When I made my personal decision to be saved back in 1968, little did I know this choice was a far greater decision than repentance, water baptism in Jesus name, and being filled with the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38).
As a babe in Christ, my first years in Church developed in me a foundation of spiritual strength. When I look back I can see the worth and value of faithfulness. I never missed a Church service. In fact I loved Church and each service held for me something new. I cannot put my finger on all these little things that each service brought to my soul. But I know they happened. I cannot recall for instance the service where holiness and my dedication to it started. I, like others, just dressed the way other people did who went to Church. But at some point holiness was not someone else's standard, it became mine. I do not recall a single moment of fighting or arguing about holiness standards. This, while at the same time I was surrounded by those who claimed their personal convictions allowed them to do all sorts of sins uncondemned. I can recall hearing people tell the Pastor they did not care what he preached, they would live their life like they wanted. I heard them say their light on a matter was not the same light the Pastor had. While I was surrounded by all manner of malcontents and other misfits among the Apostolic Oneness people, it did not effect me or my spiritual life. I had made a decision to be saved and this included staying saved. Staying saved and walking in the Light was not something I thought about the night I turned loose of the seat back and walked the isle to the altar. At that moment, all I was thinking about was being saved. I had been under conviction for several Church services. The Holy Ghost moved upon me during the song service. And when the Pastor preached it was like he was reaching for me with all the anointing of his preaching he could muster. It is hard to explain sometimes how preaching can shake the soul loose from all that holds it back from saying YES LORD.
My formative years were not spent trying to find fault with Pentecost or the Apostolic way. I had no desire to have the haughty spirit of many who always seemed to find some fault in what the preacher preached. I took no joy in trying to catch something the preacher may have said that he seemed to contradict himself on. I was not one of those who ate the meat and spit out the bones. Or ate the grass and spit out the briars. These two sayings were the way others described how they would take from the Pastor's preaching what they wanted and the rest they would spit out on the ground and reject it. Frankly, I never experienced bones and briars in the preaching. I guess because my flesh was under control of the Spirit and there was nothing I was so brave about to be spitting out parts of the message. All those who did this I noticed over the past 40 years died lost and backslid. After I got saved, I always released myself into the preaching and ate it all up. As the Pastor brought his anointed message to its close, I was there with him in spirit knowing he was pulling for souls. I wanted the altar call so I could go up and pray with those making a decision and who would cry out in repentance and begin seeking for the Holy Ghost. I loved the altar time more than any other part of the service. How many I helped pray through to repentance and being filled with the Holy Ghost I do not remember. But there were many. The altar time was my time of the service when all of my own fasting and prayer unleashed in me a love for souls and a burden for their salvation.
Love of souls and a burden for their salvation: that was not at all in my mind or heart the night I went forward to be saved. How did these two things ever come into my heart? I remember, looking back how many who came to Church would leave the service as soon as they detected the Pastor was ending his message. They would up and walk out. The whole family would leave (whole families that ended up lost. You do not walk out on a move of God). Here and there some woman or man would leave. They did not want to be there in the Church during the altar service. I learned later they were going home to catch Sunday evening TV programs. I still do not understand this contradiction to my own heart. The night I got saved, filled with the Holy Ghost, was the last night the TV played in my house. I moved it out because I saw in my own weakness of the flesh, how this tool of the devil would influence so many to be spiritually weak and many would lose out with God as it became more an inspiration to their flesh than praying around the altar in a passion for souls. But, now that I look back I can see, that after my own salvation, walking in the Light was what I was doing. This inner experience with God was something I loved and no sacrifice for the Church, for the Truth, for souls was to much. Indeed, I learned what making provisions for the flesh was all about. I learned also, that the closer I drew near unto God, the farther away the world became and the less power it exerted upon my heart and mind. I saw in this, that walking in the Light was a journey with God out of and away from all darkness.
Over the years as I walked in the Light and did not turn back to the beggarly elements of a carnal life, or compromised my holiness standard, or added some ways of the old olive tree life back into the mix, I became a "real" Apostolic. I then knew how Jesus must have felt as he was in the world but not of it. How being holiness does not exclude us from the presence of others, but does make us a separate person. How no sin of others can cause us to approve it because they are family or friends. I developed a Jesus mind on love for souls and a burden for their lost condition. I could see something that stuck with me. These were people that God loved. And when I saw this, although I did not make a distinct connection to my own situation with God: I learned by loving others, that GOD ALSO LOVED ME! It was this very tiny revelation that caused me to say GOD LOVES ME. This also became the underlying reason why today I can write
Bishop Reckart
A Man God Loves
I know some of you hate me saying this. I am still puzzled by all the emails I get from some of you hating me because of my saying this. You actually want God to hate me. I got that message. Actually I am shocked. I have gotten a few emails from people who have said:
Bishop, God does love you and I love you also.
But these are very few as compared to the hate emails I get by ending my post this way. After my first hate email I decided to do this because it was true, but also to make my enemies go rabid everytime they read it.
I am a man who believes in walking in the Light. If this infuriates others, if it causes them anxiety, if it makes them cringe in anger, if it causes them to break out in sweats of contempt, and they can send me rebuking hateful emails of scorn: I know I am doing something RIGHT! When the flesh screams out against me like the demons did against Jesus, I know my walk in the Light is the cause.
In the days of Jesus there were people who did not have a single eye toward God and walk in the light. They were double minded and claimed they were in the light: but they were really in darkness and didn't know it.
LUK 11:34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
LUK 11:35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
When others walked away from the Light and lived a life of darkness and paraded their sins before me, like I was missing out or it didn't take all that to be saved: I knew they had dark hearts. They never really had the same Holy Ghost experience I got back in 1968. And they never got any of the same subsequent spiritual development that God wrought in me. This was very clear to me, that the reason why, was because they were not sold out. They were bargain hunting for a church where they could do as they wanted and the pastor never preached against sin and living a holiness standard. They loved the sermonizers with their fancy titles in which there was no conviction power of God in any of the preaching. Laodicae was born.
As my own life developed and God began using me in many different ways, I made a conscience decision I would die in this Apostolic Light doctrine that was born in me the night I got the Holy Ghost. I made a decision I would not die and pass into eternity WITH THE LIGHT OUT IN MY SOUL.
I saw in my own personal relationship with God, that if I am going where the Lamb is the Light;
If I am going to the New Jerusalem where the only Light is God;
If I am going to leave a dark world and approach unto the eternal Light:
Then let me die when the Light in me:
IS THE BRIGHTEST.
I refuse to die with the Light out in my soul.
I also refuse to make darkness Light.
Some of you hate me and send your nasty emails because you are in darkness and your speech betrays you. You cannot resist sending those evil hateful words because in some way, you feel better. You are so proud of yourself with your scorn, mockery, and jealous hearts. Yes, you are jealous for sin and the world, while I am jealous for the God who loves me.
And because I love a God in whom there is no darkness, not even a shadow;
And because this God loves me;
I will let my light so shine before men and they shall see my good works.
I encourage young men who love Truth to follow my way of life and love the Light as much as I have.
I will match my life with that of any liberal reprobate.
Let all who love the Lord Jesus Christ depart from all darkness.
Let there be NO PART dark.
And when you depart this life: let it be when your light is the brightest.
Walking in the Light is all of this and more.
Bishop Reckart
A Man God Loves
As a babe in Christ, my first years in Church developed in me a foundation of spiritual strength. When I look back I can see the worth and value of faithfulness. I never missed a Church service. In fact I loved Church and each service held for me something new. I cannot put my finger on all these little things that each service brought to my soul. But I know they happened. I cannot recall for instance the service where holiness and my dedication to it started. I, like others, just dressed the way other people did who went to Church. But at some point holiness was not someone else's standard, it became mine. I do not recall a single moment of fighting or arguing about holiness standards. This, while at the same time I was surrounded by those who claimed their personal convictions allowed them to do all sorts of sins uncondemned. I can recall hearing people tell the Pastor they did not care what he preached, they would live their life like they wanted. I heard them say their light on a matter was not the same light the Pastor had. While I was surrounded by all manner of malcontents and other misfits among the Apostolic Oneness people, it did not effect me or my spiritual life. I had made a decision to be saved and this included staying saved. Staying saved and walking in the Light was not something I thought about the night I turned loose of the seat back and walked the isle to the altar. At that moment, all I was thinking about was being saved. I had been under conviction for several Church services. The Holy Ghost moved upon me during the song service. And when the Pastor preached it was like he was reaching for me with all the anointing of his preaching he could muster. It is hard to explain sometimes how preaching can shake the soul loose from all that holds it back from saying YES LORD.
My formative years were not spent trying to find fault with Pentecost or the Apostolic way. I had no desire to have the haughty spirit of many who always seemed to find some fault in what the preacher preached. I took no joy in trying to catch something the preacher may have said that he seemed to contradict himself on. I was not one of those who ate the meat and spit out the bones. Or ate the grass and spit out the briars. These two sayings were the way others described how they would take from the Pastor's preaching what they wanted and the rest they would spit out on the ground and reject it. Frankly, I never experienced bones and briars in the preaching. I guess because my flesh was under control of the Spirit and there was nothing I was so brave about to be spitting out parts of the message. All those who did this I noticed over the past 40 years died lost and backslid. After I got saved, I always released myself into the preaching and ate it all up. As the Pastor brought his anointed message to its close, I was there with him in spirit knowing he was pulling for souls. I wanted the altar call so I could go up and pray with those making a decision and who would cry out in repentance and begin seeking for the Holy Ghost. I loved the altar time more than any other part of the service. How many I helped pray through to repentance and being filled with the Holy Ghost I do not remember. But there were many. The altar time was my time of the service when all of my own fasting and prayer unleashed in me a love for souls and a burden for their salvation.
Love of souls and a burden for their salvation: that was not at all in my mind or heart the night I went forward to be saved. How did these two things ever come into my heart? I remember, looking back how many who came to Church would leave the service as soon as they detected the Pastor was ending his message. They would up and walk out. The whole family would leave (whole families that ended up lost. You do not walk out on a move of God). Here and there some woman or man would leave. They did not want to be there in the Church during the altar service. I learned later they were going home to catch Sunday evening TV programs. I still do not understand this contradiction to my own heart. The night I got saved, filled with the Holy Ghost, was the last night the TV played in my house. I moved it out because I saw in my own weakness of the flesh, how this tool of the devil would influence so many to be spiritually weak and many would lose out with God as it became more an inspiration to their flesh than praying around the altar in a passion for souls. But, now that I look back I can see, that after my own salvation, walking in the Light was what I was doing. This inner experience with God was something I loved and no sacrifice for the Church, for the Truth, for souls was to much. Indeed, I learned what making provisions for the flesh was all about. I learned also, that the closer I drew near unto God, the farther away the world became and the less power it exerted upon my heart and mind. I saw in this, that walking in the Light was a journey with God out of and away from all darkness.
Over the years as I walked in the Light and did not turn back to the beggarly elements of a carnal life, or compromised my holiness standard, or added some ways of the old olive tree life back into the mix, I became a "real" Apostolic. I then knew how Jesus must have felt as he was in the world but not of it. How being holiness does not exclude us from the presence of others, but does make us a separate person. How no sin of others can cause us to approve it because they are family or friends. I developed a Jesus mind on love for souls and a burden for their lost condition. I could see something that stuck with me. These were people that God loved. And when I saw this, although I did not make a distinct connection to my own situation with God: I learned by loving others, that GOD ALSO LOVED ME! It was this very tiny revelation that caused me to say GOD LOVES ME. This also became the underlying reason why today I can write
Bishop Reckart
A Man God Loves
I know some of you hate me saying this. I am still puzzled by all the emails I get from some of you hating me because of my saying this. You actually want God to hate me. I got that message. Actually I am shocked. I have gotten a few emails from people who have said:
Bishop, God does love you and I love you also.
But these are very few as compared to the hate emails I get by ending my post this way. After my first hate email I decided to do this because it was true, but also to make my enemies go rabid everytime they read it.
I am a man who believes in walking in the Light. If this infuriates others, if it causes them anxiety, if it makes them cringe in anger, if it causes them to break out in sweats of contempt, and they can send me rebuking hateful emails of scorn: I know I am doing something RIGHT! When the flesh screams out against me like the demons did against Jesus, I know my walk in the Light is the cause.
In the days of Jesus there were people who did not have a single eye toward God and walk in the light. They were double minded and claimed they were in the light: but they were really in darkness and didn't know it.
LUK 11:34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
LUK 11:35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
When others walked away from the Light and lived a life of darkness and paraded their sins before me, like I was missing out or it didn't take all that to be saved: I knew they had dark hearts. They never really had the same Holy Ghost experience I got back in 1968. And they never got any of the same subsequent spiritual development that God wrought in me. This was very clear to me, that the reason why, was because they were not sold out. They were bargain hunting for a church where they could do as they wanted and the pastor never preached against sin and living a holiness standard. They loved the sermonizers with their fancy titles in which there was no conviction power of God in any of the preaching. Laodicae was born.
As my own life developed and God began using me in many different ways, I made a conscience decision I would die in this Apostolic Light doctrine that was born in me the night I got the Holy Ghost. I made a decision I would not die and pass into eternity WITH THE LIGHT OUT IN MY SOUL.
I saw in my own personal relationship with God, that if I am going where the Lamb is the Light;
If I am going to the New Jerusalem where the only Light is God;
If I am going to leave a dark world and approach unto the eternal Light:
Then let me die when the Light in me:
IS THE BRIGHTEST.
I refuse to die with the Light out in my soul.
I also refuse to make darkness Light.
Some of you hate me and send your nasty emails because you are in darkness and your speech betrays you. You cannot resist sending those evil hateful words because in some way, you feel better. You are so proud of yourself with your scorn, mockery, and jealous hearts. Yes, you are jealous for sin and the world, while I am jealous for the God who loves me.
And because I love a God in whom there is no darkness, not even a shadow;
And because this God loves me;
I will let my light so shine before men and they shall see my good works.
I encourage young men who love Truth to follow my way of life and love the Light as much as I have.
I will match my life with that of any liberal reprobate.
Let all who love the Lord Jesus Christ depart from all darkness.
Let there be NO PART dark.
And when you depart this life: let it be when your light is the brightest.
Walking in the Light is all of this and more.
Bishop Reckart
A Man God Loves
It is an awesome thing to be in light, to know the love of God, and live in such a way that your dedication to God is evident. For too long, I thought what you were doing was in real pride. I now understand what you were doing was testifying against those who speak against the truth.
ReplyDeleteAllow me to state this as well, Bishop, that what you did in sacrifice in the church and in your personal life did not go unnoticed or unrecognized by the Lord. It is still evident that what you did and what you are doing is NOT in pride or arrogance, but in a heart of total dedication as unto the Lord.
Grace and peace be to you in the name of God our Father, who is the Lord Jesus Christ/Messieh.