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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 true communion with God requires a deep understanding and acceptance of His love, grace, and mercy. He explains that communion involves both receiving the Father's love and reciprocating it, highlighting that mere prayer without this understanding is not true intimacy. Wilkerson reassures believers that God is not a harsh judge but a loving Father who delights in His children, as illustrated by Zephaniah's depiction of God's joy and satisfaction in His relationship with us. He encourages Christians to embrace the reality of God's unwavering love, which existed even before creation, and to recognize the joy God experiences in His relationship with us.
True Communion
Many Christians talk about intimacy with the Lord, walking with him, knowing him, having fellowship with him. But we can’t have true communion with God unless we receive into our hearts the full revelation of his love, grace and mercy. Communion with God consists of two things: 1. Receiving the love of the Father, and 2. Loving him in return You can spend hours each day in prayer, telling the Lord how much you love him, but that isn’t communion. If you haven’t received his love, you haven’t had communion with him. You simply can’t share intimacy with the Lord unless you’re secure in his love for you. I know when I come to my Lord, I’m not coming to a hard, fierce, demanding Father. He doesn’t wait for me with an angry countenance, anxious to put a rod to my back. He doesn’t trail me, waiting for me to fail so he can say, “I caught you!” No, I’m coming to a Father who has revealed himself to me as pure, unconditional love. He’s kind and tenderhearted, full of grace and mercy, anxious to lift all my cares and burdens. And I know he’ll never turn me down when I call on him. That’s why I’m to come into his courts with praise and thanksgiving because I’m thankful for who my God is. He cares about everything concerning me! (See Psalm 100.) The prophet Zephaniah says something incredible about God’s love for us. He writes, “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). This verse tells us two important things about how the Lord loves us: 1. God rests in his love for his people. In Hebrew, the phrase “He will rest in his love” reads, “He shall be silent because of His love.” God is saying, in essence, “I’ve found my true love, and I’m totally satisfied! I don’t need to look elsewhere, because I have no complaint. I’m completely fulfilled in this relationship, and I won’t take my love back. My love is a settled matter!” 2. God gets great pleasure from his people. Zephaniah testifies, “He rejoices over you with singing.” He is saying, “God’s love for you is so great, it puts a song on his lips!” To rejoice means “to have joy and delight.” It’s an outward expression of internal delight. It’s also the highest expression of love. The Hebrew word Zephaniah uses for “rejoice” here is tripudiare meaning, “to leap, as one overcome with joyful ecstasy.” Can you conceive of your heavenly Father being so in love with you that he leaps with joy at the very thought of you? Can you receive his word that he loved you before the world was created, before humankind existed, before you were even born? Can you accept that he loved you even after you fell into Adam’s sinful ways and became an enemy to him?
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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.