Prayers That Move The Heavens

Summary

Podcast Summary: Prayers That Move The Heavens

Podcast: Times Square Church - Sermons
Host: TSC.NYC
Speakers: Pastor Claude & Pastor Tim
Date: May 3, 2026

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Overview

This episode centers on how faithful, fervent prayer—especially prayer grounded in humility, unity, faith, and care for others—opens "the heavens," inviting God’s supernatural intervention. Pastor Claude shares rich biblical insights, church history, and personal stories to urge believers to examine the condition of their hearts and their attitude toward prayer, relationships, and social justice. The sermon encourages listeners to not only pray for their needs but to passionately intercede for others, live in unity, act justly, and expect God’s hand to move.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Legacy and Power of Prayer at Times Square Church

• TSC’s 40-year testimony: The church’s existence and growth are the result of prayers that “opened the heavens.” (02:00–03:30)
• The ongoing prayer culture: Praying elders, pastors, and members regularly intercede for the ministry, the city, and the world.

Quote [03:30]:
“If there is even a Times Square Church...proclaiming the gospel of Christ, it is because somebody prayed. Prayers that opened the heavens.”
— Pastor Claude

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2. Prayers That Move Heavens: A Faith Issue

• Faith is essential: Without faith, prayers do not move heaven, nor do they protect or prolong supernatural testimonies. (04:36–06:00)
• God’s miracles are for today and tomorrow, not just the past.
• Open/closed heavens are not historical or geographical, but a result of spiritual and relational realities. (08:50–10:09)

Quote [06:25]:
“It is an insult to his very nature to think that the best or the greatest miracles are yesterday or in the past.”
— Pastor Claude

Quote [09:53]:
“You can walk with God with an open heaven.”
— Pastor Tim

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3. Spiritual Dynamics of Open vs. Closed Heavens

• The “brass heavens” (Deut. 11, Isaiah): Blessings flow to the obedient, generous, and humble; prayer alone, without right hearts, can be ineffective. (07:51–10:51)
• Even in “desert seasons,” individuals can personally walk under an open heaven.
• Churches can “go through the motions”—singing, programs, preaching—yet fail to touch the holy, see breakthrough, or truly change lives. (10:51–12:59)

Quote [13:19]:
“We need the manifest presence of God…We need to do more than sing it—we need to be experiencing it.”
— Pastor Tim

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4. What Closes the Heavens: Three Types of Believers

a) Hypocrites

• Outwardly religious, but hearts are far from God (Isaiah 29, Matthew 23).
• God desires obedience and honesty over religious show.
• Hypocritical prayer is repeatedly condemned in scripture.

Quote [16:49]:
“A hypocrite is someone who plays a spiritual role, someone who appears righteous outwardly, whose heart does not match the appearance.”
— Pastor Claude

b) Hoarders (Spiritual Selfishness)

• Spiritually and materially hoarding, ignoring the widow, orphan, poor, and immigrant (“God’s Big Four”).
• Generosity to those in need is God’s passion; persistent lack of such generosity shuts the heavens (Isaiah 1, 20:10).

Quote [19:54]:
“The widow and the orphan and the poor and the immigrant are the apple of God’s eye.”
— Pastor Claude

• Foundational testimony: David Wilkerson’s advice to “find the poor…bless them…fight for them” (23:01–23:09).

c) Husbands (Relational Integrity)

• 1 Peter 3:7: Husbands must honor their wives for their prayers to be unhindered.
• Relational injustice, especially at home, blocks spiritual flow.

Quote [27:02]:
“In 42, 43 years of ministry, I’ve never preached a Sunday morning angry with my wife. Never. I would never. I can’t. I know the heavens would be shut.”
— Pastor Claude

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5. Prayers That Open the Heavens: James 5 as a Blueprint

• James 5:13–18: A church should be a community marked by mutual prayer, confession, and care—not just for personal needs, but for one another (31:58–32:49).
• The “effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much”—but its context is relational, humble, and persistent prayer.

Quote [34:58]:
“This is the prayer Satan wants to shut down more than he wants us to become just babies calling for ourselves.”
— Pastor Claude

a) Prayer of Patience for the Precious Fruit

• True breakthrough prayers require patience, repeated intercession, and focus on “precious fruit”: salvation, deliverance, reconciliation, healing. (33:33–36:05)

b) Prayer with Relational Perspective and Pursuit

• Living out unity: James and Paul urge relational health—avoiding bitterness, gossip, anger, unresolved offenses. (44:02–46:58)
• The pursuit of peace is more important than production or external results.

Quote [45:22]:
“The enemy…can never stop the kingdom of God…but it is the poison from inside that has quenched so many revivals and has divided churches that had an open heaven.”
— Pastor Claude

Quote [48:13]:
“In the Kingdom of God, the pursuit of peace is more important than production… The relationships are more important than results. The we is more important than the wow.”
— Pastor Claude

• Bitterness and division open the door to the enemy and grieve the Holy Spirit, shutting the heavens (51:13–51:23).

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6. Testimonies of Breakthrough Prayer

• Story of a man healed from terminal cancer after prayer that “laid hold” of God’s promise rather than what was seen (38:22–41:41).
• Testimony of two divided families reconciled in church—unity restored, children returning to faith, blessing and open heavens as a result (52:04–58:32).

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7. Practical Application & Closing: “Bow the Knee”

• The “20 inches” between standing hard-hearted and kneeling in repentance:
  • “For this reason, we bow our knee” (Ephesians 3:14)—mercy and open heavens are always close if hearts will yield (52:04–53:10).
• The effectual, fervent prayer is “with effect, with force, with the divine energy” (53:10–53:33).

Quote [53:10]:
“When we pray, things change…there’s divine energy strengthening me in the inner man.”
— Pastor Claude

• Final moments: Corporate prayer for each other, release of bitterness, unity, power, and healing as worship and prayer fill the sanctuary (65:11–67:24).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Open Heavens:
  “Prayers that move the heavens produce the supernatural testimonies.” (05:28, Pastor Claude)

• On Relational Integrity:
  “The unity… will determine if the heavens are open or the heavens are closed.” (48:23, Pastor Claude)

• On Generosity:
  “Find the poor. Find people that cannot do anything for you and bless them… and then watch God bless you.” (23:01, David Wilkerson, via Pastor Claude)

• On the Power of Persistent Prayer:
  “Pray, and I will pray again. Because I believe in the invisible.” (38:18, Pastor Claude)

• On Community:
  “God’s intent for his body, for us…that each of us come with intent and know that we can stand before God and pray prayers that open the heavens over my brother, over my sister, and see God come and intervene.” (32:24, Pastor Tim)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Prayer as foundation of TSC’s story: 02:00–05:00
• Faith and open/closed heavens discussion: 05:00–10:50
• Routine vs. true spiritual breakthrough: 10:51–13:00
• Danger of hypocrisy in religion/prayer: 13:40–18:05
• Spiritual hoarders, God’s focus on the marginalized: 18:05–21:00; 23:01 (Wilkerson’s advice)
• Relational disunity and hindrance of prayer (story/examples): 27:02–29:00; 44:02–46:58
• James 5: Prayers that open heaven—mutual care: 31:58–38:00
• Personal story: miraculous healing through persistent prayer: 38:22–41:41
• Final unity testimony (forgiveness restoring open heavens): 52:04–58:32
• Corporate prayer and altar ministry: 65:11–67:24

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Conclusion:

Prayers that move the heavens are marked by humility, faith, patience, generosity, and loving unity. The episode emphasizes that individual and corporate revival depends not just on prayer, but on the heart conditions accompanying those prayers—especially the treatment of others, the willingness to forgive, and a practical love for the marginalized. Listeners are urged to live as a community of faith-filled, persevering intercessors—ready to “pray and pray again”—with the expectation that God’s hand will open the heavens over their lives, families, and churches.

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For further encouragement and next steps, read James this week, and purposely pray for others, seek unity, and practice generosity—the keys to prayers that move the heavens.

Transcript

[Pastor Claude]

Before you are seated, can we thank God for our choir and musicians and technicians and sound guys and video and every. Come on, give them a.

[Pastor Tim]

Give them a shout. Turn around to two, three people.

[Pastor Claude]

Greet them, smile at them and say something. Bless them with. Tell them something from the Lord right to their hearts. Thank you, musicians. Thank you, technicians, sound guys, everybody. God bless you. Welcome to everyone online. I'd like to speak a message today on prayers that move the heavens. How many of you want to see the heavens open over your life? Prayers that move the heavens. I was privileged yesterday. I was invited to come and participate. I did some interviews and the communication media team are preparing a wonderful big documentary movie on the life and ministry not only of Pastor David Wilkerson, but on the celebrating soon in the next year, the 40th year, four decades of times Square Church. Can we give God praise for what he's done and what he will do? And because of me, coming here to preach 35, 37 years, every year, except for Covid years, and then also traveling all over the world with Pastor Dave and Pastor Carter, I was just sharing, they asked me to share some testimonies and then my perspective and I was reflecting on this message. Prayer that moves the heavens. Please, can we just stop for a second and realize again that if there is even a Times Square church, a church right here, 51st and Broadway, the crossroads of the world, proclaiming the gospel of Christ, it is because somebody prayed. Prayers that opened the heavens. Somebody pray. And so many hundreds and thousands really, of people following online don't even know the history behind it. And it's important to know where we come from as a church, to know where we are and where we're going. And please understand that we're only here. All this miracle, even being in this beautiful theater is because men and women prayed prayers that moved the heavens from Pastor David Wilkerson to a generation of the three pastors and the elders, men and women of prayer. I don't say this anywhere else because I've traveled all over the world and 50 nations and I've met many elders, many pastors, great men and women of God. But you have praying elders here in this church that have stood in prayer. I've not seen this anywhere else. The elders of this church are men that pray. Even for the longest season, 18 years, they were praying with Pastor Carter, Pastor David, Pastor Carter, Pastor Tim. They were praying every morning, meeting every morning. I've traveled with these men. And six in the morning in Haiti or French Africa and surrounding and praying and every Saturday, Pastor Tim and I text, and he's walking through this building, laying hands on every chair, balcony everywhere. Thank God for men and women that pray prayers that open the heavens. Because when we pray, congregation, people, a remnant of people in New York City for the world, praying prayers that open the heavens, well, then God will always answer us beyond anything we we can imagine. Now, in my notes it said you would say amen much louder than that to this. So I'm going to read to you the word of God and I'm expecting something. Ephesians 3, 14, 20, 21. For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[Pastor Tim]

Now to him who is able to

[Pastor Claude]

do exceedingly, abundantly and above, above all, would you say with me exceedingly, abundantly and above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.

[Pastor Tim]

To him be all the glory in

[Pastor Claude]

Jesus Christ from generations to generations, forever and ever.

[Pastor Tim]

And all of God's people in Times Square Church shout Amen and give it. Would you let praise go up to that to heaven today?

[Pastor Claude]

Prayers that move the heavens. Without prayers of faith that moves the heavens, there's no story, there is no testimony. It is by faith only that we lay hold of a testimony. Without faith that prayers, prayers that move to heaven, there's no story to the glory of God. Without prayers that move the heavens, there's literally and biblically, even impossible, it is impossible to even please God. The Word of God tells us Hebrews 11, 2, 6. For by it, by this faith that moves the heavens, the elders obtain a good testimony. But without faith, it is impossible to please him without this faith. So we must understand that prayers that move the heavens produce the supernatural testimonies.

[Pastor Tim]

But it is faith that moved the

[Pastor Claude]

heavens that that protects the supernatural testimonies. In the last 10, through all the years, I've been in ministry, 42 years, but in every decade, and I would say in the last decade, maybe even more, we have seen, and we've seen this with grief in our heart as a body of Christ worldwide. We have seen ministries that prayed prayers that moved the heavens and produce amazing testimonies, have sad years, have things that bring shame and hurt. And so please understand, we all have

[Pastor Tim]

a part, not only in, in praying,

[Pastor Claude]

that because prayer that moves to heaven produces the supernatural testimony, but also it protects the supernatural testimony, it perpetuates it. And it is God's will that his testimony would progress, that because his mercies are new every morning, it is an

[Pastor Tim]

insult to his very nature to think that the Best or the greatest miracles

[Pastor Claude]

are yesterday or in the past.

[Pastor Tim]

We thank God for yesterday, but we go from glory to glory, to generations to generation, until he comes.

[Pastor Claude]

Now, the biblical kingdom, principle and reality of an open heaven and a closed heaven is found throughout Scripture. Really. You go from Genesis to Revelation. You go from the father of faith, Abraham, to Moses, the friend of God, to David, the man after God's own heart. And then you go through the prophets and the patriarchs and to Christ and the apostles and the epistles and even to us, in the prophetic words to the last days church, you will hear God say over and over, this spiritual reality I want you to lay hold of today, as in Deuteronomy, chapter 11, verse 13 to 17. And it shall be that if you earnestly obey my commandments, which I command you today to love the Lord your God and serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, and yet I will give. And God says, I will give you. Rain for the land in its season, in the early rain and the latter rain. The early rain is all that God has done. God has done in your life. Can you stop for a second and

[Pastor Tim]

say, when I think of the goodness of Jesus and all he's done for me, thank God. Would you give him praise for the early rain in your life? All the blessings of open heaven.

[Pastor Claude]

The early rain, but the latter rain. There's always a new, a fresh, fresh outpouring of the open heavens for today and tomorrow that you may gather in your grain, your new wine and your oil. Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, lest the Lord's anger be aroused against you. And he shut up the heavens so that there is no rain and the land yield no fruit. Open heavens, close heaven. Now, the spiritual dynamic and differences between heavens of blessings and heavens as brass. That's the Bible expression for when the heavens are shut. Heavens as brass. The difference between heavens of blessing on your life or heavens as brass is not a geographical or historical reality. Well, this is a place where the open heaven, or this is a time in history when there's an open heaven. It's a spiritual and it's a personal,

[Pastor Tim]

spiritual and relational reality.

[Pastor Claude]

Now, please understand this. You can be in a place or a season or a situation or a spiritual climate where many say, oh, it's a horrible season, it's a closed heaven, this is a hard time, this is the apostasy, and you be walking under

[Pastor Tim]

the open heaven of God's blessing.

[Pastor Claude]

On your life. Now, please understand, and I say this with the greatest respect, but we need to stop for a second and ponder the blessing of God. Over these four decades over our church here in New York City. We're going to please understand. I have read over these 40 years, but even in recent years, I have read reports from ministries in New York that speak of New York as a

[Pastor Tim]

place that's just drunk, it's a desert, it's Sodom, it's abandoned, it's finished, it's over. While we stand here every week under the open heaven of the presence and the power of God, say yes, please. And this could be in your life.

[Pastor Claude]

It doesn't matter what was in the generations before you and what was in your family and what was before.

[Pastor Tim]

You can walk with God with an open heaven.

[Pastor Claude]

And I believe that in the last

[Pastor Tim]

days it will be one of the ways that people of God will shine through recession and wars until Jesus come. God's people will be walking under an open heaven.

[Pastor Claude]

Now, this truth, this truth, please understand this. You can also be in a season or a place where God is moving all over, all over the world. And please have the discernment to know that as we are together here in New York, but also all over the world Together in 2026, God is moving all over the world.

[Pastor Tim]

The heavens are open. But you can be in a place

[Pastor Claude]

and in a season where God is moving and opening the heavens and have the heavens as brass. But over your life, you could be in the midst, sitting in a church where God is pouring out his blessing. But because of your decisions, because of your, we're going to look at this today. You can have the heavens close over your life.

[Pastor Tim]

The Bible.

[Pastor Claude]

There's a prophetic picture in scripture of such a Christian, such a church or a ministry. Numbers four, 15 and 20, they will do it speaks of the temple and says they will do all the service. They will finish all the covering and all the furnishing of the sanctuary. But don't miss this. But they shall not touch any of the holy things. It is a picture of church is going on. The routine of church is going on. You could have singing and worship and buildings and history and you can have programs and you have tradition and doctrine and old stories and you have sermons and you can even have prayers and not be touching the holy things. Not be touching the touching, the anointing, the manifest presence of God. There's no breakthrough. There's no souls really being saved, transformed. There's no people that were indifferent or closed or Hardened to God that just gets transformed. Get a new heart and be transformed by the power of God.

[Pastor Tim]

There's no true spiritual warfare.

[Pastor Claude]

There's just a lot of hands beating in the air. No true warfare, no life changing wrestling against, overcoming and turning back the forces of darkness. The apostle Paul describes it this way in 1 Corinthians 9:26. Therefore I run thus not with uncertainty. And he says, this is the way I fight. And in this way I fight not as one, but who beats the air. The apostle Paul is literally saying, I refuse to be reduced to spiritual shadow boxing. You know, you might not know shadow boxing, but I. I've had men in my church, I've had professional boxers and professional trainers. And I remember an old trainer telling me, training these young guys. And you have to be careful, sometimes they can't be, sometimes too much shadow boxing.

[Pastor Tim]

There's an illusion that, and there's a

[Pastor Claude]

danger to shadowboxing because it's not hard when you're shadow boxing in the mirror to think you're really something.

[Pastor Tim]

But to quote.

[Pastor Claude]

So he would say you have to get them in the ring. You have to get them the shadow boxing. They think they're so amazing. To quote the great theologian Mike Tyson, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. I'm here to tell you, this is the same spiritually. You can have a lot of hands going around. You can have worship and singing.

[Pastor Tim]

We need the manifest presence of God. We need to be in true warfare. We need the Holy Spirit to come and seize lives and break chains. He did it again. He did it and he did it again. We need to do more than singing it. We need to be experiencing it in the presence of God. Would you say yes? If you want to warfare this way,

[Pastor Claude]

Please understand the Bible teaches clearly and warns that there can be prayer and still be under a closed heaven. That in our lives as a believer and as a body of believers all over the world, this is the truth. We know many things in scriptures that warn us and tell us that it will shut the heavens over your life. We know bitterness will shut the heavens over your life. Envy and jealousy and an unrepentant heart and arrogance or strife and the the unbelief and rebellion. The unforgiveness. And many decisions and choices will close the heavens over your life. Let me show you three types of believers. This is not exhaustive, just show you. Scriptures teaches three three types of believers who can forfeit their open heaven in prayer. And the first one the Bible calls hypocrites now let me do a little TSC survey. TSC survey. Honest survey. Hands lifted. Honest service.

[Pastor Tim]

How many of you don't look around,

[Pastor Claude]

but how many of you bal academia? And you can do this online too. How many of you have known, you know or you have known of someone who's a religious hypocrite? Raise your hand please. All over. Okay. How many of you are a religious hypocrite? Nobody.

[Pastor Tim]

Okay.

[Pastor Claude]

So we all know one, but we're not one ourselves. Okay. The word hypocrite appears 20 times in the New Testament, 17 times by Jesus himself in one chapter, seven times in Matthew 23. It's the strongest condemnation of Jesus and still is against hypocritical religion. Almost every time Jesus calls someone hypocrites, he was not addressing unbelievers, but religious leaders, scribes, Pharisees, teachers that pretended be something spiritually that they weren't. The issue being confronted was not human weakness, but false spirituality. Appearing righteous before men when the heart is far from God. This is what Isaiah said in Isaiah 29. Therefore the Lord said, inasmuch as these people, they draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but they have removed their hearts from me and their fear toward me is taught by the teachings of men. They've been under the teachings of blind and false teachers that rob them of the true knowledge of the fear of God and living their spiritual life in the eyes of men. To be seen by men, to appear to be something. They have no fear of God, they just want to appear something before men. It's interesting. And when Jesus used the word hypocrite that we have in English, hypocrite, in the Greek original it was Hippocrates. And Hippocrates was a word that everybody used in everyday life because it spoke. It was describing a stage act. Originally it was a word for a stage actor, a person who plays a role behind a mask. In the Greek world, actors would wear masks. They portrayed a character that was not themselves. They would say, like we go to a Broadway show. They would say, we're going to see. Watch the hypocrites tonight, people that wear masks. So in Jesus words, they so a

[Pastor Tim]

hypocrite is someone who plays a spiritual

[Pastor Claude]

role, someone who appears righteous outwardly, whose heart does not match the appearance. And actually all through the prophets, God will comes to a place where sometimes he'll even say, stop praying. If you're going to pray with a hypocritical heart, stop praying. Isaiah, chapter one. He says, I have enough. Stop I have enough of your sacrifices from unrepentant hearts. I cannot endure this iniquity mixed with the sacred gathering, sacred meeting. Stop bringing me these corrupt sacrifices. They are not. They are an abomination to me. I am weary of bearing them. I want to speak it loud and clear and may the Holy Spirit write it on our hearts. To obey is better than sacrifice. God is looking for obedience of the heart of perfection, but obedience of the heart. Singing and dancing in church when you're in sin and disobedience will not open the heavens.

[Pastor Tim]

Walking in the light.

[Pastor Claude]

That you can replace righteous living during the week with sacrifices of praise on Sunday will close to heaven. But a lifestyle of repentance in the heart, allowing the light of the conviction of the Holy Spirit to come and shine and shine in our soul. So we walk in honesty and humility and obedience.

[Pastor Tim]

Sensitive to him, opens the heavens of

[Pastor Claude]

grace and of supernatural strength. Please say Amen. Hypocrites will not see the heavens open. And the second category is hoarders, spiritual hoarders. A hoarder is someone who collects a large amount of things and keeps them for himself. Someone who will suffer, that suffers a mental condition that makes them accumulate things for themselves. They're called compulsive hoarders. It is a mental condition, but it is also a spiritual sin and a heresy that will shut up the heavens over a believer, a ministry, a church, or even a movement or denomination. Again, hear the Lord in Isaiah, chapter one, when you spread your hands, God says, when you spread your hands and I will hide my eyes from you, even though you make many prayers. And when you look at history, they would spend hours praying. God said, I'm not hearing your hand. Why? Because your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Put away the evil of your doings. Strong words before my eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good, seek justice, rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless and plead for the widow. Prayer and preaching with an unholy fixation with prosperity, without a passion and generosity for the poor and is a grave and toxic misrepresentation of God's heart, His love, his mercy, his justice, his compassion and selfless generosity. You can't ignore God's big Four and expect to have the heavens open over you. And believers can go sometimes their whole lives without knowing what God's big four is. God's big Four, God's passion all over hundreds of scripture where God speaks of the widow, the orphan, the poor and the immigrant. I'm going to Say it again. The widow and the orphan and the poor and the immigrants are the apple of God's eye.

[Pastor Tim]

They're in his heart, and we're not his people. We don't expect the heavens to be open. If you don't have a heart and if you don't have that generosity and

[Pastor Claude]

that preoccupation and that passion to reach

[Pastor Tim]

the poor, it's when we are in sync with his heart that he pours

[Pastor Claude]

out the blessings from heaven. Say yes, please. Did you see the seriousness of the language that God uses? Cease to do evil, learn to be generous, seek justice, fight the oppressor, defend the fatherless, provide for the widow, and you will see the heaven open over your life, over your business, over your family, over the church. I believe it is a reason why God has provided through. I believe in the last of these last days, when the economy crashes on all sides, those that would have stood with the poor in the name of

[Pastor Tim]

Jesus will never lack. There will always be, be and open heaven. Mark my words.

[Pastor Claude]

Yesterday I was giving the interview for the. For the documentary on the 40 years and also on the ministry of Brother David. And I was sharing this testimony that literally is foundational to our church. Our church is 33 years old, and we started with 40 people this weekend. There's over 9,000 people that are gathering on 11 locations in Quebec and in France, French churches. And when we started, I was just. I was coming to preach already here regularly, and I was a few weeks before starting our church with 40 people, small little building. And I was nervous, and I wanted to ask Brother Dave an advice, if you have advice for me. And I also knew that Brother Dave was not a fan of all these books of seven keys and eight secrets and the nine this and the. And Easy Steps. And so. But I still ask, I said, brother David, there was something. You mentored me. You mentored me in prayer and fasting and staying true to the word and preaching the word without compromise. But if there's something that you can give me, that's my first pastorate, I'm 30 years old, and if there's something. And we were walking together on 8th Avenue here and 8th and 51st, and we're walking and he spoke silent for a few seconds, and then he turned around, and Brother David Wilkerson was extremely intense blue eyes, laser blue eyes, very intense. And he turned around and he says, oh, other young pastors have asked me that. And they say they're going to do it. But then they say, oh, thank you, thank you. They said, they're going to do it and then they don't do it or they stop when it gets hard. So do you want to know? I said, yes, sir, I want to know. And then he's getting very, very intense, as those of you knew him, he can get. And then he goes, do you really want to know? And I'm like, I don't know anymore. I don't know if I don't. But in my heart I said that not, not out loud. So I said, yes, sir, I want to know. And then he said, okay, listen to me. Find the poor. Find people that cannot do anything for you and bless them and be generous for them and fight for them.

[Pastor Tim]

And then, then, then his whole face

[Pastor Claude]

lit up and he says, and then watch. God bless you.

[Pastor Tim]

Do you understand? That is the story, that is the history of Teen Challenge of this church. Thank God for 40 years of TSC missions. Every video you see at TSC Missions

[Pastor Claude]

and Mercy in New York and around the world.

[Pastor Tim]

As long as we stay with our heart fixed on those that need, that are in greater need than we are, and we give generously and with sacrifice, the heavens will open over us until Jesus comes. Give him praise and give him with all your trust. Come on. Prayer that moves to heaven.

[Pastor Claude]

Three types of believers that will not see the heavens open. Hypocrites, hoarders and husbands.

[Pastor Tim]

Not all husbands.

[Pastor Claude]

And I've got some guys are getting nervous.

[Pastor Tim]

Not all husbands.

[Pastor Claude]

But there is a significant truth that is often ignored that this is from Peter, who was a married man, an emotional. I believe it was an emotional sanguine from what we know from scriptures and probably a pretty intense husband, maybe choleric type of husband. We know he was married because Jesus healed his mother in law and he wrote in 1st Peter 3:7, Husbands likewise dwell with your wives. Dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to your wife as a weaker vessel and being heirs together of the grace of life. Don't miss this, that your prayers would not be hindered that literally. Now please, a few explanations. What does the weaker vessel means? It's not no moral or spiritual weakness, people. Peter explicitly says that wives are heirs with you of the grace of life. That that puts men and women on equal spiritual standing before God. So the weakness is not about value, intelligence or spirituality. Primarily it was about physical and situational vulnerability. Women were generally, in the Greco Roman context, the women were generally physically weaker than men, but also extreme. It was an extremely violent society, a very unprotective of women. They were also socially more vulnerable. Less protection, more Dependent. And the main command, the focus of the verse, is not defining women, it's correcting men. It's warning men. Peter commands husbands to live with understanding. Know your wife deeply. Show honor, value, respect, elevate, treat her carefully so that your prayers may not be hindered. A husband's spiritual life is directly affected. Affected by how he treats his wife at home. Dishonor at home will block fellowship with God and shut the heavens. Yeah. In my first years, when I was traveling as an evangelist and I would preach in churches of different size, but oftentimes very small churches. And in every small church, there's a couple of people that do everything. And there was one church, what I went to, and this man, as soon as I get there, he drove me. And he's doing the song, he's doing the worship, and he's in the choir, and he's doing sound, and he's doing. He's like, in five places at the same. It's all over. And the pastor told me, oh, this guy's doing everything in this church. So. And I thought, wow, he's quite the servant in the church. And on Sunday night, I'm praying, I finish the service, and there's a woman who comes by seeing me. Pastor, can I speak with you for a second? And she begins to weep so. So deeply. And she says, please pray for me. I'm living hell at home. My husband never keeps a job, and we don't pay our bills. We don't pay the rent. So we run from apartments to apartment at night when we haven't paid, and sometimes we don't have food to eat, and he disappears for days, and he's very angry, and he punches walls, and we're afraid in the house. And I'm thinking. And she said, please, please help me. And I said, sister, I'm leaving tonight. I'm going to a different city. I'm gonna. I can't follow up with this. This is very serious. Let me find someone for you. And I look at that brother. And I said, brother, come on. Come on over here. And she goes, oh, no. Some of you ladies are seeing me come like a Mack truck. That's the husband. So spiritual. In church, I learned as a pastor, I can say this. And my wife would testify to this. In 42, 43 years of ministry, I've never preached a Sunday morning angry with my wife. Never. Never. I would never. I can't. I know the heavens would be shut sometimes it was close. And in my early years, just newly married. And then most of Our biggest fights are in the first five years. But in. Don't look at me like that. So, Pharisees. One time I was traveling, but that Sunday I was in church. I wasn't preaching in our church. I was attached to. And we had a fight on Saturday and it lasted, you know, just not talking. It's very cold and rolling of the eyes and all that. So we go to church and it's even through the service, but I'm not doing anything. And we're getting ready for Sunday night and it's still. She's in her room, I'm in. You know, it's not good. And we get to church and I'm okay, because I'm not preaching. So we get there and the pastor, the senior pastor leans over to me and he says, oh, I want you to take the communion tonight. I want you to speak a word over communion. I'm like, oh. So during the worship, my wife is over there and I'm in my corner and she's taking communion. So I go, I slid over.

[Pastor Tim]

Honey, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me.

[Pastor Claude]

Trying to make things right. Before taking communion, can we all say amen to say, Lord, the way we live at home will be. Will be a definite importance on how the heavens will open or close over our lives as for husband and for wives and for children in Jesus name. And everyone says amen, Please give God praise for that. That's how they. So I just want to look at a passage in James chapter five where there is an amazing opening of the heavens. It speaks of Elijah opening the heavens. But it's also in James chapter five, we are going to look at God's plan and will for his church to be a community of prayer that will move the heavens. And it gives us many marks of prayer that moves the heavens. I've taught this over weeks at our church, but this is only two, only two thoughts this afternoon. And these people. You have to understand that the people that he's speaking to in James are people from the Diaspora. They've been scattered. They experienced a horrible persecution in Jerusalem. They're scattered over nations, but they're scattered in nations that despise them, that persecute them, that want to cancel them. And they are overwhelmed and under such pressure. But the Holy Spirit inspires James to remind them that their calling position in Christ and kingdom purpose together is to be a people who will pray prayers that will move the heavens. So we'll look at this beautiful passage together in James 5 and verse 13. Is anyone among you suffering Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick. And the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. And here it is. The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, but he prayed earnestly that he would not rain. And it did not rain over the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again. And the heavens gave rain and and the earth produce its fruit. Would you say Amen to the word of God? So this is a picture of God's heart for church. And I say this, it sounds simplistic, but millions of believers, their experience in church is to come and watch the band and listen to a little word and go home and never actually get involved in what God wants his church to be, a community. It's not of healing of men and women praying prayers that open to heaven for one who one another. And when he speaks of praying for healing, the word that is used here is not. It's not only for physical healing, because the same word in the Greek is used many times even in James, to speak of people that were under distress, under persecution. The original Greek speaks of people that need healing because they're under pressure, they're suffering mentally or spiritually, emotionally. Is anyone suffering? Is everyone weary, exhausted, feeling helpless or without strength?

[Pastor Tim]

That includes physical healing, but does not

[Pastor Claude]

limit to physical healing. And here's God's picture, God's dream, God's intent for his body, for us. That when you're coming and suffering, as many are here today and many of us and all over the nations, you can come to a place is church a place where you can come and stand for one another, where you can come and not only to be the pastors on stage with a microphone, but where each of us come with intent and know that we can stand before

[Pastor Tim]

God and pray prayers that open the heavens over my brother, over my sister, and see God come and intervene and

[Pastor Claude]

bring healing and deliverance, and where you can come and learn to come in humility and have somebody stand for you and say, I need prayer. You're not coming with the mask.

[Pastor Tim]

You're coming saying Lord.

[Pastor Claude]

And even it's a community that confesses sins.

[Pastor Tim]

It's a Community that opens up to each other and.

[Pastor Claude]

And everyone is praying prayers that opens the heavens. And he gives two marks of the prayers that opens the heavens in the same chapter. There's more than two, but I'm only looking at two today. Two marks of prayers that open the heavens. Because this passage is very well known, the effectual, fervent prayer of the righteous man avail much, but most people don't even know the context of the chapter. But the context of the chapter gives it all its strength and its importance and its true value. Prayers of the prayers that will move the heavens are always prayers of patience for the precious fruit. It's found in the same chapter, but in verse seven. Therefore, be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently. Say this word that you love so much. Say patiently, patiently for it until you receive the early and the latter rain. Same passage. You also, same principle. You also be patient, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand. So there's this picture of every believer that this is the prayers that open the heavens. It's prayer where men and women, imperfect, of like nature, like Elijah, which we know from Scripture was so human, normal and perfect, but are standing in spiritual patience, which means spiritual resilience and courage and faith and faithfulness and praying specifically for what the scripture call the precious fruit. And the precious fruit are the things of eternal values. The precious fruit is praying for someone's salvation, is praying for someone's deliverance. It's praying for someone that is totally away from God or closed or. Or rebellious or drifted away. To come back to God is to pray for reconciliation, is to pray for miracle. And it's to pray for the healing, emotional healing of someone who's been abused.

[Pastor Tim]

It is a community that prays and

[Pastor Claude]

calls out and is patient. And his perseverance. He prayed and he prayed again and he's patient. And this is the prayer that Satan wants to shut down more than he

[Pastor Tim]

wants us to become just.

[Pastor Claude]

Just babies calling for ourselves. And please understand that God loves to. He asks us in many scriptures to

[Pastor Tim]

come to him with our needs, to

[Pastor Claude]

our loving Father who loves to bless his children. But their prayer that opens to heaven is a prayer that, yes, I come

[Pastor Tim]

to God with my needs, but I'm

[Pastor Claude]

also coming for someone else. I am coming, aligning my heart, strengthening

[Pastor Tim]

my heart, establishing my heart, realigning my

[Pastor Claude]

heart foundationally, setting my heart with the

[Pastor Tim]

patience and the heart of God who's not willing that any should perish but

[Pastor Claude]

that all should come to repentance.

[Pastor Tim]

Oh, please say amen.

[Pastor Claude]

Do you understand? Again, our history. This is the hard and profound motivation that has been opening heavens of provision and miracles over Times Square Church and World Challenge that was founded by David Wilkerson foundation for over 40 years. So many don't even know that.

[Pastor Tim]

And thank God for the play that

[Pastor Claude]

is coming that will tell the story. Thank God for this documentary that will tell the story.

[Pastor Tim]

But all of this is a man praying, praying in his church in Pennsylvania, but hearing a call of God to come to New York City to go towards people that are bound, that are got nothing to give back to him but grief and violence and vile, vile opposition. But he's standing for the precious fruit. Patient for the precious fruit. And God opens the heaven.

[Pastor Claude]

And that's generation to generation. That's Pastor David, that's Pastor Carter.

[Pastor Tim]

That is the Summit School of International Ministry. Yes. The vision is to train men and women to fight for the precious fruit. That's the Wednesday night prayer meeting. That is the. The mission, the vision of Pastor Tim to bring this word all over the world to the nations until Jesus come. We are fighting for the precious, precious fruit. Hallelujah.

[Pastor Claude]

In your family.

[Pastor Tim]

And I know how hard to fight can be, how long to fight. It's a. Patience.

[Pastor Claude]

It's a spiritual renewing. That's why he says, establish your hearts.

[Congregation Member]

You.

[Pastor Tim]

There is a.

[Pastor Claude]

There's a Holy Spirit that we ask him to renew, reestablish. Realign me not on what I see, but on who you are and what you've promised. For a son, for a daughter, for a family, for our city, for our nation, for backsliders. And this is when we pray prayers of patience for the precious fruit. God can take us beyond what we see. What we see. He takes us in the realm of the invisible, in the realm of. I don't see. You know what I'm talking about. You're praying for someone. You're praying for this healing. You're praying for this person. You're praying for this son, this daughter. You're praying for this person that's so bound they're addicted and it's been so long. And humanly speaking, you can't see anything. But when we come with a holy, Holy Spirit, patience.

[Pastor Tim]

And I say, God, re.

[Pastor Claude]

Establish my heart.

[Pastor Tim]

Realign my heart with yours. He fills us with a faith and

[Pastor Claude]

a flesh fighting spirit to fight and pray.

[Pastor Tim]

And I will pray again. Pray and I will pray again. Pray and I will pray again.

[Pastor Claude]

Because I believe in the invisible.

[Pastor Tim]

Say yes, please.

[Pastor Claude]

Just before I came this week, one of our pastors said, well, it's my dad's birthday, Jacques's birthday, and he's 89 years old. I said, wow, that's amazing. And we both stop in the hall, but just in front of my office, and we just. God, you're so amazing. Because in the. Jacques, my pastor friend's dad, in the year 2000, already had been through many years of an excruciating, violent battle with cancer. Every treatment, every. And then in 2000, he was on what, humanly speaking, looked like his deathbed. That stopped treatments. And on a Sunday, on a Saturday, they called me and said, if you can come after the second service, please come to the hospital. Because they say it's a matter of days. And when I walked to the hospital, and this is a good man. This is a man of God, loves the Lord. And we know that absent from the body, this is just a shell. Absent from the body, we're in the presence of Jesus. So this man was in peace. But when I came to the hospital, I had a shiver in my spirit because all the kids and grandkids were lined up around his room. Wow. Young. Three generations. I just walked in and I walked in the room, and he's lying there, and he's green and gray, and he's got tubes and he's semi conscious. And they said, would you pray with him? And I talked with him a little bit. He was unresponsive. So then I said, well, we'll just pray. So the family gathers and I grab his hand, I begin to pray. And I'll be very honest with you. My sentiment, humanly, with not only my eyes, my understanding, what I could discern in my own limitation, was just to pray with him. And, Lord, your servant is coming to you, and your will be done. And just a prayer, a pastoral prayer of peace, and that's fine. And I just stood there and I held his hand. And just before praying, I just was praying in the Spirit, in my heart. The Bible says, and when we know not how to pray, the Spirit maketh intercession with groanings that cannot be uttered because the Spirit knows the mind of God. I'm talking to you about prayers that open the heavens, open our prayer, where you say, lord, I am not limited by what I see. I'm going to set my heart, realign my heart with your purposes and your Word and this invisible world where your word can create things that I can't even imagine or see. That's what we prayed at the beginning. So I prayed with them. And instead. Instead of the prayer that I had in mind, words began to pour out of me. And I wasn't speaking loudly, but. But I began to say, Lord, it was so, so true to me. Lord, the same spirit that Jack is ready to meet you, but the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us. And you can raise him too, to

[Pastor Tim]

be a testimony to his family and to his kids.

[Pastor Claude]

Just laid hold of me and in a short prayer. But in a matter of minutes, he started to open his eyes and move. And he was saying something. What is he saying? He sang take the tubes off. So the nurse comes in. She says, what's going on here? And we're thinking, we don't know what's going on. And then he. So she wants the tube off. She says, okay. And I'm gonna make a long story short. It started to run. He got so much better that he came out of the hospital the week after. And then he started to run all the tests on him. One year cancer free. Two years cancer free.

[Pastor Tim]

After five years, they said, you're officially in remission. 10 years cancer free. 20 years cancer free. 26 years cancer free. Serving God. I'm talking about prayer that will open to heaven. Would you lift your hands just for a second? It might be for a physical healing, it might be for a spiritual healing. It might be for deliverance. It might be for a son, it might be for a daughter. It might be for a backslider. It might be for emotional healing, a deliverance from addiction. Whatever it might be, it is a spiritual treasure. It is the precious fruit. And in Jesus name, oh God, open our eyes. We're setting our hearts aligned with yours. And we will pray and pray again with patience for the precious fruit. In Jesus name, shout amen with me. Hallelujah. So let me close with this thought.

[Pastor Claude]

Prayer that moves the heavens is prayer of patience for the precious fruit. And it's prayer with a perspective and pursuit. Don't miss this. That is often ignored, that we don't connect with prayer. But James 5 connects it so powerfully that we can't miss it. We have to understand, we have to discern this. When you go through the book of James, it's all the. It's practical Christian living. It's every aspect of practical Christian living. You go chapter by chapter. It's a manual on Christian living day to day. Some theologians call it the most practical epistle. In the New Testament, it deals with so many things that are of the earth that we are to live by the kingdom of God in these matters of every day. It deals, you go chapter by chapter. It deals with the handling of money, temptation, jealousy, speaking the truth.

[Pastor Tim]

Be quick to listen and slow to speak.

[Pastor Claude]

Say to somebody next to you. That's still good advice. Say that to somebody next to you.

[Pastor Tim]

It's in your face.

[Pastor Claude]

It's an in your face epistle where he says, practice, you better practice and not just listen to the word of God. Practice, don't just listen to speaks. It warns against favoritism. It says, it speaks of faith without works is dead. If your brother lacks food or clothing

[Pastor Tim]

and you say God bless you and

[Pastor Claude]

you keep walking, your faith is dead. And he goes through all these very, very tangible things. But he emphasizes chapter by chapter, a vital perspective and pursuit connected to prayer that is often totally ignored when we think of prayers that open, that move to heaven. Please don't miss this. Here it is. He says, don't forget the relational dimension of the kingdom of God. There's a relational. The importance of the relational dimension is profoundly spiritual. And this is true for every believer online and here. But I'm going to address this also as a pastor. This is true and so important for leaders, for church leaders, for people that have responsibilities in church, for pastors, for staff, for people that sing, for people that lead in the church. That how we are with one another. The, the unity. And I had not consulted with Pastor Patrick and when in post services, Pastor Patrick had this word about communion on unity. I really feel that the Holy Spirit is speaking to us, speaking to us here. It's a protective word, but it's also for you in the nations because I've seen this all over the world. All over the world. Please understand that the enemy can never the devil, darkness, persecution, governments, elected officials can never stop the kingdom of God.

[Pastor Tim]

Jesus will build his church and hell will not prevail.

[Pastor Claude]

But it is the poison from inside that has quenched so many revivals and has divided churches that had an open heaven and see it can bring a shut heaven for so long. And when you go through the chapters in James, I challenge you to read James this week. It's so fast to read. It's just a few chapters, but if you look at just the headings, the themes of each chapter in James, you look at chapter one and it closes with the words be slow to anger. The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Chapter two, Beware of personal favoritism in the house of God. Chapter three, the untenable tongue. How we can bring life and death with our words. Chapter four. Pride promotes strife. In chapter five, we just before the teaching on the effectual fervent prayer unveils much. And Elijah was a man of like nature. And he prayed in the heavens open. There's this divine. There's this important warning, the whole build up. And then in chapter five, verse nine, do not grumble against one another. You look at the. At the Greek, it has so many variations. Do not. Do not grumble against one another. Do not speak ill of one another. Do not keep bitter words against one another. Do not gossip against one another. Do not slander one another. Do not be jealous of one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Lest you shut the heavens on your on yourselves and on the body. Behold. What words.

[Pastor Tim]

Behold.

[Pastor Claude]

The judge is standing at the door. So God is standing, of course, he's speaking of the second coming. He's standing. The Lord Jesus is standing at the door of times, of all times. Everything is in control in his hands. But he's also standing at the door of my heart, in your heart. And he's standing at the door of my mouth and my thoughts and my motivations. And please understand this. He's saying how important this is. He's giving laws of the king. Please hear this. And everybody in leadership in church, please hear this. In the kingdom of God, the pursuit of peace is more important than the production. We can produce fantastic things, fantastic music, and everything is perfect. And so many churches are running perfect programs. But the pursuit of the peace among us is more important to God than the production. The attitudes are more important than the accomplishments. In the Kingdom of God, ego is the enemy. The testimony of unity of the team is more important than talents and titles. The relationships are more important than results. The we, the we together. The we is more important than the wow. There's a lot of wow going on, a lot of great production.

[Pastor Tim]

But God is looking at how we

[Pastor Claude]

get there and how we treat each

[Pastor Tim]

other, how we forgive each other, how

[Pastor Claude]

we do our loudest, our strongest effort,

[Pastor Tim]

intentional effort to, to preserve the bond of unity will determine if the heavens

[Pastor Claude]

are open or the heavens are closed. And Paul had a. And I will close with this. Paul had a prophetic picture of it in Ephesians. In the book of Ephesians, he says in Ephesians 4:26 32, Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger, your wrath. Don't give place access and agree to the devil. He says, let no corrupt words proceed out of your Mouth and corrupt words is not only cursing words, but it's words that are not bringing edification. It's words that are not bringing peace. It's words of comparison, of jealousy, of putting down, of bitterness. It's words that sow dissension. And then if you have to speak, if it's necessary for you to speak, let it be for edification that when you speak, it brings, it imparts a grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you when you say yes to the word of God. Did you see the picture? Did you see the picture? He says, two things happen to a believer, to a team, to a department, to a ministry. No matter how the performance is, no matter how good it all looks, two things happen. If bitterness is allowed, if the clamor is allowed, if the grumbling is allowed, if the criticism is allowed, if the jealousy is allowed, if the unforgiveness is allowed. Two things happen, two things in the spiritual realm that are so powerful, they are so determining of everything. The Bible says, the Scripture says. And Paul caught a glimpse of it. He says there's two things that happen. The first thing that happens when a heart is bitter is that you open and access. Free access to the devil, free access to his lies, to torment. I have seen ministers that had amazing revelations. And in latter years, in latter years, let bitterness enter their soul, let bitterness because they were hurt in ministry, whatever the reason, the offense was real, the wound was real, but they let it fester and it hardened them. And then the enemy begins to torment them and lie to them. And so when you are in bitterness and unforgiveness, even if the offense was real, I'm underlining that I know the offense was real, the wound was real. But if you allow it to live in your life, the first thing it does, it opens, it shuts the heaven. It opens the door to access, free to the enemy in your life. And then it saddens, it quenches, it grieves the Holy Spirit.

[Pastor Tim]

So you're so vulnerable spiritually because the enemy is bombarding you. And the precious Holy Spirit who will lead you into truth, the comforter who

[Pastor Claude]

heals and takes away the heart of stone and gives a heart of flesh,

[Pastor Tim]

you've shut down the door to the. To the Holy Spirit and You pray to the enemy.

[Pastor Claude]

I stand today saying, in Jesus name.

[Pastor Tim]

Only God knows what's facing us in our nation, in our city, as a church. But we will be a people who will protect unity in this body. We will protect it in every department, every leader, every pastor, every musician, every singer, every song leader, every technical, every media. We will stand in you and protect upon of unity by the spirit of God. Say Amen, please. We will shut the door to the enemy and say, holy Spirit, come and strengthen me supernaturally in the inner mantle, to release and to forgive.

[Pastor Claude]

In Jesus name. Say Amen, please. This is why, for this reason we bow our knee. For this reason we bow our knee. You know, spiritually, we are always no more than 20 inches away from mercy, from the heavens opening, from healing, from a release, from 20 inches away. It's only spiritually, it's the only difference. For this reason we bow our knee. We're always 20 inches away from standing in our hearts getting harder and harder. Sometimes in pride and defiance or just in bitterness. Kneeling, that's the distance between standing and this is why. 20 inches. I bow my knee before God and I am praying, Holy Spirit. This is why we bow our knee. For the heavens to open. I'm asking the musicians to come, please. For this reason I bow my knee. The Last verse, Ephesians 3:14. To the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might through his spirit in the inner man. In Jesus name and everyone say Amen. By the power of the Holy Spirit, strengthening us, establishing, strengthening, realigning, fortifying, healing, delivering our heart, realigning it with God's patience, we will pray and pray again. And the word effectual, Fervent prayer, effectual. The Greek word means with effect, with force. When we pray. We sang it today. When we pray, things change. And then the fervent. The word for fervent, energeo, speaks of the divine energy, of divine capacity. I don't have the capacity to continue fighting for this, but there's divine energy strengthening me in the inner man. I don't have the capacity to forgive the situation, to forgive this hurt, to forgive this abuse, forgive this addiction, justice, to forgive this disappointment. But in Jesus name, by the power of the Holy Spirit, he will realign my heart. Last week we had a water baptism and we, by the grace of God, are baptizing over 500 people the last year. And young people coming from getting saved and it's such a Sunday morning, last Sunday morning, just the testimonies. We read out and we interview people that give testimonies. And it's glory of God, of life transformed and then being an altar call. And so many come, come to Christ. And I love the baptism services. And we have the baptismal tank. And we would say their name, their stories are read before they go under the water. And families come and gather and take pictures and film, and it's just a glorious time. And last week there was a young man who was getting baptized. And I'm. There's like 50 people that came. Whole family came. And I smiled and I was just watching this scene, and they're all taking pictures. And he's so proud and comes out of the water. He came out of the water like Superman. Just came out, almost flew out of the tank. And it just. Everybody said, oh, they're so happy. Those two families came from a country in French Africa that I will not name. But when they were in the old country, they were serving in this church. And they were the two families. Two dads and the wives and the kids. Two very close families. And they're both in ministry. They were lay pastors, but preaching and serving. And I'm not going to say the details, but something happened. Very deep, very deep offense took place. Things happened between children. And there was such a division, such a tearing of those two families. It was horrible. And those families that had been like brothers and sisters and the kids, so the parents, the two husbands, the two men were so. So filled with anger and bitterness that they each, over a few months, quit serving in ministry, just sat in the church and forbid their families from speaking to the other family. And then it lasted a couple of years, and the kids started to drift away from the things of God. And then they came to Montreal. One family moved to Montreal, and they come from this other continent. And they. They joined our church. And we have two services with 2,000 people in each service. And we have 20 services over a weekend, over 11 sites, but in our main building, two services. So they come and this man came to our church, and he testified later. I enjoyed the preaching, and it was doing me good. But then Pastor Claude started a series, four weeks on forgiveness. And he says, I was so agitated, and I just felt like I kept looking at my wife and said, you talking about to him about me? And he was so. So he said, I don't understand it. I love God. But he was so agitated in his spirit. In the third or fourth week as Pastor Patrick did today. He came in and he's sitting there. And by now it's just. Heavens are shut by now he's not singing, he's not praying. It's been years. It's just so bitter. And he didn't know. But the other families a few years after decided to immigrate to Montreal and to join Nouvelle Vie, join our church. And they decided to come for the first time that week and sit without knowing, sat directly behind them. So they don't know. The two men don't know. And I say, turn around, give your best smile to somebody around and tell somebody, I'm so glad you're here. And they turn and go. And the two, the two men, the women are like, oh, you know. Do you understand the odds of that happening? The mathematical odds of that happening?

[Pastor Tim]

I am telling you, unity is important to the heart of God. To reopen to heaven over your life.

[Pastor Claude]

Say yes, please.

[Pastor Tim]

So they.

[Pastor Claude]

So. So one of the two guys actually

[Pastor Tim]

moved away to the other side of the building.

[Pastor Claude]

As if that some just come with me. I can't sit behind this. And he came to the other. So they're both at the each end of the building. But the Holy Spirit is the doing its work. And when the altar call came, one of them went to the other and just. And the guys and the wives and the kids. And this is years ago, they're all serving in the church. The children came back to God are serving the youth and young, young adults. And I'm watching and I'm watching all this whole crew, this whole family, like 40 of them around the water baptism. When the youngest one is getting 16, 17 is getting baptized, testifying of his faith in Christ.

[Pastor Tim]

And I believe that it could have all been stolen by the devil. If a man. If these men are not open their heart, realign their hearts so that the heavens would be open in Jesus name. And all of God's people say amen and amen and amen. Please give him a shout in the

[Pastor Claude]

house of God today.

[Pastor Tim]

Hallelujah. We can even stand up and give Jesus a standing ovation in the house of God. Would you give him a standing ovation and a shout of praise in the house of God? No, no, no, no. You can do better than that. Good. Please, please, please. Come on, come on. Clap before him. Lord Jesus, open the heavens. Thank you for the open heavens over our church, church over our lives, over my family, over my children. I am giving you innovation. Oh God. Because he opened heavens over my life. Oh, Lord Jesus, realign our hearts now. Would you lift your hands with me, Lord Jesus, realign our hearts. We will pray for the precious fruit. We're gonna pray. Oh, God, we will pray and pray again. We come against the spirit of discouragement and of slumber and a spirit of unbelief, the blindness that the enemy has tried to put over my eyes. In the name of Jesus, we will pray and pray again. I believe that I'm a man. I'm a woman. Same nature as Elijah, imperfect. My righteousness is not in myself. My righteousness is in you, O Christ. Hallelujah. Jesus Christ. I'm righteous because of you. And I can pray that the heavens may open. And I will pray again for the precious fruit. In the name of Jesus. Begin to speak the name of someone you're praying for. Begin to speak the name. I will speak in a moment. We'll sing it, but we need to pray first. Come on. Lift your hands. Lift your voices. And Lord God, I bring every hurt, every wound, every offense, every woundedness, every bitterness. I bring it to you. I don't want it in my spirit. Oh, God, I don't want it in my spirit. My spirit. Lord God, I pray A protection over Times Square Church. We are called to be a voice in these last days. And yet, I mean, would like to come inside, inside leadership, inside building, inside departments, inside our hearts, our family, our couples. God, I pray an open heaven of healing over every marriage, over every family, over every. Every son and daughter, over every husband and wife, over every department apartment. Oh, God. As Pastor Tim does every Saturday, we. We anoint this building with an oil of unity. How good it is for brethren to dwell together. That is where God commands a blessing and opens to heaven. So lift your hands to give him that. Oh, God. That impossible situation and that hurt and that bitterness and that woundedness I give to you. And I'm. I'm just going to speak the name of the Jesus. Come on, let's sing it. Let's pray it with all our hearts. Hallelujah.

[Pastor Claude]

Come on.

[Pastor Tim]

Declare the name of Jesus.

[Congregation Member]

I just want to speak the name of Jesus.

[Pastor Tim]

Let me hear the body of Christ. Let me hear God's people.

[Congregation Member]

I speak Jesus.

[Pastor Claude]

Come on, let's sing it again.

[Pastor Tim]

I just.

[Pastor Claude]

I just want to speak the name of Jesus. Let me hear you.

[Congregation Member]

I just want to speak the name of Jesus.

[Pastor Tim]

Speak the name of Jesus over your family.

[Congregation Member]

Every dark addiction starts to break.

[Pastor Tim]

Declaring there's hope, there's freedom.

[Congregation Member]

Declaring there is hope and there's freedom. I speak Jesus.

[Pastor Tim]

God, Come on. Come on, people of God. Shout it with me.

[Congregation Member]

Your name.

[Pastor Claude]

Come on.

[Congregation Member]

Your name is power. Your name is healing. Your name is light.

[Pastor Tim]

Break through every stronghold.

[Congregation Member]

Break every stronghold. Shine through the shadows. Per life.

[Pastor Tim]

Come on, lift your hands. I just want to speak the name of Jesus.

[Congregation Member]

Over fear and all anxiety.

[Pastor Tim]

In the name of Jesus. Free.

[Pastor Claude]

Free to every soul uncounted by depression.

[Congregation Member]

I speak Jesus, son.

[Pastor Tim]

Speak his name.

[Congregation Member]

Your name is power. Your name is healing. Your name is light.

[Pastor Tim]

Break every stronghold.

[Congregation Member]

Break every stronghold. Shine through the shadows. The Father.

[Pastor Tim]

Come on, let's sing it. Speak his name now. Jesus. Speak Jesus on the streets. Come on. Speak Jesus on the street.

[Congregation Member]

Shout Jesus off the mountain.

[Pastor Tim]

Oh, Jesus.

[Congregation Member]

Jesus in the darkness over every enemy. Jesus on my family. I speak the holy name. Jesus. Hallelujah.

[Pastor Tim]

Your name.

[Congregation Member]

Your name is power. Your name is he. Name is high.

[Pastor Tim]

Hallelujah.

[Congregation Member]

Break every stronghold. Shine through the shadow.

[Pastor Claude]

I want to close the service in a particular way. I do this with respect men with men and women with women. And be respectful if you don't know the person next to you. But I feel that we should live. James Chapter five, just for a moment. Would you put your head over someone's shoulder next to you, men and women, and begin to pray for one another?

[Pastor Tim]

Balcony, main floor, Wherever you're watching from

[Pastor Claude]

around the world, in your car, wherever you are, or in your house, in your kitchen, in your living room, just

[Pastor Tim]

begin to pray for one another. That we would be in James Chapter

[Pastor Claude]

five right now, praying over one another.

[Pastor Tim]

Is there one suffering? Let them pray over one another. Let them pray over one another. And the prayer of faith will heal. Not only heal the sick. So Lord, heal bodies and heal minds and heal families and heal woundedness of the depths of woundedness. And heal history and heal of abuse. In the name of Jesus, heal marriages. Heal couples and marriages and relationships. Restore, Restore from brokenness. Oh God, I pray in the name of Jesus. Realign our hearts. We pray for one another. We pray, oh God, with faith. We pray believing that our prayers are effective and our prayer are led by the divine energy of God. Divine energy, oh God, in Jesus name the effectual fervent. Lord God, I confess I need to be renewed and baptized in fresh, fresh, fresh fire. Fresh, oh God, fervency, fresh power capacity by your holy spirit. Oh, that we would pray and pray again. That we would pray and pray again. And give us eyes in the spirit to see. To see the victory. Your name is power. Your name is power. Hallelujah. Speak power over each other. Speak power over each other. Speak peace over each other. Speak healing over each other in the name of Jesus. His his name is Power. His name is Power.

[Pastor Claude]

Come on, let's declare it.

[Pastor Tim]

His name is.

[Congregation Member]

Your name is Power. Your name is. Your name is Glory.

[Pastor Tim]

Break every stronghold.

[Congregation Member]

Break every stronghold. Shine through the shadow.

[Pastor Claude]

Come on.

[Pastor Tim]

Give him praise.

[Pastor Claude]

Give him praise. Give him a shout of praise.

[Pastor Tim]

Hallelujah.

[Podcast Host]

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