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              Do You Really Want to Hear What God Is Saying?

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By David Wilkerson
September 7, 1992
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          A few weeks ago I asked those on our mailing list to
          write to us and tell us about their church. In other
          words, if yours is a good church, tell us about it -
          or, if your church is in a difficult time, tell us why.
          I requested that no one name their church or pastor,
          and that the information given be without gossip,
          rancor or bitterness. I simply wanted to take the
          spiritual pulse of America's churches.

          Thousands of letters poured in from all over the United
          States and Canada. My wife, Gwen, and I read them for
          days. Hearing the heart-cry of so many Christians has
          been helpful and yet depressing - enlightening and yet
          shocking!

          Thank God for all the glowing reports of both churches
          and pastors. A typical response (reflected in about one
          of every six or seven letters) read:

          "All is well in our church. Our pastor is a true man of
          God who is not afraid to preach the Word. He is loving
          yet fearless. Our income is up and we are growing. The
          worship is uplifting. We can hardly wait for the next
          service!"

          But the overwhelming majority of the letters we
          received were from people who are hurting spiritually.
          They wrote heart-rending letters about the deadness of
          their church. Almost without fail, they began: "We love
          our pastor, but... "

          They went on to say: "Our church is boring. Many people
          sleep during the preaching! The pastor is afraid to
          offend anybody, and he seldom preaches anything
          negative....

          "We are dying spiritually, and we can't find a church
          that's any better. We long to see an outpouring of the
          Holy Spirit - to hear a convicting, stirring word from
          heaven! The pastor keeps preaching, 'Love, love, love'
          - but we are 'loving' each other right into spiritual
          coldness!"

          Pastors also wrote to us: "We need encouragement! The
          workload is over-whelming. Our people say they want to
          hear the truth, that they want reproof and exposing of
          sin. But when the Spirit moves on me and I do reprove
          them, they walk out!"

          One pastor said, "I've been kicked out of three
          churches in the past two years. The people told me they
          wanted me to preach without compromise. But when I did
          (and I did it in love) they refused to listen! It makes
          me wonder if there is anyone left who really wants to
          hear the truth."

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                        Jeremiah Was Scathing in His
                     Rebukes Against Certain Pastors!

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          I believe God has a host of godly pastors today. But
          the prophet Jeremiah issued this rebuke to hirelings:
          "Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the
          sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord" (Jeremiah 23:1).
          "For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my
          house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord"
          (verse 11).

          Jeremiah called these men "prophets of Sodom" - and he
          listed the kinds of wickedness he saw in them:

            1. At the top of the list was adultery - pastors with
               eyes full of lust! They are sensual, carnal,
               having roving eyes.

            2. They walk in lies - the truth is not in them.

            3. They strengthen evildoers in their evil ways. They
               won't expose the sin of their prominent members,
               because they'll risk cutting their tithe-income!

            4. They speak visions that are not from God - but
               rather, fleshly visions designed to build their
               own egos and reputations.

            5. They encourage compromisers, afraid to lose their
               affection and support.

            6. They promote personal dreams, saying, "God said
               so," when God did not.

            7. They use lightness (joking) in the pulpit - not
               wholesome humor, when it is fitting, but shallow
               joking!

            8. They borrow messages from others - they have no
               word of their own from God.

            9. And, worst of all, they have a self-serving
               message. Jeremiah said of them: "They make you
               vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and
               not out of the mouth of the Lord. They say still
               unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye
               shall have peace; and they say unto every one that
               walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No
               evil shall come upon you" (Jeremiah 23:16-17).

          Beloved, you can hear this message today in pulpits all
          across America: "Don't be afraid - America is going to
          be blessed again! We're going to be prosperous,
          everything's going to be fine. We're all doing okay!
          America will always be special to God...."

          But the sad truth is that many who preach this soft
          message have lost their anointing. God doesn't speak to
          them anymore - because they live in sin!

          Scores of pastors, evangelists and teachers have no
          right to stand in the pulpit because they're unclean!
          They sneak into video stores, and then sit in their
          studies watching filth from the pit of hell. (I know
          this to be true because we receive pitiful letters from
          their wives!) Their eyes and minds are ever ablaze with
          nudity and fornication of all kinds. Most of these
          unholy hirelings need to be driven out of the ministry
          - they're damning multitudes of trusting sheep and
          sending countless young people to hell!

          But Jeremiah also spoke of another kind of pastor: "His
          servants, the prophets!" These were men of prayer, full
          of the truth and the Holy Spirit. They were true
          shepherds - holy, unblamable, fearless servants who
          were "sent unto you... rising early" (Jeremiah 23:4).

          The Bible says these men of God "hath stood in the
          counsel of the Lord" (verse 18). The word for "stand"
          means, in other words, having a give-and-take communion
          with the heavenly Father! Over and over in the Bible,
          you'll find this quality in every man of God. Elijah
          stood before wicked Ahab and said, "I've come to you,
          king, because I have stood before the Lord!"

          "Who... hath perceived... his word... who hath marked
          his word, and heard it" (Jeremiah 23:18). The prophets
          heard counsel from God - and they comprehended it and
          preached it! God says these kind of servants "cause my
          people to hear my words... (turning) them from their
          evil way, and from the evil of their doing" (23:22).
          They are not afraid to expose sin in the house of God,
          no matter who gets convicted!

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           The Spiritual Death and Compromise in the Church Today
            Cannot Be Blamed Entirely on Backslidden Shepherds!

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          Jeremiah himself was everything a hungry congregation
          could ask for in a shepherd. He was shut in with God;
          he couldn't be bought at any price; he wept over the
          sins of God's people. He was ready to lay down his life
          for the church - and indeed he was cast into jail and
          into a deadly mud pit for speaking the truth!

          Time after time, Scripture says Jeremiah waited in the
          Lord's presence until "the word of the Lord came to
          him." (This phrase appears over fifty times in the book
          of Jeremiah!)

          In those days, there was no shortage of a true word
          from God. Indeed, the Lord has always had his true
          prophets and pastors, even in times of compromise and
          declension. Time after time, you read: "And the word of
          the Lord came to Isaiah... to Jeremiah... to
          Ezekiel..." It came to Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos,
          Jonah, Micah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah
          and Malachi.

          And God's word was always a clear warning - full of
          judgment against sin, yet full of hope for the
          repentant. It was a call to separation from ungodliness
          - and to a continual life of holiness!

          Usually there were three kinds of responses to the word
          of truth. And you see these same three responses among
          Christians today:

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                     1. Many People Simply Do Not Want
                        To Hear What God is Saying!

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          The Israelites had no intention of quitting their
          sinful ways. Instead, they wanted a soft, soothing
          word. The prophet Isaiah said of them:

          "This is a rebellious people, lying children, children
          that will not hear the law of the Lord; which say to
          the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not
          unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things,
          prophesy deceits" (Isaiah 30:9-10).

          At first, I had a difficult time accepting this
          passage. I thought, "Are there children of God today
          who would actually demand of their pastors a deceiving
          message?"

          Yes, there are! You may not hear them say those words -
          but you can see their response when the pastor brings a
          strong prophetic word. They leave church, thinking, "I
          can't take this kind of preaching - it unnerves me! I
          prefer simple Bible teaching on how to cope with my
          problems."

          Beloved, that is almost a paraphrase of what Isaiah
          said Israel wanted: "Get you out of the way, turn aside
          out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease
          from before us" (Isaiah 30:11). They so despised any
          word exposing sin that they demanded any such message
          be stopped!

          The Lord warns those who do not want to hear the true
          Word of God: "Because they have forsaken my law which I
          set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither
          walked therein; but have walked after the imagination
          of their own heart... therefore... I will feed them,
          even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of
          gall to drink" (Jeremiah 9:13-15).

          God warns: "You can choose to sit under that kind of
          preaching - smooth, comforting, soft and easy. But it's
          poison! You're drinking in death!"

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                     2. Others Say Privately They Want
                   To Hear What God Is Saying - But Their
                     Pride Hinders Them From Hearing!

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          King Zedekiah best illustrates this kind of person. He
          was a man of great power, influence and authority. His
          father, Josiah, was a godly man - so we know Zedekiah
          had a background in holiness and the things of God. Yet
          when this man inherited the throne, he had no time for
          the Lord - that is, until a crisis struck!

          Jerusalem was besieged suddenly - surrounded by a
          ruthless Chaldean army, strong and powerful! Eventually
          there was a shortage of bread, and water ran low.
          Zedekiah called for the prophet Jeremiah, imploring
          him, "Pray now unto the Lord our God for us" (Jeremiah
          37:3). Like so many who face rough times, Zedekiah
          appeared to want the truth. He sounded so sincere -
          calling the nation to prayer!

          But Jeremiah prophesied destruction to the king. About
          that time, word hit the surrounding Chaldeans that
          Pharaoh was approaching from the west with a huge army.
          Panic struck the Chaldean camp - and they started to
          flee: "When the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem
          heard... they departed from Jerusalem" (verse 5).

          Imagine the cheers atop Jerusalem's walls as the
          Israelites watched their enemy flee! You can hear all
          the leaders, judges and magistrates: "Our walls are not
          cast down - our city is not burning. So much for old
          Jeremiah's gloom and doom!"

          I believe the wine flowed and food was plenteous that
          night as they threw open the gates, announcing a week
          of official celebration: "The crisis is over - let us
          celebrate!" True to human nature, everyone put the
          crisis out of their minds and went back to daily
          business. King Zedekiah must have been embarrassed by
          his call for prayer, thinking, "How could I have been
          so alarmed and intimidated by that prophet?"

          Now, who do you think was the most mocked, ridiculed
          man in the city that night? The one who prophesied
          destruction! As Jeremiah watched from a lonely rooftop,
          he must have thought, "Lord, You told me to prophesy
          judgment - but look at what's happened! The Chaldeans
          are gone, the economic crisis is over. You told me to
          warn that our women and children would be slain and the
          city burned down. But there is no bloodshed, no
          shortage. Was it all in my mind?"

          Suddenly, Scripture says, "The word of the Lord came to
          Jeremiah" - again! He was told to go to King Zedekiah
          and prophesy that the Chaldeans would turn around - and
          they would come back and finish the job!

          Jeremiah must have cried, "No, Lord - not again! Who
          will believe me now?" But he went to the king's
          courtyard and cried out: "Zedekiah! The Chaldeans are
          coming back - and they're going to burn down
          Jerusalem!"

          Zedekiah must have shaken his head in disbelief - he'd
          heard it all before! So he simply turned Jeremiah off
          and went back to merrymaking with everyone else. But
          not much later, a scout rode up with the news: "The
          Chaldeans are back!" The siege continued - and this
          time the Chaldeans didn't leave!

          Zedekiah summoned Jeremiah again - this time in secret
          - and asked him, "Is there any word from the Lord?"
          (Jeremiah 37:17). In other words: "I really want to
          know what the Lord is saying!"

          Jeremiah answered, "Yes, there is a word. You are going
          to be captured by the king of Babylon!" But Zedekiah
          still didn't receive it. He only hardened himself -
          because it wasn't what he wanted to hear!

          Eventually, conditions in the besieged city grew worse.
          Starving mothers boiled and ate their babies. There was
          nothing left - and the end was in sight. As the king
          walked along the wall in sackcloth, he looked at all
          the deprivation - and he called on Jeremiah one final
          time. He brought the prophet into his chambers through
          a private entrance: "And the king said unto Jeremiah, I
          will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me" (Jeremiah
          38:14). In other words, "Give me the hard truth, with
          no smooth words. I really want to hear what God is
          saying this time!'

          Beloved, there are many who say, "I want to hear the
          Word of God! I want it straight, uncompromising, pure."
          But you can rest assured: These will never receive what
          God says, because pride hinders them from hearing when
          the truth comes!

          Jeremiah told the king to surrender to the Chaldeans -
          and that he, his family and the people would live. Even
          the city would be spared. But if he didn't surrender,
          it would all be destroyed - and he would die!

          Zedekiah answered, "I can't do that - I'm afraid of the
          Jews that have already surrendered. They'll mock me,
          shame me - they'll tear me apart!" Sure enough, he
          rejected God's word to him. Even though everyone was
          dying and the city was collapsing, his pride was still
          intact!

          Zedekiah ended up trying to escape in the middle of the
          night, but he was captured. His sons were killed before
          his eyes, his wives were ravaged, and his eyes were
          burned out in their sockets - all because of pride!

                    ------------------------------------

                  3. Many Cry And Clamor For A Pure Word -
                  But It Is A Cover-Up For Long-Standing,
                      Hidden Idolatry In Their Heart!

                    ------------------------------------

          When I read all the pitiful letters from Christians,
          saying, "We need a strong, pure word from the Lord's
          heart," I prayed: "Oh God, where are our modern-day
          Jeremiahs? Where are the pastors who will not be afraid
          to preach holiness?"

          But I was shocked and surprised at the Lord's answer to
          me. He said, "David, many say they want to hear My word
          to them - and there is a holy remnant who sigh and cry
          over the wickedness in the land. They yearn for the
          truth and will obey Me. Yet multitudes will not listen
          when the truth is brought forth! They will reject any
          message that touches their pet sins or idols!"

          How clearly this is illustrated in Jeremiah 42! Only a
          remnant was left, and Johanan was now the leader. They
          decided to run to Egypt - so they camped out at
          Bethlehem and called on Jeremiah to try to get a word
          from the Lord:

          "We beseech thee... pray for us unto the Lord thy God,
          even for all this remnant... that the Lord thy God may
          shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that
          we may do.... The Lord be a true and faithful witness
          between us, if we do not even to all things for the
          which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us. Whether
          it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the
          voice of the Lord our God, to whom we send thee"
          (Jeremiah 42:1-6).

          Have you ever heard a people who sounded more serious
          about hearing a true word from God? They said, "We want
          the truth badly! Whatever you tell us, we'll obey it -
          whether we like it or not!"

          So Jeremiah shut himself in with God for ten days. He
          must have prayed, "God You heard how they cried out for
          a pure word. Give me a word from Your heart!"

          But the Lord answered him, "They're lying! They don't
          want My word. They're full of idolatry! They just say
          they want the truth - but they've already made up their
          minds to do their own thing!"

          Jeremiah came to them with God's word: "If ye will
          still abide in this land, then will I build you, and
          not pull you down... Be not afraid of the king of
          Babylon... for I am with you to save you from his
          hand....

          "But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land... but
          we will go into the land of Egypt... then it shall come
          to pass, that the sword, which ye have feared, shall
          overtake you there in the land of Egypt... and there ye
          shall die" (Jeremiah 42:10-16).

          The leaders accused Jeremiah of speaking falsely - and,
          just as God had told Jeremiah, they decided to go their
          own way. They said, "We will go into... Egypt, where we
          shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet,
          nor have hunger of bread" (Jeremiah 42:14).

                    ------------------------------------

                   They Rejected God's Word Because They
                   Were Tired Of the Sound of the Trumpet
                       - Weary of Spiritual Warfare!

                    ------------------------------------

          The leaders of the remnant said, "It's too big of a
          struggle here. We're tired of hearing all the trumpets
          and the thunder!" So they went their own stubborn way -
          and they died by the sword, as God had said, except for
          a tiny number.

          This is a picture of many last-day Christians: tired of
          hearing prophetic trumpets announcing judgments to
          come, weary of spiritual warfare and life's struggles.
          They say, "Please, leave me alone! No more convicting
          meetings or sermons to upset me. I just want a nice,
          quiet, soothing place to worship."

          Are you tired of hearing it all? Have you become so
          weary that you think, "I just want some peace - I can't
          exist in this kind of tension!" Or do you really want
          to hear the straight truth? Do you want a prophet of
          God to point a finger at your heart and say, "You are
          not diligent in seeking God - your heart is growing
          cold! And you won't be able to receive any word from
          him until you deal with your idolatry!"

          I've had to face that question honestly too: Do I
          really want to hear what God is saying? My honest
          answer is: No, Lord - I really don't know if I want to
          hear all You have to say. I don't know if I want You to
          probe as deeply as You want to - because I don't know
          if I can handle it. I don't know if I want to hear any
          more about Your awful judgments falling on America.
          I've heard so much that only Your grace holds me above
          it!"

          A young pastor asked me recently, "Why do we need to
          know what's ahead? Can't we just leave that in God's
          hands and go our way rejoicing?"

          Beloved, the Lord warns us to prepare us! You see, he
          is coming for a prepared Bride - and knowing that fire
          is about to fall from heaven, He forewarns us in love:
          "Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,
          what manner of persons ought ye be in all holy
          conversation and godliness" (2 Peter 3:11). We're not
          to panic when judgment hits - we're to be built up and
          ready!

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                   A Prophetic Warning To New York City!

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          Right now, I believe God is speaking a warning to New
          York City. And I wrestled with His severe word as I
          prepared this message. I prayed, "Lord, is this really
          going to happen?" Again and again, I heard the still,
          small voice: "Preach it - warn! Those who want the
          truth will receive it!"

          Dear saint, this warning is not meant to scare anyone.
          It's meant only for you to take to the Lord and pray.
          This is what I believe the Lord showed me:

          Thirty days of chastisement will fall on New York City
          such as the world has never seen. God is going to let
          down the walls! There will be unimaginable violence and
          looting - over a thousand fires will be burning at the
          same time, throughout the city and its boroughs. Times
          Square will be ablaze, and the flames that ascend into
          the heavens will be seen for miles. Firetrucks will not
          be able to handle it all!

          Trains and buses will shut down for a few weeks.
          Billions of dollars will be lost. Broadway shows will
          stop completely for weeks at a time. It will cause
          businesses to flee the city in an unstoppable
          hemorrhage. The violence will be so ferocious, it will
          shock the whole world. Our streets will be lined with
          not just the national guard, but our country's militia.
          Los Angeles' fires were confined to a few sections of
          that city - but New York will be ablaze in all its
          boroughs!

          Such things are expected in Third World countries, but
          not in a civilized nation like the United States. Yet
          in not too long a time afterward, New York City will go
          bankrupt - the world's "queen city" cast into the dirt!
          It truly will become a Third World city - a city of
          poverty!

          When will all this come about, you ask? All I can say
          is, I believe I will be here when it happens! And when
          it happens, no matter where we are - in our apartment
          or on the job - we are not to panic or fear!

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                    One Of The Most Moving Things About
                   All That Jeremiah Prophesied Was This:
                     He Was There When It All Happened
                            - And He Was Safe!

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          Jeremiah survived the horrors he warned were coming!
          "And he was there when Jerusalem was taken" (Jeremiah
          38:28). He must have watched in silent horror from
          behind a prison wall as the Chaldean army poured into
          the city. for twenty-three years he had warned, but no
          one would listen - and now the blood was flowing!"

          The king's house was in flames. All the leaders were
          dragged out of hiding. The sights and sounds were
          unbearable; how Jeremiah must have cried out for mercy!
          "Oh God, I saw it all - I prophesied it! But Lord,
          can't you spare?"

          Yet, here is the good news:

          Jeremiah was present to see the city broken up - but he
          was safe! And not only was he safe, but so was
          Ebed-Melech, the man who pulled him out of the deadly
          mud pit! When everything was coming down, Jeremiah sent
          a message to Ebed-Melech, who was hiding in fear:
          "[Thus] saith the Lord: and thou shalt not be given
          into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. For I
          will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by
          the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey [prize]
          unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith
          the Lord" (Jeremiah 39:17-18).

          Can you imagine Ebed-Melech's comfort as he heard this
          word? Yet we have the same message that was given to
          Ebed-Melech: Those who love God's Word and walk in
          faithfulness and obedience will be miraculously spared
          by the Lord in hard times! "I will deliver you! Don't
          be afraid - your life will be spared because you trust
          in Me!"

          Right now, God is shaking California with earthquakes,
          from San Fransico to Los Angeles to San Diego. The
          entire nation is feeling the birth pangs of judgment!

          But when you see these things, and you hear that New
          York City is in flames, you can fall on your knees and
          begin to rejoice - not because of the judgment, but
          because of God's promise: "Lord, I wanted to hear what
          You had to say - and You warned me! I have obeyed Your
          Word - and now I need not be afraid!"

          Hallelujah!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771 USA.

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