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David Wilkerson

David Wilkerson (1931 - 2011). American Pentecostal pastor, evangelist, and author born in Hammond, Indiana. Raised in a family of preachers, he was baptized with the Holy Spirit at eight and began preaching at 14. Ordained in 1952 after studying at Central Bible College, he pastored small churches in Pennsylvania. In 1958, moved by a Life Magazine article about New York gang violence, he started a street ministry, founding Teen Challenge to help addicts and troubled youth. His book "The Cross and the Switchblade," co-authored in 1962, became a bestseller, chronicling his work with gang members like Nicky Cruz. In 1987, he founded Times Square Church in New York City, serving a diverse congregation until his death. Wilkerson wrote over 30 books, including "The Vision," and was known for bold prophecies and a focus on holiness. Married to Gwen since 1953, they had four children. He died in a car accident in Texas. His ministry emphasized compassion for the lost and reliance on God. Wilkerson’s work transformed countless lives globally. His legacy endures through Teen Challenge and Times Square Church.
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Sermon Summary
David Wilkerson emphasizes that when engaged in a divine mission, one must remain steadfast against the attacks of Satan, who seeks to hinder God's work through distractions and discouragement. He illustrates this through Nehemiah's unwavering commitment to rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem despite facing opposition from prominent leaders who attempted to undermine his efforts. Nehemiah's refusal to be distracted by their plots serves as a powerful reminder that God's calling must take precedence over the noise of criticism and fear. Ultimately, the completion of the wall stands as a testament to God's faithfulness and support in the face of adversity.
Scriptures
So the Wall Was Finished
Often Satan will attack you in order to stop a great work for God. He will put enemies in league together just to hinder your labors. They will come against you in unison, trying to discount the minister in order to stop the ministry. You can be sure of this: If you are on a divine mission — if you are called to do a work for the Lord and are busy fulfilling that calling, trusting in Jesus — none of their plots will work against you. Nehemiah was called by God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. The work was progressing wonderfully, with the walls going up steadily. Suddenly Satan stirred up a hornets' nest to hinder it all. Four prominent leaders joined in a plot against Nehemiah: “They thought to do me mischief” (Nehemiah 6:2). Four times these leaders set a trap. They called out to Nehemiah, "Come down off your wall. We want to have a conference with you. We insist you talk to us!" But four times Nehemiah answered, "I'm not coming down off these walls! I have work to do here because God has ordained me to do it" (see Nehemiah 6:3). Beloved, you cannot get involved in arguing with people just because they want to argue. It's all meant to be a distraction. You must go on with God's work. The reason Satan comes against your prayer life, your consecration to God, your walk with Him, isn't just to bring you down. He also wants to ruin the ministry God has given you. He wants to destroy anything you're doing that brings glory to God! These four VIPs started a rash of rumors against Nehemiah. They claimed, "You're doing this for yourself, not for God!" One of them, Tobiah, sent slanderous letters to other leaders in Israel. All the slander, plotting and snares were designed to put fear into Nehemiah's heart, in hopes that he would get discouraged and run. Nehemiah sums up the scheme in verse 13: “[He was] hired that I should be afraid . . . that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.” But none of those snares could stop the work of God! Scripture states: "So the wall was completed. . . . When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God” (verses 15-16, NIV).
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David Wilkerson (1931 - 2011). American Pentecostal pastor, evangelist, and author born in Hammond, Indiana. Raised in a family of preachers, he was baptized with the Holy Spirit at eight and began preaching at 14. Ordained in 1952 after studying at Central Bible College, he pastored small churches in Pennsylvania. In 1958, moved by a Life Magazine article about New York gang violence, he started a street ministry, founding Teen Challenge to help addicts and troubled youth. His book "The Cross and the Switchblade," co-authored in 1962, became a bestseller, chronicling his work with gang members like Nicky Cruz. In 1987, he founded Times Square Church in New York City, serving a diverse congregation until his death. Wilkerson wrote over 30 books, including "The Vision," and was known for bold prophecies and a focus on holiness. Married to Gwen since 1953, they had four children. He died in a car accident in Texas. His ministry emphasized compassion for the lost and reliance on God. Wilkerson’s work transformed countless lives globally. His legacy endures through Teen Challenge and Times Square Church.