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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 the necessity of trials and conflicts in our spiritual lives, arguing that without them, we risk becoming passive and allowing decay to set in. He asserts that our strength and resources are found in the battles we face, and that God uses these challenges to build our character and faith. Wilkerson reflects on his own ministry, noting that the trials he endured ultimately led to spiritual wealth and growth. He encourages believers to embrace their trials by faith, recognizing that they are part of God's plan to strengthen and sanctify them. Ultimately, he reminds us that we are vessels of God's treasure, and through our struggles, we can glorify Him.
Scriptures
Take Hold of Your Trial by Faith
If we didn’t have conflict, pressure, trials, wars, we would become passive and lukewarm. Decay would set in and our temple would lie in ruins. We wouldn’t be able to handle the territory we’ve gained. That’s why the enemy’s plan against us is clear: He wants to take us out of the battle. His aim is to remove all the fight from us. We find all our resources for maintenance—strength to go on, power over the enemy—in our spiritual battles. And on that day when we stand before the Lord, he will reveal to us: “Do you remember what you went through on that occasion? And in that awful battle? Look at what you accomplished through it all. It was all secured through the battles you won.” The simple fact is, God has put his treasure in human bodies. He has made you a temple, a house for his Spirit to dwell in. And you have a responsibility to maintain that temple. If you become lazy and careless, neglecting the maintenance work needed—regular prayer, feeding on God’s Word, fellowshipping with the saints—decay will set in. And you’ll end up in absolute ruin. As I look back on my own fifty years of ministry, I recall many times when it would have been easy for me to quit. I would pray, “Lord, I don’t understand this attack. Where did it come from? And when will it end? I don’t see any purpose in it at all.” But over time, I began to see fruit from those trials. And that fruit—resources, strength, spiritual wealth—supplied me in a way I couldn’t have gotten through any other means. I urge you: Take hold of your trial by faith, and believe God has allowed it. Know that he’s using it to make you stronger…to help you take spoils from Satan...to make you a blessing to others…and to sanctify it all to his glory. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair” (2 Corinthians 4:7-9). “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things that are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
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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.