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My message is something God's been dealing with
me about.
And I've always believed if you're walking in
the Spirit, you have a searchable heart.
God has to be allowed to keep searching
you.
You never get too old.
You never get too mature in Christ that
you don't need the searchlight of the Holy
Spirit and allow him to turn on the
light and to bring righteous holy judgment because
of his great love for us.
And this is something the past few weeks
God's been dealing with me about.
And seeing this film, I'd not seen this
before and brought a lot of memories back
at my early days and how we started
here on the streets of New York, street
rallies.
Our vision was for souls.
Our focus was on the unsaved and the
hurting and the fallen.
And I think now that in my 75th
year, the Lord is wanting me to make
sure my focus is right, that we're focused
properly.
What I say, what I preached this morning,
I couldn't understand it until I looked at
that film again and the Lord just confirmed
it to my heart.
This is something, this church doesn't need reproof.
It doesn't need correction.
My message has nothing to do with correction
or reproof or anything else.
It has to do with something God's saying
to me.
If it applies to you, fine and well,
but I'm speaking what God is saying to
me and others.
These messages of all the pastors go out
all over the world and through Internet.
So it's applied outside, especially to ministers' conferences
where I'll be going.
I want to talk to you, a simple
message, a friend of sinners.
And don't turn to Matthew 11, 19.
Jesus was given a name by sinners themselves
and by Pharisees.
He's called a friend of sinners, of publicans
and sinners, a friend of publicans and sinners.
Now, Holy Spirit, I thank you publicly for
the probing of my heart.
I thank you, Lord Jesus, that you have
made it possible for me to have an
open ear.
And I pray you give us open hearts
and open ears to hear what the Spirit
says today.
If any of us here need to be
refocused, do it, Lord, by the power of
your word, the persuasion of your word, sanctify
my words and my life and my body
so that these words come from sanctified lips
and that we would speak truth, Lord, that
will be something that helps us on our
journey in these last days.
We pray in Christ's name.
Amen.
There's a story in the Bible about a
Pharisee named Simon.
This Pharisee invites Jesus to his home to
eat.
And he had gathered a number of his
friends, most likely Pharisees.
And this had to be some gathering.
You know that these Pharisees went to synagogue
every day.
They tithe meticulously.
They were unscrupulous in their religiosity, and they
conceived themselves as being the holy men of
their generation.
And they invite Jesus.
Now, Simon has heard that he's a prophet.
And I really believe when you look at
the context that Simon is trying to detect
whether he's truly a prophet or perhaps among
his friends to discount him as a prophet,
which appears most likely from the context also.
And so they invite Jesus.
Now, it was a custom in those days
when you come to a feast to come
to, especially a man of prominence.
He would give you the he would offer
you the customs of the day.
You've heard of this before.
When you entered, they would give you a
basin of water and a towel so you
could wash your dusty feet.
Because for shoes, they just had sometimes just
the poor had some canvas tied around their
feet and their feet would get dusty.
There were no paved roads.
And that that was the custom.
Then you would be given a pecker kiss
on each cheek, on each side.
And then you would give a little bottle
of oil based ointment of some kind to
rub through your hair.
That was when swept or dusty.
And that was a custom.
Then you'd be seated at the table and
you would recline.
They would recline around the table, leaning on
an arm and their feet sticking out, probably
at the end of the couch.
I'm sure it seems to me like Simon
had his friends and his peer group come
first.
And I'm sure he didn't want a reputation
that he was not a gentleman, that he
did not keep the customs of the day.
So I'm certain they got the basin of
water.
They got the double kiss and they got
the ointment, oil based ointment.
Jesus comes in.
Jesus arrives and he is given nothing but
condescension.
He is not given water for his feet.
He is not kissed.
And he's not given any ointment for his
hair or his head.
And he's taken to his place and he
is seated promptly among those who've gathered.
Now, I don't know what they were discussing
at this meal.
You know, the Pharisees were always trying to
ask him trick questions.
And I know that this had to be
a theological time when theology was discussed.
It doesn't tell us, but certainly there was
something going on in that meeting of a
test.
And Jesus knew the hearts of these men,
especially Simon.
And in the middle of it, somewhere, sometime
in that mill, a woman from the street
crashes that feast, crashes in, makes her way
past the servants, past any kind of hindrance.
And she comes to the table and stands
right behind Jesus, weeping.
Now, can you imagine the shock?
She is known, no doubt, when the Bible
calls the wicked woman, it's usually a prostitute
in the New Testament.
She's notorious.
They know her.
And do you know the Pharisees would not
be touched, especially by an unclean person?
You were not allowed to be touched, not
even your garment.
And this woman is now on her knees
and she's cuddling the feet of Jesus in
her hands and she's wiping.
Her tears are flowing over his dusty feet
and she's wiping her tears.
She's just cuddling his feet.
And the shock of those Pharisees.
Simon immediately said, uh-huh, if he were
truly a prophet, he would know she's a
wicked woman.
If he was truly a man sent from
God, he would not be allowing this woman
to touch him.
Any woman, let alone this woman, a wicked
sinner, a prostitute.
And he's allowing her to touch him.
The shock that went through that room, what
they were thinking, this is how can they
interrupt?
Who let her in?
This wicked sinner.
Why should she come into a Jesus meeting?
This is about theology.
We don't need a sinner in here interrupting
our theological discussion.
And then she takes a alabaster box, breaks
the seal and starts pouring that perfume on
his feet.
It wastes through that room and she does
the unthinkable, absolutely unthinkable.
No decent Jewish woman would do it.
And it's known that this is behind closed
doors and this is what a prostitute would
do.
She took down her hair.
She released her hair and poured this perfume.
And they're thinking eroticism.
They're thinking all kinds of thoughts and looking
at Christ, looking at Jesus as though he
had nothing of God in him.
Jesus, knowing Simon's thoughts, stopped and said, Simon,
I have something to talk to you about.
I have something to say to you.
When I came to that, I read this
account over and over again and I read
it and the Holy Spirit stopped me here.
So don't go any further.
David, I have something for you to say
to you.
He turns to Simon and says, Simon, I
want to talk to you.
And folks, I want to stop here just
a minute, because the Holy Spirit was showing
me there are two things going on in
this room.
There are two spirits being manifested.
Here's a spirit of Phariseeism.
Here's a spirit that says, I am better
than this woman.
These men are thinking we are holy.
We are righteous.
This woman is wicked.
And it's a judgmental spirit.
They're judging her.
They're judging Christ.
There's nothing but judgment in the room.
Then there's another spirit.
That's the spirit of forgiveness and restoration.
And that's what Jesus is manifesting here.
And when he says, Simon, I have something
to say to you, he gave a parable.
He said there were two men that owed
a debt.
One owed five hundred pence and another owed
fifty and they had nothing to pay.
So he frankly forgave them both.
Simon, which one would love the most?
And Simon said, well, I would imagine, I
perceive that it would be the one forgiven
the most.
And what Jesus is really saying, and Simon,
I think, got the message.
Simon, you think you're the one that needs
just a little forgiveness.
You're the one that's been forgiven so little.
And this woman over here is the one
who's been given so much, forgiven so much.
But Simon gets the message.
It's the other way around.
Simon is the one in his self-righteousness,
his unforgiving spirit, this judgmental spirit.
Jesus is trying to convey to him, you're
the one because you don't know your heart.
This woman knows her heart.
She knows the wickedness and depravity that she's
been delivered from, that she's been in.
And she comes here.
She detects your wrath.
She knows she's unwelcome here.
But she's not judging you because she's come
under this spirit, this forgiveness.
She's been restored.
And you can't see it.
You're not into restoration.
You're not into forgiveness.
Jesus had denounced this Pharisee.
Nothing he hated more than the Phariseeism of
his day.
The best description I have read of the
description of a Pharisee is one who monitors
the sins of another while justifying himself.
One who monitors the sins of others while
justifying himself.
And Jesus was trying to say something.
What I believe is being said here without
words is Jesus said, I came here.
Yes, because I love Pharisees.
I love everyone.
But Jesus had made his statement about Phariseeism.
He had turned to these men who were
robbing houses, robbing widows houses.
Can you imagine they were taking away the
houses of widows and saying this is for
a righteous cause?
Set themselves up as judges before the whole
world and were taking these things that didn't
know their own heart.
They did not know what was in their
own spirit, but they knew could judge what
was in everybody else's heart.
Taking, trying to take the speck out of
a brother's eye while having a beam in
their own.
You see, they're two spirits.
And so I put myself into that story
because the Bible said we're to examine our
hearts and examined by the word and by
what we read.
Folks, if you read the Bible without trying
to put yourself in the picture, you're missing
the point.
So I put myself in.
Of course, you know what I judge myself
to be.
What spirit of I am?
Am I off?
Of course, I'm the spirit of Christ.
Well, if I could say that you saw
the picture, didn't you?
Here I am.
I did.
There's no Pharisee in me.
My goodness, I give my life to this
thing.
That's what I thought.
You see, we would all most of us
sitting here would think that about ourselves.
I'm not a judge.
I'm not that way.
I'm not the first.
I'm not a Simon.
That spirit's not in me.
Now, folks, I'm not trying to dig up
something.
I'm not trying to put you under condemnation
or guilt.
I know where I stand in Christ, but
I also know what's in my heart at
times.
I know that there are times that I
have allowed envy.
I have allowed jealousy.
I have allowed things in my life that
were unlike Christ.
And those were the times I was most
judgmental of others.
When I was in my own, not recognizing
these things that were in my own heart,
this parable, who loves the most?
And Jesus is saying, this woman, she's not
angry at you.
She has the capacity to love now because
she has understood forgiveness.
She's understood what God has done for her.
And even though she knows she's not welcome
here, this woman will not judge you.
But you sit here judging her.
Simon was told, I'm sure, was reminded what
Jesus said to the Pharisees, including himself in
that group.
That which comes out of a man does
not defile a man.
For from within it, the heart, out of
the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,
fornication, murder, theft, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness,
an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
All these comes from within the heart of
man.
And these are the things that defile the
man.
You see, that says to Simon, you're the
sinner.
You're the one who needs the forgiveness.
Now, Jesus loved Pharisees because one of the
first men he was going to call to
evangelize the New Testament church was a Pharisee
named Saul.
He would have the honor of having Christ
visit him personally.
So the Lord truly showed his love for
Pharisee, though he hated Phariseeism.
In my 50 years, 50 some years of
ministry, I have seen such foolishness in the
church.
I've seen such false, seen and heard such
false doctrine.
And I've taken a stand just like Jesus
did.
I've taken my stand.
The pastors of this church have taken their
stand.
And that's what God's told us to do.
He named these Pharisees.
He called them a time of vipers.
And he said they're blind.
And Jesus denounced Phariseeism, though he loved the
Pharisee.
He denounced it.
Those things have to be exposed.
Shepherds are called to protect the sheep from
the wolves.
And there are so many wolves in the
world today, especially in ministry.
And they come against the body of Christ.
They come against the true church of Jesus
Christ.
And they have to be exposed.
And Jesus did that.
He made a statement clearly about Phariseeism.
But you see, here's where we're at.
I just read a survey.
This was research that's just been released.
In the United States, there are 3,700
Pentecostal denominations.
3,700 various Pentecostal denominations.
In the world, there are 27,000 Pentecostal
denominations.
In Nigeria alone, there are hundreds of denominations
of Pentecostal denomination.
I'm not talking churches.
I'm talking denominations.
The Assemblies of God being the largest.
Now, most of these churches are preaching sound
doctrine.
Many, many are preaching sound doctrine.
Great preaching.
Folks, I've heard recently on the radio some
various pastors, Baptists, Methodists.
I've heard some powerful, powerful preaching.
And you know they were men of God.
And they were preaching Christ with such majesty
and power.
And great soul winners.
Winning souls or churches are filled with people
who have been saved under their own ministry.
But here's what we're facing.
Such, there is coming.
We have seen just the beginning.
But what is coming to the church of
Jesus Christ in the days ahead.
And it's going to multiply such, we are
going to hear such foolishness.
We're going to see such wickedness.
We're going to have the Bible said, men
who come as angels of light.
That means they're going to be attractive.
It means that they're going to be glib.
It means that they're going to be educated.
In other words, they're going to speak well.
They're going to look good.
They're going to preach a measure of the
gospel.
They're going to have enough gospel that unless
you know where you stand in Christ, unless
you're founded on the word of God, you'll
be carried away with the wind.
And it is going to get so incredibly
maddening.
I was in a place recently where they
had the television was on.
It was a fundraising program, television fundraising program.
And I was so stunned.
I was so shocked by what I was
hearing.
It was just like glued to us.
I can't believe this.
And I finally was sitting on the other
chair just burning.
And then a evangelist, handsome, well-spoken, powerful
got up.
And he took the biblical inheritance, which is
Christ.
And he promised the people, if you give
so much, you're going to, I'm promising you,
somebody going to leave you an inheritance.
And he told a wild story.
He said some woman gave one hundred dollars
and she got an eight hundred thirty thousand
dollar inheritance in the next few weeks.
I am so angry.
I stood up and I said, I'm going
to name him.
I'm going to nail him.
I said, no, you're not.
Leave him alone.
The blind lead the blind.
They're going to the ditch and close their
ears.
They close their eyes.
He said, go to the ditch and wait.
Be there to restore.
Because these men will not listen.
They will not hear.
You see, I was in my flesh.
I was in my flesh.
Yes, their spirit.
Yes, I want to defend the gospel.
But you see, Jesus made his statement.
He made it clear where he stood.
He denounced the Pharisee ism.
And then the disciples came to him one
day.
And this is later in the ministry of
Christ.
And they said, don't you know the Pharisees
are offended by what you say, what you
preach?
And Jesus said, leave him alone.
Just leave him alone.
Then he said he gave those words when
the blind lead the blind, they're headed for
the ditch.
And he said that in love.
He said what Jesus is saying and is
born out in this story.
When Jesus turns away from Simon, Bible says,
and he turned away.
He turned to the woman as if to
say, look, I've got kingdom work to do.
I can't I can't stop here with you
Pharisees.
I can't stand here with your false doctor
and get so involved because I have something
to do here.
And I came here to show you what
the focus is.
It's on this wicked woman being delivered.
It's on restoration.
It's on forgiveness.
I thank God for this church.
This church has become a center of restoration
and forgiveness.
There are over there are pastors that come
here once a month, meet with Pastor Carter
and the staff.
And they know that they're welcome.
They know that they will not be judged
because there's a spirit of love.
There's a spirit of restoration to restore pastors
that can pray together and minister to one
another.
And that is growing.
But you see, for me, at 75 years
of age, God is saying to me, David,
you've made a statement.
There may be times I will have you
make strong statements.
And I'm not I'm not I'm not backing
away from anything that the Lord has has
told me in the past.
Otherwise, I would be pushing.
I would be saying that the Holy Ghost
didn't know what he was doing in or
through me.
There are times I have spoken in the
flesh.
Sometimes my zeal has been misguided.
Sometimes one or two times I've named names
that I should have never named.
But you see, at 75, I feel something
of that spirit that was in that room
with Simon, where he turns away from all
of that.
He turns to the woman and said, this
is what it's all about.
Woman, your sins are forgiven.
Your faith has made you whole.
Three thousand seven hundred Pentecostal churches in America,
not including the Charismatics.
And others and folks, what I've seen and
heard in the last month is so overwhelming.
And if I know what the enemy wants
me to do, I don't know what he
wants any other anyone else to do here
in America.
But I know what he wants me to
do.
He wants me to focus now on winning
souls and going to the fallen and to
the lost to restore those, those that are
in the body who have fallen, that need
to be restored.
And you'll find you'll find that in Galatians
6, 1.
Could you go to Galatians, please?
Go to Galatians, the
sixth chapter, the first few verses.
Before we go into this, can I preface
this?
It's going to get so bad.
We would spend our whole time putting out
fires.
Is it going to get so bad?
It has to come to this, that every
member, everyone who calls this church your home.
And I say this to any church anywhere
or people who've been under the precious word
of God, where the word has been pure,
the word has been straight.
Every one of us should have discernment where
you don't need constantly.
You don't need to have someone discern for
you what is of God and what is
the flesh.
You should be able to if anybody invites
you to any meeting and you see what
is flesh, you should not be attracted.
Otherwise, there's blindness there in the purpose.
And you could sit here and hear everything
from the word of God.
You could hear every preacher.
You could hear me.
You could hear Pastor Carl.
You could hear all the pastors.
But if you don't have by now discernment,
if you can't tell, you should be able
to tell your children and your neighbors that
are getting into error, you should have the
knowledge of God.
You should be so strong in the Holy
Spirit, so strong in the word of God,
that you don't need a prophet to tell
you, though God has prophets.
And I believe in this with all of
my heart.
Before a holy God, my heart is open
to stand for this congregation or any congregation
and expose sin, expose false prophets.
But you see, God's showing me right now
my own heart.
First of all, I have to judge my
own heart.
I can't stand and talk to you about
the faults of another minister or ministry if
I know in my heart and before God
this is for me.
This is not reproof for this church.
I would never ever do that.
But God is speaking to me, and I
don't know who else he's speaking to.
You see, I know my sins are under
the blood, but I have felt when I've
looked at some of this stuff that's coming
and I get so spiritually angry inside, and
then some of the flesh crops in, and
I say, God, I didn't know it, but
there's some jealousy in my heart.
And you see, until I deal in the
light of the Holy Spirit with those little
seeds of jealousy or envy, now I'm getting
very down and practical, and you may think
I'm too vulnerable, and you see, at my
age it doesn't matter to me much anymore.
Because, you see, I used to have those
crowds, and I used to have that, and
there were just some little things of envy.
And then I began to see.
I sat in my study last week preparing
this message, and God was showing me my
heart in the times that I preached the
loudest and the hardest of evils creeping into
the church, and the Lord began to show
me what was in my heart, and I
wept like a baby because there were things
in my heart, those thoughts that were so
in Christlike.
And that's what's going on in this room.
There's another spirit.
There's another manifestation of the spirit of forgiveness
and restoration.
Paul the Apostle in chapter 6 of Galatians,
beginning to 1, he's talking about the focus.
Now, brethren, if a man be overtaken in
a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such
a one in the spirit of meekness, considering
yourself, lest thou also be tempted.
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill
the law of Christ.
For if a man think himself to be
something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Let every man prove his own work, and
then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone
and not in another.
For every man shall bear his own burden.
You see where it says every man's going
to bear his own burden.
At that point, he's saying every man's going
to stand before Christ and answer for his
own actions.
He's not going to answer for your brother,
for anyone else, but you're going to answer
for yourself, and that's said in great love
from a weeping apostle.
But he says, bear one another's burden in
verse 2, and so fulfill the law of
Christ.
Folks, now that I'm 75 in a short
time, how do I finish my course?
I want to come to this place, you
see, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
What is the law of Christ?
What is the commandment he's talking about, the
law of Christ?
He said that the law is completely fulfilled
if you love God and love your neighbor
as yourself.
It's love.
It is love.
Bear ye one another's burdens, and by this,
or so, you are fulfilling the law of
Christ.
I can't tell you how many ways I've
tried to please Christ.
Lord, I've prayed, prostrate me before the throne.
Give me a weeping, broken spirit.
God, give me a greater love for your
word.
In so many ways, I've tried to please
God over the years.
When I came into covenant, I laid that
down.
But, you see, if you really want to
see what God wants out of us, how
to fulfill the law of Christ, it's bearing
one another's burdens.
And that poses the question, that's fine.
I'm told that I should bear other burdens,
but how?
How do you find the need, how do
you take another's burden if you don't know
what it is?
How do I bear your burden?
Of course, the greatest burden upon any Christian
would be sin or sinner, the burden of
sin.
I can't take on that burden.
That's the burden of Christ.
You and I cannot take on the burden
of another person's sins.
We cannot condone another's sin.
But we can pray for that spirit that
was being manifested in Simon's house, and that
was restoration and a spirit of forgiveness.
I read the story of two great preachers,
George Whitefield and John Wesley.
These were two of the greatest preacher's contemporaries
of their time, great preachers.
But they had a doctrinal difference on sanctification.
And their followers were quite vicious against the
others.
One believed in total sanctification instantaneous, the other
in sanctification in growth.
And the contention got pretty strong.
George Whitefield, a mighty preacher, they both preached
the outdoors to thousands of people.
Many, many thousands were saved.
John Wesley founded the Methodist Church.
George Whitefield was one of the most powerful
preachers of any generation.
Yet they contested one another on this doctrine.
And one day, one of George Whitefield's followers
came up to me and said, is there
any possibility that we'll see John Wesley in
heaven?
What he's saying is, how can he get
to heaven with this false doctrine?
George Whitefield answers, he says, no, we won't
see him in heaven.
He's going to be so high and so
close to Jesus, we can't see him.
Paul called that enlargement of heart.
He wrote to the Corinthians who sneered at
him.
He wrote to the Corinthians who accused him
of false doctrine and misrepresented who he was.
And he wrote a letter to them.
He said, my mouth is still open to
you, and the Lord has enlarged my heart
toward you.
And that's what I'm trying to say.
God, take the narrowness, the exclusivity out of
my heart so that I can see Jesus
in others.
Here's how the Lord dealt with me about
how I can take on the burden, take
on another burden, the burden of the fallen.
It's restoration.
If you and I go to the Holy
Spirit and with this, I'm going to close.
If we go to the Holy Spirit, the
Holy Spirit and folks, I don't believe in
living in self-examination all the time.
Not at all.
There comes a time when you say, Lord,
I'm going to live by this word.
And then the word comes to with a
sword and goes right to the cancer, goes
right to the heart, where you say, dig
it, Lord.
Get to it.
I'm ready.
I'm open because I don't want it.
I don't want to have any of this
Phariseeism in me.
And when you allow the Holy Spirit to
do that and then you pray, Holy Spirit,
I want the spirit of compassion.
I want the enlarged heart.
Lord, I want that spirit of restoration where
I see somebody that's fallen.
I want to take away the reproach of
their sin.
I don't want to go to them judgmentally.
Somebody in the church that has fallen into
sin, somebody that's headed for divorce.
They they don't need somebody to tell them
what's wrong.
If you do it, it has to be
in what Paul talks about the gentle spirit.
He talked about those that were caught in
a snare and he says in meekness, restore
them.
I don't have that gentle heart yet, but
it's I'm asking God, I'm asking the Holy
Spirit for that gentleness.
I'm asking the Lord for that kind of
spirit that I could once again see the
needs of hurting people.
That should be I don't know if it's
getting through to you at all, but I
know one thing that when God begins to
give you the spirit and enlarges your heart,
you take off so many limits, you don't
see through this, these narrow lenses anymore.
And you say, oh, God, give me that.
Then I believe that's a magnetic pull, just
as the sinners were magnetic, magnetically pulled to
Christ.
I believe that when you have that spirit,
you will attract need.
The Holy Spirit does that.
Holy Spirit is the one who woos.
He's the one who calls that I love
being around a gentle spirit.
I love to be around these pastors.
That's one thing I miss when I'm overseas
or gone more than anything else is to
be around these men of gentle spirit.
And you can preach with power and authority.
But I want more of that, and I
would pray that be your prayer here today
also.
Lord, I want to be a forgiving person.
All who have hurt me or done me
wrong or grieved me, Lord, I want a
forgiving spirit.
And I want that forgiving spirit to be
the river of life that flows out of
me and brings healing to others.
That water that springs up of the Holy
Spirit is grace.
It is mercy.
It is restoration.
He said, do this and consider yourself.
That's what he, Paul the Apostle said.
I read it to you again.
Brother, if a man be overtaken of fault,
you would are spiritual, restore.
And he makes the rule of spirituality, the
spirit of restoration.
In a spirit of meekness, consider yourself, lest
you also be tempted.
I know what God has delivered me from.
I know the mercy that I needed.
I know how in all these years he's
covered me, all my mistakes and all my
failures.
And God has shown me such mercy.
And now the rest of my days, I
want to show that mercy and that kindness.
Please pray for me in my travels.
And while I'm here in your pulpit, that
I can help these gentlemen that God has
called to minister the word of God.
I love these pastors.
I love this church.
And my my role is to come as
a father occasionally to you and just share
what is on my heart.
And.
With gratitude and thanks for your hearing me
out this morning.
Lord, I thank you.
I've just been standing here looking over the
years, been so reminded of what you've done.
Lord, the audience today on this film saw
works, good works.
They couldn't see behind the scenes and the
struggles.
And the pain.
But, oh, God, truth at all.
Now I can say, Jesus, lead me on.
Take me deeper into that spirit you gave
me when I first came here over 40
years ago.
With one focus.
For the lost.
And they're hurting.
Lord, I want to refocus.
Help us to focus now.
You've given Pastor Carter and the team here
a vision for establishing churches, a vision, a
new vision for evangelism.
Lord, what I'm saying now simply is a
confirmation of the vision that you have birthed
in the heart of the leadership of this
church.
Lord, give us that heart, help us to
be able to get behind that vision and
get our eyes focused now on restoration and
healing and forgiveness of the lost.
Will you stand if
you're here this morning and you are not
walking with Christ in the balcony or in
the overflow rooms?
You are not walking with Christ or you
have strayed away from Christ.
I'm giving you a bold invitation.
To step out of your seat and just
walk down this aisle, an invitation to come
and let me pray with you and stand
with you, that you could come into this
grace and this forgiveness that we're preaching about
this morning.
Just step out of your seat and come
here.
And I will add this.
And I'm not asking for just a big
rush.
Asking honestly for those who say, Pastor David,
I too, my heart, I need a spirit.
I need my spirit renewed.
I need an enlargement of my heart.
I've been too narrow.
I've been too exclusive.
And I have not opened my heart to
the needs of others like I should.
Your prayer would be when you come, Lord,
enlarge my heart.
Up in the balcony here at Manotorium.
In the annex, you can just go between
the screens so you don't block the screen.
And I'll pray with you in just a
moment, please, as I sing.
To those of you that come to renew
your life with Christ, would you just pray
this prayer simply?
Lord Jesus, I come to you now to
humble myself.
Forgive me for not walking the way you've
called me to walk.
Forgive me, Jesus.
I believe you now.
I believe that Holy Spirit has come to
woo my heart.
Lord, I accept your forgiveness and I give
you a repentant heart.
Now, let me pray for you right now.
Lord Jesus, it doesn't take a long prayer.
It doesn't take a lot of doctrine.
It just takes an open heart.
The spirit that cries out, Lord, forgive.
Lord, you forgave that woman who said, your
faith has made you whole.
That's the same message today.
It rings as clear as it did then.
Your faith has made you whole.
Lord, let us lay hold of that faith
right now and believe that a simple prayer
can get through to the heart of God.
Lord Jesus, thank you.
And for those, Lord, that have come forward
that need an enlargement of heart.
Lord, I thank you that you are enlarging
my heart, expanding my vision for the lost.
Lord Jesus, let this be the greatest time
of harvest.
We're coming into the most perilous times, times
of such incredible darkness, gross darkness that will
cover the earth.
But, Lord, you're going to have a people
that are there ready, ready to heal, ready
to restore and ready to forgive and bring
people into the gospel of forgiveness and that
spirit that is of Jesus Christ, that gentle
spirit ministering to the lost in their hurt
and in their pain.
Lord, let there be forgiveness flow where forgiveness
is needed.
All through the congregation in the annex overflow,
wherever it may be.
Lord Jesus, let forgiveness flow.
Let us forgive others as we remember how
we have been forgiven.
Let that grace flow like a river.
Lord, asking this next year for at least
a thousand new souls to be one to
this church through individuals.
Individuals who, through their love and compassion, have
sought and prayed to be led to somebody.
Lord, in their apartment house or on the
street or wherever it may be, on the
subway.
Lord, as they pray and the Holy Spirit
prompts them, go to that person or talk
to that person.
Lord, bring us back to that.
Lord, that's how I started on this street.
Lord, that's how I want to finish my
work.
Lord Jesus, winning souls, winning souls.
Lord, let this be the issue.
Let this be the focus now.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
This is the conclusion of the message.