The Word Of The Lord

.....Bibles I'd like for you to turn and read with me. And I'd like to talk with you just a little bit. I don't know just what we'll talk about tonight, but whatever God would love for us to talk about that's what I want to talk about. The thought I've got in mind tonight is the Word of the Lord. I'd love to talk about the Word of the Lord. Reading from the second book of Kings, chapter seven. If you've got your Bibles turn over with me. Brother Bobby made the statement, while I was sitting out in the audience a few minutes ago, that if we get anything from God then we have to get in the Spirit of the Lord, and certainly that's true. On the day of Pentecost they were all in one mind and one accord, and that one mind was the mind of Jesus Christ that David called our pure mind, and that one accord was to do the will of God. And when all of them got into that one mind of Christ, and that one accord to do the will of God, then the Bible said the Holy Ghost came like a mighty rushing wind and it filled all of the house. And the Bible said it appeared as a tongue of fire that was cloven. That is to mean a split tongue of fire literally appeared in the upper room, and the Bible said it swept through the room and it set upon each of them, and they all began to speak in the heavenly language as that power began to move in the upper room. And Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever, and tonight God can come in our midst and move among us, and we can feel the presence of God and going away saying it was good to have been in the house of the Lord. Now, I think the most discouraging thing there is to a real God called minister is to go through a protracted meeting, or go through a form, or a ritual where everybody comes to church because they feel that it's their duty to come to the house of God, or because they are afraid not to come to the house of God, being afraid if they don't come to the house of God that they'll be lost. But I think it's very discouraging, or I know that it is to me, if people come with that attitude. The Bible said God loveth a cheerful giver, and then He tells us to give, but not out of necessity, not to give grudgingly. And said, He that soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly. A lot of us don't put much seed in the ground and we don't get much harvest. We don't do much for God. We don't get much from God. We don't give much to the work of God, and don't receive much out of the work of God. We give all of our strength, all of our labor, all of our earnings to the world, and we reap a reward of the world, for he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap houses and lands and those things. Shall of the flesh reap corruptible things, or corruption. And he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And it's very discouraging when you come to the house of the Lord, and everybody comes in a form, or in ritual, and they really don't get into the service, they don't get into the Spirit of God, and they don't worship the God of heaven with their Spirit, but they just set there and there is no interest at all, no real spiritual interest. Now, you can have an interest in God, and in the house of God, but no real spiritual interest, and it doesn't profit you any. Now God is a spirit, and we are the temples of God, and God dwells within this fleshly temple, and God speaks from the temple to the spiritual son of God that dwells in the temple with God, and the holy communication of the Spirit and the sons of God are made manifest in this body. And so it is tonight. If we really want something from God let us tune our spirits in to heaven and let us raise up the antenna of faith that we might pick up the love of God, and the image and the works of God, and telecast to the world upon the screen of our life the great wonderful things that are going on in heaven. We can do it tonight if we're willing to do it. We can receive of God if we want to receive of God. We can learn the things of God if we desire to learn the things of God, but there is one thing that we must do, as I said last night; stop being children and really get in the spirit, get away from the carnal mind, the things of the flesh, remembering that the carnal mind is ever at enmity with God, (It's always concerned about the temporal, or that which shall pass away.) and get into the spiritual mind of Christ, and look for the true riches, or that which is eternal, and that which will not pass away. Now, I realize it's hard for some folks to do that. They live so much out in the natural until they don't pray, they don't fast, they don't seek God, they don't search after God, and when they come to the house of God they're just as carnal as they can be, and the Spirit of God can't move upon them. They don't feel the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead quickening their blood genes, and quickening their mortal body. And the preacher he has to preach, and he has to talk and he has to keep on, and keep on, song after song for maybe an hour, or two hours before he can ever get those people out of the carnal mind and get them into the mind of Christ to where they feel the Spirit of God. You know, it ought not to be that way with us. That's a very discouraging thing for the preach to have to feel a cold atmosphere when he comes to the sacred desk, and then has to spend a lot of time collecting thoughts here and there when the Bible tells you, as an individual, to bring every thought into subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ. Every thought is suppose to be in subjection, and the true child of God, the Bible said, he mediates in the laws of God day and night. If you're a real true child of God day and night you mediate in the laws of God, and you think on the laws of God, and you're spirit is ever environed in the sweet presence of God, and you are not concerned about the world. Reading from the seventh chapter of the second book of kings tonight, seeing if you and I can stir up the mind of Christ, or see if we can get into the mind of Jesus Christ tonight, and through that mind let God feed us. Do you know what? If we really knew tonight the value of the mind of Jesus Christ we'd never get out of it. We wouldn't treat it like we do if we really knew the value of it. How many of you know that we have the mind of Christ? The Bible said let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus. Then he tells us that we have the mind of Christ. Now then, let's see tonight as we talk about the Word, maybe we can bring out a little bit about the mind of Christ, and see just what significance it is to the people of our day. The seventh chapter of the second book of Kings, and reading from the first verse. Said, "Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof." I want you to notice the statement here of Elisha as he spoke to these people, and then I want you to notice the attitude of the people. First Elisha came to the city of Samaria and he had a message for Samaria, and being a preacher of his day, like Noah was. The Bible said he was a preacher of righteousness. Then Elisha came with the Word of God, but the Bible said, he that the Lord sendeth will speak His Word. He doesn't speak ideas. He doesn't speak theology. He doesn't speak the things that pertains to the world, but he speaks the Word of God. And here the preacher of righteousness comes and he begins to speak the Word of God. And he said to the people of Samaria, he said, Hear ye God's Word. Hear ye the Word of the Lord. He said, Thus saith the Lord. Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel in the gate of Samaria. And then we see here, as he begin to speak these words that in the midst of the people was an unbeliever just like we have them in our midst today. And instead of receiving the Word of God he began to reason within his own mind when the Bible tells us to lean not to our own understanding, but trust in the Lord, or trust in the Word of the Lord with all of our heart. And here we find this man begins to reason. He doesn't trust in God with his heart. He doesn't look to the Word of God, but he begins to reason things out and he said, This might come to pass. I believe it could come to pass. He said, Providing that God would make windows in heaven, then I believe that this could happen. A lot of people have the same attitude today. You speak about the Word of the Lord, and you speak about God's power, and they say, I believe that this could be if God would do some great outstanding thing, and move in some out standing way, then I believe that the Word of God could be performed. Most people miss God in simplicity because God, is not in a demonstration. God is not in big ideas. God is not in the things of this world, but God is the invisible God that walks within our midst. And the Bible said you cannot see God, because He is the invisible God. But the Bible tells us that the prophets of old, it tells us that Paul and Moses, said, they endured as seeing Him who was invisible. I tell you, a lot of times out on the field when you're preaching the gospel, and travelling from place to place, and trying to make provisions for your family then you have to endure as seeing Him who is invisible, the God that never will leave you, never will forsake you. But the Bible said, Lo, I am with thee always, even until the end of the world. And the Bible said, My God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory. They endured as seeing the God who was invisible. Here this man of unbelief he said, I want to see something with my natural eyes. I believe, as Thomas said, if You can show me the nail prints I'll believe. If You can show me the place where they speared You in the side, he said, then I'll believe. Jesus said, Blessed is the man that hath not seen anything but just believed God's Word. And one writer said this, said, Lord, he said, we don't have to see to believe. He said, We believe to see. We are the people that are suppose to call those things that are not as though they are, and we're suppose to believe to be, just to believe God just to be able to see the things of God come to pass. That's what you call faith. If you already have it before you that's not faith. That which you already see, that's not faith. But that which you hope for that is faith. And that's the thing that God is trying to get us to do. You might be, you might say, Brother Pike, how does God want us to go about this. God gives us a literal word. He presents His Own Being in the form of a written word to you and I. And He tells you and I that this is the infallible Word of God, that's it is Spirit, that it was from the beginning. That the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld it's glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and full of truth. That it is God's Word made flesh among us, not only in the body of Jesus Christ, but it is God's Word made flesh today in as much as you and I are the body of Christ; that the Word is being flesh again in the body of humanity today, that we're the body of Christ, an epistle that's known and read of all men. We are the body of Christ, and the Word of God is being made flesh. Why was it that Jesus, yonder when He stood on the mount of transfiguration, there when He had the disciples with Him, and there as Moses appeared on one side, there as Elijah appeared on the other side, how was it that Jesus had the power to transform that body, or translate that body, and move out of the presence of natural things into the presence of heavenly things? How was it that he could still be on this earth, and still appear in glory? Said to Nicodemus one time, Nicodemus came to Him by night, and Nicodemus said, Jesus, said, we know that you are a teacher sent from God. I want you to explain some things to me. Jesus said, Nicodemus, I'd like to talk to you about spiritual revelation. He said, There are things that I have to say unto you, many things, He said, but I can't say them. He said, For you are dull of hearing. But he said, I'd love to talk to you about spiritual revelation. But He said, If I talk to you about the earthly things of God, about the allegories, the types, and the shadows, about this which is the toys that belong to the children, as I said last night. If you don't understand those things, if you don't even know what they're put here for, He said, How will you ever understand spiritual revelation. And then to prove to you that Nicodemus couldn't understand what He was saying, the Son of God just looked away, so to speak, for a few minutes and he balled that teacher up so that he didn't even know what to answer. He said, Nicodemus, He said, No man has ever been up into heaven. He said except the Son of Man that came down from heaven, and then as He looked at Nicodemus, He said, The Son of God who still is in heaven. Now, Nicodemus looked at Him__ I tell you if Jesus had spoke that to me I expect I'd have been all balled up, too. He said, The Son of Man came down from heaven. He said, Nicodemus, you're looking at me, but I'm still in the presence of God. I'm still in heaven. And the Bible said in the book of Revelation that we are the people that dwell in heaven. And it says when the beast comes up out of the Sea it said he blasphemed the name of God, and the Tabernacle of God, and those that dwell in heaven. I wish we could see tonight that we are people that dwell in heaven, that we've passed from death unto life, that we're in the spirit, that we're not in the flesh, Paul said, but that we are hid with Christ in God, whom the heavens have received until the time of the restoring, or the restitution of all things, that tonight we are the Tabernacle of God, and we dwell with God, and we're hid with Christ in God. And tonight, though we in this world as far as sight; yet we are in the Spirit and presence of Almighty God. That's what Paul meant when he said, I would speak unto you as spirituals, but he said, if any man seem to be spiritual. Now then, Elisha said, Hear ye the Word of the Lord. If the Word of God says that we are hid with Christ in God whom the heavens have received until the time of the restoring, or the restitution of all things, then I believe that we are hid with God. You might say, Brother Pike, I just can't believe that I'm in heaven. That's what's going to cause you to stay in this world when the fire begins to come down. That's what's going to cause you to be consumed with the chaff when God burns this world with unquenchable fire because you didn't have the faith of Jesus Christ that I spoke of last night, that's able to translate this body and move it into the heavenly realms, then you're going to be left here in this world in a carnal condition, and burn with the rest of the people. And I'll tell you what, those that are spiritual minded, those that have the faith of Christ, they have the power of God, and the Bible said, from faith to faith we are translated. We're changed into the marvelous image of the Son of God. From faith to faith we're changed. How? By the Word of the Lord. Elisha said, Hear ye the Word of the Lord. Can't you just image in the primitive day that they lived in, when Elisha said, Hear ye the Word of the Lord, can't you imagine just how it seemed to be just such a poor subject, the Word of the Lord. What did the Word of the Lord mean to a starving man? What did the Word of the God mean to a city that's in such a turmoil as Samaria was? But they did not know what the Word of the Lord was. Friend, Jesus said, My words they are spirit, and He said, They are life. They are not words like your words. They are not words like my words. The Bible said He spoke the world into existence by His word. He spoke a word. A word came forth from His lips, and the Word materialized into a form of flesh that was called the Son of God. And from the bosom of the Father came forth the Word, and His own Spirit came forth, and was made flesh and walked among us. The Word. The Bible said He was in the world and the world was made by Him, but the world didn't even recognize that God was walking among men, though He had created the world, though He had created the stars. And He spoke you and I into existence. He spoke everything in this world into existence. And tonight still it's hard for us to comprehend God. The Bible said, That the eyes of your understanding might be enlightened that you might be able to comprehend the heights and the depths and the widths. A lot of people say, Well, Brother Pike, God doesn't want us to know too much, but I've stood for this everywhere I've been. The Bible said you have an unction from the Holy One that you should know all things, and the Bible tells us that you have the mind of Jesus Christ. Then it tells us that all that my Father has made known unto Me, He said, I have made known unto you. Tell me this? How could you and I ever be the body of Jesus Christ, as Paul said, if we didn't know what the body is? How could we ever be one with God, and joint heirs with God, if we didn't have the knowledge that God, Himself, had? How could we be the body, the members of Almighty God, to rule heaven and earth, and to own everything in heaven and earth unless God give us the same mind that He has? How could we reason with Him? How could we fellowship somebody on a greater plane than we are? God said come and let us reason together? Isn't it reasonable to think tonight that in as much we are the members of body of Christ, Jesus Christ, the head to that body, God is the mind of that body, and the Holy Ghost is the life of that body. Isn't it reasonable to think that since we are heirs and joint heirs with God that we'll rule heaven and earth as Almighty God, and that He'll withhold no good think from us as we walk upright before Him. Not to be a servant to Him, but to be a Son to Him. Not just to be with Him, but to be part of Him, or to be one with God, as I said, to rule heaven and earth as the great body of Almighty God. Elisha said, Hear ye the Word of the Lord. What did the Word of the Lord mean? Back in the garden when God spoke to Eve the Word of the Lord came forth. And the Word of the Lord said, Eve, thou shall not eat of this tree, for the day that thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die. I want you to notice what the Word of the Lord means, what the Word of God means. And the Word spoke to Eve, and the Word said, Eve, thou shall not partake of the Tree of Knowledge. Thou shall not lean to thine own understanding. Thou shall not reason about anything. But the just shall live by faith, and faith cometh by the hearing of My own word. Eve, thou shalt do the thing that I tell you, have faith in my Word, and my words are Spirit, and my words are life, and you can live forever. If you do this you can live forever. But notice, notice. When Eve began to hear the Word of the Lord then there was another voice that spoke. Satan began to speak through the beast as he began to seek to get the attention of Eve. Then she got caught in that state of double mindedness. James said, A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. And it's the very same way tonight when the preacher preaches the world of God, and it's not him that speaks, but God that speaketh within him, and then Satan speaks to you about the carnal things then you get unbalanced again and get caught between Satan and between God and you can't have faith. And you're in that wavering state, in a state of double mindedness. What is it? It's the same condition that Eve got into and the Word of God said, Eve, thou shall not partake of that tree. The very minute that she began to reason then doubt entered into her mind. She began to reason and she lost faith in the words of life. And friend, listen. The only sin that the Bible gives record of is unbelief, and everything else is an attribute of unbelief. Everything else that you do is caused because you failed to believe God's word. And there as Eve failed to believe God's word unbelief became sin, and that one act of sin cut off every living creature from God. How many of you know that death didn't come by God? The Bible said death didn't come by God, but death came by man. And tonight we die, not because God causes us to die, but because man failed to have confidence in the words of life. Notice the Word of the Lord. Elisha said, Hear ye the Word of the Lord. Notice, the Word of the Lord said, Eve, thou shalt not eat thereof, for the day that thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die. Then Eve began to reason. She turned away from faith in God. She turned away from the tree of life which is faith, and which is the words of God. The just shall live by faith. And she turned to the Tree of Knowledge, and she began to reason. And she came out of the spirit into the flesh, and she got away from heavenly things, and moved into earthly things. And then as she began to reason, and the Word of the Lord began to depart from her, and she separated herself from God. Then the Lord spoke again. Because thou has failed to obey the Word of the Lord, He said, Thou shall be cursed. Thou shalt bring forth thy children in sorrow. He cursed the beast. Said, Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and all the days of thy life thou shall eat dust. And the curse was placed upon Eve. Notice, by not having faith in the Word of God she was lost from the presence of God. She was separated from the presence of God. She began to drift away from God. Began to listen to another voice that called her away from God. Another voice called her farther and farther away from God, and the distance between her spirit and the Spirit of life became great, and drifting off from God to start a generation that was out away from the Spirit of life, away from the words of life to leave them in a primitive state to where it would take thousands of years from them, through a form of rehabilitation, to come back into any kind of place to where they could live on their own, and know anything about God, and understand the spiritual things of God. Notice this. The Word of God said, Thou shall die. That's the Word of the Lord. The Word of the Lord said, thou shall die. Why does man die today? Why is it that with all the medical science we've got that they don't find a way to prolong man's life, to cause him to live forever? Because the Word of the Lord said, Thou shall die, Eve. The day thou eatest thereof, He said, thou shall die. The Word of God that created the world It spoke death to Eve, and her faith, (Everything is controlled by God's Word.) her believing was controlled by God's Word. Your believing is controlled by God's Word. The world is controlled by God's Word. And God's Word said, Thou shall die, and we know that we're going to die. We can't help but believe anything else. Our believing goes to God's Word. If we please Him it goes to God's Word and we believe we're going to live. When we walk right we believe we're going to live, because the Word of God draws our believing. But when we disobey God then we believe we're going to die, because the Word told us. The Word controls us. The Word created us. And here we see a generation drifting away, drifting away from God with a believing that they are going to die, going to die. And every child that's born into the world it's educated with that same believing, Thou shall surely die. Thou shall surely die. And the Word of the Lord turns changed the course of nature. It changed the laws of the universe, and said, man shall surely die. And every since man died. We can't do a thing about it. But, Oh, when I think of what He done. Then He turned, and in a later day He came down into this world in the form of humanity. The same Word that changed nature and appointed man unto death, it came down into this world and it was made flesh. And listen at it. Listen at the way it speaks. In the garden it said, Thou shall surely die, Eve. But then when it came to this world and it paid the penalty of sin on the cross, and it released man from all of his wrong, and then it walked with us and talked with us, and felt the victory for us, and said, Thou shall surely live if you shall hear my words, and believe on my words. He that heareth My words, Jesus said, and believeth on Him that sent Me, said, he hath passed from death unto life. If you hear my words and believe, he said, thou shall live. What is He doing? Friend, He's changing the whole course of the universe again. That same Word that creates, that same Word that created the world, that same Word that holds the stars in their place, that same Word that spoke to Eve and said, Thou shall die, that same Word that is Spirit and life, that same Word that He said, He sent His Word and healed them, the same Word that cast out the unclean spirits, the same Word that said, The power of God unto salvation to them that believe, the same Word that's among us today. And the Word speaks to me and speaks to you. The Word of God that said, if thou canst believe in this Word that I speak, then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word, and thou has passed from death unto life, and ye shall live forever. Folks, can you believe that tonight? Why do people get healed? Because they believe the Word, the promise of God. They believe the Word that's the power of God. They believe the Word that's the Spirit of God. And when the Word, the promise says something they know that it's God speaking, and they take the promise and they call those things that are as though they were not, and those things are not as though they were in the face of opposition. And they say God's Word said it. And if God's Word said it, then if God's Word said it it's got to be just that way. So then, somebody comes along and they hear the Word of the Lord, and they say, I believe it. Oh, I believe it tonight. I don't know how you feel. Elisha said to the people of Samaria, said, Hear ye the Word of the Lord? You say, Brother Pike, why didn't they hear the Word of the Lord. He said, Let him that hath an ear hear. Everybody don't have an ear to hear. But let him that hath an ear hear what the Spirit, or the Word saith unto the churches. If you can hear, He said, you can live. The Word that changed the course of the universe and appointed man unto death. Today it's changing the course of the universe, and now it appoints man unto life. Who? Those that can believe. Oh, you say, Brother Pike, it's not effective like that. Then tell me this. Why was it that Elisha, walking with God, and why was it Enoch, walking with God, they just kept on believing the Word, and kept on walking in the Word, and after awhile though the Spirit came back...(Begin side two.)...the Word got so real to them, and God's presence got so great to them, that the power of God translated them and caught them away into the heavens. Why is it God said, there'll be a God, there'll be a people that will believe God's Word that will walk like Elijah, and walk like Enoch, and get so close to God they'll believe the Word, and the Word will translate them, and the rapture will take them out of this world? A bride. A bride. A bride. Not everybody, but a bride. The Word of the Lord. Elisha said, Hear the Word of the Lord. What should we do? If the Word of God is spirit, you look at it tonight. I hold it within my hand. John said we've handled it. We've handled the words of life, he said. See? I handle it tonight. I hold it within my hand. The Word of life. He said we've handled it. Oh, but, he said, It's spirit. If I can believe like Elisha did. If I can believe like Enoch did. If I can believe like Jesus did when he walked upon the mountain when he walked up on the mountain and translated His body. Friend, Jesus didn't have to die to get back into heaven. We don't have to die to get back into heaven. God didn't intend for man to die; death came by man. God is the spirit of life, and all things that pertain unto life. And He said I've come that you might have life. Satan is the spirit of death, and all things that pertain unto death. Things such as the attributes of death, sorrow, heartaches, poverty, trouble, worry, fears. God is the spirit of life and the Bible said He hath given us all things that pertain unto life, such as joy, peace, righteousness, happiness, prosperity, all the wonderful things of God. Job said, He that believeth on God shall spend His days in health and prosperity. What is it? God's words of spirit; God's words of life. Somebody said, What do I need, Brother Pike? I need something, but I don't know what I need. If you're sick He sent His Word and healed you. And if you're in trouble the Bible said He bore your grief. The Word, Jesus Christ, bore your grief. He bore your trials. By His stripes, Peter said, you are healed. If you need salvation, the Bible said salvation comes by faith, and faith by the hearing of the Word. If you need something in your life then the Word has it. If you need something financially, the Bible said obey the Word and God shall supply your needs. The Word says it. Faith in the Word. It is the Lord thy God that giveth thee the power to get riches. One of the writers said, Not one promise of all of this good word has ever failed; not one promise. Not one promise. God has promised us great things. What are you trying to say, Brother Pike? I'm trying to say that at last it has been revealed unto mankind that man doesn't have to go by the grave. At last we've come to the place to where we realize that man doesn't have to go by the grave. Man had to go by the grave because he cut himself off from the words of life. He never could get back to the words of life. He had no understanding of the words of life, and in all of his attempt to get back Satan would come against him, and would confuse him and cause him trouble. But now we've come to the place to where we know God's word is life. And we know God's word creates everything, and God's word changes us into His glory. And God's word tells us everything is all right. You might say, Preacher, how do you mean God's word changes me? All right, listen. The Bible says we are changed from faith to faith. Faith by hearing of the Word. We are changed into the glorious image of the Son of God from faith to faith, and faith cometh by the hearing of the promise. You say, How are we changed? The promise says this. It says if we repent, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. If we're baptized in His name then we'll receive salvation. If we have faith in that then we receive it. The Bible said that we've been translated into the kingdom of God, the marvelous kingdom of our God. We believe it, and by faith our spirit goes into the kingdom. The Bible said we are hid with Christ in God whom the heavens have received. Calling those things which are not as thou they are though we can't see it with our natural mind; yet by faith in God's Word we accept it. And then the Word of God says that we are predestinated, that we are justified, and every promise that we get, every age, a new light is opened. A new portion of the same life, that is, is opened. Every age there comes forth a new revelation of the Word of God, and by faith we journey as the children of Israel did, coming out of Egypt going up to the Canaan Land by the way of the wilderness. Everything that Moses done pointed them to the Canaan Land and every time that pillar of fire would move they would move with the pillar of fire. Every time the cloud would move they would move with the cloud. And every time that it stopped they would stop. That tabernacle which was a type of the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, it moved, and that cloud, which was a type of the Holy Ghost it moved, and that fire by night, which was also the power of God burning the chaff in the time of the darkness of our life, it moved, but when the spirit moved the little tents moved. And those little tents were cymbals of you and I. We tabernacled in this little tent tonight. As spiritual beings we live in these little tents tonight, and we encamp around the Word of God, or the body of Jesus Christ, and we follow the Spirit of God, and move when the Spirit moves, and are lead of the Spirit and stop when the Spirit stops. Some people goes on shouting when the Spirit stops. Some people go on when the Spirit stops. But we follow the Word of God. Wherever the Word of God goes that's where we go. The Word of the Lord leads, changed from faith to faith on a journey of faith going to the promised land. How? I hear the Scripture in one age. Martin Luther comes out and he says justification. The people believe that they are justified because the Words of life say it. And then another man by the name of Wesley comes down through another age and he says sanctification. God has sanctified them once and for all by the offering up of the body on the tree. And then we believe it and we move on to a portion of new life, from faith to faith. And then somebody comes along and they preach the Word of God, and they say, God hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. And then we begin to believe that we're perfect. And then the next thing we hear, we hear Paul saying over there in his writings as it breaks right on down through this age, Paul makes the statement, he say that you have passed from death unto life; nothing can separate you from the love of God. Then he tells us, You are predestinated. Predestinated from the foundation of the world. John tells us in Revelation our names are already written down in the Lamb's Book of Life. And then one of the very last things that was to be revealed to the Church was he said you are glorified. We are glorified. You say, I don't believe it, Brother Pike. I don't care whether you believe it or not, I still believe that we're glorified. God said I'm glorified, I'm sanctified, I'm predestinated and I believe it's true. Whatever God's Word says I believe it; let every man be a liar. I know the denominations don't teach it. I know the church world don't teach it, but God said we are glorified, and I believe it. That's what's going to change me. That's what's going to keep us from going by the way of the grave. That's what's going to cause the rapture. That's what's going to cause the same thing to happen to this generation that happened to Enoch, that happened to Elijah. We're going to discover the same great wonderful truths that they discovered, and God is going to change this body to spirit, because this mind of Christ that I spoke of tonight, God can only get to you through that mind. God can't get to you through your mind. Your carnal mind is enmity with God. It's unbelief. It doesn't believe God. It's not interested in God, but He places the mind of Christ within you. And the mind of Christ is an open door to God, and the more we perfect the Word, or the mind of Christ within us, the more the Spirit of God comes in through that mind, and it changes this body, changes this body. And if I pray for you tonight the only way I can pray for you is to look toward God, and say God, because your Word said I'm perfect before you, and (?) instead of just (?) perfect, you've perfected for ever them that are sanctified and sanctified as much (?) with the offering up of the body of Jesus on the tree. God, because You said it I believe it. And Lord, you said if we laid hands on the sick they'd recover. I believe it, Lord. Come boldly before the Throne of grace to receive help in the time of need. I believe it. And I stand there and I say, God, (?) through Jesus Christ, and I ask for it. And then the mind of Christ takes over and by grace I receive through the mind of Christ the thing that I need. You'll never receive anything because you think you are worthy. You'll never receive anything because you think you've done something for God. And you certainly aren't going to receive anything is you just slouch around on God and go out yonder and do any old way, because it's the carnal mind either way. Either way it's the carnal mind, but when you can be temperate and get in the mind of Jesus Christ and come to the Lord, do your very best, and then fall on the grace of God and the mercy of God, and lift up the mind of Christ then you'll feel the Spirit of God that's coming in that's going to change these old blood genes. You'll feel this Word that's Spirit begin to change this body. I want you to stand with me tonight. The prophet said, Hear ye the Word of the Lord. (blank)..slid on God. How do you know, Brother Pike? Your spirit shows that you are backslid. You know you are backslid. Remember, God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth someday, if it's the wrong thing, he's going to reap a field of thorns. God is dealing with you. Some of you are already reaping thorns because you wouldn't listen to the Word of God. Some of you people that are set in my meeting the last time I was here, you done the same thing, showed the same spirit, and right now you're reaping a bed of thorns. I spoke the words of judgment to you then; you didn't hear it. Some of you have reaped sorrow since then. You can't play with God, friend. God is not mocked. I could just about name you tonight and pick you out. You're the very ones that I felt your spirits out of tune with me, out of harmony with me, worked with you, talked with you, pleaded with you, and not it's not so merry for you, is it? I'm not laughing at you. I feel sorry for you, but I'm just saying that even though it's happening you still haven't stopped to consider. The Bible said in the day of adversity stop and consider, and consider your ways. If your ways please God, God will make the devil to be at peace with you. I wonder tonight while your heads are bowed, while I'm exhorting you, I wonder tonight if somebody here would step out, like to be prayed for. Just know that you are backslid. You want to be prayed for. Got trouble in your home and you want to be prayed for. Demon spirits troubling you and you want to be prayed for, sick in your body, I wonder tonight if you can believe the promises of God. Solomon in Proverbs, the fourth chapter I believe it is, said, God's promises, they that find God's promises find life, and it shall be health unto all of their flesh. And then in the book of Exodus Moses stood before the people, about the twenty-third chapter of Exodus, he stood before the people over there and he proclaimed the righteousness of God, and said, I'll move sickness out of the midst of thee. Then about the fifteenth chapter of Exodus he stood and said, I am the Lord God that healeth thee. Balaam looked at Balak over in the twenty-third chapter of numbers, I believe it is, and as he looked at him he said, Has not the Lord spoken, and shall not he perform it. David speaking over in the book of Psalms said, The Word of the Lord is settled in heaven. And Jeremiah the prophet lifting up his voice he spoke and said, I will hasten to perform My Word. He sent His Word and healed them. Paul, speaking in the first chapter of Romans, Without faith it's impossible to please God. James speaking in the book of James said, a doubled minded man is unstable in all of his ways, let not him think that he receive anything of God. Let him ask in faith nothing wavering. What is it, friend? He said, Hear ye the Word of the Lord. Will you come down tonight? Who would like for us to pray for you tonight? Brother Bob and I, and the saints of God, who ever will, we'll pray for you. Don't look for a big show. Come looking for God. Come looking for the Spirit. Come listening to the Words of life, and let God heal your body. You say, How can His Word heal me, Brother Pike? His Word is Spirit, and His Word tells you where your trouble is. It tells you what you have to leave alone to get right and find peace and happiness, and when you line up with it you find your healing, you find your happiness. I spoke to the people in Hialeah, Florida, and some of them rebelled against it. And as they rebelled against it I gave warning night after night. And I want to hurry and say this. Warning night after night. One may dug his feet in against me because he was a big leader in the church. He went off and in a few days he had a terrible wreck. He just barely escaped with his life. He got kind of humble in a few days. That slipped on by and his wife she dug her feet in against me. In a few days she went off and she had a wreck. A number of people kept working against us, things started to happening. And then the Lord picked out a little girl that was just a foolish thing in the eyes of men. He said He'd confound the wise with the foolish things. And he gave her a vision and she stood before the church and told the vision, and named everyone of those people that I'd worked trying to get them to get straightened out. She called them by name. Even God got into the matter and it shook the church up so much that when I left the whole church was just ending a three day fast. What is it? It's the hour of judgment. This is the end of the way. Ye are the people, Paul said, upon whom the ends of the world have come. Will you come tonight and let us lay hands on you. I'm not trying to tire you out. I want to have some services, let you go home so you'll come back tomorrow night. But remember, come with a humble spirit. Said, If they will humble themselves that are called by my name and fast and pray I'll hear from heaven and heal their land. Friend, God is not going to heal you if you're not humble. God is not going to heal you if you have a haughty spirit. He said a haughty spirit goeth before a fall, pride goeth before destruction, but if you'll humble yourself it shall come to pass I'll hear and answer before you ever even call me. God wants to do something for you tonight. God wants to help you tonight. Consider your ways. In the days of adversity consider. If you are having trouble stop and consider. That's adversity; stop and consider your ways. Say, Lord, what have I done. Lord, your word is true. Lord, I didn't think about it. I didn't stop to consider, but now, Lord, I see that your word is true. Be honest with yourself tonight. It's so sure. I've even told my Dale a lot of times, and my Ricky. I said, You're just youngsters but you'll have trouble, if it ain't nothing but boy friend trouble, Dale. You disobey God and your heart will be broken. God will make you pay. Young folks, He'll make you pay, too. When the preacher warns you and you don't do nothing it's going to be heartache after heartache. Will you come tonight? Anybody else want to come tonight while we pray for these? We're going to pray tonight and we're going to pray sincerely from the bottom of our heart. I'm going to pray sincerely. My heart was warmed the other night. Down in Athens, Georgia a little boy that we had prayed for three or four years ago, he was having epilepsy, having it bad. And then the other night he came up to me and he said, Brother Pike, he said, do you remember when you prayed for me? I said, Yes, I do. He said, I've never had another spell since. I've never had another spell since. A man called up on the telephone and he said tell Brother Pike after he prayed for my stomach ulcers that I eat anything I want and I'm feeling fine. So many other things, people that's been healed by a simple prayer, by simple faith because people sincerely prayed and believed. I prayed for a woman one time and as we prayed for her I said, Sister God healed you. She said, I believe it. But she went on and had an operation anyway, and the operation was negative. Another man was setting in a chair one night, and I said, Can you believe God? The man was blind. I said, Can you believe God? He said, I just can't believe God will give me back my sight. I said, Man, for God's sake, try to believe. I said, I feel the Spirit of God, and the anointing of the Lord will break the yoke. I said, try to believe. And even though he said, I can't believe; yet he tried, and the next day he could see well enough he could cross the street by himself. Another women we prayed for that was blind, we called the Christians together and laid hands on her and prayed sincerely from our heart, and the woman came back and said I can see well enough that I can read the Big Apple sign, or the ad in the newspaper. Another woman, a woman in Macon, Georgia, we prayed for her. She had Rheumatic fever, after that she had one spell. She's never had another since. She was a young girl then, today she's married, she has children. It's simple faith. It's just simple faith, that's all that it takes. A little girl over in Alabama came under the tent, we prayed for her. She had sinus trouble, I believe it was, and the report today is still that it's the same. I ask about a little boy by the name of Tommy we prayed for over in La Grange, Georgia that was near sighted. The Lord straightened up his eyes, and they told me, said, They've been straight ever since. Little Joe. We prayed for his eyes and God straightened his eyes. And I noticed as we come back there is still straight. They seem to have a drawing sensation sometime, but they're still straight. I was showing the man up here at the T.V. shop the two pictures that the sister gave to my Dale of one of them with his eyes crooked, and one of them with his eyes straight. The last time I was here I was showing them to him while I was testifying. I went up back this time after a year, and he said, Would you show me those pictures again? God wants to do something for us. Let's pray tonight. I'm going to ask Brother Bobby to come and pray with us. And let's believe God. There's people that are sick. And let me tell you something...

By Rev. George Leon Pike Sr.

Founder and first President of Jesus Christ’s Eternal Kingdom of Abundant Life, Inc.

Holiness Unto The Lord