Facing the Canon with R.T. Kendall

[Music] stop to RT Kendall it's a great joy and privilege to welcome you on facing the Canon and here at Westminster Chapel where you spent 25 years correct and we'll visit that in a moment but let's go back to the beginning where were you born Rt Ashland Kentucky well you were born into a Christian home yes yes and would you say that you have always known the Lord I never want to put it like that at the age of six and a half on an Easter morning I don't know why but I went to my parents and I was crying and I said I want to become a Christian and my father looked at my mother and said we don't need to wait till we get the church we can pray now and we knelt it my parents bedside and I confessed my sins to God now what sins that I had committed at the age of six I don't remember except that I felt guilty over talking back to my parents rudely and I confess that to God and that it was real as though it were yesterday and I knew I was saved and that was 75 years ago now did that particular decision make a difference to you at that age I don't know I just know that I remember it and knew that I was a Christian of course over the years a lot more happen to build on that and then it was when I was 19 20 years old that I had what I would call a Damascus Road experience that's not quite true because it wasn't my conversion but it was when I had an experience where the Lord Jesus was as real to me as you are at this moment and that was what was really life-changing what happened I was a student at trevecca Nazarene College now University and only a few months before I had come to the conclusion I was called to preach and three months later lo and behold I'm offered a church while I'm a student it's a little town called Palmer Tennessee just north of Chattanooga on a mountain and I would go there on weekends on Fridays and come back Sunday nights and pass to the church in Monday to Friday was a student at trevecca one Monday morning as it turned out I came back on a Monday that time and I remember it was about 6:30 in the morning on my way back I had an hour and a half more to drive I turned off my radio decided I would pray all the way back I've never done it before he's let play the radio but for some reason I wanted to pray I felt a heaviness a burden and I couldn't understand what it meant and I began to plead with the Lord what's going on am I not saved when all of a sudden two scriptures came to my mind one was 1 Peter 5:7 casting all your care upon him for he cares for you the other my yoke is easy and my burden is like Matthew 11:30 but I thought my yoke is not easy it's heavy please help me Lord help me to cast my care upon you then I can say my yoke is easy and my burden is light I can take you to the spot on the road on old u.s. 41 at the bottom of Monteagle toward Manchester there was as I'm driving Jesus interceding for me at the right hand of God it was as real as I'm looking you and I couldn't believe it I burst into tears and I never felt such love well he he loves me more than I love myself and he was behind it all he was praying to the Father as if to plead in my case I could not tell what he was saying it's like if you use somebody in the next room you can hear voices but you don't know what they're saying but about an hour later when I get to heaven I want to get a video replay and just see all that happened in that hour because I don't know I know that an hour later I heard Jesus say to the Father he wants it voice answered back I take it to be the father answering Jesus he can have it and in that moment I felt a surge of warmth go into my chest I mean it was physical it was it was warm I immediately thought of of John Wesley his Aldersgate experience we said my I felt my heart strangely warmed I wondered if it was much the same thing as what John Wesley experienced all I know is my heart was warm I had a piece unlike anything I've ever had I didn't know you could have anything like that it wasn't just the absence of anxiety it was a presence of a powerful piece rest just rest and then for maybe 30 seconds I saw the face of Jesus looking at me if I were an artist with perfect recall I could tell you what he looked like at least this part look at me languid eyes tenderly and then I find myself at Rebecca I pulled into the parking lot where there was about ten minutes to eight five minutes to 8:00 I go to my room shave go to the first class and I thought what was that what was that a friend of mine who was next door in my dormitory came across the campus he said what has happened to you I said well something has he said no what is it I said I don't know I just know one thing I'm saved is that strange thing to say of course you're saved you don't understand Bill his name was Bill Kearns of course you saved as in no bill I'm eternally saved what do you mean by that I know I will go to heaven wet when I die no matter what I do between now and then I've been to heaven up going back nothing could stop it well you don't need to say that I mean you got to change your mind on that I knew then I would never change there's no way to calculate experience to explain how real it was how deep it was I knew I was eternally saved now I look back he said become more theological what was it was it the baptism with the Holy Spirit yes I think so I think it's the rest of faith in Hebrews 4 I don't think it was my conversion but I know that within 24 hours my theology changed completely and I thought I discovered something new and I thought maybe on the first since the Apostle Paul to receive this yeah and so over the years I've tried to interpret what happened to me and that's just kind of the short story now that obviously had a deep impact into your life and how did that change you that particular experience totally first of all for roughly ten months you'll wonder why not 11 12 or 10 years but for some 10 months I had a conscious presence of God non-stop for 10 months during that time I also had visions 10 11 12 visions and my theology completely changed I was assistant to the Dean of religion and he said Artie you're going off into Calvinism as what's that well we don't believe that well I said we're wrong he said well don't leave us I said good cells going to leave I said I know that God has in his elect from the foundation of the world and Oh Artie don't say that I said let me read this to you in Romans nine I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious you explained that dr. Greathouse he said give me some time on that well that was 60 years ago and in the meantime I began to see that what I had tapped into by experience was nothing new it's called reformed theology and that's how it came came about and it also would mean I wasn't going to stay a Nazarene the rest of my life and I was pretty sure of that but I didn't know exactly what I would be doing but it certainly changed my life in July you you then came to Oxford and studied at Oxford University so that's until and as 35 years later well no not 35 that was 15 years what did you study Oxford theology I studied English Puritans and I would read Kelvin and all the Puritans and my thesis was going to be on the nature of saving faith from William Perkins to the Westminster assembly but I had to put that on a Calvinistic foundation because Perkins called himself a Calvinist and so I had to read Calvin more than I'd ever done in my life I had never read a word of Calvin by the way until years after that experience I just described I did I knew nothing about Calvinism but then I began to recall them then I'd read the Puritans let me D Calvin and then re Puritans but they're different they're just different as they can be and that became my thesis in what sense the Puritans really followed Calvin and they gave me a detail for it that you've been reading the Bible studying the Bible what from the age of six yep and you're passionate about the Bible how do you know that that is the Word of God the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit now that's Calvin's language and he would give me those words but that explains it in fact when I was ordained years later dr. Ann Burnett Magruder interviewed me in front of 300 people and you wanted me to know the difference between ways you can come to understand scripture he says there's the external proof and the internal approval the external proof would be through critical approach to the Bible archaeology testimonies a great man things like that but then there's the internal proof and that is the witness of the Spirit and it was the immediate witness of the Spirit that me made me know that this was the infallible Word of God what that experience did for me is the drive me to scripture like I never read scripture of my life and whereas before I would read it defensively having to prove my doctrine because I was brought up a certain way and I would have to prove my doctrine after that experience I didn't want to read it defensively I just want to see what it said and I would take wherever it led me and it turned out it led me away from the way I was brought up okay you've been studying it for many decades ah are there still books in the Bible that you struggle with that you don't understand you're oh yeah book of Revelation for a start oh yeah what do you make of the book of Revelation well when I was 19 years old I understood it perfectly today I could just take bits and pieces that I think I know what it means but I would not go to the stake for my eschatology I have some strong convictions that I think right on some of it but yeah I would not trying to understand the book of Revelation I don't know whether I'm a pre poster or pan you know I've been right once because I believed everything you can believe and that I'm not sure when now the phrase having a quiet time of a spending time with the Lord in prayer and in Scripture could you just let us in on how do you personally do it on a daily basis 40 years ago dr. Marlo Jones introduced me to a Bible reading plan designed by Robert Mary McShane and until then I did not have a plan I would just go to the Bible and and read two or three chapters and then you know the next day and I'm ashamed that for years that was the way it was but I can now say to you j-john that I've read the Bible through at least 40 times the New Testament 80 times the songs 80 times and I do that to this day for some reason and I cannot tell you why but from my earliest days even when I was 14 15 16 years old I had a prayer life at when I was a high school student in Ashley Kentucky I would spend 15 minutes every morning on my knees and 15 minutes before I go to bed at night on my knees combined with reading the scriptures for some reason I've always done I don't know why I think well my earliest memory of my dad was seeing him on his knees for 30 minutes every morning before he went to work he wasn't a minister he was it was work for the Chesapeake and Ohio railway he was a rate clerk Clark he'd say and he went to work but never without spending 30 minutes on his knees I thought that was normal I did that and then when I become pastor of a church I find that nobody's doing it and then over the years I find out that most preachers don't you know pray that much there are preachers jae-joong yes who don't read their Bibles they only go to the Bible when they need a sermon and there are preachers they don't have a prayer life a poll was taken 18 19 years ago that showed us what the average church leader does in his personal life they answered questions anonymously you know describing what use your view of the Holy Spirit what is your doctor need a lot of questions the average church leader in Britain and America spends four minutes a day in their quiet time and you wonder why the church is powerless Martin Luther two hours a day John Wesley two hours a day and the whole time virtually that I was listening to Chapel it was two hours a day for me and and I probably a little less than that in my retirement but never less than an hour a day and this is just the way I'm wired so and I find to my surprise not everybody's like that so why why do you think of most of us don't take having a quiet time with God seriously you tell me last year I was here I was invited by the Evangelical Alliance to address 100 ministers at a meeting that was held held at HTV hundred ministers from London beer and they gave me ten minutes to speak on the subject of prayer so I used the ten minutes to persuade those 100 ministers to please spend one hour a day 1 hour day in quiet time well you know they came up to me after thanked me you know well-known minister wrote me letters and I wouldn't miss that for anything let me know that they appreciated it so this hadn't been instructed you would have got it Seminary Bible College where they would instill this so as I say honestly I don't know why I'm that way I do know this there was a preacher that I admired as I grew up the teenager I loved his preaching and I found out that they said that he would spend six seven eight hours a day in prayer now for some reason that gripped me and I've always felt this is the key and this is just the way I've been I'm not taking any credit for it I'll just train that way out why I would admire that preacher I don't know but that's the best answer I can give you just help us understand a little bit about prayer if God knows what we need why do we have to ask him because he told us to you see that's that's his kind way he knew that Abraham would sacrifice Isaac he knew he would but then he said now I know you love me he knew that before but he did it he it's called language of accommodation of course he knows everything but he wants us look you put it best to me do you remember in the vestry used to come to see me two or three times a year for a couple of hours and one day you came and say Artie I just got back from India I tell this story all over the world and can I tell it to you now shaky forgotten here's what I tell ya and you're correctly we're about a hole he said Artie you won't believe what I've seen I've seen miracles I've seen blind people healed yet arms outstretched I said talk to me he says I feel like a fraud nobody's going to believe me as I would preach they told me before I got up now when the miracles start Jay John don't worry we know what to do and you said to them what do you mean well don't worry they'll be miracles because wherever that was I'd love to know where that was because I'd like to go back there but you said honestly as I preach the gospel I watched it I could just see arms outstretched before my eyes all over the place but then what I'm coming up to you kept hearing about a sister Teresa that's right not mother Teresa sister Teresa who had unusual words of knowledge and you said well I'd like to meet her well they said maybe well they're so later they bingos relate to you and they say Jay John this is sister Teresa this is so funny I'm telling him the story this is what you told me I've told it literally and on every continent on the planet and don't tell me now it's not true so now so you come to you and you say sister Theresa Theresa I've heard a lot about you that you get words in if God were to show you anything I'd be grateful and you said she turned around and walked away and you thought you had offended her she comes back 45 minutes later with a list 13 things on the list number one number two and these are things that only you knew yeah she could not have known and then she comes to number 13 and says by the way God likes your company he wants two hours of your time every day goodbye and you never saw her again now that is true no you see I that story confirmed me because I don't know that I told you at that time and he told you tonight I will be hope I haven't said anything I shouldn't but that's how long I prayed yeah the whole time I was it wasn't too gentle and and you said to me Artie I'm going to do it and I've also told this tell me have got this wrong but after that time it made a difference in your own ministry you begin to see revival breakout in various place my safe and remember reading on the front page of The Times about what happened at Bristol Cathedral and other places that was post sister Teresa so it made a difference in your own ministry it did with what we believed in Jesus we believe in prayer so did I the story you got it told me I talk about just use every right that fits okay well keep telling it it's Theresa you guys Fox it you graduate from Oxford what did you then do well I was invited to preach in this place and I wasn't expecting anything from this it was an honor and I accepted the invitation is terrible probably just so that when I go back to America I could say I preached here once that's not a very spiritual reason and by the way Martyn lloyd-jones had nothing to do with this people think that was the doctor who caused me to be invited that's not the way it was the trick is somebody else who had heard me preach at my little Southern Baptist Church near Oxford a lot of people don't know this but in the days where the upper Heyford Air Force arrived yet us Airmen there and they wanted their little church and they needed a pastor so while I was at Regent's Park college at Oxford I was passed to this little church and by the way doctor Jones would preach for me every year and that's when we got to be known but he never thought of me coming here he saw me as an academic professor one day theology and mr. eh Patton who just died a couple months ago he was the church secretary here was told by someone who'd heard me at hatred you ought to get an RT Kendall to just preach for you one Sunday so mr. Patton called dr. Laura Jones and said we were told we should have NRT Kendall on Sunday and according to Ernie Patton verbatim was heaven theologian you know but have him and that was it well they had me and at the end of the day the Deacons asked to see me and all 12 marched into the vestry were using out here just 45 minutes ago I said am I in trouble no sir Fred Catherwood took the leagues as we want you to stay as what do you mean give us six months well at that time I was waiting to have my vive at Oxford and we'd already sent everything back to America my sons do bicycle my book souvenirs closed everybody only had was living out of suitcases and recycle hormone and say to Louisa really wants to come here and the next day dr. Martin lloyd-jones and his wife Bethan drove to see us with the intention of persuading me to come here for six months his words were you have nothing to lose you need to get out of Oxford you need to get out of that academic atmosphere and just preach here for six months I said well doctor what if they want me to stay because you know we're going to go back to America he said I told them you wouldn't stay are you saying that if I come and I don't stay they're not going to be angry no it's fine you just come well I just said Louise what do you think well we came well after being here two or three months people Gabe came back to the vestry one after another and said please don't leave please don't leave and then they asked could they vote on me and I said to Louise what do you think what if we stay a year and voted that 92% of the vote and dr. Lloyd Jones later said that's a better vote than I he got which I thought was interesting and and though here is one other little ingredient not a small thing he had never heard me preach he came in one Sunday when I didn't know it was there set way in the back on the back row behind a post so nobody could see him and they told me after the service the doctor was here really he called me that night his opening words were you're a preacher you're a born preacher your place is not in a university it's in the pulpit and he let that word go out and that word just went everywhere so dr. Lloyd Jones later said to me I and I alone put you there because he let people know that he approved to me she came for six months and stayed 25 years at City section yeah yeah and you taught the scriptures that was I mean amongst many other things that you did and you would teach through the books of the Bible we see this is the interesting thing it was dr. Lloyd Jones who taught me how to preach back in 1963 friend the name of Ernie Risa sent me dr. Lloyd Jones's volumes on the Sermon on the Mount and I began to read them and I was transformed I said this is the greatest book I've ever read of my life I wrote him a letter he wrote me back I dried him he wrapped me back and then we eventually met at Winona Lake Indiana and he signed my book in Winona Lake in Indiana that would have been in 1963 and I I said this book I wrote it I wrote on the inside cover is the greatest book I've ever read it's transformed my preaching and from that moment I began to preach in an expository fashion I'd never done it before but I just copied him in a way as best as I could never dream that one day one day in fact you know I told you we send all our books back to America well after I agreed to stay they did cinema back here and I'm opening boxes of books I come to the Sermon on the Mount and open it up and there's his signature with warmest greetings at Winona Lake but I got on the phone I said dr. Lloyd Jones guess what I'm looking at right now I said you remember when we met Winona Lake he said I remember very well would you thought that one day I would be in your pulpit and he said it is marvelous in our eyes and I've just never got over that never got over it and where were we during they said well not just the 25 years but many years you've highlighted or focused on certain themes one theme in particular is total forgiveness what what prompted you to teach preach and to write about that the 25 years of this place to quote Charles Dickens they were the best of times they were the worst of times it wasn't easy here and we went through the ways and I what was at the time the most difficult moment we'd ever had don't ask for details because I'm not going to tell you more sure but an old friend from Romania his name is Joseph zone happened to be in London and I couldn't tell anybody what had happened but I told him fully expecting him this is what I wanted to put his arm around this NRT you ought to be angry get it out of your system it that's what I was hoping because I think I was telling him this so that he could sympathize and all that he just said anything more I said no that's it he said give me 15 minutes I need to take a nap I said don't do that you're going to sleep for two hours he said I'll be back in 15 minutes give me a cup of tea have it ready for me well I made him a cup of tea and 15 minutes to the second here he was that told you be back and he said he tasted the tea because it can cut hard and over done and it was cold and he took a sip he said that's what I call a cup of tea now our tea you must totally fall games then for until you totally forgive then you will be in Chains released them and you will be released nobody has ever talked to me like been of my life faithful of the wounds of a friend I said Joseph I can't he said you can and you must if I can narrow these 25 years in London down to those 15 minutes they turn out j-john to be my finest hour that moment changed my life in almost direct proportion to what I described earlier when I saw the face of Jesus this was a new it was an epoch-making moment I was never to be the same again and so in the meantime I'd written several books and my publisher said what he want to do next I said I think I think I want to write a book on forgiveness and I'd like to call it total forgiveness because those were Joseph Jones words yes you must totally totally forgive them and that gripped me in the meantime I had preached through the life of Joseph which became a book called God meant it for good and there's a chapter in that book on forgiveness and but then my book total forgiveness was an elaboration and lo and behold has turned out to be my bestseller and it's in I think 20 languages Japanese Chinese Russian I wouldn't have started that it's gone not all over the world I'll see what happens if we don't forgive other people whose heart s well you cut off your anointing if I'm to put it that way but not really you know God never desert sis but you can quench the Holy Spirit and when Jesus said if you forgive not men their trespasses your father will not forgive yours he's not talking about losing your salvation and thank God he's not saying better who would be saved but he's talking about the fellowship with the father you see the Lord's Prayer was given that we might understand the kingdom it's right the couched in the Sermon on the Mount and at the end of the Lord's Prayer he says if you forgive not men their trespasses which shows that's the main reason for the Lord's Prayer if I don't forgive I will grieve the Holy Spirit and as a consequence forfeit a conscious awareness of his presence I feel I forfeit that i forfeit it and this is just weights turned out with me J John if if I have any bitterness in my heart I can't prepare a sermon if I if look with Louise and I I have an argument can I tell you this story yes god I had when I was pastor of this church I started my Sunday morning preparation on Monday morning dr. Lloyd Jones didn't have to do that you need to know something about this man he had an intellect that comes around I would say not just once a century maybe once every 500 years he's a Michelangelo da Vinci that kind of intellect and he he could probably start preparing on a Saturday and be brilliant on Sunday I couldn't do that I just start on the Monday and work all week it only happened once in 25 years it was now Saturday morning I hadn't cracked a book all I managed to do was to keep up my Robert murmuring same Bible reading because I'm preaching all over Britain seeing people and it was now Saturday morning and I was in a state of panic as our Lord please help me you know you know that this has been a hard week please in mercy help me this this day compensate for these five days I've lost it was nine o'clock in the morning I thought good I've got a whole day just matey the Lord will help me at that moment Louise and I got into an argument do you know the word dandy over here it was a dandy it was a dandy okay well I'll just tell you yeah she was horrible I go I slammed the door go to my room open my Bible see Laurie give me something come on Jesus deal with that woman blank sheet of paper now 11 o'clock nothing nothing so please help me noon blank sheet of paper 1 o'clock blank sheet of paper 2 o'clock nothing I said Lord you know that what I preach tomorrow will go all over the world you've got to help me silence except a faint voice I recall it sounded like this really three o'clock four o'clock you see I was waiting for her at four o'clock I go into the kitchen I'd sear now standing by the refrigerator she was tearful was it honey I'm sorry it was all my fault well it wasn't all you partly my fault no it's all my fault and I'm so sorry we kissed we hugged j-john I promise you I went back to the same blank sheet of paper same Scripture in 45 minutes I had everything I needed for Sunday I could not write the thoughts fast enough they just poured in I would write as fast as I could and I thought after 45 min I got my sermon isn't it so the moral of the story is you ask what happens when you don't forgive yeah in my case I cannot answer for anybody else I can't even prepare a sermon I can't do it some could I know preachers they're so brilliant they don't need the anointing would do but it creates blockages that's you've said it best you keep going and that's good you've written and spoken on numerous subjects another is on tithing you believe that followers of Jesus should tithe could you explain that sure funny thing was after I was here a mother - in that six-month period and I could tell the different ones who wanting me to stay so I began to think of every subject that they might not agree with that I would Creek during this six months so that if they did call me and I did agree they couldn't say you didn't we didn't know you believe that or we wouldn't call you so I preached everywhere while I was tithing and get something that I believe again my father taught me to tithe and I I grew up in the same way taught me to have a prayer life and I'm what can you explain what tight mean ok well let's just assume you know nothing and I'll teach you right now clean all right first tithe means one tenth and the Bible says the tide is the Lord's it's his and so what he wants you to do is to live on 90 percent of your income and if you live on 90 percent of your income my dad used to say it'll go as far as 100 percent in fact he'd say son I think it goes further and so I I lived that way over the years and when I came to Britain I began to notice that that British Christians generally don't tie there's some exceptions but generally they just don't tithe and I believed in it and I decided I'd preach it and it upset a few people but they called me knowing that and so I I've preached it here faithfully for 25 years and then I called my publisher and you know I don't call my publisher to say I want to write a book they asked me that I made an exception I called hodder and stoughton I say I want to write a book on tithing silence hello did you say you wanted to write a book on tithing yup we'll get back to you a week later dr. Kendall if we were to agree to publish your book on tithing will you buy a thousand copies yes okay we'll do it they were convinced it will be a financial failure and they just want to get their money back for the printing well i got billy graham john stott sir Fred Cathy would eventually George Kerry came along the book is still in print they changed the subtitle a few years ago they call it over here the gift of giving I didn't want to do that I don't think it did any good I wish I could get the rights back and call it tithing again but it's still in trend in America it's gone through 40 printings several languages and what more do you want to know what happens if we can't tithe well there won't be thunder and lightning and hopefully not too much because most Christians don't they don't and I don't say that if you do you'll be driving a Bentley three weeks from now but I do take this line that when you consider these words I knew I brought my Bible here for something even though Malachi wrote during the parenthetical period of the law 1,300 years even though this is during that time he didn't have to say this because under the law you had to you see tithing began with Abraham 400 years before the law came in he was the first tighter the patriarchs were tigers and so the law is completed when Jesus died on the cross so it takes us back to Abraham Abraham ties voluntarily out of gratitude and that's what I teach but here's the interesting thing even during that period under the law here's what Malachi said bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house test me in this in fact the authorized version has proved me here with and see if I will not pour out the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it that's under the law he didn't have to do that because they're supposed to well tithing was an assumption of a New Testament and my book tithing goes into the whole business about the law and the gospel and all I can say is you can't outgive the Lord and I don't say it's going to make you wealthy but it's not going to hurt you and people who live on ninety percent over a period of years only have God to thank and by the way when we retired and they had a farewell service for me here you were there you slowed you went through the alphabet you did and Linden bowing my close friend was chairman yeah well on that night people said goodbye because uh you know it was going to there was supposed to be like my funeral service if I want to know what they'd be saying about me at my memorial service so I sat down in the front rode heard you and the Freddy castle would been Richard views and sandy Miller others and then after the service people would come by say goodbye you would not believe how many would say by the way thank you for teaching us to tithe Wow yeah so that's the best way I can put it in a minute or two what was with the experience the and the wisdom that you gained if you met the young 25 year old Artie Kendall what advice would you give him well I would first urge him to have a quiet time devotional life like we've been talking about tonight I would say whoever you are one hour a day alone with God let's do 20 minutes of Bible reading because that's how long it takes if you're going to read the Bible to in a year takes 15 to 20 minutes a day to read the Bible have a prayer list I mean I have a prayer list you're on it you've been on it for 15 20 years other possibly people here I don't know I can't say use you that I pray for every day and I would I would I would first focus on his personal life to be a man of Prayer know your Bible and know your Bible very very well know it better than you know anything and I would urge him never ever cave in to the critical approach approach to Scripture I believe in the infallibility of Scripture by the way I've been trained by those who believed in form criticism redaction criticism studying the Bultmann Bart Bruner I was trained by them but I came through it and I'm more convinced in the infallibility of Scripture than I've ever been so I would say to that young 25 year old if you stick to the Bible you'll be fine depart from it you'll become yesterday's man in a very short period of time that would be what I would say now I would urge them if they have the gift to preach in an expository manner I don't want to be unfair not all had that gift and there are those who are topical preachers and and so forth but that's what I do and I would urge them to try that and but mainly stick to scripture and then I would urge this be a soul winner and be willing to talk to anybody about Jesus now I don't know whether to start this you can stop me but the best decision I made in 25 years next to my total forgiveness experience was having Arthur bless it here yeah and he's the man who carried a cross around the world he started our pilot light ministry well I did under his sort of leadership and I was on a TV program with him a couple it's been 3 or 4 years ago now we were talking about my book Elijah I've written a book called these in the days of Elijah and he's interviewing me and in the course he said Artie you know Elijah wanted Elijah's mental do you have people coming up to you and asking you for your your anointing do you ever happen what do you say to them when they come up to you and they say they want your anointing is it Arthur I did that to you don't you remember remember in the best treat we got down on our knees I ask you to lay hands on me that I can have your anointing yeah I do remember that I remember that very well they started go to something else as I stopped wait wait was that prayer answered yes yes I hadn't thought of it to that minute he started to cry and it was all on live TV wasn't planned at all and do you know something I realized that days after Arthur pray that way for me I felt the burden and all the steps Western to Chapel to start our polilight ministry we just talked to passers-by wherever they are I did it for 20 years I personally was out there every Saturday for 20 years and it's changed my life whether on an airplane on the tube in a barber shop I talk to anybody about Jesus I never did that before I thought preaching the gospel from the pulpit I've done my bit it's easier to preach to a thousand that is to talk to one other person but through other blesses influence I became an evangelist so that said I would say to this 25 year old be an evangelist make sure you don't lose sight people need to be saved they need the gospel and I'm hoping you're going to ask me why do they need the gospel arty why do they need the gospel glad you asked my next book I'm going to start writing it any day be up within a year we're going to call it whatever happened to the gospel yeah and the key part of the book will be quiet be a Christian why be a Christian it'd be interesting to pass sheet of paper around and everybody write down why you think your neighbor should be a Christian while your loved ones and you hear people say well if there were no heaven there were no hell I'd still be a Christian don't tell that to the Apostle Paul he said we're miserable we're we're big pitied if that's what we believe it's not existential it's not what it does for you here's the thing Romans 1:16 Paul said I'm not ashamed of the gospel it's the power of God unto salvation he might have said it's the power of God for healing Paul believed in Haley listen what he said he could have said I believe in the gospel of the kingdom he believed in the kingdom this not what he said he might have said is the power of God for signs and wonders he believed in signs and wonders to what he said it's the power of God for salvation and then two verses later he tells you why it's in verse the Greek word is gar for because the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all godless godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness jae-joong the reason people need to be saved is because there's a hell there is a hell and because of that the first message of the New Testament John the Baptist who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come and preaching like that made him come all the way from Jerusalem and today people afraid the preachers they think they're going to empty their congregation well all I can say is this is what I believe this is what I go to the stake for I believe in heaven I believe in Hell and Martin Luther called John 3:16 the Bible in a nutshell for God so loved the world that He gave us one and only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish a reference to hell but have everlasting life and they must believe his gospel and I think the reason that evangelism has diminished that people don't believe in eternal punishment anymore I do the future RT what are your hopes I know you're writing a book about the gospel but what are your other still things you want to do well if I keep my health on I'll be 82 in July looking good thank you very good I paid you to say that yeah you are looking good I I can't make anything happen I would love in my old age to see what I didn't see here you see if I've got it right and that's a big if my latest book or one of the latest is called prepare your heart for the midnight cry he kind of gave a nice blurb for it if I've got it right the next thing to happen on God's calendar is not the second coming of Jesus but the awakening of the church just before and I told you at an hour ago whenever we started that I had visions for about 10 months ah one or two of those visions indicated that there would be a revival that would go right around the world and the message was Jesus is coming soon and the amazing thing was in the vision people believed it they believed it they don't believe it now go out there and say that they'll laugh you to scorn but something would happen it would turn everything around and people would be scared to death that it's real it'd be a return of the fear of God and that is what will awaken the church that's what I think is coming next I'd like to think that I'll still be alive to see it so that would be my hope other than that just preach until I can't walk and write until I can't think and then to be welcomed home to glory I'll see you you are an inspiration I love it the way that you love God that you love Jesus that you long to keep step with his spirit and I love it the way that you love the Holy Scriptures and you've inspired us tonight and you've infused in us faith hope and love and we thank you for your life your ministry all that you've done all that you're doing and the way that you keep on doing it we thank you dr. RD Kendall [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: Facing the Canon

Views: 13,354

Rating: 4.8303032 out of 5

Keywords: facing the canon, j.john, jjohn, j john, philo trust, philo, trust, christianity, Jesus, Lord, God, Holy Spirit, R.T.Kendall, Westminster Chapel, FTC, Interview, Conversation

Id: wTHOABfYQEY

Length: 58min 40sec (3520 seconds)

Published: Fri May 19 2017