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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 necessity of a personal relationship with Jesus, arguing that mere attendance at church is insufficient for true faith. He warns that neglecting prayer and daily communion with God leads to a life built on sand, which will collapse in difficult times. Wilkerson highlights that God's commandments should not be viewed as burdensome but as a means to grow closer to Him, teaching us holiness through grace. He illustrates this with the example of Enoch, who pleased God through his obedience, and encourages believers to see God as a loving figure inviting them to receive strength and life. Ultimately, true faith is demonstrated through a joyful fulfillment of God's commands.
Scriptures
Building on the Rock
If you say you're a Christian — that you love Jesus and walk in obedience to Him — yet you neglect Him day after day by not praying, then you really don't know Him. Your house is not on the rock, it’s on sand and it's going to collapse completely in hard times. You cannot get to know Jesus only by going to church. You must have a day-by-day, hour-by-hour conversation with the Lord. You must get to know Him, grow to love Him, and desire to know what pleases Him. We consider the Lord's commandments to be something burdensome, restricting to our personal freedom. And rather than embracing His words to us, we look for ways to escape them. We distort God's grace by making it out to be some kind of tunnel out of the prison of His law. But grace is actually a teacher of holiness: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" (Titus 2:11-12). The man on the rock embraces and joyfully fulfills the Lord's commands. He doesn't see God as someone with a belt in His hand, always ready to chastise him. No, he sees the Lord as One with arms outstretched to him, saying, "Come to Me and receive life, receive strength. I'll carry you through!" God’s Word shows us what it takes to build upon the Rock. Enoch obeyed God with the sole objective of pleasing Him. "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God" (Hebrews 11:5). Enoch was translated because he pleased the Lord. The apostle John says: "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight" (1 John 3:22). "For thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Revelation 4:11).
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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.