Evangelist F.M. Riley Answers Rolla Revival Fervent Prayer – My Testimony
Evangelist F.M. Riley has been a faithful poster on Five Doves for many years. I enjoy reading and finding inspiration in his posts. You may have noticed he often includes his address in Rolla, a town of around 20 thousand people in southern Missouri, USA.
My best friend from 8th to 12th grade lived various places around the world during his career in the Army. His last assignment took him to live in Rolla, MO. From there he retired. He continues to work as a civilian at the Army base near Rolla.
I have had on my bucket list for too many years now to look up F.M. Riley and visit my old friend. God’s providence had both of them ending up in Rolla.
As opposed to ending up in Rolla, I began in Rolla. Through God’s providence, God’s foreordination, my parents lived and worked in Rolla at the time I was born.
There is a lot made of where a person is born. A birth certificate is used to validate that a person is who they say they are for the rest of their life. It shows provenance. From the Old Testament regarding Jesus Christ we have:
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Micah 5:2
My parents moved away from Rolla when I was around 1 year old. I then returned to southern Missouri between my 9th and 10th grade year to attend a Methodist church camp. It was there that I met the Lord and became born again.
After my 12th grade year I returned to Rolla to attend college. It was during this time for several years that I fervently prayed to God for Him to send a revival to Rolla. I then received confirmation in my spirit that God would answer my prayer, but not during my time there. I left Rolla 40 years ago this past May. Year later, evangelist F.M. Riley came to Rolla and stayed. I believe God answered my prayer through this man. This is my testimony. These are the details.
I was born out of water at Phelps County Hospital in Rolla, MO.
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. John 3:5
My parents soon after birth had me circumcised. This physical reality of the cutting off of my foreskin was instituted by God for those born of the flesh of Adam’s seed and who were then set apart as God’s chosen people. Although it was considered standard procedure medically and hygienically at hospitals throughout the United States at the time I was born. There is a great book called, “None of these Diseases” which goes into much of these instructions given by God to Moses in the wilderness which have health benefits well beyond those understood by the Children of Israel at that time. God said to “ceremonially” wash ones hands after certain activities. What are we told now is the most effective way to stop the spread of viruses?
But much more than a medical or hygiene action, circumcision symbolizes God’s spiritual reality of the power of the Word of God to cut the old sin nature, the dead spirit of sin away from our soul.
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
We are all called to repent of our sins and then turn away from sinning, stepping out in faith and asking God to forgive us all our sins. We then must be able to accept that forgiveness in our heart, accept God removing our sin nature, and ask Jesus Christ to then come into our hearts and become Lord of our life.
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20
And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Luke 5:31-32
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23
Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Revelation 2:16
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17
For Jesus Christ to come into our heart He must be invited. And then, only after our spirit of sin has been removed. Holy and evil cannot occupy the same space. For without the cutting away and the removal of the spirit of sin which we were born with, the Holy Spirit cannot bind with our soul and we cannot inherit eternal life! This is essential to gain immortality! This is essential to eat of the tree of Life.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:15
Anyone here want to live forever, say “I do”? Anyone here remember that song from Amy Grant?
God cannot overemphasize the importance of the symbolism of circumcision as the first step of cutting off our Adamic sin nature to prepare us for receiving the Holy Spirit. Before Israel was allowed to cross the Jordan River after spending 40 years in the wilderness, they all had to be circumcised. Then as they crossed the Jordan River, all getting partly wet and some undoubtedly falling in and being “baptized”, 12 rough stones symbolizing the 12 tribes were placed into the water and 12 smooth stones were taken out to be carried into the Promised Land.
Israel passing through the water and coming out of the water into the Promised Land predates the coming of John the Baptist and the sign of water baptism for the remission of sins but the picture is the same.
Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Acts 11:16
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. I Corinthians 15:53-56
Growing up my family regularly attended Methodist Sunday School and Church and I would have told anyone that asked that I was a Christian. In 9th grade when my teacher asked what each of us wanted to be when we grew up I said I wanted to be a preacher. Then I met Jesus.
For me it was first on an intellectual level and then it was on a heart level. They say the distance between Heaven and hell is less than a foot, the distance between your heart and your head.
A classmate in 9th grade was a Jehovah’s Witness and he told me he knew he was not going to heaven. I was flabbergasted. I then learned they believe only 144,000 people are going to heaven and those got filled up pretty quickly soon after the formation of their religion. Myself, I believed I was probably going to heaven but I really didn’t know.
At that time our United Methodist church emphasized basically good people go to Heaven, basically bad people go to hell. It’s like all the good we have done is put on a scale next to all the bad we have done and whichever weighs the most, that’s where we went.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Revelation 20:12-14
I didn’t know at that time that I could repent from my dead works and they would be removed from the books. I could repent on the blood of Jesus and God would forgive me and cast my sins into what’s been called the sea of forgetfulness. My sins would be washed away so I could be as white as snow.
I heard the gospel at a Youth for Christ rally my 9th grade year and understood it on an intellectual level but at that time did not accept it on a heart level. Someone asked me if I was going to heaven and I said I didn’t know. They said if you don’t know, then you aren’t. It wasn’t till that summer that I accepted the gospel on a heart level and felt a strange warming of my heart and knew I was going to heaven.
It was after that our family started attending a charismatic church which emphasized the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. While my soul was now forever joined with a part of the eternal Holy Spirit and would never cease to exist even after the White Throne judgment and long after my body had decayed, my body could have a complete infilling now of the same Holy Spirit. It’s like Elisha getting from God a double portion of the Spirit God gave Elijah.
Receiving the Holy Spirit Baptism I found out is a lot harder than it sounds. But then just praying the Roman Road to Salvation is no guarantee that you’ve repented and then accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior either. Likewise, you can be prayed over, anointed with oil, spend time praying fervently for God to fill you with His Spirit but there is no assurance anything will happen. Its God providence if your prayers and the desires of your heart will be answered by Him to end with Him filling you with His Holy Spirit.
It wasn’t until my sophomore year in college when I had been fervently praying for the baptism with evidence of speaking in tongues for at least a year that my prayer was answered. It’s just an overwhelming feeling of joy that floods your body. Sure that first feeling of euphoria will subside. I’ve heard it described as us being earthen vessels with holes and He leaks out over time. Much like the glow of Moses face decreased over time.
I know there are those who have not experienced this and have only read about it who could be as skeptical as those who doubt there is such a thing as being born again. All I know is what I have experienced and to what I can testify.
I can say it’s like there is another conscience inside you. Like John the Baptist having the Spirit of Elijah within him before he was born. He never went through the route of being saved by repenting of his own sins after he came of age. He was the greatest prophet born of woman because at birth he was the only man with the Holy Spirit and the spirit and power of Elijah.
But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Luke 1:13-17
For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. Luke 7:28
Jesus Christ did not say John the Baptist was the second greatest prophet born of women, Jesus being the first. No, Jesus said John was the greatest prophet. How could this be? Only if there is a hierarchy among the Godhead with Jesus being born obviously through the power of the Holy Ghost but as the Word of God made flesh, not with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit did not join the Word of God made flesh till right after the baptism of Jesus.
Regarding that last part where he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than John the Baptist. Jesus is telling us that those of us who are born again will not see John the Baptist in the kingdom of God when we come into His kingdom. At one time I had thought of this showing the difference between eternal life and eternal destiny. All the angels for example are immortal and have eternal life. However a third of them will have their eternal destiny in the lake of fire. Man is mortal before he is born again. John the Baptist was not necessarily ever born again.
Going on. The hierarchy in the godhead with Jesus having been made lower and then exalted to sit at the Father’s right hand, but it is still His right hand, is apparent. The hierarchy in the much different consequences between speaking a word against Jesus versus the Holy Spirit is also apparent.
And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven. Luke 12:10
John proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah to the world.
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1:29
But after the Spirit of Elijah left him he then sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus whether He really was the Messiah.
Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Matthew 11:2-3
But then John the Baptist is a very special case because the Word of God who became Flesh as one part of the Godhead had to be blessed by another part of the Godhead in John the Baptist that was higher in hierarchy.
And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. Hebrews 7:7
Because it was only after the Word of God as Jesus Christ took upon Himself the sins of the world, suffered, and died, that He was exalted to the right hand of the Father.
That’s my understanding anyway which reconciles these scriptures. And I can add my own experience. Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh, was baptized by John with water. Then Jesus Christ was baptized with the Holy Spirit which descended like a dove from Heaven. Then, as if controlled by a different conscience, the Holy Spirit drove Jesus Christ into the wilderness for 40 days. I wonder if those 40 days of tribulation coincided with the 40 days leading up to Yom Kippur and recognized by the Jews, the last 10 days being the days of awe, the days of repentance.
I can only bear testimony to what happened to me. I was overwhelmed by an unquenchable desire to become water baptized. I had never been water baptized as a believer nor had I ever had a desire before to be water baptized. Through friends I found a church in Rolla where I was able to be water baptized along with others in a stream that flowed through Rolla.
Which brings me full circle to then spending my time fervently praying for a revival to hit Rolla. I didn’t know what form it would take but I knew I would know it when I saw it. And I fervently, deeply prayed. I felt like I had prayed harder and longer for this than I had for the Baptism. Only then did I receive assurance in my spirit that God would answer my prayer but not during the time I was in Rolla. While all the glory goes to God, with FM Riley, I believe God answered my prayer.
Shalom!
Ted Porter
9/3/2020