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(Spain) Guarding the Sheep
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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In this sermon, the preacher discusses a prosperity conference where the doctrine preached is centered around giving money to the most prosperous preacher in order to receive blessings and wealth. The preacher expresses concern about the rise of certain individuals within the church who become dictators and draw people to themselves. He emphasizes that true men of God will not be after people's money and that false teachings can be identified by the cost they impose on believers. The preacher also speaks about a future revival and movement of the Holy Spirit, envisioning Spain as a part of this awakening.
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God is not going to bypass Spain. If He pours out His Spirit anywhere in Europe, He is going to pour His Spirit out on Spain. Now, in my flesh, I would not choose to speak what I am going to speak. This is a prophetic message. It is something God has clearly laid on my heart. And I think it is one of the main reasons why this service has been arranged. I want to talk about guarding the sheep. I want to speak to every overseer. Every leader. Every pastor. And everyone who came to this meeting this morning. If I have ever spoken His word, I speak it this morning. God has called this church to guard its sheep. To guard it from what is coming. Let's pray. Now, Heavenly Father, You must come. You must touch me with Your Spirit. I can't speak this out of my own heart. I ask You to humble me. And break my spirit. And humble me. And let me speak as an oracle of God. And give us ears to hear what the Spirit has to say. Lord, we see something coming to this country. A wind of heaven. A breath from the heart of God. A stirring among young people. Something this nation has never seen. In such magnitude. In such glory. And Lord, when that happens. The enemy is going to come like a lion. Every wind and wave of doctrine. Raise up a standard against it this morning. Put walls around this country. You said I will be a wall around you. A wall of fire. The enemy can't get over the wall. He can't get through the wall. He can't dig under the wall. He said, I'll be a wall around you. And I'll be the glory inside that wall. Put a wall around Spain. A protection against every false doctrine. God, do something this morning. Raise up the walls. And speak from heaven. In Jesus' name. Amen. Paul is on his way to Jerusalem. And he insists that they stop at Ephesus. He sends a man ahead of him. And he says, gather the elders together. I have a message. This is all found in the 20th chapter of the book. Of Acts. And he gathers the elders together. And this is what he said. In verse 25. I'm paraphrasing. This is the last time I'm going to see you. This is my last message to you. You'll see my face no more. And as he gathers the leaders together. Of this church. Now remember, he had spent three years in this place. He loved this church. For three years, he wept over this church. He said, I've been with you before. You know where I stand. I served you with humility. I ministered to you with tears. I preached with great trial and persecution. I kept nothing back from you. In other words, he's saying, I ministered in your church. And I ministered from house to house. Verse 31. He said, I warned you night and day for three years. He said, I warned you about what I see coming when I'm gone. He said, I'm leaving. I've spent three years. And I have wept. And I have wept so much. Not only did I preach in your services. I went to your individual houses. And I warned you. And now this is my last message to you. And I warn you with tears. When I'm gone, I see something coming to the church. What is it that broke this man's heart? What did he see coming to the Ephesian church? What was it that grieves this holy, praying man? He wasn't seeing an outbreak of adulthood. He wasn't seeing adultery, fornication. He was not talking about the breakdown of morals. He was not talking about the increase of homosexuality. He was not talking about gay marriages. He was not talking about government restrictions coming. He was not talking about the things that most concern us today. He wasn't worried about anything outside the walls of the church. He said, what breaks my heart has nothing to do with your government. Has nothing to do with immorality outside the walls of the church. And we are to be concerned about those kind of things. But Paul said, that's not why I weep. He said, what I see coming is going to happen inside your church. He's not worried. He's not speaking about unemployment. He's not talking about a breakdown of the economy. He's not talking about the problems among the pastors. As far as their marriages are concerned. Or about their children going astray. But he comes to the pastors and the shepherds and the elders. He said, take heed and be on guard. The Holy Ghost, verse 28. The Holy Ghost has made you overseers. To feed the church of God. Which he has purchased with his own blood. Feed your flock. Make sure your pastors, your elders. Are giving the word. Feeding the sheep. When Jesus was resurrected. And Peter came to him. And Jesus said, do you love me, Peter? He didn't say, count the sheep. He said, feed the sheep. And what he's saying. Your people had better be well fed. Feed the flock. The full counsel of God. Prepare them for what is coming. For what is coming is going to come inside the church. For I know that after my. Verse 29 and 30. I know this. That after my departure. Grievous wolves are entering. Among you. They will not spare the flock. Also of your own selves. Men shall arise. Speaking perverse things. To draw away disciples after them. Therefore, watch. Now here's what Paul the Apostle is saying. Up to this moment. You've been a blessed church. God is moving by his spirit among you. Even in Revelation. In Apocalypse. Jesus said of this same church. You're a patient people. You don't put up with evil. You expose false preachers. You will not endure with the doctrines of error. You're a faithful people. He said, but that's the very thing. It's going to draw the wolves. The wolves are going to enter in. He said, your church is not going to be spared. And when you read what Jesus said of the Ephesian church. He said, oh, yes, you've been strong against sin. You're a faithful people. You judge those who are false apostles. And you've been protecting your walls. But he said, in the process. Somewhere along the line. Somehow. As God was blessing. God was beginning to move. You lost your first love. How did they lose their first love? When they hated sin. And they had been watchful. Somewhere along the line. There was somebody who was not on guard. Some praying elders. Some praying leaders. Allowed something of compromise to creep in. And got them away from the love of Christ. From the centrality of the cross. And false doctrines were coming in. Robbing people of their first love. Now, Paul is gone. He's long gone to glory. And the wolves have come. The wolves are in the house of God. They've invaded the house of God. And they have deceived pastors and congregations all over the world. Jesus also warned of their coming. Beware of false prophets. Coming to you in sheep's clothing. Inwardly, they are ravening wolves. Ezekiel said of them. There's a conspiracy for prophets. They come like roaring lions. They devour the lives of the people. They take their money and their precious things. They're like wolves tearing the people apart. They're destroying lives. In order to get money for themselves. But they have no burden for the poor and the needy. Wolves are those who have exchanged the cross for cash. For money. The wolves are preaching that God's purpose for you as a Christian is primarily to prosper you. Now listen to me, please. I believe God wants to bless his people. God's plan is not for people to live in poverty. And if you seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, he said these things will be added to you. God will never let you beg for bread. But he's never promised you a Mercedes. He's never promised you a mansion. And I'm telling you there's a doctrine out of hell. And it's destroying churches all over the world. Everywhere I go, I see split churches. And I see very many thousands of poor people that came into churches where there were evangelists American evangelists who call themselves prophets. Prophets of prosperity. They say if you have faith, if you're living according to the word of God, God wants to give you a new house. He wants to give you a new car. He wants to fill your bank accounts. Let me tell you what one of these wolves preached just a week before I came here. He calls himself a prosperity prophet. He's on television all over the United States. This is what he said. And a pastor called me. He and his wife watched and saw and heard this. The pastor's wife screamed. She said, shut it off. It's out of hell. Because this is what the man was saying. One of the best known so-called prosperity preachers in America. He said, you've heard about the coming of Jesus. You've heard that Jesus can come at any moment. He said, it's not true. Jesus cannot come until you have the house of your dreams. Until you have the car that you want. Until you prosper. Jesus cannot come. Jesus will not come. Now folks, that's a lie from the pit of hell. And how some pastors and how some churches can be so deceived. It's beyond my comprehension. Someone sent me a tape. Another famous prosperity preacher. And I fell on my knees and wept. This is what he said. He said, I paid 15,000 euros for my dog. He said, see this ring on my finger. 35,000 euros. I'm saying it in dollars breaking into euros. He said, I tell you what I'm going to do. I'm building a house that Solomon would be proud to live in. And when the people in our city see my mansion and see the Rolls Royce in my driveway, they'll know there's a God in heaven. Let me call the names of these men for what the Bible calls them. There are wolves in the United States. Another who's getting rich. And this is what he says when he gets to the pulpit. If you want healing, it'll cost you $500. If you have cancer, $1,000. And if people line up blinded, blinded, spiritually blinded by wolves, they have no love for the poor. The prophets said they'd take even the shoes off the feet of the widows. Now if you tell me you're a prosperity preacher OK, show me this. Show me your house for drug addicts. Show me how many offerings you take for the widows. Take me down the street in the slums. I don't care if you drive a Rolls Royce. But take me in your Rolls Royce and take me down into the worst sections of your city. And show me where you're building some houses for the poor. You can live like a king if you want. But what are you doing for the poor and the widows? Two years ago I was on vacation and I was praying and I read Matthew 25 the day we stand before Jesus in the judgment. And he said I was poor. I had no clothes. And I was in prison. You didn't visit me. You didn't provide. I'm sorry. You didn't provide. You didn't put a coat on my back. And because you didn't do it for them you didn't do it for me. Now I pastor a church of about 8,000 people. Some of the richest and the poorest. But when we went to New York City we started homes for drug addicts and prostitutes and began to minister to the poor. And the first thing we did when we opened Times Square Church we fixed up a truck as a kitchen and we sent it out into the streets where they're sleeping in cardboard boxes God said if you want a Holy Ghost Church you start with the poor you start with the poor and the widows and the homeless and we did that. Two years ago on vacation God spoke to me what about the widows? You have widows in your church. You have women whose husbands are drug addicts in jail. If you ever ask how many widows are about to be put out on the street I thought surely Lord in a rich city like New York we don't have those. And I asked some of my workers find out make announcements in the private meetings do we have any widows do we have any mothers with children husbands in jail drug addicts who've forsaken them they're alone they've run out of benefits no more welfare I was shocked 39 some of them about to be put on the streets and I'm pastoring this church in a wealthy city don't talk to me about prosperity don't tell me God called you to be rich if you're rich God bless you He's the one who blesses but you better be using that money for those that are in need we're going to stand before the judgment listen to me please we're going to stand before the judgment and up to now not many of these have come to your country because it hasn't been worth it there hasn't been enough money in it but God's going to start prospering you He's going to start blessing your churches you better put your walls up the wolves are on the way they're going to come they're going to come to your churches they're going to come as wolves dressed in sheep's clothing 95% of their gospel will sound good 95% of their gospel will sound good but 5% will be enough to destroy your churches in Central Park in New York they had a problem with rats so what they do these huge bags 98% grain good grain 2% rat poison they spread it all over the park to kill the rat problem I'm not calling anybody rats I'm calling the doctrine poison the church of Jesus Christ used to weep for the lost I can't believe what I see a nation that's about to be judged we've killed 30 million babies in the United States a river of blood we have in your face militant homosexuality 300,000 homosexuals walking, parading up 5th Avenue big signs God is gay Jesus is gay many naked many of them naked mocking some Christians standing on the side just said Jesus loves gays and I stand and I watch them come out tear up the signs about Jesus loving gays knocking the people over and I see a nation in crisis in the United States and then people send me tapes and I see people laying all over the floor laughing and I see an evangelist put his hand in his leg pumping pushing laughing someone sends me a tape prosperity conference and here's the doctrine here's what was being preached if you want to be blessed if you want money take the money out of your pocket find the most prosperous preacher you know and give him your money and the blessing that's on him will fall on you and evidently the most prosperous man was preaching and all through his sermon people were running up stuffing money in his pocket throwing money on the stage and then they started singing a song run for the money running around singing run for the money see what Paul's talking about wolves are coming they're going to devour you they're going to make merchandise of you one of my sons-in-law who works in my office I said go to evangelist so and so and see if you can get any ideas on bookkeeping he came home weeping you know what they told me when somebody sends you money doesn't matter if she's a widow hit her up again send her another mail send it while you can he was shocked he said is this how they operate money church that once believed in self-denial church that once preached the coming of Jesus Christ be ready for any moment he can come love not the world or the things that are in the world for if any man loved the world the love of God is not in him that's the gospel we preach that's the gospel we once had and I'm telling you and I prophesy that the United States of America is on the brink of a depression and God is going to bankrupt every one of these ministries they're already beginning to scream because the offerings are not coming in and one of these days soon God is going to chase all the wolves out of the house of God he's going to clean up his church he's raising up young men on fire they don't want the money they don't want the mailing list they're seeking God and they're hearing from heaven they're going to bring the true gospel into the house of God I'm not mad at anybody but the devil guard yourselves and the flock that you oversee and I want to say every leader here is responsible to put up walls guard those under your care I heard a leader in one nation he said I want revival at any cost I'm thinking what do you mean at any cost are you talking about prayer fasting and seeking God or are you talking about taking anything that works just to keep your churches growing and sadly the brother that said that has been compromised the price was too much that which they thought was revival has done nothing but split the church Jeremiah said their houses are full of deceit they've become great and rich but they don't plead the cause of the orphan they don't defend the rights of the poor I will punish them a horrible thing has happened in the land they are prophesying falsely and my people love to have it so I tell our people in our church when you come here sometimes the gospel you hear will sound offensive to you it may hurt you it may convict you but that is what was preached in the upper room this was preached by Peter their hearts were pricked they were convicted and they cried out brethren what should we do to be saved when I look down in New York City and I see people so bound by sin I remember what Paul the Apostle said not only are going to come wolves but among you not from America not from any other country but they will rise up in your midst those who will draw men unto themselves preaching a perverse gospel a twisted gospel to build themselves a kingdom I warn you I plead with you as Paul the Apostle did with Ephesians elders overseers pastors beware watch out for some man with charisma who rises up and he builds a program and he's become successful but he's the center of it all the bible said they become sensual they separate themselves they separate themselves they bring disunity they bring division and you can always tell who this man is who is this one who will rise up in your midst not just one there may be a number of them they're not strangers you know them but something happens they get some kind of a religious virus some kind of a plan they develop and they start drawing people to themselves and they have circles and they're in the middle of that circle and they are dictators so to speak and it will cost you you can always tell what is false because of the cost if a man of God comes to you I don't care what country he's from he's not going to be after your pocketbook it's not going to cost you 25 euros for his book it's not going to cost you a lot of money to get all the information this gospel is without cost when God called me to come go visit countries this is one of our we have maybe two more visits in Europe now we're going to go to the poorest countries in Africa and the poorest countries in South America for the next two years and if I'm going to those countries and everywhere we go they tell us you can't be an American you must be from another country you're not asking us for any money you can't be an American because they've been so hurt been so deceived and I made God a promise and I'm not boasting I'm just telling you watch out beware when somebody comes some evangelist somebody says this is how much it's going to cost you God made me a promise that we could go to any nation in the world pay for our own hotels pay for our own travel and not have to charge and not have to take offerings from people I go to some countries and I see pastors sleeping outside so thankful for a sandwich and the only clothes he owns are the clothes on his back if God's going to move in Spain he's going to give you a burden for the poor every church every church you say that's the government's job the government can't begin to handle what is in the church there should never be in any one of our churches a widow or some person that's to put out on the street there should be no one without food he said there are going to be those rise up in the midst of you and bringing in something perverse and you know what I see that as half a gospel a gospel of comfort saying if I'm going to attract people people are going to come to me to this place to this house I can't offend and most of the gospel I hear today is simply how to cope with problems we must have that but so much of it is psychology Paul said I am free from your blood I have preached the whole council of God in other words Paul is saying I preached Christ I preached hope I preached faith but I told you about hell and I told you about the judgment and I told you about sacrifice and I told you about living for Christ and holiness I preached you the whole gospel I spared nothing I had no fear of man I wasn't after your money and he said I leave you now and there's no blood on my hands and when I read the warning of Ezekiel if a watchman see a sword coming to the Lord and he warns the people and they take warning they will be saved and the blood is not on your hands but if you see the sword coming you see the hard times coming and you see these wolves coming and you don't warn the people he said they will be destroyed and I will require their blood at your hands and I read that and it puts the fear of God in my soul I go home tomorrow next Sunday I preach in Times Square and I tell our people God didn't call me be your buddy he didn't call me just to go out and have fellowship with you he called me to stay in the prayer room and come to this pulpit and convict your kids keep your kids from going to hell to preach a gospel it may get you angry at times it may put the fear of God in your heart but one day you'll stand beside me at the judgment and you will thank me and all our pastors that we didn't spare and I will not stand before God with any of your blood on my hands because I preached the whole counsel of God without the fear of man and I want our congregation to be so well fed and so warned about these false doctrines that they're not running around the world they're not running from church to church you don't have to worry about losing those kind of people because the wolves and those who draw people to themselves they go after the weak they go after the weak sheep who are not well fed but well fed sheep they hear the voice of the Lord they'll listen to no other voice and no false prophet can draw them away and they take roots and they stay glory to God may God bring well fed churches I want to just say some things from my heart I didn't come here to receive flattery I didn't come here to offend anybody and I have to tell you from the depths of my heart I have met some of the godliest leaders I've ever met there's a whole new group of young and middle aged and even elderly men and the unity that I've seen has just overwhelmed me my son Gary and I have been talking about it and I've never claimed to be a prophet never once but I'm a watchman just one of many let me tell you what I see coming the United States is going to go into a deep depression and it's going to affect all the world and very hard times are coming people don't like to hear it anymore they call me a doomsday prophet they don't want to hear it but it's coming but in that day hearts are going to open especially the young people because they see there's not going to be any hope outside of God it's already happening in New York City young people are turning to the Lord by the hundreds our youth rallies the place is jammed hundreds of young people drug addicts are being saved gang members and gang leaders are being saved and the people say there's no hope in society the government can't help us and now they're turning to the Lord there's going to be a great moving among your young people in the hard times then come in good times comes in hard times and God is going to bless the church the evangelical church is going to see growth new churches springing up godly men but that's when it becomes a mark of the enemy but I can tell you this and I can promise this on the authority of God's word if the leaders evangelical leaders are very careful and prayerful what you allow to come into this country don't care who you are somebody said let's get together let's bring this brother in let's bring this ministry in you better examine it you better pray over it judge it righteously because God wants to use Spain to send missionaries all through Europe and other nations this is going to be if the walls are erected it's going to be a sending church a blessing church and Europe that once had great revivals and Europe that used to spread the gospel to all of the colonies of the world that sleeping giant I can see that giant laying suddenly some fingers begin to move and the toes are moving and then the arms are moving and suddenly the giant sits up and right now all I see are the fingers moving and one day soon Spain will be one of those arms and that giant that just begins to rise up it'll be a hand raised to the Father it'll be a clean hand a pure hand coming from a changed heart and others will rise up and I believe before Jesus comes it won't be just a sweeping revival but there's going to be movements of the Spirit it's going to be something to see and behold because God is going to have showers of blessings showers of blessings I believe that with all my heart when I was in Minsk this past year Minsk in Belarus in the middle of the city they still have linen a statue of linen they're not allowed to build churches and God gave me a prophecy I saw a crane lifting linen off the ground bringing it down and that's about to happen I've been reading the papers there's a movement now God's about to break through linen's coming down the communists are going to leave and soon they're going to be building churches all over Belarus and I so believed it we raised the money and it's sent to five Protestant evangelical denominations as a down payment on the first five churches because I believe it and the pastors believe it the fingers are moving that sleeping giant is coming to life and one of these days should Jesus tarry and I think I'm going to live to see the day that evangelists are going to come from Spain fire and awe shaking us going from church to church waking up the American church you don't believe that did you hear what I said you've had a century of American evangelists coming here wonderful missionaries wonderful teachers he's one of them isn't it time for you to get faith and believe God that you have a message that you have heard from God I'm going to close with this Cuba is awakening God is moving all over Cuba and I made a prophecy five years ago they would be sending missionaries around the world it's about to happen God's getting them ready my son's been in Cuba he's met hundreds of young pastors all ready to go soon as the doors open will you stand now Holy Spirit I've delivered my heart Oh Holy Spirit don't bypass don't pass by Spain while falling on others fall on Spain fall on Spain I had lunch with some pastors and this is what I heard one man spoke at most around the table agreed this meeting here right now is historical for Spain and I went home I said Lord how can that be because we're nobody but then I began to think about it it's just the beginning of something of unity where God's not just blessing Baptists or Pentecostals or Church of God but He's blessing all who hunger and thirst after Him I see pastors here from various denominations with such a genuine love and I'll say it once more the Bible says where there's unity God commands His blessings He speaks it He commands it and He's commanded a blessing I'd like you to raise your hands and thank God for the Holy Spirit coming to Spain with new power to open doors to bless and to unite give Him thanks whoever you are from whatever church you're from Lord build the walls protect this country oh Jesus bring unity born of the Holy Spirit keep out the wolves keep away the perverse gospels bring a pure gospel feed the flock and bless these churches and bless the young people pour out your spirit among the young people those that are on drugs those that are on alcohol save them call them to preach turn them into ministers do the impossible God pour faith on this church bring faith to this congregation oh folks God wants you to believe Him for great and mighty things now an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that's a genuine work of the Holy Spirit where Christ is exalted and man is put down and Jesus is built up let's pray come on folks let's pray let's just pray Lord we call upon you now glory be to your name King of kings Lord of lords keep us humble keep us broken oh Lord Jesus save the unsaved send a revival even to the catholic church save catholics save backslidden protestants awaken the backslidden folks the bible says we're to call on God I'm asking you to lift your voice I don't care how quiet you are lift your voice God said let their people cry let a cry be heard Lord hear a cry we are hungry for you we thirst after you pour out your spirit come Holy Spirit come Holy Spirit you are welcome in this house
(Spain) Guarding the Sheep
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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.