Heavenly Reward

You can be seated. Well, it's good to be here. I say so often, I feel like — And I really appreciate all the good things that Brother Taylor says, but I don't feel very great. I feel like I'm running way behind with what I need to do. And it makes it kind of hard. We had Brother Chuck, Don, Stevie, some of them been working on the doors out here in the little vault. I doubt very seriously if too many of you remember my comments on the doors in the past, as to the significance that they have. But so far, everything is working real good when it comes to the doors closing and opening. They seem to be doing real well, so far as our natural use, which of course is for a spiritual purpose, and it looks like they're going to work out real good. Brother Chuck has worked quite a number of days to be able to constitute the mechanisms for operation to where it can be set on a time basis. And it looks like he's really got it. It looks as if he done his job well. Chuck seems to be nothing less than a genius anyway. I've had a number of men around here that's just__ I don't know of any other description than just to say they are geniuses. Men like Atlee Beachy and Brother Arthur, Chuck. Brother Arthur, he's having problems but I really believe if Arthur had listened at me he'd be working right out there today. And I see he's here tonight. I didn't even know he was here tonight. But he, I don't mind saying it again. To me he is nothing less than a genius. I was looking at those doors out there today and I told Chuck, I said, I said this just__ Yesterday, the same thing, I said, the way that Arthur fixed these doors it's just fantastic. They're fixed with such precision and such adjustment until, I mean there's hardly anything that needs to be done to them but what Arthur didn't fix them things to where you can make an adjustment on them, and they are just fantastic. I checked something yesterday. My door were bobbly, bobbly like this, and I'd been noticing it for quite a while and I thought, I just don't understand that. I thought, Now, Arthur he just don't do things like that. And I told Chuck, I said, Surely to goodness somewhere Arthur has got something on these doors that I ain't found, or something, for adjustment. And of course, when I found it and checked it out he had them to where if they are locked in properly there won't even be a bobble out of them. Real simple to lock them in. And I just praise God for people that have contributed to the cause of Bethlehem in such a great way. Our press, our big Webb Press, Brother Arthur set that thing before he left and the machine that he used, or the little mechanisms, and with his understanding it's just fantastic how he sets those things to just down to, I don't know what degree you'd call it. Right down to the very hairline. Those things are just laid right to the line, and we just don't have no problem out of them concerning those things. But anyway, the things that Chuck has made, it's something. You'd just have to see it to believe it. But they are working real good and if nothing happens, probably within a few days, if we can just get a little assistance the vault doors will be working precisely by time, setting the time on them. They will automatically shut, open, according to the time element set. And it's really a beautiful little vault and bank that will secure our deeds for land, our titles for our vehicles, and registration sheets and certificates for music and song, and all the things that are valuable. So many multiplied things that's valuable, it will secure them from fire, and from just people, you know, just messing around with them. Just excellent for our purpose. And of course, the locking of the doors so far as the spiritual significance, it looks like they are falling in right on time. Right on time. With the other things that's been taking place it seems like it's just laid right to the line. And I thank the Lord for that. We can dress them off in anyway we want to as to make them beautiful. The efficiency of them is what we are really concerned about. Let's stand together, turn to page eighty-three and sing this song, A Friend In Jesus. We're glad to have Arthur with us tonight. As a matter-of-fact, somebody said today, said, You need to go over and get Brother Arthur and let him take a look at these doors when you get them finished to let him see what he done. It might have been Grady. And I was just thinking the other day that I'd like for Brother Arthur to see those things when they're finished just to see how they operate. Most people at Bethlehem are not aware of the fact that men have contributed a lot of things to Bethlehem, hours and hours of careful ingenuity and pressing the nerves and strain of the body sometimes way over in the morning, all through the night, and of course this contributed to the cause of Bethlehem. It really makes Bethlehem a lovely little place. Whereas, we should have had numbers of facilities that we don't have. I willfully withdrew from it for Christ's sake. That is, as to construction, because I saw that some of the people were having complications, but if they had been persistent, there would have been such a lot of things that we could have had that would really have contributed to the cause of the Kingdom of God and helped us in our world outreach. Going up to Brother Jerry Falwell's I noticed that Jerry was everywhere. He had buildings, just multiplied buildings, and all around. He had building materials, and buildings half up, and still building. Let's sing this song together. Eighty-three in the little blue hymnal, the Lily Of The Valley. It's wonderful to be here, to be a Christian, to feel the wonderful presence of Jesus, the wonderful love of God. It's always a thrill to come to the house of the Lord, and it's even more of a thrill when we leave the house of God with a new vision and we go out and day by day endeavor to do something for Christ, when we really get involved in doing something for God. It's so wonderful just to be a Christian and be involved with something for Jesus. You know, life to me wouldn't be worth living, folks, if I couldn't daily be involved in doing something for Jesus Christ. Everyday, from the early morning unto the late night, and if I wake up in the night then it's the same way. I want to be involved in doing something for Jesus. I want to be doing something for God from early morning until late at night and of course, sometimes I get a little bit late and I think my wife's mother said, I think I'd check up on him. Two o'clock in the morning, you know, said, I don't know whether he's at the bank or not. She a fine lady. She was just going on at my wife, but you know, we did get in at two o'clock the other night. Sometimes we don't get in all night long, and of course that takes an understanding wife. You say, Well, I don't see how that would be too hand to understand, Brother Pike. Well, if your wife don't come in until the next morning we'll check it out and see. But anyway, I thank the Lord for my wife's mother. We're glad to have her with us. She's a wonderful woman. She comes up every once in a while and spends a little time with her, and I think, maybe she won't admit it but I think she's getting to like Bethlehem more and more. It looks like the Lord is being good to us. He's helping us all the way, and Brother Atlee was telling me just before I came in the door that the meeting is set for Mexico. They think it's__ We've been contemplating going into Mexico now for a number of months and I was just kin of waiting to see what the Lord wanted to do about it. I told my wife that I felt we'd go down that way, and of course, things have shaped up since then, and on the seventeenth of May. Right, Al? Seventeenth of May, which is on Friday, is it? On Friday. We'll be starting a meeting in Mexico. We'll probably go in from Laredo. Do we do through Laredo on this trip? Laredo Texas? Maybe I'll get started just a little bit early and drop down by the boat over in Galveston. And I don't know whether I'll get with Atlee and them or not. I'd like to. Maybe drop down with Dale and Susie for a few hours in Corpus Christi, then we can cut across from there to Laredo. I think Brother Al is going down to be there by the thirteenth. Is that right, Brother Al? He's going to be there by the thirteenth to kind of to prepare things and minister some. And then of course, everything is set now for the Canada meeting. We've been considering a Canada meeting and I told you about a year, I guess it was about a year ago or more, I said, We'll have a meeting in Canada. It'll have great significance. Frank remembers, and of course, Brother Don, Brother Don Porter, he got excited and he contacted them and they wouldn't let us have a meeting in the area. I told him where I thought it was to be and what God had shown me about it. So he was just going to press the issue and checked it out, and they wouldn't even talk to us. Whereas, I told him this time, I said, Don, if you go check it out this time they'll talk with us and everything will be all right. So he did. He went and checked it out this time and they gave us a lead way on it, so my wife followed through and the lady told her, was it yesterday? last night, or whenever, Betty? When was it, last night? Last night? Said, Go ahead and advertise your meeting. Said, You've got it. Go ahead and advertise it. So, the people there agreed, in the Indian Reservation of what they call the Six Nations. And I don't remember, what's the name of that place, Frank? I can't remember. Chuck, you know? Oswegan. Oswegan. Anyway, that's where the place is. I can't hardly even say it. Osweegan. I'm not sure but I think you have to go up around by Buffalo, New York and come in there. And you probably could go through Michigan. We have ministered in Canada a number of times and we went in through Michigan, by the way of Michigan, and we have traveled the turn pike all across Canada up to the areas of Buffalo, New York, and come out up in that area. But I'm thinking maybe the best route is to go into Buffalo, New York. I know there is a straight route up in that area. I don't know whether it's highway 77, or what. It might be the same highway we traveled coming down from Pennsylvania. But anyway, going up it looks like__ Let me ask, Betty, do you remember when we went into New York before? Seems like it might have been 77. But whatever it is there's a straight route up into that area, and you get in the areas of Buffalo, New York, and it will probably give some of you a chance to go by and see Niagara Falls. I've been close in the area and I've never seen Niagara Falls, because we never have made it a practice to go to see any thing in the world unless God was in it, or we felt that that was the liberty that He had given us at that time. And though we've been right close to Niagara Falls, and it's the handiwork of God, and I most certainly would liked to have seen it, but I never have gone because He just didn't give me the liberty to go, and I never would do it. But there's a good possibility that you'll be able to run by there and see it. And of course, some of them are going to drive their cars up. We had an invitation, I think it was kind of a general invitation to people, but anyway we had the invitation to come into New Jersey. Whereas, we've been in New Jersey. We set our tent in New Jersey a year or so ago, and they're having a meeting over in New Jersey. It's called the Friends Of Israel. It's a big operation and they invited us in. And about the same time we have our meeting over in Canada we could have dropped somebody off in the area, and they could distribute a lot of literature. Remember the Washington For Jesus? There was a hundred thousand tracts, or better, that came from Bethlehem that went out among the people. And a lot of big operations our people give tracts out at them, and in India and in other places at hugh gatherings they give out our tracts around the different parts of the world. So it's possible we will either do that, or we might even fly the little plane up. I think that they are moving in very carefully now with the plane, and I think maybe they'll have it finished in a few days and we might just take a few brethren and just fly them up like we did when we dropped down into Miami, or went over in the Carolina's. Betty, she's kind of grinning. She don't think too much when I talk about us traveling in our little plane. Traveling on the big plane she says amen, and she's ready to go, but when I talk about our little plane she don't__ She's been in it. She's flown in it, but she just kind of prefers those big planes. But I like our little plane. Our little twin engine is a real stable flying plane; it is excellent. We've flown as far as Miami in it. And some has ask us to let them use it to fly into Haiti. But I still think it's a good idea is we could put some brethren into the plane, fly them over into the area's of New Jersey, let them give out some tracts then bring them back. That way they are not gone very long. As a matter-of-fact, I'd like to fly up to Canada in it, down to Mexico. I'm thinking about flying down to Mexico, Sister Betty. We'll get some things going and pray that the Lord will work with us and just fly down to Mexico. If I can get Betty to work with me as good as I can get the Lord to work with me we're going to make it okay. She hasn't ever really drawn back on me, just kind of casual like, you know. She usually works with me pretty good. But you do pray that we can get things together, because I need the little plane. I really need it. And it's in good shape now. It's had a fresh annul on it and it's ready to go with the exceptions of__ Well, we'd love to put a storm scope on it. We just put a loran on it and that made it a lots better, but we could use a storm scope. It would cost a few thousand dollars, but the Lord can help us. On the bus, some of you are counting on taking a trip with the bus, and it looks like the attitude that the brethren took the other night is going to make it possible for you to do just exactly that. So, it seems that we've located what we need to fix the bus with. And with that we'll probable be running the bus up to Canada, and perhaps into Mexico. There's a good possibility that we can run it into Mexico if the people want to do that. I'd love to be able to have Brother Philip and Brother Morris to do the seats on the inside. I just don't know how long that would take, but it would be good if we could re-do the inside of the bus. You know, I was talking to Brother Stevie today and I was telling him Chuck and some of the others, I said, You know, there is one thing that we've go to remember. First of all, we're about our Father's business, because we are sons of God. If we are Sons of God we will be about the Father's business. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever. The nature of Christ Jesus within us will automatically make us to be about our Father's business, because it did that very thing when it tabernacled in the body of Jesus. But I was telling Stevie today, I said, Steve, I said, What we've got to remember is this. That God commissions us to do a thing. He first wants to prepare us. He wants to thoroughly furnish us. He wants us to be skillful. The angel said, Daniel, I've come to give you skill. Paul, three, three and a half years in the desert to prepare himself. But I said to Stevie, I said, Stevie, I said, We've got to remember one thing. If God gives us something to do, I said, And if we wait to do that to do it after that we have done all that we want to do, and after we've done our thing in life, as it is said. I said, After that we've done the things that we want to do and made the money we want to make and we've planted the vineyard we want to plant, we build the building we want to build, and we've done the thing that we want to do, I said, Now we can go after than and do what God wants done, I said, And He'll bless us, and He'll reward us. If we hasn't already got the job done He'll use us. But there is just one thing about it. You will not get a heavenly reward. You won't get it. Somebody said, Well, I believe you would. No you absolutely will not. You will get an earthly reward, because you can't give even as much as a cup of water without God giving you a reward. But if you put God's things last you've automatically lost your heavenly reward. You definitely will not get it. First of all, one of the reasons you will not get it is because the only way to receive a heavenly reward is by obedience to the Word which is faith in the Word, and the faith that you have in the Word will command an obedience to the things that God wants. So, in as much as the Bible says to seek the Kingdom first and all these other things will be added, or in as much as it says to give God the first fruits, whether it be of your substance, your time, or whatever. Then if you don't do it that's unbelief. If you don't do it that's disobedience. And if you don't do it you don't get a heavenly reward. So, afterwards you could go on and do it and God will not let it fall to the ground, because He's not going to be indebted to anybody in the day of judgment. He's going to reward you, but you won't get a heavenly reward. Heaven is spirit. God is a spirit. And to lay up treasures in heaven, to get something in heaven, you have to do it by faith. It has to be an act of faith, and if it is faith then it is put into the spiritual realm. It is a spiritual act and the only way that can be is to take the Word of God, and the Word of God says first. First of your time, first of your concern, first of your fruits. And the Bible says also, in having skill don't give me the halt, the lame, the blind. Said, I'm a great God. Don't give it to me. Said, take it to your governor, see if your governor will receive it of you. I've heard ministers, I've been present listening at them at different times in my life, and I've seen them make the most terrible blunders and mistakes in preaching, and they were fully convinced that they had told it right. You couldn't tell them no difference, but they wouldn't listen. They wouldn't be tutored. They wouldn't be taught. Nobody could tell them anything. They were going to figure it out for themselves. And because of that they got themselves a blot all over the country, everywhere. And they made a mistake in the eyes of the people and said something and just messed up all the good they were doing to that extent. And caused the people that did understand to look at them with questioning. Whereas, all they would have had to have done was prepare themselves. The Bible said, Study to show yourself approved, a workman unto God that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth. For all they had to do was communicate with them that are taught in the Word, or to have fellowship one with another. And to submit themselves one to another, as the Bible said, as unto the Lord, to grow in the grace and knowledge and to be taught one of another by the Holy Spirit through one another and they would have had a great ministry. But in that they did it themselves they dwarfed themselves, broke themselves away from the Brethren, and in that they did it themselves they never excelled. I know of a number of them that have never excelled. Though they really thought they were and they were positive they were going to do it, and I've had them to tell me how great and mighty they were going to be. I had one fellow to tell me, said, Oral Roberts is a great man, but you know, that's like a side show to what I'm going to be. Said, God's done told me. And that was the essences of what the man said. And at that time there was a wealthy young man fixing to buy this particular man a huge gospel tent. But just the fact that he took that lifted up attitude, the whole thing fell through, and he just lost everything. The man just changed his mind over night. Humble thyself under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due season, for if man exalt himself God will bring him down. But if man humble himself that's the nature of Jesus, to the washing of the Brethren's feet. God will lift him up. That man will never fall. You need not look for that man to fall. I've said this a lot of times in speaking. That man will never fall. The Bible said they that do these things will never fall. You may wish his hurt, but it's not possible for him to fall, because the Spirit of God has founded him. He is built on a rock and the winds can't get him. Otherwise, we're just as one that beateth the air. So I said all of that to confirm the things I said a little bit ago about giving unto the Lord your life, the first fruits of your life, giving Him your time, listening to the Lord, acknowledging Him in all of your ways, pondering the paths of your feet, counting the cost, look well to your goings, watch and pray, and the Lord will guide your footsteps and make you a mighty, mighty warrior. He won't fall. You know, a lot of people they have nerve problems. They have mental oppression. They have feelings of insecurity, you know, they are afraid that they can't make it financially. And Brethren, you don't have to worry about any of these things. The Bible says that He will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory. So there won't be any insecurity. The Bible said He has given us all things that pertain unto life, so we don't have to worry about strength. We don't have to worry about anything that pertains unto life, so far as the virtues of our home, of our life, or the many things that pertain unto life, as to happiness, peace, joy, whatever. We don't have to worry about that. We don't have to worry about the finances, as I said, because He promised to supply all of our needs according to His riches. And we don't have to worry about fear, frustration, anxiety. We don't have to worry about our minds going bad on us, or losing out with God. The Bible said all of them that are of God are of a good understanding. And we don't have to worry about wondering whether or not we will know or understand. The wicked shall not see when good cometh, but the righteous shall understand. And the Bible says we have an unction from the Holy One that we should know all things, and that I will make him of a quick understanding, because my spirit is upon him. So, we don't have to worry about those things. He promised to bless us, make us rich and add no sorrow, make our beds, all of our beds in the time of our sickness. He promised those things to us. To make us as a tree that's planted by the water, to bring forth our fruit in our season, our leaves not wither, and whatever we do prospering. He promised to give us the bright and the morning star. He promised us that our life would return unto us, our health would return unto us speedily, our light would go before us and God would be our reward. (Begin tape one, side two.) He promised to give us the desires of our heart, as I said, to make us ride upon the high places of the earth, feed us with the heritage of Jacob, make us rich and add no sorrow. And on and on God promised these things to us. I've heard there are thirty-two thousand promises that He has given us, just in the writings of the Bible. So we don't have to worry about any of those things befalling us. God will take care of us. God will make us healthy, but remember, though we are radiant, though we're fat, though we're healthy, though we're young, though we're strong, yet the Bible said when God begins to chasten the beauty fades away. The vine begins to shrivel up, and the fruits become dwarfed because God is chastising. But when we do wrong, we're told in the book of Job that if we do wrong, said, if we will repent and if we will turn around, and if we will acknowledge the Lord, in that the Bible said acknowledge the Lord in all your ways, He'll direct your path and all the paths of God are peace. He that keepeth His mind stayed on Christ Jesus shall have perfect peace. We're told in the book of Job that if we repent and say, Lord, these things that we've done wrong they've not profited us, and it's been very sorrowful to us, the Bible said if we repent He'll move it all away. Said, And our flesh shall return to us as a babe. And that's true, because the Bible teaches that when the prophet told the man to step into the waters, though they were muddy waters, when he stepped in, the Bible said his flesh became as a little child. So then, God beautifies the meek with salvation, the Bible tells us. He gives us lasting strength and ability. Faith gave Moses such a strength and ability that when he was very aged that the natural sources of his body wasn't abated. His eye sight was not dim. He was still a young strong man. Caleb the same way. Caleb said, I can fight a fight. I'm just like I was when I cross the Jordan. Abraham climbed astride a camel, went out won a battle, something that Lot and the other men couldn't do. He went out there and He won that battle. God renewed his youth and strength, renewed Sarah's youth and strength, and they rejoiced as young people, started another family. That's God, see? That's Jesus. That's that wonderful loving life that never ends. That's what we preaching, is eternal life. The gift of God is eternal life. Jesus said, I am the Prince of Life. We've tapped onto to that source. We know where it's at, and it's freely given. Let whosoever will come and partake of the waters of life freely, because God has freely given us life. It's wonderful to be a Christian. How many of you know it's wonderful to be a Christian? So, let's not lose our heavenly reward. Let's not just take on an earthly reward. Jesus said to the Pharisees and Scribes, in essence he said, You lost your heavenly reward. He said to them, being religious and doing the things you are doing, He said, You have a reward, but He told the children of God, He said, They've had their reward, the praise of men and the things of this world, because they did not seek the Word of God and the life of Christ as if it were by faith. So then, He said they have their reward. So let's don't get an earthly reward. Don't let, you know, as it was in the Old Testament, David, he gave rewards. He gave treasures, he gave gifts to the concubines, but to the wives it was different. And to THE wife it was altogether different. God gives gifts to many people that are nothing more than concubines, some nothing more than servants. He gives gifts. Handmaids, He gives gifts. Or that is, He puts them off with one thing or another. It might be a healing, it might be a miracle. It might be an outstanding thing financially. It might be a few years extra to live. It might be health during the time we live. He might give gifts in the sense that He might even suffer you to have something to do in the church world, even as Judas. The Bible said he was numbered with them and obtained a part of that ministry. You might obtain part of that ministry, but you might just be under the shadow of His wing. That is, you might just be in the days of grace. You might not have God within you, as to the real born again experience. You might not have that wonderful gift that comes form God, as to eternal life. The gift of God is eternal life. So, if you want to be the bride, then let's press in, and as the Scripture says, let's get a full reward. Paul said I want to present you body, soul and spirit blameless. Let's get a full reward. You can get a reward, but let's get a full reward. Paul called it pressing forward to the prize of the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus. Not that I've obtained unto it, he said, but this I do forgetting those things that are behind, I press forward to the prize of the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus. Counting all my learning as dung, and all things as if but lost, to obtain that wonderful majesty in Christ. Well, God is good. God is good. That's wonderful, God is good. Let's stand together and turn to, turn over to 179 in the red Hymnal. Like I said, I'm hoarse. It's makes it a little difficult to sing, but I love to try. Each step I take I know that He will guide me. God is good. God is so wonderfully good. He walks with us, teaches us of His love and of His strength, always holding our hand and always guiding us. Let's just bow our heads for just a moment. Father, God of Heaven, we're thankful tonight for your love and presence. Not by power, not by might, not by brilliance, but by your Spirit, O Lord, knowing that this is a spiritual move, that this is a spiritual unction, we know then, Father, that when the Word is brought forth that it is not us speaking, but it is the Heavenly Father speaking from within us, knowing that divine healing and divine deliverance, and discernment and all of the things of God are spiritual, Father. Therefore, teach us to be spiritual. Open our minds to the wonderful revelation and give unto us the spirit of revelation, and let your loving spirit be here. Let your love and your Word and your understanding and your kindness and discernment be here. Grant it, Father. Thou art the apple of our eye, and likewise, Father, we are the apple of Thine eye. So then, forgive our sins by the righteousness and the blood of your lovely, darling Son, Jesus. And then grant unto us by His righteousness, by the righteousness of Your Son Jesus, knowing there is none good, Father, but that all have gone astray and every man has turned to his own way, having laid upon Him the iniquity of us all in that He was bruised for our transgressions and the chastisement of our peace being upon Him, grant unto us holiness and righteousness by your own righteousness, Father, through the loving Son of God. So through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, Father, bless us, lead us and guide us, and tell us your precious will day by day. Praise God. If you've got your Bibles I want you to turn with me over to the book of Revelation, I believe. You know, I'd love to read something here just before I go into the book of Revelation. The Lord spoke to me the other day. I was coming back from Pennsylvania__ Well, let me put it like this. I was away praying, talking to the Lord a few days back, and I said, Lord, I said, there's a lot to be done. Springtime is here, and there is a lot that needs to be done, and I want to do it. I said, I want to do it, all that I can, in that we, as the minister, or the ministry, we have a commission to go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. I said, But now, if for any reason that you think different, of course I know God don't think contrary to his word, but He does use us in different capacities of operations at different times, for different purposes, and I like to be flexible. If it's to dig a ditch I want to dig a ditch. If it's to nail a nail I want to nail a nail. I want to take days and weeks just to labor, you know, in the fields of Nebraska and different places just to make a living. But I said, Now if You want me to do anything You just tell me. I said, now this very night I want You to tell me. And that very night He did. He spoke to me and showed me in the vision how that He wanted to use me. I said, I'll just kind of stay around and take care of the home front. There's a lot to do, and He showed me that He wanted to use me, so I said, All right. And then I remember coming back from Pennsylvania we had, while over in Pennsylvania talked to Brother Kim William's mother, which of course is the brother of Brother T. L. Lowery. Brother T. L. has got a place that seats about two thousand. And I think his tithes, according to what Mary said, is about forty thousand dollars. But anyway, we had talked about Brother T. L. for a little bit there and I had dismissed it from my mind. And when I was coming through, I believe I was coming through Ohio, and I don't remember who was driving. I don't know if it was Betty, or who, but anyway somebody was driving the car, one of the twins or Betty, and I was sitting over next to the driver, and I was thinking on the Lord, and all of a sudden I went into like a vision, or a trance, and the Lord spoke to me, and to the best of my ability and knowledge, I can't remember exactly how it was, but the essence of it was, He said to me, said, speaking of T. L. Lowery, said, because he hath sought me I'm going to use him. Irregardless to his age, irregardless to the fact that he's just had a heart attack not too long ago. The Lord dealt with me that irregardless to that it was still going to be all right. He was going to use him. As to what extent. as to how long, I don't know. But you know, that was the farthest thing from my mind, as far as I know. One of the farthest. But it made me to realize something; that Brother T. L. Lowery was a person that had gotten us a translation. We had needed a tract. We've got tracts in different languages all around the nation and the world, and T. L. had gotten us a translation. A Greek, translation. We'd had some problems getting it. He'd got it and it was on The Faith, teaching baptism in Jesus name. Whereas, Brother T. L. Lowery, the organization that he's with is no doubt one of the greatest in the world. I've preached for them. People that has really got God. I mean they've really got God. Those people are filled with the Holy Ghost. There's number of them that are filled with the real genuine Holy Ghost. But at the same time they should be teaching baptism in Jesus name. They just should be teaching it, that's all there is to it. They should come to understand the teachings of Matthew 28, to realize that baptism in water is in the name of the Lord Jesus for the remission of sin. But anyway, T. L. got that for us. Of course, he, at that time he was assistant overseer, and was in for general overseer, and according to what Mary said he, I think he came up for general overseer. He might have refused it, I don't know. But anyway, he's way up the ladder, as we say. But it didn't stop him, he still got it for us. You know, that makes me to know something, folks. Somebody said, Them trinitarian preachers? I agree that I, Brother Lowery, any church, Church of God, Pentecostal Holiness, Church of The Lord Jesus Christ, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, all of them, they are going to have to answer to God for every place in the Scripture that they evade, as to really preaching that thing. But still, at the same time, God watches everything. Everything. And when you do something for God, God will do something for you. That's all there is to it. God will do something for you. And God will consider you. How many of you remember Rahab, the harlot? Over there in a wicked city, didn't really know God, or nothing about God, but because she aided those spies that God sent into Canaan, God considered that woman. One of the worst, should have been destroyed God should never even looked at her, but nevertheless, because she was willing to repent, turn around, believe God, and try to be the right kind of person, God delivered her and brought her forth because she considered God. He destroyed the rest of them, but brought her forth. This is what we need to do. We need to consider God. Well, at the same time God spoke to me, told me some things and I was sitting in a motel along Highway 40 over in the mountains of Carolina. Rainbow Motel. The Lord had kept me on Highway 40, wouldn't let me get off of it. So we got over to the Motel, and I was sitting there that night. Betty had made a telephone call, or did make a telephone call over to Brother Woodruff's talking to Sister Woodruff about some things. And I pick up the Bible and while I was sitting there the Lord started speaking to me. Whereas, the Bible said, My sheep know My voice and a stranger they will not follow. And God talks to me all of the time, as well as he does all of his sheep. And He started speaking to me, and while he was speaking to me I turned my Bible over, if I can remember just where it is found. Maybe it's the third chapter. Yep. The seventh verse. He gave me the whole chapter, but he didn't let me read the whole chapter until I had read the seventh verse. He quickened that to me, and he definitely spoke to me. No mistake about it. Paul speaks in some places of the Spirit speaking expressly. Sometimes the Spirit doesn't speak clear and it's not that God doesn't speak clear, but He doesn't speak clear to the extent that we don't hear clear. We're dull of hearing. Like the law. Paul spoke of the law, you know, bringing sin, in that the flesh is weak to the law, or he can't perform the law. So then, it wasn't the weakness of the law. It was the weakness of the flesh. The same thing applies to us hearing the Lord. The difference between a person that does something for God, and that understands and hears the voice of God to know what's happening. There is one difference between them and the people that don't do anything for God, and yet they are trying, and that is, that God, without respect of person, speaking to all of them, as to me, as to you, as to you, as to me, as to us, as to those, yet you, or I, or whoever it might be, that's not progressing in the things of God, the only difference is that you are not listening close enough. You are not staying with Him close enough. You are not paying enough attention. You are not hearing what the Spirit saith unto the churches. You are not listening to the Spirit to the extent of perfect loyalty and perfect conformity as to submission to the extent that you are dull of hearing and the Spirit doesn't speak expressly to you. So then, I said that to say this. The Spirit speaketh expressly, the writer said. And the Lord was speaking very expressly as I've heard him do. Many times I've heard Him when I didn't hear so good. Now, a person would say, Brother Pike, I seek God. I pray, I fast, and still I don't get things clear. The reason is because fasting and praying is not the answer to it. A lot of people will take prayer and fasting as the answer. I've had a number of people to take that, because Jesus at one place in casting out a devil when the disciples said, Why could we not do it? He said, This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. And so they'll hinge onto that, which is all right, because it is true. It takes prayer and fasting. Said the minister of God should fast often. But they'll latch on to that as that being the answer, but that's not the answer. You can do all of that you want to. Wherefore have we fasted? say they, concerning Israel, and Thou takest no knowledge in our assemblies. And the Bible said, You pray long prayers for pretense because you love the salutations in the market places, like to be called of men evangelists, healers, rabbi, superiors. See? That's not it. Where your problem is is self will. You've got self will, and you're going to do your own thing. You've got it all set. You are trying to make God work with you instead of you melting down and conforming to Christ. Or that is, we say it like this, that the secret is in obedience. It's much better than sacrifice. And another thing, you can be hard. You can be bitter. You can be cruel, and not realize it. See? And to really walk with Christ He tells us that charity is the chief thing. Though we understand all mysteries, though we can heal, though we do all the things, so far as the gifts, so far as we're concerned, you know. He tells us that charity is the bond of perfectness. I explained this the other night a little bit and I won't try to explain tonight, but charity is the secret. Paul said, Let me show you that excelling way, that excellent way. The more excelling way, or excellent way. He said, Though you desire gifts, which is fine. You should covet a gift so you can be profitable to God, but he said follow after charity. Make your life conform to charity. Talk about charity, think about charity, live charity, pursue charity, said, for this is that bond of perfectness. Do you know why that is? Because charity, being a sacrificial love, charity, a love. It's perfect. It fulfills the law. Charity is what gives you that perfect clear conscience so that when faith arises there is not one speck, not one shadow between you and God to hinder that faith. That is, charity is the secret. Faith worketh by charity. And like I said, we're not going to try to explain that, but I do want to say this. Love worketh on ill to it's neighbor. Love doesn't covet that which belongs to it's neighbor. Love is slow in anger. Love is kind and understanding. Love is tender. Love will forgive. Love will always consider the other persons position in something. So then, the things that love does automatically blocks the things that Satan could do in your life to cause you to be under condemnation. So it makes you perfect. It shuts out anything that Satan could do. The reason that Jesus could look at Satan and say, The prince of this world cometh but he hath no part in me, for one reason he could say that. He was the fullness of charity within the veil. God in His fullness. For God is charity. God is love, sacrificial love. He loved so much that He gave. Well, anyway, God spoke to me this. In the seventh verse of the third chapter he said. "Thus saith the Lord of hosts; if thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shall also judge my house, and shall also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by." (Zechariah 3;7) So, He spoke to me and then He had me to read the entire chapter. It said, (Brother Pike reads the entire third chapter of Zechariah.) Now I mentioned the other night that the seven eyes on the stone had to do with the stone that was crying grace, grace, even the Lord Jesus that came to Calvary saying, Grace, grace to all. Grace to all that can believe. And the seven eyes, of course being in that stone had to do with the eyes of the Lamb in the book of Revelation where He speaks of the Lamb coming, having the seven eyes, begin the branch, for the Bible said had not God left us a root we would be like unto Sodom and Gomorrah. That of the stem of David being the branch. For in that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful, the Bible tells us. And being the branch he was crucified on a tree. The tree to signify the branch. We see that there is a great thing in what God said in chapter three. Now, as to the part that he quickened to me is for me to be obedient. The thing I just got through saying, obedience is better than sacrifice. If there is obedience then God will bless you. God spoke to me. He spoke to me many times, and he spoke to me a Scripture here in Chapter one of the book of Joshua. I was seeking the Lord. I was fasting and praying and I was in a back room, and as a result of talking to the Lord and finding favor God worked a miracle. Resorted a man's hearing that very night I believe it was. God spoke to me and this is what He said. Says, "Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister saying, (Begin tape two, side one.) Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the soul of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee: Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." So then, the Lord quickened to me a number of these things and spoke directly to me, and He said to me, There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life. As I was with Moses so I will be with thee. I will not fail the, not forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage for unto this people shall thou divide for an inheritance the land which I sware unto the fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous." Now, a number of these things the Lord spoke to me, and then later while I was in Florida, over in the areas of Hileah, Florida, which of course has come to be a real significant thing right at this time. Somebody was up from Florida the other night, up from Hileah. He was connected with Brother Denny Mclain, who has gone into California. Now, the Lord spoke to me there, and in the early morning I was awake. I just had awaken from sleep, was laying on my bed in an old dilapidated house, was tired from evangelism. We'd been on the field pushing and pressing, and the people that let us have this place could have rented us a mansion, without a doubt, but wealthy business people, had control of the church, but they saw fit, and God saw fit to put us in this old dilapidated place. I woke up in the morning with my little family and before they awoke, I was laying on the bed, and I went into something like a trance, and I looked up and I saw two coffins. One was a black one and one was a white one. And when I saw it the Lord dealt with me, and when He spoke to me He told me something. So from that immediately the Lord moved me over just across the line into Miami, Florida, which is just across the line from Hileah. In Hileah they have the dog races there. It's really highly significant. As a matter-of-fact, it's from that area that this plastic that's over your heads, it came from that area. They said they didn't make it anywhere else. Acrylic, that is. And that really has a significance right there. You've heard me speak of it. A phenomenal thing takes place right there. But anyway, the Lord spoke to me when I went into Miami, but before He did after giving me this vision, I went to a Brother Parnell. A Brother J. T. Parnell, who at that time was living in Florida. Had a beautiful place, place just looked like a garden. He had a beautiful tabernacle there, had a beautiful home, and I found J. T. working on a car, I believe, out in the yard right close to the annex buildings. He had annex buildings with it, and Brother Coon, I believe, was reproducing tapes inside. But anyway, I went to him and talked with him and I told him what the Lord had showed me and how that Brother William Branham, a great man of God, was fixing to leave the scene. And I told Brother J. T. according to what I understood, that God was fixing to take him off of the scene. It kind of reminded me of the thing that the Lord spoke to me about Brother Taylor's mother one morning when I fell into a trance and the Lord said that He was going to take her off of the scene. And I told Brother Taylor, I said, She was going to pass away. And I said, according to what I understand she's going to pass away around the first of the year. And I spoke freely because it was his step mother. And then the little grey car that they had, I said, They're going to give you the little grey car. Whereas, Frank well remembers the woman that mocked it, and she made a joke out of it, but when it came to pass she like to have had a heart attack. But anyway, it reminds me of that for this reason. It was in that same room in that same place, if I make no mistake, or along about there somewhere in that area, that a telephone call came through and they confirmed the death of Brother Branham to the extent that he had had a wreck. Brother Allen had called form the Carolinas. We had shifted from Florida to that area. Now, of course there is a lot that we could say about that, as to we made the statement, said, According to what we understand he will die just before Christmas Day, and his wife and daughter, I believe it was Sarah, will be spared. Which of course, it happened just that way, and later Billy Paul said that he died just exactly, it happened just exactly that way. Now, we went over across the line into Miami, and there we were tired, weary, was working on a little chart, and I got weary and tired, worn out. I got up, walked from my room into the neighboring room, just like I'd get up from here and walk through that door, it was into the bedroom. When I went in I lay down, and when I lay down it was just like everything just exploded in my head. It was like somebody hit me with a ball bat, or something. It was just like everything exploded. Now, I was like I was paralyzed. I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. I couldn't do nothing; I was just laying there. I knew where I was at. I knew where I had come from, and I even knew the direction I was laying on the bed in. I knew I was laying with my head, as we say, this way, and my feet this way. I got up from the sofa, I went in, I lay my head this way and my feet this way. And as I lay there I couldn't move and when this thing exploded in my head, whatever it was, everything went just dark, as back as night. And of course things like that are startling, you know. They have a great effect on you. And while not being able to move all of a sudden I felt someone come into that room. I felt His presence. When He came into that room I knew it was the Lord Jesus. Any of you that are Christians know when you feel the presence of the presence of the Lord come near. Well, I knew it was the presence of the Lord Jesus, no doubt about it. I could tell it was his presence. So I felt him come in but it was so dark I couldn't see anything. And I couldn't move so I just lay there. And when he come over near me, some of you have heard me tell it, when he come over near the bed he picked up my hand, be my left hand like this, as I was laying in this direction. He picked up my hand and I heard him speak to me, and this is what he said. He said, Where is the stone of thy birth? Well, I couldn't move. I couldn't do nothing. The only thing was I could talk. I could mumble, you know. And I just said. I don't know. I don't know. About two or three times I said, I don't know. And he laid my hand down just as gentle as if a mother would come in in the middle of the night to check a child. He laid my hand down just as gentle, and all of a sudden I felt his presence leave the room. And I was aware of the fact then that I was in the room without his presence, but just that quick seemingly, he returned, because when he had my hand and I said, I don't know. I heard him say, I shall get thee one. So away he went and then he came back. When he come back I felt him lift my hand up again. When he lifted my hands up I felt him put a ring on this finger just as much as if you'd walk up to me, and I still couldn't see a thing. But when he slipped that ring on my finger I heard him say this. He said, I shall never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Said, But lo, I shall be with thee in the time of trouble and the time of need. And you know, I've been on the field in places that there just wasn't no hope looked like. And would you believe that in the very time that I'd be stranded, or be in those places, that would come whirling back to me. My mind wouldn't be anywhere in the neighbor of the place, or anything like that, but I would hear him say just as clear, He'd say, I'll never leave thee nor forsake thee, but lo, I shall be with thee in the time of trouble and in the time of need. And I'd say, My God, I'm in need! And always, always, Brethren, he has met the need. You've been with me here for a number of years at Bethlehem, has God ever one time failed to meet the need? Though it's been tens of thousands of dollars he's net the need. He's been with us when we've been into the foreign fields, we've never sent back for money, though this is our work, and though this is our money, and the Bible said that which is yours it's lawful for you to do what you will with it, but though it was ours and though we could have got money we never one time ever sent back after money. There was one or two times that money was sent to us from here, but we never sent after it then. God worked it and it just worked out that way. And we've helped people, and have ten or eleven people with us maybe, sometimes it's cost us as much as eleven thousand dollars to take one trip and the Lord met it even in the foreign countries where there was no bread, and no way to make it, as we say, but He met it. God met the needs, and even until this day we still go by faith. Though in the last few months, working with the boats and whatever we have contacted the work here that they might take care of some of the load concerning those things, because it was for those things that belong to them. And then most of the time we carry the load by faith in the area believing God for hundreds and thousands of dollars, which He miraculously meets. He's a real genuine God. So, I said that again to make a point. He put a ring on my finger, and you know, I didn't know I was going to say this tonight. I didn't have no plans, no ideas, no thoughts about this. Hardly ever do I make mention of this. But anyway, having put the ring on my finger it was just as if you snap your finger, just that quick, and all of a sudden the darkness was gone. The darkness was gone, the room was lit up, and I was standing on my feet. And instead of laying on the bed in the darkness facing this direction, paralyzed as you would say, not able to move, like a dead man, I was on my feet. I was in the light, and I was turned in the other direction, and I looked and there before me was an angle of God. And he was a big fellow. I don't know, angels can be big and little, or whatever they want to be I guess. The Bible speaks of man being made a little lower than the angels. Of course that means more powerful than man, but God willing to show me that he was an angel of greater power, he knows we look on the outer appearance so he used a natural way, as to being big. He was a big fellow, and he stood there. And he was a big fellow, and I looked up to him like that and had there been a room, had there been a house, had there been a ceiling, his head would have gone through the ceiling. But I don't know whether there was a ceiling, or house or whatever. I know everything was so bright it looked like everything just passed away. But he was standing as it would be near my bed, back beyond the head of it. When I looked at him, I looked at him and the best I remember, to the best of my memory he had a long, beautiful, white, flowing garment. You know, this is one reason I believe in long dresses. Jesus when he appeared in the book of Revelation, the Bible said His garment was down to his feet. And the Bible said He's our example, and we ought to follow in His steps. And I saw this angel and the garment was down to the feet, beautiful, long, flowing garment. He was well proportioned as a man, and was not a little skinny fellow. He wasn't a big out of proportion fellow; he was well proportioned. And he was a man. I mean, to look at him he was, he would have been a real man. But anyway, in looking at him he had lovely features, so far as being pleasant, but it wasn't a laugh, a snigger, it wasn't a grin, that kind of thing. There was just something that was pleasing and pleasant about him. And there was an atmosphere that was real pleasing about him. Just to be in his presence was kind of like the springtime. Of course, I don't know if you've ever seen a vision of the Lord Jesus or not, but I have. I've seen Him in a vision and it's so wonderful to get in His presence, the thing that happened. But anyway, this angel, it looked like the Lord Jesus as it was where I've seen him like, you know, in His appearance. It was different. It looked like a man with chestnut hair, and flowing hair, and he stood before me, and he had something in his hand to the best of my remembrance. And it was as though he dropped it, and when he dropped it it was kind of like a leave off of a tree. Kind of like it went like that down to the earth, or where ever it was, the floor, I couldn't tell. But anyway, I reached down, I picked it up and I put it back in his hand. I had to raise my hand like that, and he looked at me like he was well pleased and then that was the end of it. And I found myself back laying on the bed. Now, I've had a lot of visions in my lifetime. I've had trances, I've had open visions; seeing things just standing with my eyes open. The Bible speaks in the Old Testament, said, and the man of God stood with his eyes open and saw it. And I've seen it. But this was one of the most unusual I've ever had aside from the one I spoke to you about a number of months ago where I passed through death and returned. Does anybody remember that? That was something I've never experienced before. But anyway, a man of God, a true man of God he has so many visions and revelations and strange things, phenomenal things to happen to him that he could write an encyclopedia, or a volume of books, and that would be very easy for me to do. I could write a stack of books, and that's no exaggeration. And then I wonder if I could tell the things that's happening. But I asked the Lord after that, I said, God, what in the world is this? I went for a number of years and I couldn't understand it. Along about the same time I had another vision, and in this vision me and Betty was just riding along and all of a sudden there was a well appeared in front of us, and down into the well we went. I didn't understand that either. Well, the one concerning the well, I don't know if I ever told Betty this or not, but when George, Jr. got his license and we started down that road and Betty said, Let him drive, let him drive, and I did against my better judgment. And when we started down that little road, that little country road when we hit the bridge that car turn on that bridge and down in that deep place it went, down in the creek. So that was fulfilled. There wasn't no need for interpretation. When it happened I knew exactly what had happened. But anyway, this other one I just couldn't understand it. I thought, God, I just don't understand. This is just beyond my understanding. But the Lord spoke to me a year or so later, and he connected it with a number of things. With Brother Branham, with Brother Parnell and there was a connection with Martin Luther King, a number of things. But anyway, the Lord said to me, said, Son, said, When you lay on that bed in darkness and your feet in this direction, and that thing that had happened to you, he said, that was death. Said, That's why you couldn't move. He said, And this was to show you that a person is dead in trespasses and sin while they live. He said, And being in darkness it is to show you that they are walking in gross darkness. Whereas, God said, Paul, turn my people from darkness unto light. Said, And that indicated death before a new birth and regeneration. And it indicated that you were going in the wrong direction unto death and destruction. He said, This is why I ask you where the stone of your birth was. I said to you, Where is the stone of your birth? That is, what about being born again? What about being born again? See? Where is the proof that you've been born again? And I said, I don't know. And then he said, I shall get thee a birth stone. He said, This indicated that when the presence of the Lord came to me it came to me as in the darkness as an unbeliever, but as one that had heard the truth and turned to believe, and while I was yet in my sins in the darkness He came to me. And I felt his presence but I could not see Him. But folks, today I see Him. I see Him. Jesus said I do always the things I see my Father do. Today having ears to hear I hear, and having eyes I see. So then, he explained it real thoroughly to me. He said, Now, he said, when I placed the ring on your finger (Jesus said, I go away to prepare a place, if I go to prepare a place I will come again to receive you unto my own that where I am there you might be also.) So, he went away. He brought me the stone. When he placed the ring on my finger__ The Bible says, I shall never leave thee nor forsake thee, but lo, I shall be with thee always even until the end fo the world. All right now, the end of the world; that's a lot to talk about right there. We won't get into that,, but it definitely has to do with the change from darkness to light. But anyway, this was Scripture. The only thing was, I shall be with thee in the time of trouble and in the time of need. Okay, now. Whereas God knew that I needed that strength, because even then, Betty and I we had nothing. We had nobody to look to; we were strictly by faith. We didn't take personal offerings from nobody. We went by faith. We trusted God. On numerous occasions we gave away everything we had just like we did when we were in the Pennsylvania meeting. Brother Jerry can vouch for this, that I told him, I said, Give the Pastor the offering, and we could really have used the offering, because we were only seven thousand dollars up against it, plus. I mean seven thousand dollars and that don't pay the bills, which is thousands of dollars. But that's the way we get out needs met, is by giving. Jesus said give and it will be given unto you. So then, just as I told Jerry, Jerry did it. We didn't have any money. We didn't have anything. There we were trusting the Lord, and the Lord took care of us. It was about that time, Betty remembers, when she was going over to the store. It had turned real cold in Florida. She was going to the store, either you or me, or it might have been both, I don't know. But our little boy, was it? little girl? One of them fell out of the car. It was on a cold morning. You were going. Coming home. It was Susie fell out of the car. Susie fell out of the car. The car door came open and Susie fell out, and by the miraculous hand of God I don't guess she even got a scratch. As far as I know nothing didn't happen to her. Which of course is a phenomenal thing. But seeking the Lord, trusting the Lord, walking with the Lord He took care of us. Now when this phenomenal thing took place he placed the ring on my finger, and it indicated the new birth. And immediately when he placed the ring on my finger the whole room lit up just like I told you, for there I was. The Lord said, Now son, said, this is when you are born again. You come out of the world of darkness and by the regeneration, or the washing of regeneration by the Spirit of the Lord, he said, you come out of the world of darkness and you enter into the world of light. He said, That indicated your born again experience. Said, That's when you come into the light, after that you got the birth stone. And then there as I stood in the light he said, Now, remember you were not on the bed. I thought, No, I wasn't on the bed. He said, You weren't laying down. I thought, No, I wasn't. I was standing up. He said, That is the way it is. You are not dead. That is, you are not buried in the darkness, you are not laying down. He said, You are not dead. He said, Then are you resurrected from the dead. You are alive and up and about the Father's business. He said, And there you stood on your feet in the light, alive. I thought, Well, praise God, that's the way it was. And then He said, And you weren't paralyzed. That is, you weren't helpless. You had full control of the functioning of your body, and members of your body. Which I did. I mean, I was in my full strength, and I stood there health, happy, wholly strong. And He said, That indicated that you were not dead, that you were resurrected back to life. And that you were looking in the other direction. Said, When you were saved I turned you clear around and started you in another direction. You were looking in another direction, which I was. He said, And instead of looking into the darkness, not having anything, and just into the emptiness, he said, you saw me. That is, it was the Lord. And though the Lord appears in many different forms, there he said, you saw me, or the angel of the Lord. And as you saw me through the angel of the Lord, there you were looking straight at me. The Bible said that the angles of God are ministering spirits unto them that are heirs of salvation. We are heirs of salvation, and the angel of the Lord encamps round about them that love him. And he's there to minister strength. After Jesus' forty day fast the angel of the Lord came and ministered strength to Him. The angels appeared. And the angels have a charge concerning you as the body of Christ. Even Lucifer knew that. For even Lucifer quoted the Scripture, and it is Scripture, for as it is written he will give his angels charge concerning thee. That is, concerning the body of the Lord Jesus, the Church. And he, or they, shall bear thee up in all thy ways lest at anytime thou shalt dash thy foot against a stone. So then, I was looking at him. There was the angel of the Lord, and then the Lord reminded me of this wonderful light of his understanding, his mind. Out of the shadows, the blindness taken away, the prince of this world, even the prince of darkness could not blind my eyes any longer, as it was with Paul. Paul thought he was in light, because he was intellectually indoctrinated in a religious way. He thought he really had something, but when God brought this light it showed up the darkness, and he was blind and could not see. And he had to go to the street called straight. When he went down to the street called straight it was there that he inquired, and the man of God spoke to Paul, and the scales fell from Paul's eyes, and then he saw the light. He saw this great light. So I saw the light, and my conversion was similar to Paul's. I was actually struck down while working on a job at night, struck down. I was working fervently for me and my little family. had bought me a little piece of ground, was going to buy one to build me a little house, and have a future. (Begin tape two, side two.) And working late at night, over hours, in a room, doing a floor with some kind of lacquer and all of a sudden everything got funny. And I thought, My, my! Everything that man says is so funny. I laughed and I laughed and I laughed until all of a sudden fear struck me, and I thought, Wait a minute. Something is wrong with me. Everything he says I just laugh and laugh and laugh. There's something wrong with me. That ain't that funny. And so I jumped up, and I ran to the door. And when I ran to the door I had got so much fumes in my body until I couldn't get any air in. And when the air hit it in contrast to that it just__ I went crazy. I mean it knocked me crazy; I lost my mind. Not to the extent that I didn't know where I was at, not to the extent that I didn't know what was happening, but it just knocked me crazy. I didn't have any control over myself, and down those cement steps I went, because when I opened the door, the first thing that happened to me, I looked and there was the coming of the Lord when I opened that door. And that thing hit me so hard until I lost control. The Lord struck me down. Down them steps I went and out into that grassy lawn in the front of this beautiful little home, and I was going around and around and around. That's what I was doing. And in my mind it struck me like this. The thing had hit me so hard that in my mind as I went around and around I thought that I was an idiot dancing under the stars, and around and around I went until down I went and I lay there. And the next thing that I realized somebody had come and was taking something cold to wipe my face off, or what. And gradually my senses returned to me, and I come to myself. My understanding, my mental faculties begin to function properly and I got up. And what had happened to me just ruined me in my breathing. And Sister Betty knows how God had to work a miracle afterwards when I yielded my heart to the Lord, afterwards how that God had to work a miracle, which He did. But anyway, I said that to say this. Much like Paul I was struck down. And I told the Lord, I said. Lord, from here on I'll do anything you want me to do. I'll preach the gospel. Folks, I didn't even know anything about God. I didn't even know anything about preaching. That was, to me to even think about preaching I wouldn't even never have thought about being a preacher, or even comparing myself to a man of God. I told you before, as a young fellow I actually would come to a porch along a village where they were having a prayer meeting and I'd walk way out around it because I was afraid, you know. My grandmother was part Indian. As a matter-of-fact, my great grandmother, I think she was just about all Indian. And my mother, you know, she's got some Indian in her. And my grandmother, and my family, they'd talk about balls of fire, and they saw things like that, you know. Indians are real spiritual people and they'd talk about things like that, and I tell you, by the time I got very old I was a nervous wreck. I was ready to nail the windows down. And you might think I'm exaggerating, but my wife she used to get so upset with me, she'd say, Don't nail them windows down. I'd say, Yes sir, I'm nailing them down. And I nailed them down, folks. She'd say, But it's so hot in here we can't stand it. You know, we were too poor to afford a fan. I'd say, I can't help it we'll just have to sweat it out. And I nailed the windows down. But I tell you what, I was a nervous wreck and that's the truth. Because when night come wherever I was at I thought sure I was going to see a ball of fire. And I thought if I did I'd die for sure. And I don't know why I'm testifying like this tonight. I don't have any idea why in the world I'm doing this. But anyway, and headless horsemen. My grandmother saw them, and my granddaddy saw them, and things like you never dreamed of. My, it was bad luck, it was a world of bad luck. It was bad luck if a cat run out in front of you. It was bad luck if you walked under a ladder. It was bad luck, you were going to be disappointed if you sat on a trunk. And if you swept the trash out at night it was bad luck, and just on and on and on, you know. And if a cat does run out in front of you, you know, you got to make a cross mark and spit over your left shoulder, or you've got to turn your hat around backward, or something. And I'll tell you what, I was so shook up from bewitching tales, and of course, some of the things they saw as to spiritual things, because Mom is a real spiritual person, so was my grandmother. But if I told you the tales tonight you'd think I was lying. I really believe in my heart that my grandmother told them so much that my grandaddy got to believing them. I really do. My grandaddy would get to where he'd tell things, you know, and I know it's what my grandma had taught. And I've said this a lot of times. I have actually do this. We lived in, you know, a big old house and didn't hardly have nothing, and I've set down in front of a big old fireplace where we'd cut logs to burn, and my grandmother would be telling them things, or the family, and I would watch the fire. Maybe there wouldn't be no oil in the kerosene lamp, you know, and I'd watch the fire. It would be all the light we had in that big old spooky place. And I'd watch that fire until it got lower and lower and I'd get scareder and I'm telling you the truth. I have actually found myself setting in the ashes. I actually got so close to that fire until I realized I was setting in the ashes. Now, you might not have ever done that, but I did. But I was just scared half to death. I tell you, I've had some experiences, honestly, folks, I don't know how to put them in words. But this is the truth, and I'm just saying that to magnify God, to show you what the Lord can do. I was just a little old nervous wreck, backward fellow that I was so backward until, you know, I couldn't talk to anybody. I felt inferior to everybody, and didn't have any education anyway. And I felt so inferior to people that I was almost nervous when folks would come around. And even when my wife and I married, you know, I stayed away from everybody just about. I wouldn't hardly get around nobody. I'd stay away, and Betty, she'd get aggravated with me because she wasn't like that. And God paired us off pretty good, you know, because she made up for my lack. But anyway, God helped me and I made it through it. But, I finally got to the place to where I said, Glory to God, I made it. I made it. I was bold and I was brave and I said, Praise God, them balls of fire are behind me; I made it. And one day I started praying and I was in my room praying, and I said, I'm going to pray today. I'm going to pray today. And I prayed in the corner, and I prayed in the middle of the floor, and I found myself praying under the bed, and I wound up under the bed and back in the corner between the head of the bed and the corner, and I was still praying, and I prayed and I wrestled and I prayed. And you know how your nerves will do, and your body, you just can't stand it. You just keep moving about, determined to do it. And I prayed and I prayed, and I prayed myself over near a window. And when I prayed myself over near that window I was praying and I looked and lo, and behold, I said, Oh dear God! I looked and there went a ball of fire. And I thought, Oh God, this can't be real. All of my life, you know, I got out of this. And I said, It ain't there. It can't be, but folks, whether it was a hallucination or whether it was a divine revelation, I don't know. But I saw that thing rise up and go over that house and I tell you I was just, well, it's like Becky said happened to Ricky one time. Whatever the word is. But anyway, it happened to me, and there I was. Of course, that ended my praying. You know, I figured I'd done got as far as I needed to go, at least for a while. But anyway, those things happened to me, and God, He was good to me. He finally put me back together. And today, I'm all right today so don't get nervous; I'm all right. But I hope you don't have to travel down that trail. You might have to do it. You might have already done it. But I hope you don't have to go that route. But anyway, that's the way it was. And I'm going to tell this and try to go on to finish what I started. I, before this happened to me, I had stepped out of a house. I was just a young boy. I had stepped out of a house and I started up the road and it was dusty dark, just getting dusty dark. You could tell a person if you saw them, you know. And I started up the road, you know. Well, I had heard my mother, I heard her and my grandmother, and I heard my dad. Not my dad. Dad, he done the listening, but anyway, I'd heard them speak of the headless men and the headless men on horses, you know, until I had gotten about old enough that I had gotten that out of my system and I thought that I was all right. And I started up the street, and when I did, folks, I saw a headless man just as sure as you're setting in this audience. It like to have scared the life out of me. And a man was walking right toward me. I thought, Oh, my God. Lord, what in the world is this. I was scared to death. And he was just coming just as calm, you know, right toward me. And I looked and I said, This can't be. I know this can't be. I know that man's got to have a head, but the more I looked the more I realized he didn't have a head. And I had done got as close as I was going to get to him. And I tell you what, I was fixing to turn, and I mean I was fixing to leave that fellow in no little way. And just as I started to turn the man come down like this, and I realized he had a newspaper up reading it. But the way the evening was and the way the shadows was, and where I was, that man was without a head. It was just cut straight off. But like I said, I have been, I have been in some places that really made me a nervous wreck, because I was always trying to convince myself that those things were not there. But anyway, I still don't like to sleep without a light. I've come to love light so much I don't like to be without a light. My Dad used to get upset at me and my mom, you know. He's say, Someday I'm going to get me a room and paint it solid black. But anyway, we had a problem. But I remember that and I remember when the Lord finally got a hold of me and got me out of those things, and put me back together, folks. I remember Ricky singing that song, He picked up the broken pieces and put me back together again. But I didn't want to turn around and leave the Lord. I loved the Lord. He was my very life. But the Lord being sure, Him being sure that I wasn't going to mess up anything, in that He was going to use me He did didn't want me to lead a group of people out here somewhere and then turn around and leave them, or get all messed up, or be half-hearted and wreck their lives, and wreck His Kingdom, you know, as to that extent. So being sure that I wouldn't do it He subjected me to something that I thought I had blasphemed the Holy Ghost. Now, if you've never been through that you don't know what torment is. I've said this once or twice to our fellows here, to our people. You've never been tormented in your life, never until you go through that. You may think you have problems, but here is no fear of death, of cancer, of anything that can happen to you like that fear. And there I'd been serving the Lord, I loved the Lord, I tried to please the Lord, and I thought, My God! What in the world has happened? And I was so tormented until my brain was about to snap on me. I couldn't stay together. And this didn't happen for a day, and this didn't happen for a week, or a month; this seemed to go on, I guess for a year or more. And I'd done gone as far as I could go. I was just collapsing; I just couldn't take it. And though the Lord give me a little strength along; He worked with me to keep me from collapsing, but I'd go to church, and I wouldn't tell Betty this. But I'd be setting in church and I'd watch people go down to the altar, and they'd get down there in a half-hearted sort of a way. They'd fall across the altar and kind of yawn and peek around and pray, you know, and I was just tormented beyond measure. Paul said pressed out of measure. That is, my measure. And I would set back there and I would say, Oh, my God! Lord, if I just had one chance, Lord, I'd scream. I'd cry, do anything. But I'd hear a voice, you know, pounding in my head, Too late to pray. And then the thought would come to you, But go to the Lord. Too late to go to the Lord. And then you'd think, If you'd just fast. Too late to fast. And then you'd think, Well, there's got to be a way. And something would say, Too late, too late, too late. And no matter what you thought, no matter what you done, no matter where you went, or that is the way it was with me. It didn't make no difference where I went I was tormented; I was tortured. A car, an automobile, it looked like a trash can to me. All the radiance of living is gone. When you blaspheme the Holy Ghost, I can tell you that all the radiance of living is gone. Folks, you can go along doing the way that you do, and as long as there is something down in there that still allows for the fact that you can turn around, or call on Jesus, you'll be all right. See? You won't be crush, even though you get fearful sometimes, and you'll think negative sometimes, but when it's gone and you know it's gone, there ain't nothing to be compared with it. That's why Esau cried the way he did when he sold his birthright for a morsel of bread. The Bible said he sought it carefully with repentance and with bitter tears, but he found no place of repentance. And this is something we need to remember. Salvation is not given unto you by repentance. Neither are the gifts and callings of God. They are given by foreknowledge. You're eternal life was by foreknowledge and predestination. And the Bible said there things were given us in Christ before the world ever was and brought to knowledge, or light at Calvary through the ministry that we might be able to understand it, or to comprehend it, or to acknowledge that it was in our behalf before we were ever born. See? They are given through predestination. You can repent all you want to, all you want to, but you won't get through. When that thing is gone you won't get through. Esau repented with bitter tears, but it was too late, that birthright was gone. So then, I thought that I was gone. Everything. Nobody could offer me any consolation. My wife, my children, automobiles, money, nothing, everything. All I could think of was, A few days and it will all be over and I'll be in hell. A few days and it will all be over and I'll be in hell. Cars gone and everything. See? When you haven't blasphemed you don't think like that. You think, Now, boy, I better watch myself. I better be careful; ah, everything's all right. And then you get a little shakey and you run to the preacher to pray for you, and you pray a little bit, and you feel a little bit better, you know. But when it's gone it ain't like that at all. And finally, I just told the Lord. I said, I just can't go no more, I said, this is it. I can't do it. I said, Now God, I can't do it. I said, I know there is a God, and whether you hear me or don't hear me, this is it. And He heard me, and He'd been hearing me all the time. And He changed that thing, and He turned it around, and I said, My God! My God! You can't imagine what it was like. That was just like taking and lighting the end of a rocket, because I tell you what, I sailed away out of this world. I said, My God! I was so__ There is no words of oral expression. It happened to me in such a way, that when I realized that I still had God, and I hadn't blasphemed and crossed over to that world of nightmare. I said to God, I said, There is one thing about it Heavenly Father, by your help I'll never even look back, and I'll never even talk to a man that talks negative. That's why some of you sometimes wonder. You get upset at me. And you wonder. You start talking a little negative and I'll walk off like I'm rude. I'm not trying to be rude. Paul said, Rude in speech, maybe sometime in deed, but not in knowledge. I'll turn around and walk off, because I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear it. I don't want no part of it. I wouldn't work on a job. I got to where I wouldn't work on a job if it was a store that they sold cigarettes, or if anything that they made, anything that they had, anything that was unlike God, and just about everything has got something, I wouldn't work. I wouldn't work there. I just wouldn't do it. I said, No. Not one tiny little thing. Not one tiny little thing. See? I'd say no. And I said, God, why did you let me be like that? And this is what the Lord spoke to me. Said, You remember Jesus. He had done everything to please me, but then when I had to withdraw He cried out, My God! My God, why hast thou forsaken me? He said, I wanted you to feel that. I wanted you to feel that. And then when I returned to you as I did to Jesus then your strength would be complete. You'd know that all of hell, and it's fury couldn't separate you from the love of God. That's why He said, Be strong, be of a good courage. Paul went through this and Paul said, I am persuaded to believe, after his experience, that nothing can separate me from the love of God. The love that God had toward me in Christ Jesus, He said, that was so strong that nothing can separate me. If hell and the grave, and demons and devils and darkness couldn't separate the Lord Jesus from that love, and God still brought Him forth, friend, let me tell you something. You can rest with a steadfast hope. When the devil starts shaking himself around you and he's tell you things don't you even consider him, or what he says. There ain't nothing that can separate you from the love of God. There ain't nothing. Power, any kind of power, things to come, things present, and see? God isn't going to do it. He isn't going to separate you from it. And nothing else can do it. Poverty, heartaches, whatever. But anyway, in doing this the Lord prepared me and that's why I've done what I have down through the years. Strange to people, strange to my parents, strange to my wife's people, parents, these things, and I've been able to continue on this very day, as Paul said, and Satan has not been able to trap me, or over throw me because of the virtues, because of the glory, and because of the merits of the Lord Jesus. Because I've done nothing to merit it, not anything. This is why that I preach the way that I do. A lot of ministers get upset with me, because they base so much on self works. They got upset with Paul about that. See? They got upset with Paul because Paul preached against self-righteousness, and self works. The Jews were bad about those things. And he let them know that it was the grace of God all the way, because see? Paul had perfect works. He said, As touching the law, a Pharisee, said, I'm blameless, but he found out God wouldn't have it. He had to do away with all of it. That's why I preach the grace of God like I do. And sometimes people get a little frustrated because they say, Brother Pike, you preach the grace of God, everything is grace, and yet you turn around and the way you try to do, and the way you preach holiness, you act as if we don't live perfect we ain't going to get nowhere. But see? That's the way it is with God. He gave the law of strictness, and said if you just violate one little place I'll kill you. Beware ye that forget God, I'll tear you into pieces. See? But the same God took that law and gave an element of grace. And I said this a lot of times, any law, even a natural law, that doesn't have an element of grace to allow for the innocent it's of no value to people. So the great law of God was seasoned with an element of grace by His own suffering and it made it practical for use. So, I preach, see? that you should be therefore perfect, but then if we do stumble then grace takes over. That sovereign grace takes over in our life and every blot it was wiped out. Never, never in a Christian's life, never from the time they are born again until they leave this world, never do they sin one time. Never do they have one blot, never one blemish, never one spot, never during their entire lifetime. Can you fathom that? You say, Brother Pike, as many times as I've stumbled, and the things that I've gone through you tell me that I ain't got on spots and blemishes? If you had one tiny blemish, if it was as fine as the point of the finest pin that was ever honed you'd die and go to hell. You'd be lost. Not that much can get into heaven. So then you can see that he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. But folks, you've got to remember one thing. If we don't make the effort, if we don't try to do our best it means that we've not been born again, we don't have that nature of Christ crying out within us to be about the Father's business. And that means that we're not partakers of eternal life. So I said that, and I'm going to try to close. I've kept you a good little while. I don't know that I've ever done this. I've said a few things once in a while about some things in my life, but I don't remember ever doing this. But it's really strange, because what this has to do with at this time in the last several days has to do exactly with what I'm saying right here, and the Scripture I read to you, and it becoming effective at this time. That's what our trip had to do with in coming by Eden where we set the big five pole tent. But anyway, the Lord wanted to make sure, and if you're going to serve God you might as well get ready. Paul said, while the rest of them abound we're like the apostles, we're set as the off scouring of the earth. We're despised; we're rejected. We suffer while others abound. He said, I would like for you to abound. I'd like to abound with you. But anyway, as appointed unto death, he said, showing the life of the Lord Jesus. But remember this, if you are doing to do a work for God, folks, you're going to go by the whipping post, and you're going to go by Calvary, but don't be frustrated. The Bible said when these strange things happen to you, said, when these things befall you as though some strange thing has happened to you don't be frustrated. Don't be frustrated, he said, this is just God. This is just God working with you. There ain't nothing going to over throw you. You just stay with it. Be strong. Be of a good courage. Stay with it. And when you've done all you can to stand, and you know that you are gone, and you know that's the end just turn around and pull yourself together by faith and say, Glory to God! Jesus did it, and that's it, and I'm complete in Christ and ain't nothing moving me. And I'll guarantee you that if you'll do that there will never be anything in your entire life that will ever overthrow you. Let the weak say I'm strong and be strong in the power of my might for you are complete in Him, but if you yield, if you get fearful, if you get afraid, if you let your heart be troubled, in that you yield to that thing, then Satan is going to torment the life out of you and he's going to overthrow you, and you are going to lose that heavenly treasure that you could have had in these earthen vessels. I want you to stand with me. That's just a little fragment of testimony concerning my life. And we've been through some dark corridors. We've been through some disappointing moments. We've been through some grief, bereavement. We've been through some heart rending, and some crushing things that there was no way to get out of, but we've never written the story of our life, no one has ever written one of it. But there's quite a number of testimonies in different places of things that has happened. And a few little things here and there that has to do with it. But those are just a few of the little childish things, I guess you would say, and some of them not so childish, frightening things, just a few little things that has caused us to take the outlook that we take today, and caused us to have the concern of putting Jesus first. Folks, put Jesus first. If you don't you'll lose your heavenly reward. It has to be an act of faith. It has to be a spiritual thing. Lay up treasures in a spiritual world by a spiritual act that you may have the things of God. Don't take in the halt, the lame, and the blind, the half-hearted things. He said, I'm a great God, said, take them to your governor. See if your governor will receive them of you. Said, I'm a great God, don't bring them to me. Bring me that which is whole. He said, cursed is the man that hath within his flock that which is good, and then will bring me the halt, the lame and the blind. If you've got good, whatever it is in your life as to strength, health, talents, mental ability, finance, gifts, it doesn't matter what it is, give it to God with all of your heart, and give it to God first. Love God with all of your strength, all of your mind, all of your heart. In the (Begin tape three, side one.) day you seek me with your whole heart then He said, you'll find me. And He said, My eyes are throughout the earth. They are going to and fro in the earth, said, and I'm searching. I'm looking for a man, or a woman that's upright in heart so that I can show myself strong in their behalf. I'll do things for you Jesus said. So let's give Him all of the heart, and let's don't do everything that we want to do for ourselves, and then give him the leftovers. Don't do that. Don't do that. Do that which is first in His sight. You know, a few nights ago this same sister that was standing in our presence and God came mightily upon her and I feel the Lord on her tonight. She's a type person that you have to convince her. She can listen to a lot of things, but if truth ever genuinely strikes then it arouses Christ in her heart. Let's lift her hands and let's praise the Lord. All of us should be like that, if it is truth. Folks, this is truth. Death beds are coming. They're coming. Sorrow is coming, but the Holy Spirit is here if you can believe him and touch him, that He'll lift that death bed away. He'll take away that sorrow and He'll take away that from your loved ones, that which threatens your children and you loved ones. He'll move it. He'll take it away. He'll take it away. Let's love Him. Can we lift out hands and praise Him. Father, God of Heaven, we're thankful tonight for your love and kindness, for that great wonderful, invisible visitor, that great Christ. I know that He is here tonight, Father, and you know that He is here tonight. And though we may not see Him unless we look close; yet it is a true fact that He's walking in the church of Bethlehem tonight. And Father, anyone that's willing to be friend Him, anyone that's willing to reach out and say, Jesus, come over to where I'm at, He'll walk over, Father, and He'll touch them. He'll touch their spirits, He'll touch their body, He'll touch their minds, dear God, if they're willing to give Him a lodging place, for He standeth at the hearts door. He knocketh, and whosoever will open unto Him He will come in, and He'll sup with them, and He'll abide with them, O God. And they'll have joy unspeakable and full of glory, and their faith will bring them that birth stone and that eternal life and take them out of the darkness and put them into the light, O God, to where they can find that glorious Christ and that blessing and assurance of eternal goodness. We ask you to heal tonight, to save tonight, to forgive tonight. Lead us, O Lord. Help us to acknowledge Thee in all our ways that you might direct our path. Grant it in the lovely name of Jesus we ask it for your glory. (Sings Sweep Over My Soul and Haven Of Rest.) Can you sing that one more time? (Continues singing and sings Come Into My Heart.) Sing it again, now. (Continues singing.) Can you close your eyes with me? Come into my heart, come into my heart Lord Jesus. Would you like to come tonight? While we pray would you like to come tonight? You know, it would be wonderful if everybody would come. Wouldn't it be wonderful if everybody was so obedient? even the little children, to listen. And so obedient that at Bethlehem we could say that everybody in the entire building, at the request of the minister, and the request of the Lord Jesus, came to the altars of Christ. Wouldn't that be a blessing in our church? And wouldn't that be a blessing in my life? And wouldn't that be a blessing in your life? that even if those that are down in the fellowship rooms, those in the rest rooms, those that are outside, if all of them came, wouldn't that be wonderful? Wouldn't that be wonderful, folks? You know, believe it or not, all of those that were up in the balcony, they did come and looks like all of them, or most of them from out of the rooms are coming, as to all that are back there on the benches, around the benches, I'm not sure as to whether all of those have come or not, because some are sitting on the benches and I'm not sure, but it would have been wonderful tonight if we could have had them to come. Obedience is better than all of the sacrifice you could ever make. To have the man of God to speak to you, to have a real true person of God to beckon to you, to invite you to come is the greatest thing that could ever happen to you. God watches our every step, He watches our heart, and He searches everything out just to see if you will honor it. To do it to the lest of these that requests this is to do it unto Christ. To fail to do it is to fail to honor the Lord. The Bible said it should not be him that speaketh but the Heavenly Father that speaketh from Heaven. You know, I didn't have any plans, ideas, or thoughts toward the things I've said tonight, and I take it that all of them that are standing here, it appears that all of them have come to the altar. It appears that all, or practically all in the building, though they be standing back at the benches, that they've come to the altar, that they've surrendered their heart in this direction and that they call themselves standing at the altar. Folks, don't ever never let it happen to you like it happened to me. Don't ever do that. Whatever you do don't ever do that. Don't ever do it, because I tell you again there is nothing so tormenting. You know, you think, when you're like that you think, Well, I'll kill myself; I can't stand this. And you think, My God, I can't kill myself, I'll be in hell time I kill myself. I can't do that. There is no way, I mean there is no way. There ain't no way to get out of that. And I said that to say this. Do you realize that what I said is the exact thing, the exact thing that happens to a person that rejects God, that they are cut off and they go to hell. The exact thing that happens to a person that rejects God. When you reject God you are cut off. There is no more hope when you reject God. See? That's the exact thing, folks, that happens to you. And you need to think on this. I don't say this to scare you. I want to help you. I've had many a person to come to me, and they've said, Brother Pike, what is blasphemy of the Holy Ghost? I've had this all over the nation. I mean you can't imagine the people that comes to me. And I've heard ministers, I've been setting when ministers would try to explain it, and they'd explain all kind of things, and that person would go away thinking that that is what it was. And I've listened and I've thought, God, how can that man as a minister explain that thing like that? There is no explanation to it. You don't have to explain it. There is no explanation to it. Jesus simply said, If you speak one word against the Holy Ghost you will never be forgiven in this world, nor in the world to come. Folks, that is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. Blasphemy means to speak against. Come against something. And the Bible said, All manner of sin shall be forgiven men, even murder. All manner of sin shall be forgiven men, and it says, and blasphemies. Said, blasphemies, said, whatever the blasphemy is it shall be forgiven unto men, but He said, I warn you that blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall never be forgiven. And He said, one word spoken against the Spirit, just one Word spoken against the spirit. Can you imagine how many people today are eternally doomed and damned in this generation, a sinful and an adulterous generation, having made a joke out of God? Do you realize there are going to be hundreds and millions of teenagers that are going to turn to God and run to God and find out it's too late? that they've blasphemed the Spirit. Do you believe that's coming? You say, But, Brother Pike, God wouldn't reject them. Okay, why did He speak of a sinful adulterous generation? He spoke of burning them with fire, that they'd curse mother or father. They'd get past feeling, past their conscience, and make a joke out of God. Folks, let me tell you. You might make a joke out of that out yonder and blaspheme all you want to blaspheme, and still come to the Lord and be saved. You might do that, but you don't come to the house of God like the hippies and the generation of today is doing, and call themselves Jesus freaks, and call themselves all kind of blashpemous names and say that they are children of the devil, and all these kind of things. You don't do that and then turn around and get forgiveness. When you blaspheme the Holy Spirit that's the end of it. And I tell you again it's not some kind of a weird thing that somebody tries to explain to you. Listen at it real close. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Word shall not pass away. And His Word says this, that one word spoken against the Holy Ghost shall never be forgiven, not in this world nor in the world to come. So let me tell you. You remember that, just one word spoken against It. That's why the Bible said fear. He that fears and trembles at My Word. And that's why the Bible said don't give place to your adversaries. And it says, cast down imagination and everything high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Jesus Christ, for out of your heart comes forth evil thoughts of adultery, fornication. Out of your heart comes forth the evil thoughts of blasphemy, and the Bible said, These are they that defile a man, but charity thinketh no evil. You've got to have charity in your heart. You've got to get it, folks. Otherwise, gifts, and whatever, you are sounding brass and a tinkling symbol if you are without charity, because it takes charity to keep those blasphemous thoughts from rising up out of your heart. That's the only thing that can do it. There is nothing else, just charity. You say, What is charity, Brother Pike? Charity is the spirit of Christ. He is God's love manifested unto humanity, and without His Spirit your are none of His. You've got to have Christ in you as your hope of glory. Christ in you. You say, But I'm religious. I've got Christ. You may think that you have and you may be a believer but the Bible said make your calling and election sure, and He enumerated some things. He said make sure that you are one of the predestinated and one of the called, one of the elect. He said if you can prove you are one of them you won't ever fall. There isn't any way you can fall, because you are sealed in. Your destiny is eternally sealed. Make sure that you are one of them. And he spoke of brotherly love, godliness, kindness, the fruits of the Spirit, temperance and patience and all these wonderful things. He said if these are in your life then you've got charity. You've got the Spirit of Christ. There's no way you can fall because you are sealed forever. But if you have not these things, folks, it means you don't have Christ. You don't have Christ no matter ow religious you are. Let's lift our hands together, close our eyes and let's seriously consider these things that we are saying. Be grateful, folks, be grateful. Be thankful, the song writer said; be thankful for what you are, for Christ has done it for you. If you've made that divine contact with Him be thankful. If He has sealed your innermost being unto salvation, be thankful, because your are growing older. Everyday of your life you are growing older. Everyday of your life, though some of you might be young people, little girls, young boys, young men, young women. Some of you are older, middle aged. Some of you are older, but remember, you that are young, you are growing older, and you that are aged you are not getting any younger. You are headed for the judgment. All of you are headed for the judgment. You might go first. As the song says, if you go first and I remain I'll be coming. See? If I go first and you remain you'll be coming. You'll be coming on down the trail. And folks, when that last final moment of judgment strikes don't be without Christ. Don't wait too long. Don't all of a sudden find yourself over on the other side and say, My God! My God! I died! I died! My God! I died! Don't find yourself on the other side saying, My God! I died. I've died, I've departed the body. Lord, I didn't mean to do that. I waited too long. I waited too long. Don't do that. I've been through that experience. That's what I'm speaking of tonight. I've been through it. I had a vision since I've been in this area right here. I never had anything like it. All of a sudden I found myself on the other side. But somehow or other God was good to me. He was good to me. Don't wait too late. Serve the Lord with all of your heart. Get them little things out of your mind. Lay aside the weights that doth so easily beset you. Get away from evil communications. Stay with the saints of God. Keep your vision. The Bible said meditate in His laws day and night. Don't ever think on nothing else but the love of God. You say, I haven't got peace Brother Pike. I challenge any man standing here to do one thing, to believe the Scriptures, and he'll find peace. And what do you do? He said, He that keepeth his mind staid on Christ Jesus shall have perfect peace. Just believe that Scripture and practice that and I'll guarantee you you'll be happy. You'll have joy in abundance and you'll have peace because all of His paths are peace. Folks, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you can have eternal life. If you've never made that great commitment, and I'm going to let you go in just a few minutes, but if you've never made that great commitment, make it. Paul said, I am persuaded to believe that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that great day. No man can pluck you out of my hands. Jesus said, My Father is greater than I. No man can pluck you out of my hands. I've engraved you in the palms of my hands that I amy never forget you. Folks, make that commitment tonight. I'm asking you everyone tonight, including myself, to make sure that we've made the commitment. Make sure that we've made the full commitment. And forget about every ambition in life, everything in life, and just remember it's Him, it's Him, it's Him, because this life is but a few days and full of trouble. Like a vapor it appeareth for awhile and then it just vanishes away. You may be a young man, but like Brother Darrell. Brother Darrell is in his thirties. All of a sudden he finds himself in the hospital. I don't know whether it's rocky mountain fever, or what. Numbers of people have died with that. There have people that have had it that become as a child and they had to start learning all over again. It wrecked their mental faculties. And I just made the statement a few days ago, I told Johnny. I said, Johnny, watch because Darrell is fixing to be taken. Satan is fixing to strike. I pointed it out, said, Satan is fixing to strike him. Darrell was healthy, working, going along fine. See? You may be young and healthy, but that quick, a heart attack. There was a vision that David Durden had a heart attack, and he's just a young man. And right now David is kind of out of harmony with the brethren to the extent that he's gotten a little cold in the Lord. I talked to him. And numbers of others there have been visions about. A man to my left, I just had a vision about night before last, and Satan struck him. I watched Satan strike him. He's standing in the midst of the brethren tonight, and I saw Satan strike him, and wreck him. And I mean he was all right and all of a sudden Satan hit him just like you'd brought a sledge hammer around. While you've got your hands lifted up, Brother Pike is just exhorting you a little. The Bible said exhort each other the more as you see the day approaching, and I see the day approaching. We've got a job to do, folks. Men and women alike, boys and girls. Let's ban together, and here at Bethlehem let it be said that our faith is spoke of throughout the world. And let's use all we've got for God and love Him with all of our heart, all of our strength, and let's honor Him with our substance. And let's be just one great brotherhood and one great unit in God. And let's let this brotherhood grow throughout the entire world to link brother to brother to sister to sister until we've evangelized the entire world and formed a brotherhood of completeness that Christ can rapture, as the world uses the terms, or take, it away into His bosom. You know it would break my heart if I thought one of you tonight was going to miss it. It would break my heart tonight if I thought just one of you was going to miss it. And I don't want you to miss it. I'm sure you don't want me to miss it. The song writer said, If I miss heaven I've missed it all. So let's don't miss it. We don't have to miss it. Let's not allow one to miss it and others that stumble and stagger let's try to help them up and give them strength so we all can rejoice together. Pray for your mother, pray for your dad. Pray for your brother, pray for your sister. Pray for your children, pray for your parents. Try to do all you can, folks, because when it's too late, it's forever too late. May the Lord bless you tonight. As we stand here I'm going to ask Randall to come up and pray over you tonight. Randall is working with us. He loves the Lord. He's cast his lot with us, he and his family, and while Randall prays I want you to think these things over, folks, because there is something that's taking place that I know that you don't know. And when I say that I don't mean all of you. There are some of you that's getting your eyes open. But there are so many of you that don't understand. You are like little children. You are my little children and I love you, and Jesus loves you. He loves you. You can count on Him. Brother Pike wouldn't fail you for nothing, but I could stumble because I'm a man, but He won't never stumble. So don't look at a man. Just remember that I love you as your pastor, as a Father in the gospel. Paul said, I have begotten you. I love you. I'll do everything I can to be an example, to take care of you that I might present you without spot to Christ, but on the other hand your faith is in Christ Jesus. And you lover, your first and foremost love is for Jesus. If you walk in that light and that way you won't ever stop. You won't never stop.

By Rev. George Leon Pike Sr.

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

Holiness Unto The Lord