                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                 We Need More Troublemakers In the Church!

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By David Wilkerson
July 4, 1988
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          We need more troublemakers in the church! I pray that
          every member of the body of Christ would become a
          troublemaker! We need an army of troublemakers who have
          become so full of the Holy Ghost they will stir up and
          trouble New York City and every other city around the
          world; trouble their wicked institutions - challenge
          the established dead churches - trouble the leaders,
          the mayors, the city councils, the community
          leadership! In other words, we need Holy Ghost
          troublemakers moving in the Spirit, proclaiming the
          kingship of Christ so effectively that whole cities are
          stirred!

          Paul and Silas were two the world's biggest
          troublemakers! The Bible speaks of "men that have
          risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus
          Christ" (Acts 15:26, NAS). Paul, Barnabas, Silas, and
          Timothy were such men, walking in the power of the
          Spirit. As seen in Acts 16, when the Holy Ghost forbid
          them to speak the Word in Asia, they obeyed. When they
          tried to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit would not
          permit them, they went instead to Troas, under the
          Spirit's direction. Paul then had a vision of a man
          calling them to Macedonia, so they set out immediately
          to Philippi, the chief city of Macedonia. When they
          arrived, a fortune teller followed them about, crying,
          "...These men are the servants of the most high God,
          which shew unto us the way of salvation" (Acts 16:17).
          After enduring it for many days, Paul turned and
          "...said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of
          Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the
          same hour" (Acts 16:18). Suddenly the whole city was in
          an uproar: this fortune teller was apparently a big
          tourist attraction, but now she was healed and praising
          the Lord!

          Paul had upset the status quo. He had challenged the
          devil who had been having his way for years. The
          slave-owners of the delivered woman then dragged Paul
          and Silas into the marketplace to stand trial before
          the city magistrates. The charge was, "...These men...
          do exceedingly trouble our city" (Acts 16:20). "And the
          multitude rose up together against them: and the
          magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to
          beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon
          them, they cast them into prison, and made their feet
          fast in the stocks" (Acts 16:22-24). It looked as
          though Satan had won. The new converts must have been
          stunned!

          But all the power of God is with Holy Ghost
          troublemakers! "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed,
          and sang praises unto God... and suddenly there was a
          great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison
          was shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened,
          and every one's bands were loosed" (Acts 16:25-26). The
          jailer, seeing what had happened, even fell down before
          Paul and Silas, saying "...Sirs, what must I do to be
          saved?" (Acts 16:30). Those city officials and
          religious leaders went to bed thinking, "We did it to
          them! That's the last we will hear of those vagabond
          troublemakers. We really shut them up and scared them!"
          But what a commotion the next day! I can imagine
          sergeants knocking on the doors of the mayor, city
          council members, and the religious leaders, telling
          them, "Quick! Get down to city hall - we've got a big
          problem!" In a state of shock, the officials probably
          responded, "What? An earthquake? The prison doors
          opened? Their chains all fell off? They didn't even try
          to escape? The jailer joined their faith? They're
          Romans?!?" Now, they were really afraid. It was a crime
          to beat Roman citizens (Paul and Silas were both
          Romans). "What do you mean they won't budge from our
          jail? They demand what? For us to come down and
          apologize and escort them out of jail? " And they
          came... and brought them out... begging them to leave
          the city" (Acts 16:39).

          I love it! Here they were, not flaunting their
          spiritual authority, but merely acting as ambassadors
          of King Jesus. As they had witnessed Christ's power
          being mocked, Paul and Silas now wanted that little
          riverside prayer group to see how God manifests His
          power to those who stand up against the forces of hell.
          They went directly to the house of Lydia - and what a
          meeting that must have been! I would think Paul told
          that house group, "See! The devil can rage, the powers
          that be may threaten - but God has all the power! God
          will stand by you if you take a stand!"

          I preach a great deal on prayer and I believe in the
          effectual, fervent prayer of the righteous. But praying
          alone, praying by two's and three's, or even in a large
          prayer meeting will not alone shake a city! Elijah was
          a man of powerful prayer, but it was more than his
          prayers that shook Ahab's kingdom and enraged Jezebel:
          He called the false prophets to Mount Carmel and
          challenged the. Jezebel had slain God's prophets and
          led Israel into apostasy and the horrible idolatry of
          Baal worship - and no one had challenged her! Seven
          thousand believers had not bowed, but they were silent,
          unknown, and afraid. So along comes Elijah, the
          troublemaker! Ahab called him "the troubler of Israel!"
          (1 Kings 18:17). Elijah ended up at the Brook Kishon
          with a sword in his hand, slaying hundreds of Baal's
          false prophets "in the name of Jehovah."

          Elijah was not a polite gentlemen with the devil and
          his crowd. While "...they leaped upon the alter...
          Elijah mocked them [derided them]" (1 Kings 18:26-27).
          The church of late has cowered before the powers of
          darkness due to the lack of holiness, for the Scripture
          tells us, "...The righteous are bold as a lion"
          (Proverbs 28:1). Some will say, "But Jesus was meek -
          He never opened His mouth or resisted when they took
          Him to be crucified!" But that was because the hour of
          darkness had come, the hour He was to be given into the
          hands of the enemy. He was not silent in the temple
          when driving out the money-changers. He was not silent
          when calling religious leaders serpents - blind guides
          - whited sepulchers - a brood of vipers (see Matthew
          23). He even told some boldly that Satan was their
          father!

          Many churches today are full of silent, gentlemanly
          diplomats, not wanting to make waves! Nobody wants
          trouble! So the devil's kingdom goes unchallenged. We
          have more than enough smiling, mousy Christians! I
          heard the raging of a man who said to me, "Let's you
          and me make a bet - any amount of money! You people in
          the church can't stop anything! You'll get a little
          publicity, but nothing ever changes. You can't shut
          anything down! You're powerless in this league!" He was
          speaking of abortion and I could detect the mocking of
          Satan in his voice. It was a dare! It was as if to say
          to all Christians, "You're all spiritual wimps. You
          won't last - you'll give up when the opposition comes.
          You'll just run back inside your safe walls and hide!"

          Let me show you how and where the apostolic men of God
          challenged the powers of darkness - the areas where we
          too must act.

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                        Paul and Silas Challenged a
                      Dead, Corrupt Religious System!

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          "...They came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of
          the Jews: And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto
          them, and ... reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
          opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have
          suffered and risen again from the dead; and that this
          Jesus, whom I preach unto you is Christ" (Acts 17:1-3).
          The synagogue at Thessalonica had probably conducted
          quiet meetings for years, undisturbed. They diligently
          taught Scripture and in outward appearance they seemed
          very holy.

          Then Paul, the troublemaker, came on the scene and in
          just three weeks of preaching the kingship of Jesus, he
          turned that whole area of Thessalonica upside down! He
          knew from experience that only a few devout ones would
          listen to Christ's demanding word, that the majority
          would not give up their hard-shelled religious
          traditions. He also knew they would be filled with envy
          and hate towards anything that disturbed their way of
          doing things. Paul declared that the preaching of his
          gospel caused contention: "... We were bold in our God
          to speak unto you the gospel of God with much
          contention" (1 Thessalonians 2:2). The New American
          Standard says "with much opposition."

          What caused the contention, the violent opposition?
          Paul and Silas were not loud or provocative - they were
          not robbing churches? Later, in a letter to those in
          Thessalonica who went on with the Lord, Paul wrote,
          "For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of
          uncleanness, nor in guile... not as pleasing men, but
          God, which trieth our hearts. For neither at any time
          used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloak of
          covetousness; God is witness... But we were gentle
          among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children...
          we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the
          gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because you
          were dear unto us: (1 Thessalonians 2:3-8). These
          religious people who had for years acted so demure and
          God-loving are now enraged. They became an angry mob,
          assaulting the house of Jason and troubling the people
          and rulers of the city (see Acts 17). The cause of all
          this contention was this one uncompromising word:
          "There is another king... Jesus" (Acts 17:7).

          Paul's preaching on the lordship of Jesus was not like
          what we hear on that subject today! It was not a
          cheerleader's slogan or emotional hype. I believe Paul
          stood for hours before those religious Jews, laying
          down the whole cost of following Jesus as King. He
          preached the laying down of all idols and giving up the
          pleasures of sin. He preached self-denial and suffering
          for Christ's glory, even to martyrdom. His message of
          Christ's kingship included a warning to no longer
          follow men or teachers or their doctrines, nor be led
          about by men who make merchandise of others; but
          rather, to adopt a life of holiness and separation from
          all appearance of evil, having no fellowship with evil
          men.

          I know of Christians who are absolutely in love with
          their pastor and church, even where it is known for
          certain there is pride, domination of spirits,
          manipulation, and flesh. But they say, "We hear the
          right message. We hear about holiness, about the
          lordship of Jesus! Sin is not condoned in our church!
          If that is so, why do those same ministers and
          congregations become so enraged and hostile to those
          others who begin to preach and live out the true cost
          of making Christ king in their lives? Why is there such
          opposition to believers who faithfully practice the
          Lord's uncompromising commandments?

          "These who have turned the world upside down have come
          here also" (Acts 17:6). Whose world is upside down? It
          is that religious circle where nobody takes the
          kingship of Christ seriously. A minister's wife here in
          New York City told me, "Times Square Church has upset
          just about every charismatic church in the city! You
          know that, don't you?" I did not know that. I don't
          know if in fact it is true. But if it is, and if it is
          because of arrogance in this pulpit or from people
          going out bragging that this is the only church
          preaching real holiness, then we would be in great
          error! But on the other hand, if ministers and
          congregations are getting "turned upside down" because
          we preach the uncompromising kingship of Christ - if
          people are leaving some of those churches because their
          sin was not exposed and challenged - if people go from
          here, becoming more like Jesus, walking in His purity -
          then we are Holy Ghost troublemakers of the right kind!

          I can assure you from the Word of God that nothing
          shakes up or angers dead, compromising churches and
          preachers more than someone moving in the fullness of
          Christ who lives and preaches Paul's demanding gospel
          of holiness. It's a reproof! In every church you will
          find those few "devout Christians," as Paul called
          them. But the day you say with Paul - "The things of
          this world are as dung. I have turned from idols to
          serve my King. I will no longer serve two masters. I
          have seen a great light and have come out from among
          the wicked, the unbelieving, the apostate, the workers
          of iniquity." - that is the day you are marked as a
          troublemaker! Are you also to "go in unto them" as Paul
          did and share the light you have received, to pull
          others out of deception? Absolutely, yes! By phone, by
          visits, by tapes, in every way go in unto them, willing
          to even lay your life down for them.

          "The brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by
          night... (Acts 17:10). Once again it looked like Satan
          won the battle with the two of them having to sneak out
          of town in the dark of night. Just imagine the proud
          boastings of the people on the next Sabbath: "Some
          revival that was! We were here before they came and
          we're here when they're gone. People just don't want
          that kind of preaching around here! Let us go on with
          God with no more interruptions from these holiness
          troublemakers!" But Paul and Silas had so turned the
          converts eyes off themselves and onto Jesus that they
          could leave town and the body still flourish there.
          Under persecution the church in Thessalonica became so
          strong in faith that they became a powerful witness to
          all of Asia - and the joy of Paul's heart!

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                           Paul Stirred Things Up
                           in the Market Place.

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          Paul stirred things up right on the job by preaching
          Jesus the King with resurrection power: "...in the
          market daily with them that met with him... he preached
          unto them Jesus and the resurrection" (Acts 17:17-18).
          If there is any one place Christians hide their light
          more than any other place it is on the job, in their
          workplace. There are multitudes of Christians in this
          country who sit in God's house proclaiming their
          intense love for Jesus, yet when they go to their jobs,
          they're timid and ashamed of Christ! Like Peter, they
          say by their silence, "I don't know the man!" They fear
          losing their jobs as well as being ridiculed or
          rejected.

          Why is there such cowardly silence about Jesus on the
          job by Christians who pray, devour the Word, and walk
          in holiness? It is because, unlike Paul, our hearts are
          not stirred, as we see all around us a people given to
          idolatry (see Acts 7:16). We dare not say, "But Paul
          was a preacher. He was called to this work!" We are all
          ambassadors of Jesus Christ and are all commanded never
          to hide our light under a bushel.

          These Athenians were exactly like the people you work
          with nowadays, spending "their time in nothing else,
          but either to tell, or to hear some new thing... in all
          things... too superstitious" (Acts 17:21-22). Many
          Christians were led to believe that the President was a
          born again believer in Christ, while all along it
          appears he and his wife were following stars! It is now
          apparent that those who live in the White House are
          superstitious and have been guided by spiritualistic
          channelers! I believe God is angry about it because we
          lied to the whole world by proclaiming "In God we
          trust." God's anger is expressed in Isaiah: "Thy
          nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be
          seen: I will take vengeance... for the multitude of thy
          sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine
          enchantments. For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness:
          thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy
          knowledge, it hath perverted thee... Therefore shall
          evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it
          riseth.... Stand now with thine enchantments, and with
          the multitude of thy sorceries.... Let now the
          astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly
          prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these
          things that shall come upon thee" (Isaiah 47:3, 9-13).
          "Though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will
          I bring thee down..." (Obadiah verse 4). According to
          these Scriptures, such leaders will be put to shame!

          So it is throughout this nation: the majority of those
          around you on the job are given over to idolatry,
          gossip, and superstitions of all kinds. On Wall Street
          the newest thing is "crystal power"! Intelligent, rich
          power brokers put thousands of dollars into a hunk of
          crystal or jade and place it in their office to receive
          "radiant rays" and "vibes" to imbue them with secret
          knowledge. Others are into yoga, mediation, the occult,
          and many now won't do anything until they consult their
          guru or stargazer!

          Athens was a city wholly given over to idolatry. Their
          sin and wickedness had to be even more overpowering
          than what we have here in New York City because there
          was no gospel light, no church there. The population
          was under the sway of two powerful doctrines of
          delusion: the Epicureans and the Stoics - twin
          doctrines of devils! The Epicureans did not believe in
          life after death. They believed that death is the end
          of all things and that happiness is achieved by a
          meditative detachment, and joy is to be found only in
          friendship. The end result was sensuality, gluttony,
          and exotic pleasures. The Stoics, on the other hand,
          had a religion of human reasoning, of closeness to
          nature. They reasoned that to serve one's fellowman
          through love would cause one pain and sufferings;
          therefore they urged each one to find his salvation in
          nature, by aligning the will with universal wisdom." It
          was so hopeless that it often led to suicide. [Today we
          call it "new age" as Satan seeks to become the
          universal mind.] The Athenians ultimately degenerated
          into blood-thirsty sadists, finding pleasure in the
          gladiators' slaughterings.

          In its time, Athens was one of the most modern,
          advanced, and intellectual cities in the world. It was
          palatial, busy, powerful, and godless! I can imagine
          Paul, a tentmaker, as he waited for Silas and Timothy
          to arrive from Berea, going to the marketplace to look
          over the latest needles and thread, comparing canvases.
          Paul had visited many cities and had seen it all: the
          drunkenness of Corinth, the homosexual spirit that
          ruled Rome, the spiritual darkness of Jerusalem. But he
          never let his heart get hard; he could still be moved
          by it all. As he walked through the Athens marketplace
          weeping, "his spirit was stirred in him..." (Acts
          17:16). Paul had no strategy, no plan of evangelism, no
          scheme or tactic. He had only a broken heart full of
          the burden of Christ. He said to himself, "They're all
          going to hell. They're all lost, all blind. Someone has
          to do something!"

          For those of you who live in New York City or who have
          visited, have you never stood in Times Square at midday
          and looked at the multitudes, at masses of business
          people going helter-skelter, or at night seen the
          wandering dregs of humanity? Have you not wept, "Lord,
          they are lost! This city is going to hell - the devil
          is having his way and no one seems to be challenging
          this mess!" Or have you become so used to the darkness,
          so burned out with all the beggars, the poverty, the
          crime, and the filth that you are no longer stirred? I
          know how it feels to be bombarded on all sides with
          beggars, knowing that handouts are going to drugs and
          alcohol. You can't keep up with it all; but there is
          the danger of allowing callouses to form over your
          heart, so that on the job you're no longer stirred by
          the sin and hurt all around you.

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                            Paul Focused on the
                     Resurrection Power of the Gospel.

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          Paul was not put off by the immensity of the problem.
          He wasn't overwhelmed by Satan's hold on the city
          because he know he had a secret weapon against it: the
          gospel of resurrection power! Paul took his eyes off
          what the devil had done and focused on what Jesus could
          do in the resurrection might! It did not matter that
          they called him a "babbler," meaning a sponger, a
          loafer, a preacher of nonsense. Have you ever been
          called "a trouble-maker babbler"? Has anyone ever said
          to you, "Stop infringing on my rights. Stop pushing
          your religion on me. Stop trying to make me believe
          like you do!" None of that kind of mockery could stop
          Paul because his heart was bleeding. Let them say what
          they will or call him any name they please - he knew if
          he did to take his stand for Christ they would die in
          sin without a witness.

          It is not enough to just live right or to "set a good
          example." For too long we have hidden behind the old
          cliche, "Actions speak louder than words." We claim to
          be silent witnesses living His life. The testimony must
          include the spoken Word: "Thy watchman shall lift up
          the voice... (Isaiah 52:8). "...How shall they hear
          without a preacher? (Romans 10:14).

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                        There is a "Philip" Ministry
                        for Every Believer Who Walks
                           in Christ's Holiness.

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          "Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached
          Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave
          heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and
          seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits,
          crying with loud voice, came out of many that were
          possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and
          that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in
          that city" (Acts 8:5-8). Philip was a layman, full of
          the Holy Ghost. He was not a pulpit man, but a lay
          person who simply believed in Christ's power of
          resurrection life. So he went everywhere expecting
          miracles. He was a man of the marketplace. We will
          never impact this city or any other until every member
          of the body becomes a Christ-consumed Philip, a lay
          evangelist with faith to cast out evil spirits and with
          faith to pray for the salvation and healing of fellow
          workers. We can and shall stir up this wicked city!

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                        If We Do Not Obey the Lord's
                        Command to Preach the Gospel
                        We Will Become Self-Centered
                    and Obsessed with Our Own Problems.

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          The Plymouth Brethren started in Plymouth, England many
          years ago. They were a godly group who took the gospel
          to the streets. What a burden for souls they had! A
          great revival broke out and Christ was revealed to them
          as a glorified man in heaven. But they became so
          consumed in studying Christ, so focused on their form
          of worship, they lost their burden for dying souls.
          They split up into two groups, the open and closed
          brethren. The closed brethren ended up permitting no
          one to partake of fellowship with them except by
          invitation. Today all that is left of the original
          movement are the great writings of men like Darby,
          Stoney, Mackintosh, and Raven, all of which are
          wonderful teachings on Christ and holiness. But
          spiritual elitism had crept in, with no burning passion
          for the lost. We need the deep, pure Word and the
          burning passion for the lost.

          You can hear so much preaching and teachings that you
          become "dull of hearing" (Hebrews 5:11). I receive
          reams of prophecies, long involved "spirit" writings,
          from Christians who claim to be spending days and weeks
          and even months in prayer. It is a barrage of "thus
          saith the Lord," much of it with no meaning at all! One
          husband asked me to set his wife straight. She had been
          telling people how she supposedly died and went to
          heaven, danced with Jesus, and went skydiving with Him!
          She claimed her revelation came to her after praying
          for hours.

          Why are these dear ones not out among the people,
          preaching a resurrected Jesus? Why are they spending
          all their time reproving others, with no brokenness for
          the lost? The best cure for "flakiness" is getting out
          among sinners, preaching, healing, and casting out
          devils. We pray, "Holy Ghost, come!" But for what? To
          simply bless us and meet our needs? Or to equip us and
          reveal to us the broken heart of our Lord? The last
          words of Jesus before leaving this earth were, "Go ye
          into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
          creature: (Mark 16:15).

          We have been praying that God will close down the
          transvestite bar next door to Times Square Church. The
          proprietor said to us, "You people are in real trouble.
          You don't know who you're dealing with?" No! He doesn't
          know with whom he is dealing! Jesus said "All power is
          given unto me..." (Matthew 28:18). Therefore, "we may
          boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear
          what man shall do unto me" (Hebrews 13:6). Paul prayed
          that "ye may know... what is the exceeding greatness of
          His power to usward who believe, according to the
          workings of His might power, which He wrought in
          Christ... far above all principality, and power, and
          might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not
          only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
          and hath put all things under His feet..." (Ephesians
          1:18-21).

          "My brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power
          of His might" (Ephesians 6:10). Satan has made some of
          you afraid: afraid of falling, afraid of a besetting
          sin or a hounding habit, and afraid of men. But the
          Word says, "...Resist the devil, and he will flee form
          you" (James 4:7). You are not the one who runs! "And
          with great power gave the apostles witness of the
          resurrection of the lord Jesus..." (Acts 4:33). "Though
          an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not
          fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I
          be confident... For in the time of trouble he shall
          hide me in His pavilion... He shall set me up upon a
          rock" (Psalm 27:3,5).

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

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