This sermon emphasizes the importance of being a voice for God in the city, drawing parallels to the story of Jonah and the revival in Nineveh. It calls for believers to step out in faith, speak about Jesus, and be willing to obey God's call to share His love and salvation with others, even in the face of challenges and reluctance.

Praise God. Good morning, Times Square Church. If you turn in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs, please, chapter 1, Proverbs chapter 1. And I'm going to speak to you today about a sudden voice in the city, a sudden voice in the city. Now, Father, I thank you, Lord God, with all my heart for your word. Jesus Christ, help us to understand what you're about to do. Speak to every heart. Give us clear vision. Cause us, Lord, to want the things that you want. Move us in the direction of what gives glory to you. Help us, Jesus. God, I pray for an anointing that transcends all of any ability that you've given me. My God, this has to be conveyed in the spirit. It cannot be conveyed in the flesh. Something you have to do in every person's heart. Father, I ask you in Jesus' name to do it sovereignly and powerfully today. And I give you praise and glory for it in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Proverbs chapter 1, beginning at verse 20. A sudden voice in the city. Wisdom crieth without. She uttereth her voice in the streets. She cries in the chief place of concourse. That means business. In the openings of the gates. In the city, she utters her word saying, How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? And the scorners delight in their scorning. And fools hate knowledge. Turn you at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you. I will make known my words unto you. Again, verse 20 says, Wisdom cries without. And she utters her voice in the streets. Now, in this passage of Scripture, the Bible clearly shows us that God is always and in all places wanting to make himself known. He's wanting to bring a fallen people back to himself into a living and a saving relationship with him. Now, many who are here today, you can remember how suddenly and inexplicably, at least to yourself, thoughts of God came into your heart before you got saved. I remember when I was a young police officer walking the beat back in Canada, suddenly thoughts about God came into my heart. It was a strange thing, really. I even wondered myself, Why am I thinking about God? Why have I at least partially come to the conclusion that God might be what I'm looking for in my life? Why am I sitting in empty churches, talking to a God that I really don't know and have never had any kind of a living relationship with? It's because he was speaking. The voice of God is always speaking, always wooing, always calling everyone everywhere all the time. There's this this inner prompting of the Holy Spirit, and thoughts come into people's hearts like they did with us long before someone came to you and explained what it was that you were feeling. And I don't know how you feel today, but I can say, Thank God they came. I praise God for the day that a man knocked on my door and said, I hear that you want to understand what it means to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus. I thank God for that. I thank God. I think about it constantly. I thank God for it, that had he not come, I would not have known. Now, God in another way could have brought deliverance, but I just thank God that he used an ordinary human vessel, another man just like myself, in the same occupation I was in at the time, to come to me. He had never won anybody to Christ in his Christianity up to that point, and he was reaching out by faith, coming to my door, not knowing what to expect, not knowing what kind of a reception he was going to get. But all I can say is that, Thank God he came. The Lord needed a voice, and he became that voice that brought me to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Paul says in Romans chapter 10 and verse 14, How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? Just common logic really in the Scriptures. How will they know? How will they turn? How will they hear? If somebody doesn't go to them, it doesn't matter sometimes about the thoughts that are in their hearts. The Lord needs a voice in the earth. I wonder if there have been moments in society, because I've been a student of revival for years, where there were longings. These inner longings came upon societies. I've even spoken with a man one time many years ago who actually lived through a revival and described to me the inner groan that came into his spirit. He was just a child in grade school, and he said, we were all crying. Nobody could work. They had to dismiss the school and send us home. And people, he said, as I left the school, people were standing in the streets. They didn't know what to do. There's this inner awareness of God had come upon this town. But how will they hear without a preacher? I thank God that in every revival, at least in most of them, there has been somebody that God has raised up. There have been churches perhaps that have laid hold again of what it means to be the church of Jesus Christ on the earth. There have been individual Christians. There have been evangelists, preachers, pastors that have just suddenly understood that they've been called to speak. But I can't help but wonder if there have been moments in society where people were ready to hear, but few were willing to speak. And if we are silent, knowing that the purpose of our lives and ministry is to glorify Christ and to see the desires of His heart satisfied on the earth, if we are silent, when we know, when I know that the purpose of my life is to glorify Christ, when I know that His heart's desire very clearly in Scripture is that none should perish, but all should come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. If I know this and remain silent, the question is why? Why won't I speak? Psalm 115 verse 17 tells us that those that go down into silence are not able to give praise to God. I mean, yes, we can come to church and sing, but the question is, is it really praise? Are we really—praise is more than a song. Praise is a lifestyle. Praise is really you and I coming into the church on Sunday, thanking God for what He's done throughout the week. It's not about the choir hitting the right note and the band leading us into that more or less mystical presence of God for some, but it's just coming in and saying, God, thank you, Jesus. Thank you that you stretched my life. You gave me thoughts and power and leadings, and I've seen your hand at work in my life all week. The 2nd Kings chapter 7 tells us of a time in history there were just a few people who found an incredible supply of provision just outside the gates of a starving city. The city was starving to death. It was besieged by darkness all around, and these four people just decided to go into the camp of the enemy. And when they got there, they found the enemy had already fled, and there were tents with gold and tents with food, and there was garments, everything, everything. And they went from tent to tent, and they were basking in the glory of what they'd been miraculously given. And as they were doing this, suddenly a thought came to them. In 2nd Kings chapter 7 verse 9, the Bible says, they said one to another, we do not well. This is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace. We do not well. We've been basking in this provision. We know that we're supplied. We found something. We understand the enemy has been conquered. This incredible provision is here, but it isn't just for us. It's for the people of this city. And they said, we do not well. This is a day of gladness, and we hold our peace. And then they said, if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us. In other words, what they were really saying is, if we wait too long, something may happen that takes away the opportunity. If we wait too long. I want to tell you this morning, beloved, we must not wait any longer. If we wait too long, something can come our way that takes away the opportunity. You look at now the situation in Egypt, and there are a lot of Christians, a lot of beloved Christian brethren in Egypt, but the time in a sense, the freedom that there was a freedom to speak the name of Jesus, but something has come their way that may be taking this away. Now therefore come, they said, that we may go and tell the king's household. Now the book of Jonah, if you want to turn there with me, it's eight books, eight relatively small books back from the Gospel of Matthew, which is the first book in the New Testament. So when you find Matthew go back about eight small books, it's very close to the end of the Old Testament. Now I think the Lord has shown me something in this. This book tells us why sincere believers refuse to speak, especially in places and in times and to people who need it the most, because it's a question that has troubled me. Why do sincere followers of Jesus Christ not share their faith? Why do we hold our peace in public? Oh, we're all brave in church. Oh yeah, we can stand and want to prophesy and everybody has a word for somebody, but why do we hold our peace when we get outside in a sense, outside of these doors? Why don't we speak? Now Jonah was not like the people whom Jesus describes as being shut down by a love and a preoccupation with themselves in this world. You remember there were those that were invited into the banquet and the work of God and one came and said, no, I've just, it's my family, so I just married and so I don't have time. My focus is on my family. Another said, no, I bought land. I don't really have time to do this. I'm a commercial guy. And then somebody else had cattle and they were investing and they were starting to work and it was about themselves. And so these people were preoccupied with themselves and they're preoccupied with the world and you really don't expect that kind of a person to fully represent Jesus Christ in the earth. We understand that. But not Jonah. He was a genuine follower of God. He was a man that God could actually speak to. He did not have a problem hearing God. He simply had a problem obeying God. The bottom line is this. He didn't like the people that God was asking him to approach and quite simply didn't want to speak to them. The Assyrians were not a nice people. They were conquerors. They were bent on assimilating the whole world into their way of thinking and their view and they were known. It's kind of an oxymoron. I was reading in Unger's Bible dictionary about this and they said on one hand they were known to be a rather jovial people. On the other hand they were known for inexplicable cruelty to people whom they had conquered. And they were a constant threat to the people in the known world at this time. And the Lord said, I want you to go and I want you to tell them the words I've given you. And Jonah said, I don't want to go. You know some people just don't speak because we just simply don't like people. We're tired of nasty New Yorkers in our face all the time. We're just tired of the city. We're tired of how people live and think and act and we just want to live our lives in a bubble. Leave me alone. Lord, thank you that you love them but please don't ask me to speak to them. Now I used to have many theories about why people don't share their faith. But I'm starting to feel more and more that the real reason is they simply don't want to. I used to preach so wonderfully about how we fear rejection and we're afraid of this and we're concerned about that. I think the bottom line is people just don't want to. I can prove it to you. If I made you an offer today and I told you that this week I want you to go out and I want you to stand before 15 strangers in the city and I want you to sing Mary had a little lamb to them and say and tell them I must have your attention. I have something I have to say and if you do this in front of 15 people I will write you a check for a million dollars at this altar next Sunday. I venture a guess most everybody here would be in the city standing going Mary had a little lamb as fleece was white as snow. Now stay there. I've got to tell you the rest of this. Now realistically if we would do that is it is it is it simply because we don't see a reward in it? What is the reason why we don't speak? I think it's it's people just Jesus said for those who used well the deposit of his life he said well done good and faithful servant you've been faithful over a few things I'll make you ruler over many things enter thou into the jaw of your Lord and so there's a reward much greater than you know a million dollars for singing Mary had a little lamb awaiting us but somehow in our hearts because it doesn't satisfy the immediate we don't value it it's the only explanation that I can think of we don't we don't see the value of a soul we don't understand what eternity will mean for those who used well the deposit of the life of Jesus Christ now please please do not come here next Sunday looking for your million-dollar check because you've sang Mary had well I used an illustration like this one time and a fellow showed up and said where's my money and got really mad at me so you do it for Jesus talk about the kingdom of God and your reward will be great when you get to the end of the journey and so Jonah took a long journey away from the calling on his life a long journey like the prodigal son he took his inheritance and he went far far far away from the heart of his father and he probably had scriptural reasons a lot of churches have scriptural reasons why they have an unloving heart in a perishing society if he was a New Testament Christian you might have said doesn't the Bible infer in Hebrews 7 and 26 that as Christ is we should be holy harmless undefiled and separate from sinners there are churches that don't share Christ because this they believe this they believe they are to be separate they need to shut away they need to shun all evil including people now this is Scripture out of context but the disobedient or unwilling to follow Christ can't possibly read the Scriptures in context if the if the if the motivating force of my life is not the love of God for fallen humanity if I'm not moving in that stream of the life of God I will never understand the Scriptures I will read it out of context because I'm I'm falsely employed as it is in the work of God and so the Bible tells us that Jonah paid a fare and took a journey far away from what the Lord had given him to do and he paid a fare well there's always a price for this there's a people think that that by keeping silent everything in my life is going to be okay but I want to suggest to you there's a price that is paid when we are not willing to do the work of God in the earth firstly he fell asleep verse 5 and Jonah 1 tells us he fell asleep in the inner bowels of the ship as it is and he became unaware that all around him people were crying out to be saved all around him everyone was crying out to their opinion of what they thought God was and he wasn't aware of it what a tragedy if you and I could journey through this city and the city has come to a moment in time when there is an inner cry going on among the unsaved youth them in the business community and the in the ambassadors and those in the entertainment industry and in moms and dads and kids all through the city there's this inner cry but I'm not aware of it because I'm asleep spiritually asleep I don't hear it in my inner man the people can pass by me every day one day I was I was heading to the office and I passed by a young lady with a box and she was receiving donations right here on 51st in front beside the church by McDonald's and I passed her by and I was busy and the Lord said go back and talk to her and I felt I really don't want to go back most times that's just a you know raising money is just a scam for drugs and everything else I just don't want to get instead in this I busy I'm doing the Lord's work after all and yet you know when you disobey God there's like a bungee cord that gets hooked on your back and you just the more you walk the harder it gets and the Holy Spirit kept saying go back go back see I couldn't hear what was going on there I because of the busyness or the self-preoccupation at that moment I was not aware of something I should have been aware of and so I went back and I see a young lady probably no more than 19 years old looked like life had been very hard on her and I said to her what are you collecting for and she said I'm collecting for children some kind of feed the children fund somewhere and I said why are you collecting this money she said because I've not lived a very good life and I'm trying to make peace with God see there's a young lady had a cry in her heart I wonder how many people do we I was able to tell her the price is paid I was able to unlock eternity and she stood there trembling and almost in unbelief that this is possible that God loves her and folks I don't know how many people we walk by in our in our preoccupation with their own things every day and are unaware of the inner cry that's going on in their heart he knew what he should be doing Jonah 1 6 even the unsaved were reminding him remember the shipmaster came down said you sluggard what are you doing asleep in this kind of a situation we're all in danger of perishing get up and call on your God you didn't the shipmaster didn't know that his God was God but he said get up and call on your he's the only one in the ship who's not calling out isn't that strange he's the man who hears the voice of God knows the voice of God is the actual prophet of God and he's the only one on the ship was not calling out to God everyone else is calling out to some concept of God to survive and the shipmaster reminds him he became aware that people were in peril all around him simply because he was running from what he should be doing he knew that the storm had come and he knew that people were going to die because he wasn't doing what he should be doing and folks I'm not trying to bring anyone under condemnation you have to understand this because condemnation doesn't move God's people into action is conviction it's it's an inner sense that this is right what I'm hearing and Jonah came to that sense and Jonah knew that he could not hide from the storm any longer but but he himself had the solution to the people's fear and he said to the people on the ship take me and throw me into the storm as it is throw me into this storm is on you because I am in disobedience to God I have been called to speak and I'm not speaking I've been called to pray and I'm not praying I've been called to obey and I'm not obeying and because of this this danger has come upon you because of this this whole journey is in danger of perishing and Jonah came to an awareness that is a wonderful thing for all people myself included that I'm not called to hide from the storm if there's going to be a resolution I've got to be thrown into the midst of the storm right in the middle of it I'm not called to hide from people's pain I'm not called to hide from their confusion I'm not called to hide from their cries and their desperation in spite of what it may look like I am called to be cast into the midst of the situation because God has planted within you and I the answer to what people are looking for chapter two tells us that he was cast into a great trial with thoughts and despair trying to bind him and tell him that he had failed and he was no longer valuable or usable for the kingdom of God I want to read all of chapter two with you please if you will Jonah chapter two then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly and said I cried by reason of my affliction unto the Lord and he heard me out of the belly of hell cried I and thou heardest my voice for thou has cast me into the deep in the midst of the seas and the floods compass me about all thy billows and thy waves passed over me then I said I'm cast out of thy sight and yet when I look again towards thy holy temple the waters compass me about even to the soul the depth closed me round about the weeds were wrapped around my head I went down to the bottoms of the mountains the earth with her bars was about me forever yet thou hast brought up my life from corruption oh Lord my God when my soul faded within me I remembered the Lord and my prayer came into the into thine holy temple now Jonah says I was taken into a difficult place now this is a message for all but in particular for those who just say pastor I'm just going through something that I don't understand I'm going through something so deep so dark so horrible it's caused me such an inward focus I don't even know if God wants me anymore all your waves he said I've said I'm cast out of your sight in verse four waters compassed me about like I if you look at it as a type of the word of God I remembered what I should be doing but I hadn't done it now Jonah had to be completely aware that he was now at the in the depths of this despair because of his own disobedience to God he was called to do something he didn't want to do and so he ended up on this journey and now he's in complete depression said weeds wrapped around my head these be a type of regrets thoughts of failure and depravity being down as it is I went down to the bottom of the mountains the earth with its bars was around me forever when my soul faded within me verse seven I remembered the Lord and my prayer came unto thee into thy holy temple they that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy but I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving I will pay that that I have vowed salvations of the Lord and the Lord spake to the fish and had vomited out Jonah upon the dry land Jonah said I will do what I once said I will do Jonah was brought back to that time perhaps we're at an altar somewhere he said Lord you have my life use me as you see fit I give you my future give you my heart I give you my life I invite you in to be my savior and this body has now become the temple of the Holy Spirit let me be a vessel of your glory in the earth and then he realizes what he has done and he said I will pay what I have vowed I will do what I once said I would do I will as in Ephesus go back to where I started if need be I'll go back to the beginning if all the learning I've had if all it's done is close my mouth then it's it's not had or done its intended purposes I'll go back to where I first loved you God I'll go back to where I love people I'll start again if I have to salvation is of the Lord and the moment he said this says the Lord spoke to the fish and had vomited out Jonah on dry land whatever trial has swallowed you whatever is trying to convince you that you're of little value to God and you're not going to make it this trial is just bringing you to the place where you will stand in the city hear me on this whatever trial you're in right now I have to tell you that God has allowed it and you think it's taking you away from God when it's actually swimming you right down to where you need to be it's bringing you to that place if there's one thing today that I feel the Holy Spirit told me to tell you it's this you're not going to be swallowed you're not going to be overwhelmed you're not going to go down God is not angry with you your trial your depression your despair is simply because God loves you Jesus Christ lives inside of you he has a an end he is bringing you to a place where you have once desired and he always desires that you be and when finally Jonah came to the place of saying God whatever you want me to do I'll do it I will obey you God even if I don't like it even if I don't want to do it I will obey I'll trust you for the grace to like doing it but God I'll go out and I'll start to do it and the moment he said this can you imagine this prophet of God the moment he said this he finds himself on the beach he might have met a stranger and said where am I anyway Nineveh you're in Nineveh I don't know where he got thrown overboard on the ship it may have been a thousand miles from Nineveh because he was going in the opposite direction folks what the surprise a surprise it's if you and I shake your ourselves today and walk out in the street and say where am I New York City you're right where you were called you were called to be light you're called to be salt you're called to be a voice in the city this is where you and I begin to know the miraculous power of God one man leads 120,000 people to repentance and mercy in God and his message was not even complete he only had the repentance side down he didn't really understand mercy but in spite of it all somehow God was able to speak through him to rulers to kings to businessmen wisdom cries in the city in the gates in the place of business on the streets wisdom cries and somehow some way God was able to get through even the deficiency in the messenger it's not about you and me it's about God you don't have to have it all down folks you don't have to know the whole Bible you don't have to quote 50 scriptures at people you stand and say Jesus loves you he has kept me by his power and if you turn to him he will keep you too hallelujah you don't have to sing Mary had a little lamb you sing Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so you know I sang that on 10 10 wins anybody hear that one week yeah you did I sang it Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so on the 10 10 wins radio it played 13 times the station manager said they got more flack over that one than the whole year almost of messages of prayer and turning to God Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so little ones to him belong we are weak but he is strong praise be to God praise be to God praise be to God Proverbs 1 23 says turn you at my reproof behold I will pour out my spirit unto you I will make known my words unto you turn to God that's got to be the message turn to God there is an incoming to this world as we know it and folks anybody with a quarter of a mind must know that now this world is changing rapidly the beginning of sorrows is is here it's it's at the threshold it's at the door the bridegroom is coming it's not a season to be quiet it's not a time in the sense to hold our peace we do not well in this day one man leads 120 000 people to cry well to to God in that generation now that's that's history now I was I was thinking about something this week 2009 census numbers the people the the residents of the five boroughs of New York City at 8.4 million I was asking my wife pastor Teresa how many Christians do you think are in New York City and she said oh there's got to be 500 000 and I said well I don't know that might be a stretch but when we had prayer in the square in 2009 50 000 people showed up from the city if we take just some of the major churches five six of the major churches in New York City we probably total about 75 000 people in just those churches alone and yet there are hundreds of churches in the city I think I'm on safe ground to say there have to be at least 200 000 believers in Jesus Christ in New York City there has to be if you bring that into 8.4 million people it's roughly a 1 to 40 ratio it's amazing we're not as weak as the devil would have us believe that we are that means every professing believer in Jesus Christ to evangelize the entire city would have to speak to 40 people do you think you can do that in your lifetime do you think you can tell 40 people that Jesus loves them died for them God has a plan turn from your sin he'll make known his words to you and he'll give you his life you say it simply 40 people if if all of the professing church I think it's safe to say there's probably 200 000 sincere believers in Jesus Christ but I can't help but wonder have we fallen into a trap remember in the old testament pharaoh looked out on the Hebrews and he said they have become more and are mightier than we are so the only way to get them to think that they aren't as we have to afflict them we have to get them looking down at their own struggles in their own trials and convince them somehow that they're not as mighty as they are it's a phenomenal thought when you just simply look at the numbers and do the math your part is to speak to 40 people as long as you live in this city if it's the rest of your life your part if God gives you 40 more years it's to speak to one person every year about Jesus Christ and the entire city could come to God I think I'm with all my heart I feel I believe that we're entering into a season where there is an inner cry in the hearts of the people of this city God wants to do something marvelous in New York City as much as New York City became an international focus because of acts of terrorism I believe with all my heart the Lord wants to move sovereignly and powerfully in this city there'll be prayer meetings everywhere churches alive in God God's people speaking openly in the streets I was praying about this message this week and I could see in my mind people standing on the steps of old cathedrals and buildings starting to speak about the kingdom of God and crowds of maybe 50 60 70 people actually standing there and listening we don't do well if we hold our peace folks we must find our voice in this generation we must find our voice as the church of Jesus Christ we must find our voice we must speak a great season of trial is coming and we can run no longer it's not all about our survival we're not Christians just to find a plan so that we can survive it's about this city it's about this world it's about this generation folks we must find our voice you must find yours and I must find mine and we must speak the time of being silent is over it's too late now remember the four lepers they said if we wait till the morning something might happen and we not might not be able to get the news to the city we must do it now and I feel an urgency in my spirit folks what we see happening in the Middle East what's starting to happen in Europe I'm not a I'm not a messenger of grief but I can't help but feel that we're not immune to these things in our shores we don't know what tomorrow is going to bring but we do know that we have a season of mercy right now there's a season of grace where people are thinking where people are open I was speaking to a man just a couple of days ago who gave no exterior evidence that he was even remotely interested in the things of God until I began to speak to him and he just melted it's amazing the people's hearts they they put in especially in this city to survive you have to put on this facade of toughness but inside there's a cry God knows that he's trying to get it through to his people our prayer has to be Lord cast me into the city Jonah said throw me into the storm I can't live my Christian life just about myself God cast me into the city open my eyes open my ears cry out through me plead through me call through me give me your heart for the people let me be a sudden voice in the city that's what happened in Nineveh they're going on their ways they're making their plans they're doing their things and then suddenly this one man comes into the city it's a city of 120,000 people it takes three days to walk through it and just one man why should anybody even listen to him but he was one man in obedience to God one man doing what God had called him to do and suddenly the miraculous starts happening he doesn't even think the miraculous is going to happen he's just obeying God 40 days it's all over that was his message 40 days and it's all over it's all finished not understanding that God was speaking something deeper already into the hearts of the people from the king to the least in the city God was already speaking let me be a sudden voice in my neighborhood let me be a sudden voice in the workplace let me be a sudden voice where I travel and where I go just suddenly suddenly just somebody who speaks for God somebody that says what everyone is already thinking it's all over for much of society as we know it but it's only beginning for those who know God oh what do you mean by that simple simple expression of the love of God through Jesus Christ for a dying world it's not complicated you don't have to be a profound preacher you don't have to be a preacher at all how shall they hear Paul says how shall they hear unless somebody goes how shall they hear if nobody tells them what would I be today if that man didn't come to my door if he wasn't willing to endure my scorn for three months my questions and my arguments if he wasn't willing to keep coming because he simply loved my soul where would I be oh no I'm asking for something deeper in my own life something something more profound something more of God something I can't do but only God can do but it requires their willingness to be thrown into the storm and whatever that means if all my plans are thrown to the wind as it is my journey is over and God's journey begins whatever that means and wherever that ends up it has to be sufficient as long as I know that God is in it let me be a voice let me be a voice in the city a sudden voice actually it's a sudden voice wisdom is crying in Nineveh with all of the idol worship and the violence and taking over the world and everything else that was at the core of that Assyrian society one man one man folks one man walking in obedience to God can turn it all turned a whole portion of that empire to another way of thinking and it was years and years and years of mercy before the judgment of God finally came you and I have to come back to the understanding of who it is we serve and what he's able to do all he requires of me is that I obey him as ridiculous as it may look I simply obey him whether or not people are scorning and laughing that's not the issue I don't know the initial response as he walked through Nineveh might have been a lot of ridicule obviously he would have been a strange looking sight but he kept going because God called him to do this hallelujah Lord let me be a sudden voice in the city hallelujah Lord Jesus Christ I thank you Lord I praise you this is not a message today this is a word from your heart I know it God with everything in me don't let New York City perish we ask you today Lord to do something so profound that the nations of the world will have to take notice do something that brings glory to your name that satisfies your heart show your arm Lord Jesus Christ and your strength again in our generation take us in our weakness take us oh God with all of our struggles and all of our trials doesn't your word say that you take the foolish and the weak and the nobodies and the nothings to confound the things of this earth and so here we are but Lord Jesus I'm asking you that for this church today and for other people who will listen in the future give us give us our voice give us our voice in the city Lord help us to speak and to obey you Father I thank you for this God with all my heart today you've been here powerfully and profoundly we acknowledge your presence Lord Jesus send revival oh God oh God almighty don't let our children die in our streets don't let the businessmen think that all is well help the people of this city Lord we ask you to speak to us we ask it in Jesus name if that's the cry of your heart today as it is in mine I'm on the radio 13 times a week I'm going to ask you to just continue to pray for that I've been asking the Lord to take that deeper than it's gone before and make the compelling make it compelling but it's really for all of us if today you have been a person who's afraid or reluctant to speak about Jesus Christ and maybe it's because your life isn't perfect Jonah's life was far from perfect and his message actually was deficient for what they actually happened but nevertheless God used him and God uses us in our imperfection and allows us to go through all the trials we go through just to get to the point of saying yes Lord I will obey you I will speak your name if that is the cry of your heart today as we stand I'm going to ask that you make your way to the front of this sanctuary we're going to just simply pray and believe God together I'd like us to sing that song again Greg if we can you know the one that says I hear I hear a new revival you sang it today brother Greg didn't know what I was speaking on we know I rarely ever share it but the Holy Spirit knew as we stand and if you're among those who can just say God I'll go I'll start to speak lead me I'll go let's stand together just make your way here in the annex if you'd step between the screens please and let's believe God I'm going to believe God for the courage the strength remember it said the moment Jonah said that that trial spit him out right in the shores and maybe it's the end of your trial whatever that is today to finally just say I will Lord I will I'll obey you and perhaps that anguish that trial it may end today I don't know that for a fact but in your case it might you'll finally be released to do the work of God hallelujah thank you Jesus hallelujah God we lift our voices to you all over this house we cry out for more of you God we thank you Jesus that you're here right now and you've given us the power of the Holy Spirit to stand in this generation God we thank you that we're not alone oh Lord we're not alone greater is he that's in us than he that's in the world God we thank you that we have authority to tread on every serpent and scorpion and over all the powers of the enemy God we thank you that your anointing still breaks every yoke still sets every captives free still puts to flight every devil God we just thank you Lord for the healing power of the Holy Spirit that resides within us God we thank you for the victory that we have in Christ God we thank you we yield ourselves to you today we yield ourselves to you today God we lift our voices all over this place lift your voice to God today lift your voice to him today lift your voice lift your heart to him in faith today lift your heart to him in faith today acknowledge who he is today acknowledge who he is today in your life what he's done and what he's able to do for your neighbors, your co-workers, your family members. Hallelujah. God we acknowledge you. We proclaim you. We proclaim you to be faithful. We proclaim you to be healer. We proclaim you to be father. We proclaim you to be provider. We proclaim you to be the one that is able to save and to deliver, to set every captive free. We proclaim Lord that your blood still is able to cleanse Lord every sin. Oh God we proclaim that Jesus is Lord. We proclaim that Lord there are more with us than that be with them. We proclaim that the armies of heaven surround us, the angels of the Lord encamp around about us. God that we have nothing to fear. God we proclaim oh God that we live for a kingdom that is eternal, that this world is perishing, but God your word abides forever. God we proclaim who you are oh God. We proclaim who you are oh God. God we surrender to you. We surrender our lives. We surrender our struggles. We surrender every concern. We surrender every need oh God. We surrender oh God every thought. God we surrender every battle to you today. All that concerns us we give to you God. And God we thank you that you will take care of us. You cannot fail oh God. You will take care of us. Now help us to take care of your business. Help us to be about our father's business. Rise up within us. Spring up a well within our souls. Holy Spirit we yield ourselves to you. Fill us afresh today. We acknowledge our utter dependency on you. But God we also acknowledge that you are God and you will finish the work you began in us. Hallelujah. Now we believe you for our neighbors. We believe you for our co-workers. Open the door God. Give us an opportunity. Open our eyes. Open our ears Lord. Help us to hear when you say now. Now speak. Now open your mouth. Help us to hear you Holy Spirit. We avail ourselves to you. We avail ourselves to you. Let faith arise in our hearts. We ask that when we have our devotions Lord that your word would be like fire shut up in our bones that we would not be able to stay quiet like Jeremiah. Thank you that you will be a wall of defense to us. God we may be persecuted. We may be mocked. But we know who wins in the end. We know that God we have the victory in you oh God. We know the devil is defeated God. We know oh God. Now give us fish. Fill our nets with fish God. Fill our nets with fish God. We just thank you and we believe you for this. We thank you and we believe you for it. In Jesus name and all God's people said give him a shout of praise and faith. Bless the Lord. Now Jonah prayed a simple prayer after all of the trials, the difficulties, the journey. He said salvation is of the Lord. In other words it's it's that's your work God. Salvation is your work and it came down to that and then he said I will I will pay that which I vowed. I said I would be about your work Lord and salvation is your work. I said I would be about your work and so I will do it. I will go and then the rest was his history. It was a miraculous revival. I will God. I will do what I once said I would do. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Lord. Thank you God. Thank you God. Thank you Jesus. Tell them just tell them right now all over this. Just tell them that you will go. Tell them you will do. This is something we can do. This is not impossible to anybody here. There's not a single person here can't open their mouth and speak. Thank you Lord. This is your business. This is your work Lord. You've given us the privilege and we have said that we are yours. We are your people. Your bride on the earth Lord. We will we will do what you call us to do. I will do it Lord. God open my mouth throughout the week Lord. Help me to to hear the cry of the widow Lord and the the orphan and the Lord in spite of it. It doesn't matter what they look like on the outside. There's a cry. Nikki Cruz was violent. He was he was violent Lord. Yet there was a cry in him for something to of God to be loved Lord and brother David heard it Lord and that is a miracle we speak about even today. God almighty help us to finish the way we started as a church. Give us this grace Lord to speak. Father we thank you for it. Thank you in Jesus mighty name. Hallelujah. Thank you Jesus. You're not responsible for the results just the obedience. That's all. Just walk through this city and just plant the seed of God's love everywhere you go. Father thank you for this time this service today Lord especially for meeting us so powerfully today. Thank you for the numbers here at this altar who are finally going to be released from this mental anguish which is really just about obeying you Lord. We thank you for it. We praise you. Keep us throughout the day. Oh God help us to be kind and we ask it in Jesus name. We meet again at three o'clock today and six o'clock this evening. Why don't you take a moment to shake somebody's hand encourage each other. Encourage each other in this. God bless you. We'll see you at three this afternoon. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.