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WILL BREAK DIVIDING WALLSWE
WILL BREAK DIVIDING WALLS
FLORENCE, KY -- It was a time to share the heavy burdens of revival and the church. What a blessing as Thomas Trask and John Kilpatrick stood side by side with Brother Trask giving a thumbs up for revival. Never has leadership been more warmed to the move of God as the leadership that was on the stage at Heritage Fellowship in the early part of September. It’s almost as if God had hand picked these men to be in place for a reason. While rumors and gossip try to divide, there was no division in Florence, Kentucky.
Evangelist Randy Clark wanted to be at the meeting. He realized how important it was for all these leaders to walk one in the Spirit of God. He came to the great five-day meeting on Sunday night to preach to the Heritage fellowship about the relationship of a pastor to his people. He spoke of the love he had for his church in St. Louis (St. Louis Vineyard Fellowship) where he pastors. Just before the flight to Florence he said the tears that flowed at his fellowship before he left was a deep move to the intimate relationship of God between a pastor and his flock. God had a love feast there just before heading to the church in Kentucky.
On Monday night of the meeting the Church of God shined as Dr. Sam Luke of the Princeton Pike Church of God brought his dynamic choir to back up Paul Walker, General Overseer of The Church of God.
He spoke about the time he almost left his pastorate in Atlanta at the Mt. Paran Church. He was ready to resign and go into a new field of psychology when a man came to his house and warned him. He told Walker that he would be a great success at what he was heading toward but he would miss God. This stranger was never seen again but as he left Walker, he told him if he would stay in place he would be in leadership in the last days and he would see the flames of Pentecost lick the entire world. Walker had already resigned and gave the letter to a board member. The board member told Walker he would hold the letter and go through with the decision day he announced he would leave. Walker never gave the announcement and the Mt. Paran Church in Atlanta grew in the next few years from 1,000 members - to 6,000 as revival hit the church.
Walker was called forth in the summer of 1996 as the Church of God stood on the edge of being split. He was called forth from his church in Atlanta to be the next General Overseer of the Church of God. Many had held that position but none have ever had the talent and organizational skill of the man of God from South Dakota. I soon found out that no one who ever comes into the presence of this man ever walks away disappointed. He is a man for the season of revival in the Church of God.
Walker’s religion is personal. He told the story of a young lady and the deep need in her life. He flew from Los Angeles with her in the smokers section of an airplane. She was a chain smoker and Walker could not get any other seat on the plane in this section. He spoke of how he never revealed to her that he was a preacher but by the grace of God, he got her to open up to receive Christ. He spoke of the churches’ need to see these type people for what they are, not what they look like. That was the thing that touched the hearts of all those who were at Heritage Fellowship. Walker is not just a great speaker or a great leader at the helm of a great ship but Walker is a man with a heart toward the sinner. He has an awesome job of turning the Church of God into the head winds of revival but with that sort of kindness Paul Walker will succeed.
After he spoke, Randy Clark called for a general prayer over Walker. Clark laid hands on the man of God as the presence of God filled the large auditorium.
The next evening the Assemblies of God welcomed their head man to the pulpit. Brother Thomas Trask rose to his feet to address Brother John Kilpatrick about the subject of revival and to thank him.
Trask gave a full endorsement of the revival in Pensacola and said the Brownsville Assembly of God has done more to change the direction of the Assemblies of God organization than any other organization. He said the revival is not centered around personalities, but is centered about Jesus and God does not have to ask us to do anything. Trask said, Jesus didn’t need television to bring people to Him. When it was noised abroad that He was in the house, the people came. Thomas Trask spoke of how over the years people have come into the Assemblies of God and have become comfortable and have never been saved. He emphasized the importance of staying in the Word. He spoke of becoming so critical that we don’t have faith.
Trask, like Walker, spoke of the personal witness we have in our own life, and mentioned a young man that was in business with whom he had become friends who was diagnosed with cancer. Just before the man’s death, Trask was summoned to where he was and had the opportunity of leading him to Jesus.
Paul Walker and Thomas Trask are both responsible for two of the largest Pentecostal denominations in the world today, but make no mistake about it, they are soul winners first. Revival is a way of life for these two and as leadership goes - so goes the church.
Brother Kilpatrick took center stage next as Trask returned to his seat. The Brownsville pastor said this to Brother Trask: "I thank God for a General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God who was willing to take a risk and to sanction the revival there at Brownsville. I thank God for a man today who wants revival in the Assemblies of God. I know he has taken a lot of flack, I know he has come under a lot of undue criticism, and he has been questioned far and near. He has probably gotten a lot of negative mail but he still consistently stands by the move of God in this last day. My hats off to our General Superintendent and I just thank God for him."
Kilpatrick launched into the meeting by opening with a verse out of Revelation. "I don’t believe revival is a problem, I believe any church can have a move of God in this environment right now if they want it. I don’t care if you’re Southern Baptist, United Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, or Charismatic...it really doesn’t make a difference. I don’t believe the real problem today is not having revival. If you’re willing to pay the price and count the cost, you can have it. You see God never puts revival on the discount counter. It will cost us today what it cost past generations. To have a true move of God, the cost for that revival is prayer. The main problem we have is not having revival but when revival breaks out, it is keeping it going. Scripture is read for instruction. In this book is a catalog of examples, illustrations God has given to us for us to read and learn the lesson."
Kilpatrick said he had to ask God for direction during the early days of revival. "The glory of God was so strong on me during the early days of the revival that sometimes I could hardly keep my eyes open. When we would go home, my son would have to help me get undressed because of the tremendous glory that God was putting upon my wife and me. I tried to get up early in the morning the next day and go to the office and I found myself so drunk in the Spirit that I would go from wall to wall walking down my hall. I hadn’t developed my legs yet to stand up under the glory of God. For months they had to take me and my wife out of the sanctuary in wheel chairs. I began to ask God, what in the world is going on here, what are we going to do, how will this go on? The pastor of Brownsville found his freedom in the Heritage sanctuary as the river flowed during his preaching. Kilpatrick went on to describe how what started as people coming from eight states to people coming from all over the world.
The meeting at Florence, Kentucky, answered a lot of questions about revival and how the leaders are reacting to the move of God.
The meeting was a time of peace, a time of harmony, and a time of growth. Each leader spoke of their desire for revival and each leader opened themselves to the people of God. Much was accomplished during this meeting but most of all, God was pleased. They were Breaking Dividing Walls and they were looking with hope to the future. Surely God saw this moment and wept tears of joy.