Ohio Valley Restoration Church

Ohio Valley Restoration Church Church is still undergoing renovations. We are not open for services at this time.

05/18/2026

Does God want us to be happy? That’s a loaded question for many Christians. The Bible gives us a very clear answer to that question that transforms the way we live.

Yes, God wants us to be happy. His desire for our happiness is firmly grounded in the truth of Scripture. The Bible speaks of happiness over and over.

The Holman Christian Standard Bible, one of the newer Bible translations, tells us, “Happy are the people who know the joyful shout; Yahweh, they walk in the light of your presence” (Psalm 89:15). “I will turn their mourning into joy, give them consolation, and bring happiness out of grief” (Jeremiah 31:13, HCSB).

The New Living Translation, another respected version, reads, “…And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness…” (Isaiah 65:18). The GOD’S WORD Translation reads, “The people ransomed by the Lord will return. They will come to Zion singing with joy. Everlasting happiness will be on their heads [as a crown]. They will be glad and joyful. They will have no sorrow or grief” (Isaiah 35:10). The following verse addresses the malaise of the present generation: “You didn’t serve the Lord your God with a joyful and happy heart when you had so much” (Deuteronomy 28:47, GW).

The New Testament also talks of happiness: “Although you have never seen Christ, you love him. You don’t see him now, but you believe in him. You are extremely happy with joy and praise that can hardly be expressed in words” (1 Peter 1:8, GW).

​I found 2,700 Bible references on happiness, joy, gladness, cheer, delight, and even pleasure. These emotions make up part of the amazing adventure we live in Christ. Is it possible to regain happiness when it has escaped you for so long? What if you’re in physical pain, you’re troubled in soul, or your family is in shambles? Let me give you a few helpful tips to seek God’s happiness in your life:

Believe that God wants happiness for you because he’s given biblical evidence for you.

Believe that the happiness God gives is a solid reality, not a pipe dream.

Renew your mind on this subject through God’s Word. Don’t allow the enemy to rob you of his truth

05/15/2026

Christ’s Remedy for Fear
Gary Wilkerson
May 15, 2026
Many in the Church today live as if they’ve accepted defeat. Their thoughts are ruled by doubt rather than belief, and they live with habitual patterns of sin. They keep their faith to themselves, believing that if they’re struggling this much, they couldn’t possibly help anyone else. This is what the Christian life looks like without resurrection power.

Actually, that’s what the disciples’ lives looked like after Christ’s crucifixion. Yet the first thing Jesus did after the resurrection was deal with his followers’ fear. Scripture says, "On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’” (John 20:19, ESV).

The disciples had literally locked themselves in, afraid of the world outside. They feared mockery, persecution, and even the possibility of death, such as the one Jesus experienced. But Christ came straight through those walls to meet them in their fear, and his first words to them were, “I give you peace.” Even then, they were still afraid, so Jesus had to say it to them twice: “Peace be with you” (John 20:21). Christ didn’t berate or judge them for their fear; instead, he met them at their deepest point of need.

The same thing happened about a week later. The disciples had locked themselves away in fear, and once more Jesus entered, bringing peace. “Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’” (John 20:26).

Sometimes Jesus has to say things to us more than once. Even so, he didn’t judge the disciples for their fear; instead, he showed them patience. Earlier that week, Thomas had expressed disbelief, but now Jesus invited him to examine his scars to remove any doubts. “Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:28).

Here in Thomas’s response, we see Christ’s remedy for our fears: believe! Jesus proclaims this to his Church, and his Church proclaims it every week to all who enter its doors: “Peace be with you. Don’t be afraid. Believe in him.”

05/14/2026

Truth or Comfort?
May 14, 2026

by David Wilkerson

iconListen Now
A man wrote the following to our ministry: “I don’t know who put me on your mailing list, but please remove my name immediately. I can’t stand your gloomy gospel and your hammering against sin. None of us is perfect, not even you. I’ve had it with your King James gospel of doom.”

Isaiah spoke of this kind of response: "This is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the law of the Lord; who say to the seers, ‘Do not see,’ and to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy to us right things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. Get out of the way…’” (Isaiah 30:9-11, NKJV).

The word “smooth” in this verse means nice or flattery. The people of Israel were saying, in short, “Don’t tell us any more bad stuff. Describe how we’re going to prosper, how great things lie ahead of us. If not, then get out of our faces.”

No believer who hides sin in his heart ever wants to hear a holy, sin-exposing word. That person will always flee the Holy Spirit’s voice of truth. He will turn to a soft-on-sin preacher, offering smooth talk and flattering prophecies.

So, you ask, what hard message did God’s voice deliver to his people on Mount Sinai? He said,

“I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bo***ge. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image… you shall not bow down to them nor serve them…” (Deuteronomy 5:6-9).

Here was the pure, unadulterated word of the Lord, coming directly from his mouth. It should have sent the people flying to their tents to smash their graven images. It should have stirred their hearts and brought them to their knees. Instead, they cried, “No more thunder, fire, shaking. No more audible voice speaking to us. Give us a spokesman who is like us and let him speak to us. Then we’ll hear and obey.”

Beloved, the very word that exposes sin is also the one God uses to lead you into freedom, life, and deeper fellowship with him. Let your heart be softened by it.

05/12/2026

Holding on to Egypt
David Wilkerson (1931-2011)
May 12, 2026
When Israel camped at Mount Sinai, they were suddenly engulfed by thick darkness and an incredible, blazing fire. Out of the midst of these awesome elements, God spoke: “These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice…” (Deuteronomy 5:22, NKJV).

While all this was happening, the Israelites stood frozen with fear. They were convinced they would die before the voice of the Lord stopped speaking. Finally, the voice stilled, the lightning stopped, the quaking ended, and before long, the sun began to shine. As the people looked around, they saw that everyone was still alive. They had heard the actual, audible voice of God and lived!

Israel’s elders and tribal heads called a meeting. You would expect this to be the greatest praise meeting in the history of humankind. Yet this meeting was not one of praise; instead, the elders told Moses, “We can’t handle this kind of experience. We don’t want to hear God’s awesome voice anymore. If he speaks to us this way again, we’ll die. From now on, we want to hear his words through a man’s voice.”

Their response is absolutely puzzling. Why would anyone react this way to such a glorious miracle of God? Because the Israelites had hidden sin in their hearts. They were secret idol worshipers. They still clung to the small golden idols they had brought with them from Egypt.

The apostle Stephen said these idols were “images which you made to worship” (Acts 7:43). The Israelites had carved them in the likeness of the giant golden calves the Egyptians worshiped. They had not let go of their horrible idolatry.

Stephen was amazed that, even after the Lord had spoken to them audibly, their hearts remained in idolatrous Egypt. He said of them, “Our fathers would not obey… and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt (Acts 7:39).

You can understand why God’s voice made these people quake. The reason they thought they would die was that they were in the presence of a holy, powerful God, not some lifeless, carved idol. His Spirit had gripped their souls, and their consciences were convicting them.

Beloved, the glorious voice of God is life-giving. When we turn our hearts away from sin and fully to him, we can receive his presence with peace instead of fear.

05/11/2026

Our Blessed Hope
Gary Wilkerson
May 11, 2026
“For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:16-19, ESV).

When I was a teenager, I had doubts about God. So I started looking into other religions and found the Baha’i Faith appealing because it basically holds that all religions are true and that all paths of faith lead to heaven. However, when I read the great Christian author C.S. Lewis, he corrected my loosey-goosey thinking. He wrote that all of Christianity rests on one question: Was there a resurrection or not?

If we cannot answer yes to this, then it doesn’t matter whether there was a literal Noah’s ark, a six-day creation period, or an actual Garden of Eden. If Christ’s resurrection didn’t take place, none of those things would matter at all. But if there was a resurrection, then everything else became possible: Lazarus was raised from the dead, people were healed, sins were removed, and heaven is a reality. That is resurrection power, and it gives us something Paul calls our “blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

The more I read as a teenager, the more I came to a firm belief about the witnesses who saw Jesus after his resurrection. “Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:6). I began to see the resurrection as not just an additional event, but the culmination and consummation of the work of Jesus’s death for us. The “blessed hope” Paul spoke about was planted in me, and it became a source of life each day.

Friend, if we don’t claim Jesus’s resurrection power in our everyday life, we won’t experience what his resurrection won for us.

05/08/2026

His Resurrection Power
Gary Wilkerson
May 8, 2026
“Jesus paid it all.”

My wife, Kelly, and I repeat this phrase to remind us of the radical result of the resurrection. He finished the work, rose again, and blessed us with newness of life. We are to claim his resurrection power by putting it on like a suit of clothes. “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’” (1 Corinthians 15:54, NIV).

Paul says boldly that without Christ’s resurrection, there would be no reason at all to be a Christian. There are voices in the Church that say it doesn’t matter whether the resurrection happened. Some have famously written, “I would be a Christian even if it were proven that there was no resurrection. Christianity has made me a better person, and it has made the world better.” Some scholars hold that Jesus’s encounters after the crucifixion were just mythical stories meant to encourage the early church.

Paul rejects all of this in the strongest possible terms. He says that if Christ wasn’t resurrected, the consequences are dire: “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised” (1 Corinthians 15:14-15, ESV).

Paul is saying, in effect, “If you don’t believe Christ was resurrected, then stop believing in God at all. Everyone, stop preaching, evangelizing, and doing good works in Jesus’s name. You would do better to get wisdom from a popular psychologist. They have more to say than someone whose every action is based on something that never happened.”

In short, the Christian faith is not some moral code to be kept. We don’t gather on Sundays just to get solace about eternity. Christ is either risen, or he is not; and if he isn’t, then our sins were never forgiven.

However, because Jesus paid it all through his death and resurrection, his finished work defeated death and gives believers new life.

05/07/2026

Lifted in Prayer
David Wilkerson (1931-2011)
May 7, 2026
“For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8, NKJV). The Greek word for pressed in this passage means “heavily burdened, grievously crushed.” Paul was telling these saints, “Our crisis was so serious that it almost crushed me. I thought it was the end for me.”

When Paul says he was so burdened that he despaired of life, we can know he was truly at rock bottom. In other passages, he downplays his sufferings. You may recall how he simply shook off a poisonous snake that had attached itself to his hand. He was shipwrecked three times, yet he mentions this fact only in passing to make a point. Paul was beaten, robbed, stoned, and jailed, yet through it all, he never complained.

However, the apostle was at a point of total exhaustion. I believe this “trouble” he endured was mental anguish. We cannot know exactly what Paul’s trouble was, but 2 Corinthians 7:5 gives us a hint: “When we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears.”

I believe Paul was referring to the pain the people he ministered to caused. False teachers in Corinth had tried to turn the people against him. Now Paul feared his flock would reject his message and follow men who did not have their interest at heart.

He was consoled when Titus arrived, bringing him good news about his beloved children in Corinth. Paul writes, “Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more” (2 Corinthians 7:6-7).

Like Paul, I have felt this kind of anguish. At times, the words of people I have loved and helped have felt like knives in my back. In such troubled times, it’s the prayers of saints that have helped me through.

05/06/2026

Helpers in Prayer
David Wilkerson (1931-2011)
May 6, 2026
Paul was so conscious of his need for the prayers of the saints that he pleaded for prayer helpers everywhere. He begged the Romans, “Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered…” (Romans 15:30-31, NKJV). He also said to the Thessalonians, “Brethren, pray for us” (1 Thessalonians 5:25).

In Greek, the word for strive here means to “struggle with me as a partner in prayer; wrestle for me in prayer.” Paul was not asking for a quick mention in prayer. He was pleading, “Fight for me in prayer. Do spiritual battle, both for my sake and the sake of the gospel.”

When Paul was in prison, ready to lay down his life, he urged the Philippians to pray for him: “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:19). Paul knew he was a marked man, that Satan’s hordes were bent on destroying him; and so it is with every true minister of the gospel. Every pastor, preacher, and evangelist needs helpers in prayer who will continually intercede on their behalf.

I am thankful for the prayer helpers who stood with me over the years. I was reminded of this while in Europe conducting ministers’ conferences and nightly crusades. Everyone worried about the crusade, wondering, “Can it be done?” France was rampant with skepticism, atheism, agnosticism, and unbelief. The kind of meeting we planned to hold had never been attempted.

Amazingly, thousands gathered, but I began to feel helpless. I didn’t know what to preach because none of the messages I had outlined seemed to fit. My interpreter and I had reviewed some notes beforehand, but I wasn’t sure they were right for the meeting. I warned him, “I’m not sure what I’m going to say.”

However, when I stepped up to the podium, the Spirit fell on me powerfully. I sensed the prayers of thousands of saints supporting me, and the Holy Ghost filled my mouth. I preached for forty minutes, and the entire time you could hear a pin drop. When I finished, I simply said, “If you need Jesus, please come forward.” Hundreds of people leapt to their feet in response.

Praise God! The entire time, I was being carried by the prayers of a multitude of people.

05/05/2026

Persistence in Prayer
David Wilkerson (1931-2011)
May 5, 2026
Some Bible teachers claim it is unbelief for us to ask God for the same request over and over again. No. That is wrong, and it has weakened the faith of multitudes. God commands us to ask, seek, fast, and cry out in effectual, earnest supplication (see Matthew 7:7).

From the very beginning, true servants have turned God’s promises into prayers:

Jesus knew his Father had promised all things to him before the foundation of the world, yet Christ still spent hours praying for God’s will to be done on earth. He even told a parable illustrating persistence in prayer. It involved a widow who kept demanding justice from a judge until she got it (see Luke 18:1-8).

God gave Ezekiel wonderful prophecies about Israel’s restoration, promising that the nation’s ruins would become as the Garden of Eden. Yet the Lord said his Word would not be fulfilled without prayer: “I will also let the house of Israel inquire of me to do this for them.” (Ezekiel 36:37, NKJV). In other words, “I’ve made you a promise, but I want you to pray for it. Seek me with all your heart until you see it fulfilled. I will deliver, but first you must ask.”

Daniel had read God’s promise to Jeremiah that after seventy years Israel would be restored (see Daniel 9:2). When Daniel saw the appointed year arrive, he could have waited in faith for God to fulfill his promise, but instead, that godly man fell on his face and prayed for two weeks until he saw the Lord bring everything to pass.
In the Old Testament, Israel’s priests wore breastplates engraved with the names of the twelve tribes, symbolizing that they carried the people before God and held their needs close to their hearts in prayer. Today, this provides a wonderful image of Christ carrying us in his heart and presenting our needs to the Father. Moreover, every Christian today is a priest unto the Lord, and we are always to carry the needs of others in our hearts (see James 5:14-16).

05/04/2026

Justified and Made New
Gary Wilkerson
May 4, 2026
Almost any Christian will tell you, “Jesus died for my sins.” Yet surprisingly, few can say what his resurrection means in their daily life. They know Jesus died and rose again, but don’t know how to apply God’s powerful truths to how they live and what they believe.

Christ’s resurrection has radical consequences not just for eternal life but for everyday life. What is the purpose of the resurrection? Most of us associate it with eternal life, not with daily life on earth. How is the resurrection significant in our marriage, our job, our family? How does it affect a life inundated by 200 data messages a day, a life harried with errands, chores, obligations, demands?

Paul reminds us that Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection are of first importance. “It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:24-25, ESV).

What does Paul mean when he says Jesus was raised so that we might be justified?

Justification has to do with the newness of life. Without justification, we would be stuck in an unchanging cycle of sin and forgiveness. Think about the practical weight that sin carries in our lives. How many times have you lain awake at night grieving over something awful you’ve said or done? Shame, guilt, and condemnation are part of everyday life. Yet Paul tells us Jesus was “delivered up” to cleanse us of these very things.

So, is it enough to be forgiven of our sins? That’s where the last part of the verse comes in: Jesus was “raised for our justification.” Not only are our trespasses gone, but we are justified, as if we had never committed those sins. Now we are a delight in God’s eyes. In short, we are resurrected every day into newness of life.

What a great and powerful truth! Yet Christians often don’t experience this newness in their lives. I admit there are days when I say to my wife, Kelly, “Is this really newness of life? I’m frustrated, cranky, disappointed.” Try as we might, we don’t personally possess the power to make ourselves new. Yet, let me encourage you. Newness of life comes from Jesus alone, and it’s through his resurrection power.

04/30/2026

The Focus of Prayer
David Wilkerson (1931-2011)
April 30, 2026
Prayer is often one of the most selfish areas of a Christian’s life. When you think about it, most of our prayers focus on our own needs. The two main subjects of our intercession are our own spiritual growth and the needs of our families and friends.

Occasionally, we may reach beyond our own narrow concerns and pray for others. Yet, usually, when we say, “I’ll pray for you,” we don’t. We might pray once and then quickly forget about their need.

While examining my prayer life in light of the Scriptures, I was convicted of the narrowness of my own prayer life. Like most believers, I spend much of my prayer time seeking the Lord about my walk with him. I cry out to be made holy, to become like him, to receive guidance for life, to have his anointing on my ministry. I enjoy sweet communion with him: quietly worshiping him and being refreshed in his presence.

I also intercede daily for my family. I ask the Lord to protect my children from the schemes of the devil and to make my sons like oaks planted by the river of God. I pray that he would make my daughters’ polished stones in his palace, and that we would make all my grandchildren lovers of Jesus. I pray for the concerns of our church body. I also intercede for individuals who are in crisis and for the many missionaries and ministries we support.

You might say, “That’s all commendable, Brother Dave. It’s comforting to know you’re shut in with the Lord, communing with him and praying for all those needs.” Yet according to God’s Word, sweet communion is not enough. Yes, it is the secret to spiritual growth, and we can have no greater experience on earth, but if we go to the throne only for our personal edification and needs, we are being selfish. We cannot neglect praying seriously for the dire needs all around us.

Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38, NKJV).

Address

35535 Main Street
Barnesville, OH
43713

Opening Hours

Wednesday 7pm - 8:30pm
Sunday 10am - 11:30am

Telephone

+17405370770

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Ohio Valley Restoration Church posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category