In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of proclaiming the good news of salvation. He highlights that salvation is not just a message, but a question of whether God truly reigns in the church and in the lives of Christians. The speaker emphasizes that the gospel is not something external that we live in, but something that lives within us. He also emphasizes that everything is centered on Christ, who is the center and circumference of the Gospel. The speaker shares his joy in seeing members of his church becoming preachers and emphasizes that success in a church is not measured by the size of the congregation, but by the raising up of preachers.

This tape is part of the Bethel Ministries Pulpit Series recorded at Mountain Ash. This tape and all other Bethel Ministries tapes can be freely copied and distributed. However, for all other electronic transmissions, normal copyright laws apply. For more information, visit us at www.bethelpulpitministries.com or email us at info at www.bethelpulpitministries.com And if you have a Bible, then turn please to Isaiah chapter 52. I hope there's no one here tonight that's NIV positive. If you are, if you are, our God still heals. Isaiah chapter 52, only two verses, but they say a lot. Beginning at verse 7 and verse 8. Isaiah 52, and the word says this. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace and bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, thy God reigneth. Thy watchman shall lift up the voice, with the voice together shall they sing, for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion. May the Lord bless his word tonight. The evangelist, that's what we're looking at. We're street preachers here. Most of us have preached on the street or we believe that God has called us there. As Adrian has rightly said, men go out there sometimes fearing, trembling, and they manage to give a tract out and it excites them. Then before long they're given a testimony. And then just one or two more times upon that street and they become evangelists. Dougie would know what's happened to some of the people in my church over the last couple of months. It's been such an incredible thrill for myself to see that four people from this church have become preachers. Not on the streets, but they've preached in pulpits, in other churches, and the word has been well received, almost. Almost. Because they preach the truth. But it's wonderful to see that God is raising up. That is success in a church. And for a pastor to stand there, and doesn't have a congregation of a thousand or a hundred, there's only fifteen, maybe twenty of us at the most, but God is raising up preachers in that church. And this is what we're here for. We're here that God would raise preachers. The evangelist. You see that passage of scripture? We know that it is only one that is beautiful and beyond compare in all the pages of the Bible. Just the one. Only him. He is the one that is beautiful. And this of course is the Lord Jesus Christ. He said that the scriptures testify of him. And so we use this scripture knowing that he's talking about the Lord Jesus Christ. The commentaries will tell you that he's talking about a man running with a message of victory. But ultimately it's going to speak about him. He said to those that were seeking salvation. He said you search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life. But they speak of me. If we don't find Christ on the pages of this Bible, we've found absolutely nothing. So they testify of him. We are preaching Christ tonight. If we learn anything from this conference, it would be a good and a profitable thing. If we learn this one thing. That everything is him. Everything is Christ. He is the center and the circumference of this conference. He must be the center and the circumference of our preaching. He is the center and the circumference of the gospel. He is everything. Oh it's good to learn that thing. The evangelist. He is a proclaimer. A preacher. An expounder of the Lord Jesus Christ. As the son of God. And all that he encompasses. And what is found of and understood in him. It is beautiful. It is beautiful when we understand the deep things of the Lord Jesus Christ. We don't need then to go beyond that which is written. We know that this book speaks of him. The most worthy illustration of Christ is not penned from the words of man. This is the testimony of God Almighty concerning his son. He is the beautiful one. And it is him that we are taking to the streets in Cardiff. It is him that we are going to reveal to the masses tomorrow. Whether they receive him or not. They will see. He must be on display. And he must be seen as a beautiful thing. You see Christ is the definitive evangelist. If you want to know what an evangelist is. How he is to behave. How he is to preach. How this one is to act. Then we look to the Lord Jesus Christ. He defines the evangelist. The evangelist and evangelism. They are only understood in him. If evangelism is neglected. It is because Christ is neglected. There is a dearth of evangelism in Britain today. Because Christ is on the whole being neglected. We are not raising him up. We give lip service to him. But he is not being raised up. We cannot fully reach the world. Unless we first reach the church. Now that sounds wrong. But this is where the message has to be taken. Oh that we must stir the church. The church must hear the message. Before the masses. Because on the whole. The church does not know. Nor understand. Nor does she care about the things of God Almighty. The church cannot be reached. Without a greater understanding of him. There must be a revelation in the church today. Adrian said right. These are the days of Laodicea. We must have a fresh. Not a new revelation. But a fresh revelation of Jesus Christ. He must be unveiled. To the church again. That we might proclaim him. Christ is not only the bringer of the gospel. He is the gospel. It is a person that we preach. We are called every one of us here tonight. To preach him. To preach the man Christ Jesus. The gospel is not a doctrinal statement. Or an ancient creed. The gospel is a person. We preach a man. We preach a person. We preach Christ crucified. That is the banner over this ministry. He is the gospel. He is salvation. And it is a beautiful thing. Salvation must be a beautiful thing. Nothing worse to sit amongst Christians. And they are talking about the good old days. When they could swing from pub to pub. They put the powder up their nose. When they could do this. When they could do that. Talking about the good old days. Salvation is a beautiful thing. If it is a binding. If it is something that we feel constricted in. If we feel that it is not right. Then you are not saved. There is something fundamentally wrong. In that salvation. The evangelist knows this. And so he carries within himself a glorious treasure. Oh there is treasure in this body tonight. A treasure then for all the world to see. And for all men to covet. A treasure so large that no money could purchase. And no man could steal. A treasure so gloriously rich. That no matter how much you give away. The vaults are always full mister. The pearl of great price should be discovered. Every morning brother Christian. We should be able to dig deep. Into those unsearchable riches of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is treasure here today. No man could purchase this treasure. It is here in abundance today. It dwells within us. Oh that we could display that treasure. You see if we went on the streets tomorrow. With a suitcase of money. Every man would come around. Just to feast their eyes on those green bells. But we have something far more worthy than money. The Lord Jesus Christ. That pearl of great price. The church from its conception. Is to replay the ministry of Christ on earth. We are his body. We are the temple of God. We are the tabernacle of God Almighty. All power and all authority. Has been invested in his church. For a purpose. It's not for a personal ministry. It's not for self esteem. Or for recognition. All power and authority. Is given. That the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ. Be manifested to this world. On a continuum. That it would be a constant thing. That he would be seen. Displayed in beauty. Day after day. Not just at a conference. Not just on a Sunday. But every day. This is what ministering is. Ministering is not just preaching. Or Bible study. Ministering is revealing. Manifesting before your friends. Your loved ones. And your enemies. The beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ. Some people. They don't like me where I've come from. Because they just remember. That old drunkard. That was found in the gutters long time ago. They can remember all of those stories. I've forgotten them. They don't like me because of them. But never can they deny. The difference. The testimony. In this life. That once he was a drunkard. But today. Well. We've not seen him walk into a pub. For many many years. They know something has happened. What am I doing? I'm ministering Jesus Christ to them. There is no beauty in myself. My wife will tell you that. But there is a beauty in him. For a man to want salvation. He must first see Jesus Christ. When the Gentiles sought salvation. In John chapter 12. They asked the preacher. They said. Sir. We want to see Jesus. This is an absolute requisite for salvation. A sinner has to see Jesus. He has to come and see him. It is in the innermost parts of a preacher. That the reign and the rule of God is established. Not in the songs that we sing. Not in the meetings that we gather to. But in the innermost parts. It's here. In the sphere of everyday living. That the evangelist produces peace. And salvation. Not just in word. But in demonstration. Though the world would be fearing. Another terrorist attack tomorrow. The Christians. The preachers. The evangelists. Will be on those streets. Demonstrating the gospel. The salvation of Jesus Christ. In total peace. We will be in peace. Because our God is a God of peace. We have peace with God. Through the Lord Jesus Christ. The evangelist therefore. Fears nothing. You see this testimony. Then add weight. It adds weight and magnetism. To the gospel of Christ. They come. They're drawn. They see that there's something different. In these people. It's not just talk. It's not just this spouting of words. There's something in them. They're drawn like a moth to the flame. How lovely then. Are the feet of them. That proclaim good news. The evangelist. What then is salvation? Well. It is the eternal life of God. Coming to reign and rule. In the lives of men. And the proclamation of this first. Is unto the church. Again it is unto the church. Say unto Zion. Your God reigns. This is the message. That the church needs to hear. Not just to sing about. But your God reigns. It's a message. But it is a question also. Does God reign. In that church. In that local body. Does he reign and rule. In the life of a Christian. The gospel is not something that I live in. The gospel is something that lives in me. It's living in me. It's in there. It's conforming me. It's constantly moving. And having it's being. This is not a perfect vessel today. But there is something there. That is constantly directing me. In the path of him. Where is Christ? Christ is in heaven. Where is this life going? It's going to heaven. Because the gospel. That seed of Christ. Is within this tent of clay. It is the church. You must first know through experience. The lordship of Christ. Not just him as savior. But we must know him. As the lord. We have today. A class of preacher. That knows nothing about the kingdom of God. Because they are not subject to the king. We have so called evangelist. Who want to save people. But they themselves. Are not saved. I was down in Cardiff Tuesday. And saw such people. Saw them preaching. A fairly not. A run of the mill gospel. But I know them. From their own testimonies. That they are not Christians. They know. And they can debate doctrine. They can tell you the mechanics of salvation. They can show you scriptures. But they cannot show you Christ. Because they don't know him. They only know historical facts. And things related to him. It's not the same as knowing him. Christ standing on the mountain. As a man. Reveals in his body. The full scope of ministry. To the church. Each member of his body. Rendering service. And adoration. To father God. The eyes. Are the prophets. The ears. Are the teachers. The mouth is an apostle. The arms are the pastors. And the feet. That is the evangelist. The ministry. Of the exalted man. Christ Jesus. Is distributed amongst his people. In order. That the body functions in unity. And in harmony with him. I don't have to be in unity. Or in harmony. With any other church. Or cult. Or religion. If I'm in unity with him. I'll be in unity with everyone else. That is in unity with him. I have to find my unity. With him. And him alone. I answer unto him. And to him alone. I'm in harmony. With the Lord. Jesus Christ. You notice there. Prophets. Teachers. Apostles. Pastors. Evangelists. There are. Other ministries in the scriptures. We know them so well. But there are no catchers. There are no catchers. In that body. But we have a catcher here tonight. That catcher is me. And if I catch anyone. Playing games with God. Pretending. Trying to make out that God is doing something new. Trying to make us think that they are spiritual. Acting like a fool. Then you're going to be made to catch. The next person. Now I don't. Listen folks. I don't say that lightly. I'm just here trying to lay the rules down. And trying to just. Gathering together. Everything in him. Everything in unity. This is a narrow gospel that we preach. We cannot broaden it. It is a narrow path. Therefore it is. A narrow gospel. There will be no entrance to unity in any local body. As long as the body recognizes. And covets the person. Of Christ. And not merely. His gifts and his calling. It's him that we covet. Above and beyond the giftings. A lack of unity. Always has to do with a lack of teaching. And understanding within the church. The church then over the last 30 years. And has very little or no unity. Because it's covered gifts. It's covered in ministry. It's covered in denominational. It's covered in structures. It's covered in everything. That is not Christ. That's why. There is very little unity. In the church today. So ultimately. A unity will be. Formed and fashioned by man. And that has nothing to do. With the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Or they can claim unity. With one another. They can claim unity. With other religions. They can claim unity. With cults. But it has nothing to do. With the Lord Jesus Christ. We have fools today. That sit in the great seats of religion. Telling us. That we must be the way. Back to the old Vatican. Back to the papacy. Of Rome. We have fools. That are telling us. These things. We have blinded men. Leading blinded leaders. Into ecumenism. Because they fail to find the unity. Based on the truth of Jesus Christ. As presented in the scriptures. These are the reasons. Why we have a false unity today. And a false calling. Bringing everything into one pot. And calling it religion. So the first thing that they do. They ignore the scriptures. And teach ungodly traditions. And the doctrines of demons. Silence on these issues. Is called unity. Many people say. Well I know that's wrong. I've spoken to many pastors. And preachers. They say. Well I know that it's wrong. Well if you know that it's wrong. Why don't you stand up. And tell them. Why don't you stand up. And do what you're called to do. And preach the word. To exhort and warrant. Why don't you do these things. When a man tells me that. I know this one thing. He's not a pastor. He's not a preacher. He's not an evangelist. He is what the bible calls him. A hireling. A hireling. We cannot have unity. With such a mess. We cannot. Listen. We're in a desperate need. If there wasn't a desperation in this nation. We'd not have called for this weekend conference. We need God to raise up preachers. We need the preacher. It is the only way. It is the only method. God wants preachers. But the preacher. He better be sound. Christ is not inclusive of all religions. Christ is exclusive. You cannot serve him. And pray to Mary. You cannot worship him as the son of God. And give credence to other religions. You will not find salvation in him. And expect others to find it outside. You'll find no salvation for yourself. The true evangelist will know these things. And he will be what he's called to be. He's going to be this. A man made in the image of God. With the heart of Christ. Burning in his soul. That's what the evangelist is going to be. How lovely are the feet of him that burns for the truth of the gospel. How lovely to see such a person. Wonderful to hear that testimony tonight. Of a man that is on fire. That cannot be doubted. Doesn't matter how many brigades they put around him. Doesn't matter if they get the biggest ooze pipe out in Newcastle. They cannot douse those flames. Because the fire is on the inside. Fools would try to put out the fire of God. The fire is on the inside. The importance of the evangelist is seen in these scriptures. In that the legs carry the body. He is an important thing. The evangelist is an important thing. The evangelist is chosen then. To bear the full burden. And to recognize the far reaching call upon his life. He mustn't enter into this thing lightly. It's a burdensome calling. This is not something that can be taken lightly. Or entered into without the call of God. As men and women who are called to carry the gospel. We better make sure that the calling is of God. And not just personal desire. We have to know that calling. You have to feel that burning in the inside. You see some people you just can't stop them reaching. It's burning within them. You cannot stop them. That calling is made sure. Zeal is a great commodity. And one that God readily uses. But zeal separated from the actual and personal call of God. Is blasphemy in the most vulgar sense. It is blasphemy. Desire is not enough. Zeal is not enough. Self effort is not enough. There has to be the call of God. If God calls, God equips. God actually equips his people. God does the work then. And this is what we are saying. All that we need to know. Is that God has put something in this life. He is forming and fashioning something in this life. And he is preparing something. To go there and preach the gospel. The results have nothing to do with us. All we have been called to do. Preach the word. To preach the word. To preach the word. It's all we are called to do. Some of the big names today in Christendom. Call themselves evangelists or even tele-evangelists. But all you know of them. Is their name. Their ministry. And their sort code. That's all you are going to find out about them. All ministry. All such ministry is damned. Whether people are saved or not. If it usurps the rightful place of Jesus Christ. I don't say these things lightly either. But I study them. I watch them. Two of the biggest international tele-evangelists. You can't get any bigger than these. I get their monthly magazines. I get their emails every week. I get them from them. Not because I'm interested in their ministries. I want to know what's going on out there. I want to know what's happening. Never have I read a gospel message in these magazines. All that I'm asked to do is send money. All they want is my banking details. One of them who's just been indicted for tax fraud. Just a few years ago. They brought a man to me in a church that was planted in Newport. The man was up to his neck in debt. He got involved with this ministry. Cost him his wife. Cost him his family. And now he's going to jail because he cannot pay his bills. They brought him to me and they said, Well, would you help him? Would you get the church to help this man? Found out that he paid this international evangelist 500 pounds to become an elder. Well, even if I had 500 pounds, I wouldn't pay to become an elder. But he gave the man the money. I said, you're going to jail tomorrow because you can't pay your debts. He said, that's right. I said, the man that you gave 500 pounds to, you were one of his elders. Why didn't you ask him to pay your debts? Oh, he won't give me a penny. People like that, he said, they don't give money away. We paid for him. We didn't let that man go to jail because he's a Christian. Because he's a Christian. Because he was scandalous. That he would have to stand up in front of the world and say, I've been robbed in the name of Jesus Christ by people that claim to be Christians. There are men today riding high on the blood of the lamb. They're riding high upon the Christ. Just like that little donkey that rode into Jerusalem. We must never forget that we bear him. He is upon our shoulders. I heard the story about that little donkey. He got back to the stables and he just sat there with a big cheesy grin on his face. He turned to the donkey and said, man, you wouldn't believe the day that I've had. Went into Jerusalem, he said, they were throwing their courts on the floor. There was palm branches everywhere for me to walk on. He said, I never knew my father, but I found out today his name is David. He turned to the other donkey. He turned to the other donkey and he said, I think they're going to make me king. Christians can be like that donkey. We're there to raise up Christ. It's not for us. Everything that happens, we cannot take any glory. It's all for him. We dare not usurp his power and his authority. If the call of the evangelist does not rise above the lure of filthy Luca and self-recognition, let the evangelist be damned. Let him be damned if he does not rise above that demon. Why is the church today so blind to what's going on? Why can't men discern between the things of the spirit and the deeds of the flesh? Why is it that we condemn the cults for their false prophecies and blasphemies, yet we tolerate them that would cause even the devil to blush concerning the worship of mammon. Why do we allow these things? We all know the Jehovah's Witnesses are false prophets. We know the cults, we can name their false doctrines. But very often in services, we'll allow these men to come around and start prophesying over people, telling brothers and sisters that God is going to unite them in marriage and they'll have many children. We've heard it where men have prophesied saying you're going to run all over the world with the gospel. God's going to raise you up before you know it. That man's back's lit and going to hell. Why do we tolerate these things? When is the church going to stand up and say, that's enough of that. You better sit down. When is the church going to, I could read horror story after horror story. One of the worst ones I ever heard. Heard it from the lady herself. She rang me up. She was going to a big church. She had a child, very young baby that was sick and ill. But they came to her, prophesied and told her the baby's going to be fine. They even gave her a certificate to hang on the wall. The husband's not safe, but she goes home and she said, don't worry about the baby in the hospital. He's fine. Who said he's fine? The evangelist told me. They prophesied over me. We danced in church. The baby's fine. And put it on the wall. The next day there's a phone call. Get to the hospital. By the time they got to the baby's already dead. She comes home. The husband walks into the living room, takes the certificate off the wall, puts it over the woman's head. Smashes the place up. And she doesn't know what to do. She goes back to the church. The pastor sees her in one of these large churches. Someone tells her that's the lady that's lost her baby. She walks down, two little children crying, weeping at the side of her legs. He didn't even put his arm around her. Sit in the front row. He said, we've got a wonderful show for you tonight. When she asked the question, why wasn't he healed? What was wrong with my child? You prophesied last night. We danced together. You didn't have enough faith. They told her you didn't have enough faith. She told me that story after five years. She hadn't been allowed to go to church by her husband for five years. I said, be of good comfort. Because if that's the only church you had, I wouldn't let you go there either. God will touch that woman. He will revive that woman. She still has a heart for God. She's learned a costly lesson. But the damage done to her husband. Only Jesus Christ can reach that man today. We have to, we have to call a spade a spade. The modern ministry of evangelism is fought on two planes. First, we have a nation that hates God. Secondly, we have a church that on the whole is thoroughly apostate. Paul, he wrote this to Timothy. He said, this know also that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Without natural affections, true speakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, and despises of those that are good. Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. From such, turn away. What did the man of God say? What did the evangelist say? From such, turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses and lead captive. Silly women, laden with sins, led away with diverse lusts. Oh, if Paul was in the church today, if he was alive, if he was ministering, not many churches are going to let him in with that message. Not many would let him in the pulpit today. Again, the scriptures warn, let no man deceive you by enemies. For that day shall not come. What day? The day of the Lord. The day of the rapture. That day shall not come, except there come a fall in a way first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. It cannot happen until the apostasy is upon us. We know therefore, the rapture, Christ is standing at the door. It's going to happen, and it's going to happen very soon. And this man, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, is showing himself that he is God. This is how far that the church is going to go. That a man can sit, a man can claim to be God in the temple of God. This is the great evil that we have to contend with. That apostasy, the evangelist, as a preacher of the word, must know the word and must earnestly contend for the faith. It's not an optional extra. It's not the same as debating between full immersion and sprinkling. It is a command of God. We have to be contenders for the faith. The great controversies within the church today, they're not going to go away. They get progressively worse until the point is reached when Antichrist will be able to sit in the temple of God and be worshipped. Now, don't let anyone here tonight go away thinking that the temple is that newly built Jerusalem, that Jewish temple in Jerusalem. That's not the temple of God. I know that the Antichrist, if they build that, he might sit there, but that's not the temple of God that Paul's talking about. He says, no, he not the, he are the temple of God. The church is the temple of God before a physical Antichrist can sit in a physical temple. The spirit of Antichrist will be in that church and it will be worshipped as God almighty, the son of perdition. He can only have a voice when the preachers of Christ have been made silent. Only then can that voice be raised up. Evil prospers when good men do nothing. It still prospers. I've had my eyes open, listening to and reading some of the new ages. Do you know they have the very same agenda? Really is the Christian. They're going around warning about the mark of the beast. They're going around warning about Antichrist and the coming of Antichrist. They're warning about all those things. Now, I'm thinking what's going on here. Their message seems the same. I know that they have nothing to do with Christ. Everything is the same to them. But they're warning about the same things. God is trying to show us. God is trying to reveal to us that that spirit of Antichrist is something more subtle, far more subtle than we can imagine. He will have the mind of Satan. It's greater than any mind in here. He has more wisdom than any man. He is far more subtle. The only way that we can overcome him is by the testimony of Christ and the blood of the lamb. We have to know him through experience and we can only expose him through the scriptures. The only way. But he must be exposed. The spirit of Antichrist cannot have a free reign anymore. Nobody will ever be saved by simply agreeing with a moral content of the gospel. The devil himself will affirm all our doctrinal statements, but he can never repent. He can agree with everything we say, but he cannot repent. Acceptance of church creeds and dogma can save no man. It's only a new birth through repentance into Jesus Christ that brings about salvation. When we remove repentance, everything is lost. Therefore, the evangelist is to bring a person to Christ only on the grounds of repentance. They can come no other way. They cannot come. They cannot be saved unless there is repentance. Christ speaks these words in Matthew's gospel. Go ye and learn what this means. He says, find out what it means. I will have mercy and not sacrifice for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. That's what he's come to do. Call them first to repentance. Why did he say that? Because Christ God veiled in flesh. He knew that the only way that sinner can be saved is to bring him onto the ground of repentance. The mercy of God is to call a man to repentance. That is the mercy of God. It's not humiliating a man. It's not making them feel bad. It's expressing and showing the mercy of God Almighty. Bring them into this ground of repentance. Why then we ask to men to call themselves apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists. Call people to an alpha course that totally denies the principle of repentance. Why do men call such people sinners who are lost to a thing that is ineffectual? The mercy of God calls men to repentance, not to a Holy Spirit weekend. The founder of that alpha course. I listened to him myself on the radio. He was pressed that the interview was said to him in front of millions of people. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven? He wouldn't answer him. He asked him again. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the only way? He would not answer him. He asked again and again and again, but the man would not answer. Why is that? Because he doesn't know. He's not sure if Christ is the only way. He's a gambler. He's playing games, not just with his own life, but with millions of people. He doesn't know. He doesn't know if he's the only way. But here, the truth, the evangelist, we know that there is no other way but Jesus Christ. Can we, can the church improve upon the mercy of God? We cannot. Has the church so evolved that she no longer needs the wisdom and the methodology of God in ministering salvation? Of course not. The modern day preacher does not like this kind of message. It exposes not only the church, but something intrinsically wrong with his own heart. The modernist cries for unity and tolerance at the expense of the truth of the gospel. But a man that is called to preach is called to preach truth only. That's what you're called to preach. We dare not tolerate that which God will not tolerate. The gospel of repentance, though primitive in its appeal, is absolute foundational to the Christian faith. It cannot be improved upon. We can add nothing to it. At the beginning of the gospel, John the Baptist, one message, repent. Repent was his call to that nation. The Lord Jesus Christ, after his anointing and his baptism, his message was repent. Peter, on the day of Pentecost, he preached the same message. Repent, he said. Mankind has the right to ask the church, what must I do to be saved? And the only answer that we dare give them is this. You must repent. That is the only answer. Peter, as an evangelist, did not hesitate in his handling or in his proclamation of the gospel. The message was fitting and it was final. You must repent. You must repent. He did not lead them through some limp prayer or make them sign a decision card. He never asked them if they would like to go to heaven. He never asked them if they would like to have Jesus as a personal savior on the day of Pentecost. Peter's not looking for souls. He's looking for Christ. He's looking for the spirit of God. That's what he's looking for. The results of seeing him, the results of experiencing Christ in heaven was that the power came and this meant salvation to others. Peter's not looking for souls. He's looking for God. He's looking for Christ and that was the fruit of it. Salvation was the fruit of the coming of Christ. How lovely were the feet of him on the day of Pentecost. Oh, to have been amongst that crowd. Maybe a family amongst that 3000 to see them all saved in one swoop. How were they saved? A man told them they had to repent. We're looking for Christ on the streets of Cardiff. That's what we're there for. We're looking for our experience. We're looking to God would do something to excite our ministries, to anoint it, to give it a new dimension, to give us truth in the inward path. That's what we're looking for. If God comes in power tomorrow, then we know men and women, they shall be saved. They shall be saved because Christ is there. If we need anything today, it is the evangelist. It is that preacher. I know this, you know this, and the Satan knows it. The devil does not fear anything that doesn't represent Christ. He is more than content to see the church in the UK continue in its current state of decline. He sees the poison ravaging the body, and so he waits patiently for death. If there's any virtue in the devil, it will be patience. He's a patient devil. Though time is not on his side, he's watched the once mountainous church changed before his eyes into a valley of dry bones in just a few generations. Time is nothing to that devil. He's patient. He's seen that revival in Wales a hundred years ago, but today he sits there as smug as he can be with his huge amount of cigars and maybe a pint of shandy, looking, surveying over this land, and all that he sees is a valley of dry bones. Many have come. Many have come to Wales and prophesied to the dry bones, but still the bones remain. We have tried every way. We've tried this way and that way. Everything that we've done, we've tried to revive this nation, but still the nation is dead. It's time for us to return to the old ways, to God's chosen method. Listen, he says, for it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching and to save them that believe. That's God's methodology. This is why we're here. God would raise us each and every one as proclaimers of truth. Then those dry bones can live again. If a man would come and preach to the bones, the foolishness of God is greater than all the wisdom of men. Men would say that it's foolishness for us to be gathered here this weekend. They'd say that it's foolishness for us to preach. But this weekend, this could be our upper room. We are here to encourage, to console, and to exhort one another. Paul commissioned a young preacher with these words. I charge thee, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. Preach the word, he said. Be instant in season, out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves. Teachers have an itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure reflection, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. Note the solemn charge to the preacher. I charge thee, therefore, before God. Paul was very aware of what was going to come upon the church. I think his ear would turn gray if he was here today. The vastness of that apostasy, it's happening in front of our eyes. But the call, the solemn charge is for all of us. I charge thee, therefore, before God and before the Lord Jesus Christ. The call of a preacher is always before God. It has nothing to do with education. Nothing to do with training. The call must be divine. It comes from heaven. In that scripture, what is the therefore? Therefore, I charge thee, therefore, before God. Why is that there? Well, everybody knows John 3.16. But the Christian should know 2 Timothy 3.16. These are the verses before what we've just read. All scripture, he says, is given by inspiration of God. And is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. Everything that is being done away with today. The very things that the church hates today are the things that God approves of. Doctrine, reproof, correction and righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Perfect evangelism in a perfect ministry. What does that mean? It means that ministry, that preacher, that evangelist, he's manifesting. He's revealing the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ. What if God would call Timothy here today? What if he would charge us with that call? Do you believe that God has spoken to you? If he's called you, he's called you in like fashion. I charge thee before God. What if God would raise today another Timothy? What if God pressed this charge upon all of us tonight? What if we took serious, the seriousness of the charge? What if we actually believe that he said it to us? What if we begin to preach the word, the true word, the unadulterate word? What if we began to rebuke, to exhort with all longsuffering and with sound doctrine? What if we blew away the fables and clipped those itching ears? What if we here today watched over all things? What if we here today did the work of an evangelist? What if, what if God would just call us with that charge? How beautiful on this mountain would be the feet of us that would bring good news. I do believe that tonight. I believe that charge is for us tonight. God would call us with that charge to himself to preach the word. To be preachers of the word. To be evangelists. Not just this weekend, but to continue in that ministry. Let us stand tonight and let us seek this God. Let us ask him not only to confirm, but to raise up this ministry that is within us. Ask him tonight to enable us to loosen the tongue, to enlarge the heart. To do wonders in the inward part. That when we're on those streets tomorrow, they would see those tongues of fire. They would hear the glories of Christ being preached. That his treasury would be open for every man. That every man would see the gold of God. That those sinners today would come upon the grounds of repentance. And call with one voice, what must I do to be saved?