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"Where Are the Praying People?"
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
This sermon emphasizes the speaker's strong desire to remain separate from the sinful influences of the world, committing to prayer, Bible reading, and standing against immorality. The urgency to address the moral decline within churches and society, calling for a return to genuine faith and purity, especially in the face of prevalent sins like pornography. The plea for God to raise up voices of righteousness and intercessors to combat the spiritual apathy and compromise that is leading a generation astray.
Sermon Transcription
I don't want to be a part of this. I don't want to get caught up in this world, this cesspool of iniquity. I don't want my eyes polluted. I don't want to be a part of this. I don't care who doesn't pray, I'm going to pray. I don't care who doesn't read the Bible, I'm going to read my Bible. I want nothing to do with it. And the cry of my heart, night and day, I'm starting to take on ministers' conferences and I'm saying, oh God, I'm too old to care what people think anymore. My God, we're losing a whole generation. We're losing our kids, even in this church. We have people who can sit in church and be unmoved because they're into filth. Preachers all over the nation. I had a minister friend who went to Germany, and the superintendent of a Pentecostal movement said, don't mention pornography because almost every preacher that's in our meeting goes to bed at night with pornography. And I cry, oh God, where are the voices? Where are the people that cry out against it? Where are the praying people? And I say, God, whatever it takes, whatever it takes, keep me on my knees.
"Where Are the Praying People?"
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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.