In this sermon, the speaker reflects on the powerful work of Brother Bakht Singh, who had led many souls to God without any publicity or gimmicks. Brother Bakht Singh was a man of praise and hunger for God, spending hours in prayer and seeking God's heart. The speaker shares a personal experience of listening to a tape of Indian music from Brother Bakht Singh's holy convocation and being transported to Madras in his mind. The sermon emphasizes the importance of seeking God's presence and fellowship, rather than relying on human theories or Christian activities.

I want you to open your Bibles to the 5th chapter of John's Gospel, starting at the 39th verse. Search the Scriptures. Who in them do you think ye have eternal life? They are they which testify of me. Ye will not come to me that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men, but I know you that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not. If another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe which receive honour one of another? And seek thou the honour that cometh from God only. We've been discussing in these messages various phases of discipleship. What it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. What it means to live in obedience to Christ, and it's very clear, you know, that we must do it. Throughout the epistles, it's clear, it's not just the message of the Gospels. I believe every basic teaching in the Gospels is clearly backed up by teaching in the epistles. We think of the words of John, that we should walk how? Even as he walked. So it is God's plan for us to live as Christ lived. This isn't just theory. It isn't just so much air, so many words, something we can have another meeting of, something we can write another book about, something we can put on top of the banner at our next Bible convention. This is something real, something practical, something vital. Sometimes the men in the world are wiser in their day than we are. And it was H.G. Wells, the famous agnostic, in his book in which he blasted Christianity. It was H.G. Wells who said, not long after the Lord Jesus Christ died, those who claimed to follow him gave up practicing his revolutionary, that's the word he used, principle. And it's still true. The church has managed to hold on to the shell, to hold on to the noise, to hold on to all the outward structure, and has missed the hard core of what Christ talked about. This is the thing that almost sent me to the road of agnosticism, as I met more and more key evangelicals, more and more quote-unquote men of God, and went from Bible school to Bible school, and Christian institution to Christian institution, and found tremendous speakers, tremendous teachers, tremendous talkers, and heel walkers. I became very depressed, curious. I met hundreds of young people who were the same way. Let us be realistic. The majority of evangelical young people in England today, that is, those reared in evangelical circles, are denying the faith before the age of 25. You know, our dear older folks wonder, what's happening? Must be the latter days. I'm only believing that it could be that there's something wrong, something basically wrong, even in the lives of those who are considered so highly among us. One convention after another, I heard messages on the Episcopal. I used to sell audio Bible studies from house to house. Brother Dale and I did this to get some money for Mexico, to add on to the little bit we were praying in with our feeble faith. And the audio Bible studies was Bible college on record. No need to go to college. Bring the college right in your home. Only cost about 50 or 60 quid. We got 20 of that. And it was a good deal. And I listened to those records. My tremendous Bible teaching. You could get 20 of the leading Bible teachers in the world right in your living room at the terminal. Bible teaching at its best. And we flocked to the conferences to get Bible teaching at its best. So I've gone to these places. I've gone and read these books. You know, there's more than a thousand books in the English language that cover the Apollonian Episcopal. Could you believe it? In the Urdu language to reach 50 million Muslims in India, we've got one book and it's poorly written. But in the English language to cover the falling epistles, to expound them and pull out of them oftentimes what there is there. There's more than a thousand books. So we can go to our conferences and you're probably lining up for next summers already. I will hear another exposition on the death of Colossians. Very steep. But my great question tonight, to follow after what Brother Keith has said, is in the midst of all this, where are the Apostle Paul? I would like, I want to meet them. I'm hungry, starving to meet men of that caliber. Men who it can be said of, for three years they speak not, night and day with tears to warn men. Men who mocked at the sprites that Torah brought back. Where are these men in the 20th century? Paul, we have separated osteology from our lives and we're trying to put them in two categories. That we are not fine, these men. We have many sincere men. We have many great preachers. Death, gold cup, silver cup. We've got many great preachers. Where is one? Sad Paul, weary, tears, peace not, warn men and women. Tonight, I want to speak tonight about tears. Monarch of tears, or shall we say, one of the monks. Look in your Bible to 1 Corinthians, I mean the book of Acts, chapter 20, and we see the Apostle Paul. He wanted to serve the Lord. Now everybody here uses that phrase, theology don't, I'm going to serve the Lord. My, if I could only find my place in the Lord's service. There are all kinds of frustrated Christians trying to find their place in the Lord's service. You know, God's far more concerned about finding a place in the Lord than finding a place. And I don't speak here tonight that you know where you're going as it is to know how you're going. And I'm not referring to your motive friends. In whose name? You're going behind the iron curtain. That's wonderful. But in whose strength? You're going to the monk world. Wonderful. But in whose strength are you going? You're going to India. You're going to evangelize. You're going to be a disciple. Raise your banner. We're off to India. But in whose strength are you? I dare to say that most of us, even many of us who are leaders in this so-called movement, don't even know the beginning of what God really wants to teach us. Let us never think we have arrived for at that point we will be at zero minus. I want you to look at the Apostle Paul, continue on with what Brother Keith said, and to see how he served the Lord in verse 19, chapter 20. Serving the Lord, it says, with all humility of mind, and with many tears and temptation, which really trials, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews. And how I set back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house. Notice those words, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears and trials, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews. It doesn't say serving the Lord with great preaching, with vast literature distribution, with tremendous campaigns behind the iron curtain, with great exploits in Turkey. It says he served the Lord with humility, tears, and trials. You see, discipleship is, first of all, a matter of the heart. Until your heart is right, everything else is wrong. This is why I know some fellows that know everything's wrong, but I praise God for them. I know their heart's right. Guys that have lives that wouldn't add up two by two next to anything, but I know their heart's right. I know that they're hungry for God. This brings me to the real thing that is burning on my heart tonight. The real mark of a disciple, the real thing that is at the core of discipleship, the real thing that gets way beneath anything else I believe we've talked about up to now. The core of discipleship, the rock, the base, is hunger for God. The disciple above everything else, more than he's loving, because most of us, as much as we want to, as much as we desire to find ourselves so often, not loving. But down beneath that is this great factor about a disciple that marks him as a disciple. He's hungry for God. That's the greatest proof I have done. I'm not talking about myself being a disciple in that I've kept the Sermon on the Mount or certain creeds or clothes, or that I've sold all my possessions, that I live ruggedly or sleep on farms or climb through windows giving out tracts. Not referring to that at all. The reason I know that I'm his child and that he's doing something with me and that he wants to make me a disciple, a real disciple, is this incessant, impossible to stop hunger for God. Do you have that tonight? If you do, you're on the right. You might be a failure. You can join in my club for failure. You might have made your 1,898th plunder this morning. You can join in my club for plundering. But if you're hungry for God, if you want to know your Creator, if you want fellowship with the One who created, if your desire is to know Him, to walk with Him, to breathe with Him, then you're on the beginning. You're on the right road. Me, for a minute, had a few verses in the Old Testament. To these men of God who walked and knew Him, we remember what it was said of David. What did God say about David? David was a man who lived in purity all the days of his life. That was God's saying. David was a pillar of strength. What did God say of David? David was a man after my heart. David was a man as seen in the Psalms who was hungry for God despite his paleness, despite his backsliddenness, despite his awareness. He was hungry and thirsty for God. Look with me at Psalm 46, verse 10. I mean Psalm 42, verse 1. This is in a Psalm of David. We'll read that next. Here we read, As the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee. Can you pray that tonight? As the deer away from the water for many days, panteth after the water brooks, my soul panteth after thee, O God. You read history. You read the history of the church. Back right to the first century. Oh, we see it. The mark of the disciple. The mark of the man of God. Hungry to know God. Hungry to know righteousness. Look at Psalm 37, verse 4. Here we see David, the man after God's own heart. And it says, I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear thereof and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me. And look down. I sought the Lord, and he heard me. And delivered me from all my fears. Verse 10, the young lions do lack and suffer hunger. But they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. You're hungry tonight. Hungry to know righteousness. Hungry to know God better. This of a following Jesus Christ. After all, who is the man who's really going to know? Who is the man who's going to really have an intimate relationship with God? He's a clever one. The one who knows how to beat everybody in praying. Leap over everybody in preaching. One who distributes the most books. One who can answer all the theological questions. Is he the one that the Lord draws nigh to? He's the one who has the power of faith. A mighty one. Years he's lived above all men. For all. He's done great things for God. But of those. This the one God is going to draw nigh to? Is this the one God is going to reveal himself to? Maybe it's the Bible. One who's got all the ins and outs. You can't touch him with a 40-foot pole. He's got every answer in context and out of context. He knows the word of God. He has the longest prayers in the nation. For those who are prevented from. Is this the one God draws nigh to? Is this the one that God reveals himself to? Or maybe it's the true sight from heaven's word. The one who's got everything right down to his feet. He checks every possession. He's all committed to the Lord. He's sold everything. He's got one suit. He should have two because the one is too dirty to wear in any meeting. But anyway, he's a real disciple. He's been on O.M. twice. He knows what it is to sleep on the floor. Is this the one that God draws nigh? Psalm 34, David cries out in the 18th verse. The Lord is dialing to them. That are of a broken heart and David's thoughts as be of a contrite. The one who in brokenness, the one who in his sense of failure, his inadequacy, his inefficiency. Falls at the cross and says, God have mercy on me. Unto him the Lord. That is tremendously encouraging to remember the story. I think we've already said it. And you perhaps all be minded of it. The two men that came, they seen a God. And the one who went right up there towards the front. And he stood on his toes, said, O God, I thank you. Now I'm not like other men. He probably thought of the man who had so many possessions. Oh, thank God I'm not like. He probably thought of that young fellow who had never been on a Pharisee campaign. Thank God. Thank God I'm not like other men. And he prayed and prayed and prayed. And then he turned his Bible cover. Another poor guy. Way off the gentle, beady. God have mercy on me. But who did God draw nigh to at that point? That great theological discourser throwing out words that meant nothing? Was it he who was justified? Was it he who got the blessing? No. Went away with the rolls of self-righteousness. Knew nothing of justification nor blessing. But that one who came and said to this very chapter, with a broken spirit, with a contrite heart, God, you know I'm a failure. God, you know I'm a phony. God, you know I've done this, I've done that. I'm a sinner. Have mercy on me. Bless? You've justified? I can't explain it. But it's one of the reasons I believe the book. No man would have thought of this. This is contrary to human ideas. All of humanity, all of history from the very beginning of time said you do something and you'll get something. That's what all of the world did. Every single religion is the same. Bound. You do this, you get this. You do this, you do this, you do this, you do this. We know all the Jews had so many flaws. We know that our dear Muhammad and his friends had so many things they must do. They go and have fast. And if they go to Mecca, and if they do this, they do this, they do this, this, this, then someday God comes down through Jesus Christ and through the word of God and shatters all human theory. Human theory would say, be a great disciple. You live according to the laws of the servant of the mass. You go around the world and give out a half a million tax. You go on a campaign and shine the shoes of some other brother and prove that you're humble and then you'll get a great blessing. Finished. On a blessed night, you must come undone realizing you'll never shine anyone's shoes but by the grace of God. Except false. You'll never give any tax out except by the grace of God. You'll never last two months even on this next campaign but by the grace of God. And so I plead with you, don't wait any longer. Come down to the fountain of blessing and take that which is free of charge. All right, have you begun in the spirit? How will you continue to bless? Many think I'm saved by grace but now my Christian life, I'm going to work my way out. This is the spirit of faith. You are saved by grace and you'll serve by grace. The only door is not unto them that are of a broken heart and save us not as being of a confined spirit. Let's go over just a page, Psalm 37, verse four. Delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. I know why many of you are not finding the will of God in these days because you're delighting in other things. You're delighting in the enthusiasm, the adventure bubble of operation mobilization around the world in 20 days, in the back of a bed for glory. Have that moment there, even if it's on the unconscious level, delighting, delighting in the fellowship, the enthusiasm of it all. From place to place we go, one minute we're going across the English Channel, next minute we're going all the way out, next minute we're going across the Bosporus. Tremendous, where are you going next year brother King? You're delighting in a work, if you're delighting in an organization, if you're delighting in a movement, early, early discouragement. I have discovered most Christians are delighting in some kind of a movement. Everybody has their favorite, you ever notice that? Everybody has their favorite. With one of the fellowships, they all give the same, same, same, same, heart, soul, spirit, movement, no one has that name, no one's that crazy. And we delight in it, we delight to see our letterhead. We delight to know that we're considered those that are enduring hardship. To be a part of it all, We really get satisfied. So along we go, like born free. And this verse might not be a question, but might God deliver us out of it. Mine we go out in this verse, delighting in the Lord Jehovah. Then when the O.F. bubble pops, you'll be praising Him. Mine we go forth, delighting in Him. So when the lorry breaks down, it means nothing. I know some people were very happy. You know, until they met someone who had 45 reasons why Operation Vulpa's date was wrong. And when they heard the 45 reasons why we were this and we were that, knew what they did in Spain and what they did here. And all of a sudden, the reputation began to crumble. And it wasn't a great group of disciples. Now it was a group of nobodies. And they were making mistakes. They weren't organized. And the leader, ooh, we even found out that he sins once in a while. Oh, the bubble. Ah, there you are. Deluded disciple. A would-be disciple. Don't delight in other things. Our God is a jealous God. He will not share His glory even with organizations that claim to be spirit. He will not share His glory with me. He will not share His glory with any preacher, with any healer, with any movement. I see in that chapter in John, when Jesus Christ said to the disciples, How can you believe? How can you believe? But seek honor one of another, and not the honor that cometh from God only. I want to be able to believe God. I want to be able to believe God for finance. I want to be able to believe God for laborers. I want to be able to believe God for assemblies and souls, and victory in the lives of those I'm working with. Then to me I'll tell you, How can you believe? Which receive honor one of another. How we feed on it. How we feed on it. And the mark of a disciple is that he's hungry for God. He wants the honor of God. He wants the world done. Thou good and faithful servant. Day after day he lives for it. He craves it. Like the deer, save honor of the brook. Hunger for God. Delight, delight thyself also in the Lord, and ye shall give thee the desire of thine heart. Some of you, in all sincerity, because one thing I know about most who come on OM, of all their weaknesses, our weaknesses, the one thing I know about the hundreds and hundreds that have come into the ranks of this group of fools is that they are sincere. And God does know your heart. Might it be that way, even as you get more answers to your questions. But one thing I know, Now, God is very clear in his word concerning the fact that he wants all of you. He doesn't want half. He doesn't want three-fourths. He wants all of your attention. Some of you are very, very busy men. Always many activities. There's always so much to do. And you go on your own, trying to settle all the problems, straighten up this, do this, straighten up here, get this arranged, get the meeting going. And God is standing in front of you. He says, My turn, my turn. Come and speak with me a while. Tuesday, I've got a meeting. Away you go. I want you to turn to Psalm 46, verse 10, and see what God wants to say to some of us tonight, especially to me. Psalm 46, verse 10, Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am God. When's the last time you did that? I want to tell you, the only thing that has ever carried me through, the only thing that has ever given me the power to go another day in this spiritual zoo, is God. I was coming in the underground this morning, and I didn't feel like going for another day. Have you ever had that? Another day at the desk, another day giving out some facts to people who oftentimes don't want them, another day answering questions, picking up telephones, another day, I didn't even myself want to go through another day. I went into my little office, and I put the map of India up in front of me, and I played a little tape that I brought back from the holy convocation of Brother Bhakti Singh in Madras, of Indian music. And I sat down and took my shoes off and closed my eyes and went 14,000 or 7,000 miles across Madras. And I was sitting there, and I remember that morning so vividly, and I wept. We got out this five in the morning, I remember the night before, Brother Bhakti Singh announced that I have the announcement on the tape. He said, now some of you have to leave early Sunday, so in order that you all might get your heavenly portion, we're beginning at 5 o'clock, our worship service. And I thought, 5 o'clock, they had a night of prayer that night. And I remember that morning, they sang chorus after chorus, and song after song, and one man prayed, another man prayed, prayed and prayed and prayed. It went from 5 o'clock in the morning to quarter of one in the afternoon. And I saw the power of that work. I saw my God has given Brother Bhakti Singh probably several hundred thousand souls. Without any publicity, without any gimmicks produced by our highbrow Madison Avenue boys that have us all to see. He was a man of praise. He was a man who was hungry for God. He wasn't very clever. He made his mistakes and got criticized by everybody and his brother and his father. But he was hungry for God. He was a man after God's heart. He was a man who spent hours, hours in prayer, and you couldn't interrupt him with a pile of notes. He was a God. Get up at 5 in the morning, but get with God. Sure there's problems, sure there's struggles, but they're in the midst of it. God honors that kind of man. I want to tell you what you go through these days. You can sell 50,000 pounds of books. You can do all kinds of things with a hand. But if you don't get to know God better, if you don't get time with God, if you don't get to know his fellowship, his communion, if you don't learn to delight in him, to go out in the woods or under your car or somewhere and just be still, just as they say in America, I don't know if you're allowed to say this here, but I'll say it, just shut up and listen. That's the mark of a disciple. He's hungry. He's hungry for God. And if you're hungry, if you feel that uneasiness, that desire for more, to know Christ more intimately, to know God more fully, to walk with him, to talk with him, then unite with us, brother. But if yours is some secondary motive, Christian activity, gospel work, this or that, as good, as good as it might be, withdraw your application. Please. I want to read these words in closing from a man I respect very deeply. His name was Toast. And he said this, listen, In this hour of all but universal darkness, one cheery gleam appears within the fold of conservative Christianity. Within this all there are to be found increasing numbers of persons whose religious lives are marked by a growing hunger after God. God himself. They are eager for spiritual reality and will not be put off with words, nor will they be content with correct interpretations of truth. They are thirst for God and they will not be satisfied till they have drunk deep at the fountain of living water. This is the only real remnant or harbinger of revival which I have been able to detect anywhere in the religious world. In the midst of this dark world, religious confusion abounds. Religious superficiality has blinded the eyes of a multitude. A multitude of theologies and theologians and conventions and books have blinded us, have led us astray. And there is one remnant in this all there are to be found who are hungry after God. They want more and they realize that in their flesh there is nothing, but in Him is everything and they want Him. They don't go for campaigns to this country or to that country as much as they go on crusade to know God. That's what this work stands for. As long as I live and breathe, it will be my cry. I haven't linked myself with O.F. I have linked myself with a living God. That's the only link that counts. That's the only link that will ever be bent and twisted by the stupidity of the selfishness. Link yourself with God. Preach before His mighty hand. Humble yourself and take your place at the cross. Know the reality of His power, His life, His resurrection. The mark above all else. He's hungry for God and Jesus said, Blessed is he who hungers and thirsts after righteousness for he shall be filled. He shall be filled.