In the book of Psalm, and together we
shall read Psalm 85.
Psalm 85.
Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land.
Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people.
Thou hast covered all their sins.
Thou hast taken away all thy wrath.
Thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of
thine anger.
Turn us, O God, of our salvation and
cause thine anger toward us to cease.
Wilt thou be angry with us forever?
Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all
generations?
Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy
people may rejoice in thee?
Show us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant
us thy salvation.
I will hear what God the Lord will
speak, for he will speak peace to his
people and to his saints.
But let them not turn again to folly.
Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear
him, that glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth are met together.
Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
A cancer shall spring out of the earth,
and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
Yea, the Lord shall give that which is
good, and our land shall yield her increase.
Righteousness shall go before him and shall set
us in the way of his step.
The Lord will bless that reading from his
word.
Now return with me to verse 6.
Let's read verses 5 and 6.
Wilt thou be angry with us forever?
Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all
generations?
Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy
people may rejoice in thee?
I mentioned the other evening that I would
be speaking this afternoon on principles that govern
spiritual quickening.
And I would also tell you something of
how God in his mercy met with me
and brought revival to this heart and life
of mine.
Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy
people may rejoice in thee?
These words of the psalmist express the harsh
cries of many of God's dear children today.
There is without question a growing conviction in
many quarters that unless revival comes, that is,
a God-sent revival, other forces that are
out to defy every known Christian principle will
take the field.
Indeed, the observant eye can already see shadows
aslant a world that is ripening and ripening
fast for repentance or judgment.
With that conviction there seems to be a
growing hunger for God to manifest his power.
And so intense is the hunger and so
deep the longing that the crying of the
prophet of old is frequently heard upon the
lips of God's children.
O that thou wouldst rend the heavens and
come down, that the mountains might flow before
thy presence.
You will observe that in that prayer of
the prophet two fundamental things are suggested, that
unless God comes down, mountains will not flow
and sinners will not candle.
But if God comes down, if God manifests
his power, if God shows his hand, if
God takes the field, mountains will flow, mountains
of indifference, mountains of materialism, mountains of humanism,
will flow before his presence and nations, not
just individuals, but nations shall be made to
tremble.
We haven't seen nations trembling, but we have
seen communities, we have seen districts, we have
seen charities in the grips of God in
the matter of hours.
When God came down, it is true that
we have seen man's best endeavor in the
field of evangelism, leaving the community untouched.
We have seen crowded churches, we have seen
many professions, we have seen hundreds, yes and
thousands, responding to what you speak of here
as the altar call.
But I want to say this, dear people,
and I say it without fear of contradiction,
that you can have all that without God.
Now that may startle you, but I say
again, you can have all that on human
level.
Howard Sping was right when he wrote, the
kingdom of God is not going to be
advanced by our churches becoming filled with men,
but by men in our churches becoming filled
with God.
There's a difference.
Oh no, crowded churches, deep interest in church
activities, is possible on mere human level, leaving
the community untouched.
The difference between successful evangelism, and I use
the word successful, and revival, is this.
In evangelism you have the two, the three,
the ten, the twenty, and possibly the hundred,
making confession of Jesus Christ, and at the
end of the year you are thankful in
part of them are standing.
But the community remains untouched.
The public houses are crowded, the dancing saloons
packed, the theatres and the picture houses patronized
by the hundred.
No change in the community, but in revival,
when God the Holy Ghost comes, when the
winds of heaven blow, suddenly the community
becomes God conscious.
A God realization takes hold of young, middle
aged, and old, so that as in the
case of the Hebridean revival, seventy-five percent
of those saved one night, were saved before
they came near a meeting.
The fear of God, the beginning of wisdom.
That is where the difference comes in between
evangelism and revival.
That is why I say our only hope
is not in crusade, thank God for all
that has been accomplished, thank God for all
that is being done through mission.
I think a mission in Scotland, we have
also workers in Canada, and we thank God
for all that is being accomplished through the
efforts of ministers and evangelists and Christian workers
bringing one here and two there to a
saving knowledge of Jesus.
But our supreme hope, and the only answer
to the problem that confronts the Christian church
today, is our visitation from God.
Let me illustrate what I mean by an
incident that happened not in Belize or in
Juez, but on the small island of Berner.
I was addressing the Berner Convention.
The man was convinced, could you direct me
to the nearest minister?
We have no minister on the island just
now, both churches are vacant.
Would you then direct me to the nearest
elder?
Yes, the nearest elder lives in that house
on the hill.
So I said to the lad, would you
mind going up to the elder and tell
him that Mr. Campbell has come to the
island.
And he asked, what Campbell?
Tell him the Campbell who was on the
island of Lewis.
So the young lad went up, and after
a few minutes came back and said, Hector
McKinnon was expecting you to arrive today.
And you are to stay with his brother,
and he has asked me to tell you
that he has intimated a meeting in the
church for nine o'clock tonight, and he
expects you to address it.
Now, explain that as you will.
Here was a man who, on the morning
of the day that I sat in the
church in Bangor, Ireland, decided to spend the
day in prayer.
He was concerned about the parish, particularly concerned
about the state of the young people, growing
up in a state of indifference to God
and to the church.
His wife told me that on three occasions
he went to the door of the barn
where he was praying, and she heard him
pray, God, I do not know where he
is, but you know, and you send him.
About ten o'clock that evening, he was
possessed of the conviction that God had described,
and that I would be on the island
on this particular day, hence the intimation that
I would preach in the church at nine
o'clock that evening.
He went to the church.
Quite a considerable congregation gathered, about eighty.
The service was a very ordinary service.
Indeed, at the end I wondered, after all,
if I was led to the island.
But there were men there nearer to God
than I was.
My dear people, we've got to be honest.
This old man that I already referred to
came to me and said, I hope you
are not disappointed that revival hasn't come to
the church tonight, but God is hovering over
us, and he will break through any minute.
Here is a man near to God.
The secret of the Lord is with them
that hear him.
We are now walking down from the church.
The church is on a hillock.
The main road is down about three hundred
yards beneath, below the church.
The congregation are moving down, and we are
walking behind them, when suddenly, oh, this is
what I'm getting at, noting the difference between
evangelism and revival.
Suddenly, the elder stands, takes off his hat.
Stand, Mr. Campbell.
God has come.
See what is happening.
And I looked toward the congregation, and I
saw them falling on their knees among the
heather.
I heard the cry of the penitent.
And that meeting that began at eleven o
'clock that night, continued on the hillside until
four o'clock in the morning.
The island was suddenly gripped by God.
By God!
Was it because Campbell went to the island?
Banish the thought!
I thank God for the privilege, and how
thankful I am that I was near enough
to God in that pulpit to hear his
voice.
Hallelujah.
I've often thought of that.
Oh, I've often thought of it.
If I was out of touch with God,
if I was not in a place where
I could hear the voice of the Savior,
the voice of God, would Bernara have missed
that mighty visitation that took the island from
center to circumference?
I question if there was one single house
on the island that wasn't visited that night.
An awareness of God, a consciousness of God,
seemed to hover over the very atmosphere, the
very atmosphere seemed to be charged with the
power of Almighty God.
That's revival!
But note the principle.
Brought into operation in my people, called by
my name, humble themselves and pray and seek
my faith and turn from their wicked ways.
Then will I in heaven hear, come, and
feel their land.
There was least one man on that island
who fulfilled the conditions of that one passage
of Scripture.
And because he fulfilled the conditions God being
a covenant-taking God must be true to
his covenant engagement.
And God, to dedicate his own honor, had
to listen to the prayers of the pious
postman who knelt in a barn for a
day.
The principle that governs spiritual quickness.
Oh, that God may find a people ready
to fulfill and to comply with the governing
principle relative to spiritual quickness.
Now let me touch first of all on
the origin of revival.
You have it in this verse.
Wilt thou not revive us again?
My dear people, we do well to remember
that in the whole field of Christian experience
the first step is and remains with God.
We want to remember that.
Thought, feeling, endeavor must find their basis, must
find their inspiration in the sovereign mercy of
God.
Now I believe that.
I believe it with all my heart.
I remember making that statement at a conference
outside of London some time ago.
And at the close of the conference the
chairman overheard a certain titled lady say that
was a wonderful address that we listened to.
But I don't agree with all that he
said particularly to the sovereignty of God.
But we must not forget that the dear
man was born and brought up among the
hills of Scotland.
And well, that is his background and he
can't help it.
Hallelujah.
Yes, my dear people, let me say again.
In the field of revival God is following.
But I listen to say that I do
not believe in any conception of sovereignty that
nullifies man's responsibility.
God is the God of revival.
But we are the human agents through which
revival is possible.
And God found that man in the postman
of Banner.
I believe this to be the reason for
so few making contact with Christ that is
vital to be one of the most disturbing
features of present day evangelism.
Let me say present day evangelism is our
overemphasis on what man can do.
Come to the front.
Raise your hand.
Respond to the altar call.
Come to Jesus and be happy.
God have mercy on us.
I say God have mercy on us.
Man in the final analysis can do nothing
but throw himself on the sovereign mercy of
God.
Oh, let's get that clear.
Not more time on theology.
It's New Testament theology.
It's Old Testament theology.
I'm tired, positively tired of this gospel of
simply believing it.
Amen.
Oh, there's a difference between human faith and
saving faith.
I heard a prominent evangelist in Britain say
something that really startled me.
He said, you exercise faith in a plane.
You go into that plane and you exercise
faith that that plane will take you to
your destination.
You go into a steamer, you exercise faith
in the steamer and in the captain and
crew to take you to your destination.
Exercise that faith in the promises of God.
Did you ever hear or listen to such
nonsense?
That's human faith.
But saving faith is not human faith.
Brave prophets, I am crucified with Christ nevertheless
I live, yet not I, but Christ he
liveth in me and the life that I
now live in the flesh.
I live by the faith of Paul.
Oh no, oh no, that wouldn't get him
very far.
I live by the faith of the Son
of God.
The faith of God.
Now I'm convinced of this, that if this
truth was stressed there would be less of
you.
If this truth was stressed, our crusades and
campaigns would not be producing harvests of infidels.
If men and women would but recognize the
glorious truth, they shall seek me and shall
find me when they shall search for me
with all their heart.
That means that they may not find them
tonight, they may not find them tomorrow night,
they may not find them next week, they
may not find them for a month or
for six months, but if they're seeking God
with all their heart, they're going to find
him.
Or God is not true to his covenant
engagement.
Oh let's get this clear, it comes into
revival.
That's why I could count upon my fine
fingers all that I spoke to abut their
soul during the whole of the three years
I was in the midst of it.
You see, in the northwest of Scotland, if
you were to press yourself and your advice
and your help upon an anxious soul, you
would be inclined to believe that it was
man's work.
Just man's work.
And he would much rather be left so
that God himself would handle him.
That's why we have known people for weeks
and longer in distress of soul before light
broke in upon them.
But you go back to those villages today,
I'm glad I see Mr. Macfarlane of the
faith mission here.
He was up in Lewes not so very
long ago.
He was in a village that saw the
mighty movings of God.
I never spoke to one single person in
that village in an endeavor to help them
to find a savior.
We just left them to God and God
did it.
That's why you haven't a single backslider in
the whole of that community.
Oh, my dear people, when God does the
work, he does it well.
You can go back.
You can go back again.
And you'll find them pressing on with the
God that revealed not only himself to them
but revealed himself in them.
God, said David, God is the God of
our salvation.
The fact of ultimate reality surely is this,
that salvation is of God.
I was asked recently to help a young
woman.
She was a nurse in Glasgow, now home
in the Hebrides, and she was in terrible
distress of soul and the distress continued for
a long period.
Her father thought that perhaps a word from
me might help her, so I called, and
I found the young woman in a terrible
state, fearfully distressed about her soul, the sense
of guilt, the sense of unworthiness, and behind
it all the question, am I in the
covenant?
Am I in the covenant?
So I knelt beside her and did my
best to help her, and I quoted that
great verse of scripture that I so often
quote, John 10 and 27, My sheep hear
my voice, and I know them, and they
follow me, and I give unto them eternal
life, and they shall never perish, never can
any man pluck them out of my Father's
hand.
I quoted it again, and I tried to
point out the two supreme characteristics of the
sheep for whom Christ died.
They hear his voice, and they follow.
Have you heard his voice?
Oh, have you heard his voice, young people?
Have you heard his voice?
It's different from the voice of man.
The voice of the shepherd speaking the word
of conviction, speaking the word of pardon, speaking
the word of assurance, speaking the word of
power.
Have you heard the voice of the shepherd?
I spoke along these lines, and then she
looked at me through her tears and said,
Mr. Campbell, I thank you for your kindly
words of counsel, but surely, surely as a
minister you believe that a verse of scripture
won't save you.
Have you got it?
Oh, have you got it?
There are thousands today living under a self
-created delusion, and a delusion given birth to
in our evangelistic crusades who have nothing to
rest upon but a verse of scripture.
Are you saved by a verse of scripture?
Listen to the poet.
The promise can't save, though the promise is
sure, take the blood we get under, the
cleanser is passed through, it cleanses me now.
Hallelujah to God.
I rest on the promise, but I'm under
the blood.
That's it.
Beyond, beyond the sacred cage I see
thee, Lord.
I seek thee, Lord.
My spirit yearns for thee, thou living Word.
Tell me, hath the living Word spoken?
Hath the living Word spoken?
Or are you just holding on to a
verse of scripture?
Salty said, surely you are not suggesting that
a verse of scripture will save me.
My heart cries for Jesus.
That's it.
My heart cries for Jesus.
And Jesus, four or five days after that,
revealed Himself in us.
Revealed Himself in us.
And He was gloriously saved.
And today, she rests upon the promise.
She seeks upon the Word that brings her
to Jesus.
We already can then go in the way
God works.
I think we've seen that.
But His agents are His people.
God, as I already said, is the God
of revival.
He is sovereign.
But as I already said, I quote again,
we do not believe in any conception of
sovereignty that nullifies my responsibility.
As they say, as many do today, well,
we can do nothing.
We just have to wait for the wind
to blow.
Well, that may be a very accommodating doctrine
to a man that is in Zion.
But it will not stand in the light
of divine revelation.
If my people called by my name will
pray.
I wonder how many of us are praying.
We are the human agents through which revival
is possible.
Let me ask this question.
Are you in the place where God can
trust you with revival?
He is sovereign.
He is supernatural.
But He comes down and in His sovereign
purpose and wise economy He has placed this
pressure in us.
Are you one that He can use?
Are you one that He can trust?
Are you in intimate fellowship with God?
I'm sure some of you will have heard
of that lovely Scottish saint by the name
of Murray M'Cheyne died at 27 but
left his mark, an indelible mark on Scotland.
Murray M'Cheyne was wonderfully used in revival
prior to the disruption of 43.
It was the revivals of M'Cheyne and
Bonar and others that led to that great
disruption when the pre-church left the establishment.
Murray M'Cheyne said this If we are
to walk worthy of our high and holy
calling we must live in daily consideration of
the greatness and glory of Jesus.
That's it now.
Living in daily consideration the greatness and the
glory of Jesus.
The man who is there is just the
man that God can trust.
With revival He is sovereign but I'm the
instrument that He wills to use.
Oh tell me friend tell me are you
there?
Now I want to close my talk by
telling you something of how God in His
mercy met with me.
I think I must go back to the
days of my conversion.
I was converted under strange circumstances I cannot
take time to tell it all but I
was a piper and a step-dancer and
I was playing in a concert and dance
outside of Oban when God spoke to me.
God spoke to me in the dance.
I had a praying father and a praying
mother.
I left the dance and went home shut
myself in the barn knelt among the straw
prepared for the horses in the morning and
cried God I do not know how to
come I know not what to do but
if you'll save me as I am I'm
coming now and God save me.
God save me.
I came here today but never for one
single moment had I ever any occasion to
doubt the work that God did in my
heart that morning.
God did a sovereign and supernatural work and
set me gloriously free.
I believe that I can honestly say that
Godliness Godliness characterised every part of my being
body, soul and spirit in a wonderful experience
and I'm not talking of sanctification or the
deeper life I'm just talking of a soul
born again when God does the work.
But shortly after that I joined the process
and found myself in France during the First
World War and I wasn't long there until
I discovered that there were powers resident within
me that were more than enough for me
you see I was cradled in the midst
of godliness and I was sheltered in a
godly home but now I found myself in
the midst of extreme ungodliness extreme ungodliness and
I soon discovered as I already said forces
resident within me that were more than enough
for me and again and again I cried
Oh God speak the word of deliverance along
this particular avenue however to make a long
story short I'm in a cavalry charge and
in that cavalry charge I at last found
myself lying on the battlefield badly wounded I
thank God for a young trooper of the
Canadian with a dramatic confrontation with a mighty
God now Moses what is that in your
hand?
and as he finds what is in his
hand we look at ours, what is in
your hand?
a degree, a series of degrees what is
in your hand?
an ability to speak, an ability to think
what is in your hand?
a musical ability, what is it?
somebody you love, some plan you wouldn't abandon
for the world, what is it?
an estimation of yourself an image that you
have of who you are and how great
you are what is it you have in
your hand?
something good, something bad what is it you
have in your hand?
and whatever it is God says to you
throw it down Lord I don't understand I've
never concluded that my gift was anything that
would ever bother you don't care, throw it
down as long as Moses held in his
hand that rod it could do no more
than Moses could do with a common rod
in the hand of a common man and
I want to tell you something else not
only could it do no more than Moses
could do at his very best but as
long as there is something in a man's
hand, in a man's life whether it's good
or bad that has never been thrown down
before God for his approval or disapproval for
his sanctification it has a serpent in it
I've known men whose preaching ability was the
worst enemy they had I've known men and
women whose flesh had laughed hung like a
serpent and poisoned their lives because those talents
were never thrown down and sanctified before the
Lord and I can see that serpent as
it rises and hisses on the ground looking
for somebody looking for somebody to inject its
venom into and I can hear it as
it hisses on the ground and I can
almost hear what it is it's stealth stealth
for you see that thing the fullness of
the spirit that which stands between you and
the fullness of power whatever it is whatever
reason you give it's that old serpent and
he threw it down and it became a
serpent and the Lord said Moses now you
can pick it up but I'll tell you
what I want you to do pick it
up by the sail because it'll never be
yours primarily it'll be mine I'll handle the
business then pick it up by the sail
Moses picked it up and the Bible says
it becomes a rod again in his hand
but remember now something has happened to it
and if you'll read very closely that book
again you'll find that in the latter part
of the chapter it very subtly says and
Moses took the rod of God in his
hand it had never been referred to as
the rod of God before now it was
the rod of God in the hand of
the man of God before it was a
common rod in the hand of a common
man now it had been thrown down before
the Lord desnaked, deselped and put back in
the hand of the obedient man now it
was the rod of God in the hand
of the man of God do you see
the difference do you have a talent that
you're using for the Lord throw it down
do you have a plan that you're absolutely
certain pleases the Lord do you have a
self image that you feel like really recommends
you to God throw it down in the
church we've recognized that we have to throw
down our spiritual island we have to throw
down revival before him or we'll get so
wrapped up in the self of it that
we'll get wound up in revival and leave
Jesus out of it wound up in the
blessings and leave Jesus out of it we're
continually having to throw down things before the
Lord so he can deself them and give
them back to us and we have his
power what is that in your hands the
rod is not through so here goes Moses
with a rod in his hand a rod
no the rod of God now it is
a rod cut to God here is a
life yielded to God and a rod cut
to God in the hand of the man
of God and so he goes out God
says tell old Pharaoh let my people go
and Pharaoh tried to compromise with him and
Moses turned loose the plagues under the power
of God softened old Moses up and they
went over and they sat before them and
it was just a few inches underneath the
surface of the rock and he hit it
just right and the water got back God
hit that rock so hard that there gushed
out a fountain that met the needs of
those people not just for that day but
for days to come and the new testament
Paul tells us that that rock followed them
and I think it produced and that is
just not a little trickle of water because
when you hold up a yielded life and
reassert that yielded in the midst of any
problem seas are going to open and seas
are going to close and locks are going
to open and fountains are going to go
down because the power of God was on
who yielded to God and his life is
an unexplainable then
came Amulek the bible says that's going to
happen in your life Amulek of course came
from the Vesau who represents the work of
Satan the force, the cause, the job there
always was Amulek Amulek may sometimes may mean
for your life may mean for your health
may mean for your boss may mean for
head on in your job may mean for
in the money world or in the social
world or in the church world but didn't
he ever give himself to the Lord Amulek
he's going to hold up his hand and
say hawk in the name of the law
if you're still under the law you have
to hawk so if you're under grace you
say well I've been freed from the law
Mr. Amulek you've just defeated in Jesus name
I resist it and hold up the rod
and fight Amulek he says just to say
let's see you go down to the valley
and fight Amulek and I'm going up on
the hill and lift up the rod of
God that's how you got on Moses and
he's up there on top of the hill
with the mountain with the rod of God
lifted up and old Joshua gets called by
Amulek to retreat indirectly he's weakened in his
arms and he finds himself retreating and every
time he directly Joshua gets back and lifts
a little and Moses is up there and
you notice that every time Moses lifts the
rod down the Amulek starts quivering and every
time he caught himself and lifted it up
not doing the usual and Joshua said huh
this guy's got the principle when self is
controlling the life when he is willing and
it will be a peaceful battle until there's
an arrangement to keep Jesus lifted up and
Joshua sent a message up and said Mariah
and Herod you uh you've got to hurry
to Moses and drop this iron shaft one
on either side and you set him on
a rock and fixed him up where he
can't let that thing down and he loaded
it and Moses' hands were heavy and they
took a stone and put it under him
and he sat there on there and Herod
laid out his hands one on one side
and the other on the other out in
the ministry of fire and his hands were
steady his hands were steady before they were
going down and this is what he had
lifted and Joshua discomfited Amulek in the valley
of his redemption that's just a nice rendering
saying he put the devil out of it
in the valley of death and these are
the verses see that when we try to
work it ourselves we're deceived we may try
to be good church members prior to being
a teacher come to school class and obtain
the highest offices in the church we're out
of place but we'll never be any more
than we at our best can be and
when we give ourselves to God things begin
to pull together in a million years simply
because when God moves in takes control of
the life anoints that life with his power
things have got to give do you realize
that when this happens seas open and seas
close and water gushes out of locks and
in dry land and enemies are defeated in
the valleys of life I want to ask
you something what kind of life do you
want so in order to answer that I
ask you another what is that in your
hand reputation throw it down what is it
a self image throw it down what is
it a family throw them down wait just
a minute no, throw them down I never
really had my family until I threw them
down before the Lord I pictured each other
in a cross I never had a ministry
until I threw it down before the Lord
and saw myself in bed with cancer of
the throat I never saw victory until I
threw it all down and said God I
yield it all to you throw it down
what is that in your hand a football
oh God wouldn't do a thing like that
to me he might but then again he
might give that football back to you and
you run in the power of God throw
it down a basketball throw it down boyfriend,
girlfriend put it down before the Lord oh
God wouldn't take her away from me he
can't take her away from me he might
but then again he just might give her
back to you a new relationship frankly throw
it down what do you have a good
reputation as a spiritual church throw it down
God might want to make not only your
church a notable spiritual church but an unexplainable
miraculous church throw it down what is that
in your hand we can sit throw it
down throw it down then God will make
that a robber in your hand so with
the power of God I wonder how many
people here tonight have something in their hands
that's perfectly fine and good and noble but
there's one thing you haven't done with it
you have to give it up to the
Lord throw it down relationship with husband and
wife home job, future car what is it
throw it down before you throw it down
the devil always has a piece of property
that's a minister throw it down and God
will clean it up and give it back
to you throw it down what is that
in your hand you want to walk away
tonight with a rod of God in your
hand every time you hold it up a
seal will open or close water will gush
out of a rock to supply your needs
or you'll meet an enemy and defeat him
yes God wants you to give it up
now so he can give himself to you
in unlimited power I'll head about give her
a head back this is a moment of
honesty in a moment I'll be gone praising
the Lord for the privilege of being here
but I just want you to be honest
now with God and yourself I wonder how
many people here would have to say tonight
Christi, as you're the priest God has showed
me something in my own life that I've
never ever thrown down before him and I
want you to pray for me that I
will be willing tonight to put it down
before the Lord in utter faith may I
see your hands so I can pray for
you all over this place all over this
place all over dozens, dozens now you name
that thing before the Lord I see you,
God bless you I see you Jesus, I
don't know what all these things are but
I sure do know that something wonderful something
wonderful is about to happen when we give
it up to you maybe in the end
maybe an advantage maybe somebody Lord, I just
want to go through it again I want
to throw everything down before you I want
to throw my wife my Pam and Tim
I want to throw my wonderful church down
before you I want to put down my
minister before you I want to put down
my health before you I want to put
down everything I have before you God, you
take it you give me back only that
which is sanctified and full of the power
of Jesus I'm just asking you to make
out of this whole ugly life of mine
an unexplainable miracle that when folks see me
they won't be saying anything about Jack Taylor
but they'll be they'll be less talking about
Jesus Christ what a wonderful savior he is
to use a cloud like me bless young
people who need to throw things down bless
adults who need to throw things down I
just want you, Lord Jesus, to have your
way now and we want to go away
with our holy anointing in our lives in
Jesus' name there's not going to be any
question and invitation this is what it is,
an invitation if tonight in your heart you
really want to give up that thing tonight
God has laid on your heart I'm going
to ask you to couple with your desire
a visible move and I'm going to ask
you to find yourself a place on your
knees, somewhere as near the front as you
can get and I want you to throw
that thing down before the Lord in a
recordable manner so that you can point to
that time where it's faith was driven and
all of you became all of God and
I want you to do it right now
right now 40, 50, 60, 70 ways to
hang it I don't want in any way
to embarrass you but I want you to
come right on right now if you have
a real desire to couple that desire I
want you to ask Him tonight I want
you to come right on right on right
now maybe
you need to talk to somebody maybe you
need to talk to the preacher he'll be
here, you can find me I'll be here,
you can find me there'll be somebody else
if you come right on if you want
to pray out loud if you want to
confess to somebody if you want to share
something that ought to be shared with everybody
here you can do it but this will
be a moment in which we just turn
this service completely over to the Lord and
I feel like I ought to say a
word I'll say it and you feel like
you ought to say one you'll just let
God have His way and I want you
to find yourself here I want you to
pull that down before the Lord you'll be
with Him now you'll be sure you're with
Him you can right now right
now as
we pray I really want to make clear
that if there's somebody here who's never been
saved that's a good day for you you
know what it's all about you know why
this church sits on this corner I'm going
to invite you to come to know Jesus
I'll be happy to meet you here and
tell you how somebody else will be here
to help you but friends please tonight don't
go away without Jesus you're never more than
a heartbeat away from a friend and I
pray you'll not go away without Jesus tonight
young man, young lady you'll never do anything
never do anything more credible never do anything
more noble than to come to Jesus it'll
be the best day of your life and
I'm going to ask you to get up
from where you are and make a move
and just take Jesus and join in with
hundreds of thousands who are finally received and
be alone till death maybe that's another decision
you can't share with the pastor and you
need to make this your place of service
and you ought to join this church that's
a holy decision you ought to share it
and you ought to join these so many
down here right now and come through this
total victory by laying all that you are
and have down before Jesus you're doing it
right now maybe such a little thing but
that's all it takes a short circuit, this
marvelous system of God's spirit fullness all it
takes just one little link to break the
tile one little broken link and you're just
going to wait before the Lord this moment
and if you feel like the Lord wants
you to go you can go and if
somebody feels like they just ought to pray
loud and that'll be our signal we'll join
you somebody wants to pray one of the
staff members in the council one of these
others you just come on you go aside
and take it for the Lord to gather
and when you come through the victory you
have a desire to do it that's all
you need for victory you don't have to
wait any longer you come right on right
now I
think beyond the threat of a doubt many
life-changing decisions have been made some that
were made visibly and some that were made
in the quiet of your heart as you
sat where you're sitting and that decision inevitably
will perfect itself in your witness in your
life you can't be a secret disciple it'll
break out where you go so we're going
to have a closing prayer in a moment
you just leave the service open so if
you need to go you may but we'll
remain here to chat with you and answer
questions or pray with you whatever you want
to do so I feel like that we
need to be available to you just as
available as the Lord is if we're available
to him we're available to all those to
whom he's available I do want to tell
you this that when revival happens in the
center of the church it'll be inevitable that
a river starts and will flow out to
the extremes of the community I was in
a meeting like this called the Detroit, Michigan
let me sound out, Detroit, Spring Harbor, Michigan
where revival broke out seven weeks before that
and had raged in that church like a
fire for 60, while I was there, 61
straight days and I shared with them what
the Lord was doing not only in our
church but through it in hippy pads and
beer joints and business places and they became
conscious that what they had done really was
just enjoy revival there in the church for
61 days the pastor got up and I
noticed there was something for him because they'd
been going consecutively night and day 61 days
he said, tomorrow night we're not going to
meet first time since the revival started I'm
going to ask you to get somebody on
your heart and tomorrow, tomorrow night go see
him I want to tell you if everybody
in this group today just told somebody tomorrow
what you know about Jesus with a heart
right with him this whole town before, before
tomorrow night you'd know that God had touched
down in Joppa and you just let it
happen I want to tell you that it's
very logical in fact it's inevitable that if
the same Jesus lives in you and is
able to do what he wants to do
he'll be doing the same thing in you
that he did in himself he'd be looking
wherever they lost souls and telling them about
himself and you'll be doing the same thing
and I'm just going to sort of be
looking up this way for a cloud of
smoke and a fire and I'm just going
to be listening for the sound of a
spiritual explosion as this smoldering fire of revival
breaks into an open flame and God moves
to put Joplin, Missouri on the spiritual map
I believe he wants to do it and
I believe the people in this building tonight
hold the key I don't know about you
but I'm not so busy I want to
be in on what God is up to
and God is up to something God wants
to include, before I start laughing today wants
to include everyone in you but if you've
got something more important a sin so precious
that it mustn't be confessed then God will
pass on by he'll not crash down any
doors but God is up to something and
I pledge to you that I want to
be in on what he's up to praise
the Lord I was
down here praying wasn't aware that someone was
by my side that Rick met me and
he told me what he wanted and I'm
going to ask him to share with you
why he did it and what had happened
now Rick, you haven't done this before but
the Holy Spirit will give you the bonus
and the value to see what I'm looking
for you know, when I was living there
I took Christ and it was just because
everybody else was doing it and I came
here and now I just want to take
him to you Rick alright, anyhow
and we rejoice and we'll receive him into
our fellowship and we'll baptize him and that's
great Betty
won't you come up here for us and
I'll get out of the way you know,
I'd just like to say that the Lord
really changed me today I'm really a rich
person and I've known him for a long
time and the Lord forgave me a long
time ago my sins but I had one
hand and until he made me willing until
I was ready until I was willing to
come to him and confess it publicly that
it wouldn't be alright and so this morning
in the service I came down and I
didn't I just came to the altar and
I just wanted to pray and I didn't
know what the Lord would have for me
and I didn't think that he would have
me confess his sins and he sent a
friend to my side and we prayed and
I was able to confess it with his
friends and that was all that the Lord
wanted me to do and it was his
will and he just cleansed me and I
just felt like I had a bath I've
been high on cloud nine all afternoon I
came to the service this morning and I've
known for years that I've been afraid I've
had fears you could never believe the fears
that I've had and of course the old
devil was right there saying Margie before this
service this is a good thing to be
afraid of don't be afraid of that so
today I was afraid of that and I'd
get up the next day and he'd say
oh that's alright you're afraid of this today
and that's the way I've lived my life
afraid of those things you wouldn't believe it
I didn't believe it until God revealed it
to me you know I was even afraid
of six little boys six little headsteps you
wouldn't believe that but the Lord did and
He drew all of this the Lord led
me to a girl she said Marge I'm
an atheist I don't believe in God well
this was a good day when I got
home from church my phone rang she said
are you busy I was busy I was
making money for Christmas and making seats for
staff hearings I was busy so I said
you know I don't have time today what's
on your mind she said oh would you
go shopping with me I said I'd be
glad to we went shopping she said dear
David I'm sure in May we really didn't
talk about the Lord but I loved her
oh I loved her and I'm not really
good at expressing myself but I could write
little notes and I'd written her a little
note and I told her I loved her
and I'm sorry she didn't know my deepest
she said I'll read anything you bring to
me she has some of the normally secured
books in her hand she has God's post
in her hand she has the book of
John in her hand so you all pray
I'm looking for this woman a lovely mother
of two children to find the Lord and
I want you to pray with her you've
heard me quote from the book on tiptoe
with joy read by David Seamans when he
says impression minus expression equals depression when
a person is spirit filled in every impulse
I have come to believe that the impression
is of God we act upon these impulses
and if we don't we'll be depressed if
we are confident that the impression is of
the Holy Spirit and we don't express it
we'll be depressed so before we go tonight
I want to receive the assurance in my
own heart that I'm not going to drive
to Tulsa and back tonight depressed and I
think that there's something I'll have to say
Margaret expressed her fear and I think there's
something that all of us have experienced at
one time or another because I like to
be where it's safe where there is no
danger and no risk and I don't like
to be in the spotlight where everybody can
take shots at me and I am many
times and so sometimes I determine the course
that I take by calculating how many pop
shots I'll be the recipient of because I've
been afraid that you, you and you might
say well what has got into John why
would he lead us in this direction don't
we know that we've got a program to
follow and an order of service to follow
we get out of 8.30 every evening
and I've been aware of what some of
you were thinking about what was going on
this week because it's so unusual and I'm
the pastor and humanly speaking I'm responsible for
a few things if it goes good or
it goes bad if it goes bad I
feel responsible and I don't want it to
go bad this is causing my pride and
I just want to say that that I
have been afraid that maybe we would go
to the extremes and people would misunderstand me
and you would misunderstand me for it appears
that I have a a facility that I
wasn't aware of and that's to say things
and people misunderstand them sometimes I can say
something quiet and people will go away saying
well John said that was black when I
thought I was being clear about it I
don't know if it's the tone of my
voice or the expression on my face but
sometimes I evidently don't communicate and people think
that I'm hard and that they have misunderstood
and I have offended them I may have
offended some of you I think probably I
have I just want you to know that
if I have it because I hear people
say well I said that to say this
but I know when they got there that's
just an example a curse is a reflection
of its pastor providing that pastor is in
there for any period of time now I
said that, say this I have come to
an awareness in my own life and in
my own ministry that I have taken you
as far as I can go in my
Christian pilgrimage and if you go any further
I'm going to have to make some advancements
personally in my own life now we've gone
a long way together I haven't gone ahead
of you too many times we've been together
some of you have been way ahead of
me we've gone together but I have come
to an awareness in my own life that
if we continue to probe and excel and
investigate and study and learn and conquer I've
got to make some progress myself I don't
think that you're going to go too far
ahead of me you may for a while
but you'll backslide back where I am in
your rear so I've got to keep in
the vanguard as a pastor I think and
I said that simply to say that I
want you to hold me up in your
prayers just as Aaron and her supported the
hands of Moses I want to feel the
comfort and the warmth of your prayer support
that I might continue to develop and mature
in my ministry that I might be in
a position to lead you onto greater heights
I've been on the mountains but the mountains
have been very slick and I've slid off
I'll climb up again and I hope that
you'll help me and pray for me and
be patient that I might continue to probe
and study that when we come together for
corporate worship I might have a fresh word
from the Lord now as I've said in
the beginning I articulate so poorly you people
misunderstand me but I hope you've understood not
only what I've said but you've understood the
spirit behind it now I suppose that's all
I've got to say is everybody ready to
go home Bob most
of you people know me for many many
years I've been with the church since 1936
worked up until a few weeks ago it
was my church I've helped build it I've
sweated blood on it and if anybody said
anything against it I was very excited because
it was my church it isn't it's stone,
it's wood and it can collapse and the
Lord will do whatever needs to be done
no matter what what I think or what
I try to do I'd help build it
back if that's what's good I've said some
things that I know as Brother John has
said I have hurt somebody's feelings probably a
lot of feelings I'm sorry very sorry if
you tell me who you are I'll apologize
to you so I don't but from now
on this is the Lord's town and I'll
do whatever I can not
many of you here know me well enough
to know who I am or for me
to be mad at you but I love
all of you even my husband but the
reason I came just last Sunday rather than
weekly by week I was converted here and
I feel I was completely turned about and
I'd felt so good all week that I
had symptoms and all but it didn't last
very good so I wrote one of the
letters and called everyone to tell them so
I feel good and I wanted to ask
you what time you're going where you're going
to tell us in the morning because we
really need you here Aaron I appreciate that
but I wouldn't miss it for the world
thank you Mary thank you so much now
let me tell you it's so vital because
we need to let the regime of the
Lord take over we need to voice the
fact with the fact that this is God's
church you know what I've realized and I
told my deacons last week that when God
takes over a church we lose out in
trying to set where it's going or what
it's going to be we just lost out
and I confess that to my deacons seven
years ago I lost out why we had
five year programs and we knew exactly how
efficient we were going to have our church
and set it in that community and we
were going to do this and we were
going to do that and God snatched the
leadership of that church right out of my
hands and I've realized for seven years I've
had no more to do with where it's
going than anything in the world and I
just said that to my deacons last week
God wants to make out of the church
He'll shatter all your ideas shatter all your
dreams about what the church ought to be
if I would tell you some of the
things that are already on the horizon because
of this it would just blow your mind
God wants to do the same thing here
and I'll tell you what and what blesses
other people is to hear men and women
in that church stand up and say I'm
with God I want to go with Him
there's a song we've heard since we've been
in revival God is moving by His Spirit
this is revival time and the thing that
goes over and over again move with God
folks, God is moving He doesn't want you
to tell Him where to go He doesn't
want you to prescribe the avenues you want
Him to move He wants you to latch
on to Him and move with God He
wants to do something, doesn't He, John?
There you go and we need to let
the redeemed of the Lord face us and
not be bashed for that I think I'll
just, since I'm leaving I'll go ahead and
say this I probably wouldn't say it if
I was going to be here a little
longer I get the impression I get the
impression that you're much like our church here
you have a nice building lovely padded ceiling
and you've even got more than we you've
got carpet all over the place and sometimes
because we're a sort of middle, upper, upper
class we think that if we ever got
excited that would be a sign of the
loss of dignity and I'll tell you what
some of you need to do you need
to just let your hair down and let
Jesus say what He wants to say and
you need just to say, well hallelujah, so
that's it, you know and it'll be, it's
just so wonderful and so shocking and so
marvelous the freedom so if
you've got it say it if you've put
something in your heart don't suppress it express
it say it it's pride that keeps us
from being natural and if you love a
formality or love a form or love an
image more than you love naturalness in Jesus
he's got a work of plowing up old
stuff in your life so maybe you just
need to say it young people you know
who did it first in our church that's
what shook the adults up young people being
honest now I must explain to you that
we adults have lived a little longer and
have learned how to be dishonest don't, don't
learn like we did we, we had so
many things and we got so hypocritical you
be honest and that'll demand us honestly so
if you've got something to say you say
it and it'll bless some adults and maybe
it'll encourage them to be honest too okay?
thank you now then I want Rick to
stand down here and I see his mother
back there she's sitting in the nursery she's
eating, she's carrying she's in nursing to come
down and stand with Rick and you come
around and encourage him and rejoice with him
now I think that we would not have
but Benedictine would just have another love in
in which you embrace one another and take
care of one another speak to one another
visit with one another and just linger around
as long as you want to linger now
before we do I think that Sherry and
Stan ought to come now before they kick
Stan's ass while you're all in the pew
were you up there a while ago, Sherry?
with Rick?
well that's unfortunate I wish you no more
faithful souls in our church and Sherry, huh?
she stays in that nursery when the rest
of us want to see what's going on
up here up in here a while ago