Podcast Summary: "Water by Foot or Rain from Heaven"

Times Square Church - Sermons
Speaker: Pastor Tim Dilena
Date: August 17, 2025

Overview

In this powerfully candid sermon, Pastor Tim Dilena contrasts "water by foot"—self-reliant human effort—with "rain from heaven"—God’s miraculous provision. Drawing from personal experiences, biblical narratives, and poignant worship moments, Pastor Tim urges listeners to relinquish reliance on formulas, programming, or ingenuity and to earnestly seek a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in their lives and church. This message coincides with the kickoff of a special season of prayer and fasting at Times Square Church, and issues a widespread call for surrender and genuine dependence on God's Spirit, not only for personal needs but also for the city, nation, and world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal and Collective Testimonies of God’s Provision

• Pastor Tim begins by reflecting on God as provider, healer, and source of peace, inviting congregational participation in acknowledging God's faithfulness. (00:00)
• Worship led by choir members and previous leaders emphasizes a theme of trust in God "through it all."
  • "Through it all, I've learned to trust in Jesus. I've learned to trust in God."
  • Emotional recollections, such as recognizing people in the congregation who stand as witnesses of God’s miraculous sustaining power. (06:02)

2. A Plea for Open Heavens in Turbulent Times

• Contextual Urgency:
  • Pastor Tim addresses the spiritual and physical challenges currently facing New York City, from ongoing violence to a pivotal mayoral race, and asserts, "We need an open heaven." (08:15)
• Global Community:
  • Welcoming worshippers and viewers from around the world, Pastor Tim frames the need for a global outpouring of the Spirit. (06:02–09:15)

3. Personal Vulnerability: Lessons from the Pulpit

• Shares a formative experience where God's manifest presence interrupted a sermon, but he continued preaching, missing a unique move of the Spirit. (12:40)
  • "I kept preaching after God started to move. Instead of stopping and acknowledging that this is the place that God wanted to pause and stop, I kept going." (13:01)
  • Learned from David Wilkerson: "When God comes in the middle of your message... stop and cap the well." (16:16)
  • The spiritual danger of relying on one's own strength: "He was marvelously helped until he was strong..." (2 Chronicles 26, 12:41)
  • Billy Graham quote: "You are never preaching until the audience hears another voice." (19:00)

4. It’s Not by Might, nor by Power, but by My Spirit

• Pastor Tim unpacks Zechariah 4, emphasizing the symbolism of the lampstand (structure/resources) and the olive trees (the Spirit’s anointing). (22:51–24:05)
  • "You can have the points perfectly packed together... but if it's not connected to those olive trees, then there's no anointing." (24:06)

5. The Danger of Formulas and Foot Pumps

• Biblical Illustration (Deuteronomy 11):
  • Contrasts Egypt’s "water by foot" with the Promised Land’s "rain from heaven." (36:15)
  • Practical explanation of ancient Egyptian irrigation illustrates relentless, exhausting human effort versus the freedom and fruitfulness of divine provision.
• Personal anecdotes of ministry burnout and learning that programs and repeated formulas ("the foot pump") cannot replace fresh heavenly rain. (48:34)
  • "If you can begin to get your foot off the pump, I will send rain from heaven." (48:50)
• Modern application: cautions against churches relying on technology, ambiance, or programming in place of pursuing God’s presence. (43:24, 52:40)

6. The Absolute Need for Prayer and the Holy Spirit

• William Booth’s Prophetic Dangers for the Church:
  • Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, politics without God, heaven without hell, and religion without the Holy Spirit. (28:45)
  • "Religion without the Holy Spirit—oh, God, we need the Holy Spirit. We need the power of God again." (29:23)
• Historical Examples:
  • George Müller: "If I have five hours in a day, I will accomplish more if I pray one and work four, than if I work all five." (50:40)
  • Robert Murray McCheyne: desperate for the Spirit’s presence before preaching. (50:02)
• Calls the church to embrace prayer and fasting as the means for opening the heavens—“prayer means I can't do it on my own”—and warns that leaders who do not pray will “plagiarize,” resorting to imitation rather than inspiration. (54:00)

7. Call to Surrender and Holiness

• Invites people to the altar to surrender striving and self-effort, illustrated by the “foot pump,” and seek “rain from heaven.” (55:55)
• Warns of the deception that enters when believers or churches attempt to manufacture spiritual results rather than wait on God. (60:25)

8. Miracle Prayer and Ministry for Real Needs

• Shares a moving prayer request for Debbie Wilkerson (daughter of David Wilkerson), facing recurring cancer; underscores that only God’s intervention—not structures or songs—can bring the needed miracle. Leads a congregational prayer for healing. (52:00)
• Reaffirms faith in God's ability:
  • "Cancer can be healed when God opens up the heavens and sends healing to this place." (52:55)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Human Effort vs. Divine Power:
  • "You can try to get water with your own strength, or you can trust God to send it from heaven." (32:22)
• On Worship and Service:
  • "We have people casting vision, but have never had a vision of God..." (26:40)
• On Surrender:
  • "If you don't go with me, we don't go." (49:45)
• On Church Programming:
  • "We don't need smoke in the church. We need the presence of God in the church of Jesus Christ." (43:24)
• On Holiness and Identity:
  • "God is the one that will define that gender, not you. God will do [it]." (61:45)
• On Salvation and Openness to God:
  • "If you're here today, maybe for the first time, you're feeling God, like the heavens are opening for the first time... That's just what it is. The heavens opened up." (64:35)
• On Personal Need for God:
  • "Apart from me, you can do nothing." (John 15:5) (62:20)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00–05:19 – Opening worship and testimonies of God’s faithfulness (“Through It All”)
• 06:02–09:15 – Welcoming global viewers; introduction to prayer and fasting
• 12:40–19:00 – Personal story about missing a move of God in the pulpit; David Wilkerson’s mentoring
• 22:51–24:05 – Exposition of Zechariah 4:1–6 (“not by might… but by my Spirit…”)
• 28:45–29:23 – William Booth’s four chief dangers for the church
• 36:15–44:00 – “Water by foot” in Egypt vs. “rain from heaven” in Canaan explained; analogy for church/ministry effort
• 48:34–50:40 – Pastor Tim’s personal story of trying to replicate spiritual results and learning to repent
• 50:02–50:39 – Story of Robert Murray McCheyne’s desperate prayer for the Spirit before preaching
• 52:00–53:50 – Prayer for Debbie Wilkerson’s healing
• 54:00–56:00 – Call to prayer and fasting; “prayer means I can't do it on my own”
• 55:55–60:25 – Altar call: invitation to surrender and seek God's fresh work, warning against deception and self-effort
• 60:25–63:00 – Final exhortations about identity, deception, and urgency for true spiritual rain
• 63:00–end – Call for salvation, hands raised for first-time decisions, concluding prayer

Takeaway & Tone

Pastor Tim delivers his message with passionate urgency, humility, and authenticity. He intertwines honest personal stories, scriptural teaching, rebuke, and hope, culminating in heartfelt worship and response. The sermon’s unifying plea is simple and prophetic: Step away from self-produced solutions; seek God's open heaven through prayer, worship, and surrender. Only divine rain brings lasting transformation for individuals, churches, and cities.

For listeners:
If you’ve ever struggled with striving, burnout, or the feeling that your best spiritual efforts aren’t enough, this message offers both challenge and comfort: God’s “rain from heaven” is available, but it requires laying down our tools and opening ourselves to a fresh, supernatural work only He can do.

Notable Closing Quote:

• “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” – John 15:5 (62:20, Pastor Tim)
• "God, I need you today. I need you today. Come on, just tell him. Just say, God, I need you." (62:15)