Worship - Then Prayer - Part 2 — Leonard Ravenhill

You told the people I was coming at 8 o 'clock. How did you know I was coming? He said how did you know to come? The same Holy Ghost that told you to come told me you were coming. He said brother Campbell.

Intercession for Revival

There's my barn. You know this island is swept with winds from America across the Atlantic you shiver in summertime. I've been in that barn every morning before 5 and the straw up to my the straw he said right up to my chin interceding for revival and I believe God is going to send it.

It was actually the birth pangs of an old blind lady 84 years of age and her sister who joined hands and got one or two deacons and said we declare before God we refuse to die. Until you invade this island.

We won't revive it. It will close the taverns our young people are drinking close the dance halls our people are lusting. God began to move. He was asked to go to a big farmhouse. I House meetings, I'll tell you the truth.

House Meetings and Genuine Conversion

I think God's through with denominations. The church is going to end up where it began in houses. He's going down the road on his little motorcycle. On the side of the road. There's a beautiful girl there.

She has a Scottish kilt. She has an elbow on her knees. She has a head in the hand. She's hobbling convulsively. I Shut the gas off and went back and I just touched on the shoulders. She was unconscious of anybody's presence and I just said my dear.

Maybe I can help you. While the Scotch people say God with a long Oh God. She didn't look up. She said no, sir. You cannot only God can help me. He saw all his other answer to prayer the Lord's prepared this girl.

Well, what is God going to do? Oh, she said sir my brethren and My uncle and my daddy. Down in that village and they're lost. They're without God. They're gonna die. They go to church. They take Communion, but they're gonna die.

They're unsafe. My he thought this is great. Have you prayed for them to be? Prayed all the night through with Jeannie. How old are you 17? How old is Jeannie 16 you prayed all night? Oh, sir. Not only one night.

We prayed the night before. Never went to bed. No. He went down to the village these men came in the meeting and. The first night they were in the meeting. They were all saved. Do you ever get as desperate about the salvation of your parents you've left at home or your unsanctified?

Empty preacher that you listen to so long. Is it just a commercial is it just a term for conversation? No, my dad is good. He pays my fees at school. And if he doesn't my aunt would pay them back, but but he's well, of course a good judgment.

But he's good. This is good. The other the girl prayed the effectual fervent fervent three nights. Consumed with passion for a daddy. That should have been praying for her three nights consumed with desire to see her uncle and her brother snatched from burning hell.

The Emptiness of Religious Fundamentalism

I don't believe God's problem in America is Mormonism. Or Judaism or any other God's problem. America isn't dog. Funtime of fundamentalism, we know the term we know the language, but it's void. It's empty.

I'd like to see a crop of men like I won't care a hair of beans if they were jet black. I don't care if they were green. I'd like to see that when men ask me what Bible school to go. I'll tell you this.

I'm cutting my throat here. I say listen that you don't need to go to a Bible so I'll give you ten books to read if you'll shut yourself up for the winter winter. But if you go to Kansas and get a job at a farm and tell the farm that I live without wage.

Give me bed and bread. I'll work for you from 8 in the morning to 5 at night after that. It's my time and you take these ten books and read them for a year. They've completely revolutionized your life like no school I know of because I don't know much about this school.

But anyhow, I know what I know what God can do. We keep. I was recently asked now through with us. I was recently asked to go speak at a conference that was going to tour the East Coast. They sent me a list of about 70 distinguished preachers and professors and whoever the registration form.

I Left a letter. I got another letter. I didn't fill it in. I got a call from the president. We have written to you. We have asked you to come. Will you please come? Hmm. What do you think of our brochure?

What do you think of our curriculum? I said nothing. He said what I said nothing. I said because it brings the humanism it brings Organizing. We'll do this. We'll cut the Holy Ghost off when we want. We'll do this.

We'll do that. We'll do the other. I Said I notice this you've got about 60 of the greatest preachers from the Presbyterians again to the Pentecostals to who they got all distinguished scholars all operating the biggest churches in America.

But I noticed this that not one of them is a national speaker not one of sorry not one of them draws the crowds. I Said listen, would you please I have a committee meeting? Yes, would you say this to the committee when you see them radio isn't coming not for this reason.

But he did point out this but the men who are drawing the crowds for God today. Not one of them has a known doctorate. Jimmy Swagger doesn't have a known doctorate. Billy Graham doesn't have a known doctorate.

My neighbor David Wilkerson doesn't have a known doctorate. What did God go looking for the size of brains in the upper room? They went in the upper room. It says unloaned and ignorance. Unlearned and popular with no financial backing.

John the Baptist and Dependence on the Holy Spirit

I've often wondered out about my mighty mighty Baptist. You know. But I like to tease the Pentecostals because they weren't the free first to preach the baptism of the Holy Ghost. The Baptist preach it first.

And awkward little man called John the Baptist preach the baptism of the Holy Ghost in that something. So I tease the Baptist about that and I teach the Pentecostals you don't. I don't have a monopoly on it.

It was a Baptist who started it. Started it were in a wilderness. He had no forwarding committee. Yeah, he had no press manager. Could you believe it? He didn't even have a mailing list. How many mailing lists do you get?

I get enough to paper our house. Every week I put them all in the same file. I Don't read one of them. We are so leaning on flesh that we don't know how far sunk we are in flesh. So leaning on organizing so leaning on our brochures so leaning on our organized TV program or some other now I'll get shot for this, but it is all right.

It's truth. Anyhow, God is gonna raise up men like this. He shut up heaven and there was no rain. He brought the economy to a standstill. He brought everything else to a standstill. You know, I've got a secret deep inward feeling God almighty is gonna do that to America.

We've had 25 years as two years of prosperous living, but we haven't prospered spiritually at the same rate. Our name isn't worth much around the nations. We see God isn't going to take advice. He listens to your prayers, but he won't take advice.

Elijah, Fire, and the Limits of Miracles

Let me say this quickly in about two minutes Elijah the odds against him were what 800 to 1 800 Prophets of Baal but the scripture says I'll not be afraid if there are 10 ,000 and he wasn't and he spoke the word of God with the authority of God and The miracle happened.

What does it say? He says would you call on your God as long as you like and While you're doing that Let's cover the sacrifice with water and they covered it with water and water and water and what and saturated it.

No trickery in it and the God that answers by fire. Let him be God. And it says the fire fell and then it says the people fell and then let's it says the rain fell. But after these marvelous experiences.

Did the king take any notice. No people say, you know, if we had a greater miracle ministry, we'd stir the nation's forget it. I happen to come to America in 1950 when Catherine Truman was pretty powerful a Aaron was pretty powerful.

Jack Cole was pretty powerful and a whole bunch of them are going together. It never moved the nation. We got curiosity seekers like Jesus did. He had the crowd while he fed them while he gave them free healing and free meals.

They crowded when he put down the laws of the kingdom. He said really also go away. Jesus is the authority and you know, he said they will not believe even though one rose from the dead. As soon as you say miracles will do it you slap God in the face because he says only the Holy Ghost can do it.

I can remember in my early days. It happened in some of my meetings. But in other meetings more powerfully when people would start walking down the aisles on their hands and knees they were in such agony.

I can remember dear brother Greg that when I was a youngster I went to a holiness church or I went to a Pentecostal church. There were more people at the altar before the meeting the master. They were playing the power down.

They played the glory duck. They terrified me. When I was about 12 years of age I heard a man playing come down Lord as you walked in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. Walk across this altar and walk down.

Oh Lord. Don't I was so young I Know what he meant. One of the great modern inventions in evangelism is called an altar call. There's no altar call in the New Testament. Read the third chapter in Luke and it says that while John Baptist the higher brand was preaching the people cried out what shall we do?

And the publicans cried out what shall we do. And the Roman soldiers from a heathen country never known God like this. They said what shall we do? In revival, you don't have an altar call. The people of the altar call.

You don't get put through preaching and seeing some sweet little bitty to move them emotionally forget it when Holy Ghost conviction comes. I was going to say it's worse than cancer. I don't know my darling mother died of cancer in agony.

They say it's about the worst pain. Women say of course that giving birth to a child is the worst pain. But when God begins to get hold of men. They don't sing a hymn like this. So light into the darkened cells.

Where passion reigns within? Quicken my conscience till it feel the lonesomeness of things. Search me O God my actions try and let my life appear as seen by thine all-searching eye. Remind my ways make clear.

Search all my thoughts. The secret springs. The motives that control the chambers where polluted things hold empire. Other so the greatest curses in America today is sexual immorality. Not only in the church, but in the pulpit.

Holiness, Prayer, and Purified Revival

Let me put in a in a sentence you cannot live wrong and pray right. Whether you secret sin, or you've got sin to the flesh or sin to the spirit. Don't blame the devil. The most demanding thing I know of is prayer quite.

I read Psalm 24 this morning. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord even have clean hands. That's our relationship with the world and a pure heart. And I know it's holy holiness is our relation to the God.

Righteousness is our living before a crooked world. There will be no revival that will save lost millions all the church until the church is purified. Yes Dave Wilkerson was in a meeting a few years ago.

Martha and I went with him at his request. He pushed his Bible on one side and said I'm not going to preach. Dr. Cho from Korea was to follow him. David said I get meetings like this. Twelve thirteen thousand people two or three hundred at the altar.

And then I go to my birth. He said and I lay down and kick and say God if this is revival. Why am I so dry. And he said the Lord said because you're sinning your life. Well, everybody thinks of sexual immorality when you talk about sin in preachers.

Well, what is it Lord? He said the Lord said this David you are offering me service. Instead of worship. Dr. Cho got up and followed him. David's there weeping on his knees and Cho got up. Dr. Cho said I'm like my brother David.

I've been offering God service. I see hundred and fifty thousand people in my church. People come from all over the world to see me. They do not know how dry I am how powerless I am. Organizing efficiencies 7 ,000 little satellite churches around my city of Seoul and the Lord told me this son you're offering me you're trying to prove Your spirituality by your activity by tiring yourself out by working yourself to a thread.

He said David I'm in the same car. David turn on the audience and said you have hundreds of new preachers. It was James Robinson's conference. There was supposed to be 12 ,000 people there hundreds and hundreds of preachers.

David said come on you sin in your life. You come down here and get cleaned up. There must have been a hundred and fifty more all in front of us. Martha and I were on the front seat. They were rolling on my feet and I were trying to pull my feet back here.

They were sobbing and groaning next day. They had a dinner in the Fairmont Hotel. David spoke again and Told these men if they wanted to come forward they were welcome. He'd like to talk a few minutes.

He told me after then I Don't have any came maybe a couple of hundred, but he said 70 of those preachers that came to me Blubbering through their tears and cringing and turning their heads away saying by David the sin in my life.

I'm having an affair with all in the choir. When I go to other cities, I go down to x-rated movies when there's nobody looking. I buy the essential magazines magazines. Sexual immorality if you want a sexual immorality, it was pride.

I'll tell you again. This is the most demanding thing. I have to search my heart. I've prayed now for more than 60 years nearly 70. I Still have to search my heart. I have to find out what is my motive here?

Do I want to preach with anointing? So I'll be anointing known as an exceptional and forget it. I'm too old to want any accolades that men have. The only thing I want to do when I finish preaching is to hear God saying well done you did what you try told you.

To do that's all that matters. There are no medals. There are no honors. You know, we need in the nation. I'm gonna say we need another Elijah. No, we need an Elijah in every city. Again, we have no prophets.

We do not have any revivalists. The last revivalist I know of was a Baptist. I. An old man in my meeting came out one day and he said did you ever meet old Mordy ki? I said I wish I had he said well, I Did I knew him?

He said brother. He would go to a city with a large tent large for his day a whole in seven or eight hundred people. The third night he went to preach. He needed a police escort to get him into the pulpit and as long as he stayed in town He had a police escort to get him into the pulpit a police escort to get him home.

He blasted sense. He blasted immoral immorality and drunkenness and breaking commandments and he blasted the church. Billy Graham was saved under him. He often says I thank God for what he can look. Let me tell you one thing.

How do I know he was a revivalist because when he left town all the dance halls were closed. All the movie houses knew another man in the country can do that to go. If you know one for anyone that's all preaches that the Holy Ghost comes as it were from heaven and gets down in.

The Welsh revival men began to drink their beer and their arms went stiff and they tremble. And I had to have somebody help them. The revival disorganized everything in that little place of Wales. It's not large or over a hundred thousand people were genuinely born again in the Spirit of God.

It closed taverns. Closed dance halls it closed down every other thing. Even their national sport of football people were not going. You know, there's a king in America. And he has a queen. What's the name of the King's sport?

What's the name of the Queen entertainment? They get more time and money than all the denominations put together. Some of you guys can't take an hour to be quiet. You can watch a lousy TV show for an hour or two.

Go to bed early in the morning when you should be starting to pray. Don't pray for personal revival and expect everything's going to be the status quo. He shatters everything. Your lifestyle your social style.

Service Versus Worship in the Preacher's Family

I'm glad I've got the one of the greatest wife in the world. She has never got my lifestyle disorganized in the house. She never says a thing. We've had 46 years now a wonderful marriage. I've got three marvelous sons two of them dynamic preachers.

Above that men of God who know God walk with God. When they come home, I say come on now, I'm in my office right after breakfast. They come and teach me and I enjoy it. Tell me of the revelations. They've had there's a brother.

Brother hiding behind a white beard. I forgot the name. What's his name? Fun. I Come here. Oh, but Barclay 20 years ago. We were in New York. My wife said why don't you ask that brother to come with a Boundary?

We got a few folks from Dave Wilkerson staff and mine in the house and our boys and This precious brother got down on his knees this blonde beauty Said oh, please ask him to lay hands on me and pray for me.

I didn't say a word and he prayed for everybody in the room except the blonde beauty. He prayed over one he prayed over the other he prayed for this young man. And I thought why doesn't he talk up and I looked and there he's on his knees holding the feet of my boy.

Not this brilliant boy who's now a PhD. No, but that would have hindered him. Not. Paul is a tremendously sharp and intellectual. It wouldn't have in that him. It was David the shyest of our three boys.

And that dear man sitting there said This man who will stand before kings and rulers to preach the gospel. And I thought boy get your hands off his feet get him on the next boy a few years ago. The king of Tonga was crowned down in the South Seas.

National Geographic went there all the showmanship was there. The head of the Methodist Church in Australia was asked to come and give a coronation message. And then our son David that the brother prophesied was asked to come and speak.

The king was standing on the terrace here and David poured out his heart. He never said a word about it to us. Later somebody wrote and said if you'd heard your David you would have been proud boy. He talked about Wesley and the message and the revival of those days and told that whole island.

They were so dead in their Methodism and formality and here's the king listening behind and the prime minister the prophecy that brother Barclay came was fulfilled literally and It was fulfilled a second time.

I'm saying that just to encourage you in case you think because you're not a super intellectual God can't use you. You know much of our learning is a handicap. Our abilities have become our disabilities our flesh into our spirit and It's not easy to go to the cross come in God's name.

Dying to Pride and Self

I ask you Ruskin said it seems you to get a man to the cross your problem is to get him on the cross. I remember the time when they're holding this church. I went to the altar. I Was a best-known boy in church.

I was the youth leader. I'd all the assets so to speak. I remember walking down the dial because I knew in my heart I was eaten up with envy and pride and jealousy about one or two other guys. I Could hear people say that's an enragement.

He doesn't need to go boy. I needed that more than anything. I'll tell you what if you go to your own funeral you'll never forget it side to What I owe him saying when God's fire upon the altar of my heart was set aflame.

Ablaze my ambitions plans and wishes at my feet in ashes lay. You give God your all let him burn it. He'll do more of the ashes and you can do your entire personality, but it's costly. It's expensive but to admit I've been living in the energy of the flesh my intellectual ability to try to divide the world of truth and yet the People go out as they came in it never happened in a holy ghost meeting.

You can't have a dead meeting if the living Christ is in the midst. That's impossible. I don't care if it's a lecture hall. Or saw the great Academy or place where people are gathered. I'm through with this this man prayed the rain fell the fire fell the people fell.

What happened? It says a hub went up to eat. Elijah went up the mountain to what put his head between his knees. And not blow over his success and may say I defied the king. I've made this nation. I know this that I've released the heavens of three years of Rainless clouds.

He has his head between his knees. That's pretty difficult. And it's still crying for something almighty for God to come. There's no such thing in one sense of being satisfied in your Christian experience.

The Christian life is what? It's a process then a crisis then a process then a crisis then a process and a crisis. Because God can't blow his work in one weekend and one trip to the altar. It's not an experience.

It's a lot. But what a lot. Or if you leave the grave clothes of cells behind you this morning. It kind of take them off and put down your pride, and that's a good old book says Let aside every race. Maybe your trouble is a scholarship.

Maybe it's a dollar theology. Maybe it's a terminology. You leave it all there and let God Almighty deal with the ashes. You know he'll make something more glorious out of that and everything anything you've ever dreamed up.

Oh, they all penny courses used to saying remember the God of Eli. I don't know you were a Baptist previously. We forgive you, but anyhow. Do you remember the old song they used to sing about Elijah? God Elijah coming and sending the fire.

I'm glad he's still in the business and as I said yesterday the fire does not NLT fall on the altar it falls on the sacrifice. And as soon as you are willing to be a living sacrifice and say God Almighty Purge me of sin take control of my life.

Take control of my will take control of my emotions take control of my intellect take Control of my future. I leave it all in the hands of the Holy Ghost. You'll find the liberty you never thought were possible this side of eternity.

Trusting God for the Future

It's personal. When God's fire upon the altar of my heart was set ablaze my ambitions plan. I remember my ambitions going out of the window all my plans for the future. I Went to a college without a penny in my pocket, or maybe I had one penny and that was all I Got through one semester.

I Was ready to go home. A man walked in the college. He said well. How are you getting on here? I said good. Do you like the college? I said yes, I like the teaching. I like the staff. Are you coming back next semester?

I said I Don't know so he said it's a financial problem isn't it. I said yes. He said I'll pay all your bills as long as you stay there. I Should have stayed there till now maybe be paying my bills. Do you know I've never asked a person for a penny in my life.

Never send out a letter. Been around the world a couple of times paid every bill. Seen my boys through school and golly don't say it can't be done. He's my father. Do you think I love my boys? Ever begged for shoes or shirts or food.

I was coming ahead of the month before they needed things. God has ordered my steps if he orders my steps. He orders my stops, and it's for me to know when he's telling me to step and when he's telling me to stop and to step.

The Prayer of Elijah, Christ, and Jonah

Well Elijah bless you wherever you are. We've enjoyed it this morning. I have anyhow. The God of Elijah is my God. When I prayed this morning, I said Lord you heard the prayer Of Elijah. You heard the prayer of your son from Gethsemane.

You heard the prayer of a man who man who prayed in the first seven days. What did he say John. I was in the belly of hell. All the weeds were over me and the mountains were over them and I was in the belly of hell and I cried unto the Lord.

You know it'll take the belly of hell to get some of us broken. Take the belly of hell to get this nation broken. But I'm glad God glad that God is the same omnipotent God omniscient God omnipresent God.

There's no weakness in him. There's no failure in him. He has all power all authority all glory. And he's just waiting for chance to bring it down from glory to this sin-cursed world and this paralyzed church.

Personal Purity and the Holy Spirit's Search

As I say if you come to this order don't leave it in five minutes. Stay three hours if you have to stay let him take you apart. Let him take you by the finger and show you your carnality your pride your jealousy your envy your weakness and deal with them.

Don't just say Lord cleanse me say as I said yesterday Elijah said Isaiah Woe is me. I'm undone. I'm unseen. I don't need help. I need purity. I don't know to see purity. I need power, but he's not gonna come.

Can I say this one thing? Do you remember when the Noah had an ark? You don't remember it then you remember the story. And he put a bird out. Oh mercy again, what kind of a bird a raven dirty thing. Oh He got oh, here's some lovely flesh here flesh everywhere.

Mountains of flesh bodies of these bodies of the he could eat eat eat and then the dove went out. The dove is a unique bird. It's unique because it only marries one somebody needs to preach on that to preach it.

All the married ones the devil's coming down. No, that stinks. I will what do you do you return to the ark why he could find no place to rest. Because it was all Fresh, we have revival meetings all to call and the Holy Ghost doesn't come right because it's all flesh.

That's right. And he won't settle where there's flesh. Such has to be crucified put to death. Then away the old hymn says he came sweet influence to impart the gracious willing guest. Where he can find one humble heart where him to rest.

And all the same I'm through with this last race. I'm trusting the Lord Jesus trusting only thee trusting thee for soul salvation grace and free. I Am trusting thee for cleansing in the crimson flood.

Trusting thee to make me holy by thy blood. I Am trusting thee Lord Jesus never let me fall. I am trusting thee forever and for all. I Am trusting thee Lord Jesus at thy feet. I bow. I've forgotten the other part of that.

I'm just a lot of you that I feed. I bow. Something like save and Cleanse and fill and keep me can't get you the rest of it. That's what the essence when I went to the altar as a saved song leader youth leader.

By that altar I saw the cross in a different way. It's not for something for me to wear or appreciate me. It's a place for me to die. And the only way to get resurrection life life is to die. There's no shortcut and it's painful, but there is no other way to get all from God.

The Altar as a Place of Sacrifice and Death

You give all to God. I'm not going to move you emotionally. I could do that again. I'm gonna say if you want to die and that's all an altar is for the altar is for two things sacrifice and death. We prostituted it.

It's to help and so far. No forget it and say by the way, you know, I'm willing to come. I want to die and leave this sanctuary purified sanctified God's possession from the crown of my head to the sole of my feet my heart my will my mind everything I have.

I Want to die. A friend of brother Tommy's wrote this phrase that I like so much the greatest miracle that God can do today Is to make and take an unclean man out of an unclean world. Make an unclean man holy and put him back in a whole unholy world and keeping holy.

If you make business with God you reason to believe from here till you die. If you live to be as old as I were older you can live a life of victory without defeats. Jesus died for nothing less I invite you to come and die.

Do you want to come? We're not gonna sing. You want to come come.