The Friends of God — Bill McLeod

You may be wondering as to what's happening over in Israel. In Zechariah chapter 12 God said he was going to make Jerusalem and Jerusalem sometimes stands for the nation not necessarily for the city that is going to make Jerusalem a cup of trembling a cup of trembling and a burdensome stone.

To all nations there are people from many countries in Lebanon from France from England from Germany from other European countries from South America. Cursing the Jew for what happened or blaming him.

But God said we'll do this. This is not a complete fulfillment. I don't think I do believe there's more coming yet. But that's made quite clear in Zechariah chapter 12 for a text in John 15 14 Christ said You are my friends if you do what I command you.

Christ Calls His People Friends

And he said henceforth from now on I call you not servants from the servant doesn't know what his Lord is doing. But I've called you friends. For all things that I've heard of my father I've made known unto you.

And in Zechariah upon in Luke chapter 12 He addressed the Apostles as my friends. You are my friend. Have you ever thought of it this way that we are really friends to God who work on that a little bit today.

First Corinthians 1 9 God is faithful by whom you were called. Unto the fellowship of his son Jesus Christ our Lord. Of 1st John 3 3 that which they've seen and heard we declare unto you that you also may have fellowship with us and Truly he says our fellowship is with the father and with his son.

Anger is a lying. Oh the purity light of the single-hearted before thy throne. When I kneel in prayer with thee my God I commune as friend with one friend. Some white said the average Christian has to save up for a whole month to get the hour.

And that may be true. We don't really think of it that way. A friend of God's having fellowship with God. Someone else said also that the average Christian does not have fellowship of God. His fellowship with other Christians about God.

Worship Before Work

Chapter 4 there are 10 references to worshiping God and after that there are 10 references to working for God. And stop by accident. It's in that order. Because we can't really work for God and we don't know how to worship God.

Worship comes. Before work. 40 days with Christ after the resurrection then 10 days prayer and in the advent of the spirit and Then work that never ended but began with worship and. It's no different in my opinion today.

Prayer as Fellowship With God

You know prayer to stop is like spiritual PT people in liberal churches, for example. They say well prayer is a healthy exercise for the soul, but it really doesn't get anything or do anything. That's an extreme position.

There's another extreme position which I picked up out of a book entitled prayer asking and receiving. And the writer said prayer is driving a three-ton truck up to the warehouse of heaven and then driving away with a full load.

That's an extreme position to see prayer basically. First of all It's not bad. It's not right. Abraham was three times called the friend of God when Jehoshaphat was praying with a nation. Because some enemies were coming.

They were the seed he said Abraham. Your friend he didn't say of Abraham who used to be your friend long ago. Which would be more correct if Abraham was slumbering somewhere. And he knew that Abraham was alive and well in the presence of God.

That's why he said what he said. And I said 41 8 he says the same thing Abraham my friend. And in James, he's called the friend of God is important. You know very important to understand. Jesus picked up on this, you know, he said it's touching the resurrection.

Haven't you read? That God said I am the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. He didn't say I was or I used to be but I am. But he was really saying was resurrection. They're all alive now. They're not dead.

They're in my presence, they're still my friends and my servants then Moses father-in-law had a number of names and then called together four or five. Yet in a rural yet in a rag you well and both these words meant the friend of God.

I don't know how he got that his parents may have been spiritual people. Certainly, he was a spiritual person and he actually helped Moses in some aspects of his work and worship. The friend of God, you know, my friends guys said if you do what's up, so ever I Imagine often called a man of God.

Abraham and Moses as Friends of God

I think that title was used more than any in relation to Moses the man of God, but actually 33 Says that God spoke with him face to face as a man speaks to his friend and this is this thought is Developed in a number of places number 12 six.

He spoke with Moses. It says mouth to mouth. Face to face to wrongly 34 10 if you recall of Moses spent not 40 But 80 days alone of God in the mountain. And ever ate or drank once. I've heard people say I'm afraid of the five minutes.

It's not because I don't understand. The praying is having fellowship with God. The tree. Earthly friends the way we treat God we wouldn't happen. We don't have time for God. We don't give God quality time.

We take a little bit on here and there. John saw a famous Chinese evangelist who died just about the time the Congress took over in China. He'd been in the States and got his education there and when he never liked the States.

He learned something in the States that he never forgot. Brought to China and helped to save China when the Congress took over. He learned about the family altar when I was a young Christian. Almost every Christian home had a family.

Nowadays if you ask the average Christian how to describe the family altar, they wouldn't have a clue. How do we remember? I have five kids and Usually at the noon meal, but later on at the supper meal when the kids were going to school we have a time before we eat when we sign some courses and we Read a little bit from the Bible.

We have one of the children or seven leading prayers. We have a missionary book. We all heard the story of a missionary to the kids, you know. It was called a family altar. And it offers it's forgotten it isn't done today.

Surprised that it's not but it isn't done we've forgotten. There's other things we've forgotten as well. Teaching our kids in God wasn't really important, you know. You don't want to waste time doing nothing.

You got to do something, you know. So if our churches are filled with do-gooders. That don't do much spiritually and sometimes they do nothing spiritually. Abraham the friend of God's a friend of God's he gave time to God.

Moses gave time 80 days. How could he do this? I mean, how did he survive? I asked him sometimes. How would you like to live in a tent in a bush in the Canadian? field of the country. For a month with nobody else around all heaven's known.

What do you think about it. Two days enough for me? But if you're a Christian. Would be that bad. Along with God. Nothing wrong, but a little meditation of him. I will be glad in the Lord Of how I love your heart.

It is my meditation on the day. So all day long you can't find yourself thinking about God and you find yourself talking to God. And sometimes other people think you you know, you've kind of got a little bit.

Because They play with his life. He read the Bible through from cover to cover 200 times. He read the Bible to a hundred times on his knees in the world. He's worshiping the God of the book and he understood what it meant to be Friend of God, I was every night usually I can't.

I don't tell him what time but you just around two o 'clock, you know. And I get up. I can't read them and play. Because I'll be asleep in three seconds, but I get up and sit somewhere and Just talk to God.

Well, usually about revival.

When you wake up like that John finally gives you a certain burden or something to pray about.

Always always I'm praying for revival in that particular period of time then I get up at four each morning. I go to the Bible every morning. Sometimes 20 but usually about 12 and then I spend Time praying for friends of mine and I have a long list which keeps getting longer.

But I sometimes I just sit and say nothing. God said be still. And no, thank God if you paid him $100 an hour, they couldn't do that. Sit still people at all. You have to keep silence before. Peace on and all flesh before the Lord for he's raised up out of his holy habitation to the fellowship of 80 evangelical churches and I Didn't know what kind of music we're going to have.

If we saw that three men acting as song leaders, you couldn't hear a word. They said Wesley they use music a lot, but they had a cardinal principles all the musicians have to follow. It was this. The music must never overpower the words.

The music doesn't have any message. It's just a platform to carry the words. What was forgotten in that meeting and at one point the leader got that he said You think the music has been off? Fasten your seatbelts.

We're gonna pull the roof off this building. And I voted with my feet. I walked out and went home. I Didn't even tell him I was going you know I lived a half an hour away. My phone rang after I got home.

I said, but then you're on the program now. I said, well, yes. No, you're not feeling well. I said you could say that. You're not coming back. I said no I'm not coming back. Well, I have to meet to the fellow who invited me to speak at this thing later on and he thought the music was wonderful.

It's a substance place and I love gospel singing. I can listen to the gospel songs for hours, you know. They sometimes told us that you know, so I'm 33. How's it going out? Play skillfully. They say well, I'm a hard listeners play skillfully.

It was a loud noise. I Said that's right, but they didn't have amplifiers and I was written amplifiers off. Well, I haven't thought of that. Anyway, I don't know how I got into this 80 days Jack Kyle's and I know there's a little cloud over him when he died.

Fasting, Revival, and the Power of Time Alone With God

But Jack Kyle's as a young man pastored a small Baptist Church in Texas. The church had about 50 members and nobody ever would say then Jack Kyle's father who was an alcoholic died and after the funeral Jack Kyle's Went to his father's grave was in a secluded place and he knelt there and he said Lord.

I Never had enough power to get my own dad saved. There's gotta be something wrong with me. I'm not gonna eat and I'm not gonna drink if I have to die. I'll die here. I'm not leaving my father's grave until you give me power to preach the gospel.

People he lay there three days and three nights and all he ever said was this. He touched me. He went back to his church the first time I preached. People were saying that church of 40 or 50 members went up to 2 ,000 members in about six years.

Then he went down to have an Indiana. And I was there with Gordon Bailey not not ministering but just visiting. And a fellow showing us around asking how many members they had. He said we have 95 ,000 members.

He said we're baptizing 200 congregants a week and all. All right, and always added was a model that Wesley had and certainly they had it in that churches law. But that's how it began getting desperate.

To have the power of God. He often quoted that verse I shall be anointed with fresh oil. And he said if ever I sensed in the ministry that the power was going down. I did it again. I got others to do it with me.

We would fast and pray for a day two days three days until the power of God returned. Freddie did the same thing. He said whenever I see the revival fire fires waning. I have a time of fasting and praying and it comes back up again.

But time spent alone with God is never ever. Wasted time, you know prayers not to change. God's to change me so that God can't consistent with his eternal Purpose that went in the Bible. God can do the things he always wanted to do but couldn't do because I wasn't quite right.

It's to change me. Not to change God. David was called a man after God's own heart. They were very close. Sometimes they want how come David didn't have to die for his sin with Bathsheba and then killing Uriah her husband.

Why did why was he so quickly forgiven? Well, I'm not going to go into that because I don't have an answer. The grace of God, of course. There but he was called. I'll never have been. David was and we like that.

We are we really people. After God's heart. If we aren't we can't minister effectively to one or to others. John the Baptist he called himself a friend of Christ in John chapter 3. He said he who has the bride is a bridegroom.

But the friend of the bridegroom who hears his voice rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled. John the Baptist considered himself a friend of Christ. You consider yourself a friend of Christ.

Christ's Example of Watchful Fellowship

Are you treating him like a friend? Are you giving him quality time every day? And whatever you can not just having a stated time for prayer and Bible study. But really seriously. Talking to him. Fellowshipping.

With him also before Pentecost. Christ said to say what? Couldn't you watch with me one hour? No, they couldn't they fell asleep. And he came to them three times. And they had to sleep and often well again people have told me this, you know.

I even had a preacher one time. He said two weeks ago. I threw my Bible on the floor. I haven't prayed without sins. I haven't even communicated with God in any way for two weeks, you know. Well, that was an extreme case and he had some problems.

He dealt with those problems and as your other God came back sin springs a leak in the cup of joy that's what happens and that's not pleasant to be alone with God because We know there's something not right.

And God's gonna trouble me about so I avoid being alone with God. I Don't mind being in a noisy meeting. I can get a little exhilaration maybe from that, but I don't want to be alone with God. That's a very dangerous sign.

Pentecost but after Pentecost We will give ourselves continually to prayer. And to the ministry of the Lord, but I'm not over. Okay. Continue to prayer and to the ministry in that over. We will give ourselves we will just throw ourselves into give all the time we possibly can to prayer.

Seeking God's Guidance Before Ministry

In Africa, I read in an African publication interesting story about a young man. He'd been to a Christian school. He was a could he become a Christian? Had only been a Christian very short time. They came to missionaries and he said God has called me to be a pastor.

Please. Give me a church. They had a private meeting this kid. Means he doesn't give any signs as having and he's just become a Christian a few weeks ago. This is crazy. Let's just tell them to think about it for six months.

So we don't think about for six months. Then they forgot in six months. He came back and what about the church? Oh. They'd forgotten about so they put him off for another three months. And he kept coming back coming back.

And finally the last two missions got their heads together. They had a church and someone described it this way. They could have written one book on the wars of the load they were down about 12 people and.

So now I'll give that kid this church and it'll obviously go belly-up and then we can say look son. You know God never called me to be a pastor so pastor. And there were 5 ,000 members in the church.

How did he do it? Every now and then he would say to the congregation God is calling me away. And I may be gone for a week. I may be gone for two weeks. So I might be gone for three weeks, but I'll come back.

You pray for me. And every time he came back he found a cave in the hills and a little creek running by. He'd take a sack of food he might fast for three or four days at a time. Then he'd eat a little bit and drink from a book and all of this.

But he spent this time alone with God, you know. And every time he came back from that cave, there was a new revival in the congregation and sometimes hundreds would be saved. Now if a pastor would do that in Canada.

They would fire him. They'd conclude he's got an officiant hood or he's gone gothic. You know, right? See we've lost it. A missionary in Africa told me one time He said my great fear is that my people in Africa will find out how Canadian Christians live.

If they ever find out my ministry is finished. He said my people, they think no one is giving two tenths or three tenths instead of one tenth, you know. And they all believe in evangelizing, going out and talking to other people about Christ and trying to win people Christ and all of this.

I mean the work of God does everything to them. They knew how to worship God. They understood That God was their friend and friends come first, right? Especially, I'll say, this is interesting. You know, John's son in China, great evangelist, Boxing, in India, great evangelist.

As a matter of fact, he used to call him the Billy Graham of India. And most of the missionaries used him, they'd help him for crusades and all kinds of people would be saved but Boxing, through prayer and evaluation and all of this, he came to the conclusion this is not the way to reach India's millions.

So he broke amicably with the missionaries. He got a group of men, five or six men together and explained the passion of his heart. He said we're not doing it right, there's got to be a better way. And they decided to do what the Bible said.

Christ didn't say if you fast, He said when you fast. Which means He took it for granted that we as children fast from time to time. I'm not going to ask how many of you do that, maybe none of you, some of you I'm sure do, right?

But very few that fast. They joked about it, one guy said, every time I fast, all I'm thinking about is food. And by the way, he looked like it. But anyway I was in a hospital a while ago. And the guy next to me was a Jewish doctor.

He taught in a medical college. He used to be the head of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, a very musical person. And we happened to be in the same room. So one day he told me, I think I eat too much.

And he said, what does the Bible say about that? Well, it calls that person a glutton. Oh, he said, that's a bad word. I said, there's a worse word in the New Testament. What's that, he said. Well, it speaks of a people whose God has abandoned them.

The Glory of Following God's Way

Anyway, not if you fast. So, they began to fast and pray. They decided not to do anything. Unless they had, as a group, clear guidance from God. Now, I wrote a little book, it's called The Return of God's Fire.

It's not available over here, I've got a copy in India. And I have a copy in my library. So God showed them clearly what they were to do, when they were to do it. Who's to be on the team, and where they were to go.

They didn't do. They might have found this one out. Here's a village over here, there's 8 ,000 people there. And there's no Christian work, we better start something over there. They didn't do that. They did that at the start, and then they saw this was not God's way.

So they waited for clear guidance, and they got it. And the first time they got guidance to go a certain group Men and women, to a certain marketplace. Where you could give out a million tracts in one day.

If you really wanted to, I suppose. And they went out there and gave out all the tracts they had. And went back, nothing seemed to happen. They played a game. And God said, when you got to that marketplace.

You didn't wait on me for guidance. Then, as he said, we began doing God's work. In God's way, every one of us looking to God. For personal guidance in every situation. And not just doing something. And then, he said, the glory of God returned.

He said, we had meetings. Every bit as powerful as anything Charles Finney ever saw. And that's saying a lot. He died, I think, a year or so ago. Behind them, I think, about 700 assemblies. Some of them with 2 ,000 or 3 ,000 members in them.

And they had annual conferences. Where 20 ,000 people would show up and this kind of thing. For anything that was very unusual. But I think he had it right. And he was doing it right. They as are led by the Spirit of God.

They are the sons of God, right? Walk in the Spirit and you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh. The flesh lusts against the Spirit. And the Spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary to one to the other.

So that you cannot do the things that you would. You can't do it. And somehow, I think, we've got to get back to a place Where God is our supreme friend. Our number one friend. And we give God holy time.

Every day. Other things will fall into place. People say, I'm so busy, I can't do this. Well then, maybe you're too busy. I remember hearing a speaker when I was a young Christian. And he said, after describing some things he'd seen in a revival time.

He said, we think we're busy here in North America. We're just buzzy. And that's true in many cases. I call you not servants. Because a servant doesn't know what his master's doing. But I've called you friends.

For all things our Father has made known to me I've made known to you. The Apostle Paul would often use the phrase Night and day, praying exceedingly. Night and day, foremost with Paul too. We know, of course, that Paul had many occasions Where Jesus came to him personally.

And spent time with him. He talked about the abundance of the revelations. And that's why he was able to say in 1 Corinthians chapter 14 If you think yourself to be spiritual. Let him acknowledge. The things that I write unto you Are the commandments of the Lord.

He got it all from Christ. First hand. Not as the other apostles have for three and a half years. We don't know how long this went on. Possibly all his adult life, we don't know. There were many, many personal meetings with Christ.

So a fellowship with Christ. Now that that fellowship came the epistles. And his power in the Church of God. Even today Paul, I say I have remembrance of you, he said to Timothy In my prayers Night and day.

Intercession and Praying for People by Name

And of course having fellowship with God. Part of that includes Bringing other people before God. The Lord was singing in Tulsa. And we were having a prayer time together. And he had a roll, you know like theater tickets.

A roll about this big and about this wide. And then every little ticket they were blank. And he had the name of a person. And he just went by the hour. Going through these names on this list. You know, wasted time.

Then God would tell him to go and visit a certain person. He'd been praying for. And he'd lead them to the Lord. You pray first. Did you know that that was something The Southern Baptists learned just recently.

And they're having a time in their life. Know what it is? Doing house calling. They're not sleeping against that. They're just not doing it anymore. This pastor in this one church He asked God to guide him In a specific way in his service for God.

And it was this. You pray for sinners by name. You pray for a while. And then you visit them. But you never visit them before you've prayed for them. They started doing this, you know what they thought?

But one in three of the people in visit get saved. They've never seen this before. Now it's catching up. There's 45 ,000 churches in the Southern Baptist denomination. And it's spreading all through the denomination.

Ralph and Soterra. They're actually alliance people. But they're moving into the Southern states. Where every second person is a Baptist it seems. And they're in Baptist churches. But they were saying, it's exciting to see what's happening.

So we pray for people. You know in South Korea they had that experience. Some years ago where nobody was getting saved. How to handle it. The right thing. And they prayed God for guidance. And here's the guidance they got.

And the churches in this particular area. Everybody was to agree. They would spend. They would make a little list of six people. At least six people. Unsafe people. That they would pray for regularly everyday.

From December, pardon me. From January 1 until Easter. If they left them in the meantime They were not the weapons to them. They were to be funded to them. Maybe take them up for coffee. But just pray.

Then at Easter They were to go to these people and try and win them to Christ. And the first time they did this. You know what happened? 7 ,000 people were converted. So then they stumbled on something.

The second year there's 9 ,000. The third year there's 12 ,000. And finally it's up to 25 ,000 a year. Just by this simple program. Wouldn't that work here in Canada? I think so. I mean we don't have the time for that.

We have more important things we have to do. In my church in Saskatoon I didn't do anything about this. But people were complaining to me. One guy said I'm going out to go to a meeting. My wife is coming in for a meeting.

We hardly ever see each other anymore. Didn't exhibit anything. Didn't do anything but pray. And all of a sudden Nobody would chair the ladies meeting. And so it passed out. Nobody would chair the men's brotherhood.

So that passed out. And a couple other things passed out. Because nobody would accept leadership. And so when the revival broke. What they really had was a poor meeting. That was going like fire. And then we had three young people's groups.

They were doing great. That was really all. And then God came on the scene. I'm not saying if you're ever through a revival. You're having the smell of smoke on your clothes. Till you die. You can never forget.

Revival, Repentance, and Personal Transformation

My phone rings. I'm in my office. There's a man from my church. He's working at the university. He was crying so badly I didn't know what was going on. He just wanted to see me. He said come on away. 15 minutes later he ran into my office.

He fell on his knees at my desk. His head on the desk. And he wept and wept. The water was running in all directions. I knelt down to sign up That he's been in an accident in the family. And he said Holy Ghost came.

He showed me everything that ever came in. From the time I was a child Until today. Oh Pastor. He said it was like looking into hell. I'm familiar with a woman. Not my wife. I've got to make that right with my wife.

I've also signed a witness compensation form. Like a thousand dollars from the government. I've got to go down and rejoin and make that right. He said oh. He said Pastor I can't stand the pressure. The Spirit of God on my soul.

That's revival. He had people come to warm up. Men in my church. He was a firefighter. He came to me after a meeting. He stood there trembling. And he said Pastor Pastor. Then he just fell on his knees And started a fire.

He couldn't tell what was on his mind. You know There's all kinds of things in this country. You haven't heard of him probably. But he was a song leader with me for a while. And Gardner was a Baptist pastor.

Six foot three. The life of every party. Young people followed by old. And he heard that a revival team Was coming to Winnipeg from Saskatoon. So he made sure he'd be there. Now there's a certain pastor In the same conference of churches That he didn't like.

Whose name happened to be George Bell. George Bell was in Winnipeg. Now he's retired. Anyway He was sitting there. I saw him. I knew him from the time he was a kid. I was glad to see him there. And my team gave their testimonies.

And I brought a short message. And I mentioned this prayer. This thing Philippians chapter two. That each esteem other better than themselves. He told me later on. He said at a fast point. The meeting disappeared.

There was nobody in that room. Who had gone to the meeting. He said The Lord stood right in front of me. And he said to me Do you live that way? And he said Yes Lord I do. So then the Lord said What about George Bell?

He didn't like George Bell. Oh he said Lord he's such a big windbag. And I don't know how you can Bless him the way you do. But I want you to get up And go down to the altar. I have something to teach you.

I followed where he was. It took him ten minutes. He weeped the whole time. He said Oh you know Jesus and I Put his hand on his head And reduced him to absolute zero. I got to the altar. I couldn't even find myself.

There was nothing there but God. And then he said The Lord came and said to me What about George Bell? Oh God he said He's a thousand times better than me. Now you've got it right he said. He became my song leader For a year and a half or so When he had some health problems Had to go off the road Full of the Spirit of God A great soul leader.

Tremendous song leader. What a change. I can't explain to people Psychologically what happened When he walked down the aisle. I have no idea. I can only tell you what he said. And I can see the fruits of it in his life.

Preparing for Sustained Revival

But that's revival. Revival comes When we make a friend of God And spend quality time with God And keep pressing it Until it happens. You know the reason why. We just want all the glory For the revival to happen.

We can't take credit for that. Except for this. Looking at ordinary church work I was ready to leave the ministry. I remember the church seating 300 Sunday mornings quite often we were full. Every now and then somebody would get saved.

We'd have an evangelistic campaign. We'd have a team come in Maybe one person Maybe two or three people. And we'd have a tactical program And all these things To get the crowds out. And we had one guy He was very musical.

And he would train a choir Of 40 or so people Every evening to sing in the meeting That night. And it was great. People enjoyed it. One or two people might be converted. One or two backsides restored.

Maybe some people start tithing And wanted to rejoin the church. Then it was all over. And when the team was gone The church was exactly the same As it had been before. Thank you pastor For that lovely message.

They slept half through it. But you know They were alive. You hear this all the time. So I made up my mind I had enough of this. I will never do this again. So we never had another team come in. Now the church was a little disappointed Because we weren't having these People coming in.

And then I heard about Ralph and Lucitara. I contacted them. They couldn't come for two years. They gave us two years of prayer To prepare. And we really did. We didn't do anything but pray. We didn't advertise.

Not at all Not even in the slightest. We just prayed. And prayed and prayed And prayed and prayed. All kinds of prayer meetings go. Now prayer meetings went from 25 up to 150. Sometimes we had 170 in a prayer meeting.

We only had 175 members in the church. And our prayer meetings were hot. It wasn't revival. But they were red hot. And people would rather miss Sunday morning Than Sunday evening Than miss the prayer meeting.

And then God came. We're supposed to go for a week and a half. We have to go for seven weeks. Our church in just a matter of days Was too small. Matter of fact the first Saturday night We had a meeting.

We couldn't get them all in. Then we moved to a neighborhood Anglican church seating 600. And we were there only two nights. It was too small. We had 700 people trying to get in. Then we moved to the Alliance Church.

You could pack a thousand in there. That only lasted a night. It was too small. So we moved to a building The largest church building in the city Seating 1 ,700. And the first night we had 300 trying to get in.

They couldn't get in off the street. And I remember the clerk character. He was cursing. He wasn't even a born again believer. It wasn't even a job for church building. And so he said You've got to get rid of some of these people.