A Salute to Those Who Stayed With It — David Wilkerson

The Callings Within the Body of Christ

I want to get right into the Word of the Lord. My message this morning, and you'll understand my topic five minutes or so into the message, a salute to those who stayed with the stuff. Now it sounds complicated, but it's really not.

Very simple. A salute to those who stayed with the stuff. I'm going to be speaking out of 1 Samuel, the 30th chapter, and it may not help you to go there because I'm going to be going through the whole chapter very quickly.

Holy Spirit, this is the last day of the Missions Conference, and we're asking you to speak in a very special way to our hearts this morning. Thank you for what you've accomplished, and Holy Spirit, only as you move, only as your Word comes forth by and through the Spirit, does it have an impact or a changing of our lives.

And I pray, Lord, that you quicken the voice and quicken our ears to hear what the Spirit has to say, in Jesus' name, amen. In the 30th, in 1 Samuel, the 30th chapter, there's an incredible story of David and his army leaving Gath, a three-day trip back to Ziklag, where they're headquartered.

They had their family, their husbands, the wives and the children, their cattle in Ziklag, three-day journey, wearing many of them out. And when they got to the homestead, they found the Malachites had come and had burned the city down and taken captive all of their families, David's two wives, his sons, his daughters, and had gone.

The Ziklag was burned to the ground, just smoldering. David fell on his face and all of his army, 600 men fell on their face, thinking that their families had been destroyed and killed in a bloody holocaust.

And the Bible says they wept until they had no more strength. David's army rose up and began to murmur and complain and picked up stones about the stone David. David encouraged himself in the Lord. He called for Abiathar, the priest, and he said, get the ephod and ask God what we should do.

And Abiathar went to the Lord and consulted the ephod. And the message that came forth from God was, go, pursue them. You're going to bring back everything. You're not going to lose anything. You're going to bring it all back.

David Pursues the Amalekites and Recovers Everything

They start out with 600 men. They get to the River Bessar. They find an Egyptian slave who's been left wounded. And this Egyptian slave knows the path that they're going, knows where the Amalekites are headed.

The Amalekites had invaded the Philistines and other areas and stolen all their spoil, their cattle. They were traveling with over a million cattle, horses and donkeys and sheep, over 750 ,000 sheep. And they were encamped in a great big plain area and sprawled out in their tents, drinking and carousing and just worshiping their God for such a great gathering of spoil and captives, many thousands of captives of Philistines and now David's family and the families of the 600 of his army.

They get to the River Bessar and 200 of the men couldn't go any further. The circumstances, some of them may be crippled, some of them sick, and they couldn't cross the river. So 200 stay behind to guard what they call the stuff.

The stuff had to do with extra artillery that would be a burden to a fast-moving 400 men. It had to do with extra food. It had to do with tools and instruments and also feeding products. And they were to stay back and protect the stuff.

David marches on with 400 men. They raced for three days. At twilight, they come upon this scene. They're stretched out as far as the eye can see of the tents of the Amalekites. And there among them, somewhere, were their wives and their children.

Out here, all the noise of the cattle and the sheep braying and all of the noises. And the sound must have been incredible. The drinking and the carousing and the dancing and the sensuality and the nudity, it must have been quite a sight.

David surrounds them and with his army moves in and has a great victory. And the Bible says, David recovered everything, recovered it all. And David divides to the army their flocks that they had lost.

And they take control of their families, and they're reunited with their families of the 400. And they head back to the river Bessar. And David looked at all of the spoil they took from the Philistines and from other tribes because there were five warlords, and these five warlords brought all of that spoil from all of these battles.

And David looked at it and said, that's mine. That's David's spoil. And he had a purpose for that. He had a reason for claiming all of that spoil. He comes back to the river Bessar, and suddenly the 200 that were left standing by the stuff ran.

It must have been some moment, what an incredible moment that must have been when the men see their wives, when they're reunited. These were brave men, these 200 that stayed behind. They wanted to go to the battle, but because of circumstances, they couldn't go to the war.

They had to stay behind. And all that they wanted, and I know what David's thinking. I've got 200 men on the other side who had to stay home. They couldn't go to the battle. And I know what they're thinking.

They're thinking that they haven't accomplished anything, that they have not been on the front line, and they feel that they are not going to be, they don't have the blessing. They should have been there, and they're feeling down.

They're feeling like they're not accomplishing anything in their lives. And David knew that. And David's army of 400 men, they're approaching it, and there's a murmuring, and there's a complaining, there's a mutiny.

These 400 men, and they're called the sons of Belial. In other words, he's got a lot of wicked ones in their midst. They said, look, we're not going to share with those 200 that stayed home by the stuff.

We're not going to share it. They didn't go to the war. They didn't take the risk. They didn't give up everything and come here. Now these 200, because of circumstances beyond their control, there's nothing they could do about it, and this army that went into battle said, we're not going to share with these.

They don't get any of the spoil. And David said, I'm not listening to you. And David made a law. He declared a law that became the law for every king that was to follow. He that goes to war, this is 1 Samuel 30, 24.

He that goes to war and he that stays by the stuff, they shall both share equally. They will share equally. And David calls for a meeting, and he appoints a biathlete, I imagine, some of the leaders, the spiritual leaders of the land.

And David would not permit his army, those who stayed behind, to have any regrets for not going. He didn't want them to feel that they were left out. He said, we're going to share equally. These who stayed home by the stuff, these who stayed home as a backup army, they're not going, I will not allow this to happen.

I want them to know they're just as important. This backup army is just as important as those who were at the war front. Are you getting a picture in your mind of the church of Jesus Christ? That there are combatants and there's a congregation.

Equal Reward for Those Who Serve and Those Who Support

And the Lord says, on that day, when we stand before the Lord, and this is the principle that is being preached here. When we stand before God, those who were faithful, who had prayed, and because of circumstances they weren't allowed to go to the front lines.

Those who couldn't go to the mission field. Those who couldn't go and be in the front lands of the battle. But they stayed home and they prayed and they gave and they were faithful in what they were called to do.

Faithful in, even because of the circumstances, accepting those circumstances without regret. And taking their calling, and David said, I want you to accept your calling where you're at. You were useful.

And he said, I'm dividing this. And on that great day of Ascension, when we stand before Christ, there will be multitudes of precious little women who couldn't go and gave with their widow's mites. There will be career people.

There will be those who could not go because of circumstances. Their hearts were stirred. They were brave. They were willing. But because of circumstances, they couldn't go. And on that day, when we laid down our swords and the battles are over, there are going to be many who think they're going to stand before the Lord empty handed.

I have no fruit. I couldn't do anything. I was circumscribed by circumstances and there was so much I could do and I tried my best. But what a day that's going to be. What a surprise when Jesus divides the spoils.

What a day when so many are going to be overwhelmed with joy and overwhelmed when the Lord says. Let me give an example. Paul the Apostle. When Paul the Apostle stands before Christ on that day and all these great missionary trips are recorded and all of the souls that he won, the churches he established.

What a day that's going to be. Wonderful, wonderful. And all the spoils Paul brings home. But you see, there are going to be three men called to his side. Unknown men who were never known, who never did get to the battlefield, they never got to Macedonia, they never went to the mission field.

But there are three men named Simeon, Lucius, Man. These were the men that prayed with Paul at Antioch. He had not been long saved and he comes from Jerusalem. There at Jerusalem, he had a picture of what the church is, but he was not a part of the church.

In Antioch, Paul begins to see the body of Christ and how it operates. That there are combatants and there are people that stay at home with his stuff, congregations. And these were praying godly men.

And after fasting and praying, they lay hands on Paul and release him to the mission field. Paul is the one who goes. These three men as elders of the church at Antioch, they are the ones that are going to stand there on that day and they're going to share in the spoils.

Every soul that Paul won, every church that he built, they're going to share the spoils. Are you getting a picture? Now David got this from Moses. The great battle had been won and the Lord spake to Moses after the battle and he said, take all the prey, all of it that was taken, both the men and beast, and take Eliezer, the priest and the chief fathers of the congregation, and divide the prey into two parts.

Between them that took the war upon themselves and went out to battle and between the congregation. And then you hear the details of it further, 397 ,000 sheep to the combatants and 377 ,000 to the congregation, 36 cattle to the war warriors, 36 ,000 congregation, 30 ,000 donkeys to the warriors, 30 ,000 donkeys to the congregation.

And the Bible said he made it a law in Israel. God's saying something. All these things are not just stories. These things are written for our teaching, our benefit, the scripture says. There are some of you that feel guilty because you would like to be on the mission field and we come and we stir and do what the Holy Spirit tells us and thank God for those who are called.

Resting in the Calling God Has Given

But if you're called to be an elder, for example, that's a high calling in Christ Jesus and the Bible says Jesus plants in the body those he wills at his calling. It's a high calling and this is staying home and with this stuff, but it's a high calling.

And we're to rejoice in our callings. If you're a mother with children and you're trying to raise those children under the stress of New York City and little money and all of the battles and struggles, don't come under some condemnation that you need to be in Africa in this slum working with children when you have a high calling with your own children right where you're at.

And you're to be resting in that calling. Rest in it. If you're a businessman, whoever you're all, and I'm going to show you how the Holy Spirit works in callings in just a moment, but rest in that the Lord never wants to bring condemnation to his people about some kind of a mission call when he has placed you in the body where you're at.

He places us. He implants us in that body and more and more we're seeing the work of the body of Jesus Christ at work here in Times Square Church. God desires that we rest in our calling. God has set members, every one of them in the body as it pleases him.

Paul was a world traveling missionary. Paul had a love for the poor. He heard the cry of the poor for every nation he preached in. He took offerings for the poor. He took entire trips from Macedonia and from Corinth and other to where he gathered up money for the poor and the starving in Jerusalem when a famine was coming and he said, remember the poor.

He said, I remember the poor. But then he brings a warning. Here's a man of all men who understood the cry of human need. And Paul the apostle makes a very convicting, gives a convicting word. When I see this, it's in 1 Corinthians the 13th chapter, Paul said to the church, though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned and I don't have charity, it profits me nothing.

And here's what I receive in my heart. David, if all your efforts to feed the poor, your desire, we're building, we're putting roofs on churches all over, all over Kenya, cost $2 ,500 and they're building churches so fast and they have just walls.

And for the rainy season, we're putting on dozens of roofs, churches, and we have taken over Kenya Kids in Nairobi and putting together a whole combination of ministries, bringing ministries that have been working alone together, well diggers to dig wells and a clinic for AIDS babies.

And some of these things that are on the heart, but you know, as Paul is really saying in essence here, all right, you can bleed all you want. You can cry over the poor. You can hear this cry and just melt and human compassion overwhelm you.

But he said, if you don't have charity, you're wasting your time. You're wasting your time. You see the Holy Spirit first has to do something in us before he do something through us. He has to do something in his body.

The Holy Spirit Must Work in the Church First

Now, folks, let me take you a little further to see if we're really ready to receive what Paul says. When the word came, begin at Jerusalem and then go to the other most parts of the world. Jerusalem was the heart of the church.

And this speaks to me that God said, work on your heart first, work on, God has to do something in his church, the indigenous church, and he has to do something at the church that stays behind the stuff.

He has to do something in our hearts. In other words, if I don't care how much I cry over the poor or what I try to do to alleviate that cry, if in my heart I have a temper, I allow the body of Christ to provoke me and I am not in control of that by the Holy Spirit.

If I'm telling lies, if I'm gossiping, if I have pride in my heart, if I'm envying, the Lord said it's all in vain. It's in vain. I prayed for weeks, weeks I prayed last year and year before that God would enlarge my vision for missions and break my heart and melt me and teach me how to meet some of these human needs and prayed after prayer, after prayer, an hour, after hour, and then suddenly the word came in one sentence, but clear.

And I came home and preached that from this pulpit in one message called, take the lowest seat in the house. And the Lord said, if you want a broken heart for human need, then learn to take this lowest seat in the house, humble yourself.

There's a little pride in you yet the remains of pride you haven't dealt with and I can't work through you till you deal with this in the spirit because this is business. This is strong business. This is truth.

And he said, there's still a bit of temper. You get provoked. You allow yourself to be provoked by your own family and little things that you have not dealt with. And the Lord says, yes, there's love and there's hope, but charity is the greatest thing, charity.

Charity, Unity, and the Divided Church

One of the things that breaks my heart when I travel to poor countries and around the world and been in many slums is that the indigenous church really does, has not had up to this time a burden for their own poor.

I've seen the cry of the poor muffled. I've seen it ignored by denominations, by, by divisions in the church, by pride of, of, of, of indigenous pastors who have large churches. And when I go and I want to do something and, and, and we get together and say, here's the burden.

Here's what the Lord's saying. And what you get is, well, we are the biggest denomination and you work through us. Well, there's another group over here and they're on fire for God and they love Jesus and they're doing a good work too.

Yeah, but they're not of our group. And I meet bishops all over the world who won't talk to other bishops. There'll be Pentecostals from Canada, Pentecostals from South America, American Pentecostals will not talk to the Pentecostals from Canada.

Canada's got great work in, in Kenya. And the Koreans have a work, many, and many of not even talking to one another. That's why we went there trying to do something for the church and until the local church, until they are dealing with this matter of charity and laying down those walls.

Our hands are tied. They, they, they've so, denominations have so tied, and I say this charitably and lovingly, they have so tied it with red tape. I, I can't even give a missionary. I've talked to one missionary, I said, Lord, tell me to give you 5 ,000.

He said, well, I can't take it. I have to send it to headquarters and they take 20 and this and that. And I said, hey, I can't live, I don't work that way. And you see how, how does the Holy Spirit really work?

Let me tell you how he works. He finds a body. He finds a body and he comes with conviction. He comes with the word. If this is a word church, if we're walking in the spirit, we're going to pick up this message of Paul, the apostles.

And he said, look, you give your body and be burned at the stake. You sell everything you have and you go and burn out in Africa or India, wherever you want to go and you burn out. But he said, if you're not dealing with things in your home and your family, in your own heart, if these things, if you're not working and laying hold of charity, and he describes nine different factors we have to deal with.

Not looking for perfection, but you see when the body is one. On the day of Pentecost, they were all in one place. That was not location. Doesn't mean anything about being in the upper room. They could have been in a basement.

If they were all with one accord, they had one mind, in one place, that place was in Christ Jesus walking in charity. And I'll tell you what, what they had to do. When they got in the upper room, every one of those 120 had to forgive Peter for his denial and for abusing the church of Jesus Christ.

They had to forgive James and John for trying to take the highest seat in the house. And all 120 had to get out of their heart all of this talk about how Judas must be burning in hell. They had, there had to be confession.

The widows, the Bible lady talked about, had been gossiping and they had to confess their gossiping and they got together. And folks, when the church of Jesus Christ, when the body is one, the Holy Ghost comes, you don't need a sermon.

You don't need a missionary to wake you up. The Holy Ghost wakes people. He calls people. He anoints people. And I've seen the havoc, I've seen the havoc that's brought on the church of Jesus Christ by division, by pride, teachers and even elders and that we don't have that in this church.

There's unity in this church. But folks, every individual, every member of that body has to deal with their own lives. We can't do it from this pulpit. It's the Holy Spirit doing it to you. And when the Holy Spirit is moving in the church and there is love and there's forgiveness and you come to this house with cleansed hands before the Lord, the Holy Spirit is obligated and out of that, in the upper room, there's the picture.

There. That is the picture of what God, the Holy Spirit does. He raises up people and he sends them all over the world. And that's what's been happening here, the Holy Spirit, because of unity. He's raising up people who will go.

Supporting Missions Through Prayer, Giving, and Humility

You see, when the Holy Spirit is moving, meetings like this, conferences and missions, conferences and gatherings are very vital to the church of Jesus Christ because the heart of the church is missions.

But when the Holy Ghost is moving, when the church is where it's at, in those times just like this, I don't have to move on your conscience. I don't have to move on your human compassion. I can't call you.

None of the pastors, no missionary can call you. But when we're walking as a body, honoring other churches, in days ahead, as Pastor Carter was talking about, bringing other pastors from this city who are doing good work, who love Jesus, come and preach here in our pulpit.

Because you see, if we think Times Square churches, we're number one, we're number one. No, we've got to take the lowest seat and be the least among our brethren and honor one another in this city. And that's how God picks and chooses.

And then we have those who stay by the stuff or know their role to give. Our ministry could not survive without the finances, without the giving, without the prayers. I couldn't go. We're going to Moldova on Friday, a very poor European country, and then to Paris.

Paris is probably, it's poor in spirit. All of Europe is just, there's such a malaise, it's such a darkness, a spiritual darkness. And what I thank God for more than anything else is that I can stand in that pulpit and absolutely sense and experience the power of the prayers of this church.

Pastor Carter feels it, and everyone who goes out, you literally actually can sense it and feel it. And you're made to know by the Spirit this is because of those who are praying. You see that those who stayed by the stuff.

Well, there's more, but I feel I've accomplished what the Lord wants me to speak this morning. This is to encourage you. You're very quiet. I don't know what to think. I preach and nobody seems to respond.

Finding Rest in One's Calling

The Lord's put a burden on my heart, and with this I close. If you're called here, the elders and teachers and parents and Wall Streeters and all of the many, many careers and jobs, if you're not at rest in your calling, there's going to be tension in our meetings and tension in your life.

Just wait in the Holy Spirit. He knows it's your volunteer. He knows. But you don't have to be in a meeting. You can be at the job and the Holy Spirit can come to you because you're getting things right with the Lord and you're walking in charity, and the Holy Spirit sees that.

He knows when the circumstances are right, and he knows when the time is right because I believe in Holy Ghost timing, and he'll put a call on you in your office or wherever it is. He'll work on you, and he will send you in his time and his way.

Meantime, you're needed in this body. You're needed without any turmoil in your heart and say, thank God that I may stay behind the stuff, but on that day, I'm not going to stand empty-handed. God's going to divide the spoils.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I'm going to tell my wife something. Gwen, look this way. You had your head down. I think you knew I was coming. I didn't warn you. But you see, Gwen is not called to minister.

That's not one of her particular gifts. She's a hugger. She hugs. That's her ministry of hugging. I've heard Gwen so many times say, honey, I just don't feel like I'm doing anything. I'm not accomplishing anything.

I don't have any desire to be somebody, but I feel sometimes I don't have anything to bring to the Lord. But honey, I want you to know something. When I stand before Christ, Jesus is going to call you.

And when we look at all of the 55 years of ministry, all those thousands of drug addicts, alcoholics, and prostitutes, you have all that fruit. You get half. Stand, please. The Bible said there's going to be rewards.

You should be thanking God for this. Thank God that he's bringing you a good word. He's bringing you a promise. Hallelujah. Sing a song until I get the mind of the Lord on this. Next moment here. Let's just worship for a moment.

Renewing Abandoned Callings

This is what I receive from the Holy Spirit. I speak to those in the balcony, main floor, and those in the annex. Clearly, this is what I hear. There's some here now that have been called. Maybe you were called to be a prayer warrior.

You were called to minister to the Lord in prayer, and you did that for a season. But something happened, and you've fallen away from that commitment and that calling. Some of you literally were called to go.

You were called to be a combatant. You were called. And somehow, you got so busy, and you drifted away. And that call is just a little echo in the back of your mind. The Lord wants to renew that, and he will.

He'll restore all the ears a canker worm has eaten. If you'll just openly confess and come. I'm asking you to do something bold. Something that's going to take a step in faith. That you step out of your seat.

In the balcony and even in the annex, you can go to the hall behind you. And I shall show you how to get down here and come down to this altar and stand here. Those who were called, you've just drifted from that calling.

You've drifted, and the Lord wants to renew that. Not to condemn you, but he'll restore. He'll restore to you. And some of you really knew how to touch God for the needs of other people. Some of you really knew that.

You've gotten busy, and you've drifted away from it. Step out on the balcony, go the stairs on either side, and come down either aisle. And we'll believe God with you now to renew. And some of you should be on the front line.

You should be on the mission field. But you've been waiting and waiting. The Lord opens the door, and you've been resisting that. You respond as the Holy Spirit leads you. If you don't know Jesus, if you're backslidden, turn from him.

Follow these people that are coming. And renew your heart before the Lord. He'll touch you, and you'll walk out of here renewed by the Holy Spirit. He's here to renew you, and he'll do that as you respond.

Invitation to Repentance and Restoration

All the Holy Spirit's here to do something special in your heart. If you've drifted from Christ, if you don't know Christ, it's a very simple matter. You confess your sins right there where you stand.

No fancy words, just plain, straight. Lord, I've sinned against you. Forgive me. I give you my faith. I give you my heart. He said he will come. Answer that cry. Just now, even with open eyes. You don't have to be on your knees.

Ask him to come. If you've strayed, if you've turned away from the Lord, let his love draw you right now. Just receive that love, that magnetic pull of God's love, and say, Forgive me, Lord, and restore to me all the years that the worms have eaten in my heart.

And for you that have been called, I don't need to give any more advice than to say, Here I am, Lord. Here I am. Will you pray this prayer with me? Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus. Put your hand on me. Put your hand on me.

Once again. Once again. I need your touch. I need your touch. To raise me from this death. This phase that I'm going through. Bring me through this battle. And renew my spirit. I'll answer you, Lord, by saying, Here I am.

Use me. Now let me pray for you. Lord, I don't know what's going on in the hearts of these who have come forward, but you do. You just wanted people to take a step for their own sake, not for the sake of this body as much as for their own sake, to make a statement, to make a stand.

Lord, I know what you've called me to. I know what you want me to do. Lord, if it's the mission field, if it's going home to their country of origin, whatever it may be, it could be that you're renewing and taking away the burden of some who are called right here to minister to their families and to this body.

So, Lord, come with peace. We know that you work by the premise of peace. When we say yes to the Lord, peace comes. Now, let the peace of God fill our hearts. We receive that from you right now. Will you, in your own words, thank Jesus?

I don't believe it takes Him long. Thank the Lord and thank the Holy Spirit right now for speaking into your heart and bringing peace to your heart.