On June 27, 2018 Pastor Frank Hampton Jr. was called home. I was privileged beyond measure to sit under his ministry for nearly three full years. While I am quite certain there was much more I could have gained by sitting under it for more time, I will treasure the countless instruction he gave during my exposure to his influence. He was a man of God who refused to bow to the ecumenical and devilish spirits of our time. Certainly, he embodied the spirit of consecration and his life of devotion to God and to the flock will never be forgotten. He was criticized, ostracized, maligned, misunderstood, and mistreated. Through it all he remained unmoved in his spirit, unshaken in his stand, and unmatched in his influence. He allowed God to fight all of his battles and he came out the winner. Pastor Hampton could have been placed in any era of the church throughout the annals of time and would have left as a flawless example of a Christian. Personally, I will certainly miss Brother Hampton, but I know our reunion in heaven is not far away. Pastor Hampton's final word to me are ones I'll never forget, he said, "I am praying for you that God will lead you step by step." God is answering those prayers and I appreciate them greatly.
Below are a few things I learned from Pastor Hampton. These are by far not the only things I learned, but a recollection of some as I have been reflecting over the past few weeks.
32 Things I Learned From Pastor Frank Hampton Jr.
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God knew what he meant when he said it. Unless we know what God meant, then our own interpretations are futile. We will be judged according to what God said and meant in his word, not according to our own interpretation of what he meant.
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You are defined by your spirit. Your spirit is what actuates you. An apology does not change your spirit. You may apologize, and even need to apologize, but that does not mean your spirit has been changed.
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You never need to vindicate yourself. God will vindicate you. Allow God to fight your battles. All of them.
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Be more in private than you are in public. Do not testify or preach above your experience. Your flop will be more widespread than the victory you proclaimed.
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Leave those under a false spirit alone. There is no need to wrangle with those whom God has judged.
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There is no recovery from an apostasy. When a person goes into apostasy there is no way out because they believe they are right.
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Confusion is the aftermath of not experiencing a real encounter with God. When one has an encounter with God all confusion is eliminated.
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Stand for what is right regardless of what you may lose because of your stand. You may lose family, friends, popularity, reputation, careers, money, etc., but most importantly you must stand for truth regardless of the opposition.
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What God has revealed to you is non-negotiable regardless of who is promoting otherwise.
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You must be led by an anointed prophet to experience real inspiration.
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Faith is not an option. It is truly impossible to please God without faith. It is required to have the same faith as those in Hebrews 11 in order to make heaven.
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The word of God is right. Either God is all that he says that he is, or he is nothing at all.
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Prayer is the most valuable weapon the saint of God has in his/her arsenal. There is nothing that prayer cannot solve.
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In the judgment perspectives will be different. Those who are bold and brazen now in their deeds will tremble at the judgment bar.
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Not all sins are equal. Some sins are greater than others. Sinning with knowledge is more serious than doing so ignorantly. Church of God children will be judged differently than those in the world.
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Not everything that occurs is God’s will. Many things happen that are not God’s will. It is His will that all should repent, but not all will so do.
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All that God does is redemptive. Even in judgment His work is redemptive.
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To cherish an evil thought is sin.
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Do not move before God moves. Do not be too hasty or too slow in judgment. Move as God moves. Weep not over what God rejects, and don’t lose faith or a burden where there is still hope.
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When you are right no one can touch you. They can form councils, talk behind your back, threaten you, but they cannot touch you.
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Most people will follow the voice of the last speaker.
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The Church of God is different because not only does it preach the full gospel, but then it stands behind it.
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When you backslide understand that you are likely saying goodbye to God for eternity.
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You may cross the deadline to get saved in this lifetime. It is possible to cry out to God for mercy and get no response.
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It would be better to get a hold of God alone in your basement, than to go down to a place where the full gospel is not being preached.
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To equate the works of the Holy Ghost to something other than the Holy Ghost (the devil), is blasphemy of the Holy Ghost.
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Many people will try to return to the camp of the saints, but not to the most High.
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When you compromise you don’t know where to stop.
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Simple faith, simple prayer. No need for elaborate eloquence.
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If you ever see truth and look away from it, it will look different when you look back.
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God is coming back for a remnant. A remnant is piece of the original. We must be a part of God’s remnant. He is only accepting what is a part of the original.
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The devotional leader does not need to give a sermon, that’s why we have a preacher.