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John Follette
John Wright Follette (1883 - 1966). American Bible teacher, author, and poet born in Swanton, Vermont, to French Huguenot descendants who settled in New Paltz, New York, in the 1660s. Raised Methodist, he received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in 1913 while studying at a Bible school in Rochester, New York, later teaching there until its closure. Ordained in 1911 by the Council of Pentecostal Ministers at Elim Tabernacle, he affiliated with the Assemblies of God in 1935. Follette taught at Southern California Bible College (now Vanguard University) and Elim Bible Institute, mentoring thousands. His books, including Golden Grain (1957) and Broken Bread, compiled posthumously, offer spiritual insights on maturity and holiness. A prolific poet, he published Smoking Flax and Other Poems (1936), blending Scripture with mystical reflections. Married with no recorded children, he ministered globally in his later years, speaking at conferences in Europe and North America. His words, “It is much easier to do something for God than to become something for God,” urged deeper faith. Follette’s teachings, preserved in over 100 articles and tapes, remain influential in Pentecostal and charismatic circles.
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Sermon Summary
John Follette delves into Genesis 3:8, exploring the profound encounter of Adam and Eve hearing the 'voice of the Lord God walking' in the garden. He emphasizes the spiritual significance of this encounter, explaining that the 'voice' they heard was the 'sound' of God moving, not His literal footsteps or spoken words. Follette highlights how God's presence manifests in various forms, such as thunder, wind, or rushing sounds, to reveal Himself to sensitive beings like us.
Scriptures
The Voice of God
"And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden" Genesis 3:8. "They heard the voice of the Lord God walking." It does not say they heard the Lord God walking. Rather, they heard a voice walking. At first I thought the grammar was wrong, but it is right. Then I diagramed this verse. Voice is the subject, a noun. Walking is a verb. It is a participle. I thought, who ever heard of a voice walking. In the Hebrew text, this word is not "voice" as we use it. It is "sound." When the source of the "sound" is human, it is called a "voice." They heard the sound of God moving." What was it that they heard? It was not His footsteps. He had not yet drawn near to them. It was not His voice. He had not yet spoken to them. This is a spiritual thing. We are sensitive, responsive creatures and every object has, in a sense, its "atmosphere." Have you ever been near someone and "felt" their spirit? This is because we are sensitive. The presence of the Lord is like this. Whenever the Lord moves, He chooses a means through which to reveal Himself. Sometimes it is the rushing of the wind. At other times it is thunder. The Hebrew text confirms this is what it was, sound, the "sound" or the voice of God in thunder, in whirlwinds, in winds. Consider the word, telephone. "Tele" means, the end of; "phone," the voice. The voice at the end of it," is the telephone. I followed this through in my Greek Lexicon. I found that it is the same. "Sound," which is translated "voice." Whatever "form" the Lord may take in making Himself known is called "His voice." It may be thunder, it may be wind. At Pentecost it was the sound of a rushing wind. In the book of Revelation, the word "sound" or "voice" of God is repeated 44 times. "The sound of the trumpet" is sometimes called the "voice" of the trumpet, these are interchangeable.
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John Wright Follette (1883 - 1966). American Bible teacher, author, and poet born in Swanton, Vermont, to French Huguenot descendants who settled in New Paltz, New York, in the 1660s. Raised Methodist, he received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in 1913 while studying at a Bible school in Rochester, New York, later teaching there until its closure. Ordained in 1911 by the Council of Pentecostal Ministers at Elim Tabernacle, he affiliated with the Assemblies of God in 1935. Follette taught at Southern California Bible College (now Vanguard University) and Elim Bible Institute, mentoring thousands. His books, including Golden Grain (1957) and Broken Bread, compiled posthumously, offer spiritual insights on maturity and holiness. A prolific poet, he published Smoking Flax and Other Poems (1936), blending Scripture with mystical reflections. Married with no recorded children, he ministered globally in his later years, speaking at conferences in Europe and North America. His words, “It is much easier to do something for God than to become something for God,” urged deeper faith. Follette’s teachings, preserved in over 100 articles and tapes, remain influential in Pentecostal and charismatic circles.