In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the weight of responsibility that comes with preaching the word of God. He acknowledges the sacrifices made by the audience to be present and expresses gratitude for their dedication. The preacher also shares his own fears and doubts before going on stage, but ultimately relies on the power of the Holy Spirit to guide him. He urges the audience to recognize that this is a crucial moment for the church and encourages them to embrace their own responsibility in spreading the message of God.

This is tape LW-2227 in the Springs of Living Water Tape Library. Copies may be obtained by writing Springs of Living Water Tapes, P.O. Box 32636, Spring Lake Park, Minnesota 55432. Thank you. I think, Ms. O'Toole, this afternoon, that the reason we have asked me no preliminary, there are many things that I could say, I shall not say. The very fact that I am here, you know that I am happy to be here. I am here because I want to be here. I would rather be where I am in this very hour than any other place in the whole world, you know that. I am in the perfect will of God standing where I am in this very hour. And this has been one of the greatest thrills of my life. And I have preached to literally millions and millions of people, but I want you to know that I have never had a greater thrill in preaching to a congregation, or in holding a miracle service, not held many, many miracle services in my life. But this has been one of the greatest miracles of it, that I am expecting that has ever been held in this ministry. I want to explain something to you very, very quickly before I enter into a little heart-to-heart talk. And remember again, I am talking about a person. That wonderful person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. But before I do, I want to make something very clear to you. I think I should make an explanation. Some of you may have never seen the slave in power of the Holy Spirit. And again I say I am very sorry that we cannot all be in the same great auditorium. But those of you in the great overflow auditorium, those who are standing in all the corridors, remember something, you do not have to be in the same auditorium where Catherine Kuhlman is. The Holy Spirit, His glorious presence, is literally flooding every part of these great auditoriums. And you may be seeing the slave in power of the Holy Spirit for the very first time in your life. You may not understand the slave in power of the Holy Spirit. And I am very thankful to you as I stand before you, before many of you for the very first time, that neither do I understand the slave in power of the Holy Ghost. I am being perfectly frank and honest with you. I want you to know that I have seen literally thousands and thousands slain by the power of the Holy Spirit. And to this very hour I do not understand the slave in power of the Holy Ghost. One thing I do know and that is that Catherine Kuhlman has nothing to do with the slave in power of the Holy Spirit. Please believe me. There will be those who will plead and say, oh touch me, touch me. It is not my touch, it is His touch. Know that. That's one thing I can promise you, that's one thing that I know about the slain by the Holy Spirit. It is not in my touch. It is not Catherine Kuhlman, it's the supernatural power of the Holy Ghost. And the very thing that will happen in this great auditorium in this building today happened to Paul not very far from this building. That's what's so funny about it all. Just a very short distance from this building one day. Paul on the road to Damascus. Think of it, this is so wonderful. I pray to come open your spiritual understanding because some of these things that I'm going to say to you today, flesh and blood cannot reveal unto you but God Himself. And as Paul was going on the road to Damascus, something happened, something glorious happened. Suddenly he was slain by the Holy Ghost and he found himself prostrate on the ground. Some of you may have walked on the very same spot where the Holy Spirit did to save Paul. Did I believe in that moment? Any one of us would have come to him and would have said, what happened? Suddenly you found yourself prostrate on the ground. What happened? You think you would have gotten up and looked at us and would have said, it was wonderful. I don't understand what happened. I don't know what happened. But it was a glorious experience. It was a glorious experience. Something I never had happen to me. The only way that I can explain the slain power of the Holy Spirit is that these old physical bodies of ours just are not geared for so much power. That's the reason you don't need a physical body. This is corruption. Know that. This which is mortal has not yet put on immortality. Do you realize how great is the power of the Holy Ghost? Do you fully realize? I've heard it before, the benediction of this great service before this day will have passed into history, that somehow you may have gotten a glimpse of the extent of the power of the Holy Ghost. When you realize that people just sitting there in your seat can remember something, we do not have prayer lines. I do not go down and lay hands on people. You do not need me to lay hands upon you. You do not need me to pray for you. I would ask you to please forget all about Catherine Kuhlman. I would get on my knees if it would help. I would plead and implore you please do not see Catherine Kuhlman. I beg of you, as you sit there in the auditorium, in the auditoriums in this great auditorium, remember something. So great will be the moving of the Holy Spirit that there will be folks sitting there with cancer in their bodies and that cancer will be burned out by the fire and the power of the Holy Spirit. Limbs will be loosened by the power of the Holy Spirit. You don't need Catherine Kuhlman to pray for you. You don't need me to lay hands on you. You don't need me. You sit there and the Holy Spirit moves upon this people. Physical bodies will be healed. Don't try to analyze it. You can no more analyze the power of God than you can analyze God himself. How many understand what I have. But this can be one of the greatest experiences and one of the greatest hours of your life. Sometimes I think that thousands who are just entering into this great charismatic movement, who are becoming acquainted with the Holy Spirit for the very first time, who are being filled with the Holy Ghost, who are fellowshipping the Holy Spirit for the very first time, feel as though the Holy Spirit is just a new personality who has just come on the scene. Many are becoming acquainted with him for the very first time. And somehow you feel he's a new personality just having come on the scene. Remember the Holy Spirit was there at the great creation when the Spirit of God moved upon the world. Oh, but not that the Old Testament saints knew the power of the Holy Spirit. Pharaoh recognized the power of the Holy Ghost in the life of Joseph. Moses knew the power of the Holy Ghost. If this hour we could bring Moses forth, he could tell you regarding this wonderful third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. The seven who walked with him knew the mighty power of the Holy Ghost. Samson knew the power of the Holy Spirit. Yes, beloved. The Old Testament saints knew the power of this wonderful third person of the Trinity. And he came upon them as an act of sovereignty. David knew the power of this wonderful third person. The saddest cry that was ever heard was the cry of David when he looked up and said, Take not thy holy spirit from me. I cried the same prayer thousands and thousands of times. I understand the cry of David better than perhaps most of them. Take not thy holy spirit from me. You can take everything I have. Leave me but a covering from my body. Leave just enough to cover my body. Take everything that I have. I gladly live on bread and water the remaining days of my life. But take not thy holy spirit from me. For I know better than anyone else the secret of the success of this ministry and the secret of these miracles that take place. If I ever walk out on any platform, on any stage, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit so long comes upon me, I'll never, so help me, I'll never stand behind a pulpit again. For he is the secret of the power of these miracles. Know that. Jesus understood the power of the Holy Spirit, this wonderful third person of Trinity, better than anyone else. And see something, the Holy Spirit opens your mind and understanding to something. Me think that one day the three persons of Trinity sat down at the great conference table, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And they were talking about the plan for man's redemption, precious blood had to be spilled, had to be shed. For it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. And me think that Jesus turned to the Holy Spirit and said, I'll do it. I'll take the form of flesh. I'll become as much man as though I were not God. Knowing that he'd be tempted the enemy, and just a very short distance from here, you are still in the very spot where Satan himself tempted the very Son of the living God. And those temptations were real. Remember something, if Jesus could not have yielded to temptation, then those temptations would have been a farce. Jesus knew the price that he would have to pay coming in the form of man. The price that he would have to pay being as much man as though he were not God. But turning to the Holy Spirit he said, I'll go if you'll be with me. If you'll go with me, I'll go. Blimey, how often I thought if Jesus could trust the Holy Spirit, how much more should you and I be able to trust him. Those today who become so frightened every time we talk about the Holy Ghost. Every time the Holy Spirit is mentioned they become so frightened. Don't be afraid. All the time I tell you as a child, you never know the responsibility you'll have. There are times when I would give anything in the world if he had not called me. Believe me, I'm giving my soul to you this hour. You don't know the responsibility. I'd gladly to have given my life, the living sacrifice for the responsibility. Even as I stand before you in this very moment, I know that there are those who come from practically every nation in Europe. I know the sacrifice that you have made to be here. It's somebody's last hope to hide everything. I mean, instead if I could just get in that service. If I could just be there. I'm surprised that you paid to be some place in one of these auditoriums that day. The sleepless hours. The suffering that you've gone through to be here. Respectful. You don't know what it's like. You can't begin to know what it's like. It isn't the hard work. I work long hours. I've given it every ounce of strength that I have. It isn't that. It's that responsibility. Many a time I've looked up and I wish he'd never called me. I wish. And sometimes, before I walk out on stage, I become as a frightened child. I'm burying my soul to you this hour. But if I could give it to you through hard work, I would gladly work the flesh from off my bones. If there was something that I could do in raising money could give to you, I would do it. I would do it. But don't you understand how dependent I am on the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ and on the power of the Holy Ghost? Don't you understand? When I stand before you the most ordinary person that you've ever looked upon, no Christ to lean upon, completely dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit, and then that moment when I become the frightened child that I always remember, if Jesus could trust the Holy Spirit, then surely I can trust the Holy Spirit. My brethren, remember. Always remember. Always remember. If Jesus could trust the Holy Spirit, holy symbol, you and I can trust. Always. In that moment, the three persons of the Trinity were together again as Jesus came up out of the waters of baptism. Oh, that was a glorious moment. A voice spoke and said, This is my beloved Son in whom I am one. No man or woman can plead ignorance as to who Jesus Christ was when God the Father himself spoke and said, This is my beloved Son in whom I dwell. And in that moment something happened. The Holy Spirit, the mighty third person of God, came upon Jesus anointing him with power of service. And we see the three persons united again. It was the first time that we had an event of the being united. From the time that Jesus left heaven to see God. Remember something. The secret of the power of the ministry of Jesus was the Holy Spirit. We talk about the miracles of Jesus. We talk about him performing these wonderful miracles. Read the scripture again. Read it again. Jesus knew the secret of his power. He understood well, for the secret of that power in the ministry of Jesus was the power of the Holy Spirit. The same power, the same person, who is here in this great auditorium, this very hour before Jesus went away. He wanted to give to his own the greatest gift that was possible for him to give. And love is something that you do. You cannot love without giving. It is impossible. It is the very nature of God. You cannot love without giving. Love is giving. And Jesus wanted to give his own to the church the greatest gift that was possible for him to give. And he gave that gift to the church. And ye shall receive power. What power? Jesus, what power? You are talking to your own. You are talking to your own. The wonderful gift that the Father gave to you. Remember the church is wonderful. It is precious. It is sacred. We speak of the church so lightly. Remember this glorious body of believers was the gift that God the Father gave to Jesus. Again I say, love is something that you do. I can prove to you that the church was the gift to Jesus from the Father. For in that wonderful conversation that Jesus the Father had, remember Jesus reminded the Father when he said, These that thou hast given unto me. These thou hast given unto me. The church, the bride of Christ, the gift that God the Father gave to his son. And in turn, Jesus wanting to give to his own, his bride, the greatest gift that is possible for him to give. There is no greater gift. The wonderful, precious gift, beloved. There is hell on earth than the gift that Jesus gave to the church. That the one who had been so faithful to him, the one who had been so powerful in his own ministry, the one who had never let him down for a split second, the last thing that Jesus said before he went away, And he shall receive power after that which the Holy Ghost has come upon him. And he came, and the gift was given. Beloved, see something that is so meaningful. The church is about to leave. We are living in the closing moments of this distance. We are living in the closing seconds of this distance. The day of Pentecost is about to come to a close. The church is not going out in defeated bodies. This wonderful church will never go out in defeated bodies. The bride of Christ will never go out in defeated bodies. Going out in great glory. And all the gifts of the Spirit are again being restored to the church. How often we speak of this glorious hour as a time of great revival, no, beloved. This is not an hour of great revival. It's an hour of great restoration. Great restoration. All of the fruits. Somehow the Holy Spirit could make this real to your heart. That which is happening in the United States and America, that which is happening in these great services here in this auditorium, is happening around the world. What is it? It's a time of great restoration when he is pouring out of his Spirit upon all men. Men and women who never have seen anyone receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit should remember something. You do not teach someone how to speak in an unknown tongue. It's the Holy Ghost that gives the utterance. A woman in darkest Pakistan, two months ago, who knew absolutely nothing about the new birth experience, who knew absolutely nothing about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, who had never seen anyone receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she did not know there was such a thing as speaking in an unknown tongue. The Holy Spirit gave her this glorious testimony. She told a story. She said each morning she had borrowed a Bible from a Catholic sister, a Catholic nun. And the Holy Spirit began to reveal the word to her heart. And each day she would say, now, wonderful Jesus, would you like to sit in the gold chair? Or would you like to sit in this chair? And then the Holy Spirit would begin to reveal to her the deep truths of the worship. No one ever talked to her about the new birth experience. For the lady of whom I speak is the most influential woman politically and socially in Pakistan this hour. And then she saw her baptism. And there was no one to baptize her, so she baptized herself. And then she saw in the script the baptism of the Holy Spirit. She had never talked to a soul about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. She looked up and said, surely dear Jesus, if the apostles needed this wonderful power, then surely I need it. And she was baptized with the Holy Ghost and power. Before she had ever talked to a single soul about the deep spiritual things of God. A young Bolivian, only twenty years of age, a pre-med student, came to the United States to study medicine. And many of you have read because the news media has had it in every country in the world. You've read about him. Came to the United States of America about a year ago to study medicine. A friend had brought him to the Shrine of the Lord, even one of the services there. No one prayed with him. There was no personal worker. To this hour I have not spoken with him. You do not need Catholic improvement. All that we need is the power of the Holy Ghost. Sometime during that service he had this wonderful experience, this beautiful experience, where he knew that his sins were covered with the blood of the faithfulness of the Holy Ghost, the faithfulness of the Holy Spirit. I knew nothing about it. These things are only spiritually revealed. They're living a day of great grace and mercy. When he's pouring out of the Spirit upon all flesh. He came back a month later, but I returned. I knew nothing about it. Always, when the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles is filled with 7,000 people, the doors are always locked. Because the city will not allow any more than 7,000 people in the Great Auditorium. When he came, the doors were locked. Several thousand on the outside that he was not discouraged. He found himself a folding chair, wherever he found a folding chair, no one will ever know. And he stood on that folding chair, and in broken English, he began telling those in the great overflow audience on the outside what had happened to him, his great spiritual experience the month before. And as he was speaking, God gave him the gift of healing. The news media has carried it in every nation in the world. For he went back to his own country, and I understand that the first person to be healed under his ministry of healing was the wife of the President of Bolivia. God knows exactly what he's doing. And the crowds have numbered from 20,000 to 70,000. But he's the most unlikely person in the world. And time is running out, beloved. Time is running out. This is the Church's greatest hour. This is your greatest hour. For this is my greatest hour. I never wanted to live so much of my life. I never have been kind to you when I've had so important experiences, when I have just been human enough, kind enough in God, when I've looked up and been so dear to you. I'm so close now. The responsibility has been so great. Won't you let somebody else carry the water? Won't you let somebody else carry the water? I've been just human enough to pray that prayer more than once. But I tell you frankly, I've not prayed that prayer for the past 18 months. For I've never wanted to live so much in my life as now. It's the most exciting time in the history of the Church. It's the most exciting hour in the life of Christians everywhere. He's pouring out of His Spirit upon all of us. It didn't just happen that over 4,000 have gathered together, where it all began, in the city of Jerusalem. You're not here by chance, and neither am I, and neither is Corrie Kimblee. It was right here when the 120 were filled with the Holy Spirit. Only so happens today the room is a little larger. But it's the same Holy Spirit. I pray to God that not one shall leave this conference without being filled with the Holy Spirit. Had you lived and died and never had seen Catherine Kuhlman, you wouldn't have missed a thing. But if you leave this great conference not having been filled with the Holy Spirit, all that fellowship of the Holy Ghost, I'm not merely talking about some emotional experience. I'm talking about a fellowship with the Holy Spirit. I could not live without that fellowship. I could not live without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I could not minister without the anointing of the Holy Spirit. My friend, most important person in your life, is not here to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Only to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He has not given me anything in my life of any worth or value. You can only pay the price. Know that. My brethren in the Lord have not given Catherine Kuhlman one thing that he'll not give any one of you. If you pay the price, it costs much. But it's worth the cost. It costs everything. If you really want to know the price, really want to know the price, I'll tell you, it'll cost you everything. Catherine Kuhlman died a long time ago. Please stop your machine at this point and turn your cassette over.