[This message was delivered on June 12, 1984 to the Church of the Redeemer, a well-known charismatic Episcopal church in the Eastwood area of Houston that my wife and I were visiting at the time. I received parts of it in October and December of 1983 and the last of it in January 1984. I refer to YHWH* as "the Lord". Since its internal affairs were never discussed by its members, we had no knowledge of the matters addressed in this message and the message seemed rather harsh, so I was reluctant to deliver it. I delayed several months after receiving the last part, but the burden to act on it grew heavier as time passed, so I asked a faithful friend with whom my wife and I met regularly to read it and advise me. She was adamant that it was from YHWH and that I had to deliver it right away. So I did. The message below is just as I delivered it, complete with the bracketed comments. I was told later by someone with inside knowledge that portions of this message had been delivered in prior prophecies.]
[The Lord instructed me to record this message, saying, "I have a message
for my people at the Church of the Redeemer":]
Hear me now, children, I am your God, and you must have none other
before me. For you have wandered lost like so many sheep, and I call you
now to return. I have sent messengers to you to bear my tidings. But you
have not received what I gave you nor have you accounted for failure to
publish what I spoke. How long, O Israel, will you like wayward youth
pursue your own delights? If you will not believe what I tell you, what
will you believe of me? Is this what my son died for? Is this the legacy
he left you?
[As I sat in church at Redeemer one Sunday, the Lord spoke to me and told
me to proclaim to you:]
Behold, my people, I am among you, and a day is coming when a new leader
will stand among you, one who is like you but not of you. And he will be clothed
in the raiment of my glory and peace. Pray, then, that you may recognize him.
[Some days later, the Lord continued that message and told me to record
this:]
You will not all know him, for you do not all know me. But among
you are those who abide in me and in whom I abide. They are those who
shall know my anointed. And my anointed shall know them. For the bearer
of good fruit is known by its own, and the fruit is known by all, but only
in those in whom abides the good seed does the fruit prosper and grow.
Be on guard, then, for whom I send and be ready for that day when he
stands among you to lead you to the promise I have laid before you.
[At another time, the Lord spoke about the leadership and told me to write
this concerning some of the church leaders:]
You are now as cold as ice and understanding. I have been with you
when the body was on fire with my spirit, and it was a sweet ointment
whose fragrance reached unto heaven. But you have brought your own order
to restrain my spirit among my people. It is to your great shame that you
have ignored and even tried to stifle my spirit. I am the Lord your God.
You shall not set yourselves as gods before me.
I seek men whose humility shines as a lamp in a dark room, whose
love is a fire on a cold night, whose peace is a gentle quilt on a soft
bed, and whose joy is a song beyond mortal imagining. Where will I find
them? Surely such men can be found among you. Or have you grown cold and
hard in the arrogance of what petty power you possess? There is but one
power worth having. Does it reside in you? Have you the power that pours
forth from men who are so filled with my spirit, with my son, that they
overflow? Are you such as these? You have been stewards of bounty.
Account for it now. What has become of my church in this place? What
have you done to nurture my spirit among the people? What have you done
to proclaim the word I gave you?
[After this, the Lord said, "And now for the people, write this":]
Though your sins be as scarlet, I will wash them as white as snow.
Though you have pursued human goals, I shall receive you back. Though you
have lived as the pagans among whom you live and move, I will yet be your
only God. But you must seek my face and follow me. Let my son, Jesus,
abide in you and you in him, that peace and love may show forth from your
countenance, that the radiance of my glory may be manifest in you, that
all may know whom I have chosen and protect. Come to me, and I will
refresh you, even in the midst of the parched desert that encircles you.
For I am the sweet water of salvation and the wholeness you seek. Be my
people, and I shall be your God. Pursue not what the heathen pursue.
Desire not the world's paltry goods -- the vanities of power, pleasure,
fame and fortune. Desire not knowledge of that which only rots and
sickens. Desire, instead, to know me and mine.
If you will follow me and what I require, I will not only restore
the body in this place but will increase the number of worshippers beyond
measure. And my spirit will pour into and out of all. Prophecies will be
heard with singing and received with joy; healing will flow as freely as
water; and my presence will be manifest in your mouths, in your love and
in your lives. Your graneries will be full, and there will be none in
want. I will give you the fullness of my grace, and peace will be as
plentiful as fish in the sea. But like the ship in danger of a collision,
you must not delay. Turn now that you may reap this harvest. Leave your
idols, submit to my spirit, receive my teaching, open yourselves to my
leadership. You are not sufficient to sustain my church, but I am. And
I will increase it beyond your imagining because you will have been
faithful, and your faith will light the way for others who even now grope
in the dark for what you have seen.
Hear me, children, seek me first. Seek those things that I will
show you, listen for my voice, and learn well my lessons for you. I have
already as many of man's organizations as my work can stand. What I want
of you is submission, the same kind of submission that humility bears.
You must not merely allow but encourage the manifestation of my spirit,
and an attitude of prayer and rejoicing and a spirit of thankfulness.
Give my spirit freedom to work in each of you according to my will for all
of you. Do not limit what I would do within you by restraining my
outpouring. And when you read the scripture, do not idly look to the
future, but learn what you need for the present that your fulness may be
proven and my kingdom glorified.
Give yourselves to me, and I will give you my bounty, but do not set
up expectations born of the world around you. My bounty is such as you
cannot obtain without me. If you would have more of the world, you are
not fit for my kingdom. Therefore, do not set up what you would have, but
let me decide what you need and should have.
If you were not so dear to me, I would not speak to you as I do.
For you are as dear to me as gold is precious to you. But gold that
remains only a lump and is not fashioned, smoothed and polished by the
craftsman is not worthy of its promise. Even so are you to be melted,
molded, polished and worn by me as jewelry that speaks of my power, my
blessings, my love and my glory. I am your father. And I love you.
Receive from me the wings that I would fashion for each of you. I will
not abandon you. Will you be faithful in devotion to only me? If so, I
will surprise you.
[In January, the Lord told me to add this message:]
Even now I am at work. My presence among you is strength. Trust in
me, and let me work among you. These are hard times for my church. There
are those who create unreasonable expectations, and many will fall away
for lack of fulfillment. There must be enclaves of purity. Maintain
purity of thought, and you will lead pure lives. Be faithful in all
things, and I will reward you. My children, I am with you. Stay you with
me.
[This ends the message that I was told to deliver. I received parts of it in October and December of 1983 and the last of it in January 1984. May Jesus Christ, the Father's son, our lord and saviour, bless your reading of it and grant you knowledge of its truth. Call upon him for confirmation that the scripture may be fulfilled and the glory of God be manifested.]