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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 explores the profound relationship between Jesus and His followers, emphasizing that while we find joy in serving the Lord, we often overlook His desire to minister to us in return. He highlights the importance of allowing Jesus to share in our lives and communicate with us, as seen in the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Wilkerson suggests that Jesus experiences joy and fulfillment when He engages in personal communion with us, revealing His longing for connection. The sermon encourages believers to recognize that their relationship with Christ is reciprocal, where both serve and are served. Ultimately, it calls for a deeper understanding of Jesus' heart and His need for intimate fellowship with His people.
A Glimpse Into the Heart of Jesus
“But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say to him…when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say to him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?” (Luke 17:7-8). We have no trouble at all identifying with the servant in his duty to the master. No trouble in putting on our apron and serving up the Lord a full table of praises—a good feast of worship. We love to feed our Lord! It is our greatest joy, our supreme fulfillment—to minister unto the Lord. But we have difficulty with the last part—the Lord’s part. “And afterward, you shall eat!” That is too much for us to comprehend. We do not know how to sit down after we have served him—to allow him the same joy we experienced in serving him! We rob our Lord of the joy of ministering to us. We think our Lord gets enough pleasure from what we do for him, but there is so much more. He responds to our faith and rejoices when we repent. He talks to the Father about us and delights in our childlike trust. But I am convinced that his greatest need is to have one-to-one communication with those he left here on earth. No angel in heaven can meet that need. Jesus wants to talk with those on the battlefield. Where did I get such a notion that Christ is lonely and has a desperate need to speak? It’s all there in the account of Christ appearing to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Jesus had just been resurrected and that very same day two disciples were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They were grieved about their departed Lord but when he drew near, they did not recognize him. He wanted to talk; he had so much to say to them. “And it came to pass, that while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near and went with them…and beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:15, 27). There could have been no finer experience for those disciples and they went away saying, “…Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us?” We think of the joy of the disciples but what about the joy of Jesus? I see a resurrected Lord, tears streaming down his glorified cheeks, his heart filled with joy. He was fulfilled, his need had been met, and I see him overjoyed. He had ministered and in his glorified form, he had experienced his first two-way communion. He had poured out his heart but his lonely heart had been touched and his need had been met.
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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.