I want to share with you what I believe is God's vision for His last-day church. It is a vision based on the revealed Word of God — because the Bible clearly outlines what the church of Jesus Christ will be like just prior to His coming.
Martin Luther, the father of the Reformation, said three requisites go into the making of a true minister of the gospel. These three things also apply to any overcoming Christian: prayer, meditation — and temptation.
It was said that Luther could speak to people's consciences more quickly than any man of his day. His preaching was so piercing, he seemed to read directly into people's hearts and minds.
Some of you have been saved for a number of years, some perhaps a year, and some just months or a few weeks. Being saved from sin is wonderful! Old things fade away — and all things become new. I am so glad you're saved!
But to be a good soldier in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ, it's not enough just to be saved. There is much more for you! You need to be baptized with the Holy Ghost!
The world's most unwanted man is alive today! He is not dead. In fact, He is very active in our times. He even has family here in New York City . Just the other day I spent hours with Him concerning this message! Many of you also know Him. Without a doubt the world's most unwanted man is Jesus, Son of the Living God!
How can anybody describe the agony and shame of an entire generation of youth wasting away on drugs, alcohol and violence'
Parents now live in terror, wondering how to keep their children safe from these vicious plagues! Mothers ands fathers, some of them ministers, tell me of their shock and disbelief they experienced when they first discovered a son or daughter was a drug addict.
Please forgive my references to personal struggles, but I must tell you of some recent troubles we've endured to share with you the lessons learned from it all. My family and I have just gone through the most severe testing of our lives.
I stood in the middle of Times Square in New York city, watching the mad parade of sinners flaunting their wickedness, and my spiritual blood began to boil. It was just after midnight and the sin–crowd was coming up out of the subways, converging on Times Square and 42nd Street from all over the city.
We have declared war on suicide, and already we have witnessed many great victories. A few months ago, in a newsletter, I told how God promped me to preach about suicide in every crusade we conduct.
When God first prompted me to speak out on the subject of suicide, I was incredulous. I argued, "How can I preach on such a morbid subject in city-wide crusades? Only a small percentage of the audience would relate to such a message! People might think I was making too much of the problem."
I’m not used to writing messages on this subject, and you may be surprised by this one. I prepared it with great reservations; it took me far beyond my comfort zone, even though I’m dedicated to preaching the whole counsel of God. Right now I’m compelled to speak because of something I see happening in our culture. I’ve grown convinced that America now stands on the brink of one the most extreme judgments it has ever faced. And in this bleak hour God has something to say to his church that may begin to turn the tide.
When Christians hear the phrase “Upper Room,” one of two biblical scenarios comes to mind. For charismatics and Pentecostals, the predominant sequence happens in Acts 1 and 2. In Chapter 1, the disciples gathered in the upper room of a house, and “with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers” (Acts 1:14, ESV). Then, in Chapter 2, things get really dramatic.
