Body

Devotions

Never Give Up!

David Wilkerson

In Revelation, Christ refers to Himself as “HE WHO OPENS AND SHUTS THE DOORS” (see Revelation 3:7). This was in a letter sent to the believers in ancient Philadelphia, a church the Lord complimented for having kept the word of His patience and never denying His name. Simply put, in their most trying times, these people stood faithfully on God’s Word. They did not accuse the Lord of neglecting them or turning a deaf ear to their cries.

Evidently, Satan had come against them with lies. His principalities and powers of darkness, lying spirits pouring out of the very bowels of hell, say that God has shut every door, that He isn’t worthy of worship and faith. But these believers, whom Jesus said were of little strength, kept on trusting, waiting patiently for God to put the key in the door and open it. He holds the key to every shut door — and He alone sets before us open doors.

Here is what the Lord promised them, and it is our promise as well:

“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” (3:10).

But you — because you still trust His promises, and are willing to die in faith even if you do not see the promises fulfilled — you will be kept from this worldwide temptation to fall into unbelief. God has heard your cry, and He knows the timing, the very hour, to open all doors. So, never give up. Never doubt. Stand on His promises. He will not fail you!

Messy People

Gary Wilkerson

“Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox” (Proverbs 14:4, ESV).

The book of Proverbs says you can have a clean barn but there won’t be any oxen in it. 

You can have a “clean church” where everything is in order and structurally perfect but we want the oxen in it. If you have been around oxen you know that they poop on the ground and they snort and they’re smelly and they kick things — and it’s a mess!  

Would you join me in ministering in a messy church? Would you join me in asking God to send us the messiest people of this city?

Where does your mind go when I refer to the messiest people? Does it go to the drug addict down in the alley? Or to Chapel Hills Mall where people are shopping with their gold credit card and driving their Lexus? Because they are all messy people. When I talk about messy people I’m talking about me and I’m talking about you. I’m also talking about the addicted and the homeless and the foreigner and the people who aren’t like us — just all of us together. And the simple truth is, we all need Jesus!

Amen? We just need Jesus. We need Him in our churches. We need Him in our lives. We need Him in our families. We need Him in our ministry. We need Him to empower us to live out the gospel that He’s called us to. The daily distribution (see Acts 6:1-2) is done by messy people helping messy people and it’s not always done right. But I thank God there are some advocates in the church that say, “We want to do this right! We want to do this well . . . for His glory.”

Do You Still Go to Prayer Meetings?

Carter Conlon

“It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem” (2 Samuel 11:1).

Herein began the dissolving of godly order: David started to send others out to battle while he stayed home. It was as if he figured he had fought long enough; he had won enough victories. Perhaps he just wanted to stop and smell the roses for a while.

I can certainly identify with what David must have been feeling. I have had moments in my life when I wondered, “God, how long do I have to carry this weight? I have been fighting for so long. Can’t I simply enjoy things for a season?”

This is a common struggle among God’s people, particularly here in America. I cannot help but think about how we have largely vacated the prayer meeting and the personal work of God — personal holiness; personal evangelism. We gave our ten or twenty dollars a month to support the few missionary families that we sent out, and that became our contribution to the work of God. Meanwhile, we stopped going to the prayer meeting. We chose an easier way, saying, “God, You have blessed us and won marvelous victories for us. Your name is still being honored; some voices are still speaking for You, so I think I am going to stay home. I am just going to rest for a bit because I have worked hard all day. Why do I need to go out and pray?” We assumed that somebody somewhere else would carry the battle forward. Yet, once we left the prayer meeting, our diminishing began.

The Bible goes on to tell us what happened after David chose to stay home instead of going out to battle. “Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof (or today might I say, “And from the Internet”) he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold” (2 Samuel 11:2).

David eventually ended up succumbing to lust and self-indulgence — another picture of what is happening in our day.

Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 at the invitation of the founding pastor, David Wilkerson, and was appointed Senior Pastor in 2001. 

A Different “Jesus”

David Wilkerson

Scripture speaks again and again of the fear of God: “Fear the Lord and depart from evil” (Proverbs 3:7). “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil” (Proverbs 8:13). “In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; and by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil” (Proverbs 16:6).

When there is no fear of God, people have to invent a gospel of convenience.

The world has concocted a gospel in which there is no God and therefore no heaven or hell. There is no afterlife, with nothing and no one to answer to.

Where does Jesus figure into this gospel of convenience? He is very much a part of it — but it is another Jesus altogether! This “different Jesus” is presented as the essence of human love, a very tolerant person indeed. He embraces all religions, accommodates same-sex marriage, and declares that there is no such thing as good or evil. There are no sinners to this Jesus — and so there is no mention of sin, not even deviant behavior. His message is that you do not need to change because there is nothing wrong with you. There simply is no judgment or wrath in him.

Paul called this “another gospel” (Galatians 1:6). And he warned that those who preach it would “pervert the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:7). As you might imagine, it is a seductive gospel, appealing to many. And multitudes, especially young people, are caught up in it. This explains why growing numbers of Christian youth accept immoral behavior and same-sex marriage. Even many evangelical churches are adopting this seductive gospel. It is all happening just as Paul warned: “God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:11).

The Place Was So Quiet

David Wilkerson

Years ago I was invited to speak at Yale University. Upon my arrival, I was warned that a group of demonstrators in the audience was ready to interrupt me on notice. As I stepped up to the podium, I saw some of those protesters holding signs.

My message that night was, “HELL: WHAT IT’S LIKE AND WHO IS GOING THERE.” I preached exactly what Jesus said: “There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:50). As I spoke, there was total silence in the auditorium and the atmosphere grew heavy with conviction. Afterward, everyone filed out of the auditorium in stunned silence.

I will never forget that service. There was a true fear of God in that place, a reverential awe, even among those most resistant to the gospel. A well-known writer for The New York Times covered the event and later he told me, “The place was so quiet that my pen sounded loud.”

As I walked through the lobby after the event, some of the protesters were still there with their signs. When they saw me, they turned away. They had no explanation for the majesty and holiness of God they had just encountered.

I tell you that those days of godly fear are long gone. Today Satan has unleashed a gospel of convenience. Now there are paid ads on New York City buses reading, “There Is No God — Enjoy Yourself!” On London buses, similar signs read, “There Is No God — Let’s Party!”

Why do such references to God persist over time? It is because humankind has never been able to fully shake off a fear of the consequences of sin. The world is nagged by the reality of a Judgment Day, a time of final accounting, and a literal hell. The Holy Spirit has been faithful to warn every generation, no matter how fallen. And He is speaking right now!