WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.379 The only way that Christ, who is now in glory, 00:00:05.580 --> 00:00:10.320 in position of great high priest, can manifest 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:15.800 himself to the world is through his body. The 00:00:15.800 --> 00:00:21.640 body of believers, his church. And the responsibility 00:00:21.640 --> 00:00:28.519 that is ours is beyond comprehension. I would 00:00:28.519 --> 00:00:33.579 to God. But in this heart -to -heart talk that 00:00:33.579 --> 00:00:37.359 every minister listening to me, that every Christian 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:41.240 listening to me, I do not care whether you're 00:00:41.240 --> 00:00:43.259 Roman Catholic, whether you're Greek Orthodox, 00:00:43.539 --> 00:00:46.799 whether you're Protestant. I don't care who you 00:00:46.799 --> 00:00:53.500 are. If you are born again, if you have been 00:00:53.500 --> 00:00:58.990 born again, into his church and you are literally 00:00:58.990 --> 00:01:04.790 a part of his body. I pray that somehow you will 00:01:04.790 --> 00:01:10.349 get a glimpse of your responsibility. There was 00:01:10.349 --> 00:01:14.629 a day when Jesus here on earth said of himself, 00:01:14.930 --> 00:01:19.969 I am the light of the world. Then came the day 00:01:19.969 --> 00:01:27.310 when he left. But before he went away, he gave 00:01:27.310 --> 00:01:31.549 to us the greatest responsibility that he had 00:01:31.549 --> 00:01:38.650 ever given to human beings. And he said, ye are 00:01:38.650 --> 00:01:46.450 the light of the world. I am going away. I am 00:01:46.450 --> 00:01:52.400 assuming the responsibility. of great high priest. 00:01:53.579 --> 00:02:01.299 Now you are to be the light of the world in a 00:02:01.299 --> 00:02:05.959 world filled with darkness, with sin, sorrow, 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:16.099 wars, distress, sickness, pestilence, humanity 00:02:16.099 --> 00:02:23.840 without hope. frustrated, struggling. You are 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:28.960 the light of the world. You represent me. You 00:02:28.960 --> 00:02:34.419 are the only Christ these precious folk see. 00:02:35.680 --> 00:02:41.599 That, my friend, is the responsibility of the 00:02:41.599 --> 00:02:49.240 church. The greatest responsibility. that Jesus 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:58.500 Christ gave human beings. Watch something. Turn, 00:02:58.620 --> 00:03:00.199 if you will, please, to the book of the Revelation. 00:03:01.400 --> 00:03:03.879 I shall refresh your memory for just a second 00:03:03.879 --> 00:03:08.620 because this is my third in the series of messages 00:03:08.620 --> 00:03:13.120 on the church. And we see here at the very beginning 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:16.199 of the book of the Revelation, the first three 00:03:16.199 --> 00:03:23.090 chapters. And as you well know, the book of the 00:03:23.090 --> 00:03:28.330 Revelation is all about Jesus. But it begins 00:03:28.330 --> 00:03:31.610 giving us the history and testing of the church 00:03:31.610 --> 00:03:37.069 between the Revelation of its original standing, 00:03:37.370 --> 00:03:41.289 which was full of blessing. Oh, its original 00:03:41.289 --> 00:03:45.349 standing had God's favor and God's blessing. 00:03:45.879 --> 00:03:49.879 with the fruits and the gifts of the spirit being 00:03:49.879 --> 00:03:57.879 manifested in its midst from its original standing 00:03:57.879 --> 00:04:07.639 to the day and the hour in which you and i live 00:04:07.639 --> 00:04:16.420 what a contrast between what the church was and 00:04:16.420 --> 00:04:23.339 what the church is today. There was a day after 00:04:23.339 --> 00:04:28.680 the day of Pentecost with their complete reliance 00:04:28.680 --> 00:04:33.100 upon the Holy Spirit. For Jesus had said before 00:04:33.100 --> 00:04:38.079 he went away, Ye shall receive power after that 00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:42.110 the Holy Ghost has come upon you. The Holy Ghost 00:04:42.110 --> 00:04:46.110 is your power. I will not leave you unequipped. 00:04:46.610 --> 00:04:52.750 I will not leave you faltering. I will not leave 00:04:52.750 --> 00:04:59.949 you without the power in your life to testify, 00:05:00.189 --> 00:05:06.649 to witness, to be overcomers, to go through life 00:05:06.649 --> 00:05:13.019 victoriously. No. I will send him, the mighty 00:05:13.019 --> 00:05:18.800 third person of Trinity, the Holy Ghost, the 00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:25.600 one who will be the oil in your lamp to keep 00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:30.959 your lamp shining brightly in a world of darkness. 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:38.240 Ye shall receive power. After that, the Holy 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:40.660 Ghost has come upon you. What was the secret 00:05:40.660 --> 00:05:45.339 of Peter when he preached that sermon? When at 00:05:45.339 --> 00:05:49.279 the close of that sermon, more than 3 ,000 were 00:05:49.279 --> 00:05:53.879 added unto the church. What was the power in 00:05:53.879 --> 00:05:59.420 the lives of those early Christians? The power 00:05:59.420 --> 00:06:03.920 of the Holy Spirit. They were men and women with 00:06:03.920 --> 00:06:08.660 like passions and weaknesses. as we are today, 00:06:08.939 --> 00:06:11.959 for human nature is the same. But there was a 00:06:11.959 --> 00:06:17.160 secret. There was a secret in that early church. 00:06:17.319 --> 00:06:19.540 There was a secret in the lives of these early 00:06:19.540 --> 00:06:24.560 Christians. And their secret of power was this 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:28.279 glorious third person of Trinity. I believe with 00:06:28.279 --> 00:06:31.480 every atom I might be that in that early church, 00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:35.730 they had all the manifestations of the... gifts 00:06:35.730 --> 00:06:40.589 of the spirit they had all of the manifestations 00:06:40.589 --> 00:06:49.550 of the fruits of the spirit what my friend has 00:06:49.550 --> 00:06:57.329 made the difference in the church then and the 00:06:57.329 --> 00:07:08.550 church now We have lost our vision. We have lost 00:07:08.550 --> 00:07:17.810 the secret. We have forgotten the purpose of 00:07:17.810 --> 00:07:25.430 the church. We have forgotten. that it's not 00:07:25.430 --> 00:07:32.350 by might, it's not by power, but it's by my spirit, 00:07:32.810 --> 00:07:40.670 saith the Lord. Oh, that early church was very 00:07:40.670 --> 00:07:47.750 power conscious. They were soul conscious. They 00:07:47.750 --> 00:07:54.829 were spirit conscious. But something happened, 00:07:54.889 --> 00:07:59.810 the first thing that happened among them. They 00:07:59.810 --> 00:08:03.709 lost their first love that was the first weapon 00:08:03.709 --> 00:08:10.509 that the enemy used. Ecclesiastical pretension, 00:08:10.509 --> 00:08:14.509 departure from their first love, characterized 00:08:14.509 --> 00:08:20.930 the close of the apostolic period. Next succeeded 00:08:20.930 --> 00:08:24.100 the martyr period. Which brings us down to the 00:08:24.100 --> 00:08:27.019 close of the tenth and the last persecution. 00:08:27.860 --> 00:08:32.000 That little church of Smyrna. Oh, what that little 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:37.259 church went through. Then, decreasing spirituality. 00:08:38.779 --> 00:08:42.799 And with decreasing spirituality, there came 00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:48.440 the increasing of worldliness. For the two always 00:08:48.440 --> 00:08:56.649 go hand in hand. On to the 7th century. Then 00:08:56.649 --> 00:09:03.190 the papal church. Satan's great masterpiece on 00:09:03.190 --> 00:09:07.669 earth is witnessed in the assumption of universal 00:09:07.669 --> 00:09:10.230 authority and cruel persecution of the saints 00:09:10.230 --> 00:09:17.769 of God. This covers the Middle Ages. The moral 00:09:17.769 --> 00:09:21.409 characteristics of which have been well termed 00:09:21.409 --> 00:09:30.840 the Dark ages. Then came the Reformation. The 00:09:30.840 --> 00:09:34.320 Reformation was God's intervention in grace and 00:09:34.320 --> 00:09:41.639 power. And introduced into Europe the light which 00:09:41.639 --> 00:09:44.299 for 300 years has been burning with more or less 00:09:44.299 --> 00:09:52.990 brilliancy. Then came Protestantism. with its 00:09:52.990 --> 00:09:59.669 divisions, its deadness, shows clearly enough 00:09:59.669 --> 00:10:07.029 how far, how very far short it comes to God's 00:10:07.029 --> 00:10:10.629 ideal of the church in Christianity. That's the 00:10:10.629 --> 00:10:16.929 church at Sardis. Another reformation, equally 00:10:16.929 --> 00:10:20.389 the work of God, characterizes the beginning. 00:10:21.480 --> 00:10:26.299 of the last century, the church at Philadelphia. 00:10:27.700 --> 00:10:31.340 Until finally we come down to the very last state 00:10:31.340 --> 00:10:37.580 of the church, as it is today, and no spirit 00:10:37.580 --> 00:10:42.320 -filled, born -again Christian could write a 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:46.039 clearer description of the church than we get 00:10:46.039 --> 00:10:50.480 from God's Word. If you have any spiritual insight 00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:56.820 whatsoever, you could not describe the church 00:10:56.820 --> 00:11:02.500 in its present state any better than it is described 00:11:02.500 --> 00:11:07.899 in the Word of God. The present general state 00:11:07.899 --> 00:11:13.559 of the professing church, which is one of lukewarmness, 00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:24.309 is the most hateful. nauseous of any yet described. 00:11:25.629 --> 00:11:29.029 And I left you in my little heart -to -heart 00:11:29.029 --> 00:11:32.370 talk, reading that portion of the Word of God. 00:11:32.789 --> 00:11:39.809 Here it is. I know thy works, that thou art neither 00:11:39.809 --> 00:11:45.789 cold nor hot. I would that thou wert cold or 00:11:45.789 --> 00:11:50.600 hot, one or the other. So then, because thou 00:11:50.600 --> 00:11:55.779 art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will 00:11:55.779 --> 00:12:04.259 spew thee out of my mouth. You make me sick, 00:12:04.379 --> 00:12:11.519 the Lord said. You cause me to vomit. Because 00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:16.059 you're playing politics. Because you're trying 00:12:16.059 --> 00:12:21.250 to ride the fence. You're trying to please people. 00:12:22.250 --> 00:12:28.090 Because you are neither cold nor hot, I will 00:12:28.090 --> 00:12:34.850 spew thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest 00:12:34.850 --> 00:12:39.710 I am rich, and who is there who can dispute the 00:12:39.710 --> 00:12:43.149 fact that there never was a time when the church 00:12:43.149 --> 00:12:51.799 was as rich? as it is today. There never was 00:12:51.799 --> 00:12:56.779 a time when we had so much money for building 00:12:56.779 --> 00:13:03.159 programs, bigger and better, enlarging what we 00:13:03.159 --> 00:13:06.759 have. There never was a time when we had more 00:13:06.759 --> 00:13:12.620 comfortable pews catering to the desires, the 00:13:12.620 --> 00:13:17.279 comforts of the people. Because thou sayest I 00:13:17.279 --> 00:13:22.200 am rich, increased with goods, and have need 00:13:22.200 --> 00:13:29.759 of nothing. Oh, the smugness of it all. We have 00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:35.000 need of nothing, not even the power of God. We 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:37.899 have need of nothing, not even the Holy Spirit. 00:13:39.039 --> 00:13:42.899 We have need of nothing, not even God's Word. 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:48.179 We are self -sufficient. We are rich in this 00:13:48.179 --> 00:13:55.580 world's goods. We are rich in prestige and much 00:13:55.580 --> 00:14:03.539 learning. We have need of nothing. Knowest not 00:14:03.539 --> 00:14:09.899 that thou art wretched and miserable and poor? 00:14:11.370 --> 00:14:20.330 and blind, and naked. That's God's opinion. That's 00:14:20.330 --> 00:14:27.570 God's conception of the church today. I counsel 00:14:27.570 --> 00:14:34.149 thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire. I'll 00:14:34.149 --> 00:14:35.889 tell you what the church needs today. I'll tell 00:14:35.889 --> 00:14:38.190 you what Christians need today. They need persecution. 00:14:40.590 --> 00:14:44.570 They need some good old -fashioned persecution. 00:14:44.830 --> 00:14:49.950 They need to stand up and be counted. I counsel 00:14:49.950 --> 00:14:55.370 thee to buy of me gold tried in fire, that thou 00:14:55.370 --> 00:14:59.169 mayest be rich in white raiment, that thou mayest 00:14:59.169 --> 00:15:02.590 be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness 00:15:02.590 --> 00:15:06.970 do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eyesab, 00:15:07.190 --> 00:15:14.860 that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke 00:15:14.860 --> 00:15:20.259 and chasten. Be zealous, therefore, and repent. 00:15:23.620 --> 00:15:29.820 That is the picture of the church, this body 00:15:29.820 --> 00:15:35.820 of believers that the Lord himself left to represent 00:15:35.820 --> 00:15:43.309 him in a world of darkness. The tragedy of it 00:15:43.309 --> 00:15:48.350 all is just this. We're in the darkest night 00:15:48.350 --> 00:15:52.789 the world has ever known. And in the darkness, 00:15:53.110 --> 00:15:55.529 the church of the Lord Jesus Christ should be 00:15:55.529 --> 00:15:59.669 standing up and challenging the world. There 00:15:59.669 --> 00:16:02.789 should be such power in the church that the church 00:16:02.789 --> 00:16:07.409 should be able to meet the needs of human beings. 00:16:10.120 --> 00:16:14.139 The church should be able to give hope, to give 00:16:14.139 --> 00:16:19.940 comfort, to give eternal life, to give encouragement, 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:26.600 to give faith. Should manifest the transforming 00:16:26.600 --> 00:16:32.940 power of the Son of the Living God. A broken 00:16:32.940 --> 00:16:44.639 home. Father, that mother should never have to 00:16:44.639 --> 00:16:55.159 turn to a psychiatrist, but to the church. And 00:16:55.159 --> 00:16:58.179 the church should be able to give the answer. 00:17:01.519 --> 00:17:05.240 And while the world is challenging the church, 00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:14.420 the church is. Powerless because there are those 00:17:14.420 --> 00:17:21.460 who have even gone so far as to deny the deity 00:17:21.460 --> 00:17:27.500 and divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. How can 00:17:27.500 --> 00:17:32.579 you give hope to a lost and dying world when 00:17:32.579 --> 00:17:35.099 you're not quite sure what you believe yourself? 00:17:37.640 --> 00:17:44.539 And it's just like that. No nation is stronger 00:17:44.539 --> 00:17:49.660 than its spiritual forces. Our own nation is 00:17:49.660 --> 00:17:59.220 no stronger than the church today. But watch 00:17:59.220 --> 00:18:02.099 something. This is a dark picture I've been painting 00:18:02.099 --> 00:18:08.200 to you. But remember something. Our Lord knows 00:18:08.200 --> 00:18:14.480 no defeat. Never. You take the flood, go right 00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:18.000 on down from the beginning of mankind, right 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:21.759 on down to the very end of this dispensation, 00:18:21.980 --> 00:18:26.779 right on through to glory, until the very coming 00:18:26.779 --> 00:18:31.819 of the Lord Jesus Christ in glory. Our God knows 00:18:31.819 --> 00:18:37.220 no defeat. Jesus Christ will never go down in 00:18:37.220 --> 00:18:45.400 defeat. The church will never die. Never. I'll 00:18:45.400 --> 00:18:49.160 tell you why the church will never die. In spite 00:18:49.160 --> 00:18:52.940 of its falling away. In spite of its backslidden 00:18:52.940 --> 00:18:55.539 condition. It will never die because it has a 00:18:55.539 --> 00:18:59.400 living head. Jesus being the head of the church, 00:18:59.519 --> 00:19:03.789 it cannot die. Jesus being the head of the church, 00:19:04.029 --> 00:19:10.869 it must go through victoriously. And when we 00:19:10.869 --> 00:19:12.690 have the great catching up, when we have the 00:19:12.690 --> 00:19:15.549 rapture of the church, believe me, beloved, the 00:19:15.549 --> 00:19:20.470 church will never go out in defeat. And I have 00:19:20.470 --> 00:19:23.069 a glorious word for you. There's that little 00:19:23.069 --> 00:19:25.190 book of Joel in the Old Testament and the whole 00:19:25.190 --> 00:19:29.230 picture of the end time of this present age. 00:19:30.509 --> 00:19:35.089 the times of the gentiles is given in this little 00:19:35.089 --> 00:19:39.609 book in the old testament i read it to you that 00:19:39.609 --> 00:19:44.309 which the palmer worm hath left hath the locust 00:19:44.309 --> 00:19:48.569 eaten and that which the locust hath left hath 00:19:48.569 --> 00:19:52.670 the canker worm eaten and that which the canker 00:19:52.670 --> 00:19:57.500 worm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten. And 00:19:57.500 --> 00:20:02.059 that is what we have in these seven stages of 00:20:02.059 --> 00:20:12.240 church history. But something happens. Even though 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:15.759 the canker worm has been eating, even though 00:20:15.759 --> 00:20:21.220 the locust has been eating, there is still life. 00:20:21.630 --> 00:20:27.450 there life in the head life there it will never 00:20:27.450 --> 00:20:34.269 die and i will restore to you the years that 00:20:34.269 --> 00:20:37.769 the locust have eaten the canker worm and the 00:20:37.769 --> 00:20:43.329 caterpillar and the palmer worm my great army 00:20:43.329 --> 00:20:47.609 which i stand among you And it shall come to 00:20:47.609 --> 00:20:51.450 pass that I will pour out of my spirit upon all 00:20:51.450 --> 00:20:54.769 flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall 00:20:54.769 --> 00:20:58.230 prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your 00:20:58.230 --> 00:21:02.269 young men shall see visions. And upon my servants 00:21:02.269 --> 00:21:06.230 and upon my handmaids in those days will I pour 00:21:06.230 --> 00:21:13.779 out of my spirit. The church is going to go out 00:21:13.779 --> 00:21:17.500 in glorious victory, in marvelous victory. You 00:21:17.500 --> 00:21:20.319 say that's the Old Testament. I know, beloved. 00:21:21.900 --> 00:21:25.640 But I turn to the second chapter of the book 00:21:25.640 --> 00:21:29.779 of the Acts. And Peter, standing up at the eleven, 00:21:29.960 --> 00:21:32.460 lifted up his voice and said unto them, Ye men 00:21:32.460 --> 00:21:35.140 of Judea, and all ye that dwell in Jerusalem, 00:21:35.519 --> 00:21:38.779 be this known unto you, and hearken to my words. 00:21:40.359 --> 00:21:46.700 It shall come to pass in the last days. And we 00:21:46.700 --> 00:21:49.759 are living in the last days, the closing moments 00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:53.319 of this dispensation. We're coming now to the 00:21:53.319 --> 00:21:58.200 end of the church age, the church dispensation. 00:21:58.599 --> 00:22:03.700 We're making a complete cycle now. We're coming 00:22:03.700 --> 00:22:07.259 right back. The church is going to go out in 00:22:07.259 --> 00:22:11.920 glory. with all the fruits and all the gifts 00:22:11.920 --> 00:22:15.839 of the Spirit being manifested. The same glory 00:22:15.839 --> 00:22:19.960 that the church had when Jesus said, Ye are the 00:22:19.960 --> 00:22:24.380 light of the world, it will be restored to its 00:22:24.380 --> 00:22:27.619 original glory before the great catching up. 00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:31.200 It shall come to pass in the last days, saith 00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:35.980 God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh, 00:22:36.220 --> 00:22:40.269 and that's the reason. You're going to see this 00:22:40.269 --> 00:22:43.930 great outpouring, not upon those in the church, 00:22:44.029 --> 00:22:47.190 but outside of the church. For God himself said, 00:22:47.329 --> 00:22:55.170 because of your lukewarmness, I will spew thee 00:22:55.170 --> 00:22:58.589 out of my mouth. I'll go out in the highways. 00:22:58.829 --> 00:23:02.049 I'll go out in the byways. Where there are hungry 00:23:02.049 --> 00:23:06.450 hearts, I will pour out of my spirit upon all 00:23:06.450 --> 00:23:09.920 flesh. and your sons and your daughters shall 00:23:09.920 --> 00:23:12.140 prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, 00:23:12.180 --> 00:23:15.180 your old men shall dream dreams, and all my spirits 00:23:15.180 --> 00:23:19.019 and all my handmaidens, I will pour out in those 00:23:19.019 --> 00:23:26.579 days of my spirit, and they shall prophesy. Whether 00:23:26.579 --> 00:23:30.240 this will be for a month, a matter of weeks, 00:23:30.500 --> 00:23:35.259 I do not know, but this I know, when the church 00:23:35.259 --> 00:23:42.990 goes out, it will go out in glory.