know His ways, not just His acts, and to cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean (Ezekiel 44:23). Please pause a few seconds and reflect on that word, "cause." Ezekiel 44:23 does NOT say that the priests, the sons of Zadok, will teach about discerning between the unclean and the clean. That is not good enough. That will not get the job done. For any believer to cause another to discern between the unclean and the clean is quite a strong statement.

But hearing is not sufficient. We must also obey. "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it." 

And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken that the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22

Obedience is NOT a natural quality! We are certainly NOT born with a tendency toward obedience ... quite the contrary! All you have to do is look at little children. They will pout, cry, and do ANYTHING to get their own way. And when two little children want the same toy ... LOOK OUT!

Whenever we come to know the saving grace of our Lord, we do not automatically take on the nature of obedience. Obedience is a characteristic of both the natural and the spiritual man that must be learned. When a mother tells her young child, "No, no, don't touch the fire or hot oven," the child at first cannot comprehend, because he or she has never experienced the sensation of burning. The child, unfortunately, must usually learn from a painful experience (or two) to obey the mother. Consider Jesus.

Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered.

Hebrews 5:8

How could it be that Jesus had to learn obedience? because He came to earth as a man. He had to experientially learn obedience as a man. Jesus learned obedience by the things which He suffered. God has chosen suffering as a major avenue whereby we may learn obedience and become an overcomer. If that were true of Jesus, how much more true that is for us! Peter has much to say about the suffering which we as Christians are called upon to endure. However, 

I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

Continuing with matters of the restored heart, let us consider being led by the Holy Spirit.

Probably the most important aspect of the proper functioning of a local church is for each member to be led by the Holy Spirit, both individually and corporately.

A number of years ago, we heard several believers in a certain charismatic local church say, during the service, that their church was certainly "led by the Spirit." We are sure that those believers were well intentioned and sincerely believed what they had said. However, from our observation over a period of time, we are not sure that those believers knew what they were saying. Further, that attitude hints at the subtlety of pride.

We believe there is a difference between an individual believer being led by the Spirit and a local church being led by the Spirit. Each individual believer obviously has numerous times and events when he or she must make a personal decision of some importance.

Led by the Spirit as an Individual Believer

Living by the promptings and power of the Holy Spirit is the key to conquering sinful desires.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Romans 8:14

God is the Father of us all in the sense that He created us all and His love and providential care are extended to all. But not all are His children. Jesus said to the unbelieving Jews of His day, "Ye are of your father the devil" (John 8:44). People become children of God through faith in God's beloved Son, Jesus Christ (John 1:12-13). Being led by God's Spirit is the evidence of this relationship.

No one would argue that Jesus is our pattern. No one would argue that Jesus was always led by the Spirit. He always did the will of God. As a man, He had a will, but He always subjected His will to the will of the Father.

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Matthew 4:1

The wilderness is the proving ground. It is in the wilderness that the Lord sees whether we will follow Him or not. We find this same principle at work when the Israelites came out of Egypt.

17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.

18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.

Exodus 13:17-18

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so ye cannot do the things that ye would.

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Galatians 5:16-18

24 And they who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:24-25

The Lord tells us in Luke 18:1 not to lose heart. The Lord is faithful! The sufferings and travail to fulfill the purposes of the Lord cannot be compared with the glory that is to be revealed within us.

Now how do I know, or even can I know, that I am being led by the Holy Spirit? The answer to that question is the same as the answer to almost every question. Let us look at the example of Jesus when He walked the face of the earth as a man.

Luke 4:1, "And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

Everyone would agree that Jesus was always led by the Spirit. Why? because He always put the will of the Father above His own will. His heart was always tuned to the mind and heart of the Father.

Romans 8:13-16

13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

16 The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

For us, how we know that we are being led by the Spirit is the same as hearing the voice of the Lord. First of all, it is by faith, for without faith it is impossible to please God. That means we must take a step of faith, trusting the Lord to show us if we are going down a wrong path. From Romans 8:14, if we are led by the Spirit of God then we are mature sons of God. Another sign is whether or not our actions bring forth the peaceable fruit of righteousness. From Romans 8:15, if anything leads to the spirit of bondage to fear, then we are not being led by the Spirit.

We should always remember that the more we mature in Christ the more we will be led by the Spirit. We must exercise our spiritual senses to discern the difference between the will of God on one hand as compared to good and evil on the other hand.

Hebrews 5:14, "But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." 

Remember, throughout our journey in Christ the Lord is patient, gracious, and merciful with us as long as we sincerely desire to be led by His Spirit. What a wonderful Lord we serve!

The Restored Heart

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 Restored Heart 

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

In this word we want to share several (of many) matters of the restored heart, as it pertains to us as individual believers in Christ. In other words, what does the life of the individual as well as the functioning of the corporate body look like after we have prepared the way of the Lord? 

But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his [Eliab's] countenance, or on the height of his stature: because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7

The first requirement on our part is a heart attitude of giving all the glory to God. We should let the glory and honor of God be habitually and in reality the chief end of all of our actions. To give glory to God should be the greatest desire of every believer. Not only should this be the supreme goal for our individual lives, but it should also be true whenever we gather in our local churches.

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 Corinthians 6:20

Everything and everyone has been designed to show forth His glory.

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork.

Psalm 19:1

Even every one that is called by My name: for I have created him for My glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. Isaiah 43:7

Scripture speaks of various forms or levels of glory. There is a glory of man and there is the glory of God. The glory of man is taken for worldly splendor and magnificence, which make kings glorious before men. Solomon, in all of his glory and in his richest ornaments was not arrayed nearly as beautiful as the lilies of the field (Matthew 6:28-29). We speak here only of the glory of God. By glory we mean, at the highest level, not only the essence of who God is, in all of His omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence, but also His manifest presence. He IS our glory!

My glory and the lifter up of mine head. Psalm 3:3

I am the Lord: that is My name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Isaiah 42:8

The Father glorified the Son (John 13:31) and the Son glorified the Father (John 17:4). When the Lord says, in Isaiah 42:8, that "my glory I will not give to another," He means that there is no real glory outside of Christ. "He is bringing many sons to glory" (Hebrews 2:10). "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).

One of the multitude of ways that we give glory to God is through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, whether we are alone or in the midst of the congregation. Johann Sebastian Bach once said:

The aim and final reason for all music should be nothing else but the glory of God and the refreshment of the spirit.

One of my favorite hymns is, "To God Be the Glory," written by Fanny Crosby. Two of the stanzas of that great hymn are:

To God be the glory, great things He hath done! 

So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, 

who yielded His life an atonement for sin 

and opened the life gate that all may go in.

Great things He hath taught us, 

great things He hath done, 

and great our rejoicing thru Jesus the Son; 

but purer and higher and greater will be 

our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.

Not My Will But Thine Be Done

"Standard" Christian teaching says that we consist of body, soul, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). "Standard" teaching also says that our soul likewise consists of three parts ... the mind, will, and emotions. Moreover we have free will ... we are able to make free choices and decisions ... we are NOT a robot with no will of our own. The same was true of Jesus when He came to the earth in the form of a man. (We believe that most of our problems stem from our disobedience and self-will, not from the devil.) I visited one church a few years ago. The question was asked, "Did Jesus have a choice when He went to the cross?" The leadership said, "No, Jesus did not have a choice." We must respectfully disagree. We believe that Jesus had (has) a free will of His own, but He always subjected His own will to the will of the Father. We must do the same.

38 Then saith He unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with Me.

39 And He went a little farther, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt. Matthew 26:38-39

If Jesus Himself prayed (Verse 39) that the will of the Father might be done, can we do anything less? We must be careful not to run ahead of the Lord, thinking that we already know the will of the Lord in a given situation.

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work. John 4:34

Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me,) to do Thy will, O God. Hebrews 10:7

Jesus came to earth as a man to do the will of the Father. We have the same mission ... to do the will of the Father. We, like Jesus as a Man, have a will. The will of man is, by our sinful nature, to do our own will ... to satisfy our carnal desires and lusts. Even after we are apprehended by the Spirit of the Lord, we still tend, at times, to let our will override the will of the Father. But our will must become a servant to the will of the Father.

If you think about all of the "great" men and women in the Bible, they all came to the place where the will of God was uppermost in their minds. For example, let us revisit Samuel.

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,

5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord

7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not rule over them. 1 Samuel 8:4-7

Note, in Verse 6, above, that the request of the elders displeased Samuel. Samuel KNEW that the request of the elders was not in the will of the Lord. Nevertheless, even though he knew their request was misguided, he still prayed and asked the Lord what he should do! Samuel COULD have told the elders that their request was displeasing to the Lord and that he would do no such thing. But he did not take the matter into his own hands. Instead he prayed and asked the Lord what he should do. We should do the same as did Samuel in every situation of any consequence! Is it the will of the Lord for believers to be healed of sicknesses and disease? Of course! But we need to be careful that we don't fix the fix that the Lord has set up because the Lord is after some higher purpose in that believer's life. We need to be "neutral" in heart and mind and will as we pray for the Lord to reveal His will. Otherwise we become like Moses, who struck the rock the second time because he saw that it "worked" once.

Come and See

35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;

36 And looking upon Jesus as He walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God.

37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto Him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest Thou?

39 He saith unto them, Come and see. John 1:35-39

The two disciples, in the above verses, asked where Jesus dwelt physically ... what house or tent. However, Jesus gave them a spiritual answer, and one that they did not understand. That last verse may be translated as, "Come and you shall see!" See what? more scriptural truth? NO! Come to Jesus where He is and you shall see THE TRUTH ... Jesus Himself, the personification of all truth. Where does Jesus dwell today? the same place that he has always been ... in the realm of the Spirit. And so the key for us today is the same key that has always been there ... coming to Jesus. Jesus prayed,

Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world. John 17:24

Note that Jesus did NOT pray that they might be with Him where He would be, but where He was, even before His crucifixion, death, and resurrection. Where was Jesus? in the realm of the Spirit! Man is forever trying to pull Jesus down to where we are, but Jesus wants to draw us, by His Spirit, up to where He is! When Jesus was crucified, we were crucified with Him. When Jesus died on the cross, we died with Him, When Jesus arose from the grave, so did we. In all points we must identify with the Lord Jesus!

It is only by the grace of God that we have been allowed to come unto Jesus initially and experience His saving grace.

No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him.

John 6:44

The mark of Christian maturity is the degree to which we have become as a little child. When we come to Jesus, we must come as a little child, trusting completely in Him.

Suffer little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Luke 18:16

Some wonderful results of coming to Jesus are (1) a quenching of our thirst, (2) eternal life, and (3) rest.

If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. John 7:37

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.

Matthew 5:6



39 Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.

40 And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life. John 5:39-40

Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

This rest that Jesus spoke about is the same rest spoken of ten times in Hebrews, Chapters 3 and 4. That rest is a ceasing of our works and an entering into the works that the Father has ordained for us to walk in from before the foundation of the world.

However, coming to Jesus, except for the initial salvation experience, is not free. There is a price to pay.

And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples also, He said unto them, Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Mark 8:34

There is a difference between knowing about someone and knowing that person. In one sense you all know me, but you actually only know a few things about me. My wife, Linda, knows me very well! Why? because she has lived with me for 61 years. She knows my strengths and my weaknesses. In like manner, the only way we can truly know Jesus is to come to Him, dwell with Him and He with us, be taught by Him, learn to trust Him.


10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people:

11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest.

Hebrews 8:10-11

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2

Knowing the Lord was/is a sign of Israel's blessing.

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Isaiah 11:9

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people:

11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest.

Hebrews 8:10-11

Similarly, evils came to Israel from not knowing the Lord.

The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: But Israel doth not know, My people doth not consider. Isaiah 1:3

The Greek word, eido (pronounced i'-do) is translated "know" in the New Testament 180 times and 80 times as "see." Conclusion? To see Him is to know Him!

When Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father, He said, "If ye have seen Me, ye have seen the Father" (John 14:8-9).

Christianity is not a religion but a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. You can read about Christianity all you want, but you will never know the depths of that Man from Galilee until you experience Him, walk with Him, dwell with Him, and understand His ways. It is one thing to understand Scriptural truth. It is quite another to experience THE Truth (the person of the Lord Jesus Christ).

Historically, we can (and do) hear, understand, and recover scriptural and doctrinal truth (by the grace of God). We also can (and do) become satisfied and even ecstatic with this newly unveiled scriptural truth. We can go to our nice meetings, sing some nice, worshipful songs, hear a nice polished teaching or preaching (perhaps with some new revelation), say some nice prayers, and never know what we are missing! We need to be careful that we are not "playing" church. We need to be very careful that we do not fall into the category of,

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. 2 Timothy 3:5 

You will NEVER have a fruitful local church simply by reading a book, not even the Bible!
Jesus said to the Jews,

39 Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.

40 And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life. John 5:39-40

The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life (2 Corinthians 3:6). A good book about the Church can only point you in the right direction. The ONLY way to have a fruitful, thriving local church is to "Come and see Jesus." Seek Him who is the author and finisher of our faith. After all, He is the one who founded the Church. He has ALL of the keys to success. Unless the Lord is satisfied, neither will a local church be satisfied or fulfilled. Only the Lord can bring about fulfillment and satisfaction in an individual life or in a church. Never lose sight of your priorities. The Lord MUST be first. He must come first before our spouse, our children, our job, and even our God-given ministry. But we can NEVER be fully satisfied until the experiential life of Christ is made manifest within us! Christ in you, the hope of glory! The ONLY way we will ever be satisfied is given by:

As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness. Psalm 17:15