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About David Wilkerson David Wilkerson was the Founding Pastor of Times Square Church in New York City. He was called to New York in 1958 to minister to gang members and drug addicts, as told in the best-selling book, The Cross and the Switchblade. In 1987, David Wilkerson returned to “the crossroads of the world” to establish Times Square Church. As a pastor of the church, he faithfully led this congregation, delivering powerful biblical messages that encourage righteous living and complete reliance on God. David Wilkerson had a strong burden to encourage and strengthen pastors throughout the world. From 1999 to 2008, he traveled around the globe holding conferences for Christian ministers. Posted with written permission of Time Square Church Copyright © 2016 Times Square Church, 1657 Broadway, New York, NY, 10019, USA. T: (212) 541-6300 F: (212) 541-6415 About Ahava Jerusalem The website and the Social Media Channels are a Christian host for devotionals, sermons, and videos with a focus on Jesus Christ and His Word so that the Church may be built up. MISSION: that Christ is formed in you (Gal 4:19) and that you may be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Ro 12:2) so that you may grow to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. (Eph 4:13) Like 👍 & Subscribe – @Ahava Jerusalem today to stay updated. #fyp #forgiveness #salvation #light #heaven #time #Youtube #Google #Internet #home #family #parents #children #sermon #JesusChrist #God #Father #HolySpirit #Faith #Hope #Love #God #Jesus #Christian #Future #people #ahavajerusalem #Truth #Bible #Peace #HolySpirit #World #Word #Love #Grace #joy #future #grace #amazing #best #live #life #bestsermons #home #family #parents #children #sermon #JesusChrist #God #Faith #Hope #Love #sermon #God #Jesus #Christian #Future #people #ahavajerusalem #Truth #Bible #Peace #Kingdom #HolySpirit #JesusChrist #God #Holy Spirit #Bible #Word #Love #Grace
I want to talk to you this morning about
his
church I want to talk to you about the
True Church of Jesus Christ what is the
True Church of Jesus Christ we hope
after today you’ll have no questions on
this matter I don’t have all the answers
but I have enough to convince you I
think what I believe to be the Living
Church of Jesus Christ heavenly father I
thank you this morning for the love of
Jesus for your manifest Lord in our
presence in our midst Lord without you
we have no church we have no meeting we
have no Gathering and I pray Lord that
you open my understanding so that I can
present to this people your heart and
your mind on this matter Lord Jesus
Quicken me Lord you gave this to me in
prayer I didn’t get it from a book I got
it Lord from your heart and I pray Lord
that you Minister life through what I
speak this morning open up our eyes to
the meaning of your church let us
examine our hearts this morning to see
if we are really members of your body in
Jesus name I pray
amen now Jesus said the Gates of Hell
shall not Prevail against my
church he also said that no weapon
formed against it should Prosper but you
look around now and you see that the
gates of hell are prospering they’re
prospering against many churches the man
churches I call them they are prevailing
the weapons of the enemy are prevailing
and the word Prevail there means to
overpower to defeat and you see that in
a church that is really not ackowledge
by God as his own
church the church by no means is a
denomination now denominations were
caused when certain groups of Christians
gathered around a pet Doctrine the
Baptist gather gaed around the
calvinistic doctrine of eternal security
the Pentecostals gathered around the
doctrine of an infilling of the Holy
Ghost with the evidence of speaking in
tongues the Seventh Day Adventist
gathered around a Doctrine about the
seventh day Sab or the Sabbath being
Saturday you find uh the wesle Methodist
gathered around the doctor of entire
sanctification and on and on and on
until there were divisions because
people gathered around not the not the
person of Jesus Christ as much as the
doctrine and they got they gathered
around those doctrines and then they
begin to split up and reform there’s
Reform movement after Reform movement
after Reform movement having to do with
people gathering around the doctrine and
so you have 50 kinds of Baptists now
you’ve got a 100 kinds of Pentecostals
you’ve got all kinds of charismatic and
non- denominational churches by the
multiplied thousands and division
everywhere you look this was never God’s
idea from the
beginning entire denominations now have
been overpowered by the weapons of Satan
the Gates of Hell prevailed against
entire denominations where pastors no
longer believe the Bible to be the
inherent word of God they no longer
believe in the Virgin birth they don’t
believe in a heaven or a hell they they
call evil good and good evil this is
being overpowered what else can you call
it but the Gates of Hell prevailing when
the seminaries of many of these
denominations have uh teachers and
professors there who do everything to
demean the gospel everything to
discredit the miracles of Jesus Christ
to take away his godhead and hellbent
professors that are hellbent in
destroying what little faith that our
young people have left if that is not
being overpowered by the enemy I don’t
know what it is
but you see God has discounted all of
that that man calls church it’s never
been a part of his church really not
been his it’s been man’s but it’s never
been his he doesn’t acknowledge it in
his eyes it doesn’t even exist that
which is highly esteemed among men is an
Abomination to God
absolutely God has never acknowledged it
as his own church but I also believe
that many Christians are misinformed
about the meaning of the church they
really don’t understand what the Church
of Jesus Christ is and I say that
because of the way we measure the
success of the church today we have mega
churches we’ve got super churches we’ve
got fastest growing churches and we look
at these beautiful multi-million dollar
buildings we look at the wonderful 30 40
50 acre campuses and we see churches
packed with thousands and we say God
must be there that must be God’s Church
look their finances they have money in
the bank they have multitudes coming
that must be a very successful Church
Jesus must be at work in that
church but folks I’m so glad to inform
you that that is not God’s measure of
success you can have multiplied
thousands in church you can have a
burdening budget you can have all of
these things and Jesus not be in the
building Jesus not even acknowledge it
that is his highly esteemed among man
very successful popular accepted but
abomination in the eyes of
God a minister friend of mine recently
uh told told me he was filling out his
application for uh every year you you
fill out uh a form to continue your
ordination he was filling out his form
and suddenly it hit him like a sword in
his heart he said there’s nothing on
this application at all that has to do
with a spiritual measurement the
questions were like this how many are
attending your Sunday school how many
attend Sunday night how many do you have
in your prayer meeting how many Boy
Scouts do you have in your in your boys
program how many women attend your
women’s auxiliary and uh give us the
percentage of increase in your numbers
and in your finances what’s the per
capita giving for each person there was
not one spiritual question in the whole
uh
application he said you know I could
have been a repeate and filled out this
question still keep my ordination
because there’s no measure of my
spiritual there wasn’t a question about
how I was doing with the Lord anything
about my burden for the Lord nothing
about my morals nothing about my family
or my vision nothing at all and and
that’s typical of almost every
denomination he said there was nothing
spiritual about it all he said I was I
was suddenly shocked at how far we’ve
gone from understanding the True Church
of Jesus
Christ it’s an amazing thing now let me
tell you what I believe constitutes his
church this is what I believe
constitutes his church and there are
required features that distinguish his
church from every other thing that is
called church folks before you leave
this service this morning I hope you
understand what the Church of Jesus
Christ is we have the pattern in the
20th chapter of John go to John the 20th
chapter if you will
please quickly 20th chapter of
John going to start reading at Verse
18 this is the first Gathering of the
church that Jesus is going to build now
folks remember that Moses built a house
Moses had a church and the Bible said he
was faithful in his house but the Bible
the Lord goes on to
say Jesus said I will build my
house the Church of Jesus Christ did not
exist until after his resurrection and
he said I will build my house the
scriptures about Christ as a son over
his own house he he said I will build it
and he’s starting to build it right here
you’re going to see the first meeting of
the Church of Jesus Christ you’re going
to see all the features that should be
in what is called his church they’re all
in this first meeting remember these are
a living stones he’s building a church
and this is the foundation these are the
foundation stones in this first
meeting Verse 18 Mary Magdalene came and
told the disciples that she had seen the
Lord and that he had spoken these things
unto her then the same day evening being
the first day of the week when the doors
were shut where the disciples were
assembled for fear of the Jews came
Jesus and stood in the midst and saith
unto them peace unto to you when he had
so said he showed them his hands in his
side then were the disciples glad when
they saw the Lord then said Jesus to
them again peace be unto you as my
father sent me even so send I you when
he had said this he breathed on them and
saith unto them receive ye the Holy
Ghost who so whosoever sins you remit
they remitted unto them and whosoever
sins you retain they are retained now
look this way if you will please he’s
building his church and all the features
of the church from now Jesus comes
you’ll find it right here and I want to
go over with you as simply as I know how
in this first
Gathering you
have the making and the birth of the
True Church of Jesus Christ and first of
all his church is comprised of
individual believers who have a special
love relationship with Jesus Christ
every single one of these who are
gathered here have their own special
revelation of Christ he’s revealed
himself individually to them and every
one of them are devoted they have given
up careers he is not just first in their
life he’s everything in their life the
Church of Jesus Christ is comprised of
individuals who are wholly given to
Christ he has become their life he’s not
a part of that he is their life he’s the
focus he’s the center now that’s where
the church begins it’s comprised of
individuals holy given to him with their
own revelation of who he is with their
own Hearts burning for the word of
God now let’s consider those that are
gathered in this meeting one of the
accounts by John it says there were 11
Luke’s Luke implies that there were many
many more in this first meeting no doubt
Nicodemus uh no doubt the rich man just
uh Joseph of arme the Bible makes it
clear that the two disciples at emus
were there remember they had their own
Revelation they were so devoted to him
and they had a revelation because Jesus
appeared to them and opened up the
scriptures regarding himself Peter was
there to whom the Lord had shown
himself they had all had some kind of
Revelation of him they had seen the
empty tombe there was a revelation of
the resurrection power of Jesus Christ
every one of them Mary of Bethany was
part there Lazarus they’re all together
and every one of these the thing that
identifies them that individually they
had their own experience with him they
had their own revelation of Jesus they
didn’t get it from somebody else it was
their own and Mary Magdalene comes
knocking on the door and she said I’ve
seen him and this Gathering was not a
pastor up there trying to reveal Christ
to a
congregation that’s not the church the
church says that every member of that
congregation came down with Revelation
their own experience with Christ they
saw him they talked to him they had the
word burning in their hearts and so at
this first meeting it is not Peter
standing up admonishing them about what
they he had seen of Christ it’s first of
all the woman who Jesus had cast Seven
Devils out of probably a prostitute at
one time and and she is the one that’s
say Pastor I saw him I talked to
him the two disciples unknown disciples
I believe many of the 70 chosen
disciples were there Jesus said out were
also in the meeting and they were all
excited every one of were telling what
they saw and heard of
Jesus this was an excited
group they came to church not to hear
about Christ they had heard of Christ
they brought Christ with
them this is the Church of Jesus Christ
individuals who have had their own
experience their own revelation of the
reality own intimacy with Jesus Christ
the
Lord
hallelujah
now what a wonder that in the midst of
apostasy
rejection of Christ and every all offers
of his grace that’s right in the middle
of Jerusalem in the middle of the
darkness in the middle of the rejection
of Christ the lord had a body totally
devoted to him and folks I’m telling you
even now in this day of gross darkness
in this day when Christ is being
rejected when they’re trying to throw
him out of our society and out of our
courts they don’t even want his name
mentioned thank God around the world
even in in the communist countries all
over the world Jesus has a body he has a
devoted people of individuals their own
revelation of Christ
the church is alive and well
Hallelujah now listen to me closely it
is this devotion this personal
individual devotion of Jesus Christ
which is the bond of the body of
Christ I I travel and when I go to
another country and I walk a street and
and I don’t understand the language and
somebody will will say hello thinking I
must look like an American so they give
me a little bit of their American
language and I understand they’ll be
speaking English said where you from I
from New York New
York yes and and I’m a pastor there oh
you’re a Christian
yes uh what church time I’ve heard of
that praise I’m a charismatic just like
you and and and you said well you met
the body of Christ you met another no no
no no not necessarily because it only
takes about 10 minutes before you find
out where that man’s heart is that man’s
heart he’s talking about his exotic
vacation he’s talking about everything
but Jesus the devotion is not there and
sudden you pull back and say I’m not one
with this man you can go to Japan and
you can walk around and you find a
little prayer group and there they’re
they’re praising the Lord and you walk
in I found the church I found the body
these people love Jesus but then the
pastor gets up and you know he’s not
been alone with God there’s no devotion
It’s All Flesh and sudden you know you
thought you found the church it wasn’t
the church at all it wasn’t there
because the bond is not there folks you
meet the church anywhere on Earth where
you find an individual that is totally
devoted to Jesus Christ if they are
you’ll know it very quickly and shortly
and the bond will be
there we he talk about the church being
united let let let let’s unite the
church let’s everybody get together
folks you don’t have to it’s already
together it’s all in Christ he’s the
head rear of the body it is has always
been together it’s never been
[Applause]
divided
never if you if Jesus could come and and
take you on a flying carpet trip over
the the America around the world you see
Jesus show me the church and he would
take you into the atmosphere so to speak
and and and you look at the he takes you
to hover over a great church of 5,000
people and say Lord show me your church
and he said all right he said see the
woman over here and see this one over
here and he’ll pick up maybe 10 or 12 so
that’s my church these are my devoted
ones but Lord what about those thousands
there that are singing love songs to you
he said my heart they don’t have a heart
for me they I am I am just a word to
them it’s just deed it’s just word and
it’s not indeed they don’t love the
truth they don’t spend any time with me
that are not my church they don’t have
the devoted
heart I wonder how many of you we could
point out this
morning and say to his Angelic host see
that sister see that brother see there’s
one over here this one over here look
how hungry they are for me I’ve been
teach teaching them speaking them to the
years and they’re still
hungry they give me precious time they
give me quality time my heart I am not
just something laying easy on the back
roads of their
mind I am the center of their life I am
everything to them this is my
[Applause]
church
Hallelujah
secondly his church is comprised of
devoted individual Believers whose
greatest joy is to assemble with others
who share that
devotion it’s called the body of Christ
Christ they don’t have to be warned for
sake not to suming yourselves together
as the manner of some
is because there is something of the
holy spirit that draws every devoted
believer to the
body now let me say this clear and
simply but right to the point listen to
it please the church is not complete
without the corporate
expression because God reveals himself
Christ reveals himself in the corporate
body in ways he cannot reveal himself
individually to you or to
me for example the gifts how how how do
you operate the gifts on
yourself what about the love of God that
shed abroad not just on me but abroad
what about the joy and excitement of
watching your brothers and sisters grow
in the Lord and in their growth you get
Faith and
Hope there’s a shared Revelation in the
assembly everyone that was gathered in
this first meeting though they had their
own private glorious revelation of who
Jesus is they had seen him they talked
to him they’ve been with him three years
but now they’re gathered together and
they’re going to experience a special
man estation of Jesus that could not
have come individually to them now keep
in mind that just a few days before
these disciples had fled from his
presence at the first sign of
danger they all forsook him and fled but
now fearlessly they meet in a
clandestine fashion
because they are taking literally now
something the Holy Spirit has reminded
them that Jesus said to them Jesus said
where two or three are gathered together
in my name there am I in the
midst now folks they didn’t take that as
a promise but as a consequence now
listen closely please God’s been
speaking so clearly in my heart this it
was not just a promise that’s a
consequence he he said if if you will
meet in my name and you know what needs
to meet in his name let everyone who
names the name of Jesus depart from
iniquity it means these have departed
from iniquity they’re not living in sin
wholly devoted to Jesus Christ and
they’re meeting in his name and the Lord
said you meet under those conditions and
there I am doesn’t say I will come
doesn’t say you have to fast or pray or
beg or plead and wait till I come that
is the consequence of you coming in
divine order the consequence of it the
result of it is that I’m
there and they thought well if he said
that two or three we better get together
because we want him to appear we want to
see him
again so it was they assembled together
they shut the door and it was just as
they were told Jesus came and stood in
their midst verse 19 Jesus came and
stood in their midst folks there is no
church it is not a church unless Jesus
is standing in the midst of it unless
there is a manifestation of his presence
if in every service Jesus is not there
it’s not the church they’re not meeting
in his name
properly you you say well brother can’t
we enjoy his presence alone as
individuals why do I need the church I a
lot of people say I just worship alone
just me and
Jesus well he does manifest his presence
to those that are set in with him the
scripture says he that hath my
Commandments and keepeth them he it is
that loveth me and I will love them and
manif EST myself to him as as an indiv
I’ll manifest myself to you because you
see sometimes there is an imposed
isolation look at Paul in in prison he
he has isolation imposed upon him and
say with John and Olive patmas isolation
is imposed upon him sometimes you’re
sick and by yourself it’s imposed upon
you that’s a different thing because in
those conditions when it’s impos
isolation is imposed upon you by
condition
or forces outside your control then the
Lord reveals himself in a very unique
way that’s where Paul got his Revelation
for the church and same with John and
alip patmas what a revelation of Jesus
when John said I sawm standing among the
candlesticks it it was in an isolation
along with the Lord that’s only when
it’s imposed when it’s beyond your
power but folks when you just stand home
watching
TV there’s no imposed isolation upon
you you you you are drawing away from
the very source of the glory of the
Lord but you see there’s a reason why
Jesus manifest himself to us I want you
to listen to this
please Jesus comes to manifest himself
to us that we may have life and his
power his very life is energy it is
power but life is given for a purpose
and that’s that we may be useful to him
useful to the
body the Bible said and the life was
light you can have power without any
knowledge of how to use it that’s the
light the life became the light in other
words he doesn’t give you power just
just to spin and waste it let me give
you an example you take a 200 wat 200
amp diesel
fired
generator now you put diesel in it you
start it up it’s got 200 amps of power
it’s got energy it’s got
life and it as long as you give it it’s
individual source of energy if you keep
pouring the diesel in it it’ll it’ll
keep turning it’ll keep putting out
energy but it’s of no
use it’s not hooked up to any
need
it’s just wasting its
energy but then you look at the house
and the house has no energy it has no
light the lights aren’t working the
stove is not working there’s no heat and
you hook it up you hook the generator up
and
suddenly the lights go
on now the generator is
useful you say I’m along with Jesus I’m
getting Revelation I’m getting power
from the Lord I’m getting life but I’m
telling you if you’re not hooked up to
the body of Christ if you’re not a part
of the body of Jesus Christ you will
that generator that’s wasting its
energy you have to be
connected pick up this week’s Life
Magazine the November issue and you’ll
see uh incredible
sight there’s a a man’s arm and forearm
laying disconnected on the operating
table it’s a 13-hour operation that was
accomplished by a businessman named
Clint 1989 in in an accident with a
chainsaw he severed his
arm and now after two after this time
the
doctors uh severed the arm of a brain
dead
man and they are trans they’re now
hooking this arm to this man and it’s a
13-hour operation now that arm is there
it’s still got blood in it and they
they’ve got a pump there and it’s got
probably a 13 to 16h hour
lifespan but it’s got to be hooked up
the arm is there but the fingers are not
moving there are no nerves it’s an arm
it’s got blood in it but it’s
useless but they hooked him up for the
this is the second operation of its kind
and they connected the
arm and yesterday I was listening to the
radio and said that it’s been successful
that he feels the nerves and fingers are
moving now the arm is what it’s
useful you see if you’re not connected
to the body I don’t care how much
Revelation you get I don’t care much
time you spend alone you are severed
from the
body and you’re going to have to have
your e can be hooked up to some
artificial kind of
life and you’re of no use you’re going
to lay on on that operating table that’s
a hand it’s got blood in it it’s got a
form of life but it’s no good to anybody
it’s
usess folks that’s what the body of
Jesus Christ we are arm of his arm we
are bone of his bone we are flesh of his
flesh we are connected to the
head you can only get that in a
corporate experience of the
assembly reaching together worshiping
together in
him
are you beginning to understand
it now let’s go a step further it’s not
enough just to be quickened by the
presence of Jesus is not
enough to be
just doing
things being useful you that usefulness
has to be subject to his
will if if you know you can you can be
hooked up to the arm but you still have
to get your dire from the head and in
this meeting I want you to notice this
Jesus comes in and the first thing is
peace and that’s what you get first of
all when the body of Jesus Christ when
devoted people get together to Worship
the Lord as the body the first thing you
get is the overflowing of the Peace of
Christ the peace of God folks I get that
every time I walk into this church I sit
down there peace Hallelujah absolute
peace
but folks he can give you
peace and you not value it or not have
an expression of it and not know it in
its fullness and you don’t get that
until you see the fullness of the body
I’ll show it to you in just a minute how
you not only are given the gift of peace
from Christ but you have to have that
peace flowing in and through you and
I’ll show you in a few minutes how
that’ll
happen but you see
Jesus after he gives peace he said as I
was sent to the world so send I you and
this is the first instruction they get
and this is instruction you get in the
corporate body of Jesus
Christ Lord said you know that I escaped
you saw me escaping to prayer I you you
saw me leave you and go to the mountains
you saw that I prayed I was getting my
instructions from the heavenly father he
said I did not operate on human
compassion remember the man that came to
him and said
Master uh mediate between me and my
brother help cause him get my brother to
share his inheritance rightly with me
and Jesus said man who made me your
divider or your
lawyer and what he’s saying I don’t do
anything except what my father tells me
that was human need Jesus had compassion
on the me on the man but he never
allowed his compassion to get him out of
the parameters of the will of
God and when you do that when the
presence of Jesus is not in a church
where people are not praying over
everything and get the direction from
the spirit of the Living God then you
find men running around trying to change
the world in their own energy they sweat
they get tired and everybody’s worn out
saying is this all there is to
it Jesus didn’t move in the realm of
human compassion though he was moved
with compassion everywhere he went he
did not operate in the realm of human
compassion and folks the Church of Jesus
Christ that starts only picking and
demonstrating folks when the movie
opened up or the play opened up here
Corpus Christie on Tuesday night this
church got a hold of God that is just
six blocks from here and that’s the play
where Jesus is called a homo Jesus is
depicted as a homosexual and in the play
he plants a kiss on Judas his
lover and he has an affair with all his
12 disciples a homo sexual
Affair and folks we prayed in this
church we sought God because our weapons
are not CL But Mighty through God into
pulling down his
strongholds then after the service I
went over there and there were about
2,000 demonstrators there were there
were there were statues of Virgin Mary
there were all kinds of placards and and
and people were there and and you know
there was I said to a brother was with
me I said you know that 15 minutes of
prayer at Times Square Church accomplish
more against this they all the
demonstrating here tonight by the
hundreds I’m not putting that down but
the church does not move in human
compassion it moves through the
direction of Jesus Christ
[Applause]
himself
and he said to these gathered in at
first meeting as I was sent so send I
you total dependence total
dependence
Hallelujah the church does not operate
independent it does not go out just to
meet human need because it’s
there it operates in the
parameters the guidance of the Holy
Spirit Spirit
Hallelujah you can be
useful but not subjected to the will of
God has to be total subjection to his
will Hallelujah now
thirdly in his church the holy spirit is
always at work changing people’s
hearts conforming them convicting them
and conforming them to the nature of the
one they’re devoted to in other words if
Jesus is not there there’s no work of
the holy spirit in changing lives nobody
is really changed without the Manifest
presence of Jesus in the
midst Jesus came into the midst and he
breathed on them and a very special work
of the Holy Spirit was suddenly
announced now folks I want you to fashen
your seat belts cuz I’m going to take
you on a little trip here I’m going to
show you the heart of the
church Jesus stands in the
midst and in the 20th chapter verse 22
when he said this he breathed on them
and saith unto them receive ye the Holy
Ghost how many see that receive ye the
Holy
Ghost folks look at me please he’s now
building his church he’s laying the
foundation there’s got to be a special
breathing of the holy spirit for them to
accomplish something they can’t
accomplish in their flesh and what he’s
really saying look I’m going to be
sending you out I’m going to be sending
you out in the world and you are going
to be mocked and you are going to be
scoffed as my
Witnesses you’re you’re devoted to me
you want to do my will yes but you’re
going to be persecuted misunderstood and
beaten and stoned and you’re going to be
called all kinds of names as the off
scaring of the world your flesh will
want to retaliate you’re going to want
to fight back you want to defend
yourself he said even your brothers and
sisters those who are supposed to be
religious those are supposed to be
devoted those are supposed to be
brothers and sisters in me he said
they’re going to hurt you they’re going
to wound you you’re going to have people
trample over you and he said I’m I’m
going to breathe on you now with an
expression of the Holy Ghost you’re
going to need because because what I’m
going to ask of you now you can’t do it
in human
strength you’re going to need the
breathing of the Holy
Spirit he said I’m going to ask you to
do
something that is absolutely impossible
and folks this is the real heart this is
the real manifestation of the Church of
Jesus Christ this is what the witness is
this is you shall receive power after
that the Holy Ghost comes upon you you
know when I was a young PR preacher
almost all my young preacher friends
were just like me Lord give me the power
I go in hospitals and raise a dead I
want the power that I lay hands on every
sick person I’m going to go to the
hospital and clear it
out and all we we’ve had evangelist
advertise men of power and that power
was zapping people that power was all
all kinds of demonstrations that’s
supposed to be power no no no no no
he shall be Witnesses after that youve
received the power of the Holy Ghost
folks what is the
witness Jesus makes it very clear
there’s a scripture here that most of us
have just skipped over because we’re
afraid to face it we don’t understand it
it’s in verse 22 and I want you toce
verse 23 is or verse 23 is hooked to 22
you go from 22 and that’s a continuation
of verse 22 receive ye the Holy Ghost
whosoever sins ye remit they remitted
unto them and whosoever sins you retain
they’re
retained do you see it are you ready to
face it you want to know what that means
you know of course only God can forgive
sins you know there has to be repentance
in faith so that’s beyond your ability
in mind now the Catholic church is
taking that literally is is is to mean
that the priest in the confession booth
has the power to remit
Sins Not
So Not So at
all the remitting of the sin referred to
is the sin against you it’s the sin
against me it’s my brother my sister or
any enemy who comes against me and
defiles me or tries to tear me down
mocks me ridicules me hurts me he said
whosoever sins he’s talking about
forgiveness Jesus wants to be manifested
he wants to be told by him he wants the
whole world to know that there are
witnesses to his loving forgiving power
who is always ready to forgive folks you
can go out in the street corner and you
can yell all the scriptures you
want you can call that fire you can call
that the Holy Ghost call it anything you
want you can stand and have a healing
line and thousands of people be touched
but if you’ve got a grudge in your heart
and you’re not remitting somebody sin
against you you have no
power this is God’s call to release the
sin of the brother or sister who sinned
against you and the Lord is saying now
they’ll answer for their sin against me
they’ll answer for all the sins against
Grace but on this one issue the sin
against you you must release it you
minute folks Jesus set the example on
the cross
father forgive them for they don’t know
what they do he’s saying father no
matter what they have to answer for for
their own personal sins or sins against
you or Grace on this one matter against
me I release them and on the Judgment
Day now one of those Sinners not one of
those soldiers not one of those priests
will answer for that
because the father said I’ll remit
it now there are times that you can’t
remit because when somebody sins and the
church has said it’s told commanded to
take elders and speak to that individual
and then if they won’t listen bring them
to the church and if those people who
set are not being reconciled there is no
repentance even though the love of
Christ is shown them the scriptures
given to them then the you can’t you
can’t release that
remember Stephen being stoned he said
father lay not this to their charge he’s
saying I remit the sins of these all
that are stoning me now what about those
that have stoned
you the Church of Jesus Christ is a
house where there’s no Vengeance it’s a
house where there every
devoted child of Jesus
Christ has released from their heart
from The Book of Life or rather from the
book of sins in heaven they have asked
God to release those
sins folks when God began to deal with
me on this last few weeks he’s had me on
my knees naming everybody that I felt
has hurt me in my lifetime everyone
who’s ever harmed me everyone who’s
trampled on me everyone said anything
about me I’ve had to say Jesus I forgive
them I I remit their sins Father in
heaven now you clean it I release
them and when I release them he released
me and that’s when you know the peace of
[Applause]
[Music]
God the house of Jesus Christ is a house
of people who have forgiven everybody
there’s no grudge there’s no sign of
Vengeance there’s no hurt left some of
you here now have not released somebody
who’s hurt you somebody in your family a
former husband a former wife somebody
has hurt you and you’re not releasing
you’re holding it you’re full of
it that’s not the
church that’s not his
body
when the Holy Ghost is at work in the
church he’s doing just what he’ll do
just what he’s doing now by his loving
power he will show
you the sin of
unforgiveness if you’re going to have
the power of the Holy Ghost and I there
there there’s an evangelist God bless
his heart he he he he has healing lines
and
rather well known
and boy boy does he preach but he writes
me the vicious letters hateful
letters I had to release him I love the
man I pray for him I have nothing but
love for that man but you see if I let
that get in my spirit I lose the peace
that Jesus gave me he said he breathe
peace on me and I can’t enjoy it because
I got this in my heart folks if you you
can have peace all over you given by God
and gifted by the Holy Ghost not enjoy a
bit of it because of what’s in your
Heart The Church of Jesus Christ is a
church that has remitted the
sins I don’t care if on the job your
boss has cursed you I don’t care what
happens on your job and all those around
you you love them and not only forgive
them pray for them and the only way you
can love your enemies is to be praying
for
them
now give you a
do you see how important it is to have
the presence of Jesus in the
house let me let me wrap this up for you
why would you ever stay in a place where
Jesus wasn’t
there why would you go to a
house where he doesn’t show
up well there’s no breathing of the Holy
Spirit
Paul tells us that the Church of man not
the Church of Jesus Christ but the
Church of man the church where there’s
no manifestation of the presence of
Jesus is a house of vain
babblings there’s meaningless worship
empty words and he said oh Timothy avoid
profane and vain babblings stay away
from
it Paul the scripture says that when you
put leav in l it leavens the whole lump
and if there is leav whether there’s not
the presence of the Lord there is leaven
and you say I want to go there I I know
it’s not I’m not getting fed and I know
the presence of the Lord is really not
there but I’ve got to go to
church be careful you’re not
leavened in that
lump furthermore Paul goes a step
further he said about these vain babies
they lead to an increase in
ungodliness you’ll find that in 2
Timothy 2:16
because if you sit under a Ministry that
is not saturated with the presence of
Jesus not according to the mind of God
you’re going to have error and that is
going to lead you to ungodliness you’re
going to allow things in your life you
never thought you would allow because
you don’t know but it’s been dripped
into your spirit and it’s changing
you now folks I I’m not trying this is
not a commercial with Times Square
Church because we don’t have any seats
left folks it’s more serious than
that Paul said very clearly if a man
therefore Purge himself from these he
shall be a vessel unto honor Sanctified
useful to the master and prepared for
every good work that word Purge right
there the only time it’s used as it is
is to remove yourself remove yourself
from this Spirit remove yourself from
that kind of thing remove
yourself folks I have hundreds of
thousands on my mailing list as I’ve
told you probably the number one
complaint of all the Christians are
write to us they say Pastor I can’t find
a church where I feel the presence of
the Lord my church is
dead what am I going to do you might be
in a place where you you say I can’t
find a church that’s that’s uh really
right folks if if you’re going to a
church that is spiritually de and you
know Jesus is not there the spirit of
the Lord is not at work there’s no
breathing of his
life get out of it get out of it leave
it it’s that simple Paul makes it C I’m
on good scriptural ground he said purge
yourself of this so that you can be
useful Sanctified vessel meet for the
Master’s use he said isolate yourself
from that foolishness but then you say
well where am I going to find it let me
let me give you something the Holy
Spirit gave me just last
night the Same Spirit that’s moving on
you making you disgusted with the death
that you see the Same Spirit that’s
awaking you saying I want more I need
more I’m hungry I’m thirsty I want to
grow in the Lord I want to be in an
atmosphere where the presence of the
Lord is real The Same Spirit that’s
doing that in you he never does it in an
isolated form he does that wherever he’s
working on one he’s got to work on two
or three more and The Same Spirit that’s
working on you the Lord told me is
working on people around you and if you
would just seek him with all your heart
and pray diligently about this say Lord
lead me to that two or three that are
sealing like I do and being moved on the
spirit like I Am Lord Jesus Lead me to
them and he will let you be brought
miraculously to that body because if
you’re devoted to him he’s going to
bring you to the others who are devoted
to him you’re going to find the body
he’ll bring the body to you and you to
the body and that may be only two or
three get together get some of our tapes
if you want for the preaching you can
worship and pray you don’t need a
preacher I’m not against having pastors
or I wouldn’t be
one but what are you going to be do when
you’re stuck up some place in Alaska in
a little
village so Jesus surely there somebody
and God may send one maybe
two wonderful fellowship and prayer is
talking about
Jesus somebody told me recently that
they were sitting around a dining room
table and suddenly everybody just
started talking about Jesus and it was
such they they said it was church it was
church Jesus came right to the table
because they were they were talking
about him and and they they were there
for an hour just talking about Jesus and
suddenly they realized one person told
me I was in
church that is the
church
Hallelujah I hope you understand a
little
better the
meaning of the Church of Jesus Christ
will you stand
please
Hallelujah does the word of God warm
your
heart did our hearts not burn in
us if you love his word it’ll burn in
your heart
Hallelujah now I’m going to talk to you
in closing about your Devotion to
Jesus
during
worship I took a Peak at the
congregation couple times out the side
of my
eye I got an eye looks this way and can
see this
way I knew I was going to speak this
about the church and I I I said
Lord I can see what you mean I was
looking at over some of you standing In
Worship You just
if some of you never even opened I know
you love the Lord but you never opened
your
mouth and I don’t know how I know and
you can still waters run deep and I know
that you there are times that I pray and
I never open my mouth sometimes for a
whole hour alone with the
Lord but there’s not that excitement
about Jesus there’s not that passion and
that
hunger there not that reaching forward
to his
heart and and you’ve been satisfied to
say well he knows I love
him I’m not looking for some outward
expression of that
love but I’m saying if if you’re totally
devoted to Jesus
Christ you will never want to be out
away from the body the assembly the
Gathering of God’s people when I see see
people coming on a Sunday morning I
don’t see them any time again in the
week I can’t and now your job may be one
thing where it requires you to be there
and you can’t be here but if you’re a
Sunday morning
Christian I couldn’t Mark you in any way
shape or form as a
devoted follower of
Jesus that’s not
devotion because if you’re truly devoted
there’s so something of the spirit of
God in you that draws you to the
body and the sign that your personal
devotion is waning is when your
corporate devotion is waning when you no
longer attend the house of
God now folks in this church every
meeting here there’s something of the
presence of the Lord the Lord ever since
we’ve been here it’s been a marvelous
thing and I look forward to that I know
Pastor
Carter has a balce in his walk on his
way to church he can hardly wait to get
here same with the rest of all of our
pastors there’s an
excitement sometimes I I do like some I
see you running here I mean literally
running there plenty of seats but you’re
still
running they’re excited about
Jesus it’s not that you’re just saying
well I just want to live a clean life
and I want to get to heaven if security
is all you want you’ve missed the whole
point I thank God for my security in
Christ but I want to know
him
Hallelujah if your heart’s cold this
morning he said Brother David Pastor DAV
I I couldn’t honestly admit this morning
that I’m wholly devoted to Jesus Christ
some of you don’t even know him some of
you have walked away from him some of
you have drifted from him there are some
of you here in the annex watching on the
screen and some of you in this man
Auditorium you had such a devotion Lord
you are so on fire for him you loved him
you sought him with all of your heart
you’re so excited about
him now it’s kind of a drudgery isn’t it
there’s a coldness there’s a slipping
away from his presence you’re not
getting alone with him you don’t have
that hunger you don’t have that drive
toward him if the holy spirit’s
Awakening you this morning come on to
the church come into the house House of
God come on to the body and say Lord
Jesus I want more life from the head
you’re my head give me life I I feel
that I I’m losing something of the life
God pour your life into me get out of
your seats in the in the annex you go
out into the hallway the El will show
you how to get to the door to come into
this Auditorium down the stairs and just
come and meet me here at this Altar and
we’ll pray with you and ask the Lord
this morning to revive your spirit
and bring you to a place of total holy
Devotion to Jesus Christ and that’s
where the church begins you want to join
the church that’s how you join you don’t
sign a card we don’t have a membership
here my folks that card doesn’t mean
anything if you don’t have a devoted
heart to Jesus you join the church by
coming to a devoted place in Christ you
say I’m giving everything to Jesus I’m
not holding anything back whereever yet
all over this building you say brother
Wilson I am not there yet I I want the
Lord Jesus by his Spirit to give me a
devoted heart up in the balcony come
down the stairs either side down any
aisles we sing look this way all of you
that have come forward and for that
matter all in the
audience I feel let the Holy Spirit to
ask you to examine your heart for just a
minute is there
anybody whose sins you need to
remit against you
you some past hurt or
wound still
lingers something is still there folks
that blocks your communion with
Christ it kills the
joy brings Terror to your soul can lead
to all kinds of other disappointing
things in your
walk you’ve got to get to the root of
it you ask Jesus to forgive you don’t
you you want him to forgive you of every
sin he said if we’ll not forgive others
he cannot forgive us it’s impossible so
before you ask the Lord to forgive any
kind of coldness in your heart or
anything else you have got to come to
this place of releasing
remitting the sins of those who hurt you
is was it a mother was it a
father was it a relative was it some
foster parent somebody on the
job a boyfriend girlfriend somebody
wounds you hurt
you did some
Pastor wound
you some church wound you doesn’t matter
who this is the
time folks I want to tell you something
you can be in a meeting where the
decible of worship and praise is just
like the like the building is shaking
but there’s just as much and more work
of the holy spirit being accomplished
right now his own still
way that will change you
forever it’s why God sent some of you
here this morning it’s why you’re here
as a
visitor the Lord wants to get that out
of your spirit he wants to change you
I’m going to ask you to pray this foray
the whole body here every one of us now
folks don’t pray unless you can meet it
and the holy H ghost that’s why the Lord
says I’ve given you if you have the Holy
Ghost you have the power now to do this
you can ask Holy Ghost give me the power
right now I want everybody everywhere
hearing me pray this prayer with me
right now Jesus Jesus I ask you now I
ask you now to give me the Holy Spirit
to give me the Holy Spirit In The
Measure I need in the measure I need to
forgive and to remit to every sin
committed against me committ against me
in the name of Jesus christes the Lord
of glory Lord Of Glory he who forgives
my sins he fores my I forgive the sins
of all who sinned against me all
everyone everyone I release them I
release them I release them before the
throne relase them before the hold not
discharge against them hold not
discharge against them in Jesus
name now my lord lord Draw Me Closer to
you closer forgive me
blot up my
transgressions give me a heart for you
give me a heart burn in me burn with
love with love for my master my master
and all God God by your spirit your
prepare me as the Bride of Jesus
Christus CHR remove every spot remove
every spot every wrinkle every and
accept me accept before the heavenly
father father through Christ my lord
lord now we give him thanks raise your
hands and just thank him Lord I give you
thanks I give you praise
Hallelujah this is the conclusion of the
message