The Truth Church

Pastor Hilton preaches from Hebrews 11:6, emphasizing that faith is essential to please God and that God rewards those who diligently seek Him. He illustrates faith using the metaphor of a bicycle: a bicycle without wheels is merely a frame, unable to fulfill its purpose. Similarly, faith without substance and evidence is dead. The front wheel represents the substance of things hoped for, and the back wheel represents the evidence of things not seen. Both are necessary for a functional faith. Pastor Hilton explains that belief alone is not enough; it requires active, diligent seeking—pedaling the bicycle of faith toward God’s promises. He reviews the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11—Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and others—highlighting that their faith was demonstrated through obedient actions, not passive belief. Their works were evidence of their trust in God. He challenges the congregation to move beyond complacency, to get their bikes off the hooks in the garage, and to start pedaling toward spiritual growth, revival, and deeper communion with God. He notes that even Paul’s thorn in the flesh became a source of strength when God’s grace was made perfect in weakness. Faith requires both divine empowerment and human effort, as Zechariah 4:6 states: not by might, nor by power, but by God’s Spirit. The message calls believers to build up their faith through prayer, testimony, and diligent seeking, so that they may see God move mightily in their lives.

Bishop Riggen, preaching from 1 Corinthians 14, teaches on the devotional use of tongues—not the initial evidence or the gift of tongues, but the private prayer language that builds up the believer. He outlines three purposes: carrying a private conversation with God beyond the devil's understanding, speaking mysteries (God revealing His plan), and edifying oneself. He emphasizes that tongues build up the individual spiritually, just as ministry and the church body also build up, creating a threefold cord of strength. Drawing from 2 Corinthians 3:18 and Romans 8:26, Bishop Riggen explains that praying in the Spirit transforms the believer from glory to glory, progressively shaping them into the image of Christ—a process that begins at the initial infilling and continues until the redemption of the body. The Spirit prays through us for what we do not know to ask, ensuring our prayers are not amiss. Bishop Riggen illustrates the need for daily tongues with the example of physical atrophy without exercise; similarly, spiritual muscles weaken without personal prayer in the Spirit. He calls the congregation to desire this transformation, to press into the Holy Ghost for another refreshing, and to let God chisel away imperfections. The sermon's spiritual purpose is to motivate believers to regularly pray in tongues for personal edification and to become more like Jesus, concluding with an altar call to seek this deeper experience.

Bishop Riggen preaches from John 5:1-9, focusing on the pool of Bethesda, which means 'house of mercy.' He describes the multitude of impotent, blind, halt, and withered folk waiting for the angel to trouble the water, so the first to enter would be healed. After 38 years, a certain man lies helpless, unable to get in before others. Jesus asks, 'Wilt thou be made whole?' and then commands him to rise, take up his bed, and walk—healing him instantly.

The bishop uses his imagination to suggest that before Jesus asked the question, He might have said, 'You've waited long enough—now it's your turn.' This becomes the core: there is a time to wait on God and a time to move. He contrasts the waiting season with the action season, citing David in 2 Samuel 5, who inquired of the Lord and was told to wait for the sound of marching in the mulberry trees before attacking. When the water moved, only the one who moved received the miracle.

Bishop Riggen warns against becoming too familiar with God's presence, missing gentle stirrings for dramatic signs. He declares that Jesus has now come, and the one who moves the water says it is your turn. He urges listeners not to miss their move, to step out of comfort zones, and to believe God for breakthroughs in finances, healing, relationships, and revival. One step of faith can bring a miracle.

Bishop Riggen begins by reading 1 Corinthians 14:1-20, emphasizing Paul's statement in verse 5: 'I would that ye all speak with tongues.' He clarifies that Paul is not referring to the gift of tongues (a public, interpreted message for the church), nor the evidential tongue (the initial sign of receiving the Holy Ghost), but rather devotional or personal prayer in tongues. The bishop stresses that the evidential tongue is the biblical proof of being born of the Spirit, citing John 3:5-8 (hearing the sound of the Spirit) and the pattern in Acts 2:4, 10:44-46, and 19:6. He argues that speaking in tongues is meant to continue because God would not give detailed instructions (1 Corinthians 12-14) for a practice that would cease. The core of the message focuses on three benefits of devotional tongues from 1 Corinthians 14: (1) It is a private conversation with God (v. 2), speaking mysteries in the spirit. (2) It reveals God's hidden wisdom and deep things (1 Corinthians 2:7-16), connecting believers to the mind of Christ. (3) It edifies or builds up the believer's faith (v. 4), as Jude 20 confirms that praying in the Holy Ghost builds up one's most holy faith. Bishop Riggen urges the congregation to pray beyond mere repetition of syllables, ensuring their tongue is truly a language given by the Spirit, and to embrace this practice for spiritual growth and revelation.

Pastor Hilton preaches that God’s promise is accessed through tarrying, which is not passive waiting but an active, settled posture. The Greek word cathizo means to sit down, set, or fix one’s abode—like Abraham sojourning or a man settling down. Jesus commanded His disciples to go to Jerusalem and tarry until they were endued with power from on high. Tarrying requires doing something while waiting: watching, praying, occupying, and pressing deeper into God. Isaiah 8:17 says, “I will wait upon the Lord… and I will look for him.” Jesus told servants in Luke 19 to “occupy until I come”—to trade with what God gave, not hide it. The one who hid his pound in a napkin was called wicked because he did nothing. Pastor Hilton shares that during his own season of waiting on marriage, he deepened his understanding of Scripture, prayed three times a day, and learned to treat his business as a ministry. That tarrying season prepared him for future calling. Isaiah 30:18 assures that the Lord waits to be gracious, and blessed are all who wait for Him. Habakkuk 2:2-3 commands us to write the vision clearly and wait for its appointed time; though it tarry, it will surely come. The disciples in Acts 1 continued in one accord in prayer and supplication until Pentecost fully came, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. Pastor Hilton calls the church to tarry—not merely wait or mope—until God’s promise is fulfilled.

Bishop Riggen teaches from Leviticus 27:30-32 on the moral obligation of tithing, arguing it is not merely an Old Testament practice but a New Testament requirement. He explains that within the Law of Moses there are three categories—civil, ceremonial, and moral—and that tithing belongs to the moral law, which remains binding because God's morality never changes. He demonstrates that tithing predates the Law, citing Abraham paying tithes to Melchizedek 420 years before Moses and Jacob's vow to tithe 280 years before the Law. He argues that if Abraham is our father, we should do his works, including tithing. In the New Testament, Jesus affirmed tithing in Matthew 23:23, saying not to leave it undone, and in Matthew 22:21, commanding to give God what is God's. Paul taught it in 1 Corinthians 9, applying the Old Testament principle of ministerial support to the New Testament church, and the writer of Hebrews mentions tithes being received in the present tense. The bishop emphasizes that failing to tithe is robbing God (Malachi 3:8-10) and makes one a thief who cannot inherit the kingdom of God. He also clarifies that the tithe is for the livelihood of full-time ministers, not building maintenance, and that offerings above the tithe are where true giving begins, as the tithe is merely returning what already belongs to God.