The Truth Church

Bishop Riggen teaches that everything in the New Testament is rooted in the Old Testament, especially the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. He explains that the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) was the final harvest festival, observed fifty days after Passover, and that Pentecost—the Greek name for the fiftieth day—fulfills that Old Testament type. At Sinai, the law was given on tablets of stone, accompanied by fire, a great sound, and languages; three thousand people died. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came as fire, a rushing wind, and tongues; three thousand souls were saved. The new covenant, prophesied by Jeremiah, writes God's law on the heart, not stone. The two loaves waved at Pentecost represent Jews and Gentiles made one in Christ. Pentecost is the birthday of the church, the last harvest before the end, and the power to live holy. The sermon urges hearers to seek a personal Pentecost—the baptism of the Holy Ghost—because the Spirit alone writes God's law on the heart and enables holy living. It calls for spiritual unity and a fresh outpouring.

Pastor Hilton preaches from Leviticus 25:10 on the Year of Jubilee, emphasizing God's pattern of completion through the number seven. He explains that after seven Sabbaths of years (49 years), the 50th year was a Jubilee where liberty was proclaimed, debts were forgiven, and every person returned to their ancestral property—a complete reset back to God's original design. This principle, Pastor Hilton argues, demonstrates that God operates on a specific timeline: He establishes a time to completion. Drawing from the creation account in Genesis, where God rested on the seventh day after finishing His work, the pastor insists believers must learn to draw a line of rest and completion over their lives, refusing to let past cycles or unresolved issues drag on indefinitely. He illustrates this with Joshua chapter 6, where Israel marched around Jericho seven times on the seventh day before the walls fell, showing that deliverance comes only when God's appointed time is fulfilled. In 2 Kings 5, Naaman was healed of leprosy only after dipping in the Jordan seven times, despite his prideful resistance to such a simple command. The spiritual purpose is clear: God's mercy endures forever, and His timing is perfect. Believers must not take shortcuts or give up before the seventh step. Whatever the struggle—bondage, sin, spiritual leprosy—God has already counted the cost and knows the time to completion. The altars are open for total restoration, and the trumpet of Jubilee is sounding for liberty.

Pastor Hilton opens with Isaiah 10:3-4, posing God's direct question: "What will ye do in the day of visitation?" He connects this to Luke 19:44, where Jesus weeps over Jerusalem because they "knewest not the time of thy visitation," and to Acts 2:1-4, the Day of Pentecost. The core teaching is that God has specific, appointed times—days, times, or years—when He purposes to visit His people. While many Old Testament visitations brought judgment (e.g., Jeremiah 8, 10, 11, 23) because Israel rejected God's commands, the ultimate purpose of any visitation is not judgment but salvation and restoration. Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). Pastor Hilton explains that God's calendar is sure; He never forgets His promises. The Old Testament pattern of judgment for disobedience serves as a warning for the New Testament church. He cites Jesus' ministry to the woman at the well (John 4) and the cross as examples of visitations bringing mercy, not condemnation. The sermon emphasizes that God's grace is sufficient, and where sin abounds, grace much more abounds. The day of visitation is a point of decision: will we, like the Jews, reject God's commands, or will we respond in obedience and repentance? The message stresses that God is not playing games; He comes for complete and total restitution—restoring what sin has broken, even to the state before the Fall. The preacher urges the congregation to recognize that this very service is a day of visitation, and they must prepare their hearts for either judgment or restoration based on their response.

Pastor Hilton continues the series on being led by the Spirit from Hebrews 6:1-3 and Romans 8:14. He emphasizes that while the foundational doctrines must remain established, believers must press on unto perfection by the same spiritual means. Drawing from Christ’s example, he highlights three key principles: first, Jesus was aware that the Father within Him did the works, teaching that we must never claim glory for what God does through us. Second, being led by the Spirit does not always lead to comfort—Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted, and Paul was compelled toward imprisonment, showing that spiritual leading often contradicts fleshly desires yet requires submission. Third, Jesus grew in favor with both God and man; spiritual development should enhance relationships, not create isolation or arrogance. Using the apostles’ example, Pastor Hilton stresses the need to remain full of the Holy Ghost continually, not merely as a one-time experience. He notes 183 instances in the New Testament where the Holy Ghost spoke, sent, or directed believers. The Holy Ghost desires to be consulted in every decision, from ministry plans to daily interactions. Developing sensitivity to the Spirit transforms His guidance from optional direction into a compelling mandate, where personal will becomes secondary. The sermon calls believers to pursue constant renewal and a prayerful sensitivity, trusting that a people led by the Spirit will see breakthrough, anointing, and souls reached for God’s kingdom.

The minister draws from Isaiah 35:1-10, where God promises to transform a desolate wilderness into a blossoming place, creating a highway of holiness for the redeemed. He explains that the children of Israel, though chosen by God, repeatedly rejected His commands, leading to judgment and spiritual barrenness. Yet in the midst of that desert, God makes a way—the way of holiness. Holiness, he teaches, originates from God's unique, set-apart nature; it is not mere outward conformity but an inward transformation received through a personal relationship with the Holy One. He contrasts the Old Testament tabernacle's physical separations with the New Testament call for believers to become living temples and a holy priesthood. The minister warns against empty legalism, stressing that true holiness begins in the heart via the Holy Ghost, who beautifies the meek with salvation. He illustrates this with a story of a woman who, after admiring her new dress, felt God ask, "What about being attractive to me?"—a reminder that holiness seeks God's approval above all. The sermon culminates in Ephesians 4, describing the new man created in righteousness and true holiness—characterized by truth, controlled anger, honest labor, edifying speech, and not grieving the Spirit. The minister urges all who have wandered into spiritual desert to return to this highway, the only path to joy and freedom from sorrow.