TRIBUTE TO PASTOR DAVID WILKERSON

WE HERE AT WATCHMEN OF THE WALL MINISTRIES GRIEVE THE LOSS OF OUR MENTOR AND FATHER IN THE FAITH, DAVID WILKERSON. WE FEEL HE WAS THE "MOSES" OF OUR GENERATION AND HIS PASSING IS NOT ONLY THE LOSS OF A MAN OF GOD, BUT ALSO WE FEEL THE PASSING INTO THE NEXT PHASE OF GOD'S PLAN. TODAY WE PAY TRIBUTE TO HIM AND HIS LIFE AND MINISTRY. BELOW IS THE EXCERPT FROM HIS SON GARY. PLEASE PRAY FOR HIS WIFE AND FAMILY DURING THIS TIME AS WE ARE. DAVID, WE THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE IN THE NAME OF JESUS, SEE YOU SOON.


by Gary Wilkerson
by David Wilkerson

“David served the purposes of God in his generation, then he died” (Acts
13:36).

On Wednesday afternoon my father, David Wilkerson, passed away in a car
accident. We grieve the loss of a beloved father, a faithful husband and a holy
man of God. My mother, Gwen, his wife of 57 years, was in the car also, but we
are told she will recover fully.

Dad’s 60-plus years of ministry have impacted the lives of those closest to
him and extended to millions around the world. Today we feel a personal loss,
but at the same time we rejoice knowing Dad lived life to the fullest, obeying
God with devotion and loving Jesus radically.

He was known for his unlimited faith. He believed God could change the lives of
gang members and transform the most desperate drug addicts. He believed that a
dynamic church could be launched in the heart of Times Square, New York City.
He believed he could be a man who loved his wife and children well. And he did.

Dad was not one for fanfare, acclaim or ceremony. He turned down invitations to
meet with world leaders yet would give everything he owned to support a poor
orphan or a widow in distress.

Like King David of old, Dad served God’s purposes in his generation. He
preached with uncompromising passion and relentless grace. He wrote with
amazing insight, clarity and conviction. He ran his race well and when his work
was done, he was called home.

I don’t think my father would have retired well. I don’t think he was one
to sit in a rocking chair and reminisce about times past. I believe that Jesus,
knowing this, graciously called him home.

Dad’s last mission on earth was to be an advocate for the poorest of the
poor—to provide relief and support for hungry children and widows and
orphans. After founding Teen Challenge, World Challenge and Times Square
Church, he sought to feed starving children in the most impoverished countries
in the world. Today, Please Pass the Bread is saving the lives of thousands of
children, through 56 outreaches in 8 countries.

Like King David of old, after having served God’s purpose, he died. I know if
my father were able to encourage you with his words today, he would invite you
to give your all to Jesus, to love God deeply and to give yourself away to the
needs of others.

The works he began outlive him. We can all attest to his impacting us—not
only in his preaching, writing and founding of world-changing ministries, but
in his love, devotion, compassion and ability to stir our faith for greater
works.

GET INTO THE ARK

John Owen, the great Puritan preacher, spoke the following message to his
congregation on April 9, 1680:

“You know that for many years, without failing, I have been warning you
continually of an approaching calamitous time, and considering the sins that
have been the causes of it…I have told you that judgment will begin in the
house of God; that God seems to have hardened our hearts from his fear…and
that none knows what the power of his wrath will be. In all these things I have
foretold you of perilous, distressing, calamitous times…These all now lie at
the door, and are entering in upon us.”

God did send his awful judgments on that society. John Owen lived to weep over
a flaming holocaust that engulfed London.

Yet, before he ever saw a single one of these calamities take place, Owen
faithfully cried out from his pulpit, “I am going to show you how we ought to
deport ourselves in and under the distressing calamities that are coming upon
us, and may reach, it may be, up to the very neck.”

Beloved, we’re living in just such a time as Owen’s. And in times like
these, there is only one response to the coming storm. “The just shall live
by faith!”

Owen admonished his people with tears, “Get you an ark—prepare an ark for
the safety of you and your families.” Then he added, “The ark is Jesus
Christ. There is no other way, no other ark—for Isaiah, the prophet, said of
our Lord, ‘And a man [Christ] shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and
a covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadows of
a great rock in a weary land.’ That is our ark! Blessed are they that trust
only in him…I know of no safety, no deliverance, in the trials and
afflictions coming upon the earth, but in believing Christ as our only
refuge.”

We may see dangers on all sides, including a devil and his principalities who
want to drown our faith in doubts. But we have a fiery guard of angels
surrounding us and a God who is under oath to carry us through any disaster we
may face.

So let me ask you, do you want to face the coming storm with quiet confidence
and peace of mind? Then die today to all your own ways and means of saving
yourself and commit the keeping of your life wholly to God’s care. He’s
your good, loving Shepherd—and he is faithful to see you through all!

Fix your eyes on Jesus. He alone is our hope.

By David Wilkerson

The Rape of the Church, Part 3

The Rape of the Church, Part 2

The Rape of the Church, Part 1