The Truth Church

Pastor Hilton preaches from Leviticus 26:3-4 and Deuteronomy 11, focusing on God's conditional promise of rain in due season for obedience. He contrasts Egypt, where farmers must engineer irrigation through labor-intensive systems, with Israel, a land of hills and valleys that drinks water from the rain of heaven, cared for directly by God. The message argues that believers have left the old system of self-effort and must now wait upon the Lord for the spiritual rain that comes in due season. Pastor Hilton uses the farming cycle of planting, crop management, harvest, selling, and preparation to illustrate the church's current season, emphasizing that in Israel, unlike Egypt, conditions are set by God, not human effort. He draws a parallel between the bread of life (God's Word, which provides sustenance like seeds) and the living water (the Holy Spirit, which causes seeds to grow). The spiritual purpose is to call the congregation to experience a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which is available now for those who have been laboring in dry seasons. Pastor Hilton urges the people to bring their spiritual emptiness to the altar, declaring that the rain has come and it is due season for the church to receive the power and glory of God. The altar is opened for those needing a fresh drink of living water.

Bishop Riggen preaches from Genesis 28:16-19, focusing on Jacob's encounter at Bethel. Jacob, fleeing from Esau, dreams of a ladder connecting earth to heaven with angels ascending and descending, and God standing above it renewing the covenant made with Abraham. Jacob awakens and declares, 'Surely the Lord is in this place,' renaming the site from Luz (meaning almond tree) to Bethel (house of God). He establishes a personal covenant with God, dedicating a memorial and promising to tithe. The bishop emphasizes that Bethel represents more than a physical location; it signifies a place of divine encounter, covenant renewal, and the gate of heaven. He connects this Old Testament narrative to Jesus Christ, quoting John 1:14 and 1:51, explaining that Jesus is the ultimate Bethel—the ladder, the tabernacle, the house of God in human form who bridges the gap between sinful humanity and a holy God. Jesus is the mediator and the gate of heaven. The bishop then draws from Ezekiel 47 to describe living waters flowing from the house of God, bringing life to dead places. He links this to Jesus' promise in John 4 and 7, where believers receive rivers of living water from within. The sermon concludes with an altar call, urging thirsty souls to come to the altar where the river of God's presence begins to flow, bringing spiritual renewal and life.

Pastor Hilton preaches from Acts 9:31, emphasizing that the early church experienced rest, edification, and multiplication by walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Ghost. He teaches that genuine fear of God is the foundation for reverence toward God, His house, His people, His ministers, and His Word. This fear leads believers to hate evil and be taught through the preached Word. Edification, he explains, is the process of building up the body of Christ—like constructing a building or strengthening a physical body through proper nutrition and exercise. It comes through the five-fold ministry and also through believers speaking the truth in love to one another, which forms bonds and strengthens the church. The gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy, are given for the edification of the church, not for personal exaltation. Pastor Hilton then turns to the comfort of the Holy Ghost, citing Isaiah 28 and Acts 3 to show that speaking in tongues brings spiritual rest and refreshing. He illustrates with a story of a bodybuilder who only saw growth after he learned to rest, drawing a parallel to believers who need both the work of edification in church and the rest of the Holy Spirit to be transformed. Without the Spirit’s application, he warns, fear alone produces only superstition. But when fear and the Spirit are balanced, the Word multiplies and revival follows, as seen in Acts when the apostles filled Jerusalem with their doctrine and thousands were added.

Reverend Ferrell begins by reading 1 Peter 5:8, which warns that the devil prowls like a roaring lion, seeking to devour. He contrasts this with Revelation 5:5, where Christ is proclaimed the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The enemy is relentless, bloodthirsty, and works to destroy faith, hope, and unity through accusation and division. Believers must be sober and vigilant, putting on the full armor of God, and resisting steadfast in faith. The preacher stresses that spiritual life cannot be confined to church services; one must cultivate a personal relationship with God through prayer and praise at home. He illustrates the power of praise with Acts 16, where Paul and Silas prayed and sang in prison, causing an earthquake that loosed their chains. The central point is that when believers praise, the true Lion—Christ—shows up to deliver and fight for them. Reverend Ferrell urges the congregation to praise God in all circumstances, as praise is comely and causes the enemy to flee. He emphasizes that worship is not merely a Sunday activity but a continual offering, and that the prayers of the saints are precious before God. The message concludes with a call to let everything that has breath praise the Lord, inviting the Lion of Judah to manifest in every struggle, sickness, or need. The sermon's purpose is to encourage the church to use praise as a weapon against the adversary, trusting that the victorious King will arise and bring deliverance.

The minister preached from Matthew 5:6, 'Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled,' using the metaphor of an acquired taste to describe the Christian’s spiritual development. He explained that just as one’s palate for foods like coffee or black-eyed peas can change over time, a believer’s appetite for spiritual truth must mature beyond simple, palatable teachings. The minister warned against churches that serve a sugar-coated gospel, masking hard doctrines with pleasant feelings. He drew on the account of Isaac, Esau, and Jacob (Genesis 25 and 27), emphasizing that Isaac was deceived by what he felt—the hairy hands and the savory taste—overriding what he heard, Jacob’s voice. This illustrates the danger of relying on emotional experience or outward appearance rather than the truth of God’s Word. The minister cautioned against the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy, and urged believers to discern doctrine by the voice of Scripture, not by subjective feelings. He contrasted the manna in the wilderness—representing the basic milk of the Word—with the abundant promise of the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey, calling the church not to settle for spiritual immaturity. The central plea was to develop an appetite for the pure, unleavened bread of life, Jesus Christ, who is the Word made flesh, full of grace and truth. Only by heeding what the Spirit speaks through Scripture can believers avoid deception and receive true spiritual sustenance.