David Wilkerson (DW), a beloved brother in the Lord is considering visiting New Zealand and Australia for a brief ministry tour. CWM will do all we can to encourage and support such a visit.
DW has stood long and strong against the worldliness that has invaded the church in her music and her message.
A question has been raised regarding DW’s present stance on Toronto, Pensacola and the “Word of Faith” teachings and practices, which CWM opposes.
On April 11, 2004 Philip Powell wrote to the New York church office seeking clarification.
On May 13 CWM received an official response, which stated in part: “Bro. Dave made it a practice not to listen to idle rumours. We cannot address this situation. This is our final word on it”.
It is well known that DW will not seek to vindicate or justify himself. This should be respected. We have learned from a source close to DW that he remains deeply opposed to the “faith-prosperity” message a la Copeland, etc.
After considerable prayer and thought CWM has decided to publish the following excellent article in a two-part series, with the sequel planned for CETF 30.
As a discerning reader motivated by the Berean principle we ask that you be the judge of brother David Wilkerson’s current stand on the matters in question, realising that he wrote the article as recently as February 2004.
God bless you,
— Philip
CHRIST loves his church. He gave His life for it, and said the gates of hell won’t prevail against it.
Jesus Himself is the foundation stone of this church. And Scripture tells us His glory and wisdom dwell in it. At Pentecost, He sent His Holy Spirit to establish the church. And he has gifted it with anointed servants — pastors, teachers, apostles, prophets and evangelists — for the purpose of building it up.
It’s clear the Lord desires to bless His church. So, why does Revelation 2 present such a fearsome picture of Christ, when He appears to His people? John writes that Jesus comes to the church with flaming eyes and a thundering voice:
In the midst of the seven lamp stands one like the Son of man... His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow: and His eyes were as a flame of fire; and His feet like fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in His right hand seven stars: and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword (Revelation 1:13-16).
Now, Revelation is the summation of God’s Word. It describes the end of all things. And here is the first image of Christ we see in this book. Why does Jesus appear so foreboding here? And why does he speak so piercingly to his church? John writes that Christ’s words are as sharp as swords, cutting down to the marrow. Remember, this was the apostle who leaned his head on Jesus’ bosom. But now he finds himself on his face:
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead
(1:17).
The Lord Himself explains His awesome appearance:
All the churches shall know that I am he who searches the reins and hearts: and I will give to every one of you according to your works (2:23).
The fact is, Christ loves His church. And that’s the very reason He comes to search it. He comes to correct His people in love, to purify them.
First of all, Jesus tells John not to be afraid.
He laid His right hand upon me, saying to me, Fear not; I am the first and the last (1:17).
Then Christ says, in essence,
“I want everyone in my church to know I’ve come to search their inner man. And I do it with eyes of fire and a thunder that shakes the soul. I won’t mince words — what I have to say will both pierce and heal. But I won’t allow any child of mine to continue in apathy or blindness. My eyes and mouth will pierce through every facade.”
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...the Lord has removed His presence for a season. There’s a deadness and dryness that’s almost tangible ... God is speaking, saying “I want to bring you out of your lethargy. I want you to know what it’s like without My presence”. |
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Christ saw something in His church. And He instructed John to write down His words and send them to the seven “angels” of the churches. This refers to His ministers, calling them the stars in His right hand (see 1:16). He’s telling John,
“I love these servants. I’ve called and anointed them. And now you’re to deliver my words to them.”
As a pastor myself, I have to wonder: what must it have been like to open such a letter from John?
“To the pastor of the church in New York: Thus says the Lord, concerning your congregation...” Now imagine what those seven ministers felt.
Take, for example, the pastor at Ephesus. As he reads John’s letter, he sees Christ rejoicing over His church. The Lord commends the Ephesians for being hardworking, patient and discerning. They hate evil, and they stand up for the cause of Christ. And through the years, they’ve never stopped doing good deeds. This pastor marvels at what he reads. He thinks,
“Wow, the Lord is pleased with us. It’s a letter of commendation.”
But as he reads on, he comes upon piercing words:
Nevertheless I have something against you, because you have left your first love (2:4).
Jesus warns the pastor —
Remember therefore from whence you are fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come to you quickly, and will remove your lamp stand (2:5).
The Ephesian pastor must have been aghast at this. He thinks, “Repent? Or He’ll remove our witness? What shocking words. How could this be? We’re covenant believers. We’re justified by faith. We’ve been charitable, loving, caring. Now we’re supposed to go back and be as we were at the beginning? What does that mean? How can this be Jesus speaking? How could I ever read this letter to my congregation?”
Keep in mind, these words are directed to a godly congregation. So, this had to be a deeply serious matter in the Lord’s eyes. Why else would He speak so searchingly to such a shining example of a church? He’s telling the pastor, “Your first love for me isn’t what it once was. You’ve neglected communion with me. Now, repent.” Jesus makes it clear: it all has to do with His presence. Yes, the Ephesians had laboured diligently in doing good works. But they were no longer intimate with the Lord.
In the next chapter, Christ sums up His message to all seven pastors and their congregations. And His words are telling:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me (3:20).
Too often, Christians don’t open up the doors of their hearts to Jesus. When He knocks they’re not even home. Instead, there’s a sign on the door, saying, “Dear Lord, I’m off to minister at the hospital, then later at the jail. See you in church.”
So many churches today are doing so many good, charitable things in Christ’s name. They have programs for almost every human need. And the congregation live clean, upright lives, careful to avoid sin. But something has changed about them. At one time, these believers were devoted to their communion with Jesus. They wouldn’t go a single day without spending time alone with Him. But now things are different. All they give Him is a quick greeting on their way to some work. How serious is this to Jesus?
Christ takes our communion so seriously, He’ll remove the one element that reaches lost souls: His presence.
Jesus is warning us, “Something has been lost in my church. It’s my awesome presence. You have to get back to the secret closet, back to supping with me.
Otherwise, I’ll remove my presence from you. All your good works — your preaching, evangelism and giving — must flow out of our time together. It has to come from my table.”
The church at Ephesus had lost something they once possessed. It was the manifest presence of Christ in their midst. They’d begun to take Jesus’ presence for granted, and it was affecting their ministry. At one time, they loved and cared for one another. But now they took each other for granted as well. And that had a disastrous effect on their labours to do good works. They were so busy serving people that their deeds became the focus, not the love of Christ. His power ful presence was missing.
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...the Lord has removed His presence for a season. There is a deadness and dryness that is almost tangible... God is speaking, saying "I want to bring you out of your lethargy. I want you to know what it is like without My presence" |
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Now Jesus warned them: “If you don’t make changes — if you don’t return to your hunger for Me — I’m going to take away your testimony. You’ll no longer have any authority when you do your good works. They’ll all be for naught.”
I see a parallel in the world today. Some of the hardest people I’ve known are those who’ve worked for welfare departments and social agencies. This is especially true of those who worked in mental wards or with abused children. These people were sincere, dedicated workers. But it was just too painful for them to face the suffering they witnessed daily. Over time, some have hardened themselves.
The same thing can happen to Christians. Ministers and lay servants alike see so much pain and sin in the people they minister to, they can grow hard. That’s just what Jesus was saying to this pastor at Ephesus: “You once were so tender with others. You had such a love for people, and you listened to them. But now you turn a deaf ear. You sit with them, but you’ve hardened yourself to their cries. You’re doing ministry on a treadmill, with no life. I have no choice but to remove my presence from you.”
I’ve been in churches where the Lord has removed His presence for a season. There’s a deadness and dryness that’s almost tangible. Everyone can sense it. God is speaking to that church, saying,
“I’ll let things go cold for a while. I want to bring you out of your lethargy. I want you to know what it’s like without My presence.”
It’s absolutely horrible when a church reaches this point. There’s no conviction of the Holy Spirit, nothing to move the congregation, nothing to touch the young people.
Another serious side effect takes place. That is, spiritually hungry people won’t stay where Jesus’ presence isn’t evident. They’re desperate to know His nearness. And when they don’t experience it, they go somewhere else to find it. I receive many letters with the same complaint:
“I can’t find a church that’s alive with the Lord’s presence.”
I’ve witnessed the tragic backsliding of many Christians who’ve felt this way. They never do find a church. So they end up sitting at home and watching preachers on TV. They never get any meat in their spiritual diet. Everything they dine on is lightness. Over time, coldness sets in. Soon they’ve abandoned church altogether. They neglect the assembly of the brethren, which Hebrews war ns against (see Hebrews 10:25). And they become totally indifferent to Christ and His presence.
I tell you, God won’t hear any excuses from such people. Jesus can be anyone’s all in all, if you continue your personal communion with Him. It doesn’t matter what the condition of your church is; you’re to be diligent in giving Him precious time. You need to drink deeply of His presence if you want His Word to come alive to you.
In light of Revelation 1-3, every believer must ask himself:
“Have my good works — my Bible studies and my service — robbed me of time with Jesus? Do I still hunger for Him as I once did? Or have I lost something?”
Christ searches His people’s hearts in ever y age, with a concern for spiritual blindness.
The churches Jesus addresses in Revelation 2-3 were seven literal congregations in Asia.
Some Bible scholars believe these churches represent seven eras in the church’s history.
I don’t want to argue that theological point. I simply believe the message here is for Christians of every generation. In short, Jesus searches His people’s hearts in every age. He’s concerned for any spiritual blindness that plagues His church.
The Lord had a controversy with five of the seven churches in this passage.
I have focused on Ephesus and will focus on the other two in the next part — Thyatira, and Laodicea.
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Appeared in Issue CETF NR 29 July 2004
"...contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" -- Jude v3
© Copyright 2006 Christian Witness Ministries, except where noted. All rights reserved
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-Last revised-
Monday, October 09, 2006
