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Holy Ghost
Troublemakers
David Wilkerson
Today’s church is full of silent saints who
don’t want to make waves. After all, nobody wants trouble!
But some of the disciples were big
troublemakers. Paul and Silas walked in the power of the Spirit and “gave
their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 15:26).
On one occasion, Paul confronted a
fortune-teller and cast the evil spirit out of her, sending the entire city
into an uproar.
The slave-owners of the delivered woman dragged
Paul and Silas into the marketplace to stand trial before the city magistrates.
They then beat them and threw them into prison (see Acts 16:16-24).
It surely must have seemed that Satan had won
this battle, but all the power of God was with these Holy Ghost troublemakers.
“At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and
singing hymns to God … [and] suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the
foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were
opened and everyone’s chains were loosed” (Acts 16:25-26).
One
result of all this was that the jailor fell down before the men and cried, “Sirs,
what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).
After walking out of the prison, Paul and Silas
went directly to the home of Lydia and encouraged their brothers in the Lord (see Acts 16:40).
Paul and Silas fearlessly challenged the powers
of darkness and a dead, corrupt religious system.
“They came to Thessalonica, where there was a
synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul … reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from
the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ’” (Acts 17:1-3).
The synagogue at Thessalonica had probably
conducted quiet meetings for years, undisturbed. They diligently taught
Scripture and outwardly appeared very holy.
Then Paul came on the scene and in just three
weeks of preaching the kingship of Jesus, he turned around that whole area.
Have you ever wished you were more fervent in
your witness? Has Satan made you afraid of men?
The Bible says, “Resist the devil and he will
flee from you” (James
4:7).
“My brethren, be strong in
the Lord and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).
May Paul and Silas inspire you to be bold in
your testimony for Jesus.
World Challenge, Inc. was founded by Reverend David Wilkerson in
1971 and served as a corporate umbrella for his worldwide crusades, ministers'
conferences, book and tract publication, video production, street evangelism,
literature distribution, church planting, drug and alcohol rehabilitation
centers and many charitable outreaches. Today, World Challenge Inc. shares the
message of the gospel through mission outreaches and literature distribution.
Sermons from David
Wilkerson and his son Gary are shared monthly through the Pulpit Series
newsletter to hundreds of thousands of people. The numerous mission
outreaches of World Challenge to the poor include orphanages, overseas widows’
fund, emergency/disaster relief, healthcare/clinics, community development and
feeding centers. Gary Wilkerson became president of World Challenge in 2010 and
moves forward with the same heart and vision as his father.
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