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Jim Cymbala

Jim Cymbala (1943 - ). American pastor, author, and speaker born in Brooklyn, New York. Raised in a nominal Christian home, he excelled at basketball, captaining the University of Rhode Island team, then briefly attended the U.S. Naval Academy. After college, he worked in business and married Carol in 1966. With no theological training, he became pastor of the struggling Brooklyn Tabernacle in 1971, growing it from under 20 members to over 16,000 by 2012 in a renovated theater. He authored bestselling books like Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (1997), stressing prayer and the Holy Spirit’s power. His Tuesday Night Prayer Meetings fueled the church’s revival. With Carol, who directs the Grammy-winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, they planted churches in Haiti, Israel, and the Philippines. They have three children and multiple grandchildren. His sermons focus on faith amid urban challenges, inspiring global audiences through conferences and media.
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In this sermon, the speaker calls upon individuals who feel called to the ministry to come forward. He emphasizes the importance of being obedient servants and surrendering to God's will. The speaker encourages the congregation to listen to God's voice and immediately obey his promptings, believing that God will provide the anointing, power, and grace needed to fulfill his calling. He urges the audience to break away from traditional church practices and live with a living Christ by their side, always ready to do what he tells them to do.
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The greatest Christian with the most influence in the history of the world, after Christ died on the cross, resurrected, ascended to the right hand of the Father, who's the most influential Christian that ever lived, without doubt? A Jewish man named Saul from Tarsus, north of Israel. He wrote a good part of the New Testament, and what's odd about him is what? What was he before he got converted? A persecutor of the church. And to close this meeting, I just want you to notice his conversion. And as he, Saul, neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground. I want you to notice where the quotation marks are, where Paul speaks and where Jesus speaks. He fell to the ground and he heard a voice say to him, "'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' Was he persecuting Jesus, or was he persecuting the church? When you persecute the church, you persecute Jesus, because the head is connected to the body. Anyone who lifts their hand up against the hurt, the church, is lifting their hand against Jesus Christ, because he identifies so with the body. Aren't you happy he identifies with us so much? So here's what Paul says. What does he say? Read it out loud with me. "'Who are you, Lord?' Saul asked. Now,' quotation goes back, "'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,' he replied. "'Now get up and go into the city, "'and you will be told what you must do.'" This is the conversion experience of the greatest Christian who ever lived. How did it happen? He had a revelation of Jesus. He had a revelation that Jesus was alive. You can't do anything for God unless you know that Jesus is alive. He's risen from the dead. He's not a concept. He's not a thought in the Bible. He's the living Savior, and he's alive. And Saul, this was a blow to Saul, because here he was persecuting everyone who was a Christian. He obviously did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. He rejected that thought, thought it was blasphemous, and now he's, some commentators and historians think he killed hundreds or thousands of Christians. The Bible doesn't say that, but we just know this, he was wrecking havoc in the church. And now he got letters from Jerusalem, and he was going up to Damascus and Syria to persecute more Christians. But he got a revelation that Jesus is alive. If we're gonna be used by God, we have to know every day in a new way. He's alive, he's alive. We gotta walk in the street, he's alive. We gotta talk to him. God has spared David, and Leah's not a widow now today because David was warned by the living Jesus not to go certain places where they were waiting for him. He's alive because Jesus is alive. Jesus speaks, Jesus directs. So we need to remember that. That was the first thing God wanted Saul to know and wants us to know. He's not dead, he's alive. Christianity's not about going to church, it's about a living Jesus who we can have a relationship with and talk to and all of that. But I want you to notice that the Bible says in the next passage that the group that was with Saul on the road to Damascus, they saw the light, but they didn't hear the voice. In other words, God was dealing with him and no one understood. And I wanna say this for somebody, this is coming out of left field, but I wanna say this to somebody today. Many times when God is dealing with you, the people near you do not know what's happening. And it hurts you and you feel misunderstood and you can't explain it to them. The Bible tells us that the people with Saul saw the light, but didn't hear the voice. In other words, God was doing a miracle in him and calling him and they didn't have a clue. So be encouraged today. People might not know what you're going through, but God knows what you're going through. God, come on, let's put our hands together and say amen. God knows your hunger. God knows your heart. God knows what you have surrendered to him. So that's an encouragement for all of us. But as many times, people closest to us have no idea what God is saying and you can't share it with hardly anyone. But here's the point. The only thing Saul says in his conversion, at least this part, was, who are you, Lord? I am Jesus, whom you're persecuting. And then do you notice how quickly Jesus says this to him? Okay, now you know I'm alive. Go into the city and you'll be told what you're to do. I didn't save you for nothing. I'm saving you for something. You gotta get your marching orders now and go and do it for me. Speak it for me. Let me love through you. Touch the world. But notice how quickly we get to that. Jesus doesn't say, I know all you've been through and this and that, isn't it great? You're persecuting the church. No, he gets right to the chase and this is what the chase is. Go into the city blind as a bat. It so happened until he got his sight three days later. And you will be told what you should do. Not what you should do, what you must do. And I wanna say to all the pastors that are here and the people that are here, the miraculous power that Paul experienced in his life was because from the very beginning he understood Christianity this way. That's my master, I'm his servant. I used to hate him and work against him and now I know he's alive. And now I will do whatever he tells me to do. Instant obedience, when he speaks, I will go. When he says stay, I will stay. When he says be quiet, I won't say a word. But when he says risk your life, I will risk my life. But I'm gonna do what he tells me to do. And Jesus cut right to that quick. And a lot of us have made the center of our Christianity us and how we feel and what we're going through. And thank God he has mercy on us and he helps us. But I wanna challenge you all today. Those of you who really wanna be used by God, you gotta get to a new surrender. Jesus, I know you're alive and I will do what you tell me to do. But what if it goes wrong? I will do what you tell me to do. But what if it doesn't work? I will do what you tell me to do. I wanna live in such fellowship with you that when you speak, I will do it. In the drugstore, on the subway, in the apartment building, in the school. I will call who you want me to call. I will pray over people you want me to pray. But you are Lord, I am your servant and I will do what you want me to do. That conversion changed the world. And if you read the book of Acts, all you find out is the working out of, I will do what he tells me to do. I wanna live the rest of my life that way. I want the lightest prompting. I said to Jesus just a few minutes ago as we were praying for Iran, Lord, somebody's supposed to pray now. But I don't know who to pray and I don't wanna ruin the meeting. So whatever person approaches me while we're praying and taps me on the shoulder, I will hand the microphone to. And out of nowhere, Pastor Burgos walks over to me and taps me on the shoulder, which he never does in the middle of a meeting, never has done on this platform ever. And he tells me something about going on across the street about you folks watching. And I turned to him, he'll tell you. And I said, Jesus wants you to pray. And did he pray for Iran? Come on, did he pray for Iran? Did God anoint him to pray? How many wanna do whatever Jesus wants us to do? Come on, even a little thing like that. Even a little thing like that. How many know he's alive? How many know he's still speaking and leading us? Close your eyes. Those who wanna be used by God in a new dimension and wanna do what he tells you to do. You wanna break away from the box and churchianity and you wanna get radical and do what he tells you to do. I will do what he tells me to do. I'll do it tonight. I'll do it tomorrow by his grace. But I am not just gonna go through the motions mechanically. I'm gonna live with a living Christ by my side with my ear open to him. He's my master, he's my Lord. And what he tells me to do, I will do. My best days on planet Earth have been when I've been listening to do what he tells me to do. My worst days in my life have been when my ears of my heart have been closed and I'm doing what I wanna do. What a curse to do what you wanna do after Jesus purchased you and he has an exciting plan for your life. Now these people behind me, all of them, they got an ear to do, to listen and to do. Anybody here wanna just come out and come up here and just stand right here in the front? Pastors, people feeling your call to the ministry? Missionaries, move forward, pastors, deacons. In a second, we're gonna go down these steps. Oh, there's a problem. How are we gonna get to you, God? Give us wisdom, Jesus. Show us how we can pray for these people. When they lay hands on you, here's what we're praying. Lord, make them obedient servants. The anointing will come. The Holy Spirit power will come. I promise you it'll come. God will supply everything. Are you kidding? You're gonna do whatever he tells you to do and he's not gonna help you? That's impossible. You mean we're gonna obey his voice and do what he wants us to do and he won't help us and anoint us and strengthen us? No, we're gonna have a fresh surrender tonight. Congregation, stand. Up in the balcony, stand. We can't do this by ourselves. Prayer band people behind me and deacons and deaconesses, make your way around and try to mingle with the people here in the front because I want the missionaries and the pastors to come right on the steps and start laying hands on these people. Everybody in the building, lift up your hands and begin to praise God. We're gonna pray. We're gonna lay hands on you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is alive, who wants to talk to you, wants to show you what to do. Lord Jesus, every day we pray that you'll give us a fresh revelation, reminder that you are alive, that you talk, you lead, you listen. You are alive, you're risen from the dead. You're not a doctrine. You're not some faraway person. You're as close as the mention of your name and you're alive. Give us an ear to hear what you're saying to us moment by moment, day by day. Save us from fanaticism, but save us from deadness of spirit. Speak your word into our hearts as we study it, but then give us those little instructions, those little promptings. And then God, give us the grace to immediately obey every prompting that you give us. And then we're counting that as we do that, you are gonna bless us with an anointing, with power, with supply, with grace, with love, everything we need, because we're doing what you asked us to do. How could you not help us if we do what you ask us to do? Help us to live close to you so we can be sent on many errands.
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Jim Cymbala (1943 - ). American pastor, author, and speaker born in Brooklyn, New York. Raised in a nominal Christian home, he excelled at basketball, captaining the University of Rhode Island team, then briefly attended the U.S. Naval Academy. After college, he worked in business and married Carol in 1966. With no theological training, he became pastor of the struggling Brooklyn Tabernacle in 1971, growing it from under 20 members to over 16,000 by 2012 in a renovated theater. He authored bestselling books like Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (1997), stressing prayer and the Holy Spirit’s power. His Tuesday Night Prayer Meetings fueled the church’s revival. With Carol, who directs the Grammy-winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, they planted churches in Haiti, Israel, and the Philippines. They have three children and multiple grandchildren. His sermons focus on faith amid urban challenges, inspiring global audiences through conferences and media.