Mere preachers may help anybody and hurt nobody; but prophets will stir everybody and madden somebody. The preacher may go with the crowd; the prophet goes against it. A man freed, fired, and filled with God will be branded unpatriotic because he speaks against his nation’s sins; unkind because his tongue is a two-edged sword; unbalanced because the weight of preaching opinion is against him.
Sin today is both glamorized and popularized, thrown into the ear by radio, thrown into the eye by television, and splashed on popular magazine covers. Church-goers, sermon-sick and teaching-tired, leave the meeting as they entered it — visionless and passionless! Oh God, give this perishing generation ten thousand John the Baptists! (excerpts from Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill, Bethany House Publishing, 1959)
Is God still dangerous? Is He still a consuming fire who warns people not to touch the mountain while His presence rests upon it less they die? Or is He a gigantic fluff-ball filled with ushy-gushy love who has now decided to go along to get along with us humans and our evolving cultures?
In the early 1990’s, Larry Burkett told a story on his radio program, Money Matters, that still sends shivers down my spine. Burkett had attended a local church and heard a Chinese man tell his testimony.
It seems the man was a lieutenant of Mao Zedong when Mao’s communist army defeated Chiang Kai-Shek and took control of China. Mao then set out to cleanse China of all imperialist influences, especially American connections. Missionaries were sent home or killed. Chinese pastors were imprisoned or killed. Christians were killed. Political leaders, people who had visited America or attended schools there were killed. Historians estimate 50,000,000 Chinese were executed by Mao during his various purges.
The man, who told this testimony, was chosen by Mao as one of the leaders in the rural purges. He dispatched his tasks with cruel efficiency. But some Christians focused their prayers on him and he was miraculously saved. So convinced was the man that Christ was the answer for China he decided to return to Peking (Beijing) and tell Mao the good news of Jesus.
Mao was not impressed with his lieutenant’s message and commanded him to renounce his new found faith. The man refused and said, “I cannot deny the experience I’ve had with Jesus.”
Mao brought his wife and children before the man. Soldiers stood behind his family with guns aimed at their heads. Once again, Mao asked the man to renounce his faith. The man fell to his knees and said, “Please do not kill my family, but I cannot deny Jesus.”
His family was executed before his eyes.
Next, his parents, brothers, sisters and their families were brought before the man with soldiers standing behind them with guns at their heads. Mao insisted the man renounce Jesus. The man refused. His entire family was executed before his eyes.
All of his friends and their families were placed in front of him, but still he would not renounce Christ. They were executed.
Then, Mao decided death was too good for the man. He was stripped naked and placed in a cold cell. Once a day, guards were ordered to beat him.
His imprisonment and beatings continued for fifteen years. During that time, the man led 90% of the guards to Christ and the guards even risked their own freedoms by bringing Bibles to him.
When he finally emerged from prison, he walked down a road, heading toward his hometown. As he walked, people in the fields next to the road, fell to their knees and cried out to be saved by Jesus. Yet, the man said nothing because the presence of God was so heavy upon him that he just continued to walk.
Larry Burkett said that when the Chinese man finished his testimony he was asked, “What do you think of our American churches?”
The man gazed at the audience with tears in his eyes. “You American Christians do not know the Jesus I know. How sad!” he said.
Get ready! The prophets are coming!
The prophets who are coming may not have the same experience this Chinese man had, but they will be consumed by the fire of the Lord. What Leonard Ravenhill said about Paul will also be true of these soon coming prophets:
He had no side issues, no books to sell. He had no ambitions – and so had nothing to be jealous about. He had no reputation – and so had nothing to fight about. He had no possessions – and therefore nothing to worry about. He had no “rights” – so therefore he could not suffer wrong. He was already broken – so no one could break him. He was “dead” – so none could kill him. He was less than the least – so who could humble him? He had suffered the loss of all things – so none could defraud him…Over this God-intoxicated man, hell suffered headaches. (excerpt from Why Revival Tarries)
(Continued in Part 3)
Larry Who 
This testimony took place during the early 1990’s. I called Larry Burkett’s ministry to try and get the tape, but they had no way of finding it without me giving them an exact date. So this nameless Chinese man has continued to inspire me and yet I can not give him due credit.
Thank you, Larry. This is very powerful and I am so thankful that I am getting to know about it.
Debbie,
Thanks.
Dear Brother Larry, Thank you so much for this post. It is to me as if I’m being given a flask of life-giving water in a dry and thirsty desert. So, very, very needed. Years ago, Leonard Ravenhill came to the Bible college I attended, every year for a conference. I always often dreaded when he was coming because I knew it would be a hard word. But, oh, how needed it is. How I thank the Lord for the privilege of hearing and seeing him in person. Thank you so very much for sharing this truth once again. I crave it. Bless you, my brother.
seriouswhimsey,
Thanks. At one time, I owned six of Leonard Ravenhill’s books (5 are out of print) and read them over and over again. I never saw him in person but watched a video of him preaching the “Judgment Seat of Christ.” As I listened, I wanted to hide in a closet; his words haunted me. He remains one of my heroes.
Interestingly enough, he lived in Tyler, Texas, and was a close friend and mentor of David Wilkerson. Also, R.W. Schambach lives in Tyler.
I have that same video and have watched it many times . . . but not lately. One of these days I’ll have to drag out the VCR player as we have switched to DVD’s. I had two or three of his books and donated them to our church library; so I just haven’t gotten very much of him for quite a while.
I remember him telling a story (not sure if it was on the video or in Texas in person) about a man that carried gems in his coat pocket. He would take them out and look through them. Somehow he tied it in to our looking through the gem of eternity; and I’ve never forgotten the phrase . . . ‘that God would stamp eternity on our eyeballs’.
We are so far from where those old guys were.
I could just keep going on this one. It stirs a lot in me.
BTW . . . have you ever read Devine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard? I’m trying to read it now. It is rich but not easy reading.
Mike,
No, I haven’t read the book or even heard of Dallas Willard until now. I checked the book out on Amazon and it looks great.
*waves*
still in my cave… but it’s sweet. 🙂
Hard… but sweet.
Ronni,
About two months ago, the Lord laid you and your husband on my heart. So, walk with God into His freedom.