EXPOSING DISGUISES: A CALL FOR DISCERNMENT - Tim Dilena

Thursday. And I want to share just some words with you that God began to speak to me. "EW Toeser" said this. He said, "The world is waiting to hear an authentic voice, a voice from God, not an echo of what others are doing and saying, but an authentic voice." And the only way I can tell you how that voice comes is this, until you hear his voice, you will never be a voice. You have to hear God's voice. And today I want to believe for that. And I want to share something with you that God is putting on my heart. I want to talk to you about exposing disguises, a call for discernment in these last days. How many know we need discernment more than ever in these last days? And I want to speak to you about that in these next few moments. Let's pray. Father, in these next few moments, I'm going to ask you that your voice would begin to just speak with a volume that would silence mind, come Holy Spirit and speak to the hearts and souls, not just here in this building, but for those from Malaysia to Ireland. You would speak to those from Guatemala, all the way, Lord God, I'm praying to Poland, those in Germany and those in Nigeria and Eswatini speak all over the world, Lord God, to our university campuses. We're going to believe Father that this is going to be a moment that we hear what God is saying in Jesus' name. And everybody said, Amen? This is the one o'clock for those that are not familiar. I've got to get the choir dismissed and the screen come down. Would you at least greet, maybe introduce yourself to at least three or four people and then you may be seated. God bless you. This word discernment is important and I want you to, I've been praying and thinking about a definition for this and thinking how to describe it to you and why it's so important today. Let me just let me process it with you for just a few moments here. What is discernment? I wrote this down. It's seeing underneath the words into the soul of a person, seeing through the situation that was been only revealed by the Holy Spirit. It's a God revelation moment that no matter what somebody is saying, you're seeing underneath it. You're seeing through, you're seeing to the soul of a person. It really is, discernment is God showing you things for what they really are. That there's a lot of things that can be covered up with words and costumes. Money so much could be covered up. But what discernment does, it helps you to see through. It helps you to see underneath and it begins to reveal what that situation or what that person's heart actually is. I sat with our general overseer, Pastor Carter Conlon, this last week talking about discernment and hearing the voice of God. He told me something that it began just to even go deep into my soul. He said it took about seven years of learning from David Wilkerson, our founder, the importance

and the imperative of what it means to hear the voice of God, what the Holy Spirit is saying, both here in New York City and also right here at Times Square Church. He told me the stories that Pastor Carter told me that him and Pastor Dave Wilkerson were sitting in Pastor Dave's office with a very well-known pastor in the United States. While they were sitting there, the pastor was telling them about his building project, his budget, the finances and his ever-increasing growing attendance. And David Wilkerson just sat there as the man spoke because he was listening to another voice. As the man finished exalting himself, his ministry with his personal accolades just to impress the two pastors that were there, something happened. This is the discernment. This is seeing underneath through. This is seeing a situation or a person for what it really is. So after the gentleman, the pastor, finished talking about all that his church is doing and becoming. Brother Dave simply said this. He just said, "When did you start watching pornography?" It had nothing to do with anything that this man said. It had nothing to do with his budget, his people or his church. The man was looking for praise, but God was getting ready to perform surgery. He was getting ready to deal with this man's soul. The man broke, Pastor Carter said, and just wept. He was uncontrollably weeping. He said he got addicted at age 15 and is Brother Dave said, "Get on your knees right by this couch. We're going to pray, and today it's going to be broken." Pastor Carter said it was this powerful time of prayer and a time of victory. Once when the man left and their prayer was over, Pastor Carter asked Brother Dave, he said, "What just happened?" He said, "What in the world?" He said, "We're speaking about this man's church, and you went in this whole direction." And David Wilkerson said this, he said, "Carter, don't listen to them speak. Draw back and hear the voice of the Holy Spirit." Hear what the Spirit is saying. As Brother Dave taught Pastor Carter to draw back and listen to the Holy Spirit, I feel Pastor Carter is doing the same for me. Draw back and listen to God's voice, even when people are speaking. There's so many voices out there, but the only voice that counts is the voice of the Holy Spirit. We live in a society that people will come in for work, office, church.

People will come in with many different disguises. They will come in pretending, they'll come in disguised. And like this pastor that was trying to disguise his addiction with his impressive numbers, discernment sees through that, the voice of God that spoke to David Wilkerson saw through that. I want to read to a story where prophets' eyes were physically failing, but God's voice would more than compensate for this man's age and ailment, that God was about to speak to him, that what he was about to experience is that what his eyesight couldn't. He was about to get God's insight over his physical sight. God's insight into the situation, that's the discernment that's seen through, that's seen underneath, that's getting to the bottom of something. The wicked King Jeroboam in 1 Kings 14 had a sick son who could possibly die. The sick boy's name was Abijah, and he wanted answers from the prophet Ahaija. And I'm so sorry that you're going to have to figure this out. Why God would take Balaam and Balaq, Ahaija and Abijah. I said, "God, wouldn't it be easier just to say Fred and Bob?" I said, "But we have to have names so close to each other." So just to distinguish, Ahaija, Ahaija is the prophet and Abijah is the sick boy. Jeroboam told his wife, here's the part we'll pick it up at, told his wife to disguise herself and go see the prophet Ahaija about Abijah. Dress up like a different lady and find out what he sees or what he thinks is going to happen to our sick boy. Will he die or will he live? Now I kept thinking to myself, why would she disguise herself? Why did Jeroboam do this? Because this King, this is what the Bible says, you can read it in the chapter, has done more evil than all the people of kings and kingdoms before him. He has made idols in Israel. In fact, God's word says this, God said, "They have cast me behind their back." What that means is God becomes an afterthought.

God becomes a thought only when things go bad or in this case when your son is sick. When sickness, when a diagnosis comes and you're sitting there going, now we want to hear from God. But when everybody's healthy, no one wants to hear from God. And now all of a sudden, now that a boy is sick, they're going to find the prophet and they're going to go ahead and disguise themselves. Here is what it says because Jeroboam and his wife were trying to hide their disobedient lives with pretending. That's why she was disguised. She was trying to hide their disobedient lives with their pretending. Verse 1 says this, "At that time, Abijah, the son of Jeroboam, became sick. Jeroboam said to his wife, "Arise now and disguise yourself so that they will not know that you are the wife of Jeroboam and go to Shiloh. Behold, Elijah, the prophet is there who spoke concerning me that I be king over this people. Take 10 loaves with you, some cakes and a jar of honey. Go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy, to the sick boy Abijah." Jeroboam's wife did so. A rose and went to Shiloh and came to the house of Abijah. Now, here's where I want you to really lock in. Now, Elijah could not see for his eyes redimmed because of his age. But here's the compensation. Now, the Lord had said, "So what he couldn't see, God would speak to him to give him an insight and discernment." God said, "Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you." We would call this in New York City. We have a term for this called dropping a dime on somebody. God just dropped a dime on this king and said, "She's gonna be disguised, "but you're gonna know who this is." Listen to this, you shall say thus and thus to her,

for it will be when she arrives. She will pretend to be another woman. She will pretend to be another woman. And when Ahajah heard the sound of her feet coming in the doorway, I love this part. "Come in," he said, "wife of Jeroboam, "why do you pretend to be another woman?" Can you just imagine hearing that on the other side of the door as you took hours to disguise yourself. Put on a wig, put on the makeup, and you're going, "Surely he won't know me." But what happens is what she forgot is that God sees everything. And here's what happens. He said, "I am sent with a harsh message." Ahajah could not see in the natural, but he could hear the voice of the Lord and God gave him discernment. God gave him a word that began to see through, that began to see underneath and to see beyond the disguise and the pretending. He was able to see the situation for what it really is. Here's what I kept, I asked myself this question. Can you imagine answering the costumed woman without the voice of God? Can you imagine David Wilkerson speaking to a pastor about budgets and buildings and missing the opportunity for freedom to come to this man?

Because you're not listening to the Holy Spirit, because you're responding with your eyes and not with the Holy Spirit as speaking, Ahajah or David Wilkerson could have literally began to lose this moment from not hearing what God was speaking to them. See, God sees what you can't see and we desperately need to hear so we can speak what God wants us to speak. That don't respond before you see and respond here and then respond. Here what God is saying, I don't know if this is true. I don't know if this is folklore. I don't know if this is just something that's just made up. But I've heard this all of my life in my family is that as you get older, that the only thing that continues to grow on your body is your nose and your ears. See, only thing, they said that everything else will stop growing except those two things. That your ears get badly disproportionate and same thing with your nose. At least that's what my kids tell me about me. And I'm praying, I don't know if this is true, but I am praying that it's true in the spiritual realm. I need my ears to get bigger to hear God. I need to hear the voice of the Lord. There's things that are happening all around us in this culture. A hygien can't see with his natural eyes

and someone with a costume is visiting, just wanting information. But God is wanting to dig into the soul. God is wanting to go after a nation and not just deal with what is gonna be the diagnosis of a sick boy. God will tell him who she really is and God will tell him what is going to happen to the kingdom of Israel at this moment. And a wicked king thought he can outsmart God's prophet. A wicked king thought he can outsmart the voice of the Lord or someone listening to God. I'm telling you, it happens all the time. People will come into church like a service just like this or even watching online that maybe somebody essentially the link. Can I just tell you something? You may be able to dress up and pretend and fool everybody else. You cannot fool God. You cannot fool God. He will go after those things. It's a call today for the church to pray because prayer is the avenue for hearing the voice of God. Remove prayer and you remove the voice. Remove prayer and no one's hearing. When you remove prayer, then you're responding with your eyes. You're responding to what you see instead of what God is speaking to us. It's a call to hear the voice of God.

We live in a culture and at a time where even the church is being deceived by the culture and politics. We're looking in DC, we're looking at governments and everything else and going, this is what we need to do this. What is God saying? What is the Holy Spirit telling us to do? Not because a candidate is in office. What is God saying to do? And folks, I'm telling you this is so important and we don't pray, then we decide with this instead of hearing what God is saying. I just learned this this week. I didn't even realize this. This part I knew, but the second part was brand new to me. The nation. is not the United States, it's China. China, communist China, has more Christians in a nation where it is illegal to have a church or to be a Christian. There is no buildings, there is no evangelical church, but literally hundreds of millions of believers are meeting in secret in China. It's a miracle what God is doing there. (audience applauding) And it's what's incredible, I learned this this week from the story of someone who has been there. It's the voice of the Holy Spirit that is the weapon against the communist government that is trying to stop and hunt down the pastors

and put them in jail. That's what the goal is. We can find out where they're meeting, get the pastors, we'll lock them up. And here's what I just found out this week. This one of our pastors was over there and experienced this firsthand. The churches, the churches when they're meeting underground never text, write, or verbally tell where they're going to meet next. They ask you to pray for the Lord to show you where and when it's supposed to happen. (audience applauding) Folks, why does that seem out, just what does that seem foreign to us? 'Cause we live in this marketing moment of getting, let's put everything on Instagram and we can put it up there for three weeks and still can't get people to come. But we should take a whole week and say, ask God when we're meeting. We should take, we should all week long. We just say, we're gonna meet in a different place. And if you wanna know where, ask Jesus. Can you imagine that? Nobody knows where they're meeting unless the Holy Spirit tells us. And this is what he said. He said, they always find out because God is speaking to them

where they're supposed to meet. It's unbelievable when you start to realize this. The voice of God is how they know and then coming in droves. The Spirit tells them when and where. It's incredible. This is so important to us because it's when the church stops hearing is when the church starts backsliding. The book of Jeremiah is a book about God's judgment, God's chastisement on his people that have stopped listening. In fact, the descriptive word that is all over this book of Jeremiah is the word backslider. It appears all over this book. It's so prevalent. But the most common, or let me just say it like this, backslidden is God's description of the people. But how it happened, the reason, this is the part I want you to get, the reason they're in this condition is because the people wouldn't listen to God. In fact, the most common phrase that I have found in the book of Jeremiah is this, the people would not listen. The people would not listen. Folks, it's all over. I kept reading it over and over again. I wrote down 20 verses of people not listening

and that begins to say, when you live a life this way and not hearing what God is saying, then all of a sudden you find yourself in a backslidden state. Let me just read to you with just some of the verses I wrote down. Jeremiah 7, 13. God says, while you were doing all these things, the clairs of the Lord I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen. Jeremiah 6, 10. To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. Jeremiah 13, 11. There's a waistband clings to the waist of the man so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah cling to me, declares the Lord that they might be for me, a people renowned for praise and for glory, but they didn't listen. Jeremiah 17, 23. Yet they did not listen or incline their ears but stiffen their necks in order not to listen or take correction. 25, four and the Lord has sent you to all of his servants, the prophets there again and again, but you have not listened or inclined your ear. 25, seven.

Yet you have not listened to me, declares the Lord, that you might provoke me to anger in the work of your hands, to your own harm. 35, 14. The words of John adapt, the son of Raycab, which he commands his sons not to drink wine or to observe so they don't drink wine to this day for they have not obeyed their father's command, but I've spoken to you again and again, but you haven't listened to me. Jeremiah 35, 16, he speaks about this family again and he says that they have observed the command of their father, which commanded them, but the people won't listen to me, they'll listen to their natural father, but won't even talk, listen to what I'm saying. Listen to this, he tells them in Jeremiah 11, 10, they've turned their back to their iniquities of their ancestors who refuse to hear my words and they've gone after other gods, the house of Israel and the house of Judah has broken covenant with them. the fruit of their plans because they have not listened to my words, and that's from my law, they've rejected it, 2919, because they have not listened to my words, declared the Lord, which I've sent to them again and again by my servants and the prophets. But you didn't listen, 1310, the wicked people who refused to listen to my words,

who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts, have gone after other gods to serve them, and bowed down to them. And he says, let them be just like this waistband, which is totally worthless. You're my 32, 33, they have turned their back to me and not their face, though I've taught them teaching again and again, they would not listen. 22, 21, I spoke to you in your prosperity, but you said, I will not listen, 13, 17, but if you will not listen, my soul will sob in secret for such pride in my eyes, will weep bitterly and flow down with tears. And finally, 12, 17, but if they will not listen, then I will uproot that nation, uproot and destroy it, declares the Lord over and over and over again. Cut says, I've spoken, but you won't listen. It's not that there's a, it's not that there's not the voice of God speaking, it's the problem is, is that we're not listening to what God is saying. A God who speaks and a people would not listen means that you find yourself in a backslidden state. How do you know this? I wasn't gonna, I put this down on my notes as I was reading this this morning. I have a friend that came and succeeded, this Baptist pastor, Jerry Vines in Florida. I believe it was Fort Lauderdale.

And Jerry Vines said this, powerful words, listen to these words, are you backslidden now? This is how you find out. He said, I'm gonna help you answer that question. Backslidden Christian is any Christian who is not as close to Jesus as he used to be. Was there ever a time in your life when you were more consecrated to the Lord than you are now? Was there ever a period in your life when you felt the presence of God more than you feel it now? Was there ever a moment in your life when your love for Jesus Christ was more real than it is this minute? Listen to me, he says, you need a revival. You need God to come in. Folks, don't push that aside. This is such an important thing because backsliding is the easiest thing to do. You do nothing. That's how it starts. This is God saying, you're not even listening to me anymore. You come, you'll sing, but you're missing my voice. You're just becoming dismissive of it. When I reflect on 1 Kings 14 and a woman pretending to be another woman and the prophet who is speaking the word of God, I'm asking God to open up my ears. Let me hear what God is saying to me.

We need today to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit because we live in a society that people are pretending to be what they're not meant to, what they're not actually. It's calling for people that will see beneath and through, not just look at something, but to go, God, what are you saying to me? That's, this is where Pastor Carter said, I learned the lesson that David Wilkerson was telling me seven years after that meeting in that office. Seven years later, he said he was in a car coming back from Washington DC with some other leaders in the church here in Times Square. And he says, that's where we're making the long drive. This was the moment I said, this is what brother Dave meant. This is what it meant. He said, we were coming back. And he said, I told the men in the car, I said, let's take a New Testament book. I'll just start reading it and we'll pass the time away so we don't waste it. I'll just start reading it. And let's just see if God says anything to us. Let's see if the Holy Spirit speaks to us. He said, something happened, that was reading the words. He said, I got to chapter four and read these words. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need. The Holy Spirit, he said, in that car moment, spoke to him.

He said, I knew it. I knew what brother Dave was saying. In that moment, he felt that the Holy Spirit said to him, there was a catastrophic event that's coming to New York City. And you need to get the church ready. You need a church that will find grace to help in time of need. He said, the church is going to be needed to help people, but I've got to get that church in the right place. He said he came back and told David Wilkerson that something was coming. But the Dave looked at him and said, did God speak to you? And Pastor Carter goes, God spoke to me. And it was just a few months later that New York City and the United States would experience 9/11. And all of a sudden, he started to realize, this is why we've got to hear the voice of God. When we hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, can I just challenge leaders that are listening, leaders that may be in this place? When you hear the Holy Spirit, you don't have to plagiarize what other ministries are doing. You don't have to read books and listen to podcasts Him speak to you what to do. Don't just look at a place and go, let's do that, let's do that. That's exhausting. Then you're pretending to be something that you're not. When we hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, we're not reacting to times and events, but God is preparing us with His voice. When we hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, God begins to help us not waste time anymore by trying to respond to situations that need a voice to speak through and underneath these things. We need a church that doesn't just see darkness, but can see through the darkness. When you pray, the skies get exposed. God will tell you who people really are and what's underneath. When you listen to God's voice, all of a sudden God

begins to break through. Listen to God's voice. Listen to me. Listen to God's voice. I want you to get this now because I want to just spend a few moments here. Listen to God's voice and number one, you will see through those pretending to be another person. Get a hold of God's voice and you'll see through those that have this aggressive disagreement with Christians. Have you, have anybody has ever come in contact with these loud boisterous people that attack Christians that just, that they're so loud and I'm telling you, it's all a disguise. Underneath, folks, they are begging. Their vocalness is hiding the fear that's underneath. Do not be afraid of those that are allowed. It was Charles Spurgeon. I didn't say this in the first service. Get this down. Charles Spurgeon said this. It's the empty truck that makes the most noise. It's the truck that's coming down with nothing in it that's going, "Bam, boom, bam, there's nothing in it. Don't be afraid because you have something inside of you that he who is in you is greater than he that is in this world." See through those with aggressive disagreement and see through those angry. You see an anger today. It's volatile society. You see this anger towards God and towards his word. It is the exposing of the disguises of the Jeroboam's wife. I want to tell you about the Apostle Paul for just a few moments and then Jacob. This is God. You're going to see truth is going to cut through pretending like a hygien did. Authentic Christianity. Little Christians is going to break down barriers. That's what Stephen did for the Apostle Paul and boldness are going to put seeds in the heart of people. People that would disagree and scold you. Supervisors that would say, "You can't say that. You're not supposed to say that. I'm telling you that scolding is coming out of their mouth but a seed is going inside their hearts." So bear with me for just a few moments. I want to just first exposing Jeroboam's wife who's pretending by simply saying what God said without fear of consequences. You know what exposed Jeroboam's wife? This man without fear of consequences said the truth. What do you mean, Pastor Tim? This woman has the power to take this man's life. This is the woman that can go to her husband, kill him. This man just called me out. This man was mean. This man was too bold with me. But this didn't stop him. God took. And he would not budge. It happened this week to me. In fact, it happened yesterday as, I'm sorry, on Friday. Cindy and I and some others were at an event. The kind of the cousin ministry of Times Square Church is World Challenge. David Wilkerson started

Teen Challenge and then he started World Challenge and in Times Square Church. And World Challenge is a missions organization that is focused on widows and orphans. And they didn't event this week in Arizona. And it was at a hotel that was so hard to get you. Like it was no easy way. And so in order for us to get home, we had to take a path home that we just wouldn't take. An airline home that we wouldn't have just got on that airplane. And so we're sitting on this airplane. And who knew why God? It would have been so much easier to get into LaGuardia. Or I was going to say JFK, but nothing's easy about JFK. So, but I just thought to myself and going, God, you put us on this. It's going to be a long travel day back. And it was going to be over 10 hours just to get home. And so we got in late that night. But all of a sudden, this is Cindy said to me, she goes, God put that we normally wouldn't have got on. And while we were on the flight, I pulled out my Bible and I just started reading. And the flight attendant comes, he goes, "Is that a Bible? I need a word from the Lord." And I was going, "Okay." Then we must be on the right flight then. So this must be the Lord. And she was dressed as a flight attendant, but underneath this was a young believer that just went through a disease that God healed her from and just became a Christian. She was struggling with her family and she was struggling in her life. And though she was dressed up this way, God was speaking something to that young lady's life. And she was sick and healed by God, came to faith. And God had us on that flight. She came over, she said, "I don't want to bother you." I said, "Let me just tell you something, kneel down right here. We're going to lay hands upon you and we're going to pray. God put us on this flight." And I remember writing out a passage and I said, "And here's the verse for you. You take this verse and you hold on to this. This is the verse that God has." And we began to see that you could be dressed up in a uniform. You could be dressed up as NYPD or a fireman. You could be dressed up as a wall street trader. You could be dressed up as a professor. But I'm telling you underneath, God will get a hold of that heart and God will get a hold of that soul. But you cannot be intimidated by consequences. What if they don't like me? What if they yell at me? What if they do? Folks, this is what happens. You know what exposes it is when people have a conviction that this is true and I'm not backing down. I know what truth is. Truth exposes all that stuff. But we're so afraid of the consequences. If anybody should be afraid of it, it should have been a hygien. He could have lost his life as the knock comes on the door and he goes, "Come on in, pretender. Come on in." Because we're going

to begin to speak to what the truth is. And he tells us he goes, "And I have a harsh message for you. I'm going to a hygien. Calm down. I'm thinking to myself, this man was relentless. That's why we've got to speak what we hear from God. The second thing that happens is God exposes Paul's hearty, boisterous, really aggressive agreement with true Christianity. He exposes it at the death of Stephen. Stephen is about to be stoned because of his belief in Christ. And listen to these words in Acts 758, when they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him. And the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. Now that's going to be the Apostle Paul. So Paul is watching this young man, Stephen, the first martyr of the church. He's watching him die and in hearty agreement. Listen to it. Then they went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." Having said this, I love this. He fell asleep. And Saul was in a hearty agreement with putting him to death. Think about what just happened here. This young man named Saul, who was going like, "Yeah, get rid of the Christians. Yeah, we don't need Christianity. Get rid of these guys." Hardily agreeing with this brutality of killing a man because he would not back down with his Christianity. It was, and then all of a sudden, Paul's Saul's heart at this time was exposed by a real Christian forgiving people that was hurting him. How many times is that culture through adultery and other things? Stone people in this first century. And how many of them are probably cursing the ones that are killing them, throwing the stones. And to hear a real Christian say, "I forgive you. God, don't hold this against them." Can you imagine that? You know what the worst thing to happen to a believer is? It's bitterness. To not forgive. We live in a society that no one forgives. Everybody's going to sue you today. The last thing we need in the church, "Why, watch it in the church. This brother did this. This brother did this." Listen. And everybody's going like, "They hurt me. They hurt me." News slash. We've all been hurts. But you have to choose to forgive. The worst thing that can happen in the church is them suing each other. The worst thing to happen in the church is to see a bitter face on somebody. Folks, we've been forgiven. That's what Paul couldn't deal with. Paul couldn't deal with somebody going, "God forgive them." In fact, later, Paul calls this, and Jesus even calls this, when he meets him on the road to Damascus.

He'd call it, "Paul, you couldn't even kick against the goats." He said, "Something kept pricking you in the side." That's why I visited you. You know what pricked him in the side? Watching a Christian die in the midst of darkness, but forgiving the ones that were killing him. That's a miracle, folks. Forgive people. Don't hold on to unforgiveness. Don't hold on to those things. It was authentic Christianity that Paul, let me say it to you this way. It meant Paul couldn't unsee a real Christian that it was able to get through the darkest moment of his life. Don't complain. Trust God. Don't be bitter. Forgive. Don't run from God. Run to God. Let the world see. When it gets dark, we dig in deeper. And trust God for all that he has done for us. What seemed to be a hearty agreement in Acts 8.1 would literally get him to repent on the road to Damascus. What seemed to be, I agree. I agree with this killing. Underneath he couldn't unsee this real Christianity. Be a real Christian. Be real in what you and who you are. Don't pretend.

Don't take off the religious clothes. Be real. Be like Jesus. There's a, there was an album that is probably my favorite name. I think they still call them albums today. That's, it was whatever they call it. I don't think they drop an album, drop a CD. And no, they don't call it. You're just as old as I am. They don't go. I think they call them EPs or whatever. There was an album that came out some years ago and it played on the way that Paul, where Paul meets God, where God undresses him and says, I'm going after the real Paul. I'm going to make Saul Paul. And so instead of it being the road to Damascus, it was called the road to Damascus. I love that name, the road that takes off the pretending, the road that takes off all that stuff. God was working in Paul's heart. His voice, though it was a hearty agreement, they were still turmoil. Paul could be going like, I agree with Stephen's death. His soul was in turmoil. It would just be two chapters later, Paul would be demasked on the road to Damascus, because he couldn't pretend any longer. He couldn't pretend with his hearty agreement. Don't be intimidated by people's vocalness against us.

Don't back down. God's working in their heart. It's a mask. It's an empty truck. They're trying to intimidate. I'm telling you, the Word of God is inside of you. Be a true Christian. Be an authentic Christian. I'm just going to say, I wrote this down, and I said, I don't want to say this. But I don't care anymore. Listen, find another play. I'm going to get us ready for what's coming. We're going to have a church. And so if you don't like this, hey, Sayonara, here we go. I just seriously, I wrote it down, and I said, I'm not going to put that up there. And I just felt God said, you're too old to care. So this is the thing I want to just want to tell you. This is what I wrote down. And I want you to listen to this. I want you to listen. I wrote this down as I was praying about this. You have Christians today drinking and cursing, thinking sinners will be comfortable around them. And they never make impact. Because deep down, unbelievers want their lives exposed, not affirmed. Keep that up there for a second. And so while you're trying to make everybody like you,

they're dying for someone to demask them. But you just put on another mouth. They're going, I don't need you. I want to find someone who's real, true, and is an authentic Christian today. Stand up for things that are right today. Stop going backwards. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. I'm not angry. (audience laughing) Let's finish with this. Let's finish with this. I'm tired. I want to watch people get baptized. Here we go. came by a seed being planted in his heart." Jacob scolded a word, a dream, that was from God, and he scolded it. He said, "That's not true. You'd think that's true." His brother scolded and pushed it away. Joseph has a dream, and he told his fathers and his brothers, and his father scolded him, and he was angry. But something happened in the scolding of going, "Don't say that. You shouldn't do that. That can't be true." While the father is yelling, a seed is going inside of him. Listen to it, and he, Joseph, told the dream to his father, and his father scolded him. What kind of dream is that? Do you think that your mother and your brothers and I are going to come and bow down to you? Just keep this in mind. They did. 13 years later. It was true. He would be the prime minister, second in charge of the world. So the dream was from God, and all of a sudden, he tells them to dream. People sometimes have a problem with this. I've even thought this day, and he shouldn't have told him. I'm not sure. I'm not so sure, because it wasn't, it was this dream that was exposing the condition of their own soul. And here's what it says. And Joseph's brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept thinking about this whole matter. One version says, it says it marked him. It marked his heart. So while he's yelling, saying, "What are you doing? What are you saying? Something is dropping in his heart." Don't be afraid of resistance. Don't be afraid

of people, of people going like you can't. It's exposing the scolding or the anger when you share what God has showed you. It's a seed in the heart. You know what the pretending is? You know what the disguise is? Anger is a disguise. Resistance, it's a disguise. It's barriers, it's walls that have gone up. And God has come to demask us. He just needs a people that can hear. We're, all the singers, everybody can come out. This way we can really finish. I'm reading, I'm reading a book from the son of somebody who's meant a lot in my life. He's long been in heaven. His name is Leonard Ravenhill, a man that just longed and prayed for revival. His son wrote a book that has, that has been ministering to me. I didn't even know about the book. And I've been on the phone a few times with him and just my heart was full each time, but probably two or three times we talked. The name of the book was just simply called surviving the anointing, surviving the anointing by David Ravenhill. And he tells the story of a friend, a minister friend, being invited to a pastor's house for fellowship. And while they get there, he introduces him to, you got everybody, you guys, everybody can come out, instruments and everybody. While they're there at the house, he's introduced to a young lady who's getting ready to be a missionary to China. And the pastor asked the friends, he said, I want you to pray for her. I want you to pray before she goes. I don't know if it was in a couple weeks. And remember, what he sees, what he sees is a missionary to China. But what he's going to hear is going to be something that is going to begin to define the situation. It's hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit. It's David Wilkerson seeing a pastor that is touting his accomplishments. I built, I have this much in my budget. I've got this many members, and we're growing, and we've gone to this many services. Thank God for the day he heard the voice of the Lord. Before him was a pastor that was successful in America. But underneath the success was a man in bondage that needed someone. Thank God. Didn't need another minister's meeting going, how did you do it? How did you do it? Do a seminar on how to get this done, needed a voice that would hear from God. You had a hydra looking at a dress-up lady. And the Bible says this, the Bible says, she was pretending to be a woman. And I'm going to say it, not mainly. We have men pretending to be Women. Crying out something talk to me. Someone talk to me. God wants to remove all the disguises. I don't say that meanly. I'm saying this is the moment to demask us. So as he's looking at this missionary to China, he feels that he hears something like David Wilkerson

heard. He hears something. And this is what he hears. Listen to these words. Tell her I hate mommy's and daddy's. And this is what he feels like he hears. And so I'm just telling you if I heard that, I'd be going like, I bind you Satan. But he knew the voice of God. He knew the voice of God. Tell her I hate mommy's and daddy's. I thought to himself, this is foolishness. This doesn't even make sense. Why should I tell this missionary who's already sold everything to go to China? The Lord hates mommy's and daddy's. And he said he finally just struggled with it and pushed it to the side. And they started talking and everything started happening. And then the pastor said, okay, let's, before we leave, let's get ready to pray for our dear sister. And then he said, he looked at, he looked at his friend and said, and if you feel there's anything on your heart, would you please share it? The sermon looks through, it looks underneath. When you hear something from the Lord, it gets, it speaks to what's really in front of you. The minister looked at the young lady and said, God did tell me to say one thing to you. This is what he told me to say. He hates mommy's and daddy's. And suddenly, the room grew quiet and out of this young lady, all the color drained from her face and she collapsed to the floor. She said, when I was a little girl for many years, my grandfather and two uncles and friends abused me. And when my grandfather would come to the house, they would take me away and say, now we're going to play mommy's and daddy's. And God just set me free, that in my pain, God is going to heal me in this moment. And all of a sudden, the pain was gone, forgiveness came into her soul, and she would go to China, set free by the power of God. I heard something and was able to speak to it. God would speak to a hygge, a lady's coming in a costume. She'll pretend to be another woman. And you're going to need a word from the Lord to remove those disguises. We need a church, we need a people. You need a pastor. Oh, God, pray for me. That doesn't just see with his eyes, but here's what the Lord is saying. There's so many voices in this city. There's 8 million voices that we'll call for your attention. There's 8 million voices in this city. There's media and all these things. Come do this. Come do this. Hey, support this. Let's go and do this. We hear it constantly. We need the voice of the Holy Spirit today. This church is here today because a man heard the voice of the Holy Spirit. David Wilkerson would pick up a life magazine, begin to turn its pages, and come to a certain page that stuck out to him, and on that page would be the drawing of a court artist who had put down seven young men from the dragon gang in the 1957. David Wilkerson would look closely at that picture

and begin to weep. These young men are on trial because those gang members in 1957 caught a 15-year-old boy in a park here in Manhattan, a quadriplegic named Michael Farm, who couldn't even defend himself, and they would stab him to death. And David Wilkerson would look at those seven young men that was on that picture, and instead of saying this, "Oh, who wants to go to New York City?" Who would even go to that city? David Wilkerson saw, but he heard these words, "Go to New York City and help those boys." You sit here today because somebody heard something. How many have looked at the pictures in Paris, France, and you're going, "Oh, what are they doing? How about listening to what God is saying?" And instead of judging going, "Look at Europe, Look at this. I have people look at New York going, I would never live in New York. (congregation laughing) I want people to hear from God. I want people to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. What is God saying to you? Before you look at a prodigal going like, they're so messed up. Maybe God's speaking some hope into your ears and saying, "I've got a plan for them." They look like Saul, but I've got a Paul that I'm planning to changing their life right now. You've got to listen, that right before you, it looks like hardy agreement. Ah, kill all the Christians. Right before you is a woman pretending to be another woman. Right before you is a man scolding you. That's a dumb thing that you just said. I can't believe you said that, but the little dizzy note that we know, the seed has gone into his heart. Oh God, let us hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. You know what my prayer has been, stand with me.

This has been my prayer. I just saw this verse and I just started saying, "God, please, please, maybe you would join with me, "letting this be a prayer." Isaiah 50 verse four, "He awakens me morning by morning "and he awakens my ear to listen as a disciple." Anybody wanna join with me on that just to go, "Speak to me, Lord, take down all the disguises. "Let me hear, let me hear what you're saying." Oh God, let me hear what you're saying. I've wasted, folks, look at me for a second. I've wasted, I've wasted so much time responding to what I've seen and not hearing what his voice is saying. I've wasted so much time, even in ministry. Listening to vitriol, listening to all the names and what the people are saying. I'm just going, "God, just give me, just speak to me. "Speak to my heart, Holy Spirit. "Speak to my heart, Holy Spirit." Can I tell you, pretending and disguises, it's exhausting. It's exhausting to pretend to be something you're not. You know what God wants to do? I'll just say it like this. Bow your head for just a moment. I want you just to let the Holy Spirit speak now. I'm praying that this is a moment. We just drop the costumes, we drop the disguises, we drop it all, we just go, "God, today,

"this is who I am, could you use, "could you use this raw material today?" I get angry, easy. My mind gets plagued with vile things, this mouth, this mouth gets in the way. Maybe you're here today and say, "I found that I'm moving towards backsliding, "not listening to 'em like I used to." I know these are tough words today, but folks, here in the center of New York City, we've gotta always make sure that this fire is burning inside of us. We don't have the luxury, we don't have the luxury of being lukewarm, we don't have the luxury, we have to stay on fire for him, and I'm asking God, this deal with my heart, no more pretending, no more pretending, like, this is the new thing now, that this is God, this is God honoring. God, go deep into my soul, go after everything. If you're here today, and you're just going, God is removing the disguises. I've been pretending, he's going after this stuff, he's going after it. I've pretended the marriages, I've pretended ministry, I've pretended this is great, I've pretended I've got it together inside I'm falling apart,

you may be here today in an atheist and your atheism has just failed you. And now it's time to take the disguise off, let him demask us today, let this be the road to Damascus today. And if you're here today and just say, Pastor Tim, I'm tired of pretending I've got to get, I've got to get this right with God. This is who I am. God, would you use this wrong material? This is who I am. If you're here today and you're hearing that, you're finding your soul, it's not been listening. [MUSIC PLAYING] Oh, respond, respond, respond if you hear his voice today. Some of you may be visiting and just showed up today and going, well, they have a one o'clock. Let's go to balcony, listen to me. He's speaking to you today. And you with all the hang ups and all the things that may come along with this and going like, man, I feel like damaged goods. I got good news for you. The Bible says this, anyone who comes to him, he will never cast out. He'll take you hang ups. He'll take you with addictions. He'll take you with everything and say, let's just get rid of the masks, though. Let's get rid of the vitriol. Let's get rid of the hardy agree. Let's get rid of the silly talk.

Like, everything's good. Everything's good. No, it's not good. It's time to get things right. Can we get it right today? How many here God is speaking to you and said, I've got to drop this disguise? Anybody here? Raise your hand. Just say, he's speaking to me right now. Hold those hands up high. Say, he's telling me to drop the disguise. Okay. Hold him up high. Hold him up high. And if you don't hold him up high, listen, put him back down. Because some of you are so afraid to put it up going. If I put it up, he's going to say something. Absolutely. So as we sing this, this is going to be the road to the mask. It's about get down here as fast as you can. Let this be freedom today. Just get out of your seat and get down here and say, God, I want this done. I want this. I want God you to deal with it. Come on, get down. Let's sing this. Let's sing. Come on. You come. Balcony, come.

Let's get things right with God today. Let's get things right. All masks. All masks. De-maskas. De-maskas today. Oh, God, help us to listen. Help us to listen. Help us to listen. And my faith could be made stronger in the presence of my senses. Spiritly, spiritly. Let me walk in one, one, wherever you go. Take me deeper, take me deeper than my feet. My faith could be made stronger in the presence of my senses. Let me walk in one, one, wherever you go. Take me deeper, take me deeper than my feet. Let me walk in one, wherever you go. Hello. Let's sing it one more time. Come on, Church. Lift those hands and sing it. Come on. Spiritly. Spiritly. Let me sing it one more time. Just look at me for a second. We're going to close quickly because we're going to get everybody upstairs in the next three minutes. Let me just say, isn't it exhausting to pretend? It really soaks.

And there's people that are out there. I'm telling you, they are exhausted, but they don't want to come down. And the person next to them is going like, I don't know what's wrong with you, bro. You know. You know. If I'm you, get out of your seat and get down here. You're pretending by staying in your seats. It's like, and what's crazy is everybody knows around you. But that's why what you've done today, you just said, I want to become real with God. I want to get real with God. I see the tears coming down. I see the tears. God's going to do it today. Give me your hand. Father, today. This is a day of freedom for him today. Today of freedom for this. You're going to bring freedom to his heart today. Those tears are wanting the authenticity, the authentic. So, God, I lay hands upon him today and I say, touch my friend today. Oh, God. Touch him in Jesus' name. Hallelujah. Listen to me. Listen. Listen. I'm not going to hold you along. He's demasking us. He's good. And God is able to use raw material.

The material that we're thinking like, God, you're going to, you're not going to like this. You're not going to, can I just, can I just give you a new slash? He knows you already. He already knows. So, you're going like, let me come to church and pretend. He already knows who you are. He knows who I am. Let's just surrender to him. Can we just do this today? We'll just lift your hand for a second. And just say this and say, "God, here I am. This is me. It doesn't look pretty. But I thank you. You're able to take me and this raw material and build a masterpiece. It may take some time, but God, give me patience. You've been patient with me. And I believe today I'm on the road to Damascus. Saul will become Paul and all the pretending will stop. Make me new. Make me brand new. In Jesus' name. And everybody said, "A man, an amen." Listen. It's a journey. It's going to take tears. It's going to take tears. It's going to be moments. I want you to know, online and in person. This isn't magic.

It starts, though, with just going, "God, I'm just tired of this. I'm tired. I'm exhausted. I'm exhausted." So God today, this is who I am. Let him change you. Don't stay there. The problem with this culture is they go, "This is just who I am. Here's good news. God goes, "Yeah, that's true. But I'm not going to keep you who you are." This society says, "No, be who you are. God says, "I'll change who you are." I'll change who you are. That's the problem. So our society, we admit it, but we don't go any further. God says, "I need you to admit it and then show up to my throne. And I'll change it." No more pretending. No more pretending. God goes, "I can change you and make you brand new today."