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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 incredible spiritual blessings that believers receive through their faith in Christ, as articulated by Paul in Ephesians. He highlights that those who follow Jesus are assured of their salvation and have been chosen and adopted by God, which grants them a heavenly position. The Ephesians, well-versed in the gospel, understood their identity in Christ and the joy that comes from God's promises. Wilkerson encourages believers to recognize that despite feelings of unworthiness, they are seated with Christ and can rejoice in God's grace and kindness. This assurance of God's presence in their lives is a profound reason for celebration.
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Cause Enough for Rejoicing
Paul says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). Paul is telling us, in essence, “All who follow Jesus are blessed with spiritual blessings in heavenly places, where Christ is.” What an incredible blessing. Paul wrote this epistle to “the faithful in Christ Jesus” (1:1) — believers who were sure of their salvation. The Ephesians had been well trained in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the hope of eternal life. They knew who they were in Christ and were assured of their heavenly position in him. They fully understood that God had raised Jesus from the dead and set him at the Father’s right hand (1:20); they knew they had been chosen by God from before the foundation of the world (1:4); and they grasped that they had been adopted by Jesus Christ to himself (1:5). When the Ephesians heard the word of truth, they believed and trusted it. Indeed, they were grounded in the truth that they were made to “sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (2:6). In other words, they had been well trained in sound doctrine and they knew how to enter into the joy of the promises of God. I trust that you are like those Ephesians: faithful, well-taught believers, accepting the victory that comes by faith alone and not by works. You may not feel like you are in a “heavenly place,” but the moment you placed your trust in Jesus, he came and made his abode in your heart. Paul tells us that God has made us to sit together with Christ so that “He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us” (2:7). He is emphasizing that the effect we will see in our daily lives is God’s loving, warmhearted kindness. Therefore we can wake up shouting, “Hallelujah! God, Christ and the Holy Spirit want to be near me.” That is certainly a cause for rejoicing!
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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.