Jesus came into this world for one reason only — to reach and save lost souls. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). And he made that our mission as well when he said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
When Jesus uttered these words, he was talking to insignificant, uneducated men and women. He was placing the very future of his church on their shoulders, which must have been quite overwhelming for that little band of believers. Try to imagine the conversations that took place after their master ascended into heaven.
“Did I hear him right? We’re penniless, ordinary people. How are we going to be able to start a worldwide revolution for Christ? People treat us with total disdain and the Romans are beating and killing us. If they treat us like this in Jerusalem, imagine how they’ll treat us when we get to Rome and start witnessing and preaching.”
In those times, society didn’t have all the exotic temptations our generation faces. There was no ungodly television, filthy cinema, computer access to everything imaginable. Today our government has essentially tried to outlaw God, our media is liberal to the point of godlessness and Wall Street grows increasingly greedy for more money. Worst of all, we are seeing the rise of a generation that curses the Christ we serve.
As followers of Christ, we need to look around us! See the multitudes without a Savior and ask God for a heart to reach out to them. Jesus knew that the power given to the disciples when he sent them out would be more than sufficient to meet every need and opposition. Likewise, the Holy Spirit gives us direction and power to reach out to those around us with the gospel. You don’t have to go to a foreign country to win souls. Your family members, co-workers, those you encounter in your day-to-day activities all need the Savior. Stay sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit and he will guide you in your witness for the Master.
Be the first to react on this!
David Wilkerson (1931 – 2011)
Founder of Times Square Church in New York City with over 100 different languages spoken in the congregation. Wilkerson wrote many powerful books such as: The Vision and Cross and the Switchblade. His ministry was prophetic as God called him to be a watchman to the Church in North America. He gave clear messages on repentance to the Church.Wilkerson also founded Teen Challenge where there are hundreds of centres for Christ-centered drug recovery and addiction recovery. He also organized and spoke at pastors gatherings in many countries where he gave prophetic strong messages to encourage pastors and leaders.
Recommends these books by David Wilkerson:
The Vision and Beyond, Prophecies Fulfilled and Still to Come by David Wilkerson
Knowing God by Name: Names of God That Bring Hope and Healing by David Wilkerson
God's Plan to Protect His People in the Coming Depression by David Wilkerson
David Wilkerson is an American Christian evangelist, most well-known for his book The Cross and the Switchblade. He is also the founder of Times Square Church in New York, an interdenominational church.
Wilkerson is well-known for these early years of his ministry to young drug addicts and gang members in New York City in the 1950s and 1960s. He co-authored a book about his work with the New York drug addicts, The Cross and the Switchblade, which became a best-seller, selling over 50 million copies in over thirty languages since it was published in 1963. The book was included among the 100 most important Christian books of the 20th century.
For over four decades, Wilkerson's ministry has included preaching, teaching and writing. He has authored over 30 books.
David Wilkerson is the founder and president of World Challenge, Inc., a nonprofit organization incorporated on September 22, 1971. Reverend Wilkerson, the author of over thirty inspirational books, is perhaps best known for his early days of ministry to young drug addicts and gang members in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. His story is told in The Cross and the Switchblade, a book he co-authored which became a best-seller. (The story has been read by over 50 million people in some thirty languages and 150 countries since 1963. In 1969, a motion picture of the same title was released.)
For over four decades, Reverend Wilkerson's evangelistic ministry has included preaching, teaching and writing. Throughout that time a distinctive characteristic of his work has been his direct efforts to reach the neediest members of the population with help for both body and soul. Even now, the almost 70 year-old minister often goes out alone or sometimes with an assistant to walk through the streets of New York City, along Broadway and Eighth Avenue or down 42nd Street and nearby "Crack Alley" on 41st Street. His mission is always to seek out the lost, the disoriented, and the addicted , to tell them of the power of the risen Christ to set them free.
David Wilkerson, born in Hammond, Indiana on May 19, 1931, was married in 1953 to Gwen Carosso. The Wilkersons' two sons are ministers, and their two daughters are married to ministers. They have 11 grandchildren. The Wilkersons served small pastorates in Scottsdale and Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, until Reverend Wilkerson saw a photograph in Life magazine of several New York City teenagers charged with murder. Moved with compassion he was drawn to the city in February 1959. It was at that time he began his street ministry to what one writer called "desperate, bewildered, addicted, often violent youth.