(Mt Pleasant) 9. Prayer in the New Testament - Part 3 — Gerhard Du Toit

You know, twice a year, because of the extensiveness of our traveling to different countries of the world, if you are interested to pray for us, if you are praying for missionaries and you are interested to pray for us, I just brought a few what we would call prayer cards with us.

And it's a picture of Janice and Monica and myself. And we ask people to pray for us. And then we also send out a prayer letter of the different countries where I need to be every year, about 10 to 13 different places.

And then, of course, in Canada and the United States, where we live in North America. But if you are interested to pray for us, we would love to give you one of these cards per family. I don't want you to take one if you don't pray for missionaries.

It costs us, it costs to do these kind of things. I'm very careful when it comes to the funds that God is sending to us because we are responsible. But if you want to make a commitment, if God has touched your heart over the weekend, and you say, you know, I really want to be part of what's happening here.

The Prayer Advance and Revival Among the Amish

The Lord has given us more than 500 people in different countries of the world who are praying for us every day. Some of them pray for us two, three, some of them four times a day. Those people have saturated these meetings, these days.

A brother and sister in the place of prayer. And when I get home, they're going to ask me, and they're going to be in touch and say, we want to know how it went while you were in Australia. And what do you think of those Australians?

And of course, I would say to them, you know, they're such a queer bunch of characters. You need to pray more because you talk about ungodliness. It's the worst in the world. No, I won't say that. But if you want to pray for us, we would just value that.

And then if you want to receive our prayer letter, there's a couple of things about our prayer letter. We would never ask you to send money to us. You say, don't you need it? Of course, we need it. But when I come to a place, it's never a question of money.

It's always a question, is it the will of God? And if God wants you to do something, He's going to take care of the expenses of what this is all about. And so, if you would like to pray for us, we would value that.

I just have a few of those here, and maybe you can ask us afterwards. But twice a year, I have a privilege to be in the most amazing circumstances. You say, what happened? I find myself amongst about 2 ,000 people that have come to Christ out of the old order Amish, and the Mennonites, and the Hathorites in the United States and in Canada.

And I think it was about, oh, I don't know, 13, 14 years ago, when I was doing a prayer advance for Christ Life Ministries. I think Harold Vaughan has been here, and he's got these men prayer advances.

I asked him the first time when I did one for him and said, why do you call it a prayer advance? He said, well, we are sick of Christians retreating, and we want to go forward. If you remember Harold Vaughan, Harold Vaughan is one of those characters.

And he said, we call it prayer advances. We want to go forward. And I remember at that prayer advance, there were about 450 men, I think, at this. And you know, the Tuesday night, I think it was the Tuesday or the Wednesday night, when the Spirit of God broke into that complex that evening amongst these men, it was an amazing gathering.

When I came out of the conference hall at this conference complex in the state of Virginia, there were about 10 or 12 phone booths, and at every one of those phone booths, there could have been 10 or 12 men standing, waiting to phone their wives to make restitution because of the way that they were living as husbands, and the fathers, the kind of fathers that they were.

And God just broke into that whole conference. In fact, there was a pastor at that conference with his associate from Calvary Baptist Church just outside of Philadelphia. There were 17 other men of the church, and those men met with God.

And brother and sister, they went back to their church and started to Friday nights of prayer. And God began to break into that community, and I think in a period of about 12 months or so, something like 150 people were gloriously saved as God was working in that community.

But you know, at that conference, during those days, there was a man that studied at Dallas Theological Seminary, and yet he felt that God wanted him to start a church amongst the old order Amish, those people and their horses and their buggies.

And he went into Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and began this church. And for seven years, they struggled with about 30 to 35 people. They were getting nowhere in those meetings. And then they brought in a Mennonite evangelist, and God broke into those meetings.

And during the period of the next seven years or so, something like 800 people were gloriously saved amongst the old order Amish. And when I was at this conference for these men, this man was at this conference, and you know, he has become just like the Amish.

They wear khaki clothes, and he had a long beard, suspenders on. And I kind of looked at him, and I didn't realize or know where he was coming from. And after one of the meetings, he came to me and he stood in front of me, this little man, and he said to me, Brother Gerard, and I said, Yeah?

He said, My name is Denny Keniston. And I said, I appreciate that. And I talked to him, and I said, How can I pray for you? Well, he said, The reason why I want to talk to you is because I want you to come to my church.

And so I said, What do you mean your church? Well, he said, We have a church amongst the Amish people. And he said, I want you to come to my people, and I want you to come and speak in our church. And he said, We've got about 800 people.

And he said, We've never had anyone outside of the Amish or the Mennonite or the Hadarite community coming to speak in our church, but I feel led that you should come and speak. So I look at this man, and you know, they're totally different.

In fact, I look at him, and I thought, You know, where did you crawl out from? I thought, I don't know about him. And I just looked him in the eyes, and I said, You know, I appreciate you asking me this, but I don't think I will be able to do that.

And he said, Why not? I said, I don't think I can relate to the kind of ministry that God has given to you. And I said, I don't think I will do that. And I will never forget, you know, he stood there.

Never expect me to say that, because there are many people who are trying to get into that place to speak, and they just wouldn't let them. And he said, So why would you not do it? I said, Well, first of all, I will not go near unless God has given me a broken heart.

Brother and sister, God can only use us to the degree that we have become broken, because brokenness has to do with identification. And identification is when you see people the way that God sees them, and you look at someone with the grace of God, and you see yourself without the grace of God, and you will never be able to criticize that person.

And I said, I don't think I can identify with what you are doing. And I said, I think you should consider someone else. And I will never forget this little man. Look at me. And you know, it's a block of determination.

And he said to me, Will you look into my eyes? And I looked at him, and I said, What is it? He said, I want to challenge you to pray about this. He said, You believe in prayer? Why don't you pray about it?

And I said, You know, I am more than willing to consider that. And you know, brother and sister, it was amazing. We closed the conference, and I went back to my home. And you know, once a month, on a Friday morning, at 7 o 'clock, he would phone me.

He got my telephone number, and I would be on my knees before God. And around 7 o 'clock, he would phone me. And I picked up the phone, and he would say, Is this Brother Gerard? And I said, Yeah, it's me.

He said, I only have this one question for you. And I said, What is the question? He said, Have God told you to come to our church? And he said, Are you coming to my church? And I would say, No, I'm not coming.

And he would say, Why are you not coming? I said, Well, first of all, God has not given me a broken heart for your people, and I don't think I can do that. And so he would say, Well, thank you. He would just keep on praying, and he would put the phone down.

Four weeks later, on a Friday morning, at 7 o 'clock, the phone would ring. Brother and sister, you talk about determination. Month after month, he would phone me, and I would pick up the phone. And there were some mornings when I would pick up the phone, and I would say, Brother Denny, I know it's you.

And he said, Well, I only have this one question. He always has this one question. I said, What is the question? He said, Are you coming to my church? And I said, No, I'm not coming to your church. And you know, brother and sister, for 10 months we prayed.

On 5 o 'clock one Friday morning, God broke my heart for those people. And 7 o 'clock that morning, the phone rang. I picked up the phone, and he said, Brother Gerard, this is Brother Denny. I said, Yes, how are you doing?

He said, I'm doing fine, but he said, I just have this one question. I said, So what is it? He said, Are you coming to my church? And I turned to him and said, Yes, I'm coming to your church. He just about fell out of the chair, you know.

He was dead quiet. I thought the line was cut off. I said, Are you still there? He said, Why are you coming to my church? I mean, the guy, you know, he just about gave up on me. I said, I'm coming to your church because God has broken my heart for your people.

Oh, brother and sister, I tell you, I had no idea what I was in for. You say, What are you talking about? Why didn't he explain to you? They are totally different. The service started at 9 o 'clock on a Sunday morning.

It goes on till 2 o 'clock in the afternoon. I would like to see what happened to you Australians if we began to do that. 9 o 'clock in the morning till 2 o 'clock in the afternoon. You say, How does it work?

Well, they have no musical instruments because they are reaching out to the old or the Amish. The men sit on one side and the women sit on the other side. You know, I got so messed up, you know. I began to call the brothers, sisters, and the sisters, brothers.

But they were so forgiving, those people, when you are trying to speak to them. And they all wear suspenders. I mean, you are not allowed to wear a tie. It's one of the most wicked things that I think could exist.

So you don't wear a tie amongst those people. And I had to identify with them, brother and sister. And so the service would start at 9 o 'clock in the morning. You say, What do they do? They sing for about 45 minutes the old hymns.

They don't have this thing, you know, that the children are separate from the parents. And they have huge families. 8, 9, 10. Some of them would have 12. Some of them would have 14. There is one family with 16 children.

I mean, just like the pipes of an organ, although they don't have musical instruments. Just like the pipes of an organ. And brother and sister, from the youngest to the oldest, sit in those services from 9 o 'clock right through until 2 o 'clock in the afternoon.

And those children, they don't play around doing little pictures and all that. They sat there and they just drink in the Word of God. And so you say, What happened? 45 minutes they sing the old hymns.

And then the pastor would get up and he would turn to you. And he would say to you, Now you have an hour and a half to two hours to speak to us. And we want to hear the Word of God. And you need to have a word from God.

And for an hour and a half to two hours, those people would sit there spellbound. And they are just taking in God's Word. You know what happened after you preached to them? They have a time of humiliation.

A Congregation Obedient to the Word

You say, What does that mean? You know what they would say? We don't want to listen to one message that we are not willing to obey. We don't want to read one chapter of the Bible that we are not willing to obey.

And as a congregation of 2 ,000 people now, they will go on their knees and sometimes for 45 minutes to an hour, there is a hush upon that gathering as they allow the Spirit of God to search their hearts about this message that they have just been exposed to.

You know, I spent 10 days with those people. I tell you, it was an unbelievable experience. You say, What happened? Joshua, the pastor's son, had eight children. And Joshua was four years old. And I wish you could hear little Joshua singing, A mighty fortress is our God.

Only four years old. Monday night after the service, he came walking up to me and he grabbed me by my trousers like this. And when he grabbed me by my trousers, I looked down and I said to him, What is it, Joshua?

And that four-year-old boy looked up, and the tears were streaming down his cheeks. I mean, I'm not kidding you, brother and sister. And I looked down at this four-year-old, and I said to him, What is it, Joshua?

And he looked at me and he said to me, Uncle Gerard, He said, God broke my heart tonight. Four years old. And I looked down at him and I said to him, What do you mean? You know what he said? This is exactly what he said.

He said, God broke my heart and I wept in my pants. I mean, there's more than one way of doing it, you know. I said, What do you mean? He said, I was all bent over as God broke my heart. He's on his way to the mission field, you know.

I came out of my room one afternoon. Samuel was 11 years old. And he came out of his room, 11-year-old boy, and as I came out of my room here, he came out and his whole face was red like someone has been on his knees with his face in its hands.

And I looked at him and I said, Samuel, I want to know what you have been doing. He didn't want to tell me. And I took him and I said, Samuel, very shy boy, I said, Uncle Gerard wants to know what you have been doing.

And he just looked at me and he looked up and he said, If you really want to know, I spent this afternoon in prayer for you that God will help you to preach tonight. 11 years old, you know. I can't find pastors in North America who are willing to spend an afternoon in prayer with me.

I came down from the kitchen one morning around 6 o 'clock and there was Hannah and Esther. Esther was 8 years old and Hannah was 10 years old. And I was coming down, as I came down to get a glass of water, just as I came down, they were sitting there in the living room with their open Bibles and I heard something.

I thought, what are they doing? What is this? And I stopped. And I recognized that they were listening to the Bible on cassette. So I said to them, what have you been doing? Oh, they said, we're having our choir times.

I said, how are you doing that? Well, they said, we listen through the Old and the New Testament four times every year. I said, why are you doing that? Well, they said, God has given us such a hunger in our hearts for His Word.

Hannah and Esther are both in the mission field, you know. You say, what happened? Oh, brother and sister, these people are serious of God, you know. And I mean, they're totally different, you know. When I came into that house, you know what?

I discovered that they don't drink any coffee. I thought I was going to die. I phoned my wife and I said, you're going to need to pray for me. And she said, you're a total drug addict. I said, I've got these awful pains in my knees.

And she said, are you spending more time on your knees than normal? I said, no, my darling, I'm not. She said, it's the coffee. And they wouldn't give me a cup of coffee. I tell you, when I got to the airport in Philadelphia into the restaurant, the lady came and said, sir, can I bring something?

I said, bring me ten cups of coffee. And she said, well, is there something wrong? I said, I've been amongst the Amish. And she just smiled and said, I fully understand. Brother and sister, these people, I mean, it's unbelievable.

Serving Those in Need Through Practical Sacrifice

You know, I was with them last year. You wouldn't believe this. You know what happened? The old other Amish have no equipment that is machinery. The old, old other Amish. And so, they would plant wheat.

They would put wheat in the lands. And you know what happened? The hail came and it just flattened it. And a storm came over it. And so they don't have equipment in order to do the harvest. And the church went and they bought a combine.

And they spent more than $40 ,000 buying this combine. And they went to the old other Amish and they said to them, we know you're not going to touch this because you don't have the kind of equipment. And they said, would you allow us to do this for you?

And once we have done it, we're going to sell it all and we will be able to bring it. And they went out and it became a tremendous testimony area. You know, when I was there last year, it was incredible, brother and sister, because you see the old other Amish, they don't have radios, they don't have television sets, they don't have musical instruments, they don't have electricity.

But you know what they do have outside of their farms? They've got a telephone booth. They won't have it on their farms, but the government has put a telephone booth in because they are business people.

They make furniture and they do all kinds of things. And there's a telephone booth. And you know what the church did? The church brought in a system that on a Sunday morning you can go and you put 25 cents coin in and you dial the number at the church and you listen to the whole Sunday morning service.

And if you go through Lancaster in Pennsylvania, on Sunday mornings, there are horses and buggies standing around telephone booths because the Amish are throwing the money in and they've got these little speakers that they connect and they listen to the message on the phone.

And it was wonderful. And Sunday morning I was stopping my message and I said, now I want to speak to those who are listening on the telephone. And you thought, where are they? They're all over the place.

You know what? There were 17 families saved. I mean, God is doing some tremendous things amongst these people. You say, what does He say about these people? I mean, they mean business with God, you know.

They're serious about the things of God. And ah, brother and sister, when you go amongst those people, when you speak about prayer, you know, we've been into this subject and people have said to me, you know, this is so deep.

And someone has said to me, it almost gave me a headache. I can understand that. But they said, you know, there's so much that I've been exposed to. When you go to those Amish, you know what I've done this whole weekend?

I will do in one single day with those people. You say, why? Because they are so hungry and so thirsty for God. You say, how do you know that? Because they live broken lives. You sit here tonight, you say, how do I know that I live a broken Christian life?

The Marks of a Broken Christian Life

My heart is broken before God when I'm overwhelmed with a sense of my own spiritual need. I live a broken Christian life when there is a spirit of compassion about me and I can forgive much because I know how much I've been forgiven.

I've learned the secret to esteem others better than myself. When I live a broken Christian life, I've learned the secret of denying myself. I've developed a sense of motivation to serve others. And when my heart is broken before God, I want to be faithful and I want to make others a success and a blessing.

And so when I serve God with a broken heart, I've got a sense of my own unworthiness. I'm thrilled that God would use me in any kind of a ministry. And I'm so eager for others to get the credit. And I rejoice when other Christians are lifted up.

And so when my heart is broken before God, I have a heart attitude that says, I do not deserve to be part of this ministry, and I know I've got nothing to offer God except the life of Christ that is flowing through my broken life.

And so when I have a broken heart, I'm humbled by how much I have to learn. I'm not concerned about myself. I'm willing to take risks to get closer to other people. And when I'm broken before God, I accept personal responsibility and I can see where I'm wrong in any situation.

But when there is pride in my life as a Christian, I focus on the failures of other people. When there is pride in my life, I'm self-righteous. I have a critical and a fault-finding spirit. I look at everyone else's faults through the microscope, but I see my own faults through the telescope.

And I look down upon the lives of other people. And so when there is pride in my life, I have an independent and a self-sufficient spirit. I'm self-protected of my time and my rights and my reputation.

And when there is pride in my life, I've got this inner desire that I want to be served by other people. I just want to be successful. I want to advance myself. And when there is pride in my life, I've got a drive to be recognized by people.

I want to be appreciated. I'm deeply offended and wounded and promoted when I've been overlooked and other people are promoted about me. And so when there is pride in my life, I've got this subconscious feeling.

And this is what I say. This church or this ministry is so privileged to have me and my gifts. And all I think is what I can do for God. And when there is pride in my life, I feel confident by how much I've learned and I'm self-conscious and I keep people in a distance.

And when there is pride in my life, I'm unapproachable. I'm defensive when I'm criticized. I'm concerned about being respectable with what others think. And I try to protect my work and my reputation and my image.

And when there is pride in my life, I find it very difficult to share my spiritual need. I want to make sure that no one finds out when I have sinned. I've got this instinct to try and cover up my sin.

I find it very difficult to say I'm wrong, I'm sorry, will you please forgive me? And when there is pride in my life, I'm concerned about the consequences of my sin. And I'm remorseful over my sin simply because I have been caught.

And when there is pride in my life, I always wait for others to come and ask forgiveness when there is a misunderstanding or a conflict in the relationship. And when there is pride in my life, I compare myself with other Christians and I always feel that I'm better than them.

And I'm blind to my own heart condition. And I don't think that I need anything to repent of. When there is pride in my life, I don't think I need revival, but I'm absolutely sure that everyone else needs it.

And when I'm broken before God, I'm easy to be entreated. When I'm broken before God, I receive criticism with a broken and an open spirit. When my heart is broken before God, I'm not concerned. I'm concerned about being real.

What they care about and what matters to them who are broken is not what others think, but it's what God knows in my heart. And I'm willing to die for my own reputation. And I'm willing to be open and transparent with other Christians.

And when I'm broken before God, once I'm broken, I don't care. I don't care who knows or who finds out about me. I'm willing to be exposed. Why? Because I've got absolutely nothing to lose. And when I'm broken before God, I'm so quick.

I'm so quick to admit my failure and seek forgiveness when it's necessary. And when I'm broken before God, I'm under conviction of sin. I'm able to acknowledge the specifics about my sin. And I'm grieved over the cause and the root of my sin.

And once my heart is broken, I am truly able to repent over my sin. And the evidence in the fact is that I wanted to forsake that sin. And so when I serve God with a broken heart, I always take the initiative to be reconciled when there is a misunderstanding or a conflict in the relationship.

And I race to the cross. And I see if I can get there first no matter how wrong the other people may have been. And once I'm broken before God, I always compare myself with the holiness of God. And I feel desperate of my need for mercy.

And I want to walk in the light. And I realize the need of a consistent cleansing of my heart and a fresh encounter with God's Holy Spirit. Can I ask you a question tonight? I want to ask myself this question.

Brokenness, Ministry, and the Cost of Surrender

If you learn to serve God with a broken heart, brother and sister, you say, what does it cost? It costs absolutely everything. Absolutely everything. I often say to pastors, because we spend most of our time with pastors, I say, listen, if you can't serve God with a broken heart, don't you go near the ministry.

Because you're not going to make it. Heavenly Father, as we come to you at the end of this marvelous day that we have been able to be together, and we want to say to you that our hearts have been overwhelmed and there has been moments in our lives today when a sense of the brokenness of God has come upon us.

And we recognize that you have been speaking and dealing with us. And yet, Father, in the midst of that, have we been able to come to grips with the tremendous reality that every single one of us, that we are precious to you.

Redemption, Cleansing, and the Ministry of the Spirit

We thank you that you have said unto us in your Word that we have not been redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from our vain conversation, but that we have been redeemed with the blood of Christ as a lamb that was slain.

We thank you this evening that you love us so much that you have bestowed upon us the work and the ministry of your Spirit. That the witness of God's Spirit is relevant, it's real, that it testifies with our relationships with you.

And that you have said unto us in your Word, how much more shall the blood of Christ minister through the eternal Spirit? Purge and cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. And Father, we are so grateful that you have said unto us that if we confess our sins before you, that you are faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

That you have said unto us that if we walk in the light as God is in the light, we are fellowship one with another. And the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, keeps on cleansing us from all sin. And Father, we are surrounded with the incredibleness of the promises of God.

And you have given unto us your Word. And when your Word becomes part of our lives, then we discover that we learn the language of prayer. We learn the language of purity. We learn the language of the fullness of the Spirit of God.

We learn the language of the supremacy of the centrality of the life of Christ in us. We learn the language of the sovereignty of God. We learn the language of the soul winner. And we learn the language of the possibility of being saturated with the greatness of the presence of God.

And God, we realize this Sunday night that it only happens when we allow your Word to minister to us and to speak to us and to become part of our lives. And that you are building up Christian character.

And that the life of Christ begins to dwell in us in every aspect of our relationships with you. And Father, we are reminded that the Apostle Paul said that we are crucified with Christ, and yet nevertheless we live.

Yet not Christ, but Christ liveth within us. And the life which we now live in the flesh, we live by the faith of the Son of God who loved us and who gave Himself to us. We are reminded that you have said unto us that we are the treasure in urban vessels, so that the excellent sea might be of God.

We are reminded that the Apostle Paul said that the fullness of God dwelleth in the Lord Jesus and that we have His fullness in Him. And that we are sitting with Christ in heavenly places. And that there is therefore now no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

So Father, we find ourselves being engulfed with the greatness of the supremacy of the Word of God. And we want to pray this evening that when Paul said to us let the work of Christ dwell in you richly.

And when he said to the young man in whom he invested his life, little Timothy, study to show yourself approved unto God. A work were not needed to be ashamed to rightly dividing the Word of truth. And when he said to Timothy, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and it is profitable for reproof and for correction and for instruction in righteousness.

And when Christ came and He said unto us that heaven and earth shall pass away and yet My Word shall abide forever. Our God we pray tonight that the consequences of these days that we have been together, that it will create in our hearts an unquenchable hunger and a thirst for the Word of God.

And God, I don't know if we will ever see one another again. I think it is possible that we probably will not this side of heaven. But oh God, we pray tonight that when we will see one another again, that we will be able to say as those Christians in Uganda when they were so brutally slaughtered by the dictatorship of Idi Amin, and when they meet one another in the forest and in the mountains of the country of Uganda, and they will look one another in the eyes, and they will say to one another, my brother and my sister, are you still broken before God?

And God, I want to pray this evening that I don't know what has happened in many of our lives and you said unto us that men look upon the outward appearance, but God is looking upon the heart. But oh God, I want to pray tonight that somehow through the work and the ministry of your Spirit, that not one single one of those of us who have been in this gatherings, and there are about 60 of us here this evening, God, that not one single one of us from the oldest person until the youngest child would be able to walk away from this Easter convention and not being able to say I have really met with God.

God has touched my heart, He has ministered to me, not because of some special speaker or messages that I have been exposed to, but simply because there has been moments when God the Holy Spirit has come.

My heart became broken. God purified my soul. He filled me with all the fullness of God. He gave unto me a baptism of brokenness and He gave unto me a sense of unction and an understanding of transparency and passion that will bring me to the place where I will live a Christian life that will demand a supernatural explanation.

Father God, we say to Thee this evening, we only have one life to live and You said unto us as my Father has sent me, so sent are You. We want to say with a great Apostle Paul, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

We ask that You will create in us this sense of determination and the sense of commitment and the sense of passion that in the days to come in this beautiful land of Australia, that we will be intoxicated with a total abandonment to the greatness of the life of Christ.

Father, as we spend these last few minutes of this evening, just pondering upon the infallibleness of Scripture, we ask that we will not just be inflamed or informed by the Word of God, but we ask of Thee that we will be inflamed and that we will be like those two disciples on the way to Emmaus, that when You departed out of their presence, after You expound to them the Law and the Prophets and the Writings, and when You departed out of their presence, that they say to one another, did not our hearts burn within us when He spoke to us on the way?

Give us the burning heart. God, I just want to pray for my Janice and Monica this evening in Canada. It's in the middle of the night in the early hours of the morning. And Father, You know how often when I find myself in these prayer encounters in different countries, that they come under some of the most brutal attacks from the evil one.