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- Sunday Night Meditations 48 Message And Song 1950's
Sunday Night Meditations 48 Message and Song - 1950's
Welcome Detweiler

Welcome Detweiler (March 25, 1908 – March 31, 1992) was an American preacher, evangelist, and church founder whose ministry bridged his Pennsylvania farming roots with a vibrant Gospel outreach in North Carolina. Born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to Mennonite parents, Detweiler grew up on a 97-acre homestead raising registered Holstein cattle and Percheron draft horses. At 18, an open-air preacher’s charge to “go out and preach the Word of God” ignited his calling, though he initially balanced farming with Bible study. On May 26, 1931, he married Helen Lear, and they raised three children—Jerry (1935), Gladys (1937), and Cliff (1941)—while he preached part-time across various denominations. By 1940, Detweiler entered full-time ministry as a song leader and evangelist, leaving farming behind. In 1944, he joined evangelist Lester Wilson in Durham, North Carolina, leading singing for a six-week revival that birthed Grove Park Chapel. Sensing a divine call, he moved his family there in January 1945, purchasing land on Driver Avenue to establish a community church. Despite wartime lumber shortages, he resourcefully built and expanded the chapel—first to 650 seats in 1948 using Camp Butner mess hall wood, then to 967 in 1950 with a Sunday school wing—growing it into a thriving hub with a peak attendance of over 1,000. Known as “Mr. D,” he led youth groups and preached with clarity, often hosting out-of-town speakers in his home.
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In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of confessing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. They highlight the power and authority of Jesus' name, stating that every knee will eventually bow and every tongue will confess Him as Lord. The speaker encourages listeners to accept Jesus' offer of grace and salvation, and to persuade others to do the same. They also express the desire for all to experience the saving, keeping, and satisfying power of Jesus Christ. The sermon concludes with repeated greetings in the name of Jesus Christ.
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We greet you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for there is no other name above his name. Eventually, every knee must bow and every tongue must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Many of us have seen the wisdom of confessing him as Lord and Savior while he is offered in grace, and it is our desire to persuade others to come to know the same Savior in his saving, keeping, and satisfying power. It is welcome that while we are speaking and asking you to listen as we present another gospel program, our prayer is that you may be blessed as you listen. Give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy, and gathered them out of the land from the west, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way. They found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of all their distresses, and he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. I will come again. The truth of the second coming of Christ seems to be an unwanted truth, for many Bible readers utterly ignore this very vital truth, in spite of the fact that it is mentioned 318 times in the 260 chapters of the New Testament, or the equivalent of once in every 25 verses. We should not be too much surprised that many ignore this truth, because when he came the first time, there were very few that believed the prophetic message that Christ would be born at Bethlehem and make his first advent. Jesus said, If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. I believe that Christ will come again, because he said he would, and Christ always told the truth. The Holy Spirit confirms this in Acts 1, verse 11. And here the angels who are representatives of the truth are speaking. Listen to their message. This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Who is coming? This same Jesus. Not another Jesus, not a mystic Jesus, but this same Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem, who glorified God in his public ministry, who died on Calvary's cross, whom God raised from the dead. This same Jesus, taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight, shall so come in like manner. By his first coming, he purchased with his own blood a bride which is composed of every born-again believer. And since he went away, the gospel message has been sounded out to whosoever will. And then throughout the whole wide world, the message of salvation has gone forth, and weary sin-burdened souls have taken shelter in his precious blood, and in so doing have become a part of that mystical body of the church, which is the bride of Christ. The marriage supper of the Lamb is scheduled in God's program, and will be in heaven. A question might arise in heaven, who shall go to earth and bring the bride? Angels might gladly volunteer, but I can hear the bridegroom saying, Never mind, for this I have long been waiting. No one shall go for me. I promise them, if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again. I did not say I will send someone. If I love them enough to die for their sins, surely I love them enough to bring them to our new home, for I promise them, where I am, there ye may be also. The poet has put in these few words, He and I in that bright glory one eternal joy shall share. Mine, to be forever with him. His, that I am there. I think you will have some difficulty in understanding the second coming of Christ until you see that there are two aspects of his coming spoken in the New Testament. These are easily distinguished because the one is Christ coming for his saints and the other is Christ coming with his saints. The order is easy to remember, for he must come for his saints before he can come with his saints. Let us look for a moment at the scriptures that refer to his coming for his saints. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 13. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope. For, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of the archangel, and with a trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words. Some years ago I stood by the open grave of a very close friend of mine in Plumsteadville, Pennsylvania. I knew his wife equally well, for I attended the same school. As I stood by her side in the cemetery, thinking what I might say to comfort her, she looked up with peace written on her face and said, This would be unbearable if we didn't know that Christ is coming again and our loved ones who have been saved will meet us again, and perhaps very soon. Do you wonder that 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 closes by saying, Wherefore, comfort one another with these words? What words? The preceding words, the blessed unfolding of the second coming of Christ for his sleeping and his living redeemed people. Do you wonder why the Lord Jesus said, I will come again in the comfort chapter of John 14? What truth can be of greater comfort than to be certain that Christ himself will come again to receive us unto himself? Perhaps it is necessary to state that only those who have eternal life will go with him when he comes, for the Bible does not teach the theory of the general fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man. He is the creator of all, but he is the father only of those who are born into his family. His coming for his saints will be selective and secret, and many will be left behind for judgment because they have not received God's offer of salvation. If Jesus Christ should come again tonight, would you be left behind for judgment, or would you be caught up with the redeemed to enjoy his presence for all eternity? Remember, he is coming again, but he is going to take with him only those who are saved. I suppose you would like to know when he is coming again. The Bible gives us the very hour, in such an hour as ye think not. Let the scriptures be sufficient, but of that day and that hour knoweth no man. The important command that accompanies the truth of the second coming of Christ is, Be ye therefore ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh. Are you ready? Not are you a church member, for you can easily be a church member and not be ready. Not have you been baptized, for you may be baptized and not be ready, for baptism does not make you ready. The question is not, are you living a Christian life? For living a good, honest Christian life does not make you ready. Many earnest followers of the life of Christ will be left behind when he comes and will cry in the language of Luke 13, Lord, Lord, open unto us. We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. Many will be able to say, I taught a Sunday school class. I was active in religious work and tried to live right. But strange as it may seem, many such will be left behind when Jesus comes. What can be sadder, what could be a greater shock than to find that after you have talked yourself into believing that you are ready for his coming, to discover that you will be left behind. Only those who have taken refuge in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ will be caught up when Christ returns for his blood-bought people. And if you have never been redeemed by his precious blood, it will be just too bad. I ask you again, my friend, can you prove from the word of God that you will be among those who will go with Christ when he comes again? If you are not certain, I would suggest that you open your heart before the Lord tonight. Tell him the truth. Lord, I don't want to miss heaven. And if I have been resting on the wrong thing for salvation, I want to lay it aside and come as a lost guilty sinner and receive the forgiveness of my sins altogether in the one who died in my stead on Calvary's cross. I do accept Christ as my substitute, as my savior. God will hear you, and God will write your name in the Lamb's Book of Life, and you may enjoy the blessed assurance that Christ will not leave you behind when he comes again. I trust that our brief meditation on the second coming of Christ, these four wonderful words from John chapter 14 and verse 3, will have been a blessing to you. I will come again. And some of you who are not saved, I trust you'll see the wisdom of trusting the Savior so that when that day does come, you'll be in that happy company that will be with him and like him for all eternity rather than in that sad company who will be left behind. And now, our gracious Father, we ask that thou will bless thy word to every listening heart in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. And now the male quartet is singing Behold, I Show You a Mystery. Behold, I show you a mystery.
Sunday Night Meditations 48 Message and Song - 1950's
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Welcome Detweiler (March 25, 1908 – March 31, 1992) was an American preacher, evangelist, and church founder whose ministry bridged his Pennsylvania farming roots with a vibrant Gospel outreach in North Carolina. Born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to Mennonite parents, Detweiler grew up on a 97-acre homestead raising registered Holstein cattle and Percheron draft horses. At 18, an open-air preacher’s charge to “go out and preach the Word of God” ignited his calling, though he initially balanced farming with Bible study. On May 26, 1931, he married Helen Lear, and they raised three children—Jerry (1935), Gladys (1937), and Cliff (1941)—while he preached part-time across various denominations. By 1940, Detweiler entered full-time ministry as a song leader and evangelist, leaving farming behind. In 1944, he joined evangelist Lester Wilson in Durham, North Carolina, leading singing for a six-week revival that birthed Grove Park Chapel. Sensing a divine call, he moved his family there in January 1945, purchasing land on Driver Avenue to establish a community church. Despite wartime lumber shortages, he resourcefully built and expanded the chapel—first to 650 seats in 1948 using Camp Butner mess hall wood, then to 967 in 1950 with a Sunday school wing—growing it into a thriving hub with a peak attendance of over 1,000. Known as “Mr. D,” he led youth groups and preached with clarity, often hosting out-of-town speakers in his home.