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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 urgent need for Christians to draw closer to God in worship, obedience, and diligence as the Lord prepares to pour out His Spirit in these last days. He warns against the distractions of modern life that lead to spiritual laziness and encourages believers to devote more time to God, assuring them that as they seek His kingdom, they will experience His abundant blessings. Wilkerson highlights God's desire to fill His people with His presence and glory, urging them to cultivate a ravenous appetite for Him and to abound in their spiritual walk. He reminds the congregation that God's plans for them exceed their current experiences and that their prayer lives should be transformed into a continuous dialogue with God.
Moving Ever Closer to Jesus
The Lord is preparing to pour out his Spirit on his people in these last days and I know you want to have a part in it. In order for this to happen, we must move ever closer to him — in our worship, obedience and diligence. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). Multitudes of Christians allot hours for indulging in sports, movies, shopping, pleasures of all kinds, but they devote to God an ever-diminishing amount of time, resulting in laziness of spirit. But God’s grace toward us is boundless. Jesus assures us, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). The message here is clear: Devote more of yourself to him and he will pour out his glory on you. God longs to do for us “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). This is why he wants a people who have a ravenous appetite for him. He wants to fill you with his awesome presence, beyond anything you have experienced in your lifetime. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). “We urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God” (1 Thessalonians 4:1). “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). The Greek word for abound means to exceed, excel — to have enough and to spare, over and above, excessive, exceedingly abundantly above, beyond measure. Paul is saying, “God’s glory in your life is going to exceed the little moments you have had up until now. Your prayers are no longer going to be just asking a blessing over your meals. You are going to pray morning, noon and night.”
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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.