April Newsletter
Servant Ministries, Inc. Issue No. 204 Ira & Judy Milligan
The Prophet’s Perspective Times of Restoration
“Repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ…, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21). As the scripture above promises, our Spring, United Ministers Fellowship conference was indeed one of God’s, “times of refreshing” for those who attended. God’s presence was powerfully manifest throughout the entire conference. Many who had previously “lost heart” were greatly encouraged as they saw, “the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Ps. 27:13). Miraculous healings were numerous, including one woman’s eyesight restored who had been blinded from brain damage, but most important of all God’s presence imparted a refreshing anointing which encouraged and empowered us for His service.
I would like to encourage everyone, including those who were not able to attend the conference, to ask for and believe God for the full restoration of all of those things that have previously been stolen, lost or destroyed by the devastating attacks of the enemy of our souls. This is certainly one of the, “times of refreshing” and “restoration” that Peter prophesied of. Don’t miss out by failing to ask! And important principle concerning restoration is found in the following scripture: “Then the king talked with Gehazi…, saying, ‘Tell me, please, all the great things Elisha has done.’ Now it happened, as he was telling the king how [Elisha] had restored the dead to life, that there was the woman whose son he had restored to life, appealing to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, ‘My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.’ And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed a certain officer for her, saying, ‘Restore all that was hers, and all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the land until now’.” (2 Kings 8:4-6). Notice that this woman’s land was restored, not as it was when she left, but as it would have been had she never lost it in the first place! The same was true concerning Job’s restoration. Flocks multiply! When God restored Job’s flocks, he received twice as many as he lost. “And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the Lord had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold. Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning” (Job 42:10-12). Notice that God even restored Job’s former relationships that had been broken (see Job 19:13-19; 42:11). God wants us to believe Him for a full restoration, including the increase we would have received if Satan had never gotten into the pantry! We see this principle in action again in the recovery of David’s horrific lost at Ziklag: “So David and his men came to the city [of Ziklag], and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives… And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all… So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all. Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, ‘This [surplus] is David’s spoil’.” (1 Sam. 30:3,8,18-20). Afterward, David was vindicated (when Saul was killed) and then crowned King! God promised us through Joel, “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame” (Joel 2:25-26). Amen!
“Helping Hands”
Truly the Lord rewards the faithful! “My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, That they may dwell with me; He who walks in a perfect way, He shall serve me” (Ps. 101:6). Your generosity and faithfulness has enabled us to prevail during a long, difficult time of severe testing. Without your help, I don’t think we would have made it. Thanks, fellows! You are a continual blessing!
Prayer Partners’ Update
Of necessity, this is being written in advance of the March, United Ministers Fellowship conference, so I will give you a report on how things went next month. We will be doing some traveling into Texas both in April and May so I covet your prayers to cover us as we travel and minister. Thanks, fellows.
Tentative 2015 Itinerary
● April 24-26, Garland, Texas The Journey Church 214-621-2418 Dream Interpretation
● May 16-17, Liberty, Texas Lighthouse of Moss Hill 936-334-4707 Dream Interpretation
Avoiding Heresy II
“For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame–who set their mind on earthly things” (Phil. 3:18-19).
“I have written for him the great things of My law, But they were considered a strange thing” (Hosea 8:12).
“Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are the people who know the joyful sound [who understand and appreciate the spiritual blessings symbolized by the feasts]; they walk, O Lord, in the light and favor of Your countenance!” (Ps. 89:15 AMP).
How unfortunate it is that some have forsaken the great and precious kernels of spiritual truth that God has placed in His Law and chosen instead to feed on the husks.