Run - Carter Conlon

I was so moved by this sermon by Pastor Carter Conlon (Times Square Church) that I've transcribed it here. He preached this message following the 9/11 tragedy in 2001.

Run! By Carter Conlon
Listen to me like you've never listened to me, ever, in your life.

We have GOT to lay our lives down for the purposes of God!

This is not a Sunday school picnic, the church of Jesus Christ, this is not an invitation to have continuous good times!This is a WAR for the souls of men!

Come out from among them! Run for your life! Because this is about your life!

This is not just about an opposing theology or a conflicting viewpoint on Jesus; this is about your life!

My mind is forever branded with the story that I heard of police officers from the city of New York. As people were fleeing from a crumbling building, there were police officers and firemen and others that were running towards the buildings saying, "Run for your life!" At their own peril!

And in some cases I believed that they KNEW that they were going to DIE, but there was a SENSE OF DUTY!

I was crying out to God and I said, "God! Oh Jesus! Don't let my sense of duty be LESS for your kingdom, then these beloved firemen and policemen were for those that were perishing in a falling tower!

We're living in a generation where truth is falling into the streets! I want to be among those who're not running away from the conflict but running INTO the conflict saying, "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

RUN! From gospels that focus ONLY on SUCCESS and PROSPERITY, RUN!

RUN from those that use the name of Christ only for personal gain, run from those that're picking your pockets in the name of Jesus, RUN!

RUN from gospels that only focus on self-improvement, RUN!

RUN from churches where men and not Christ are glorified, RUN! Run, body of Christ, RUN! GET OUT! Don't touch the unclean thing!

RUN from churches where there is no Bible! There is no cause in their theology, there's no soul-searching Word, there's no repentance from sin, there's no mention of the blood of Jesus, RUN! It's unclean, RUN!

RUN from churches where you're comfortable in your sins! When you come into the house of God and you've got sin in your life and you're not convicted of it, you're at a table of devils!

RUN from pulpits that're filled with political men who're using the pulpit of God for a personal, political agenda! RUN!

RUN from those that preach division between races and cultures, RUN! Run! Get out! Turn it off, get away from it! They know NOTHING of God!

RUN from ungodly, spasmodic movements and endless, empty prophesying, BELOVED CHURCH, RUN for your LIFE!

RUN from preachers that stand and tell stories and jokes, run like you've NEVER run before!

RUN!
RUN!!
RUN!!!