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                   God's Vision For the Last-Day Church!

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By David Wilkerson
May 23, 1994
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          I want to share with you what I believe is God's vision
          for His last-day church. It is a vision based on the
          revealed Word of God -- because the Bible clearly
          outlines what the church of Jesus Christ will be like
          just prior to His coming.

          Certainly, the church in America is far from what God
          has envisioned it to be. In fact, most of what we see
          going on today in the name of Christ is an abomination.
          Yet, there are remnant churches scattered throughout
          this nation and around the world that live up to God's
          holy standards. They lead holy lives, preach
          righteousness, believe in super natural works. These
          churches are alive, full of the Spirit of God, and are
          impacting lives and entire communities for Jesus.

          But, for the most part, entire denominations today
          operate without the Holy Spirit. They are devoid of the
          presence of Jesus, bankrupt of all spiritual gifts.
          They practice a form of religion without any power,
          conviction or saving message. They are cozy with the
          world and are more political than spiritual. They
          appease sin -- coddling homosexuals, winking at
          divorce, ridiculing the supernatural, tossing aside all
          teachings about heaven, hell, repentance and judgment.

          Such churches wonder if God is even alive. They are so
          cold, weak and timid, the world scoffs at them! They
          have no influence, no respect, no impact on society
          whatsoever.

          But the New Testament church made devils tremble! It
          drove legions of demons into the abyss, prayed prison
          doors open, made rulers cringe in fear. No weapon could
          prosper against it! Those early believers had such
          faith and power that cripples rose up leaping, beggars
          became evangelists. They believed in the supernatural
          -- and they opened blind eyes, unstopped deaf ears and
          healed all manner of diseases. They even raised the
          dead!

          I am not saying God's last-day church will be a repeat
          or copy of the first- century church. No -- I am saying
          it will be even greater than that! It will be mightier,
          stronger, with an even greater revelation of Jesus. It
          will have a greater unction from the Spirit than ever
          -- greater even than at Pentecost! God always saves His
          best wine for last!

          The prophet Daniel confirms this. He said certain
          prophetic truths were locked up, only to be revealed in
          the last days:

          "...for the words are closed up and sealed till the
          time of the end....and none of the wicked shall
          understand; but the wise shall understand" (Daniel
          12:9-10).

          God's people are going to begin to understand "new
          things in his Word!" These things are already in the
          Bible; they simply haven't been revealed in fullness.
          And Daniel said he saw these things but couldn't
          understand them, even with all his divine wisdom: "And
          I heard, but I understood not..." (verse 8).

          But today the Holy Spirit has revealed these things to
          spiritual, discerning saints!

          "...as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
          neither have entered into the heart of man, the things
          which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God
          hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the
          Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of
          God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

          The Holy Ghost abides in us to reveal these hidden
          things to us!

          Right now the Lord is preparing a powerful yet humble
          army of shepherds after His own heart. And He also is
          preparing a remnant congregation of hungry sheep who
          have turned away from the deadness and sin of the
          modern church establishment. The scene is being set for
          that church against which the gates of hell shall not
          prevail. It will be hot, not lukewarm -- and it will
          rock the very foundations of hell. No power on earth
          will be able to ignore or despise it!

          Here is what I see in the Scriptures as God's vision
          for this last-day remnant church:

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                        1. Once Again the Gospel Is
                       Going to Be "Fully Preached"!

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

          You may not want to accept my next statement. But, as I
          see it, the gospel of Jesus Christ has not been "fully
          preached" in this generation! Except for the ministries
          of a few righteous men and women of God, the gospel we
          hear today is not what Paul said is a gospel "fully
          preached."

          Paul could say to his generation: "...I have fully
          preached the gospel of Christ" (Romans 15:19). And he
          described this "fully preached" gospel as one that is
          much more than words. It is a gospel of words and deed!

          "For I will not dare to speak of any of those things
          which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the
          Gentiles obedient in word and deed..." (verse 18).

          Paul was saying, "The Gentiles turned to Christ not
          because of my preaching alone -- but because my words
          were accompanied by miraculous deeds!"

          "Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the
          Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about
          unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of
          Christ" (verse 19).

          If Paul had preached and taught without signs and
          wonders following, his message would not have had its
          full impact. It would not have been the gospel fully
          preached! He said to the Corinthians, "Truly the signs
          of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience,
          in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds" (2 Corinthians
          12:12).

          Note Paul's words in this verse: signs, wonders, mighty
          deeds. Most Christians today cringe when they hear
          them! Why? It is because these words have been made an
          abomination by unscrupulous, power-hungry preachers and
          teachers!

          For the past forty years we have witnessed a grievous
          perversion of the fully preached gospel. Many
          intelligent, Christ-loving believers have been shocked
          or chagrined by the mockery and misuse of super natural
          workings by impostors who have set themselves up as
          figures of faith and power. These liars have turned the
          fully preached gospel into acts of pride and personal
          gain.

          You see them being blasted on television and in
          newspapers. You see hucksterism, theatrics, phony
          healings, unsubstantiated claims, money-grabbing,
          exaggerations -- all so abominable in God's eyes. It
          has been one of the most shameful episodes in the
          history of the church!

          Yet, as if these perversions weren't enough, along came
          the "prosperity gospel," which added to the perversion.
          Basically, accepting Christ meant "winning the
          lottery"! It meant having the promise of wealth --
          cars, clothes, houses, land. Whatever a believer "spoke
          into existence" was to become reality in his life. Even
          worse, this gospel portrayed Jesus as some
          wine-guzzling sports fanatic who loves to dote on His
          "kids"!

          The biggest tragedy of all is that these very
          perversions have caused many God-fearing pastors,
          evangelists and laypeople to turn away from the truth
          of a fully preached gospel. They want nothing to do
          with signs, wonders or miracles.

          Yet, beloved, God is still God -- and He is mighty in
          working miracles and wonders! He is still our healer --
          and He wants to show Himself strong on behalf of those
          who trust in Him! Great supernatural workings took
          place in the New Testament church without any
          perversions -- without advertising, showmanship, or any
          person claiming all the power and authority. The
          ministry of Paul provides an example:

          At Troas, Paul preached such a long message, a young
          man named Eutychus fell asleep while sitting on a
          window sill. The boy fell three stories to the ground
          -- and the Bible says Eutychus "was taken up dead" (see
          Acts 20:5-12).

          When Paul arrived on the scene below, he quieted
          everyone. Then he did as Elijah had done: He stretched
          himself out over the dead lad. Suddenly, life came back
          into Eutychus. The boy had resurrected -- raised from
          the dead! What a mighty miracle!

          Now, after this happened, Paul didn't send everyone out
          to spread the news that a miracle had taken place. He
          didn't invite Eutychus to accompany him on his
          evangelistic journeys and testify of his resurrection.
          There were no pamphlets urging, "See the boy who fell
          from a building and died. God raised him from the dead!
          Hear the preaching of Paul, man of great faith and
          power!"

          No -- that wasn't what happened at all. Instead,
          everyone simply went back to the third floor, had
          communion, and Paul continued preaching. Scripture does
          not even mention Eutychus any further. Why? Because the
          church expected supernatural works to happen! They
          preached a full gospel -- with signs and wonders
          following!

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                        These Mighty Deeds Happened
                         Daily Among The Saints --
                       and No Person Got the Glory!

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

          These great deeds were called "special miracles":

          "And God wrought special miracles by the hand of Paul:
          so that from his body were brought unto the sick
          handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from
          them, and the evil spirits went out of them" (Acts
          19:11-12).

          How can a handkerchief or apron get any glory? Paul
          sent the believers out with such items, and they in
          turn told others: "The saints have prayed over this
          garment. If you'll believe God and place it on you, He
          will heal you." When the people laid these articles on
          their foreheads, limbs or bodies, they quickly got up
          from their bed or their begging mat. They were healed!

          These "special miracles" became an expected part of the
          believers' daily lives and worship. They didn't have to
          attend some huge meeting with fanfare to see them take
          place. No -- they saw these mighty deeds as a part of
          their everyday walk with the Lord!

          Here is my point: If preaching alone could accomplish
          God's desires, America would have been won to Christ
          long ago. Consider what happened in Ephesus, after
          three months of bold preaching:

          "...(certain) were hardened, and believed not, but
          spake evil of that way before the multitude..." (verse
          9).

          Ephesus was a godless, idolatrous city given over to
          the occult. The population was obsessed with occult
          books and practices, magic, witchcraft. And after three
          months of bold preaching by Paul, the people only grew
          harder.

          But then God began to perform special miracles through
          Paul's hands. Suddenly, the sick were being healed, the
          lame were given healthy limbs, the blind had their
          sight restored!

          That's when the demonic powers of Ephesus began to get
          riled up. Seven sons of a priest named Sceva went to a
          certain man's house to try to cast demons out of him
          "in the name of the Jesus preached by Paul." But the
          legion inside this man turned on the seven and attacked
          them, tearing their clothes and beating them wildly.
          They ran out for their lives, naked and screaming!

          Word spread throughout the whole city: "...and fear
          fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was
          magnified" (verse 17). People exclaimed, "These
          followers of Jesus have authority over demon powers!"

          So Paul held a bonfire on the city square:

          "Many of them also which used curious arts brought
          their books together, and burned them before all men:
          and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty
          thousand pieces of silver" (verse 19).

          Thousands of books on exorcism, magic, occult sciences,
          charms, witchcraft -- all went up in flames! And it
          happened because the people of Ephesus had been
          confronted with a gospel "fully preached" -- with
          signs, wonders and mighty deeds!

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

                      God Envisions a Last-Day Church
                   That Does More Than Preach and Teach!

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

          I believe the gospel can't be fully preached unless it
          is accompanied by the power and demonstration of the
          holy Ghost -- working mighty wonders, proving the
          gospel is true!

          Paul boldly stated, "And my speech and my preaching was
          not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in
          demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1
          Corinthians 2:4).

          The Greek here means, "with proof." Paul was saying, "I
          preach the gospel with proof. God and the Holy Spirit
          are backing me up with wonders!"

          Indeed, Hebrews 2:4 says God confirmed Paul's message
          with signs and wonders: "God also bearing them witness,
          both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles,
          and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His own
          will."

          The New Testament believers had one prayer: "that signs
          and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child
          Jesus" (Acts 4:30). These apostles went everywhere
          fully preaching the gospel:

          "...and many wonders and signs were done by the
          apostles" (Acts 2:43). "And by the hands of the
          apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the
          people...And believers were the more added to the Lord"
          (5:12). "There came also a multitude out of the cities
          round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and
          them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they
          were healed every one" (verse 16).

          Finally, here is one of the most conclusive of all
          verses -- proving that a fully preached gospel must
          include signs and wonders:

          "Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the
          Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace,
          and granted signs and wonders to be done by their
          hands" (Acts 14:3).

          This verse says the apostles ministered boldly for a
          long time, preaching grace and repentance -- and then
          God granted "signs and wonders to be done by their
          hands"!

          In contrast, the church today has become weak and
          ineffective. Why? Because it no longer believes in the
          supernatural! Theologians tell us that at some point
          God quit performing mighty deeds. Yet, exactly when all
          of this supernatural activity stopped, no one can say!

          Some claim that miracles ceased when Paul died. Others
          say it was about A.D. 150. But, I ask you: Who has the
          audacity to pick the day, week, month or year when God
          supposedly said, "Enough! For thousands of years I've
          performed signs, wonders and miracles for those who
          have believed. But now you have a completed Bible and
          are more intelligent. So I'm cutting you off! No more
          miracles -- no more signs or healings!"

          Beloved, don't be fooled! There is a great deception
          behind all of this.

          You see, Paul tells us that in the last days Satan will
          come forth "with all power and signs and lying wonders"
          (2 Thessalonians 2:9). Jesus Himself said, "For false
          Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew
          signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even
          the elect" (Mark 13:22).

          Think of it: Demons, false Christs, false prophets --
          all seeking to confirm their message with lying signs
          and wonders! Yet, am I supposed to believe that God
          will expose His church to such a powerful,
          wonder-working devil -- but leave us with no mighty
          weapons or supernatural workings of our own? Will He
          have a church that says, "Satan can work signs and
          wonders, but God cannot?" Never! That is absolutely
          unthinkable!

          Rather, the Bible says God's holy remnant church will
          go "forth and (preach) every where, the Lord working
          with them, and confirming the word with signs
          following" (Mark 16:20).

          That is what God envisions for us!

          You ask, "But what about all the lying signs and
          wonders among Satan's hordes?"

          I tell you, just as Moses' reed swallowed up Pharaoh's
          snakes, God's mighty deeds in these last days will
          swallow up all the devil's dark deeds. Satan's works
          will appear as nothing compared to God's incredible
          signs and wonders!

          The miracles of this last-day church will be genuine,
          real, undisputable, undeniable -- and yet they will not
          be well-known. Instead, they will issue forth from the
          hands of ordinary, holy, separated saints who know God
          and are intimate with Jesus.

          These believers will emerge from the secret closet of
          prayer -- a small, prepared army full of faith, with no
          other desire than to do the will of God and glorify
          Him. Without fanfare they will go into hospitals,
          homes, the streets, and will lay hands on the sick and
          see incredible miracles of healing. They will be
          fearless against demons, casting down great
          principalities and powers. They will be so powerful in
          prayer, they'll open entire nations for the gospel. And
          God will confirm His Word by their mighty deeds!"

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

                      2. This Last-Day Remnant Church
                      Will Be Comprised of Christians
                    Who Refuse to Live by Bread Alone!

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

          If you think you're too ordinary for God to use, listen
          closely: God is not going to do His last-day work
          through big-name evangelists or pastors. They alone
          won't be able to handle the great moving of His Spirit!
          The fact is, God is going to need every housewife,
          teenager, elderly person and all who love Him to carry
          out His mighty work!

          This last-day army is going to be made up of Christians
          who have been weaned from bread alone. Let me explain
          what I mean:

          God said through Moses:

          "...man doth not live by bread only, but by every word
          that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man
          live" (Deuteronomy 8:3).

          Jesus Himself quoted this verse when Satan tempted Him
          in the wilderness to turn stones into bread.

          Bread stands for all natural, material things necessary
          for this life. These include food, shelter, clothes,
          labor, wages. Bread represents livelihood -- those
          earthly things we need that are not evil in themselves.

          Now, the Lord knows we need all of these things. But
          multitudes of Christians live only for the things of
          this life! Their lives are wrapped up in their job,
          their house, paying the bills. And all their prayers
          are focused only on their needs -- their hurts, their
          problems, their desires. They live on bread alone!

          Of course, it is honorable to have a job and to provide
          for your family. That's all a part of obeying the Word
          of God and living by every word that proceeds out of
          His mouth. But some Christians never get beyond bread.
          They spend a lifetime just surviving!

          For example -- how many Christian young men and women
          spend all of their time thinking about their need for a
          mate? How much of their prayers is focused on asking
          God to fulfill their loneliness! They are living on
          bread alone.

          How many married couples spend all of their time
          focused on trials and troubles with their children?
          This one matter consumes all their thoughts, all their
          prayers. They are focused on one need -- on bread!

          Jesus did teach us to pray, "Give us this day our daily
          bread" (Matthew 6:11). But first He said we were to
          pray, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done..." (verse
          10). We are to focus first on God's interests -- to
          pray for His will to be done!

          What have you been thinking about more than anything
          else these past six months? What has consumed most of
          your time and prayers? Has it been mostly bread issues
          -- personal needs?

          If you focus only on bread, then you have no life!
          You're living in a wilderness, as the children of
          Israel did. Each day they arose and began crying for
          bread. Yet, after God gave it to them, they cried for
          meat. They continually cried out for their personal
          needs to be met -- every day for forty years!

          Beloved, that is boredom -- drudgery! God never
          intended that for His children. Instead, He told Israel
          through Moses, "You should be living by every word that
          proceeds out of My mouth! Yes, I told you I would give
          you bread. But don't stop there. Move on! I've told you
          there's a land ahead flowing with milk and honey, with
          rivers, trees, forests, green pastures. And I want that
          place for you!"

          If your whole life is centered on survival -- if you're
          not shut in with Jesus, growing in His Word, preparing
          your heart as a bride adorned for her Husband -- then
          you have no life at all! You're bored, unfulfilled! You
          may come to church and receive a little bit of life
          here and there. But you are not giving life!

          Right now God is raising up a people who are not
          focused on bread issues. Instead, they are focused on
          His will for this midnight hour! They are tired of
          living in a wilderness of mere survival. All they want
          is to know and do God's will. They are ordinary people
          who have been weaned from living on bread alone. Their
          training has come from the Holy Ghost -- in the secret
          closet of prayer!

          Every member of this last-day army must be ready and
          prepared in heart -- because God is poised to release
          His great, final outpouring!

          Before Jesus came, John the Baptist went forth "to make
          ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17). This
          was a preaching of repentance -- a call to people to
          prepare their hearts.

          Paul also spoke of being "prepared unto every good
          work" (2 Timothy 2:21). And Samuel told Israel that God
          would do a new thing for them, if they would "prepare
          (their) hearts unto the Lord, and serve Him only" (1
          Samuel 7:3). Also, David said, "Lord, thou hast heard
          the desire [petition] of the humble: thou wilt prepare
          their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear" (Psalm
          10:17).

          In this last verse, David outlines a simple, three-step
          plan for knowing the Lord's mind and will for your
          life:

          1. Petition Him (pray).

          2. Prepare your heart to hear His voice.

          3. He will cause you to know. The Spirit will speak to
          you!

          Very soon, God is going to pour out of His glorious cup
          the greatest measure of His Spirit the world has ever
          seen. Great conviction will come upon your neighbors,
          coworkers and unsaved family members. The Holy Ghost is
          going to convict of sin, righteousness and judgment!

          People everywhere are going to be hurting. And they're
          going to turn from their dead churches to seek out
          those who walk with God. They will be desperate to find
          someone whose heart has been prepared!

          Beloved, you are one of those whom God is calling! He
          is going to use hundreds of thousands of ordinary
          servants for His end-time work of people-to-people
          ministry. So, I ask you: Are you preparing your heart
          right now for His work to be done, both in you and
          through you? Or are you just sitting by, enduring a
          wilderness life?

          Confess to God today: "Oh, Lord -- I want my life to
          count! I know that right now I'm living in a wilderness
          of despair, on bread alone. But I want to live!"

          Dive into His Word. Learn to seek Him daily. There is
          revolutionary power in the preparation of your heart!
          It is through this preparation that meaning and
          fullness come to your life. It changes your feelings,
          your personality -- and it releases power in you!

          When God sees you are ready, He will bring to you great
          opportunities to do His work. You won't even have to
          leave your house. God will bring the needs right to
          your door!

          But be warned: If you don't begin to seek Him, the
          Bible says, you will turn to evil. "And he did evil,
          because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord" (2
          Chronicles 12:14).

          We serve a mighty God who at this very hour is
          preparing His people for a mighty work:

          "The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir
          up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar;
          he shall prevail against his enemies" (Isaiah 42:13).

          So prepare your heart to meet Him. Become a ready
          servant, equipped and prepared for his great, last-day
          outpouring. And you will see His glory come alive in
          you in this final hour!

          Hallelujah!

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

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