I like thousands around the world was shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of pastor David Wilkerson after being involved in a horrific road accident.

I grew up as a child in the 1960’s and 70’s and read his story and watched the movie from his book ‘The Cross and the Switchblade. It is an amazing story.

After hearing about his death I decided to re read the book, not having a copy I brought it as a Kindle edition and I found that I was riveted to the book (or Kindle!) and reading it at every opportunity till completed. Even though I had read it more than once before and watched the movie a few times there was something about the book that challenged me personally like it never had before.

As I turned each page I felt something of the Holy Spirit speaking into my life and challenging me in different areas.

His testimony is amazing, his obedience to the Holy Spirits leading was powerful and the result is evident with the world-wide ministry of Teen Challenge and the Church he founded in Time Square New York.

As I re read the story three things really impressed me:

1. His openness to the leading of the Holy Spirit

2. His Obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit

3. His commitment to Prayer

There were times when he could have given up but time and time again he proved the power of answered prayer and of the importance to trust God wherever the Holy Spirit told him to go. Some of the examples in the book are so powerful, evidence of the existence of the God whom many in the world today would seek to say does not exist.

I thank God for this man and for his years of Christian ministry out in the streets and within the walls of the Church, showing that if we are willing to make ourselves available to God he can and will take us and use us to bring glory to his name and to help  bring men and women into his eternal Kingdom. David Wilkerson wasn’t interested in building up his own empire like so many of the TV ‘evangelists’ today, he was interested in broken lives and seeing them restored to the glory of Jesus.

May God raise up more with the same burden and desire today, not to be self promoting, but to be Christ centred, God glorifying and filled with compassion for the lost.