John Bevere - The voice of one crying : a prophetic message for today!

Contents

Acknowledgments

My deepest appreciation to ...

All those who labored with us in prayer, in project, and by financial support to bring this book to completion; to our ministry staff for their constant support and faithfulness; to Amy, Angela, and Doug for their many talents.

I want to thank my wife, Lisa, who selflessly helped with editing, but more important, for the godly wife she has been to me. I love you, darling!

A special thanks to my three sons, Addison, Austin, and Alexander, who sacrificed time with Daddy so that this project could be completed. You boys are special gifts from heaven above!

Most important, my sincere gratitude to our Father in Heaven for His indescribable gift, to our Lord Jesus for His grace and truth, and to the Holy Spirit for His faithful guidance during this project.

Foreword

The most important thing in the world is salvation. Without it you're not going to heaven, and without repentance there is no salvation. The Voice of One Crying is an excellent book on the subject of repentance. I challenge everyone who reads this book to yield to the cleansing of the heart and soul through repentance. We can no longer live by the world's standards. God has called us to a holy life. Only through repentance can we hope to attain the kind of cleansing that gives us right standing with the Father, that we may have eternal life.

I strongly urge leaders and laymen alike to speak up with love and authority. Stop tickling ears and begin to lead the church into repentance so that we may be found spotless, blameless, and without wrinkle upon the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As you read this book, look at your personal relationship with God. Let it speak to you. Don't look at your neighbor and start judging him; God wants to speak to you.

God is seeking to raise up men who will do and say what is necessary to keep the church on course. John Bevere is one of those men. I've known John for ten years and have found him to have a pure heart, boldness of character, and a relationship with God which is evidenced by his stability.

Dr. Norvel Hayes Author / Teacher Norvel Hayes Ministries Cleveland, Tennessee

Introduction

This book is a message to the Church. It is also for those who have left the church structure due to discontent or offense. It is a message for Christians of any denomination or membershipor those who want nothing to do with denominations or memberships. It is for those in the fulltime ministry as well as those not in full-time ministry . It is a book for young and old, whether they've known the Lord for many years or have just come to serve him recently.

As we have entered a new millennium, there are questions facing all of us. Are we in revival? Are we experiencing the outpouring of God's Spirit and the harvest of souls that the prophet Joel foretold? How do we compare to the Church in the book of Acts? Are we the glorified Church Jesus is coming back for? Are we ready for His return?

Is it possible we have accepted hype and emotional excitement as a poor substitute for revival in the last few decades? Have we become a people who love appearance and not substance, thereby producing no depth? Have we forsaken godliness and integrity for what many call "advancing the kingdom? Is the world seeing Jesus Christ in us by our genuine love for one another? Is what we have exemplified in the '80s and '90s our destiny?

The forthcoming revival that Joel prophesied will be different from what many are expecting. It will not be through a church system that reeks of the world. It will not come through a lukewarm, idol-worshipping Church nor by ministries competing and striving with one another. It will not come as long as we compromise integrity for success. The world will not be attracted by the glamour and glitter of the Church, but will rather be drawn by its glory.

The cause of this present-day lapse in the Church is due to the life-styles we've lived and preached in the latter part of the twentieth century. We have reduced the gospel to a cheap solution to life's problems. We have sold Jesus like salesmen trying to meet their sales quotas! In doing this we have bypassed repentance to get a convert. So converts we have. The question is , what kind of converts do we have? Jesus said to the ministers of His day, You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are (Matthew 23:15, NIV). Converts are easy to make, but are they truly sons of the kingdom of God?

This book addresses all these issues as well as many more. In the fall of 1992 the Spirit of God commissioned me to write this book. As I wrote, I trembled with awe, for what God was giving me was much stronger than what I had thought. In fact, at one point I stopped writing. I did not want to say some things quite as strong as they came to me. After several weeks had gone by, I started writing again, trying to change the way I had said some things. I was getting nowhere. It seemed the anointing to write was gone. I spent hours at the computer trying to write, but the flow of the Spirit was not there. I began to pray and seek the Lord concerning this book. I said, "Lord, If You want me to write this book, you are going to have to give me the words. It seems that nothing is flowing, and there is no life and anointing in this." The Lord spoke back to me quite clearly and said, "You strayed six weeks ago from what I desired; return to where the life and anointing was once flowing." I went back to that chapter where I had left off and immediately the anointing to write returned. I then continued nonstop until this book was complete.

I have preached much of what is written in this book across the United States and overseas. However, a good portion of this book came to me as I wrote. I had never heard it, preached it or thought of it before. This was another confirmation that this book was inspired of the Lord. I know this message is the cry of God's heart to His people in these last days. Please do not take it lightly! I want to encourage you to read this book in its entirety; the message would not be complete if you read only part of it. As you read this book ask the Lord to apply it to your life that His way may be prepared in your life and ministry. The Church will be transformed as each individual member of the body changes. Too often we think everyone else must change, and not ourselves. Much of what I have written concerns areas that God has dealt with me about personally in preparing me for these last days.

The Lord is indeed returning for a holy and glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing (Ephesians 5:27). We must keep this vision before us so that we do not become discouraged and lose what has been promised. When God calls us to repentance, it is for us to be changed and to move into the hope that is set before us. John the Baptist's message was , Repent , for the kingdom of heaven is at hand! (Matthew 3:2). In other words, he was proclaiming, "The kingdom is at hand, so in order to receive what God has for you there must be change (repentance)."

To preach repentance without hope will lead people into legalism. We must change in order to come to the place that we can receive what God has promised.

This message is a message of mercy from the heart of God, not judgment. Mercy, because He is warning us that He is coming in His glory whether we as individuals are ready or not. So in order to receive what He has for us we must change what is presently not of His ways so that when His glory is revealed we may be glad with exceeding joy!

My prayer is that as you read this book you will hear God's voice in it to you, that your ears may hear and your eyes may see and your heart may recognize and understand what the Spirit of God is saying to you and the Church in these last days. I also pray that He reveal Himself and His will to you through this book so that you may be ready for what He has called you to.