R. W. Schambach

Pastor of four MIRACLE TEMPLE churches, in Brooklyn, Newark, Philadelphia, and Chicago.

Evangelist, bringing the message of POWER to America and the world in our day, with signs following.

Missionary, preaching the gospel with demonstration of God's power in many parts of the world, and providing for the support of full time missionaries in Africa, Indonesia, New Guinea.

Writer of a number of faith inspiring books and articles.

Radio and Television minister.

The message of this book is taken from tape transcriptions of a series of radio and revival sermons.

Jesus said,

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

—Matt. 7:22, 23.

Will you be one of those who hear those awful words?

Or will you hear Him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord"?

How to Heal the Sick, Cast Out Devils and Still Go to Hell!

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

—Matt. 7:22, 23.

These are solemn words.

Who was He talking about?

Who is healing the sick? Who is prophesying? Who is casting out devils? Who is doing wonderful works today?

I don't mind telling you that God preached me a message from these very words!

You don't have to agree with me, but I believe that God is talking about backslidden Pentecostal preachers.

You say, "Now, wait a minute, preacher! He said, 'I never knew you!'"

I'll get to that later. But first I want to say that I believe that we in this generation are getting a little too conscious concerning gifts. Don't misunderstand me, please. I believe in the gifts of the Spirit. I have spiritual gifts receiving services in my campaigns, with laying on of hands.

Too many churches today have lost the gifts.

But I believe that there is something more important to your life as a child of God than the gifts of the Holy Ghost.

"Depart from me. I never knew you!"

People who have been used of God in healing the sick and casting out devils!

This shakes me up.

Sometimes people get to the place where they think they are doing it. Never forget that you are nothing more than a channel for the power of God.

Who is the healer?

Jesus!

Who works the miracles?

Jesus!

Where do you get the power for everything that men see happening under your hands?

Never forget that the power comes from Him!

I believe that every preacher needs to realize this. You are nothing but a vessel. Not a very fancy vessel at that. Just a vessel made of mud!

And I believe that there is something far more important to the child of God than the gifts that are contained in that vessel. That is what I want to tell you about.

FRUIT

I don't like to preach in a negative manner. I like to preach positive. But I want you to look back just a little farther in this seventh chapter of Matthew. I have underlined verses 16 and 17. I want you to underline these words in your mind.

"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. "

Too many of God's children today have been j udging individuals by the gifts that they have. How many times have you said, "Oh, she's a wonderful woman! You ought to hear her prophesy!"

You ought to hear her when she isn't prophesying!

Don't get mad at me, now! This may shake you up, but I am going to give you the truth, and give it to you straight!

Do you know that you can prophesy every day, and still split hell wide open?

You can talk in tongues, and go right to hell while you are talking in another language.

Why? How can this be?

Because the gifts and callings of God are without repentance! That means that God is not going to give you a gift and then take it back. He isn't that kind of a giver.

I had a preacher come to me at one time, in a meeting, crying out to God. Conviction was all over the place. Souls were running to the altar to get saved. He came with them, but he was crying out, "I'm not going to do it!"

He was inebriated. That, in every day English, means that he was drunk. Backslider!

I said to him, "God called you to preach."

He said, "I know it. But I'm not going to preach."

I said, "Buddy, you are going to preach!"

He looked me straight in the eye and said, "I'm not going to preach! "

I said, "You are going to preach. You may not preach in Pennsylvania, or Tennessee, or Texas. But you are going to preach in hell!"

That awakened him.

I want you to know that God's gifts and God's callings are without repentance. God doesn't change His mind. You can't play around with God.

GOD SPOKE TO ME

I told you that God preached this message to me one time. He came right into my bedroom, and I don't mind telling you, it shook me up.

I was preaching in Chicago, Illinois. God had given us a tremendous revival. Thousands of people were coming every night, and I was preaching my heart out. I was laying hands on people every night until I was ready to drop. I never want to turn anyone away. I love to pray with people. I love to minister. It is my life. I spend a lot of time with people. When I would get back to my room at night, I was so tired that many times I didn't even take a shower. I was too tired even to change from my wet clothes. I would fall down across my bed, soaking wet with perspiration, wave a hand at Jesus, and say, "Lord, I'll see you tomorrow. I haven't got time to pray now! " Asleep, almost before my head hit the pillow!

Did you ever do that?

Don't tell me! You're no different from me!

Next day, I would get up, get cleaned up and dressed, and go right back to the service and get involved all over again. Not a chance to break out of it! Interviews, preaching, ministering through the laying on of hands! Then home again, far into the night, exhausted. I would say, "Lord, I really meant it! I was going to talk to you tonight, but I know you understand! I'm just too tired tonight. I'll see you tomorrow! "

I know I am talking to you!

Sometimes we just get too busy, don't we?

God gave us a gift. It's working. We are seeing souls saved, sick bodies healed, devils cast out. Some people don't know what prayer is until they get into church!

That is dangerous! It is fatal for the Christian—the preacher—to lose touch with his Lord!

I am so thankful to God for the warning He gave me.

I went home one night, thoroughly exhausted. I'm not sure I even took time to apologize to the Lord that night, and add another to my stack of broken promises. But half way in the morning, a bright light awakened me out of a sound sleep, and stood me up on my feet. I couldn't bear to look at it. And I heard His voice. God said to me, "Son, you are spending too much time with the people and not enough with me!"

Believe me, sleep was gone from my eyes. I spent the rest of that night in prayer. I thanked Him for telling me about it. I could have lost everything God has ever given me if I had bowed my neck and gone on in my own way. But I heeded His warning.

So you have a gift of the Spirit?

Who needs to pray?

I do!

You do!

Remember, you are nothing.

Jesus, when He was here on earth healing the sick and casting out devils, went often alone into the mountains to pray, to get alone with God. "A great while before day," while His disciples were sleeping and taking their rest, He was renewing the strength of His inner man.

The disciples knew the source of His power, and asked Him, "Lord, teach us to pray." They intended to pray— tomorrow. They worked hard, following Him and helping Him. They grew tired.

On the night before He was crucified, He invited the inner circle, Peter, James and John, to go with Him into the garden of Gethsemane to pray.

Did you ever notice that the most precious times of the spiritual blessing are the times that you spend with Him alone? That night, Jesus needed to be alone. He said to the disciples, "Stay here and watch and pray while I go on a little farther."

Twice, he came back and awakened them, and urged them to pray. The third time, He said, "Sleep on now, and take your rest." It was too late to pray.

Here it is.

Many times, people will fast and pray and wait on God, and pay the price to get a power gift. Then, when they get it, many of them lose their own soul!

I tell you again, there is something more important to the child of God than having a gift!

WITHOUT IT, NOTHING

By their fruits you shall know them.

I have seen men who healed the sick that don't know what love is.

I have heard people prophesy that had no idea how to be kind.

They talk like an angel in church, but when somebody comes to them for help, they say, "Ah, don't bother me with that mess! "

Now, what kind of gift is that?

Don't get mad at me, now! You know it's the truth!

The Bible tells me, "By their fruits you shall know them." Not by their gifts!

I am telling you, it is time we began looking for some fruit, not glorifying the gifts.

You can chatter all you want to. That doesn't mean a thing to me.

I'm looking for some love.

I'm looking for some joy.

I'm looking for some peace, some long suffering, some meekness, some gentleness.

I'm looking for some temperance.

These are the fruits of the spirit, and God says, "Against such there is no law."

Are you looking for the children of God? This is how you identify them. They don't have to carry around a sign or a sandwich board to let people know that they are the children of God. The people will see the love emanating from the Christian's life. They will observe the kindness, the gentleness. They will see the j oy of the Lord, which is your strength, bubbling up.

Too many of you, all the people can see is the "bu-bu-bu-bu!"

You're getting mad at me, now!

You are saying, "He's talking about the Holy Ghost!"

No, I'm not talking about the Holy Ghost! I'm talking about the way some people use the gifts God gave them, and does not take away!

Jesus said, "I will say unto you, I never knew you!"

You can't put on love. And you can't cover up hate, either. Either it is there or it isn't!

A good tree brings forth good fruit. An evil tree brings forth evil fruit.

Isn't that what He said?

Somebody says, "Well, I'm trying!"

Forget it!

Jesus didn't say try! He said do it!

An apple tree grows apples. An orange tree grows oranges. A grapefruit tree grows grapefruit. No amount of trying will make it any different. Men do not gather grapes of thorns, nor figs from thistles!

You can go to school for twenty years to learn to be a preacher, but that isn't going to do it. We've been brainwashed. We think that a ministry is something you can learn. What we need is to empty out all those things we have been taught, and start reading the Word of God for ourselves. The words are very plain.

Jesus said, "By their fruits you shall know them."

LOVE

Hear me!

You don't have to go out in the streets to find hatred. You can find it in the church. I read in the newspapers about a church group that is fighting over the church property. Some of them held a meeting, and ousted the preacher. They claim the property. Another group supports the preacher, and claims the property is theirs. They are fighting one another, calling each other names, taking it to court. It's a disgrace for church people to act like this. They don't know what love is.

Love!

When you talk about love, the first thing people think is sensual love, a love between people of the opposite sex. They don't even have much to say about love any more; all they can talk about is "making love."

Love isn't something you make! I'm talking about a love that comes from God. I'm talking about something supernatural.

When Christ comes into your life, the hatred comes out. Old things are done away, and all things are become new. People you once hated, now you love. When you have Christ, you have love. I'm talking about the kind of love that makes you love everybody. It makes you love your enemies. It makes you love people that have wronged you.

You say, "But you don't know what he did to me!"

I said, it makes you love everybody. "You don't know what he calls me!" It makes you love everybody! Hallelujah!

By their fruit you shall know them.

The fruit of the spirit is—love.

Somebody says, "Oh, but he has a wonderful gift of prophecy! "

"Yea, I say unto thee ..."

Does he have love? Without love, it doesn't mean a thing. If you don't believe me, read the thirteenth chapter of I Corinthians! Paul writes, inspired by the Holy Ghost, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love ..."

If I have not love, what am I?

"... and have not love, I am nothing."

Here is what you are!

If you talk in tongues and prophesy and don't have love, you are nothing but a tinkling cymbal.

You say, "I've got faith!"

If you have all the faith in the world, faith that could move mountains, and don't have love, it profits you nothing.

You don't like that? Read it anyhow! It is God's Word, and God's Word is true.

Now listen to this. If I give all my goods to feed the poor, even if I give my body to be burned, and have not love, I am still nothing.

This isn't the popular way to preach, but it's about time we hear some preaching like this. We hear so much about the gifts. The gift of healing. The gift of miracles. The gift of prophecy. Exorcism—the gift of casting out devils.

How about some love?

Hallelujah!

Love will make you go out into the world and find the lost. You can spend your money to fix up your church, cushion your pews, carpet your floors, put in stained glass windows and a beautiful pipe organ, and say that now they will come in. But God said to go out where they are and get them, and bring them in. Love sends you out to find them. Love will make you put your arm around the drunkard.

I dare a drunkard to come into your average church! He wouldn't get as far as the back pew. A half dozen deacons will meet him. "What are you doing here, man? Don't you know, this is a church! What do you mean, coming in here drunk?"

"I need some help! That's all!"

"Well, get out of here until you are sober! Get yourself cleaned up, and then come back!"

I give orders to the ushers in my churches and under my tent, "If anybody comes in here, they belong to me. Don't you throw any of them out. They are mine. They may come in drunk, but they are going out sober. I'm going to get my hands on them! "

Love will reach down into the miry clay and find sinners where they are.

Too many church folks today don't know how to do that. As soon as they see somebody down, they kick him, put their foot on him, and say, "Stay down there!"

And then they get up in church and sing, "Oh, the blood of Jesus "That washes white as snow!"

WONDERFUL WORKS

Jesus said, "Many shall come to me in that day and say in thy name we have done many wonderful works."

Works are important. Jesus said, "I must work the works of Him that sent me while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can work."

Gifts are important. Thank God for the gifts. I believe in the gifts of the Spirit. I have spiritual gifts receiving services, where I lay hands on people. Timothy received a gift when Paul laid hands on him. Paul said to him, "Stir up the gift that is in you through the laying on of hands." I encourage the operation of the gifts, and do everything that I can to stir up the gifts that are in you. But don't get too wrapped up in the gift.

If God has given you a gift of prophecy, then use it with love.

If He has given you a gift of tongues, use it with love.

Did you ever see church folks fight in tongues? Did you ever see two old "saints" get mad at each other, and start talking to one another in tongues, pointing fingers at one another, and shaking their fingers in one another's faces?

That isn't love!

It's time that we start looking more earnestly for love.

JOY

By their fruit you shall know them.

Love is a fruit of the spirit.

Joy is a fruit of the spirit.

You can't work up that kind of joy. You can't pump it up. Yet we watch our song leaders at it in every church. Deadheads come in and sit there in rows, like a bunch of corpses. The song leader says, "Now, everybody stand. We are going to ask God's blessing on the service. Everybody say amen."

They mumble, "Amen."

No joy in it at all!

When I was in the Navy, I had a buddy on ship with me who professed to be a Christian, but he didn't know what joy was. He talked to some of the fellows on the ship, and said, "You need to get saved."

They said, "If it's going to make us look like you, we don't want it."

What kind of advertisement is that? I believe there would be a lot more people saved today if Christians would j ust manifest a little joy.

You there, looking so glum, how about you? As for me, I'm glad I'm saved. I've got something to rejoice over. I've got something to shout about. I've got joy, down in my heart.

This is a fruit of the spirit. Joy! It is down there, deep in the heart.

I am not talking about the kind of joy you get in church. Anybody can get blessed when the people are singing, the organ is playing, and the spirit is moving. In our church in Philadelphia, one day the back door burst open, and a woman came in, half loaded. She heard the music. She saw God's children shouting and dancing, and she started going through it. She started coming right down the center aisle. I said to another preacher on the platform, "I wish you would look at that!"

Yet it was an object lesson to me.

I can bring in a drunkard off the streets and have him dancing in five minutes. But the kind of joy I'm taking about is not the joy that flows out from the organ. That's not the joy that comes as a fruit of the spirit.

I'm talking about the joy that is there when you don't hear any organ, joy that stays with you when you don't hear any preaching, j oy that goes with you outside the church, when you are on the j ob rubbing elbows with the demon possessed people that are telling dirty stories and poking fun at you. There you are, in the darkness of the world of sin, but you are living in your own little world of joy and light. You feel a little j oy wheel turning on the inside. That is the joy of the Lord that is your strength. That is the fruit.

I'm talking about the joy that is still yours when you are lying on the flat of your back, your body wracked with pain, desperately sick, and you know that you are going through the fire. But the devil can't touch what you have in your soul. While you are lying there, you are singing the songs of Zion, saying, "I know that my redeemer liveth, and though He slay me, yet will I trust Him!"

MORE

There is more.

Read Galatians 5:22 and 23:

"But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law. "

I'm talking to church folks now.

You don't have to worry about having too much of those things. Against such there is no law. And I believe it is time that we start growing some fruit.

Hear me, beloved! You can get a gift in the prayer line, through the laying on of hands. But I don't care how many prayer lines you go through, you can't get fruit that way. Fruit has to grow. In order to grow, it has to be tended and nourished. It grows when you spend time with Him. Some of the greatest blessings you will ever experience will come when you are alone with God.

Some people shout and make a lot of noise in a red hot, Pentecostal meeting, but they have no prayer life.

To some people who exercised the gifts, who cast out devils and did "wonderful works," Jesus said, "Depart from me! I never knew you."

He didn't say that to people who were walking in the Spirit, talking in the Spirit, bearing fruit in the Spirit.

"Depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Backslidden!

I have had preachers come to me and say, "Come on, Schambach. You can take a drink. We are all doing it. Nobody is living it like that any more!"

I say, "You're a liar! I didn't drink when I wasn't saved. These lips have never touched liquor. And now that I am saved and in the ministry, bringing deliverance to people, you tell me that I can do it? You say everybody is doing it? No, we are not!"

Preachers! Putting on a good show! Preaching the sermons they have learned! Preaching what they think the people want to hear!

Some of them, backslidden Pentecostal preachers, still exercising the gifts!

Judge by the gifts?

The gifts will fool you!

Jesus said, "You will know them by their fruit."

PENTECOSTAL PREACHERS

I believe my text for this message refers to Pentecostal preachers. Not Baptist preachers. Not Lutheran preachers. Not Presbyterian preachers. They aren't casting out devils. They are not going to come and say, "I cast out devils in your name."

The text is spoken to the ones who have cast out devils.

And Jesus said, "I never knew you." Why did He say that?

When I came to Christ, I came from a life of filth and sin. But He blotted out all my sin with His blood. Justification comes in here. He puts me in the same position as if I had never sinned. He can't see my sin; all He sees is the blood. He buries every sin I ever committed in the deep sea of His forgetfulness, and remembers them against me no more. I base my hope of salvation upon God's ability to forget!

By His ability to forget, He can say to the repentant sinner, "You are my child, free from all sin. I find no fault in you."

By the same logic, He can forget the righteousness of the one who ceases to lean wholly on Jesus, and trusts in his own righteousness, and turns back to the sins that he left behind.

Just as He cannot see sin when it is under the blood, He cannot see righteousness when it is merely self righteousness. When the blood comes into your life, it blots out your sin. When sin comes on the scene, it blots out all your works.

Why does Jesus say, "I never knew you"?

He knows only those who are covered with the blood, sanctified, living holy, walking in the Spirit, showing forth the fruit of the Spirit, and being careful to do the works of Him that sent them.

A MORE EXCELLENT WAY

Don't get me wrong!

I believe in healing the sick, and casting out devils.

But Paul says, "I show you a more excellent way."

When you heal the sick and cast out devils, be sure that you have love.

Do you know that you can have faith, yet not have love?

He said, "There abideth faith, hope, and love."

But the greatest of these is not faith. It is love.

You can have faith and not have love. But it is impossible for you to have love and not have faith. Faith is included in love.

"Love believeth all things, endureth all things, suffereth long and is kind. Love doth not behave itself unseemly."

Bring forth in your life the all-important fruit of love.

And one of the scribes came, and ... asked him, which is the first commandment of all?

And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord;

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength; this is the first commandment.

And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

—Mark 12:29-31

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

—James 2:10, 13

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one for another.

—John 13:34, 35

As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and your joy might be full.

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.....

These things I command you, that ye love one another.

—John 15:9-14, 17

Hereby know that we are in him.

He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so walk, even as he walked.

Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning.

Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.

He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

—1 John 2:5b-11

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

And the commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

—1 John 4:20, 21

A MEASURE OF LOVE

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another.

—Romans 12:9-10

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty, only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

This I say, then Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

—Galatians 5:13-16

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.

—Ephesians 5:1-2

Love worketh no ill to his neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

—Romans 13:10

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