Remembering The End Game Of Revival

Remembering The Endgame Of Revival

We are great forgetters and easy wanderers. It’s easy to get some truth, even to experience it deeply, but then to slip off into wrong thinking.

“Remain On at Ephesus”

This was Paul’s admonition to young Timothy. Paul had led these people to Christ in Ephesus and spent two years discipling them. He had sent Timothy at some point to continue the work.

Here he urges the young pastor to stay and keep teaching the people because error lurked at the door—but not the error we might think.

As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God, which is by faith.

But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion . . . (1 Timothy 1:3-6 NASB).

These men had the apostle Paul as their first, church-planting pastor! This was the apostle who wrote over two-thirds of what would become the New Testament. Yet before long, they were straying into heresy. They were missing the point of God’s truth.

We Have an Enemy

Jesus classified him as “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). His whole nature and scheme is to get us to believe wrong things—to divert us into what doesn’t matter. He will either keep us from the truth or, if we’ve found the truth, try to steer us slightly off into some silly, unfruitful discussion.

And he’s good at his task. He’s practiced for thousands of years, on better men than you or me.

Sound Doctrine

Sound doctrine is not only important; it is vital, particularly in seasons of revival where strong emotion is evident (and understandable). If we think wrongly and believe wrongly, soon we will live wrongly.

Paul knew this, and he knew that everyone needs good mentors and teachers and pastors in their life. We all need (even every pastor needs) leaders who will remind us that the endgame of all truth is the Great Commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love others as you love yourself (Mark 12:30-31).

If the focus of your thinking is some tangent thought that exalts your theory or ideas—some wild, “new thing” where you are heralded as the great prophet—you’re missing the point. If your brand of revival thought is not producing deep love for Jesus Christ and Him alone, something is dreadfully wrong.

The Great Theme

The overarching theme of the Welsh Revival was the overwhelming love of Christ and a passionate love for Christ. The theme song of this mighty work of God, which spread across the world, was “Here Is Love.”

Here is love, vast as the ocean,
Loving kindness as the flood,
When the Prince of Life, our ransom,
Shed for us His precious blood.
Who His love will not remember,
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten,
Throughout heaven’s eternal days.

On the mount of crucifixion,
Fountains opened deep and wide;
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers,
Poured incessant from above;
Heaven’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love.

Tragically, Jesus’ later indictment of this same Ephesian church was, “You have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4). They were missing the point of experiential truth—truth designed to lead them into intimacy with Christ and a burden for others.

A hot-hearted, truth-fed passion for Jesus is our need, and it’s the goal of real revival: a love that sets us ablaze for Him and for the world He loves.

by One Cry

Lansing , MI Dec. 2 and 3- 2015

Hey everyone,
We trust that everyone had a great Thanksgiving filled with Jesus, Love, and family!
I wanted to drop by and mention that Angie and I will be in Bath, MI (Greater Lansing area) again this year for an intercession meeting and prayer at the State Capitol on Dec 2 and 3... Last year also in Dec, we had a great time there speaking Life and lifting up our State unto the Lord.
This is actually the beginning of the 35 yrs in ministry events that will run all the way through 2016.
In our ministry we frequently gather with prayer warriors from across the Nation  and this time in our history it has never been more crucial that we do this on a regular basis..

I also want to mention the new Podcast to you. Of course it is now listed in the links on this site as well as 2 of the episodes are in players at the top right hand corner of this site. An additional episode can be be found at the bottom left of this site. From time to time I will be changing these featured episodes but the best way for you to get all the nuggets is to subscribe to the podcast. You can either use the links and go directly to Pod Bean or better still, subscribe in ITunes by searching for "Old Time Power" and subbing that way for easy download.. Its already reaching alot of people around the world..

I am so excited to tell you that in our 35th yr in ministry year 2016, we will be having special radio messages by Roger Randel, Chris Tanner, and some messages also by Frank Sumrall, son of Dr. Lester Sumrall..As well as a few programs featuring messages by David Nunn, Evangelist from the Voice of Healing era of the 1940s and 50's.... Among many others!Also continuing programming by TRBC, TSC, And Keith Malcomson... Looking forward to this exciting line up beginning in January.. I will be preaching at least once a week and All my messages will be brand new and podcasted for easy download.. We are Thankful for the recent advances and mostly for all of you.. God told me that those who are there in year 35 will remain in yr 36.. What a great word.. It's time for all the little games to be over and for THE CHURCH TO GATHER THE HARVEST!!! It's happening friends!! Revival is here!!! Let's run this race together!! 

God bless you all.......
See you again soon,
Len

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Angie and I want to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving this year...
There is so much to be Thankful for in all our lives. Praying you all have a Christ centered day as you enjoy the many blessings..

21 Lester Sumrall - How To Cope 12 (Unforgiveness) JehToday

The spirit of Unforgiveness is an enemy of Christ.. Learn about it.. Be delivered and set free from it.. In Jesus Name..

Distant Thunder by Jerry Williams of Epic Ministries

There is nothing like the voice of an old friend.... Jerry Williams of Epic Ministries (formerly of Harvest) and a great new worship song... God bless you as you worship the Lord Today.....

Wednesday Day Of Prayer

We are honored to join some of our friends in Lynchburg for a day of prayer this coming Wednesday.. We will also be hosting a special radio hour that day and sharing about Living Bread ministries. The scheduled time for the show is 11 am Wed. e s t ....
Tell your your friends and neighbors to tune in to Spreaker web Radio... Pastor Len Paxton....  Thanks.

Partnerships in Place for 2016

We were very honored today to become partners with Dutch Sheets Ministries.. This partnership flows right along with what I will be preaching on Revival and history.. I like this ministry because they do not play games and are not rude.  The book by Dutch on Appeal To Heaven has had a major impact already on my thinking and my ministry..
We also made a new year pledge to the Partnership with Perry Stone Ministries as well... We are believing God for Revival as never before and along with our Partnerships with the ministries of TRBC (Liberty Church Network,Gleaning for the World, Liberty Godparent Home, etc..), this rounds out our major partnerships for 2016.. There are a few other ministries we give to regularly at lesser scales.
Most of our extra giving will be shaped around building strong and solid Local Churches........ Blessings, Len

We are getting very excited about a brand new season... God has been birthing a word in season in our hearts and to follow most of the up to the minute info of the ministry please follow Len on Twitter @pastorlen .. The 35th year events begin in January and we plan on giving away a lot of neat things next year to help in peoples spiritual lives. Today, we taped a devotional called The Moth and The Cockroach... that will be posted on the connect site soon.. It deals with the reaction people have to the light of truth based on the nature within them. This is taken from a full length message soon to air on radio. We really both appreciate the blessing of being on Christopher Tanner's radio program last Friday and look forward to combining efforts many times with our friends in Topeka. Next week Len will do a couple book promo's on the connect site so please be watching for that... Craig Groeschel's new book ‪#‎struggles‬; Following Jesus in A Selfie-Centered World.. dealing with the struggles of an internet world... This is a powerful read! In Fact we are drawing names from the past 2 weeks on Lens posts to give away a free copy of this life changing and liberating book... I'm not sure what the other book will be yet..Hope you all had a great Lord's day and we have a huge shout out for all who have been dropping by Lens page as I am posting on it... We appreciate the way you share and care... Everyone can continue to send prayer requests to office@acts2618.com.....God bless.,  Angie

Repost from Christian post : Great Word by Matt Chandler

The words "the forgiveness of sins" in the Apostles' Creed are so important for Christian believers to understand and live out that they cannot reflect the authenticity of their faith, and that of the Church, without it, said Pastor Matt Chandler of The Village Church in Texas, who is teaching his congregation the meaning and relevance of the statement of faith through a series of sermons.
As humans, we love others to get punished, and also love to watch them get punished, said Chandler in his message, "The Forgiveness of Sins."
"We live in a world where outrage is all the rage… We live in a punishment-obsessed world," he said, and added, "But for the people of God, this should not be so."
The Apostle's Creed is so designed that we first look at the doctrine and then its application in our lives, Chandler explained, and then said the forgiveness of sins is about the latter.
It has two points. One, that "God forgives." And two, that "the communion of saints becomes the platform on which the forgiveness of God is made visible to the world around us."
After Aaron built a golden calf in the absence of Moses and for the Israelites to worship, and when the people began to drink alcohol and possibly indulge in sexual acts, God could have destroyed them, but He didn't, the pastor told the congregation.
He read out Exodus 34:5-9, "Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.' Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshipped. 'Lord,' he said, 'if I have found favour in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.'"
The pastor then asked the congregation to ask themselves if they really believe that God is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

Forgiveness is the ultimate expression of the Godhead in all He is," Chandler said, and defined
forgiveness as "releasing someone from their wrongs fully, freely and forever."
"What does God forgive us of?" he asked, and then answered through verse 7 in the passage: wickedness or iniquity, rebellion or transgression, and sin.
Iniquity is a premeditated choice that carries with it some continuing disregard for repentance, Pastor Chandler explained. We don't stumble into a murder or adultery; we commit these things because of our premeditated choice wherein we refuse to listen to our conscience or the Holy Spirit.
"God forgives this. You haven't gone too far," he said, explaining that it's a lie when we think we've gone too deep into a sin and cannot turn away from it. It's not too late, and God's forgiveness if available right now, he stressed.
Transgression, he explained, is a presumptuous sin, an arrogant sin. You decide in the moment you'd do it, it's when you give yourself to your appetites. You know it's a sin, but you don't care.
God forgives this, too, Chandler said. You've not gone too far; it's not too late, he repeated.

Sin, in its basic meaning, is to miss the mark. It's failing to do something that you know is right. Iniquity and transgression could sit under the umbrella of sin, he explained.

God forgives this, too, Chandler added. There's no sin in your life that God cannot forgive or does not desire to forgive. "You haven't gone too far; He already sees and knows; it's paid for. Take the offer of forgiveness because God is serious about sin."
He added: "God hates sin with a kind of wrath that's hard to get our heads around." Because God loves us so much, He hates sin so much, because sin harms us so much, he explained.
Though our children do not have to give account for our sins, they are affected by our sins, the pastor warned. "Sin carries with it collateral damage. When you sin against God, you also sin against others."
Forgiveness of sins is equally about community, not just about you and the Lord, Chandler stressed. There are communal ramifications of sin. "People of God are never so authentic as when they confess their sins to one another, and they forgive one another. It's a stage on which God's forgiveness is seen and marveled at."
He went on to state, "The real church forgives. The people of God forgive because they've been forgiven."
Forgiving others is a command, and not forgiving amounts to an attempt to play a just God, which we are not, he said.
Some wounds can be so deep that forgiveness could seem impossible, Pastor Chandler admitted, and said that God would eventually strengthen those who are experiencing that, and free them from that state.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer called forgives "a breakthrough to community," Chandler told the congregation, and quoted him, "In a very real way, forgiveness is not just about absolving guilt, but is also a reminder of what communion with God and with one another can and should be."
The megachurch pastor concluded the sermon by saying that God is like the God in the parable of the prodigal son in the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament.

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/megachurch-pastor-matt-chandler-forgiveness-apostles-creed-149996/#huYisfhljZpaXJei.99

Helping Those In Need - Homeless - Social Experiment

When Lance stepped up to the counter at McDonald's and asked for 100 McDoubles, the cashier thought it was all a joke. But when he started selflessly passing out food to the homeless, my heart was touched. This teen and his friends are amazing role models for the young generation!

General Paxton :an excerpt from his memiors: Lexington,VA 2011

Here is an oldie but goodie this morning.. Taped from the letters and journal of Brig. Gen. E.F. Paxton C.S.A. at his boyhood home in Lexington VA

Declaration Of Dependence Upon God and His Holy Bible.

This is the Petition for Christians of America to let their voices be heard.. We signed today and ask that you would do so also. Click on the images to make them bigger, read them, and then please go to the site and sign. God bless you,
Len and Angie Paxton

A New Year: A New Season

Hi Everyone,  Angie and I are so very excited about 2016!! I will be celebrating 35 years in the ministry and We have been married for 23 of those years doing this together.....

There will be a special event each month in addition to our regular ministry functions and starting next year, most all the posting will be done at THIS site right here.... We have felt for a very long time, the need to develop relationships based on face to face encounter and mutual walks rather than just the online version of relationships (both are important). So, while we recognize the importance of online communication, it will basically be directed here.  We will also use sites to share links from the material but over time are believing that most of you will glean from the material right here..

We are merging with several established ministries into Apostolic teams of sorts and are quite excited at this prospect. My goal for these years of my life is to pour myself out for Christ in connection and not isolated. We have been given by the Lord several who truly believe in our vision and desire to learn so the set up is there and I am ready. We have been sharing videos from several of the outreaches we will be connected to and shall continue to do that.  I am meeting just this week with Minister friends from Kansas, Virginia, and Ohio who are anxious to be involved in this season and the meetings have been awesome and productive.

We will be in Bath MI December 2 and 3 and this meeting will include prayer at the MI State Capitol..

To all who stand with us: we appreciate your support and all that you help us to accomplish in Jesus Name... One of our new priorities in 2016 is connecting with as many prayer groups across the country as we can and helping to start and equip as many new ones as we can! Prayer still changes things!! Prayer can still change You!! Prayer can change America!!

This along with our commitments to the  ministries of TRBC and Liberty will be a major thrust as we go along throughout the 35 yr celebration year.  We have already been able to start 2 prayer groups that will stay connected and there are several more in the wings. We are also praying about planting a church as well as supporting the several we already do that train local pastors..
I will try and post more updates very soon and tell you about the Jan 2016 special event also..
God bless you all today,
Len