I have made no secret of the fact that I believe Ern Baxter's message; "Thy Kingdom Come!" - which was the closing address at the Kansas City Shepherds Conference 1975 - was probably the most dramatic and powerful message that he ever preached in his life. That's not just my opinion. Charles Simpson said of that meeting;
"Many people have said that it was the single most powerful meeting that they ever attended, and that the message was the most inspiring that they had ever heard".I have heard the audio tape of that message countless times and it never fails to stir me considerably. I was tremendously excited therefore when I was printing out the New Wine Magazine - November 1975 - to find that there was an official report of THAT night at Kansas City.
Here's what they said about it;
"The climax of the conference came Friday night at the last session. As praise and worship poured forth with increasing and deepening quality, the Presence of God filled the entire auditorium.
As the worship heightened, the Word of the Lord came forth in a scriptural exhortation from Joshua 5:13-15, the story of Joshua's encounter with the Captain of the Lord's hosts. When His command to Joshua was read; "Remove your sandals from your feet for the place where you are standing is holy", all present simultaneously removed their shoes, moving even further into worship.
Next prophecy came forth directing the men to bow down in the Presence of God. 4, 500 men went prostrate before the Lord, initiating an awesome period of deep intercession. At intervals throughout the worship, intercessory prayer was offered for God's sovereign movement in America, and for the realization of maturity in the Body of Christ throughout the world.Against this backdrop of worship, Ern Baxter came forward to speak on the theme, "Thy Kingdom Come!". As Ern portrayed the majesty and Lordship of Christ throughout eternity and the inevitability of Jesus' victory, both now and at the end of the age, the men repeatedly came to their feet in spontaneous worship, acknowledging the King of Kings and rejoicing at the end result of Jesus' Lordship, the establishment of His Kingdom by His supreme authority.
At the close of his message Ern instructed the gathering to greet each other, embracing and praying for one another in a spirit of love. As his request was carried out all over the auditorium, the Spirit of God moved among the men, breaking down barriers, disolving suspicions and healing relationships. And that was how the conference ended. With brothers in Christ affirming and blessing one another, pledging love and faithfulness, leaving the auditorium united in the love of Jesus Christ.
Of the fellowship and openness, Ern Baxter observed, "We seemed to be witnessing God's kind of ecumenism, which is first that of the Holy Spirit and then of 'the faith".
Whatever the ultimate results, one thing is evident. God chose September 23rd through 26th in Kansas City, Missouri as His appointed time to instill in 4, 500 Christian leaders a fresh vision of the Kingdom of God and of the Body of Christ, joined together by covenant love, functioning in a balance of diversity and authority. May the same cry that was formed on the lips of the shepherds who gathered in Kansas City be transported into the hearts of all those who seek Jesus' Lordship; "Thy Kingdom Come!".
6 comments:
Dan, do you have that message available on MP3? I'd very much like to hear it!
"Thy Kingdom Come"?! Yes oh yes! It will be shortly made available ONLINE on our new Ern Baxter dot com website that is being perfected as we speak! I am hoping it will be ready in the next few weeks if my friend Peter gets back to full health!
If you email me your address I will attempt to get a CD in the post to you although my schedule is pretty hectic. It's a MUST-hear! I wonder what C J Mahaney made of it .... !!
Be warned - it will change your life!
I have uploaded 65 of Ern Baxter's sermons at www.brokenbreadteaching.org
They are in MP3 format and can be downloaded for free. More will come soon.
In His Name
Dale Soileau
That is AWESOME news Dale!! Thank you so much for doing that! I will forward this thrilling news to everyone - thank you.
I knew Ern back in Fort Lauderdale when he first came to town. I was chosen to "guard his home" until he arrived. I watched 10,000+ books being delivered to his home.
The breadth and depth of his knowledge of the Word of God was awesome, when he spoke or sang in tongues, it seemed like his vocal range went from the deepest bass to the highest soprano, leaving the listener in awe of God's majesty – just in this man's intimacy with the Lord.
As I worked as an artist for Christian Growth Ministries and also attended Good News Fellowship Church, where Ern attended, I had countless opportunities over the years to hear him speak in private and public.
However, of all the words that ever emanated from his lips, none were so powerful, so uniquely and eloquently spoken in such rapid-fire brilliance as spoken in Kansas City that evening.
As the word of the Lord came forth from his lips, suddenly, the fear of the Lord swept over that building and men fell to the dirty, rotten smelling concrete floor without a moment's hesitation, for it was the Word of the Living God that was like Gabriele's Trumpet blasting in our ears that placed the fear of the Lord in us.
Ern's cadence, 10-mile long sentences – constructed in heaven – came like an avalanche of God's love, smothering and overtaking us all.
Following this dramatic encounter (which had us pinned to the floor for what seemed like hours), there was a spontaneous outburst of worship and song that eventually made it's way out of the center, pouring out into the streets of Kansas City.
I remember thinking, "This must be like the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that fell on the 120 in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost" – the power, the majesty, the awe, the wonder of God’s love being manifested into the hearts of humanity with such power of God's glory – it was a supernatural outpouring I have never since experienced.
Surely the voice of the living God was broadcast through Ern's frail body that evening. What a gift he was, not only to body there and then, but for the future of countless "Ranger Warrior Eagles" yet to be born.
Thank you for this blog, it does my heart good to see Ern honored in this way.
Shalom from Jerome Lukas
I, too was in the K.C. meeting in 1975. "Glorious" does not even come close to expressing the Holy Ghost power upon us. I miss Ern so very much. No minister in my 72-years has lifted me to such heights. I was only 37-years-old at the time, but I certainly recognized greatness. Ern did not give a three-point message when he spoke. Instead, the fire of God emanated from him. Thank you for this site.
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