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Ephesians 4, sometimes we might be inclined to imbibe some of the spirit of the world in the time we are living in. We might think everything is going wrong, and could not be as good as in past days. God is trying to convince us that there are good days yet, and still better days ahead. We have seen, heard and tasted many good things, but He would like to show us there are still better things for us yet. We value the fellowship and help of the workers, both old and young.

There has been bread in these meetings here already, and it has been given in the Spirit. We have learned through broken experiences how to value a companion. Perhaps too often we use the word “I” instead of “we.” Good to realize we could not be where or what we are without the help of others.

Ephesians 4:1, Paul was a prisoner in the Lord. There have been many experiences that might have taken us out of God’s family if we were not prisoners of the Lord. Paul proved that every time there was an inclination on his part to break out of prison, there were certain things that held him in. The Lord was round about His people. When Paul got to the fences, he always saw God’s love, care and provision that softened his heart and kept him in and moved him to go no further. It is good when God can soften our hearts when we have been hardened and inclined to take our own way.

Ephesians 4:2, one of the things that Satan would try to hinder us in and probably has often succeeded, is that when there has been a little success, we have developed a wrong spirit, and instead of keeping lowly and meek, we have been exalted. If we are to be worthy of the vocation wherewith we have been called, we must keep lowly and meek. The times we feel the most worthy may be the time when we are the most unworthy.

Ephesians 4:7, “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” With the gifts, God has given us grace. In Acts, Paul spoke of the Gospel of grace. Those who have accepted this Gospel and the gift of grace can have other gifts, also. Sometimes when a friend goes to a foreign land where we could never go, they send us useful gifts, that give us some idea of the customs in that country. We learn things in that way that we could learn in no other way. We have something far more wonderful in Christ, who has gone to receive a Kingdom and has sent us gifts that are products of that Kingdom.

Ephesians 4:11, “And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;”

The first gift was Apostles. Any person who has forsaken all and gone forth into the Harvest field could be classed among the Apostles. Some seem to set themselves to excel in one particular point of these five gifts, and they don’t seem to be so very well balanced. Others have developed some of each, which keeps them well balanced. An apostle means a person whom God has called and sent. There is evidence that He seals their labors by giving them fruit. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that they were the seal of his apostleship. In Matthew 13, a sower went forth to sow. He was not forced to go, but went willingly. Those who sow in tears shall reap with joy.

The next gift was Prophets. When we first went forth to preach, the problem was what we should say. One of the sweetest experiences in our lives has been when we were willing to pass through the struggles, spending time in prayer, which brought us a little message from God for others. The way the Samaritan woman at the well learned that Jesus was a Prophet was by His words and Spirit.

The third gift was Evangelists. Someone has said that an Evangelist is a person who can make living for God look good and sound good to others. One woman gave her testimony once, saying what helped her most was the harmony she saw in the lives of God’s servants – even when they spent the second year together. She had not seen harmony like that in other preachers.

The fourth gift was Pastors. They know what it was to dwell in green pastures, like David, because God leads them there. God leads and feeds them, and they in turn can do the same for others. They have a real care for God’s sheep. In Matthew 10, Jesus sent out preachers in six pairs. How important it is to have true fellowship together. He sent them to the lost sheep. Those who would preach successfully need, first of all, to be obedient and submissive to God.

The last gift was Teachers. Nicodemus told Jesus, “We know you are a teacher sent from God.” He had seen things in Jesus’ life that convinced him He could teach by example as well as by words. A person who is a good pupil will also make a good teacher. Those who have had to study hard to learn their lessons will have patience in teaching others.

God has given these same gifts to us and we need to be careful how we use them. There are many wonderful things in the Bible about these gifts and also much to warn us of what will happen to people who misuse them.

Verse 12, “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” These gifts were given for the perfecting of the saints. Every good thing God puts into the life of His servants is to show others the possibility of aiming at and seeking after the same. Everybody cannot be a Bishop or an Elder, but all can aim at being what a Bishop should be. Saints are wonderfully privileged in having even the youngest worker among them. It can have a very steadying influence upon them.

Verse 13, “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” These gifts are given until we all come into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God. None of us have attained to that yet. The Lord would not like to see us remaining just as children, but He wants to see us growing like Christ, who is our Elder Brother and Example.

[Arthur Benton was born December 11, 1885 in Staffordshire, England. He went into the work in 1910 and continued in the work until his death in Somerset, Pennsylvania on February 6, 1981. He is buried in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.]

One of our workers in South Africa used to tell a little story that appeals to me very much.  It comes to my mind this evening, especially while sitting here and listening to God’s people speak to our heart.  The story tells of a church organist who was very capable and very fond of his instrument.  This man was playing alone in the church; he thought no one was listening; but a very poor man was, and he came into the church.  He came to the organist and whispered, “Will you please allow me to play a piece?”  The organist looked at his clothes-ragged, torn, dirty, dejected, outcast beggar.  He went on playing.  The poor man repeated, “Will you please allow me?”  He insisted, so the organist thought, “I will let him play.”  The poor man was not very long playing until the organist said, “I beg your pardon; I am sorry, I am sorry.”  What had happened?  The poor man was a great musician; his whole being responded to the music.  He was a Master.  And do you know what the organist said?  “How easily I could have missed it – how easily I could have missed it!”

There are very tiring, earthly things; the voice of men and the toils and cares of life; but when the sweet music of God is coming forth from the mouth of His children; what do we say in our hearts tonight?  We say, “How easily we might have missed it.”  We have the chance of proving to God that we really love Him and love His people.  We have been singing; “I will not let Him go.”  I haven’t had conventions for a number of years; not so very many, but I feel tonight I cannot express my gratitude to God and His people for being here.  Serving God is often like a person holding onto a rope.  And Satan is continually seeking to wear down our power of resistance and sometimes we feel that the rope is nearly gone.  God looks upon us and is speaking to us, and we feel, “I want to take hold.”  I know the woman who wrote that hymn, “Loose not thine hold.”  She told me, “I was nearly gone and God moved my heart to write these words, ‘Loose not thine hold, O Soul so weary worn.’”  I suppose if every one of us were to give our testimony, we would have to say, perhaps we would blush with an amount of shame, “I nearly let go.”  We are here to take a fresh hold on Him.

I would like to speak a little about the six “Marys” mentioned in the New Testament.  There is a great deal to encourage everyone in the word of God.  This study has helped me.  I read it, I continue to read it.  I see more and more beauty in the lives of these six women; noble, brave, upright women; they were the cream of the earth, amongst those of whom the world was not worthy, and God has left them on record.

The first, is Mary, the Mother of Jesus.  We could tell her by two names.  The Submissive one or the Humble one.  A person who is submissive would be humble; a person who is proud would be rebellious.  God would like that this word would be written on our hearts more fully.  “Submission.”  We like other people to submit to us, and listen to us, but sometimes we don’t like to submit to others.  It speaks of wives to their husbands and, “ye all are subject one to the other.”  If a man had made the choice of who was to be the Mother of God’s Son, it surely would never have been that poor, humble, submissive woman; but God’s thoughts are not the thoughts of man.  It is a great thing that they are not.  Even Samuel when those brothers of David were before him, fain would have anointed the wrong one.  Was it a little reproof?

“Man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart.”  God spoke, the Angel Gabriel spoke; Mary was troubled.  “How can it take place?”  What was the answer?  “With God all things are possible,” and then God speaks again.  The Devil says, “You will never make the grade.”  He will never grow weary in his efforts to overthrow, but God will give us strength.  “With God all things are possible.”  What was the thing that preceded that beautiful son of Mary?  Submission.  “Be it unto me, I am willing, I cannot see nor understand.”  “Faith sees the heavenly legions, when doubt sees naught but foes.”  Mary was willing;  what would happen after that?  “There shall be performance of these things.”  There was no rebellion.  There is something in our nature that rebels against correction; against guidance.  The Bible says, “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.”  It is serious to see a person rebellious; and how good if God could see submission.  Alex Pierce said, “I think I can say I am 100% willing.”  That made some of us feel very bad.  I believe he meant it.  God would like to break down any little rebellion; so that like Mary we would be able to go on to whatever His will may be for our lives.

It wasn’t an easy thing when Mary went up there and all the rooms were full in the inn.  The inn and stable were together.  The animals were down below and the people were on top; every corner was full.  She did not grumble; just went there, a humble woman, a humble place, a humble child, two pigeons, because she was not able to offer a lamb to God.  How much pride would rise up in our hearts in one form or another?  When God told Mary and Joseph to go into Egypt, they might have said, “There are plenty of caves in Palestine; surely God can send us there.”  God said, “Go into Egypt.”  There again we find submission to the will of God.  I notice they left at night; think of them getting a few things together and starting on that journey.  Some of us have been over that journey.  It takes 12 to 14 hours to go from Jerusalem to Cairo by train traveling at 30 to 40 miles per hour; through the land of the Philistines; over into Egypt, or desert country.  We can picture Joseph and Mary and the babe leaving that little home in Nazareth.  Sometimes when one thinks of the comforts that many people have in life; yet you would hear a murmur, grumbling.  We often hear, “Home is the place where we grumble the most and are treated the best.”  That little home in Nazareth was gone for a time.  I can picture them away out there in the darkness, getting up day after day; great sand dunes there; a desert road, but I believe if Joseph and Mary could have sung that hymn they would have said, “Sweet companionship with One who once the desert trod.”  What makes us sing?  “We thank thee Lord, for weary days.”  Because God is with us.  The prison was a sweet place for Joseph because God was with him, and the desert was a sweet place for the same reason.  “Anywhere with Jesus, I can safely go.”

Later on, we find Mary at the Marriage.  It is said probably Joseph had passed on then, because one would naturally have thought Joseph would have been invited; if he had been alive.  Mary said, “They have no wine.”  Jesus answered, “Woman, what have I to do with thee?”  It would seem that there was a tinge of sharpness, but there may not have been.  Mary said, “Whatever He sayeth unto you, do it.”  Submission to the will of God.  Later on, Jesus said, “Who is my mother?”  I don’t know if she was over-anxious, but we never find as far as I know a murmur there.  That is what brings peace.  When the nations are fighting, there is trouble, when the white flag goes up, there is peace.

We don’t read much for eighteen years, except that she went up to the Passover year after year.  In the closing stages of the life of Jesus, the words of Simeon were being fulfilled, in Mary’s life.  “A sword shall pierce through thine heart.”  Also, that the thoughts of many may be revealed.  It is a good thing to do as Mary did.  She kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.  Thirty-three years later, we find her living and faithfully bearing the reproach.  Three dreadful hours.  The sun withheld its light; refused to shine; a dark, dark time, but Mary was there.  I would like to submit, and give my little piece of clay to God so that He could fashion it and make it what He wants me to be.  Jesus, when on the cross, looked down.

It must have been a great comfort to see His mother.  Some of the last words on earth were, “John, care for my mother.”  She was submitting to the will of God when the whole world was against; not only that, the crucifixion had taken place.  The resurrection and the ascension:  where do we find Mary?  The last time she is mentioned is in the first chapter of Acts.  We find her present with the 120.  All that had taken place had not dimmed the fire of love that was kindled in her heart, when she said, “Be it unto me according to Thy word.”  This is 100% submission to God.  And think of what she lived to see, and to enjoy.  She sat there with Peter and the others and saw THE GREAT HARVEST OF SOULS BEING REAPED.  Would you have liked to have been one of the 120?  “Take the world and give me Jesus.  All its joys are but a name.”  We can say that too.  “It was with voice of singing we left that land of night.”  After God showing us the riches of His kingdom these days.  What is going to open heaven’s kingdom these days to us as we move away?  “SUBMISSION TO THE WILL OF GOD, AND SUBMITTING TO ONE ANOTHER.”  It is not an easy thing.

You want to be great in the sight of God and someone has wronged you – just be willing to submit and God will bring you out on top; just as it took 22 years to bring Joseph out.  He stood before his brethren and said, “God sent me before you to preserve life.”

The second MARY, the sister of Martha, the Sacrificing one.  I have enjoyed thinking of where she sacrificed.  There are two instances not so very clear.  One was six days before the Passover; but in any case that does not matter so much,  the thing that speaks to me is this; when Mary did it.  I have valued brothers and sisters many times when I have felt the temperature of love was low; when someone was able to speak a testimony to help me.  I would like to do the same for others.  There is a very dark picture on that background.  At the beginning of that chapter in Matthew and Mark, there was an assembly of the chief priests and scribes gathered together plotting and planning how to take Jesus.  And then in the house of Simeon the leper, there was another gathering; a little picture of a little flock gathered.  Wild animals were ready to devour, and clouds were hanging over that house; everything was ready to burst into a terrible storm.  There we find at that time, Mary broke the alabaster box.  Alabaster is not an expensive thing.  You can buy a box for 1/s.  I have seen them many times.  It is soft, white stone, and is hollowed out for ornaments.  It wasn’t so much the box; it was what the box contained. It was not the box that smelled; it was the ointment, the sacrifice; it was those ingredients, which had been pounded, and made scent.  Some people have perhaps a very nice-looking box, but they are not willing to have it broken.  You go into a home and you see empty chairs; a son, a daughter; some of the family out preaching the gospel; the home is broken.  You go to where convention is held; people giving gladly different things, sacrifices; you see people’s lives broken in the Service of God.  This is a very nice word.  And only when this takes place in our lives can the sweet fragrance of Christ go forth.  The house was filled with the odor of the ointment.  She wiped His feet with the hairs of her head.  The others enjoyed that day, something that came from sacrifice.

There is a little story that I will tell you about a shepherd that had a faithful dog.  This dog had a family, but the master sent it out to round up the sheep.  It brought them home, but three were missing.  When the dog came back, the master sent it out again, and it went and brought home one of the sheep.  It came back panting; the master said, “Go again.”  The dog went and brought back No. 2.  It was just about to go away to the family.  The sun was setting, but the master said, “Go again.”  It went.  The master went to his home.  He did not come out that night; but the next morning he found the lost one, the straying one was brought home; but there he found his dog lying dead.  How did that animal spend the first part of its life?  In bringing a lost straying one home.  That was sacrifice; that was love.  Sometimes one feels that we don’t know the depth of love yet in a very small way do we understand what the word sacrifice means; but in these meetings, God is seeking to help us.

There is a young man in Egypt; he started to serve God seven or eight years ago.  He was in the Greek Merchant Navy, he was an engineer.  Out in the ship in the ocean, a raider came and stopped the ship; took off the crew on board; blew up the ship, and took the men away.  They were on this raider for three weeks and then this ship transferred them to another ship.  Of course, the objective was that they would be taken to Germany.  Two weeks later, there was a terrible explosion.  the ship was torpedoed.  The young man told how the lifeboats were being lowered with the captain and German officers, and the best people in the ship were put into a lifeboat and the others had to look after themselves.  Just as the lifeboat was being lowered, something happened and it turned upside down, and all the crew went into the water and were minced up by the propeller.  This young man and another climbed up to the top of the ship and jumped into the water.  They saw some lifeboats but they were too full.  It was in the month of February and there they were.  Swimming around three rafts, and they went and did what God wants you and me to do these days.  They took hold and jumped into the raft; an old man threw them a blanket; there they were sitting on that raft soaking wet with a wet blanket around them.  These two were alone and were there for three days and three nights.  He looked to the other raft and saw a man lose his reason, and dying and they tipped him overboard.  Another the same, the man who was with this young man was not serving God, he said, “If God will only spare my life, I will not only be a Servant; but will be a Servant of Servants; but I am going to die.  I can’t stand it any longer.”  This young man said, “Don’t say that – I am praying and God will hear my prayer”.

Something was coming towards them; it was a German Submarine; it took the two and some others on board and there for three years was a prisoner of war. During that time he learned the English language; he only knew Greek.  What I would like to say about it is this; God will hear our cry.  No doubt God had guided that submarine there to help that young man.  That young man had in his heart a desire to go into God’s harvest field.  He wrote letters; a Greek Bible was sent to him from Egypt, as he had lost his own.  He was reading that Bible and writing; he said, “I want to give my life in God’s service.”  Six months ago, he started out.  I don’t know the language of your heart tonight.  Do you want to sacrifice your life like Mary, the Sacrificing one?  She hath done this beforehand.  In passing I would like to say something about one of Wilson’s first friends in Africa; a woman there who died some time ago.  She had a very, very difficult life.  Had trouble in her home, but was true to God.  Her husband made it difficult, but later he was very kind.  The daughter was a worldly girl.  I will never forget a little picture I saw in Johannesburg.  The woman passed away and a number went to the funeral parlor and saw the corpse there of one who had ministered unto God’s Servants a thousand times over; had opened her home and done so many things.  God is a good bookkeeper, and He will never forget her.  There was her husband at the head of the coffin crying like a child; and the daughter with her arms around her father, sobbing.  I will never forget what the father said to her, “Maudie, Maudie; you would not listen to your mother; it is too late now.”  As I looked at the still lifeless form, could she hear?  No – how different it could have been for Maudie that day.

Mary brought the box beforehand.  If you want to be a comfort to your father or mother who is serving God, give them a bunch of flowers now.  What is the use of saying what we could have done when it is too late?  Mary brought it beforehand.  When I leave my companion at the end of the year, I think of so many things that I could have done; when I could have acted differently when I didn’t.  God wants us to do it now.

The third Mary – Mary Magdalene – the Waiting One.  There is a great deal lost and missed in our lives because we do not wait.  You often have been rewarded by just waiting five minutes longer.  “I will wait a little while.”  You feel the heavens are brass, but you wait on, and as you wait you realize that God is rewarding you.  Think of Mary Magdalene with seven devils.  Completely under the power of Satan.  The most wonderful thing in a person’s life is the work of God.  “His name shall be called WONDERFUL.”  Wonderful Kingdom, wonderful family, and relationship.  We have been called into the thing that has been hid from the wise and prudent.  Think of where Mary was; God came into her life when she came and offered Jesus something.  When she came with those other women seeking Jesus early in the Garden.  There was something genuine there.  She, too, tasted the darkness of Calvary.  We find her there weeping.  “What are you looking for?”  When do you shed tears?  Is it when you have pain, when your business goes wrong, when you lose something?  “They have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid Him.”  Mary turned around and when she saw Jesus said, “Rabboni.”  Jesus said, “Go tell my brethren, I go to my Father and your Father.”  Think of the relationship of Christ with God for all eternity.  Think of the home in heaven.  Jesus said, “My Father and Your Father.”  “My God and your God.”  Mary got the first message; others came and looked in and went in fear and doubt, but Mary waited.  Daniel waited three times a day, and could face the King of Babylon and the lions’ den.  Others have mentioned already about prayer; it is a wonderful experience when we really get alone with God.

The next one we think about is Mary, the wife of Cleopas.  She was the mother of James and Joseph.  We might think of her as the enduring one.  She witnessed the crucifixion.  She was enduring the cross; stood with Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene.  I am sorry there are not seven Marys.  We don’t read much about Mary the wife of Cleopas; there are some people we don’t hear much about, but year after year you will find them practical men and women in the service of God – enduring.  During the war we have got a little idea of the things people will endure for earthly kingdoms, and how slow we are to go in and possess the land; how prone we are to murmur and complain.  Job said, “He knoweth the way that I take and when I am tried, I shall come forth as gold.”  There was something wonderful about those few women around the cross.

The next one is Mary, the mother of Mark.  I think we could call her the worthy one.  Why?  Because she had a worthy home.  How could a person be more worthy?  By being more willing; more submissive to God.  A little company of people gathered together in Jerusalem, praying.  Mary had a son out preaching the gospel.  There in that home, we find some of God’s flock.  I don’t think there is anything so (would it be too strong to say) hallowed, or sacred if you have a home where God’s little flock meets together on Sunday morning, and where those emblems are put before the people of God.  It is a sacred place.  The longer I am in the harvest field and coming and going into homes where God’s little flock meet together on Sunday morning and receiving so much Kindness at the hand of the Children of God; I feel more and more these are Sacred Places.  It is the place where I have to take off my shoes from off my feet for it is holy ground; to act right in the home, I never forget what someone said of a certain worker.  People were so impressed, they said, “There never was a man in our home like this, who was so like Jesus.”  What they did see was something of the Lamb of God.  They saw what John saw, “Behold the Lamb of God.”  What made John turn to Jesus to say those words?  He wanted those men to get linked unto the Lamb of God.  The home of Mary, the mother of Mark.  A place of Prayer.  Be careful not to allow things to come into your home that are not like Jesus; it can be a little leaven that leavens the whole lump.  It can be like a fly in the ointment.  I can see cream and sugar, and a fly drops in.  It is an awful spoiling thing.  It would be sad if something came in to spoil our homes, our testimonies.

James was killed by the sword, and Herod proceeded further to take Peter, also.  He was behind the iron bars and sleeping between two soldiers, “He giveth His beloved Sleep.”  The angel came and smote Peter on the side and raised him up and his chains fell off.  “Gird thyself, follow me.”  Where did he go?  He went to his own company.  “I am a companion of all those that fear Thee.”  You can know a person by their company.  Peter went along and knocked at the door; a damsel came, and they could not believe it.  Sometimes we pray and are astonished that God answers; worthy homes, worthy prayers, and the servant of God is set free to carry on the work of God.  Wouldn’t you like to have a worthy home?  People of the world, the king and princes; but surely this way, the mysteries of Christ; it is a privilege; not because of what we are, but because of Him whom we represent in the world.  We are the Children of a King.  “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”  The world is going mad over so many things; happy are the people who have the rest and peace of God in their lives.

The last one is Mary the Roman Christian.  The sixth one.  “Greet Mary who bestowed much labor upon us.”  Upon Paul and the others.  I don’t know what Mary did for Paul and his fellow workers.  When you have a chance to give a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple;  you give some little sacrifice.  It might only be like the two mites.  She hath done what she could, and don’t be jealous over the other people who do more.  Some might do something with a wrong motive and just pile up wood, hay, and stubble.  “When obstacles and trials like prison walls to be, I do the little I can do and leave the rest to Thee.”  A little thing is a little thing, but faithfulness in a little thing is a great thing.  That poor soul left her home that day with two mites; a mite is half a farthing.  She might have felt, “I will give half of it” and not realized that 2000 years later we would be speaking of one who did not withhold, but gave all to Jesus.  Jesus commended her because she kept back nothing.  “Greet Mary who bestowed much labor upon us.”  Not much talking; much labor.

I hope we will learn to be co-workers with God.   As we think of these six Marys and the characteristics in their lives.  They manifested loyalty and faithfulness.  I hope it will move us to fill our place faithfully, so that at the end of the journey we might hear the WELL DONE OF GOD.

1 Corinthians 1:28-31

This letter that Paul writes to the Corinthians is a great contrast to the letter that he wrote to the Philippians, of which we heard this morning.

It must have given him great joy to write the letter to the Philippians.

And it would have been a great joy to have received it.

But this letter was not an easy one to write, nor was it easy to read by those to whom it was written.

Not that it was lacking in kindness nor in the love of God—it was that which prompted this letter to be written.

Best of all, it produced the fruit of life.

The reaction to it was good.

I am sure that nearly all of us, during the course of the days we spend here, will be made conscious of the lack in our life.

We will be made mindful of our shortcomings and failures.

The Holy Spirit by the word of God spoken through many will be convicting us of our need and lack.

It is not that God is so anxious to find us here with wrongs, but with a proper reaction to the wrongs.

When we are confronted with the wrong, what is our reaction?

What is our frame of mind?

God is glad when there is the proper reaction.

He is glad to overlook our failures when the reaction is good, and when it is producing in us a desire to make the future better than the past.

David did wrong but his reaction was good; real good.

He said, “I have sinned.”

He acknowledged this before God when he was confronted with it.

The heart had become more or less hard unconsciously, but when the Lord confronted him with his wrong, his reaction was proper and the Lord said, “I have forgiven you.”

These Corinthian people had a great deal of bulk in and around them that was not going to auger well for the future.

If this was to continue, it would lead them into great waters of difficulties and could be the means of their destruction.

Not only what it was at the present, but if it was not corrected, it would destroy them.

Then the Lord sent them help.

As we are gathered here, God wants to make corrections in the matter that we have allowed to continue and increase.

Maybe we have been led into great waters and might ultimately be drowned if God would not correct us.

Because of certain things being allowed to remain in them, they were not right.

They tampered, trifled, and compromised and permitted things to remain in their heart.

There was jealousy, envy and hardness that if allowed to stay, would have led to their downfall, ultimately.

If it had not been corrected, they would eventually have been found outside of the fellowship of God and His people.

Therefore, it is kindness that the Lord these days would endeavour to deal with us and bring to light that which we are not conscious of, or that which He has reminded us of before and are in need of another reminder.

Our attitude will determine how much blessing we shall obtain in these meetings.

The Corinthians were of the Greek nation.

They were people who loved earthly wisdom, the wisdom of this world.

They were the greatest thinkers, in some respects, that the world has ever produced.

As far as this world and human thinking goes, they tried to find out the best way to spend their lives and the best way to find happiness.

That was their quest and a wonderful thought, but it was very, very far removed from what God would bring to His people.

The world by wisdom knew not God, and it does not know God by human reasoning and thinking.

The brightest intellect, the greatest wisdom of man in this world has never brought man to the understanding of the mind of God.

They were missing it by an eternity.

It was just as far distant as it could be because they were not seeking the wisdom of God from the right source.

Before they died, they saw their theories come crashing upon their heads.

Human reasoning has never been able to fathom the wisdom of God.

Human reasoning led them into two extremes, either one way or the other.

The people we read about in Acts 17 were of this type.

There were the Stoics, who never had any pleasure and no hope, and (they believed) you could not do anything about your fate, you could not better your lot no matter what happened.

This is a gloomy sacrifice.

A life is void of all pleasure.

Then the opposite extreme was seen in the Epicureans.

They tried to forget defeat in the arms of pleasure.

Pleasure was the best life for them.

There may be men and women today, who once were in touch with God, but who are outside today, and who go to the extreme in the world.

The spirit of God will lead people into what is about the middle of the road, where it is desirable, where there are pleasures, where there is a good-paying dividend both in this life and the life to come.

Not extreme either way.

There was much that God had to deal with in these Corinthian people because of their human inclinations.

They were reared among the Greeks and therefore they had natural tendencies and human inclinations that made it hard for them to humble themselves before God.

If these same tendencies are nurtured in us, they will lead us into difficulties and ensnare us today.

That which happened two thousand years ago could happen today.

What happened then could overtake God’s people today.

They certainly would not have been flattered when they got this letter, in finding out considerable about themselves.

Some of them were not conscious of just the condition they were in.

They were unconscious of their need and their condition.

They got a little photograph of themselves.

You heard about the person who was so indignant when she saw the photo the photographer had taken of her, and said, “This does not do me justice.”

“It is not justice you need, but mercy,” she was told.

When we come to meetings and get to know ourselves as we really are, we do not want justice, we need mercy.

If we are right we have the feeling that God has been just a bit more merciful to us than anyone else.

To a certain extent, that was the way John the Apostle felt.

He often mentions the disciple that Jesus loved.

He felt Jesus was more favorable to him, more merciful and showed him more kindness.

The others did not mention that.

Not in Matthew, Mark, Luke is it mentioned.

John was the only one who felt Jesus had a little more love for him.

Many of us in this meeting feel that God has been a little more partial.

We know our weakness better than anyone else.

I know my lack and shortcomings better than you know them, and you know yours better than I do, and because of the great need we have for mercy, we have a feeling that God has been just a little more merciful and more kind to us.

If God had dealt with us according to what we deserve, we would not be among the living today.

We are conscious of that today.

We are being made conscious of the need for mercy.

These people did not understand the pitfalls they were getting into because they were pursuing a handy knowledge of God that was not balanced up by a corresponding love of God.

One was fleshly knowledge about God and the other, the love of God.

The two are balanced up in this book.

God is trying to bring up a balanced people, building for eternity.

The work of the Holy Spirit will produce a balanced people of God in the world, not one-sided, extremists or overbalanced, but from every angle of our life there will be balance—it will be balanced with true wisdom and love of God.

These Corinthians had pursued after knowledge.

Therefore, after they heard the Gospel, they continued to pursue a knowledge of God, which is right in its place.

It would be a shame for a people not to try to get to know more about God, and to get to know God better, and the Book of God.

There is no excuse for laziness in God’s house and God has no pleasure in a lazy person, or in those people who are not diligent.

The increase of knowledge and wisdom should be God-given and not our injection of human reasoning and should be guided by the Spirit.

These people had knowledge of God’s way, of the servants and of the doctrine.

They reasoned in a human way.

Human reasoning would lead to snares and pitfalls.

What we are by nature will be that which we will be inclined to go after later on.

Some are optimists.

Some are gloomy.

Some by nature are always complaining.

Some never see any hope.

This is what we are by nature, but it does not mean that we are to remain so.

There is grace abundant to correct that which is a hindering influence to keep us back from enjoying the best in God and keeping us from becoming useful in His Kingdom.

There was a tendency in these people to follow the wisdom that made them good speakers.

They were very correct.

There was lots of knowledge of the doctrine.

Through these chapters we read what it had led them into and what they had become.

Chapter 3:18 “Let no man deceive himself.”

This was to say that, you are not conscious of what you are or where you are or as to what God is doing about you.

This heady wisdom and human reasoning that was not God-given had led them into pride in themselves.

They were a proud and conceited people, and were not conscious of what they were and where they were, and there was a manifestation of what they were naturally.

There was not one right thought that was of benefit to them or to others that was of their own production.

They had abandoned that which they had received when they were a humble people.

What is the greatest thing in the world?

To know yourself.

What is the easiest thing in the world?

To give advice.

It may not be altogether true of the first question.

When it was said that the greatest thing in the world was to know yourself, that person did not know God.

The greatest thing is to KNOW GOD.

And if we truly know God, we will know ourselves.

One of the best benefits we could gain in these meetings is to get to know God better and ourselves better, and who we are and what we are before God.

It is easy to be deceived in ourselves.

It leads to pride of heart and our thoughts would be conceited—and a conceited person is a nuisance.

You never saw a humble man or woman you did not like; they may not be brilliant, but they are alive, and because of their God-given humility, you appreciate them.

But you weary of the boastfulness of the conceited man or woman because their heady reasoning is not balanced with the deep abiding love of God.

Someone complained about a person in their church meeting that wearied the others because of his long prayers and long testimony.

They did not dislike the man, but it was a damper on the meeting and he made it unprofitable.

They appealed for help and someone went to speak to him about it, and others too.

We spoke to one of these people and said first of all that there had been some complaint about long speaking and long prayers that were not very profitable and were not helpful.

This man who was one of the chief offenders, said it was right, there are some in this meeting who speak and pray too long.

There was no one who took up as much time as he did.

He was not conscious that he was wearying the others.

There was nothing against, or any malice.

He did not see himself, and he thought he was just a little better equipped with phrases he had learned through years.

He had a feeling of superiority and therefore was out of line.

We had to tell him that he was one of those complained about.

He said, “You do not mean me?”

Surely, you are the man we have come to see.

We had not heard him when his testimony was not profitable.

To the man’s credit, he took it.

What I want to say is, that it is possible to be deceived in ourselves and not be sure of what we are and who we are.

It would be a good thing to sit down in a chair in front of ourselves and look ourselves over and see how we appear before the brethren and before God.

We ought to look ourselves over.

Let us take ourselves apart and criticize.

It would be sad to let ourselves go on in the state of mind that everything is well, if it is not.

I do not think the people who are anxious to be right before God and exercise themselves in keeping right and are humble in mind are so apt to err in this.

Such are sensitive to the touch of God.

The love of God burns and the Holy Spirit speaks.

They have a sensitiveness that enables God to keep them on the track.

They will not fall into the pitfalls of pride or superiority.

God has no pleasure in those who have pride.

Chapter 8:2 “If any man think that he knoweth anything he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.”

Again, we have this same thought, the thing that is deceitful.

The thought is that we know something and that we do not any longer need to be dependent upon the Lord.

Do we have the feeling in these meetings that we have a right to reject the things that are spoken that do not suit us so very well?

If so, we are no longer the teachable, childlike, humble people.

Do we have an open mind and allow the Lord to impress our hearts?

Or do we think we know something and have we lost the dependent spirit that we had when we started?

That humble attitude will move God to send to our help time and time again, and will enable Him to write some of the Truths of heaven on our hearts.

It is the thought in the heart that we are not conscious of that does the damage.

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

Someone said, “My friend thought he was a better man than I am, and he was a better man than I am until he got that thought.”

It is the thought of superiority that turns righteousness into self-righteousness.

God loves to see the attitude of a person who feels, I am nothing and I have nothing apart from what God gives me.

Chapter 1:29 “That no flesh should glory in His presence.”

If we would compare ourselves with the world, we would feel rather clean and good.

When we compare ourselves with our brethren, we may feel more or less satisfied, but when we compare ourselves with Jesus, we feel vile, we abhor ourselves.

We repent in dust and ashes.

The only goodness we have is what has been given us of God.

We never will be anything in ourselves.

No flesh shall glory in His presence.

Those people were looking for wisdom, but he said, Christ is made unto us wisdom and righteousness.

Wisdom and righteousness will be given to us in Christ and the roots of Christ will be deepened in our heart and more of the life and love shed abroad—THIS IS WISDOM.

Christ is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption (Verse 30).

Christ is made all this to us.

It is in that course; in that manner we will be attaining the wisdom that is in Christ.

This wisdom will not be leading us into snares and pitfalls.

Chapter 8 talks about a certain liberty or a freedom.

They were free from the law.

But the Apostle showed them that if they disregarded their weak brother, they did not care about their influence.

We should be concerned about our influence, what we are doing and how it affects other people of God who may be weak.

Do you not know that LIBERTY DOES NOT MEAN LICENSE?

Freedom in Christ is subject to the law of Christ.

“Our liberty ends where the other man’s nose begins.”

Do we disregard that weak brother for whom Christ died?

The people who are moved by the love of God are exercised by what my behaviour is doing to my brother.

Is it a strength?

Gird up the loins of your mind with Truth so our influence in this house of God will be helpful in the future.

Those who were just plunging on, disregarding their brother, were only in it with a heady knowledge and were out of touch with God.

A person who is disregarding his influence is not ruled by the effect his life will have on his weak brother.

If they ever were in touch with God, they are not now.

Verse 11 “And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died.”

For whom Christ died.

It was a powerful leverage God was using.

There was another great difficulty they were in.

It was in their meetings when they were taking the bread and wine in the name of Jesus.

It was of no benefit.

Chapter 11:29

They were not discerning the Lord’s body.

They were doing it without the proper reverence.

These emblems ought to do something for God’s people.

It is a source of strength every time they are partaking.

It takes the mind back to Jesus and to what it means to have our minds surrendered to Him and we purpose to have our life wholly yielded to Him.

Otherwise never take it.

I think of Him who gave Himself for me.

I want to be truly submitted to Him.

If we just take it as a form of doctrine and not considering the Lord’s body in these emblems, then we are not discerning the body of Christ, and we will become sick and die like these Corinthians.

Some were sick and some were asleep and some had gone out entirely because of their careless attitude and their needs were not real to them.

They had the knowledge of the doctrine, but they were forgetful of the vital things.

If we break the communication line, we will be forgetful of the vital things.

Eight times in this Epistle, he starts with the words: “Know you not.”

Chapter 16:17 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy.”

Have you forgotten that ye are the temple of the living God?

That is a foundation truth, a basic truth.

God will destroy that temple if we defile it.

Chapter 5:5 “Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?”

They tolerated leaven, the old leaven.

They had super head knowledge and without the corresponding anchor of the love of God.

There was lots of gloss.

Paul reminded them that a little leaven, a little rebellion and refusal would be folly.

What you have been many years in building for the Lord, you could destroy by an unwise act.

A little leaven will corrupt the whole life.

We could well afford to look for the little leaven or the wrong that is working and prevent corruption.

Purge out the leaven of malice and wickedness, and keep the feast with the new leaven that is purged.

In Chapter 6 he used the words, “Know ye not” five times.

Know ye not that ye shall judge the world?

That you shall judge angels?

Verse 2 “If the world shall be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?”

It was not right for these people to go to law.

Their pride and high-mindedness led them into quarrels and fighting with one another and none were willing to give in.

They were carnal, and there was no evidence of God’s spirit working.

He said, Why do ye not rather take wrong?

Christians do not fight for their rights, but suffer for them.

When Abraham got great victory and could have taken advantage, the love of God appeared to come out on top.

When the other man chose the best, God said to him, “Look to the north, south, east and west. Everything you see shall be yours.”

Every joy, pleasure and riches, because you are willing to trust in God.

He said to them (Verses 6 & 7) Why do you not suffer loss?

Why do you not suffer wrong?

Why do you not take this attitude next time?

But he said, you are defrauding your brethren even.

Verse 19.

They were all the temple of the Holy Ghost, and they were defrauding their brethren.

Five times he said to them, “Do you not know?”

Have you forgotten?

It would be easy for us to be unmindful of the basic and important truth of God.

It has not and never will be changed, never altered, never lessened in importance.

Chapter 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race, run all, etc.?

You cannot run half-heartedly, haphazardly, in a slipshod manner and expect to win.

It is going to take the best that is in you every day.

They had forgotten the basic foundation truth of God which every one of us knew from the beginning when we heard the voice of God.

We understood the same truths.

It will require the best in us if we are going to hear at the end that same voice of God.

He said, I fight, not as one that is beating the air, but I keep under my body, etc.

He did not want to be a castaway at the last.

Are you mindful of this?

All this had come about because they were neglecting the balance of life, the important side.

The important side is that we get to know God, get a proper knowledge of God according to His will.

But this will be coming because of something else that is given us, that will be coming in the way God plans, something that will help us keep the basic truths of the Kingdom of God, as they should be.

Chapter 2

How about the love of God?

That which God prepares for those that love Him, not for those who are the most brilliant or the most educated, but the love of God will help us keep the basic truths of the Kingdom.

Our eyes see and our heart understands.

Understanding coming about because the love of God is shed abroad.

The love of God in a life is like a ballast to the ship.

If a boat were to go across the sea without a cargo, it would ride high and there would be danger of it capsizing.

Unless there is a cargo—a ballast, in our life, there would be danger.

A ballast keeps it evenly balanced.

The love of God is like a ballast to our life.

How does a person know how to choose wisely when confronted with a crisis?

The love of God will keep one in close relationship with God and enable them to choose wisely and well.

It can do more for one than all the human knowledge can do.

The love of God in your heart will cause the Lord to love you.

Love begets love.

Chapter 8:1

Love builds up while knowledge inflates.

It swells out the head.

Love builds up the life, the church, the Kingdom.

The love of God in your heart will do more to build up that meeting than all the wonderful words of knowledge you could speak.

It builds up the life in ourselves and others.

The love of God leads us to be concerned about others.

Chapter 10:24

Nothing but the love of God could enable one to do that.

Let no man seek his own.

Most are taken up with their own sphere or place; but, he says, seek another’s wealth, or help others.

Seek the interest and building up of others.

What is going to be the effect of our influence, of our present course?

If our present course continues, what is it going to be in five years?

Is it going to be wise?

We have to encourage the Lord to stay among us.

The love of God will lead us to be exercised about that.

Chapter 9

Paul, in telling about his ministry, says that he will have a reward if he does this willingly.

“Not preaching because of my own will to do so, but if I am doing this by the will of God, I have a stewardship of the Gospel committed to me, not my own, but the love of God prompted me to accept this stewardship in the Gospel.”

The love of God that moved him to make himself all things to all men for the Gospel’s sake, moved him to accept this stewardship.

The same love of God will lead people to serve Him today.

There is room in our hearts for more shedding abroad of the love of God.

We read of those noble characters and what it led them to do for the love of God, for the Elect’s sake.

They sacrificed gladly and faithfully.

It consumed their life.

There is indeed room for more of the love of God shed abroad in our heart that will make us a savour in this world.

It was the human wisdom that led them into difficulties.

Nice to know that these people profited by this letter.

They were sensitive and they received it.

It produced a vehement desire.

It produced sorrow.

The leaders were refreshed and addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints.

They profited.

We may profit by the truth of God and the influence of God’s spirit that speaks to us here and elsewhere, and it will help us keep our balance in the matters of the Lord, and in the Pathway, and in doing that which is right.

It will keep us safe for the next year and we will have the comfort that the Lord shall remain among us and be doing for us that for which we look to Him.

I hope this will be our portion in the shedding abroad of His love.

I would like to read to you the last two verses of Hebrews 12 “wherefore we receiving a kingdom…” Now you might turn back to the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, Colossians 1:12 “Giving thanks unto the Father…” A kingdom that cannot be moved, a kingdom that cannot be shaken, an everlasting kingdom, a kingdom that will endure forever.

Paul exhorts the Christians at Colosse to give thanks unto the Father, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. It would be a very wonderful thing indeed if all of us in this meeting this afternoon could testify to this experience, delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son.

I would like this afternoon to speak to you about this kingdom, this kingdom that cannot be moved or shaken, this kingdom of God’s dear Son. The phrase “kingdom of heaven” or kingdom of God” occurs over 100 times in the four Gospels. This kingdom was the keynote of the whole teaching and ministry of Jesus. He spoke more often about the kingdom, the kingdom of God, than about anything else and the main reason why the phrase occurs so often is that it included everything that Jesus lived and taught, everything He taught about the way, everything He taught about the family, everything He taught about the fold. In all His life He exemplified what it really meant to “seek first the Kingdom of God.”

I think we can say with truth that He had but one enthusiasm and that was the Kingdom of God, everything else was secondary, and I have sometimes tried to imagine what kind of people we would be in this world if we, too, got a little more of that enthusiasm and made evident by our lives that everything else was secondary, “seek first the kingdom of God.” Something or somebody must be first in every life, we can’t get away from this and every man and every woman has to determine for himself or herself who that person is or what that thing might be.

I think back over my own life this afternoon almost fifty years ago when some of us heard and obeyed the Gospel. This phrase, “seek first the Kingdom of God” gripped our hearts, influenced our lives, was responsible to a very large extent for the choices we made even as young converts and helped us to put second things where they belonged and put first things first, the Kingdom of God, the extension of that Kingdom, the wooing and winning of men and women into that Kingdom had taken hold upon our hearts and resulted in a very few years in many of us young men and young women placing our lives upon God’s altar and going out to give our lives in service true to God and man.

If as a result of these meetings, and the special meetings that have been held in the last few weeks in Montana, there is a true interest begotten in the hearts and lives of all God’s people in the value of putting first things first and living their lives with eternity’s values in view, then something will be accomplished this year for God in this state, that will bring much pleasure into the hearts and lives of men and women and much pleasure to the heart of God.

From the very beginning to the close of His ministry He labored for one thing, the extension of the Kingdom of God. As He traveled from north to south, or from east to west, as the occasion might be, He was continually inviting men and women to enter this Kingdom and made clear and plain that no man or woman was justified in permitting anything or anybody from hindering them from pressing into the Kingdom of God.

On one occasion He made this statement, “If thy right hand offend thee…” it is better, He knew, He understood, “It is better to enter into the Kingdom of God crippled, blind or maimed for life, than having two hands, two feet, two eyes, to be cast into hell fire..” If there are any in this meeting this afternoon, men or women, who know, who are very conscious of something or some person hindering them, some friendship, some habit, some idol, even though any of these may be just as dear as a right hand, right foot, or a right eye, would it not be wise for you this afternoon to take these words of Jesus to heart, “It is better to enter into the kingdom of God with one hand, one foot, one eye, than to be cast into hell fire where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched?”

I have been impressed in recent months with the importance of God’s children having the right thoughts about this Kingdom in their minds and in their hearts, thoughts that come from God, thoughts that we get from the study of God’s own word, and if we have a real desire to have these right thoughts about the Kingdom of God our whole lives will be influenced by these thoughts.

“As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.” We are no more than the thoughts we think. If the right thoughts govern our lives and influence us in our choices then there will be the marks of Christ reproduced and made manifest. If, on the other hand, we permit wrong thoughts to enter into our minds it influences us in our choices and the opposite will result.

Someone has said that “every thought images itself in the mind and every image persistently held there is bound to materialize.” This seems to be a law, if we think the right thoughts and form the habit of thinking the right thoughts this will be in evidence in our lives; if we form the habit of thinking wrong thoughts and harbor them, then these wrong thoughts will be made manifest.

There are a great many wrong thoughts in minds of men and women throughout the whole wide world and because of wrong thoughts the world is filled with confusion, more so today than ever. It is more difficult for the average man or woman to get to know and understand what is right than it ever was. There are men and women from whose hearts today there is going up the cry, “Who will show us any good?” “Where can we get help for our souls, where can we find the satisfaction that we desire so much?”

There are three or four things I would like this afternoon to leave with you in connection with this Kingdom of God. I think they will be easy to remember and when you leave these meetings you can think them over, meditate upon them, and discuss them with your brothers and sisters in God’s family, in God’s Kingdom. Many of God’s people are often distressed because in meetings such as these they feel, “I heard so much I enjoyed and yet somehow or other I remember so little.” Very often they blame themselves and get discouraged and sometimes somewhat depressed.

I have been trying to practice a little proverb, it is a very old proverb, a Jewish proverb, that has been a great help to me. “If you want to remember anything, teach it to somebody else.” Isn’t that easy? If you want to remember anything, teach it to someone else. Whenever I discover a little nugget of God’s truth in His word, I begin to talk about it, and in talking about it, it becomes more firmly rooted in my mind, and if at these meetings the Lord puts some new thoughts, writes some new law in your mind and in your heart that you are anxious to remember, if you try and pass that thought on to somebody else it will strengthen your memory and you will become truly a possessor of that thought or of that truth.

Now, the first thing I would like to say about the Kingdom of God this afternoon is that it is A Kingdom of Sacrifice, founded by sacrifice. Every earthly kingdom is founded by something entirely different. In fact the kingdom that God sent His Son to manifest and establish is different from any other kingdom the world has ever known.

Men, the cleverest of men, would never have thought of founding the kind of kingdom that God sent His Son into the world to establish; and if we can get firmly fixed in our minds just a few things about this strange Kingdom of God, this Kingdom that is so different from every other kingdom, we will have something to think about and something to talk about that will help us; and whenever in our reading, we come across the phrase, “Kingdom of Heaven, or Kingdom of God’s dear Son,” then we can pause for a moment, yes, that’s the kind of a kingdom we have been hearing about, that God sent His own Son into the world to establish.

Human kingdoms are founded on self seeking, on selfishness, on getting. God’s Kingdom was founded by loving and giving, “God so loved…that He gave…” This sacrifice began in the very courts of heaven, the Father and the Son talking it over, the Father willing to give His Son, the Son willing to give Himself. This sacrifice was evidenced in the whole life and ministry of Jesus from the beginning to the end.

In Paul’s letters, he loved to emphasize the fact that Christ gave Himself. He didn’t give “something.” He gave Himself. He couldn’t give any more, He didn’t give any less. He gave Himself for our sins, He settled the sin question as the trespass offering. He gave Himself for us as the sin offering, settled the question of what we are by nature. Gave Himself as the whole burnt offering to make clear to our minds once and forever what true consecration or true yieldedness to the will of God really meant in a human life.

It has been said, “It is loving and giving that makes life worth living; it is loving and giving that makes life a song,” and even though in His giving He is spoken of as the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, yet on the last night of His life, looking back He could say to His disciples, “These things have I said unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full.”

Selfishness, self seeking, living for self, never brought real satisfaction into any human life. We are all fooled in our earlier years in thinking in getting for ourselves we are going to find rest of heart, peace of mind, and the unhappiest men and women in all the world are the men and women who have accumulated most for themselves. Some people say, “If only I had $10,000.00 then I would be happy;” some say, “If I had $50,000.00 I would be happy” and some say “If I had $100,000.00 I would be happy.” When they get the $10,000.00, $50,000.00, or $100.000.00 they are grabbing after more thousands for the more they get the more they want.

It’s loving and giving that makes life worth living; it’s loving and giving that makes life a song. The life of Jesus was that “song.” He had more rest of heart and peace of mind than any other individual that ever lived on earth even though He was tempted and tried in all points like as we are; yet because of the love and peace that governed His life and ministry He lived continuously beneath an open heaven and more than once was comforted by hearing His Father say, “This is my beloved Son…” He sacrificed the last drop of His life’s blood, willingly, uncomplainingly. He gave Himself to the very limit.

Apart from that giving there could be no Kingdom of God; apart from that loving and giving there could be no gathering such as this, this afternoon. It was His loving and giving that laid the foundation for the Kingdom we are speaking about, that set the headline, who in His own life and ministry manifested the kind of kingdom that His Father had sent Him into the world to establish. That’s the reason why those first disciples, those first preachers, were so willing in their day to sacrifice.

There could be no founding of this Kingdom or establishing this Kingdom apart from sacrifice. There could be no possibility of maintaining this Kingdom of God on earth apart from that sacrifice continuing, that sacrifice being maintained. The first preachers were willing to forsake all, those first Christians were willing to put first thing first in their lives, and when their homes were broken up and their property was confiscated and they were scattered, they went everywhere telling of His power, and seeking to win others into this Kingdom of God.

It’s a very strange thing that without the aid of the printing press, or the railroad, or the steamboat, or the airplane, the Gospel spread more rapidly in those first days than ever it has done since. When I think about this I am humiliated. I think back and I say in my heart, “Oh what might have been!” Those first Christians and those first preachers thought of nothing else but the salvation of men, the extension of His Kingdom.

I tremble sometimes when I think of the future. As one gets older in the way of life and in the service of God, very serious thoughts creep into one’s mind now and then and it would be foolish if we didn’t look ahead, and the conviction has been deepened in my heart and in my mind if ever this sacrifice on the part of the servants of God and the saints of God dies out in our midst, we become no better than the daughters of Babylon, we have a name to live and are yet dead, we know the way of truth, may be claiming to walk in truth, but the very heart and kernel of all that Jesus lived and taught has vanished, and as in the case of the Laodiceans of old, Christ is left outside.

This Kingdom of God cannot be founded, it cannot be extended apart from the continual sacrifice of the servants and people of God.

We have been spending a few days here in this place, we who are separated unto the ministry, and we have enjoyed hearing each other testify and open up God’s word and as we looked into the faces of these men and women, I was impressed with the tremendous sacrifice that was represented. Men and women taking steps that blighted and blasted forever all their earthly prospects, willing to go forth into the world in the name and way of Jesus, as strangers, as poor and homeless as He was.

Sometimes I have thought that God’s people, looking at these bondservants and handmaidens of the Lord, forget just what the cost has been even for them to take the first step into the pathway of Jesus. It isn’t an easy thing for a young man or a young woman to say “goodbye” to everything they could have been and could have enjoyed to advantage in Adam, and even in the family of God, and take steps to separate them from all this, and then year in and year out in the joys and sorrows of service, keeping their lives upon God’s altar.

If I were asked this afternoon what men and women in the world I admire most, that I respect most, that I would like to honor most, it is the men and women who have heard the whisper of Jesus in their hearts, and for His sake and a lost world have gone forth in His name, losing their lives, wasting them, in order to bring you and others into His great family, His great Kingdom.

If there is no real love in your hearts this afternoon for such men and women then I am a little afraid there is something very seriously, very radically wrong with your experience, for the spirit and attitude you assume toward those that have made themselves poor, homeless, and strangers for the Gospel’s sake will ultimately determine where you will be in Eternity.

Remember what Jesus said in this connection on one occasion, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Very easy for you here in Montana to minister to some of the visiting brethren who are a little older in the way of life, but Jesus didn’t say, “Inasmuch as ye did it unto the oldest and most prominent…” He said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these…” so that He measures your interest in His Kingdom and the real worth of your fellowship in the Gospel, by your attitude toward those who are weaker and very often have little place. Isn’t that like Jesus? “Inasmuch as ye have done it to the least of these…”

One of the things that we who are the servants of God very often think upon is the fact that He never asked any of His servants to take one single step that He Himself had not taken. He made no demand upon any that He, Himself had not faced. He left two homes, we have left but one. He said, “Goodbye” to His heavenly home and later He said, “Goodbye” to His earthly home, He sacrificed both homes. He said, “The foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head.” We surely enjoy the hospitality of God’s people and the comfort of their homes, but we are reminded very, very often that we are just passing on, guests for an hour or a day, and we go on to live this homeless life for Jesus sake and the Gospel.

Thank God for the parents who have joyfully given their boys and girls to go forth into God’s harvest field. Many a mother’s and father’s heart has been broken as they pleaded, would not give their consent, but their boys and girls went nevertheless, that’s the spirit that counts if this Kingdom of God is going to be established in this world. Apart from lives laid down, apart from men and women willing to be as the kernel of wheat that falls into the ground and dies, there could be no Kingdom of God and no extension of the Kingdom of God. The whole future of God’s servants, of His people to sacrifice, if by any means they can be used in extending His Kingdom, to bring men and women into His Kingdom, founded by sacrifice.

The second thing I would like to impress upon you with regard to this Kingdom is that it is a reign of love, not law. In this respect, it is different from every kingdom the world has ever known, all kingdoms have been founded as kingdoms of law. You must do this, you must not do that. This code of laws is necessary in the kingdoms of men, but in this Kingdom of God it is a reign of love and not law. That seems very weak, doesn’t it? How could a kingdom be established on earth without rules, without laws, without regulations? How could a kingdom be established on earth by love?

That’s the very thing Jesus came to do. He came to impart life unto men and establish in their hearts a Kingdom where love would reign and not law. We have met many of God’s people at different times and they are anxious for us to tell them just what they should do and not do, they would be very pleased if we would sit down and write them out a set of rules or laws to direct their lives and then they would look at them every day and honestly try to obey them, but they wouldn’t be much farther on. The only power that will bring about the fulfillment of the purpose of God in the hearts and lives of His people is the power of love. Paul said, “The love of Christ constraineth me.” That’s the motive that governs, that controls. It’s the love of Christ, not the love for Christ, but the same love that was in the heart of Christ in relationship to His own disciples and for those out there in the cold dark world, that’s the love that will count.

The basic law in the United States is the Constitution, men may come and men may go, but it remains. No town, city, county or state can enforce any law that isn’t in line with the Constitution or its Amendments. The basic law of the Kingdom of God is the law of love. On that last night of the life of Jesus, looking into the future and knowing better than His disciples what awaited them, understanding the difficulties and problems that they would have to face as they went out into the world to fulfill His commission, He didn’t give to them that night a set of laws or regulations, He gave them a new commandment. He said, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” A Kingdom that’s a reign of love and not law.

I remember some years ago when on my way down to South America, I was asked to preach in the First Class Saloon on Sunday morning. I accepted the invitation. I spoke to them about what it meant to be a Christian. In the afternoon, I was sitting in a chair on the deck and a man sat down beside me and introduced himself as a professor of history at the University of California, and stated he was very much interested in what he had heard.

I told him of the ministry I was engaged in. He could not believe there was such a group of people on earth. I could not convince him. The ministry of the Kingdom is a very wonderful thing to me, that it’s possible for men and women to be united and held together in this Kingdom of God without all the different aids that men of the world consider so absolutely necessary. When love reigns, when we are willing to let love reign and guide and govern our thinking and actions, and all our relationships with our brethren, then we are going to get somewhere. Men of the world will say, how weak it is. Some people would be puzzled, how did you all get here? How did you hear about these meetings?

If you want to know what this love is that Jesus spoke that last night of His life it’s to be found in 1 Corinthians 13. God’s Kingdom is made up of men and women, brethren in the same family, who have purposed in their hearts to live in obedience to the law of love as defined in 1 Corinthians 13. Did you ever allow the Lord to search your soul as you read that chapter, and as you read it did you feel that the word is indeed sharper than any two-edged sword? There are none of us if really honest with ourselves and each other, but will hang our heads and say we have come far short of this, but how wonderful if there is a real purpose in our hearts to say even though I have come far short and have failed often, and even though I have violated this law of love in my heart, I want henceforth to live in obedience to the law of love.

There are seven things mentioned in this chapter that love will not do; seven things mentioned that will always characterize the law of love, you can separate these two lists, can measure yourself by these two lists, and would it not be a very wonderful thing if we really grasp that simple statement Paul makes when he says, “Love never fails?” Other things will fail but love never fails. I think if I know my own heart, and you know your hearts are very deceitful and desperately wicked and hard to understand, but I would like better to know how to live in obedience to this law of love, because if I do I can’t fail, and no man or woman will fail and wherever they will go they will be a blessing among God’s people. If we do not recognize this kingdom which we represent is a reign, not of law, but of love, we won’t get very far.

There is another thing I would like to mention, this Kingdom of God is a kingdom where all serve and none rule, the spirit of service, not of ruling predominated.

During the meetings here, Willie quoted to us that passage in Philemon 2 that has often searched our souls, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…and took upon Him the form of a servant…wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him…that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” I know my soul has been searched by these words of Paul, this appeal of God’s servant to God’s people in Philippi when he said, “Let this mind be in you …” He was dealing with the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, was dealing with the need of harmony in the family of God on earth. He said if you want harmony, if you want the right spirit to be manifested, you let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” I wonder how many of us this afternoon could honestly say I would like that, I would like my whole life to be controlled and governed by the mind that was in Christ Jesus. A Kingdom of service and not of rule.

Very easy for us to allow thoughts in our minds that this Kingdom of God is more or less like the kingdoms of the world where men rule and reign over their fellows. Jesus said there is no room in my kingdom for anything like that, for in my kingdom any who are truly in fellowship with me have no desire to rule, they have a passion to serve.

Let me read in this connection a little from Matthew 20. You remember the incident of those two sons of this mother asking her to make an appeal to Jesus, in His Kingdom that one might sit on the right hand and one on the left hand, seemed they had not caught the real spirit that governed His life. The whole idea of ruling and reigning, of being great in the eyes of men had taken possession of them, so they asked their mother to appeal to Jesus that they might get ahead of the other ten. “And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren, but Jesus called them unto Him and said, ‘Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them, but it shall not be so among you; But whosoever shall be great among you let him be your servant; even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give His life a ransom for many.’” He was talking here to preachers.

Luke 22:27, “For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? Is not he that sitteth at meat? But I am among you as he that serveth.” The oldest and most responsible of God’s servants on that day took the place of the servant of all. “I am among you as one that serveth.” Is it not then a very strange coincidence that the King Himself would come down and down and down, and then take upon Himself the form of a servant and be amongst His brethren as one that serves?

Wouldn’t it be a very wonderful thing if in all our relationship with each other as the servants of God and people of God, we drank deeply of this spirit, that the mind that was in Christ Jesus might be in us and that the spirit of service would rule in every little church, in every little group of God’s people, in every group of God’s servants, where if there is any competition at all, it would be in competition for the place of service?

One more illustration. Do you remember the last night of His life in that upper room? It was customary in those days for the younger or the least in a group to take the place of a slave and wash the dirty feet of the rest of the company. On that night Jesus waited and waited for some of them to take the place of the servant. He thought perhaps John might do that, or Bartholomew, or Peter, but He was disappointed and we are told He rose from supper and He girded Himself, and He got a basin and took a towel and went around and washed the dirty feet of these disciples. I can understand Peter’s protests, but Jesus made clear he had to learn this lesson and learn it well or he had no part. Peter said, “Wash my hand and foot.” He could not bear the thought of being separated from Jesus. Jesus said, “I have left thee an example.”

Would it not be a very wonderful thing if throughout the coming year we would recognize this Kingdom of God of which we form a part, is A Kingdom of Sacrifice, that it’s a reign of love, and not law, and it’s a Kingdom where all serve and none rule? That was the idea in the heart of Jesus. May God grant that each of us may have grace to fill our appointed place so that the future of our lives will bring more honor to God and blessing to men, for His Name’s sake.

I would like to read to you the last two verses of Hebrews 12, “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom…” Now you might turn back to the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, Colossians 1:12, “Giving thanks unto the Father…” A Kingdom that cannot be moved, a kingdom that cannot be shaken, an everlasting kingdom, a kingdom that will endure forever. Paul exhorts the Christians at Colosse to give thanks unto the Father, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. It would be a very wonderful thing indeed if all of us in this meeting this afternoon could testify to this experience, delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son.

I would like this afternoon to speak to you about this kingdom, this kingdom that cannot be moved or shaken, this kingdom of God’s dear Son. The phrase “kingdom of heaven” or kingdom of God” occurs over 100 times in the four Gospels. This kingdom was the keynote of the whole teaching and ministry of Jesus. He spoke more often about the kingdom, the kingdom of God, than about anything else and the main reason why the phrase occurs so often is that it included everything that Jesus lived and taught, everything He taught about the way, everything He taught about the family, everything He taught about the fold. In all His life He exemplified what it really meant to “seek first the Kingdom of God.”

I think we can say with truth that He had but one enthusiasm and that was the Kingdom of God, everything else was secondary, and I have sometimes tried to imagine what kind of people we would be in this world if we, too, got a little more of that enthusiasm and made evident by our lives that everything else was secondary, “seek first the kingdom of God.” Something or somebody must be first in every life, we can’t get away from this and every man and every woman has to determine for himself or herself who that person is or what that thing might be.

I think back over my own life this afternoon almost fifty years ago, when some of us heard and obeyed the Gospel. This phrase, “seek first the Kingdom of God,” gripped our hearts, influenced our lives, was responsible to a very large extent for the choices we made even as young converts and helped us to put second things where they belonged and put first things first, the Kingdom of God, the extension of that Kingdom, the wooing and winning of men and women into that Kingdom had taken hold upon our hearts and resulted in a very few years in many of us young men and young women placing our lives upon God’s altar and going out to give our lives in service true to God and man.

If as a result of these meetings, and the special meetings that have been held in the last few weeks in Montana, there is a true interest begotten in the hearts and lives of all God’s people in the value of putting first things first and living their lives with eternity’s values in view, then something will be accomplished this year for God in this state, that will bring much pleasure into the hearts and lives of men and women and much pleasure to the heart of God.

From the very beginning to the close of His ministry, He labored for one thing, the extension of the Kingdom of God. As He traveled from north to south or from east to west, as the occasion might be, He was continually inviting men and women to enter this Kingdom and made clear and plain that no man or woman was justified in permitting anything or anybody from hindering them from pressing into the Kingdom of God.

On one occasion He made this statement, “If thy right hand offend thee…” it is better, He knew, He understood, “It is better to enter into the Kingdom of God crippled, blind or maimed for life, than having two hands, two feet, two eyes, to be cast into hell fire..” If there are any in this meeting this afternoon, men or women, who know, who are very conscious of something or some person hindering them, some friendship, some habit, some idol, even though any of these may be just as dear as a right hand, right foot, or a right eye, would it not be wise for you this afternoon to take these words of Jesus to heart, “It is better to enter into the kingdom of God with one hand, one foot, one eye, than to be cast into hell fire where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched?”

I have been impressed in recent months with the importance of God’s children having the right thoughts about this Kingdom in their minds and in their hearts, thoughts that come from God, thoughts that we get from the study of God’s own word, and if we have a real desire to have these right thoughts about the Kingdom of God our whole lives will be influenced by these thoughts.

“As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.” We are no more than the thoughts we think. If the right thoughts govern our lives and influence us in our choices, then there will be the marks of Christ reproduced and made manifest. If, on the other hand, we permit wrong thoughts to enter into our minds, it influences us in our choices and the opposite will result. Someone has said, “Every thought images itself in the mind and every image persistently held there is bound to materialize.” This seems to be a law; if we think the right thoughts and form the habit of thinking the right thoughts, this will be in evidence in our lives; if we form the habit of thinking wrong thoughts and harbor them, then these wrong thoughts will be made manifest. There are a great many wrong thoughts in the minds of men and women throughout the whole wide world and because of wrong thoughts the world is filled with confusion, more so today than ever. It is more difficult for the average man or woman to get to know and understand what is right than it ever was. There are men and women from whose hearts today there is going up the cry, “Who will show us any good? Where can we get help for our souls, where can we find the satisfaction that we desire so much?”

There are three or four things I would like this afternoon to leave with you in connection with this Kingdom of God. I think they will be easy to remember and when you leave these meetings you can think them over, meditate upon them, and discuss them with your brothers and sisters in God’s family, in God’s Kingdom. Many of God’s people are often distressed because in meetings such as these they feel, “I heard so much I enjoyed and yet somehow or other I remember so little.” Very often they blame themselves and get discouraged and sometimes somewhat depressed. I have been trying to practice a little proverb, it is a very old proverb, a Jewish proverb that has been a great help to me: “If you want to remember anything, teach it to somebody else.” Isn’t that easy? If you want to remember anything, teach it to someone else. Whenever I discover a little nugget of God’s truth in His word I begin to talk about it, and in talking about it, it becomes more firmly rooted in my mind, and if at these meetings the Lord puts some new thoughts, writes some new law in your mind and in your heart that you are anxious to remember, if you try and pass that thought on to somebody else it will strengthen your memory and you will become truly a possessor of that thought or of that truth.

Now, the first thing I would like to say about the Kingdom of God this afternoon is that it is a Kingdom of sacrifice, founded by sacrifice. Every earthly kingdom is founded by something entirely different; in fact, the Kingdom that God sent His Son to manifest and establish is different from any other kingdom the world has ever known. Men, the cleverest of men would never have thought of founding the kind of kingdom that God sent His Son into the world to establish and if we can get firmly fixed in our minds just a few things about this strange Kingdom of God, this Kingdom that is so different from every other kingdom, we will have something to think about and something to talk about that will help us and whenever in our reading we come across the phrase, “Kingdom of Heaven, or Kingdom of God’s dear Son,” then we can pause for a moment, yes, that’s the kind of a kingdom we have been hearing about, that God sent His own Son into the world to establish. Human kingdoms are founded on self seeking, on selfishness, on getting. God’s Kingdom was founded by loving and giving, “God so loved…that He gave…” This sacrifice began in the very courts of heaven, the Father and the Son talking it over, the Father willing to give His Son, the Son willing to give Himself. This sacrifice was evidenced in the whole life and ministry of Jesus from the beginning to the end.

In Paul’s letters, he loved to emphasize the fact that Christ gave Himself, He didn’t give “something,” He gave Himself. He couldn’t give anymore, He didn’t give any less. He gave Himself for our sins, He settled the sin question as the trespass offering, He gave Himself for us as the sin offering, settled the question of what we are by nature. Gave Himself as the whole burnt offering to make clear to our minds once and forever what true consecration or true yielded-ness to the will of God really meant in a human life. It has been said, “It is loving and giving that makes life worth living; it is loving and giving that makes life a song,” and even though in His giving He is spoken of as the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, yet on the last night of His life, looking back He could say to His disciples, “These things have I said unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full.” Selfishness, self seeking, living for self, never brought real satisfaction into any human life. We are all fooled in our earlier years in thinking in getting for ourselves we are going to find rest of heart, peace of mind, and the unhappiest men and women in all the world are the men and women who have accumulated most for themselves. Some people say, “If only I had $10,000.00, then I would be happy;” some say, “If I had $50,000.00, I would be happy” and some say “If I had $100,000.00, I would be happy.” When they get the $10,000.00, $50,000.00, or $100,000.00, they are grabbing after more thousands for the more they get the more they want. It’s loving and giving that makes life worth living; it’s loving and giving that makes life a song. The life of Jesus was that “song.” He had more rest of heart and peace of mind than any other individual that ever lived on earth even though He was tempted and tried in all points like as we are, yet because of the love and peace that governed His life and ministry He lived continuously beneath an open heaven and more than once was comforted by hearing His Father say, “This is My beloved Son…” He sacrificed the last drop of His life’s blood; willingly, uncomplainingly, He gave Himself to the very limit. Apart from that giving, there could be no Kingdom of God; apart from that loving and giving, there could be no gathering such as this, this afternoon. It was His loving and giving that laid the foundation for the Kingdom we are speaking about, that set the headline, who in His own life and ministry manifested the kind of kingdom that His Father had sent Him into the world to establish. That’s the reason why those first disciples, those first preachers, were so willing in their day to sacrifice. There could be no founding of this Kingdom or establishing this Kingdom apart from sacrifice. There could be no possibility of maintaining this Kingdom of God on earth apart from that sacrifice continuing, that sacrifice being maintained. The first preachers were willing to forsake all, those first Christians were willing to put first thing first in their lives, and when their homes were broken up and their property was confiscated and they were scattered, they went everywhere telling of His power, and seeking to win others into this Kingdom of God. It’s a very strange thing that without the aid of the printing press, or the railroad, or the steamboat, or the airplane, the Gospel spread more rapidly in those first days than ever it has done since. When I think about this, I am humiliated. I think back and I say in my heart, “Oh what might have been!” Those first Christians and those first preachers thought of nothing else but the salvation of men, the extension of His Kingdom. I tremble sometimes when I think of the future. As one gets older in the way of life and in the service of God, very serious thoughts creep into one’s mind now and then and it would be foolish if we didn’t look ahead, and the conviction has been deepened in my heart and in my mind if ever this sacrifice on the part of the servants of God and the saints of God dies out in our midst, we become no better than the daughters of Babylon, we have a name to live and are yet dead, we know the way of truth, may be claiming to walk in truth, but the very heart and kernel of all that Jesus lived and taught has vanished, and as in the case of the Laodiceans of old, Christ is left outside. This Kingdom of God cannot be founded, cannot be extended apart from the continual sacrifice of the servants and people of God. We have been spending a few days here in this place, we who are separated unto the ministry, and we have enjoyed hearing each other testify and open up God’s word and as we looked into the faces of these men and women, I was impressed with the tremendous sacrifice that was represented – men and women taking steps that blighted and blasted forever all their earthly prospects, willing to go forth into the world in the name and way of Jesus, as strangers, as poor and homeless as He was. Sometimes I have thought that God’s people, looking at these bondservants and handmaidens of the Lord, forget just what the cost has been even for them to take the first step into the pathway of Jesus. It isn’t an easy thing for a young man or a young woman to say “goodbye” to everything they could have been and could have enjoyed to advantage in Adam, and even in the family of God, and take steps to separate them from all this, and then year in and year out in the joys and sorrows of service, keeping their lives upon God’s altar. If I were asked this afternoon what men and women in the world I admire most, that I respect most, that I would like to honor most, it is the men and women who have heard the whisper of Jesus in their hearts, and for His sake and a lost world have gone forth in His name, losing their lives, wasting them, in order to bring you and others into His great family, His great Kingdom. If there is no real love in your hearts this afternoon for such men and women, then I am a little afraid there is something very seriously, very radically wrong with your experience, for the spirit and attitude you assume toward those that have made themselves poor, homeless, and strangers for the Gospel’s sake will ultimately determine where you will be in Eternity. Remember what Jesus said in this connection on one occasion, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me.” It is very easy for you here in Montana to minister to some of the visiting brethren who are a little older in the way of life, but Jesus didn’t say, “Inasmuch as ye did it unto the oldest and most prominent…” He said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these…” so that He measures your interest in His Kingdom and the real worth of your fellowship in the Gospel, by your attitude toward those who are weaker and very often have little place. Isn’t that like Jesus? “Inasmuch as ye have done it to the least of these…” One of the things that we who are the servants of God very often think upon is the fact that He never asked any of His servants to take one single step that He Himself had not taken. He made no demand upon any that He, Himself had not faced. He left two homes, we have left but one. He said, “Goodbye,” to His heavenly home and later He said, “Goodbye,” to His earthly home, He sacrificed both homes. He said, “The foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests, but, the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.” We surely enjoy the hospitality of God’s people and the comfort of their homes, but we are reminded very, very often that we are just passing on, guests for an hour or a day, and we go on to live this homeless life for Jesus’ sake and the Gospel. Thank God for the parents who have joyfully given their boys and girls to go forth into God’s harvest field. Many a mother’s and father’s heart has been broken as they pleaded, would not give their consent, but their boys and girls went nevertheless, that’s the spirit that counts if this Kingdom of God is going to be established in this world. Apart from lives laid down, apart from men and women willing to be as the kernel of wheat that falls into the ground and dies, there could be no Kingdom of God and no extension of the Kingdom of God. The whole future of God’s servants, of His people to sacrifice, if by any means they can be used in extending His Kingdom, to bring men and women into His Kingdom, founded by sacrifice.

The second thing I would like to impress upon you with regard to this Kingdom is that it is a reign of love, not law. In this respect, it is different from every kingdom the world has ever known, all kingdoms have been founded as kingdoms of law. You must do this, you must not do that. This code of laws is necessary in the kingdoms of men, but in this Kingdom of God it is a reign of love and not law. That seems very weak, doesn’t it? How could a kingdom be established on earth without rules, without laws, without regulations? How could a kingdom be established on earth by love? That’s the very thing Jesus came to do. He came to impart life unto men and establish in their hearts a Kingdom where love would reign and not law.. We have met many of God’s people at different times and they are anxious for us to tell them just what they should do and not do, they would be very pleased if we would sit down and write them out a set of rules or laws to direct their lives and then they would look at them every day and honestly try to obey them, but they wouldn’t be much farther on. The only power that will bring about the fulfillment of the purpose of God in the hearts and lives of His people is the power of love. Paul said, “The love of Christ constraineth me.” That’s the motive that governs, that controls. It’s the love of Christ, not the love for Christ, but the same love that was in the heart of Christ in relationship to His own disciples and for those out there in the cold dark world, that’s the love that will count.

The basic law in the United States is the Constitution, men may come and men may go, but it remains. No town, city, county, or state can enforce any law that isn’t in line with the Constitution or its Amendments. The basic law of the Kingdom of God is the law of love. On that last night of the life of Jesus, looking into the future and knowing better than His disciples what awaited them, understanding the difficulties and problems that they would have to face as they went out into the world to fulfill His commission, He didn’t give to them that night a set of laws or regulations, He gave them a new commandment. He said, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another” – a Kingdom that’s a reign of love and not law.

I remember some years ago when on my way down to South America, I was asked to preach in the First Class Saloon on Sunday morning. I accepted the invitation; I spoke to them about what it meant to be a Christian. In the afternoon, I was sitting in a chair on the deck and a man sat down beside me and introduced himself as a professor of history at the University of California, and stated he was very much interested in what he had heard. I told him of the ministry I was engaged in. He could not believe there was such a group of people on earth. I could not convince him. The ministry of the Kingdom is a very wonderful thing to me, that it’s possible for men and women to be united and held together in this Kingdom of God without all the different aids that men of the world consider so absolutely necessary. When love reigns, when we are willing to let love reign and guide and govern our thinking and actions, and all our relationships with our brethren then we are going to get somewhere. Men of the world will say, “How weak it is.” Some people would be puzzled, how did you all get here? How did you hear about these meetings?

If you want to know what this love is that Jesus spoke that last night of His life, it’s to be found in I Corinthians 13. God’s Kingdom is made up of men and women, brethren in the same family, who have purposed in their hearts to live in obedience to the law of love as defined in 1 Corinthians 13. Did you ever allow the Lord to search your soul as you read that chapter, and as you read it, did you feel that the word is indeed sharper than any two-edged sword? There are none of us if really honest with ourselves and each other, but will hang our heads and say we have come far short of this, but how wonderful if there is a real purpose in our hearts to say even though I have come far short and have failed often, and even though I have violated this law of love in my heart, I want henceforth to live in obedience to the law of love.

There are seven things mentioned in this chapter that love will not do; seven things mentioned that will always characterize the law of love, you can separate these two lists, can measure yourself by these two lists, and would it not be a very wonderful thing if we really grasp that simple statement Paul makes when he says, “Love never fails?” Other things will fail but love never fails. I think if I know my own heart, and you know your hearts are very deceitful and desperately wicked and hard to understand, but I would like better to know how to live in obedience to this law of love, because if I do I can’t fail, and no man or woman will fail and wherever they will go they will be a blessing among God’s people. If we do not recognize this kingdom which we represent is a reign, not of law, but of love, we won’t get very far. There is another thing I would like to mention, this Kingdom of God is a kingdom where all serve and none rule, the spirit of service, not of ruling predominated.

During the meetings here, Willie quoted to us that passage in Philippians 2 that has often searched our souls, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…and took upon Him the form of a servant…wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him…that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” I know my soul has been searched by these words of Paul, this appeal of God’s servant to God’s people in Philippi when he said, “Let this mind be in you …” He was dealing with the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, was dealing with the need of harmony in the family of God on earth. He said, “If you want harmony, if you want the right spirit to be manifested, you let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” I wonder how many of us this afternoon could honestly say, “I would like that, I would like my whole life to be controlled and governed by the mind that was in Christ Jesus – a Kingdom of service and not of rule.” Very easy for us to allow thoughts in our minds that this Kingdom of God is more or less like the kingdoms of the world where men rule and reign over their fellows. Jesus said, “There is no room in My kingdom for anything like that, for in My kingdom any who are truly in fellowship with Me, have no desire to rule, they have a passion to serve.”

Let me read in this connection a little from Matthew 20. You remember the incident of those two sons of this mother asking her to make an appeal to Jesus, in His Kingdom that one might sit on the right hand and one on the left hand, seemed they had not caught the real spirit that governed His life. The whole idea of ruling and reigning, of being great in the eyes of men had taken possession of them, so they asked their mother to appeal to Jesus that they might get ahead of the other ten. “And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren, but Jesus called them unto Him and said, ‘Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them, but it shall not be so among you; But whosoever shall be great among you let him be your servant; even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give His life a ransom for many.’” He was talking here to preachers. Luke 22:27, “For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat or he that serveth? Is not he that sitteth at meat? But I am among you as he that serveth.” The oldest and most responsible of God’s servants on that day took the place of the servant of all. “I am among you as one that serveth.” Is it not then a very strange coincidence that the King Himself would come down and down and down, and then take upon Himself the form of a servant and be amongst His brethren as one that serves? Wouldn’t it be a very wonderful thing if in all our relationship with each other as the servants of God and people of God, we drank deeply of this spirit, that the mind that was in Christ Jesus might be in us and that the spirit of service would rule in every little church, in every little group of God’s people, in every group of God’s servants, where if there is any competition at all, it would be in competition for the place of service?

One more illustration: Do you remember the last night of His life in that upper room? It was customary in those days for the younger, or the least in a group, to take the place of a slave and wash the dirty feet of the rest of the company. On that night Jesus waited and waited for some of them to take the place of the servant. He thought perhaps John might do that, or Bartholomew, or Peter, but He was disappointed and we are told He rose from supper and He girded Himself and He got a basin and took a towel and went around and washed the dirty feet of these disciples. I can understand Peter’s protests, but Jesus made clear he had to learn this lesson and learn it well or he had no part. Peter said, “Wash me hand and foot.” He could not bear the thought of being separated from Jesus. Jesus said, “I have left thee an example.” Would it not be a very wonderful thing if throughout the coming year we would recognize this Kingdom of God of which we form a part, is a Kingdom of sacrifice, that it’s a reign of love, and not law, and it’s a Kingdom where all serve and none rule? That was the idea in the heart of Jesus. May God grant that each of us may have grace to fill our appointed place so that the future of our lives will bring more honor to God and blessing to men, for His Name’s sake.

It has been my experience since arriving in New Zealand, to be greeted by the people of God in different parts. Tonight I feel it is an honour that you have a care just to hear a little more about that gospel we all love so much and which has meant so much to us in the years that have passed. There is just one regret I have in coming to Auckland, and it is the only one. It is that our brother and sister, Wilson and Mrs. McClung are not here also. But we know, as the results of their labour, many of us are here tonight.

I thought I would just like to mention them, because we surely owe so much to them. They have meant much in building the foundation on which we live our life in Christ. It was they who brought the gospel to me, not so many years ago, and I was glad when Wilson spoke to me one day and said, “Would you like to go into the service of the Lord?” I am here again amongst you, and a number of years have passed since.

I didn’t know then just what it would mean to be a servant of God–we are not shown these things beforehand, they come by experience. And our faith may not be revealed the day we make our choice. We know it is something we desire, that we want to yield to, this claim of the gospel, but in those early days, we don’t fully know what God will require of us as we seek to be true to the inner urging that was the result of hearing the voice of God in the Gospel. But we are glad of this: that in the things the Gospel makes known to us, God does and God will reveal Himself to the faithful. That no matter where we are, nor the circumstances of life, He will be a strength to them, a comfort to them, and a power to them that they may overcome those three powers which are indeed mighty against those who will be the children of God. Need, I mention them? The world, the flesh, and all that is false. We know that Wilson laboured to that end that we might have a right understanding of what God requires today and a right knowledge of what is fitting–of what is true and what is false in the world.

I thought tonight it would be very fitting, before I talk to you of those things which occurred during my absence from you, to give you a few scriptures. For Friends, we are still interested in making known the Truth as it is in Jesus. And tonight, I believe this meeting will take a different form from most meetings. I still want you to feel that, to most of us at least, it will deepen the purpose of God in our hearts to be willing to be true to Him in the world.

The first scripture I want to call your attention to is this: Matthew 4. After Jesus wrestled with the devil, resisting His temptations, He spoke those words to a few men, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They were fishers by profession around the Lake of Galilee with their home on the lake. They went out in their ships to fish and make a living by that means. They were ordinary men, used to stress and strain of circumstances, danger, sudden emergencies, calling upon their initiative and will-power. It was to them Jesus spoke these words. It does not tell us they were very religious men, not well-educated men, but they were fishermen, and Jesus saw that He could use them. He told them, “Follow me.” Nothing of the world about it. God working through Jesus would enable these men, by taking their example from Him, and seeing how He lived, to be inspired to do the same work.

Jesus never asked any man to do more than He was willing to do Himself. He came alone to represent God’s Truth to men, and He stood firm against the scorning of men and their mocking attitude. And in spite of this, He still showed forth the love of God and His compassion toward men. Later on He spoke to those men again, saying, “The harvest truly is great but the laborers are few.” He was not referring to the fruits of the earth. He was referring to the harvest of men and women. Oh, the need there is today, as ever there was, for us to lift up our eyes and see the great opportunity of service for Him. What would you think if you had a field of wheat ripe and ready for harvesting and there was no means of doing it? The world gives it a name: “dead loss.” There are countless millions of souls tonight yet unaware of the purpose of God for their lives; yet unaware of what their inheritance in Christ could be: if only they knew.

Here was Jesus inspiring these men to see the possibilities that lay before them of increasing the work and extending the Kingdom that Jesus was speaking about and giving men a glimpse of. Look into this room tonight. There may be souls in here for the first time, and some may have been here many times over. Have you begun to seek a little farther than these four walls in the possibility of living for God in your own locality first? Then have you lifted up your eyes a little farther to see perhaps a need–and to meet that need? That is what these men were inspired to think. That as Jesus called them, He called them for a definite purpose to so yield to the claim of God upon their lives that His harvest could not be lost. That it would be gathered in with great rejoicing.

Jesus again spoke to His disciples after His resurrection in Matthew 28:19, “Go ye therefore and teach all nations; Lo, I am with you always.” All nations!–Japan is one of these. Germany is another. For there is no exception in God’s case. Since returning home here there has been this voiced amongst some, “The Japanese should be exterminated.” Christians spoke that! The command to His servants is to go to all nations! The whole world is included, and it is that attitude that sends them forth. There are some that are chosen, as regards nations, and some are rejected. Can we take such an attitude, friends? No! I think that attitude would hinder us from enjoying to the fullest the mercy and the love of God. If we could think that there are some nations of the world not worthy, we are becoming judges and becoming partial and also jealous. We would not be showing the right and true love and compassion. How much we need the love of God in our case, and where would we be without it? Certainly with as little hope as the Japanese.

They were instructed to go among all nations, teaching them to observe all things, that in nothing they would alter what Jesus had taught them and had shown them. Jesus came homeless, nameless, and un-provided for so that the work which He accomplished and the lives He drew unto Himself should show forth the wonderful power of God and His workings. Tonight we have found the same results that Jesus found, and the disciples found as they sought to go forth in His name. He found not the multitudes. No, never have there been multitudes. But there have been ones and twos, who feeling their need, conscious of their weakness, and yet anxious to do what is right in the sight of God, have yielded.

Because we have found the world a very dissatisfying place, the ways of men irksome, hard to bear, to know that we were dead as having believed a deception, and that the servants of God have come and preached the Truth, and we have seen in it “hope,” and “something that satisfies and gives us life”–in spite of having to live in a world amongst ungodly people–we can have joy and peace of heart because we are right with God.

In 1937 Sam Lang and I went to Japan. That nation is a country very few people know anything about–a land of 72 million people, a little larger than New Zealand and all their homes can be put in an area about the size of Southland. They don’t have the privilege we have, and they don’t have God in their lives. They have gods, yes, many of them, thousands of them. The Emperor is their God for he is the center of their nation and to them he is Divine.

While I was in Japan, many of you used to write to me. Sometimes we spell a word wrong. I know I do. And we have 26 letters whereby we spell a word in our language. Sometimes we leave a letter out, and sometimes we put in one too many. But, nevertheless, being our own language, we understand what is meant. But they have 50,000 characters, and if you write to someone and leave a character out, or put in one too many, they don’t know what is meant and they don’t attempt to find out. They don’t do any thinking for themselves. You have to be correct or else they don’t attempt to write. It is just the same in speech. And with all the blunders I used to make, I just got into some nasty predicaments. They will not think for you at all–they don’t even go half-way unless you say it correctly and in the manner in which they are used to hearing it. Otherwise, they don’t know what you said and don’t attempt to know it. They just sit and look at you blankly. It was to these people Sam and I went. Upon arriving there we hired a little house, not much bigger than 15 feet. Sam had already been in Japan and knew the language fairly well. But I didn’t know a word of it, so I had to go to school every day and begin to learn over again how to speak. Yes, they teach you baby language first and right through the grades up. If you don’t get the fundamentals you have great difficulty in expressing yourself. The teachers are very thorough. They start off with encouraging you that a foreigner takes twenty years to learn the language! Well, you feel you are there in the country, so you might as well begin. Two hours each day (except Sunday) and as many hours as you can crowd in at home, you study. In the district where we lived, it was very crowded, so you could touch your neighbors by just putting out your hand. The children got very friendly with us, and though I couldn’t talk with them, Sam did. And when I came home from school, I used to use a few words I had learned on those little innocents. Sometimes they would tell me, “Whatever you learned at school isn’t Japanese.” You feel very discouraged, but you stick it out anyway, and they are not ashamed to help you out. One thing I can say, if you want help, go to children. They were not satisfied with just telling me. But they would tell me a thousand times and then they would take the place of the teacher and say, “Now you do it.” You have to learn the language because you cannot reach the people in any other way. Because they don’t know English, you try to learn their language, and reasonably quick.

Little by little as time went on, we got acquainted with several very nice people. And as I say, we took the Gospel to that country, one of the “all” nations, and strove by our lives to show a little of what we believed and valued most in life. In living amongst them as we did, we felt that Christians ought to live anywhere and be an example. It was the thing that impressed me much. Because when the white man goes abroad, he lives in such a different style to the people of the country he goes to. And they had never seen in that land, at any rate, white men living among them. There were men who went there on business and were engaged by the Embassy and so on, living in “compounds,” separated from the others, living more or less as they would in their own country–in style and luxury. They had never seen a white man living among them as they lived, and it spoke to them very much. It enabled them, although we were not very fluent with the language, nor over-confident in ourselves, to have confidence in us and enabled them to approach and talk to us and question us. Because of their interest in us, which was sincere, we told them the reason we were there and what we were hoping to do. These common people thought it a wonderful privilege that they had the opportunity of talking to us and knowing a little of what we believed and lived for.

It is not as quick as that, or as I have said. There are many walks of life in Japan. The ordinary people are engaged in different occupations, but their living is so different from ours. You people here are used to the 40-hour week and the five-day week with the union rates of pay and provision for old age, sickness, or accidents at your work. There is no 40-hour week there. It is as long as you can physically stand it, and it is almost 16 hours a day you would work. This is Sunday, too, and 365 day per year. Sometimes a holiday comes. Any average man’s wage there would be equivalent to three and half pounds a month here. Yet they raise a family of six, meeting the expense of the home. How they do it and have a little extra to spend, I don’t know.

It would do any of us good, I believe, at certain stages of our life, to see such conditions as they live under. It would broaden our minds and enable us to realize things and make us quit grumbling about the petty things we do. These people don’t know what liberty is and have not done so for many years. Their whole life is regulated for them from the cradle to the grave. Yes, even their thinking is done for them in essential things. All they have to do is fit in and fill their place. They are just ground down–no individuality left there. They cannot live as they choose, nor raise their families as they choose, nor have any liberty at all in that respect.

That was the condition that prevailed when we went there in 1937. But as I say, living among those people and seeking to be an example to them and a help, we aroused an interest in the district in which we lived, and people came to hear us. We had hardly what you would term meetings there, but they gathered at the home from time to time and we would have a talk with them. I told you the Emperor is the center and power of that country, and so if you preach there, you would be told politely to leave the country by the authorities (not the common people). You dare not, that is if you want the privilege to remain, announce meetings. You try to be a little diplomatic in your approach to people.

Now how would you approach people and begin a subject about which nothing is known–that is, the subject of God? First you must convince people that He is. How would you begin? Tell them that He is–preach to them all about Him? You wouldn’t convince them very much. Well, we used these things God has set in the Heavens and Earth that even the unthinking man when looking upon them is convinced that there is a power that has created these things, and which holds them even tonight. We endeavoured along the lines of natural history, and the races of the earth, and the bodies in the heavens. In this way, we brought the people’s minds to the place where they began to think, “What is the power which has created and kept those things in order until tonight?”

We put a very searching question to them, “Do you think it would be man?”

They said, “No.”

“Well, who do you think it would be? Someone high in the land?” We inferred the Emperor, but not in those words, but they knew what we meant. “Well, who then?” Now we had gotten them thinking and that is the thing they don’t often do. How we should rejoice in the liberty we have in thought!

They finally answered, “It must be a power we do not know.”

Now we could begin on that. One thing we found was that the people enjoyed the land and a big farm over there is six acres. He would be a big landholder. The average is two acres. And yet, whether it is six or two, those families can make a living, and they appreciated the help we gave them.

Oh, but it was slow work! It was a little over three years that our efforts lasted amongst those people. I don’t suppose any of us went to meetings for more than three months before we understood. It shows how interested those people must have become–in spite of our difficulties with the language and being foreigners to them. How interested in the things we were seeking to make known to them, for them to have endured that long a time. But we had to go back to the beginning from time-to-time with these people. For, as I told you, they knew nothing about which we preach. We had to lay the foundation, the acknowledgement that God is God, then building from that. And that is not easy. Those things taught just slipped out of the minds of the people, and they would come again and again. And we would have to begin again from the ground up, over and over again, learning the language at the same time. And it seemed you could never accomplish anything. Well, I believe I feel convinced tonight that if circumstances had not altered, there would have been some who would have come out from amongst them (these 72 million people) to be true to the claims of God upon their lives.

In 1939, the indication of this possibility was undoubtedly appearing to the minds of the authorities, for their attitude toward the common people changed. I am not referring to the white men, I am referring to the Japanese Nationals over there and the attitude of their government towards them–we did not count. The white man does not count over there: they have no time for him; they have no provision or place for him, yet they allow him to go there. And I have never yet found a Japanese of whom I was afraid.

Those Japanese people are as kind and as hospitable and generous as any I have found in New Zealand. There are people, common people, who open up their homes gladly to you and make you welcome–stranger though you are. And you feel sometimes humbled that you cannot help them more. I have had a welcome anywhere I have gone in Japan–from the common people. And they will give me a bed if necessary. They would make you welcome to all they have. And often I have gone into the country, to become a little more expert on my own in the language (because when you are together, you often depend upon the better speaker–just the same as Moses depended upon his brother Aaron). So it is good to get away from your companion for a while and stand on your own feet. There and then you have to use what you know and make yourself understood, and it is good practice and an opportunity to prove yourself. Everywhere I went on these occasions the people were just as if they were my own kind and did what they could. They felt a little different, my being a white man, knowing that our tastes and ways are different. But as soon as they knew I could eat what they ate, their embarrassment ended. They think it is a wonderful thing for anybody else to eat the same kind of food they eat and enjoy it. These were some of the people we tried to work amongst and help.

There was one family in which the woman ran a little boarding house for students, who could not help but be impressed with us. Her two sons, one 19 and one 21, were friendly to us. This woman did little things she thought might make our living there a little more pleasant. She was a humble, pleasant woman and she would do washing or mending or cooking now and then and showed by these things she was appreciative of what we were trying to do. Her two sons were going to college and were studying English, one of the subjects they have to take. We helped those boys with their English, and they were very grateful.

Disease is very common in the Orient. Tuberculosis is the most common. Leprosy is another. And these people are not like us in being ashamed to appear in public eaten by disease. There are other diseases that are unmentionable–many that leave their mark on a person. The youngest son of this woman took ill of this disease and died, so the mother invited us along to her home. The husband was very concerned, and in the home was the priest (not Catholic, but a man that instructs the people in the way of the Emperor, who is called “Shinto.”) Shinto-ism is one of the “isms” of Emperor worship. This priest was performing the last rites over the body. And this woman, who called us because she had known us for some time, wanted a little comfort, not having much comfort from her husband. She told us in confidence that she would drive that man (the priest) out of her house, but she dare not. That is the condition under which they live. They fear to take matters into their own hands. She turned to me and said, “Would I tell her a little of what I believed.” The Japanese people by nature are not emotional. You will never know what they are thinking of, or believing, or feeling outwardly. I have never yet seen that quality or that virtue called “love” in the families–as we know it. Not between husband and wife or families is any emotion shown at all. But evidently that woman, becoming acquainted with us and knowing what we were seeking to do, showed a little of what touched her heart. She felt perhaps that she could get more comfort in the little that could be told to her stumblingly from us than in all the ways she had known in her own country.

From 1939 to 1941 the government did not leave these people alone, and neither did they leave us alone. They questioned and cross-questioned us and the police visited us every week. You have to ask him inside. And often it was such a long visit that you had to give him a cup of tea. He will not go at your bidding, so you have to make the best of it and entertain him. They were not altogether satisfied with what they learned from questioning us and the answers we gave them. We had nothing to hide. We were not ashamed of anything we were doing, but they shadowed us constantly–even to showing their suspicion of us. This was the manner in which they treated the white men over there, so we were no exception. From the authorities, our common designation is “spy.” So no matter what you confess to them that you are not a spy (or put down on the affidavit), you can not convince them that you are not a spy. Unfortunately, that is one of the things you have to fight against over there, because they have (in the past days) discovered people who have gone out there under the guise of missionaries and have used that profession as a means of acquiring a knowledge that was useful to their own country. So they tack the name “spy” to every white man. These things can only be lived down. It is no use being grieved or vexed about it.

Toward the end of 1940, those people who were coming and showing an interest in the things we were trying to teach them were also dealt with by the Japanese authorities. And naturally, they were ruthless with their own and put fear into those people’s hearts. Those people became afraid of even coming in contact with us on the streets because they maybe would have to pay a terrible price. Little by little they ceased to come, until finally, we wondered if it was any use staying on or not.

This was surely a discouraging atmosphere to be continually under suspicion and then those you were working among also treated alike. No one likes to confess failure. But as far as I can feel tonight, although seed was sown in the efforts put forth, results are not yet. Maybe this war that has spread over so many nations may be the means of breaking down those powers and that system which operated over those people and kept them bound as they were–I don’t know. All I hope is that if this war has been fought for anything at all, that it will be possible for that nation (among others) to be opened up to the preaching of the Gospel.

About Christmas in 1940, we were invited to go to the Philippines, another Oriental country. One outstanding event which I will never forget on our departure from Japan is that the people who had come to our meetings and had become acquainted with us came to say “farewell” to us at the train–which I will never forget, “We are sorry you are going.” So evidently there was something beginning in their lives and it can only be with regret that they are left in that condition. We went away to the Philippines, having been invited there by Willie Jamieson (who has charge of the work there) and also by Jack Carroll of America. Those two invited us to come and have a change and see if the war clouds would not disperse. Well, we know they did not. But in the Philippines–what a change and contrast from Japan!

They are a people who, except for their color and way of life, are similar to us. They are English-speaking ( they are taught English in their schools), so they understood every word we spoke.

The Philippine people (because their country is sunny, I suppose) are easy-going, even-tempered people with simple living in tastes. But they have many weaknesses. They don’t know as we (and perhaps we don’t know too well, either) the responsibilities of life–our obligations to our families and those dependent on us, etc. And in other things, they are extravagant. They are a nation of gamblers. And often it has been the case that the head of the house has received his paycheck on Friday night, and by the time he comes home, he is penniless and poor. There is that something in him that he cannot resist, just as if he has something in his pocket which is burning a hole there, and he cannot hold onto it until he gets home. Thus he is separated from that which he needs so much to support his family.

They practice cock-fighting there, and in that way spend a lot of time and money. They treat the rooster with more care than their family. They will do all kinds of things to train that rooster, and on Sunday they gather together at the cock-pit, a huge place. From morning to night they put roosters one against the other. At the end of the day: a heap of dead chickens.

It was to those people the Gospel was taken–ordinary, simple, weak people. Yet it was wonderful–the results that were found. When we went there we saw just how those people respond to the Gospel message. Over here, it seems like drawing teeth to get people out to meetings. You go and invite them to gospel meetings, and they can put up so many excuses that they cannot come. Always there is something that seems to be hindering–for some, it seems they are pretty glad to have an excuse to offer.

Over there, we looked for an open lot of land where we could pitch a tent. We only used the roof, for people would suffocate if we used the sides. As soon as we began to put up the tent, the people came along, “What are you doing here?”

“We are having meetings.”

“What kind of meetings?”

“Gospel meetings.”

“Can I come?”

“Certainly!”

“Can I bring my friends?”

“Most certainly!” They were all ready.

And in fact, for the first ten days or so we didn’t visit. How about it in New Zealand? When we did go to visit them, this is what we hear (in the Philippines): “I have been to your meetings. I am still coming. I know you. You are one of the preachers. Come in!” This is our response after we have been preaching a while. We visit all the neighborhood and get acquainted. They know us before we know them. They love the gospel, and yet they are, or have been, Roman Catholic. Four hundred years ago the Spanish captured the Philippines, and among other things, they introduced the faith of their country–Roman Catholicism. That is a regret to us. Just as it was in Japan that the government has so much power in denying them privileges and rights of life. It is more than regret. It is deep grief, for they have robbed and spoiled these people and made themselves rich and fat on what those poor ignorant people need.

Willie Jamieson was like a father to those people–they love him just as much. There was nothing they enjoyed more than to see him coming among them and opening up to them the scriptures. We would attempt to do the same, and they always enjoyed our company. They acknowledged us as the “Sons of God.” We are not conceited in that, friend. Because that is what we endeavour in this world: “sons” and “servants” of God–the means whereby God can reach you and me, and speak to us, and make Himself known. As I said, these people were weak and easily led astray. Many temptations in their lives, but the gospel seemed to make a great deal of difference in their lives. They now realized their responsibilities to their families and those dependent upon them and understood that they needed to bring home what they earned. They changed from gambling and cock-fighting, and other extravagances, because they found life has a greater purpose and a deeper meaning to them.

There is a common acknowledgement or admission among us over there, and that is (now, I don’t want anybody to get puffed up): “the women are the best.” They have far more character. There is something far more solid about them, and you can depend on it. If you advise them, they will willingly carry it out. But the men are weaker. We have seen all these things put right as we faithfully ministered to them in the gospel. There was nothing we enjoyed more than their fellowship. And tonight, the thought of them over there in the Philippines is still a great inspiration to me. I suppose (I don’t know if it is wrong to number those people) there may be over two hundred who have already been brought to the fold and family of God over there in the Philippines. And it has been only nine short years that the gospel has been preached over there. There was a wonderful response. They loved and were eager for it.

The parents realize when they make their choice that they are responsible for their little ones, to their friends, and to their neighbors. They say, “The time was when we went in for other things. But now we know better, and we want to live to be an example to our children, neighbors, and friends.” This was the result of preaching the gospel.

At the end of 1941, after we had enjoyed such experiences (and our hearts had begun to expand again with hope, and our feelings were restored after the experiences in Japan), again calamity came. War broke out and the invader came into the Philippines. And those people came to us as the Christians came to Paul in his day when he journeyed to Jerusalem–weeping. We had been among them and had been such a help to their lives that they feared to know what to do now. And the enemy was among them. Willie advised them, and we all counseled them, to be true to what we had taught them in the meetings and to keep their faith and trust in God. They “. . . should not be shaken by outward conditions,” we said. And [we told them] they should try to live peaceably and as quietly as they could, in spite of the new conditions prevailing. And we were taken off to internment camp.

We did not know our future course, but they could speak across the fence, and we told them there was nothing much they could do but [that] they could bring us our beds and a few other things such as that. The Japanese had kindly told us we did not need such things. They said they would bring us some, and they did. In many other ways they showed they were not ashamed to acknowledge us as their preachers and the ones they believed in. From the day the Japanese first entered Manila, they tried to stop all meetings of all kinds, but these people continued. They had their little meetings on Sundays and got great help and strength from them to face those conditions which were so strange to them, which deprived them of their liberty and the ordinary means of existence in their country. In the middle of January 1942, we were told (by “we” I mean all of our kind–that is, missionaries, doctors, teachers, nurses) we would be released from internment. And we, of course, were glad for the privilege of going back to the place we were taken from and again seeking to help our friends there.

There was rejoicing to seeing us coming home again. They gathered around us and did what they could again–ministering to us, for every facility for the white man was now nonexistent, and they were poor. The Japanese had pooled everything, and we had to live. We were interned in our homes with the privilege that on Sundays we could have our meetings with our people in our places if we notified the Japanese authorities. We were permitted to go there, and they were permitted to care for us, and we had two meetings every Sunday. And every one of them came every Sunday. They would never miss–unless sickness or something kept them home. So we had wonderful times of fellowship together. And from these people (being filled with fear and doubt as to how they should live and what they should do) they became calm and quiet–satisfied to leave the directing of their lives to us. In all things they showed they were willing to abide by our counsel and the things we had taught them in the Gospel. This enabled us to live under those conditions, peacefully. Yes, and I believe “happily,” because of what had been brought into their lives. Formerly, no doubt, they had sought to oppose their enemies, with what result! Now they could still enjoy what we had taken to them, in spite of conditions which made it hard for them to live naturally. They tried to help us as best they could. We knew what was impossible for them to do for us. Things were scarce. They did what they could, though, as many we read of the Bible days did. God has not been ashamed to leave it on record to inspire us, in our turn, to do what we can.

At the end of 1942, we saw that we would have to do something–prices were soaring up and out of reach. Commodities, the bare necessities of life, were hard to get. And my companion, Herman Beaber, one of the American workers, and myself, decided (having many requests made for us to teach English) to do so. These Filipinos said they did not want to have the Japanese teaching. So they asked us if we could, or if we would, teach.

Attached to the place where we lived was a plot of land, and we turned it into a vegetable garden. And besides Herman’s teaching every day, he went along to the market every morning and sold surplus vegetables Willie grew in the garden. By that means, we obtained the where-with-all to supply our needs. Leo Stancliffe, the other worker, was not very well. So he said, “I cannot do much, but I will cook.” Some of you folks know quite a bit about cooking, but I think your abilities would be taxed to the limit with the things he did not get to cook with. He used to put dishes on the table, and I don’t know how. They were mighty good, though. By this means we managed to just exist.

I will tell you a few prices. It is the equivalent of value in your money here. You are rationed in certain goods, but you obtain them. And if the quality is not very much, well, it is enough to last you until you get your next ration. And then on blank days, you can call on your friends. Eggs over there are £4 each. Meat: the despised animal–the pig, £14 a pound. Ordinarily, you can buy rice for a few pence for several pounds, but now it was 5 pounds for £100. Sugar, of which 80,000,000 tons are exported in peace time, went up to £100 a pound. I had a birthday in the internment camp, and a friend gave me a teaspoon of sugar. It was quite a sacrifice and quite a present. In fact, the most costly present I have received. Those were the prevailing prices they had to pay, not just we who were white.

In July 1944 we were again visited by Japanese officers and told, “Tomorrow you will be ready with your bag and baggage to go again to internment.”

Our conditions, that is, barring the time we were interned in our own homes, were certainly not much better than those in camp. For we had to struggle to live, and our physical condition was none too good. However, on this day of July 1944, we were again taken to internment. Our friends gathered again in sorrow, and again we could only tell them the same things and try to encourage them. They brought a few things and trifles that they thought we could use in camp, and off we went to a place fifty miles from Manila. We left Ernest Stanley in San Tomas Internment Camp in Manila. All through the war, he was the interpreter between the Japanese and the Americans–interpreting the Japanese will to the internees. Then he earned a good deal of disfavour for the first two years. But afterwards, they couldn’t speak highly enough of him in the efforts he made to benefit the camp. He has suffered much–not bodily, but mentally–because of the things he was willing to undertake to do for the sake of his fellowmen (over 3,000 of them in the internment camp in the city of Manila).

If ever a man lived a Christian life, that man did and truly showed forth the love of God to his fellows there–in spite of conditions which were so entirely against him. Many whom I have met since coming here could not speak highly enough of him. We were taken to Los Banos, fifty miles from Manila. So we did not see Ernest anymore. There were 1,500 ordinary civilian internees and 500 other missionaries and others who went to this camp. The camp was quite comfortable. You don’t expect luxury in a prison. And it was fair, as far as living conditions were concerned. As I said, we could take our beds and bedding with us, and others wished they had. There were seven sewing machines taken in and were very useful in repairing clothes. Some took in shoe repairing kits and kept the shoes of the people in order. Many other things of this kind were instituted. And for as long as we had to endure the conditions, it was not unbearable. We were all given duties, and it was good that we were. For it kept our minds occupied and gave our bodies some exercise. We didn’t continually burden ourselves over conditions over which we had no control.

For the first three months we had three meals a day–not as you have here. Rice is the base, and with it, a little stew of some kind–vegetable or otherwise. And it kept us alive–gave us enough strength to do what was required of us. But as soon as America bombed Manila (the first time, on September 21), then the Japanese retaliated–not by physical ill treatment, but they reduced our food to two meals a day. The interned with us who were looking after the people if they fell sick did wonderfully well: kept disease down, kept the health of the camp pretty good, but they could not combat disease without medicine. When their supplies ran out, they appealed to the Japanese to obtain more. And they said, “We can not.”

The truth was “they would not”–there was plenty.

People’s clothing wore out. In hot countries clothing perishes quickly, and we appealed for clothing of any kind, old or new. But they again said, “We cannot get them.” Again, there was plenty, but they “would” not. From then on, conditions got worse and worse. We were grieved in this: that up to the fence of the camp there was food–not the very best, but still it was food–and sufficient to sustain life for all those internees. There were coconuts, sweet potatoes, peanuts, bananas, mangoes, and all those things which could have sustained life and kept us in fairly healthy condition. But there was a fence between us and this food. Besides, the Japanese police were there night and day. Many attempted to get out and get some of those things, but that was the last day they lived. No questions were asked and none answered. It isn’t a very pleasant situation to be in when you are surrounded by only that and the helplessness of your fellowmen.

We four, Herman Beaber, Leo Stancliff, Willie Jamieson, and I (I am glad to say) were not separated in those experiences. From the day we first went into the camp until we were rescued, we enjoyed our fellowship meeting every Sunday morning and a little talk during the week and sometimes at noon or during the day.

It was February 23 of this year when we were rescued from that camp (1945). On that day we had been about our camp duties. We were beginning to again face another day, and our good night to each other had been, “Well, I wonder if our rescue will be tomorrow?” and our good morning, “Well, I wonder if our rescue will be today?” On this morning at daybreak an awful lot of transport planes came over and dropped parachute troops around the camp, and then we knew that, if the fortunes of war did not go against us, that surely the last day in the camp had come. (Willie had spoken to us the day before and said, “All day that verse had been going through my mind: ‘Be still and know that I am God.’”)

Yes, Willie had been a wonderful help to us there, as he had been a help to those Filipinos, and a wonderful source of inspiration to us enabling us to endure it. This morning (after these troops were dropped–at the same time as they came upon the scene) coming across the lake which separated the camp from the American lines was a flood of tanks. And as soon as the troops had landed by parachute and dealt with our garrison, these tanks were ready to take us out. They just let down the end of them and we walked in.

This helped us to bear the situation which was against us naturally. In spite of everything being so wrong and seeing the weaknesses of men with men, we felt assured of this comfort: that God was taking care of us–that no matter if we had to die, we would be taken, as we term it, “home.” We had trust and confidence in God under those circumstances, and there was one thing we were confident of. Why? we do not know. Yet we felt the day would come when we would be released or rescued. And that (combined with our fellowship, and what we obtained from God, and His help to us from day to day in giving us strength to endure and bear these conditions), enabled us to live to see the day when we were rescued. We saw self-control of ordinary people who had nothing in their lives, nothing to live for, nothing to hope for, break. And as soon as their control broke, their strength and health broke. And it was not long before they were gone.

Tonight it seems to me after all that has happened since, I can hardly believe that the things I am talking about happened–for it is only three months since I landed in New Zealand.

Two of those tanks would just about easily fill this hall–enormous things. And about thirty-five of us (who were able to walk) got into each of these tanks. And away we went through the Jap lines to safety–under fire until we got halfway across the lake. How many men do you think dropped from those planes? One hundred and fifty. Over 2,000 of us internees. About 100 Japanese in the garrison. And we were sick–desperately sick. Yet 150 dealt with this matter. They made a great job of it. The marvelous thing to me is this: that not one of us were even injured in spite of the battle that ran for about forty-five minutes. They took us out first, and they had to come back to get the American soldiers. It was each time through the Japanese lines. Thus they had not fought, but had been doing what we commonly call “pinching” us. They took us to their hospital behind the front lines and began to put us back in health and strength again.

After we were there in the hospital, a friend of ours came down from Manila. And although she was not professing, she shows marks that are very praiseworthy.

After she had visited with us and was ready to go home, we asked her, “Now, could you find out for us how our friends are in Manila?” She knew all of them, or almost all of them, and said she would. She had never broken her word to us at any time, and we knew she wouldn’t this time, either. Manila has been blown upside-down. A few houses standing, travel practically impossible–so she would have to do most on foot. She promised to do what she could. And four days later she came down again and brought two of our friends with her at her own expense. Of course, you can imagine how they felt on seeing us in such a condition, for we did not look as I look tonight. After they had recovered from their feelings, we learned this from them. And we felt glad that we had been enabled by the grace of God to endure those conditions and that our friends in Manila are alive and well. The remarkable thing about it is this also: their homes are standing, yet every home around them is flat. We usually don’t preach much about the material side of preservation, but there is certainly evidence that God knows how to look after His own–even under such circumstances as that. He has preserved their homes and their lives. They were eager and waiting for us to come back amongst them and continue meetings.

When I was in Duneden a few weeks ago, I received a letter from Herman Beaber telling me this: that with the permission of the officer in charge of the camp they were taken to, they had visited Cavite, the city where the gospel had first been preached in the Philippines. They had found all our friends again. All of them are well. They have suffered, yes, but they are alive and well there also. That city had been just devastated by shell fire and bombing, [but] their homes are standing.

Well, friends, I know that you have prayed and have desired nothing more than to see us restored to you and God has done it. Undoubtedly, He has preserved those people’s homes as an indication to those who understand and those who have to teach these Japanese about God, that He is the “He Is.” I know there are many about here, professing Christians, believers. But I believe that there are, even among us tonight, those who do not yet know that conviction that “God is.” “He is,” not “was.” That is the thing that enables us to preach the gospel. To think that He is the One who is able to save to the uttermost today, those who put their trust in Him. Doesn’t that inspire your heart?

We left Herman Beaber and Leo Stancliff in the Philippines, much to our regret, in one sense, because their condition was low. Yet we left them there (Willie going to the States and I coming here) to gather our people together and do what they could for them. One thing those people used to tell us was this: (I mean those professing and in fellowship with us and those who had the real love and interest in the gospel) “You are too few.” There were originally two in the Philippines among twenty million people. Willie joined them, Ernest Stanley, and I made five. In Japan, there were three workers and 72 million people. In Borneo, untouched, how many million? I do not know.

One thing I am confident of is this: there will be wonderful opportunities for those who have eyes to see beyond their own community–the fields white unto harvest. There are a few who have been “gathered in” in the Philippines–part of what is called the Orient. And what can be done elsewhere, if the love of God possesses our hearts, and we are grateful for what has been brought to us, and we value it, and we would like to see others valuing it, too, and living for it–there can be a reaping.

I returned to New Zealand much the same as we went out from it and met in fellowship with people in Australia before coming here. I met our old friend, Tom Turner, and he is not too well. He is still striving to do his part in the gospel fields. John Hardy is in Sydney (a man over seventy now)–not too well in body, but strong in spirit, still willing to serve. Coming here amongst you I see the result of their labours and the labours of others.

I hope, friends, that my words have not been merely a story to you–just a kind of narration which is interesting, undoubtedly–but that it might arouse, if possible, in you a feeling that we have so much to be grateful for, that we enjoy so many privileges. Are we making the most of them? The day will come when our opportunities and privileges will cease. Are we doing what Mary and Martha did?—“doing what we can while we can?” The day will come when our opportunities and privileges will cease. It is too late then to regret what we might have done. The thing is to be willing to do what God would inspire us to do and to be what God would inspire us to be, wherever we are: whether it is homemaking, seeing to it that it is a godly home, whether it is our family (let it be a godly family), whether it be our work, let it be honorable. In all things, glorifying the One who wants to glorify us and set us in His Kingdom eternally.

I feel deeply grateful that in spite of having been cut off from fellowship with you people for so many years, words cannot express gratitude to friends. “Thank you” is very ordinary, isn’t it? But I still feel that when health returns and opportunity permits, it is not here I want to stay. It is over there–away in those lands where privileges are so few. What we know here can be known there. I believe it can, and hope we will unite our prayers. And as Paul and his followers in his day: “that a door of utterance might be opened and kept open.” That is a part we all can do. We can cooperate–unite that effort of true faithful Christian living that will inspire us and our efforts as we go forth to sow the seed of eternal life. And then we know there will be a reaping.

ill the relationship with Christ that has meant so much to us here on earth continue beyond the grave? Will it be ours in the interval between death and the resurrection, and will it deepen beyond the resurrection? There are two words that would make it a little easier for us to remember—“with Christ.” If we enter into fellowship “with Christ” here on earth, we can have the glad assurance that fellowship may continue between death and resurrection, and then afterwards “with Christ” throughout the eternal ages. The children of God do not go to the ultimate and final heaven at death—that ultimate and final heaven will be theirs at the resurrection.

The question that troubles most of God’s children is, “What is the condition of those who have gone before, between death and resurrection?” First of all, I would like for you to turn over and read John 1:39—“He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Christ that day; for it was about the tenth hour.” They “abode with Him.” That was the beginning of their fellowship with Christ. John the Baptist had pointed out the Lamb of God to them in verse 36 and 29. Verses 35-40—“abode With Him that day.” Their fellowship with Christ began that day.

Mark 3:14— “And He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him.” The beginning of their fellowship with Christ is referred to in John 1. Here, a year later, we read that He ordained twelve “that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach.” Matthew 18:20 gives us the same thought—the presence of Christ, fellowship with Christ. In Matthew 28:20, you will note the promise, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” John 14:23—“And we will come unto Him and make our abode with Him.” John 15:1-8 —the figure of the vine and the branches suggests the same thought –the close intimate fellowship with Christ. Luke 24:13-16—“Jesus himself drew near and went with them.” Acts 4:13—“They took knowledge of them; that they had been with Jesus.” I Corinthians 1:9—here Paul states that the purpose of the Gospel call is to bring us into fellowship with Christ—the fellowship of Jesus Christ Our Lord. Revelation 3:20—“I will sup with Him and He with Me.” I John 1:1-4—“with His Son, Jesus Christ.” There are quite a few verses, all dealing with this one experience— fellowship with Christ here on earth. “They abode with Him.” “They were ordained to be with Him.” “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I the midst of them.” The promise in John 14 — that He will make His abode, His dwelling place, with us; and then that passage in Luke 24, where “Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.” A little later on they said, “Did not our hearts burn within us while we communed with Him?” In Acts 4:13—“They took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”

1 Corinthians 1:9—is the purpose of the Gospel call. They were called into the fellowship of Jesus Christ our Lord, and in this verse in 1 John 1, “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.” The ideal Christian life is a life in fellowship with Christ. They were in fellowship with Christ and that is the only true foundation for fellowship with each other—fellowship with Christ and then fellowship with each other.

If it’s possible in this life for us to have fellowship with Christ and to enjoy that fellowship and for others to recognize that fellowship is really ours, the question naturally arises, “Does death put an end of fellowship with Christ?” When a child of God is called from this scene, what does the Scripture teach us with regard to this experience? Does the fellowship that meant so much to them in life end at the grave, or are there Scriptures which encourage us to believe that that fellowship in the great beyond is deeper and sweeter and more enjoyable than any fellowship with Him that the children of God knew on this side? 2 Corinthians 4—here we have some verses that give us Paul’s outlook as he thought of the future. Note verses 17 and 18. Evidently in the midst of his affliction (because that is what he is writing about) the thought of “a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” thrilled him and enabled him to see the value of living his life for things which are not seen—“for the things which are seen are temporal: but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Then in 2 Corinthians 5:1-9, in the last part of the eighth verse is the thought that is associated with the first verse, “absent from the body, present with the Lord.” That’s clear and definite. In the first verse, he says, “We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” It’s a little difficult to get the real meaning from the Authorized Version here, but the thought is, that in thinking about death, Paul says, “It’s just like this—it’s leaving a tent, a temporary dwelling place, for a permanent abode. It’s exchanging a tent for a building.” Nobody would like to live in a tent for life; it’s exchanging a tent, a temporary dwelling place for a permanent abode. “We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens”—an Eternal home. Verse 8 says it would simply mean, “absent from the body, to be present with the Lord.” There are those who say the interval between death and the resurrection is a period of unconsciousness, that death means sleeping—a state of unconsciousness. Now Paul tells us here it means absent from the body, present “with the Lord.” It is a definite conscious experience of fellowship with Him whom they walked with and talked with here on earth—absent from the body, present with the Lord.”

Philippians 1—two things stated in this testimony of Paul are very good in this connection. Read verse 20-24; “…to be with Christ which is far better.” “I am in a strait betwixt two”—I don’t know just exactly which to choose; I would like to go—I am willing to remain. Departing—leaving this earthly house, this tabernacle, means departing to be with Christ. The same thought is, “They abode with Him.” He says, “I will sup with you, and you with Me”; “I will make my home with You.” “They were with Him in the way…” This verse shows us unmistakably that that fellowship that begins with Christ in time will continue beyond the grave.

Philippians 1:20-23— “Having a desire to be with Him, which is far better.” This answers the question of what is the condition of our brethren who have gone before, during the interval between death and the resurrection. The latter part of this verse tells us “which is far better.” Those of you who have looked up other translations of this particular passage know it puts it just a little stronger than here. It says “which is far, far better.” When Paul was thinking about death, he was thinking about going to be with Christ, and when he was thinking of this experience, he says, “It’s going to be far better,” far, far better than any experience he had known upon earth! Sometimes we are inclined to think that this sounds too good to be true. It is stated here. Here is a man nearing the end of life, face to face with the last enemy, awaiting his trial, knowing the sentence of death may be passed, and not knowing how soon execution may take place; but he says, “One interest reigns in my heart: that Christ might be magnified in my body.” Death could not be gain if what lay beyond death was not something better than had been experienced on earth! He says, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” We usually associate loss with death—eternal loss. Paul associates death with eternal gain, “For me to live is Christ.” “I am in a strait betwixt two”—so, when anybody comes to you and says that during the interval between death and the resurrection we are in a condition of unconsciousness, that is the Seventh Day Adventist and First Day Adventist teaching. This verse alone proves conclusively that it was to be far better than any condition he had experienced on earth. With Christ couldn’t be a state of unconsciousness.

Hebrews 12:1—the picture Paul had in mind when he wrote this was the Roman arena (comparable to the stadium at Tacoma)—all around are witnesses, the runners are in the bottom of the arena. The picture here is that those who have gone before are interested in the race, still interested in the race. They are watching as we run, and we can be comforted and encouraged by that thought. I cannot believe that those whom we have loved long since are less interested in our welfare, in our running, than when they were here on earth. I like to believe they are more interested than ever, are spectators of our running. “Wherefore, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses.” Luke 16—the thought I want to leave here is this: we cannot think of Christ watching us, taking note of how we run, we cannot think of Him but as an interested spectator; and if those who have gone before are with Him and are enjoying a closer, more intimate fellowship than they knew upon earth, it isn’t unreasonable to allow the thought to rule in our minds that they, too, are watching us and are interested. Here the question may arise, “Do we take with us memory beyond the grave?” There are two pictures in Luke 16—Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom, and in verse 25, Abraham said, “Son, remember…” If the rich man took to a lost eternity memories of what took place on earth, it isn’t unreasonable that the child of God will also take to the other side memories of experiences here.

Revelation 5—what is Christ doing for us now? What is the unfinished work of Christ, the uncompleted work? It is intercession. Verse 8, Revelation 8:3-4, Revelation 6:9-10: If Christ, our great High Priest, today is our intercessor, pleading our case before the Throne, surely it isn’t unreasonable to believe that they, too, are remembering us before the Throne. This isn’t the Roman Catholic idea of “prayers for the dead,” but the New Testament idea of those who have gone before praying for the living! The Roman Catholic idea is, “We will pay so much money to the priest, and he will pray for those who are dead.” The New Testament idea is that those who have gone before are making intercession for us, having fellowship with Him in that intercession, and that seems to me to be the reference in Revelation to the prayers of the saints.

Revelation 6:9-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18—deals with what will take place when Christ comes again. It says, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we which are alive and remain shall not prevent them which are asleep.” That is the meaning (shall not in any way have an advantage over those that have fallen asleep. That is the meaning here). Here he is dealing with two things—the coming of Christ and the resurrection, and he says there will be those living on earth when Christ comes; and those that have gone before when Christ comes, who will come with Him. This is the second coming of Christ and the resurrection.) They have been with Him, and those living will be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:51-56— has the same thought as in 1 Corinthians 4—the resurrection and second coming take place together when Christ comes with those who have gone before. Philippians 3:20—when Christ comes, those who have been with Him during that interval between death and His Coming, will be given resurrection bodies. Those who are alive and remain will be changed. Philippians 3:20 is very suggestive. It says, “For our conversation is in Heaven.” It is difficult for us to understand that, because the word “conversation” that we have here is the old English word for our “manner of life” and doesn’t refer to our talking to one another. It is the old 16th Century word for our manner of life. Those of you who have a marginal reading will notice that it says, “Our commonwealth” or “our citizen­ship is in heaven.” Another translator gives the thought of Paul better than any other translator—“For we are a Colony of Heaven, from whence we look for the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippi was a Roman colony, so Paul with that thought in mind says, “We are a colony.” Philippi was modeled after the city of Rome in a foreign land. The thought Paul had was that God’s people are like part of the mother country; the mother country is Heaven, and we are looking for the Saviour from Heaven, who will come to take us to be with Him forever. “We are a colony! We will be given new bodies, a body not subject to disease—who shall change our vile bodies.” What kind of a body are we going to have in the resurrection? There’s the pattern—“A body like unto His glorious body.”

Will we know each other in heaven? Will we renew the friendships and fellowships that meant so much to us on this side? I cannot conceive of heaven apart from recognition, we would have no interest in going there if we had not some hope of meeting those whom we had loved on earth and of discussing with them some of the experiences we passed through on earth—recognition! Jesus in His resurrection body was recognized by the marks on His hands, His feet, His side, His brow. He will be recognized throughout all eternity by those marks! They knew Him, they recognized Him, and if we are going to have in that future kingdom, resurrection bodies after the pattern of His body, we will carry with us our individuality, our personality; you will be you, and Paul will be Paul, James will be James, and Mary will be Mary! You couldn’t conceive of individuality or personality apart from recognition, so that in the great beyond will be that recognition and the renewal of friendships— fellowships that have meant so much to us on this side of the grave.

Colossians 3:4; 1 John 3:1-3. He says it’s a good thing to be in the family now, but it will be infinitely better later on, in the future. Hebrews 11:17—“For He hath prepared for them a city.” Revelation 21:1-3—we read about that city and a description is given of that city from verse 11 to the end of the chapter. We read about that city, and from verse 22 to the end of the chapter—“There shall be no need of light there.” That shall remain forever and ever. That takes us from earth to heaven.

Fellowship with Christ begins here, continues beyond the grave, and during the interval between death and the resurrection. At the resurrection the children of God who have gone before and been with Christ, some for a thousand years, some for two thousand years or more, will get resurrection bodies. Those who remain will be changed in the twinkling of an eye, to be forever with the Lord, and they will be given the city foursquare, they shall be forever with the Lord.

Now, do you think the Lord is through with His people when He takes them Home? Don’t you think we are now qualifying for greater, more fruitful service in the life beyond? “His servants shall serve Him.” So, the life of service doesn’t end with the grave; with the resurrection, it opens the door to greater service, more fruitful service, more satisfied serving in the world to come!

I am only wanting to make three points: first, the ideal Christian life is a life in fellowship with Christ now. Second, at death that fellowship continues. Third, at the resurrection that fellowship will be greater. The first thought is that the gospel message is a call into fellowship with Christ. When death takes place the earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved—it is exchanging a temporary tent for a permanent dwelling place. Paul says, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” We mourn over those who have gone before, but we wouldn’t wish them back, because their experience now is better—far, far better than any experience they had known here upon earth, and that we get our new resurrection bodies and are able to have a closer and more intimate fellowship through the years to come. Heaven wouldn’t be heaven if we didn’t take our individuality! Jesus said, “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living,” of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If Abraham will be Abraham, Isaac will be Isaac, etc., then it is not unreasonable to believe that you will be you and I will be me!

I will read a Psalm, the 122nd:

1) I was glad when they said unto me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.”

2) Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.

3) Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:

4) whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.

5) For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.

6) Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

7) Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.

8) For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, “Peace be within thee.”

9) Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek thy good.

This is, I believe, one of the psalms of David. This psalm has fit in with my thoughts. David says, “I was glad when they said, ‘Let us into the house of the Lord.’” I believe this deals with what took place among the children of Israel as they assembled on three occasions yearly before the Lord. It didn’t happen the first year they came out of Egypt. There are certain things we have to be reminded of year by year. We, as they, are apt to forget the provision that God has made for us and in consequence, fall victims to doubt and unbelief. I believe David said he was glad, not because of the judgments of God upon his life only, but I believe that David said this because, that in spite of failures and shortcomings and sin, there was an adjustment made there. God could deal with all the wrong there was in his life and was willing and able to forgive him and enable him to go forward.

In Ezekiel 46:9, it says that when the people of the Lord came before the Lord in the solemn feasts, he that entered by the north gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate, and he that entered by the south gate should go out by the way of the north gate; he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth over against it. I believe that God always intended that in gathering His people to these solemn feasts they should gather not merely to meet with one another, but to meet with the Lord.

In considering this convention as a solemn feast, there is need to strike a note of warning. In John 7:37, on the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried saying, “If any man thirst let him come unto Me and drink.” He had that living water. This was speaking of the Spirit. I thought, as I read that verse, how grieved Jesus must have been as year in and year out His professed people, Israel, had gathered together without knowing the true purpose of the feast. On the last day He stood and cried, “If any man thirst let him come unto Me.” Although they went through all the form; they entered the gates and observed all, went in at one gate and out of the opposite gate, as God said through Ezekiel; they failed to discern the true purpose of God. Jesus was anxious that people might come up with a true purpose and to know His purpose and come into contact with a person. It would thus be possible for people to come into the Presence of God and yet not know that meeting with God, and His being able to deal with them, to deal with their hearts and with things that should not be in their lives.

There are set “thrones of judgment.” David knew this, and said, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” It is possible to feel very self-sufficient or on the other hand self-accusing. But if God can put His finger on what is wrong, we would go out at the “opposite gate,” or in other words, the opposite condition. Come in with pride and go forth humbled, come in hard and go out softened. The Lord can discern and deal with us and bring us to an end of ourselves.

We wouldn’t go forth in the same condition as we came in. It doesn’t matter so much what gate we enter; what does matter is which gate we leave by; whether we come in proud or self-sufficient, etc. But it would be a calamity if there was no change wrought of God. There is nothing but what God can deal with if we will only allow Him. He can make us conscious of things we ourselves are not conscious of. If God speaks to us in the light of His Presence, we will be conscious of things we were not hitherto, and it is possible for us to go in the opposite condition.

I believe it was because of understanding this that made David glad. I don’t believe that enjoying the good of the feast would depend upon being in a sinless condition. If that were so, there would be no need of all the things recorded. A good feast as far as the individual is concerned, would depend more on allowing God’s dealings and to put away those things that should not be in our lives, and be willing to go out in the opposite condition.

God was continually reminding them of the provision He had made for them and even though there was set thrones of judgment, I feel that David feared more than anything lest God became silent unto him. He said, “Lord be not silent unto me,” lest he became like one that went down to the pit. This caused David more concern than the thought that there would be things in his life that God would put His finger on; the fear that God would not be able to speak.

There were three feasts mentioned – there was the feast of the Passover – called also the feast of unleavened bread. This was one of the solemn feasts. I thought of it as being like us coming into the Presence of God – into the house of God, if you like. The first feast was in the month “Abib.” The center of the Passover feast was the Lamb slain. They gathered around and feasted upon it as the central figure. I believe He should be the central figure of our gathering – the focal point of our attention – the person we have come to see. We can gather around Him, having our eyes anointed and feast upon the living bread. He should be the center.

Associated with that, there is the unleavened bread. Nothing could show up the things that are wrong, that are working within us, better than to get this vision of the Lamb of God as the central figure. Nothing else will help us to make the adjustment that is so necessary more than this.

We read of the feast of the first fruits and the feast of the seventh month. In all these things, God is reminding us of all His Truth. He reminded them of the provision He had made. Judgment was there but it was also tempered with mercy. Such a gathering helps us to know ourselves, our failures and our sins. No one else knows what I am except God and myself. I don’t believe He brought us here to bring all this to light merely if we got what we deserve, I don’t think we would enjoy convention. One reason David was glad in his heart; He felt he couldn’t go on without this. It was necessary that he might not only know himself but also to know God’s love and mercy. There is no excuse for any person if we will stand in the Presence of God and not allow His dealings. His work is perfect and complete. The least of all excuses would be sin; it couldn’t be an excuse in the Presence of God. We often excuse ourselves because of being conscious of what is in us. God is continually reminding us of the provision He has made for this.

There is the “Feast of Trumpets” spoken of – the day of atonement. The fifteenth day of the seventh month there was the Feast of Tabernacles. (Leviticus 23:34) It had become just a religious ceremony in the time of Jesus. The sacrifices were offered, but there was little understanding of what it meant. If they had, they would have all been able to use the language that David used and say, “I am glad…” Sacrifice was associated with it.

We read of the two goats being taken to the door of the Tabernacle. One was sacrificed for the sin offering; Aaron laid his hands on its head and confessed the sins of the people. The other was taken to the wilderness.

God was thus reminding them of the provision He had made for sin. It wasn’t only the first time He reminded them, but year in, year out their sins had to be confessed and removed by the grace of God, by a gracious loving Father. Many came, conscious perhaps of a great burden. They were burdened down with many things, but there was no need to go away like that. They were conscious of the trumpet, of Jubilee, or that God would not bring that up again. The past is over and done with.

This can be coupled with what we read in Revelation 2:17, “He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, ‘To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone,’” etc. This is a promise to the overcomers. That does not mean a sinless person, but one who has availed himself of the provision God has made. This symbol is taken from the ancient custom of breaking a stone and giving half to the person who was charged with an offence and the other half retained, so that if ever that person was charged again with the same offence, the stones could be compared and the pieces would fit in and show that his case had already been dealt with and it was no longer held against him. I have felt that this was just what the Day of Atonement speaks of. There is a side of it that belongs to God, and a side that belongs to us. He has kept His promise as far as He is concerned; our sins and iniquities will He remember no more.

What about our side? Will we come into God’s presence and allow Him to deal with our hearts and not go out and do the same thing again? As far as God is concerned He is faithful in doing His part. We have had to admit shortcomings and weakness. God does His part and He can keep us in that condition and help us to be conscious of His help, and He strengthens us. So there is much suggested to us by the Feast of Tabernacles.

Some gatherings were outstanding. After a lapse of years, in Nehemiah’s day, they kept a wonderful feast (Nehemiah 8:17). We read how they got branches and made booths. This part had not been kept since the days of Joshua, and there was very great gladness, yet every year back to that time, God had been reminding them. He reminded them in this, that they were strangers and pilgrims here, the same as Abraham.

We are looking to that city which has foundations. God seeks to remind us of this still. We are strangers in this world and not of the world, the same as Abraham. We, too, are looking to that city which has foundations. David’s life was a wandering life, and that part seemed to stand out; although he was king, God’s presence when he was a wanderer meant more to him than life in a palace and dwelling in the city of David.

In the book of Samuel, we read it was in this man’s heart to build a house unto the Name of the Lord. God didn’t allow David to actually do this, although He said that it was well it was in his heart. So much could have been said of the evidence in his life that he lived for something different to those around him. He was able to say (I Chronicles 22:14), “Behold, in my trouble, I have prepared for the house of the Lord.” He wasn’t destined to have his name called upon it; that honor went to another man, but it was the thing that he lived for and that meant more to him than anything else.

Does the name of the Lord mean more to us than the things that mean ease, comfort, etc.? If the Lord could look on our lives and see that, in reality, if it had not been for David, there would have been no preparation and perhaps no Temple. Many of those things we read of in connection with the Temple, because of David living for the things that were to adorn the house of the Lord, would not have been there otherwise.

Some months ago, a thing impressed me as I read of some of the Minor Prophets, especially in Haggai and Zechariah. They lived about the same time as Ezra and Nehemiah. The Temple then wasn’t rebuilt. Enemies had succeeded in weakening their hands. They were in great distress because of the people of the land. Haggai and Zechariah rose up and they built. I was impressed by the message that God spoke through Haggai, “Is it time for you, 0 ye people to dwell in your ceiled houses and this house lie waste?” They were dwelling in comfort in their houses; not doing anything wrong to speak of, but they hadn’t done as David had done. What caused them to rise and build? The ministry of those two men inspired them.

In chapter 2, verse 3, the question was asked, “Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? And how do ye see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison as nothing?” They had far more to go on to. Jerusalem had known the time when it was circled by walls around about it. In spite of what they saw around them, these men with anointed eyes could see great possibilities ahead. They arose and spoke to the people of God, and arose and built, and the work was finished.

Returning to what I was speaking of: I thought of the High Priest appearing before the Lord, and of them looking upon the Lamb that was slain and partaking of the feast with their vision renewed, also of the ministry of the High Priest associated with the gathering there. He had to offer first an offering for his own sins because he was also a man subject to these things, and as a figure or type of our Great High Priest.

There were twelve stones on the high priest’s garment, as he went into the presence of God to bear upon his heart the children of Israel. This has spoken to me, as I thought of those jewels on the vesture of the High Priest. We are precious to Him, He who was tempted in every way as we are but was without sin, who is able also to succor those who are tempted, who ministers as our Great High Priest in the presence of God and takes upon Him our cares, and takes up our case as our advocate in the presence of God. So many things have been recorded in order that we might understand all that Jesus means to us, not only as shown in the scapegoat, but in bearing in His body our sins upon the tree. He was also the sin offering. The Old Testament is precious on account of the wealth of its detail. It requires all this to show the wealth of detail and thus bring home to us all that He is to us. These things help us to realize more fully all that He has done. I don’t think we would find it in the heart of any of us to withhold. It is not a rod to chastise us but an appeal to all the best that is in us.

We are reminded of all that He has done for us again these days, and our hearts are softened and our purposes renewed before God. “Thou Art Worthy” is the song of the redeemed; the song of Moses and the Lamb is a song we will learn here but sing there. That is the experience of those whose hearts God could touch: “Thou art worthy of the best that is in me, all that I have and am.”

Could you imagine Peter holding back after what he had seen in Gethsemane? The word means “winepress” or “oil press.” We see what it produced in Jesus. He prayed, and then found the disciples sleeping. The Lord said the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak. He acknowledged every effort that was made; we would be more likely to find fault. It is only the wine press, the oil press that produces the best. When Peter denied Jesus and the cock crew, Jesus looked at Peter and it broke his heart. What kind of a look would we give? There was something in that look that was the result of pressure. It spoke louder than any words. When on the Cross, before His last breath; when the mob had done their worst and had caused Him to suffer; He prayed, “Father, forgive them.” That is not in us by nature.

God can so work in us as to make us Christ-like. Everything that He has, has been provided at a time like this. God desires to do what is necessary so that as we go forth, we will feel that it is possible for us to do His will. The language we often use is, “I should do it, I should act like that,” and resolve that I will seek so to act. I believe that the language of Paul could be ours also – “I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me” – that we will go forth strengthened as the result of the time spent here in His presence, like David, conscious of the fact that it doesn’t matter which gate we come in by; what does matter is the way we go out. I have valued His dealings with me and would long to “do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.”

360 Highland Road, Kensington, Johannesburg. 2094. Republic of South Africa.

22nd April, 1944.

My Dearest Mother and Dad,

Do you remember me telling you about Peter Rousseau? The man whose nephew died, and then Peter professed in our home. Re used to sing over the radio and had made quite a name for himself; just as eagerly as he went in for the things of the world, so he is now putting his all into serving God. Every time we go to see him, he is flowing over with the things of God.

Peter has visited Westfort, the leper colony, a few times and this evening he called in to use the phone, and he started to tell us a little. I know Willie Brown has often spoken of the brothers there and that many of you would be interested to hear more, so thought I would pass on a little of what he told us. Before I go further, plans are made for us to go next Saturday, so if God spares us and them I’ll then be able to tell you a little more.

Stephanus Koekemoer (called Fanie – pronounced Fahy-ny) has been there for 12 years. He is the one I told you about when I was home. For the past 4-5 years, he has been altogether blind. The inmates at the colony were told that they could have a radio in their room for the payment of 7/6d a month. Fanie asked if they could have someone read to them from the Bible for a half hour a day instead. Cornelius Appelgryn was there 6 years before Fanie, and was the first to profess. He has been with Fanie all these years. It almost makes me think of two workers. Four or five others in the leper colony have professed since – and have passed on to their reward.

Peter told us –that whole place, patients, doctors, nurses and staff all speak about them, and mock them – but none of these things move them. Cornelius said there is not one in that place that has not heard of the “Truth.” They have spoken to them all – even to visitors, because he says: “Here life is short; we can’t afford to waste a minute.”

They tell of a Hr. van Wyk, who was so weak he could no longer walk. One day (before Fanie was blind), he saw this man reading a novel. He asked him if he had nothing better to read, and then he read a little to him from the Bible. Later, one of the Workers gave this man a Bible. Whenever there is going to be a meeting at the colony in the open shed where the lepers receive their visitors, our brothers tell the people that “all are welcome.” On one occasion, this poor man came crawling along with his Bible in his mouth. When he sat with them, Fanie asked him, “What have you got there?” and he answered, “The Bread of Life.” He yielded to the claims of God on his life and has now gone to his reward.

Then there is a black man, Pete. He used to read the Bible to Fanie and do his correspondence. In this way, he became interested in the Truth and gave his life to God. That was toward the end of last year. No one outside the colony knew of Pete’s death, but a number of Workers went out there, that very afternoon to see our brothers, just about the time Pete was to be buried, and were able to have the service.

(INSET: Isabel Rousseau (Peter’s sister), Inga Olson and Willie Brown went to Westfort for a meeting. As they waited, Willie asked Fanie, “Does Pete know there is going to be a meeting?” Fanie said, “Didn’t you get my message? I thought you came to bury Pete. The authorities said if you were not here within the next half hour, they would just put his body in the grave.” Willie had wakened that morning, with these words on his mind, “The day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.”

Fanie stood at the grave side, with tears streaming from his sightless eyes, and said, “I didn’t know it was possible to love anyone you haven’t seen, as I loved Pete.”

I forgot to tell you, Mr. van Wyk died three months after he professed. His people didn’t know about his choice to serve the living God. The last time he spoke in a meeting, it was John 11:25-26, “He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live …” His people called in the clergy to take his funeral, but they put these words on the stone on his grave. Some have to come great distances for their visits, so they cannot be frequent.

Fanie’s favorite hymn is 174 – (New book 278), “Oh for the peace of a perfect trust.” ­Next time I sing these words – “Best tho’ my health and strength be gone” – I’ll know others have paid a price to be able to say – “Thy Will be done.” Fanie said if they told him he could go free, he would ask to stay, as there may still be someone whom God could help.

Peter told us of another young man, who has only been a leper for three months, but he is very bad and not expected to last long. He was helping a friend to run a dairy business. Getting up at 2 a.m., working hard. He was perspiring and got caught in the rain, took sick immediately and was in hospital a month before the doctors discovered he had leprosy. He was sent to Westfort.

The housing plan is such: 3 Rooms with a porch in a row, 3 rooms at the end and again 3 rooms opposite the others.

This young man was put in a room in a particular noisy section. He didn’t feel he could join in with their frivolity. They resented it when he was so ill and they couldn’t carry on with the loud music, card playing, etc. Finally, they asked for him to be moved. He was put into a room opposite Cornelius and just one room away from Fanie. He also became interested in the Truth. He said he would rather be with Fanie than with the others. This week Alec Pearce (our older brother) went out to see them and this young man expressed his desire to walk in God’s Way. May he be spared to learn a little more of the life and beauty of this Way.

We are looking forward to our visit, if our visit transpires.

Love,

Ivy

I will write again next week.

This message tells about the German Worker, Fritz Schwille, who was tortured and put to death during WWII. These accounts have been around for some time – very sad and such a loss to the Truth. But what a great resigned spirit that man had. Fritz’s sister, Freida, the Laderer sisters, and the writer here, also suffered much for the stand they stood for Truth. (Octive Ott note)

Since we were asked to give a report of our experiences in 1944, we will try to give an outline of some of the many things we went through at that time. First of all, the reason of our imprisonment: one of our German workers, Fritz Schwille, refused to take up arms. Therefore, [he] was put into prison for about one year, where he had to suffer much. He was condemned to death but then was given the choice to be a stretcher-bearer and so was sent to the Russian front lines. Various reports were then circulated about him. And from that time, we were sharply watched.

All our brethren throughout the whole land and our connections with other lands were all well known to the “Secret Service.” One night, a policeman came and told us he had been sent to arrest us. We told him we had done nothing and refused to go with him. After two weeks, he came again and promised us it would only be for two or three days for questioning. So we went with him and were kept a day and a night in the Urach Prison. Luise went to the same cell where Frieda Schwille (Fritz’s sister) was already imprisoned with those who had to do the hardest work from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sofie was kept in a small room with many other prisoners – most doubtful creatures.

We were continually observed by SS officials through a small hole in the door for that purpose. Only one small window high up in the wall made it possible to look out or see anything. Very little food was served and very bad [food] at that. There was a continual coming and going, as new people were brought in and others taken away. So we waited from day to day to be called to a trial, or at least learn the reason of our imprisonment, but nothing happened. Finally, on the tenth day, we were called by an official of the Secret Service to go with him.

The first question put to us was, “Do you know Fritz Schwille? Where did you get acquainted with him? At a public feast or at some other pleasure occasion?”

Telling him, “He is our preacher,” etc., that fellow began to abuse our faith and fellowship in a way that made our flesh creep. He then tried to force Sofie to speak falsehoods, and she refused.

He took us down to a small dark cellar and locked Sofie in, saying, “I [will] give you time to consider.”

Luise was then cross-questioned for over an hour, and in turn, [she was] put in a cellar, while Sofie was brought up for questioning. And he said to her, “I grant you five minutes to say ‘Yes’ to what I say.” As Sofie refused, he became furious and cried, “You’ll go to the Concentration Camp for ten years. You will never see the green woods of your homeland again.” But Sofie thought to herself, “There is still a mightier One over the mighty.” So they both were brought back to the prison in a prison car.  

Nearly every night, we had air raids alarms and severe air attacks. The prisoners were taken to a large cellar and often had to stand there six hours in silence without moving at all. We were not allowed to even look at each other. Luise was put behind a big barrel and Sofie at the other end of the cellar. There, Luise lived to see the greatest and most dreadful raid over Stuttgart. While in the cellar that night, one direct hit after another destroyed that big seven-story building to the ground, so that Luise thought the end had come. First, all lights went out and people began to scream with fear – about 250 were crowded together. Most of the officials and guards had fled, leaving the prisoners to their fate. Most of the exits were closed. And towards morning, the prisoners were ordered to leave by only one open passage. And near the top, they had to run through fire and flames on every side. While crawling over the stones and rubble, Luise lost one shoe and then had to jump down the prison wall.  

Surely the protecting hand of God had saved Luise and Frieda’s lives that night. On every hand, buildings were on fire and the huge city was like a sea of flames. The prisoners were like lost sheep with only a few guards to bring them through the burning streets. One was tempted to think of their own safety and liberty, but the thought of our aged Mother and home helped us to bear all things. We were taken to an open Square in the city and a rope put around the whole group so that none could escape. After standing nearly all day in the smoke and sparks from the burning buildings, we were taken in prison vans to a camp some miles outside of the city where Sofie had already spent about four weeks. She only had about three weeks in Stuttgart, when she was taken to “a house of correction” with hard labour and very little to eat and worms crawling in the food. In spite of being sick, she had to go down with the prisoners every morning to a big courtyard where all, one after the other, had to walk around the square about 40 to 50 times without speaking a single word. With the high walls and iron gate, we could see only the blue sky and some birds flying about, enjoying their liberty. No one knew what pain and how many tears were shed within those walls. Sofie was in that house of correction for two weeks.

Then she was taken to that camp mentioned already. Frieda characterized this camp, in whispering to Sofie, only a few hours after arriving, “Am I in a madhouse?”

We were given men’s clothing many sizes too big for us. Hard work began at 4:00 a.m. Every little mistake was severely punished by giving less food (very little food was served without that), or beatings or being shut into a small room without [a] window. Each convict had a number and was called by this – not even worthy a name. It is impossible to describe the conditions in such a camp. Also, concerning hygiene, inhabitants in clothing and upon the head were the order of the day. Those women who guarded the prisoners were more like hyenas, going about with a whip and shouting all the time and barking at everyone. Speaking to each other, or anyone, was prohibited. And many girls were beaten for this day after day. Most of the girls were Russian and French and all had to work hard and got very little to eat.

The many questions in the hearts and on the lips of each every morning was, “When will it come to an end?”

At last, on twentieth of November, the glad message came of Luise and Sofie’s discharge. Sofie was sick at home for a long time afterwards. Luise and Frieda were in this camp for one week. Then they were moved to another prison, which was very fortunate for Luise.

One of the prison officials was a righteous man. He said to Luise, “I know you have done nothing wrong and are innocent.” And daily, he tried to intercede with the high officials for her sake. And so after nine weeks, Luise was told to go home. While being there, it was in the home of that official that Luise, Frieda, and another girl had to cook with his wife for 150 people, look after their dwelling, care for their clothes, etc. Many traps were set and they often tried to get us to speak words of discontent, whereby they could have occasion against us. But we were able to keep clear of all accusations.

During our 19 weeks of imprisonment, Frieda was always with Luise and always took the heavy end of the hard work as she was much stronger and this was a wonderful help to Luise. When Luise had to carry heavy bags of potatoes, Frieda was there always to carry the biggest one. Poor Frieda always had the feeling she would not come home. And ten days after our release, she was taken to “Dachau” and had to give her life.

Only seven weeks after we came home, our old Mother passed on to her reward, after living for God for 23 years. Otto Kimmich, (a brother worker who was born in our town) was to be with us and stand at Mother’s grave, utter a short prayer, and a few words of comfort to us. This was prohibited and even endangered Otto’s life at that time. We have often been reminded of the words of David in Psalm 68:6, “He bringeth out those which are bound at the right time” (as we say in German). And we learned the true meaning of the Hymn, “We thank thee Lord for weary days, dark nights, in desert experiences, in deepest need, how great God’s love is” (as it says in German). Soon the terrible war came to an end and the Americans came through. And we were free to have meetings again in our home and fellowship with God’s people all over the world. How delighted we were when letters came to us again from our brethren near and far. We are thrilled to see so many of God’s servants come to us again from everywhere and to see His Kingdom being built up anew in our midst.

Exodus, the first eleven chapters are the most interesting in the Bible. We find in these chapters that God, in seeking to bring about the deliverance or salvation of an individual or a nation, worked in two ways. He prepared that individual or that nation for the message of deliverance and He equipped the messenger to bring the message of deliverance. This was God’s way in Old Testament days; in New Testament days; and this is still God’s way of bringing about the salvation of individuals or of numbers in this our day.

We have not time this morning to go into detail with regard to the message that God sent, or even to the messenger that delivered it. We know the name of the messengers, Moses and Aaron. Aaron was 83 years of age when God called and sent him. This ought to be a little comfort to some of you, as well as myself, who are a little older than we used to be. The Devil is continually suggesting to our minds that soon our days of usefulness will be over. We will just have to retire and give up. I am comforted by this fact that God called and sent these two preachers down into the land of Egypt to work the greatest mission in the history of the world. God sent them and equipped them, enabled them to begin and complete the work He had given them.

I wanted this morning particularly, to speak to you from this 12th chapter for in this chapter. We read of the climax to that mission. A whole nation professed, a whole nation came to a very definite decision. A whole nation willing that night to break forever with Egypt and to take that three days journey into the wilderness to sacrifice unto the Lord their God.

There are in the Bible, as we have so often heard, key words, key verses, and chapters. That is, words, verses, and chapters that help us to understand a little better other words, verses, and chapters. This twelfth chapter is one of the key chapters of the Bible, a chapter that should be read over often by every child of God, for a better understanding of the teachings of this chapter will open up and help us to understand a great deal, not only of what we read in the Old Testament, but will make it easier to understand much that we read in the pages of the New Testament. I would like to think that, after this meeting is over, all or you will take the time to read over carefully this 12th chapter of Exodus, to meditate upon it and try and recall a little of what you may hear from this chapter today.

It is the story of the first Passover Feast. There were three annual feasts in Israel; the feast of Passover, the feast of Pentecost, and the feast of Tabernacle, but the greatest of these feasts was the feast of the Passover. It was the first of their annual feasts. It was to them the beginning of months; it was to them the beginning of a new year. The Children of Israel reckoned time in two ways. They had a secular year which began several months before, and then they had a spiritual year which began with the feast of the Passover, and year in and year out, throughout their generations they began, not their secular year, but their spiritual year with the keeping of the Passover. One of the reasons why I have been impressed with the importance of speaking to the people of God this year about this Passover feast is because the symbols that we read about in this chapter are not simple and easy to understand, but as we read more about it in the Old Testament; it will bring a greater understanding about God’s Salvation.

I realize that the people of God today, as never before, have very little time, as has been suggested today, for the things of God, and it occurred to me, that if in some way, we could sow in the minds and hearts of God’s people a little that they could even enjoy when they are working, during the hours of toil, some of the simple things of God’s Word by which they could be nourished and solaced, that it might become a real source of help and blessing to them. It is with this thought in mind that I wish to speak to you this morning from this chapter, the 12th of Exodus.

The Passover night was a night that was to be much remembered. In the 41st and 42nd verses, a night of terror to the Egyptians, a night of judgment, and a night of death. To the children of Israel, it was a night of deliverance, a night of redemption and of salvation and feasting. It was a night the Egyptians could never forget, Exodus 11:6-7.

This judgment was a typical judgment that swept over Egypt that night. There was no escaping that judgment. The Word of God teaches us clearly that it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this, the judgment. God hath appointed a day and has made an appointment which every man and every woman must keep, and just as surely, there is but one way of escape. When we read over this 12th chapter, the breaking of bread today shows the keeping of the Passover feast. At no time was the Passover feast celebrated anywhere but in the home. At no time has the breaking of bread been taken outside the home. It was first established in New Testament days, in the home of a water carrier in Jerusalem.

I Peter 1:2, when Peter wrote this first epistle, he had the 12th chapter of Exodus before his mind. The word obedience occurs quite often in that first letter, “Children, obey the Gospel.” What shall the end be of those that obey not the Gospel? It seems to me that the one thing that God required is a simple, child-like, and public obedience to what He requested. Where there was that simple, child-like, open public obed­ience, the destroying angel passed over the home of the Children of Israel. This obedience was required in seven things.

1. Selecting the lamb and keeping it from the tenth day until the fourteenth day of the month.

2. Slaying the lamb and sprinkling the blood on the doorpost.

3. Providing herbs and bread.

4. Roasting the lamb with fire.

5. Eating the lamb, girded, shoes on their feet, ready to leave Egypt forever.

6. Eating the lamb, roast with fire, inside the family circle.

7. Eating all of the ­lamb.

There is a spiritual significance of these outward things. The lamb was ­typical of the Lamb of God. But they obeyed even when they didn’t understand. That lamb was open to the inspection of every passerby. The Egyptians could look into that lamb and so could the Israelites and point out any faults that would disqualify it.

Those days of inspection were typical of the 3 1/2 years of the public life of the Lamb of God, open to the criticism of men, slandered, vilified, lied against, but who could challenge his worst enemy, “Which of you convinceth me of sin?” The blood was to be sprinkled on the outside of the door. The Lord was determined to make a public, open difference between his own people and the Egyptians. In order to escape the certain judgment of God, His own people had to openly and publicly take their stand with Him and for Him. When the blood is on the doorpost, we should publicly accept Him as our leader and our guide. It is necessary that we put out of our lives, hearts, and business the things that God may have put His fingers on and said shouldn’t be here, before we can really enjoy the Passover feast. The Lamb roast with fire speaks of what He had to go through in blasphemy, persecution, mocking, scourging, and crowning with thorns, the nails driven into His hands and feet. Do we pay more attention to that which is temporal, or to that which is spiritual, to that which is for today, or for that which is forever? What is true in the realm of the physical is more true in the realm of the spiritual.

Our health depends on what we eat and how much. John 6, “If ye do not eat My flesh and drink My blood, ye have no life in you.” If we have just purposed to follow Him, we have not gone very far. We can’t live this Christian life or walk this Christian path without the help of God. If we neglect to avail ourselves of that help, we will soon be back in the land of Egypt. But you say, “I haven’t time.” That is true. You can’t have time unless you make it. If you are so busy seven days a week, that you are engrossed in the things that belong to the present, that belong to the physical and temporal, I do not know how you are going to face the day of reckoning. How can you say, “Lord, I have no time for the things that are spiritual and eternal?” We take time to eat our three meals a day, so we should make time to feed upon the things of the Lord, enjoy the unleavened bread, the herbs and a little snack of the lamb of God roast with fire.

The real difference between the child of God and the world is that the child of God recognizes that the spiritual and the eternal are the most important things in the world, The child of the world says that the things now are the things worth living for; no time for a little piece of the Lamb.

The head speaks of the lordship of Christ, His name upon all we are and all we have. It is not the struggle that brings condemnation, but the results of that which brings condemnation, whether we hold to the Lord or to the world.

His feet, His walk and trail, the inwards, speak of the graces that filled His life. It is not the length of time that we spend upon our knees in prayer that counts, but it is the spirit of prayer that you take with you to the street-car, to the factory, or to the office. It is the energy of your soul that is going to count during the day.

Luke 5:12-26

This is an old text; in fact it is a Gospel text, if there is such a thing as a text. Whether it be to sinners or to children of God, it is all the Gospel we are preaching. In reading this morning I was reminded of what Jesus said in Matthew 13:52, “Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.” It would be a sad and sorry day, whether it is the case of a Worker or you, when we stand up repeating ourselves. Every scribe instructed unto the Kingdom of Heaven does more than that.

In meetings like these or in your church meetings, we find out whether we are being instructed unto the Kingdom of Heaven or not; taking out of our household not only things old but things new. We are so familiar with talking of blessing, but the time comes when we get opportunity of proving whether we are gathering blessing when we go out to face the conflict and find things different. The evidence that we have been blessed is being brought up against something we have not been up against before, and we go through it with victory. I hope there’ll be something deeper done in my heart, that when I face the conflict, there’ll be evidence that I have been blessed as this man was.

These two cases, the leper and the man taken with palsy, are tied up together. The writers of three of the Gospels mention these two cases. Some cases are only mentioned by one writer. It is nice to notice in the word of God, that never in two cases did Jesus act the same way. That’s where our endeavours fail. We help a person in one way and we expect to help another case in the same way. We should be very careful of our statements when we are trying to help someone that is not a child of God. Maybe, instead of helping them we discourage them.

This leper came to Jesus. I hope you’ll feel the leprosy to the extent that you’ll come to Jesus when opportunity arises. In the palsied man’s case, it was different because he couldn’t come. If there hadn’t been someone interested in him enough to take him to Jesus, he would not have got blessed. This is where your responsibility rests. The leprous man was different. Jesus said, “Go and show thyself to the priest and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded for a testimony unto them.”

Sometimes we take too much liberty in the things of God. The leprous man wasn’t to declare his own case. In some cases it is not for you to declare what has taken place. In the case of the leper, he was so blessed that he couldn’t hold his peace. I don’t think he was telling about the truth but about the blessing he got, the help he got. He felt within himself like David when he said, “Come and hear what the LORD hath done.” This is the best kind of preaching. Why we don’t have anything to tell is because we can’t tell of what the Lord has done for us.

It was a big ordeal that this man had to go through. He had to pay the price for getting blessed. This is why he was blessed, because he had paid the full price for blessing for his soul. The things of God are without money and without price. The evidence that a person has been blessed is that they return to God.

Jesus had to withdraw Himself. People came out in multitudes, there was so much blessing. Jesus had to withdraw to the desert. There is a time for us to meet people and talk to them and there is a time to evade them. There is a time when we should give evidence of what God has done for us. After Jesus withdrew Himself from the wilderness He evidently came back to Capernaum where people knew Him best. A prophet often has no honour in his own country, but He did in this case. The wilderness is a great preparation ground to be fitted for service. The man or woman who doesn’t know the wilderness experience, God cannot use. The wilderness is a training ground.

The man that was used in helping Saul we don’t hear about any more. Some people are always looking for opportunities and they never come their way. Ananias waited, and when God needed a man, He knew where there was a man He could use. I wonder if you are in the training school. With some people, you don’t know if they are going on at all. There are some you may think are not going on, but there is something about them that makes you feel they are not the same as the other person. Are you holding what you have?

God knew the spot to go to when He wanted a man. It is a great thing that we are like that man. Why was Ananias in Damascus? Some might say he was there because his parents lived there.

Let that be granted, but he was there because God wanted him there. All God had to say was, “Ananias…” Remember how Ananias tried to get out of it? The man who is most ready is the man who is rather slow to put his hand to it, who doesn’t jump in where angels fear to tread.

Ananias felt a little of the work he was about to tackle. He had the fear of God and also the fear of the man he was to try to help. He put up his plea but God said, “You go….” That is the only thing we hear of Ananias doing, God using him to help Saul. If there’s one thing we should aim at it is not doing many things, but to do one thing that is needed instead of trying two thousand things we would be ashamed of. Ananias had no cause to be ashamed of the work he had done; he had good reason to feel that God was with Him.

In connection with the palsied man we have to say he had to be brought to Jesus. Jesus had to be brought back from the wilderness where He was fitted for the work He had to do. Have you been in the wilderness? You can’t get into the wilderness here. You should have been in the wilderness before God has made it impossible for us to hide. In spite of the crowd God will manifest where we are. Jesus was amongst the scribes and Pharisees who were not a very promising congregation. Are you a promising congregation? Those doctors of the law and the Pharisees took their seats and read Jesus up in a very short time, but the power of God was there to heal and yet it didn’t touch one of them. The attitude and manner of our hearts could be such that the power of God could be here and not touch one of us.

It would be awful for the Son of God to have a meeting of that kind. He spoke as no other man spoke. My brother, my sister, the power of God may be present here to heal and you may evade it. He reads as no other reads. He doesn’t judge by outward appearance. God gave those men according to their works, so He gave them nothing. That should arouse us lest that should be my lot in meeting like that.

The palsied man was not in the meeting. The first thing to notice in connection with the palsied man is the interest some people had in him. It is wonderful the interest we take in people sometimes, but it doesn’t last long. The proof that I have a lasting interest in people is that something is done sooner or later. I don’t know whether those four who took an interest in that palsied man, composed the church. Probably it did. They may have had talks together about the man. Their interest didn’t come in a moment. It wasn’t a flash in the pan. I firmly believe those four had talks about that man, and prayed about him, and it wouldn’t be only one prayer meeting they had. I wonder if you are on friendly enough terms with a brother or a sister in your church, not in some other church, that you could talk things over with. Some people have to go to some other church to get a friend. I love to make new friends, but I doubly love old friends, because it takes something more than something outward to make a friend and keep a friend. It took these four to get this man to Jesus. It may be hard to get four women to play the game like that.

Brothers take a lesson from this little church in Capernaum, the place where Jesus had not many friends, the place to which Jesus said, “And thou Capernaum which art exalted to Heaven, shall be thrust down to hell.” Take care my brother of your privileges. If we don’t make our privileges what God intends we should make of them, there is danger of us being brought down to hell. Those four men were in hearty fellowship. Some people, if they can’t do the beginning of a thing, and all of it, they won’t touch it at all. There are two motives that can govern the heart when we try to help people: one is the love of power, it gets people to do great things. Jehosaphat joined affinity with Ahab, a friendship that should never have been. Take care of the friendships you make. Let God order your friendships.

Remember that the time came when Ahab and Jehoshaphat went to battle. Ahab came to Jehoshaphat and said, “What about going to battle to Ramothgilead?” Jehoshaphat answered, “I am as thou art, and my people as thy people, and we will be with thee in the war.” It was because the love of power was governing. Some of Ahab’s men made horns of iron, and went forth and said to the king, “… with these thou shalt push Syria until they be consumed.” They were going to no end of trouble to make this thing a success, but what happened? The horns of iron were of no value.

If it is the love of power that is behind our actions it will come to naught. God is the deciding factor. Remember in the case of Esther and Mordecai, how Haman who has a lot of power and who goes to all ends to accomplish the act and who seemed successful to a certain distance, but as in our case so in his. If we are out for power, God will blow upon it, and it will come to naught.

Then we come to these four men, who, instead of being drunk with the love of power, are drunk with the power of love. If there is one thing I covet more in connection with these meetings it is to have instilled in me this power of love to help people. Are you blessed with few in your church? In a great many churches when numbers are added it is only numbers and not the power of love. Why were there four in this case? Why not three? Why not eight? Just this, it needed just that number to make that case complete. That is why we cannot stand on our own. The day came when it was tested what was working in their hearts.

Your test will come. Jesus appeared and the day of opportunity came and down they went to the house of the man who had the palsy. None of them thought of being the head. They just dropped in anywhere. It would have been bad enough to have had this take place in a country place but this was in Capernaum. If only we could do things quietly, but there is a time when we have to come out and be a bit more conspicuous. It is all necessary.

They had to go down the street with this man. We don’t like to have a finger pointed at us. Have you been willing to be identified with them? It is impossible to get away from the gaze of those you know best. If you had seen those men’s faces you would have seen serious faces. The seriousness becomes all the greater as the day of tests draws nigh. Had one of those men let his corner down, it would have been all up with that case. But they were in fellowship. They had agreed to carry things through at all costs.

Fellowship is a dearly bought thing. Why some don’t value it is because they haven’t paid the price for it. You have put your hand to the work and sometimes when it is arranged to carry things through you let your corner down. The reason why I know those people in the crowds were of no help is that when the man arrived they hadn’t even the common sense to make a way for the men to get through. These things are not done in a corner, they are happening every day amongst us. It is well for us to know how we stand.

It was a test to those men when the way was blocked. When the crowd was there to keep them back they sought a way out of it; they sought means whereby they could get out of this trouble. Has the crowd turned you away? You may be sort of glad the crowd was there and you made the effort. The Lord won’t accept service of that kind. When Paul was in prison he wrote of the Brother who sought him out very diligently. The proof that he was in earnest was that he sought means to get in when his brother was in dire need. The difficulties in the way show if we are in earnest or not. We defeat our purpose in the way we go about it. Duty goes about it with head down. Faith looks up and sees the way out of the difficulty.

Those men saw the way out. The proof that it was a motley crowd was in them letting those men go up to the roof, up by a narrow staircase. Bits of trouble test your purpose; faith says it can and will be done. Talk about an open home! I don’t think it was the home of Joseph and Mary, but it was an open home because they were willing to have their home upset to let the palsied man through. There’s no better way of providing and testing whether it is an open home, than if the home is allowed to be upset. Is your home an open home? Is it a home that can be upset to have someone helped? It is a great thing to have an open home for God’s work.

They took off the roof and let the man down and slowly but surely their efforts are coming to an end. Their idea was, “If we can get this man to the feet of Jesus, there is hope for him being helped.” When Jesus saw the faith of the four men He said to the palsied man, “Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.” The finish of it is that the crowd began fault finding but Jesus assured these four men and said to the sick of the palsy, “Arise and take up thy bed and go into thine house.”

When they saw what had taken place they said, “We have seen strange things today.” Well, it has happened here today too. I hope blessing will come to me today in the same way as it came to this man, that I will have to say, “I have seen strange things today.” And I hope that blessing will come to you in such a way that you will be caused to say, “I never saw that in that fashion.” I hope our interest will cause us to be more earnest and that you will be able to say, “We have seen strange things today,” and may it be so for Jesus’ sake.

By Herman Beaber

1942-1945

    Sunday the seventh of December, being the first Sunday of the month was Union Sunday. Willie was at Cavite and I was at Pinagkaisahan. The other boys were in various places. It just so happens that some of us gave a little talks to the folks about the possibilities of war and cautioned and encouraged them as best we could, little dreaming how close it really was. In the evening we had our Gospel Mtgs. Willie Jamison, Leo Stancliff and Earnest Stanley in Pasay, and Cecil Barrett and I (H. Beaber) were in the San Andres Sub-Division of Manila on the east side of town. It was Sun. the seventh here, but still the sixth in U.S. and Honolulu. We had very good attendance and interest in our mission here and feel very sorry that it had to be broken up so abruptly by the war. (Two professes later on in home mtgs.)

    Monday morning we got the news by paper of the attack on Pearl Harbour and what a change came over the city. People began rushing around with no place to go and immediately transportation was at a premium. The Army took over 82 of the Meralso buses and many of the taxis and trucks in town were commandeered. Otherwise, Monday was quiet, had a complete blackout that night.

Tuesday Dec. 9 Nothing of importance occurred. We boys did a lot of walking around to see the different places like Singapore, Hong Kong, etc. That night we had several air-raid warning. Cecil and I would pile out of bed in a hurry, pull on our trousers, slip on our shoes and hurry out of the house to look up into the sky to see I we could see any places. After about three times I got tired and decided to stay in bend that night. We did see a bit of anti-aircraft fire for the first time but not much else. We had a small Gospel Mtg. tonight with four men attending-pretty hard to preach in the dark. Blackout!

Wednesday 10. We decided to go to Pinagkaisahan and Gualupe to see the friends and to try and encourage them as we knew that most of the men would be gone, being soldiers. So we got on the street-car which was jammed with people. Found everyone in fair spirits but leaving their homes each night to sleep in the woods back of the villages. These villages are close to Port McKinley and therefore dangerous in time of a raid on the Port. We returned to town about noon-time and went into a little café to eat a little before walking home. With the exception of the street-cars, the transportation is very poor. A real raid started while we were still in the café. About 66 large Japanese bombers came over but did not drop any bombs on the city. They headed for Nichol Field, close to Pasay and for Cavite Navy Yard. They remained high out of range of the anti-aircraft fire. And as soon as our fighters went up to engage them some Jap fighters came in from the sea and so occupied them that the bombers were able to drop their bombs almost at will. The bombers were of the four-motored type- probably came from Pormoss. For nearly an hour they circled around and could hear the dull thud-thud of the bombs doing their terrific damage. The earth trembled, women cried, and people rand excitedly about trying to see dog-fights in the air. But we were in a part of the city where we could not see much. The bombing of Nichols Field was close to were Willie and the other two were living and they saw some action. But when the enemy left, he left some planes shot down-behind. We learned later that the shops at Nichols Field were ruined and burned from the movement of trucks it looked as though they were moving all motors and parts to other fields. The shops at Cavite were wrecked too. Some stray bombs fell in Pasay on the south side of Libertad. A number of houses were wrecked and some people were killed and wounded. 

Thursday 11. The streets and roads leading out of the city were choked with people leaving. Some in trucks, taxis, carretelas (horse and buggies) calessas and some walking. The railways were jammed and the buses and streetcars in the city were filled to overflowing. I do not know where all the people are going, and I fear that they do not know either. Mrs Misos left two days ago leaving Mr. Misos to care for the place. Heard that Bufine Funk had evacuated his family and some of his sisters. But most of the friends in Pasay are remaining. At night we have one, two, or three warnings but no dropping of bombs yet on the city. Olongopo, Clark Field and other places have been raided, but I do not think the damage has been anything like the damage here to Nichols Field and Cavite. Late in the evening after we had been asleep a young man was going around to all the houses in this part warning people that the water was poisonous and not to use it. I told Cecil that I did not believe it and sure enough we found out in the morning that it was just a rumour started by a fifth-columnist to upset the people,

Fri, Dec. 12- I went to Pinagkaisahan and Cecil went to town to see if there was any mail. I got back alright but Cecil got caught in a raid and did not get back to the house til after-noon. Mr. Minos left today with his son so there is no one in his house. It is true that the Prince of Wales and the Repulse have been sunk by Japanese plane action. That is bad. The Japanese have made landing in Luzon but have been repulsed by the U.S. and the P.I. Army. Also a landing reported at Legaspi but if true it is small. Hong Kong has been attacked too, but is holding out and the Chinese are coming in behind the enemy. Willie came over to see us this P.M. and as he has seen Johnnie Brown he said all our friends in Canvite were well with the exception of Mr. Basconsilla. He has not appeared sine the raid and was in the building that was directly hit, it is thought he is dead. Several of our friends from Pinaghaisahan are fighting in the front lines. It rained some today and is raining here tonight. I guess no bombers will come in this kind if weather. Good news today was that a large battleship was hit three times by bombs of one of our airmen, and it was left in damaged condition. Also that Wake Island has not yet been taken but that the little garrison there sunk a cruiser and a destroyer. Our Admiral Hart here says that the submarines are out and he expects good things from them. They may not be back for days or weeks. We are cozy in our batch here on Bubi and Pineda. Can just see to type with the black-out light and as all windows and doors are closed, we use the fan to stir up a little circulation.

Sat. Dec. 13- The news this morning was to the effect that more than a hundred planes came over central Luxon yesterday and attacked several military objectives. Eleven were shot down. Mr. Pineda came to see us. He had just walked in from Imus, said his brother was missing and was most likely killed in the raid on Cavite. Cecil went to marker but not much there. No change in the fighting. Paper says that the USAFFE lines are holding. Went to Miso’s and tried to get news of the radio but seems that nothing is being broadcasted on the long wave lengths. Also visited Rizalina a few minutes and told her to come to our place for mtg. tomorrow morning. Some of the neighbors are building air-raid shelters. Our little building has cement walls up about three feet and we will crouch behind them if they raid the city proper… It is 11:30 a.m. and the sirens are sounding again. We got out to see what is happening but no planes. We have our dinner and soon after hear the motors of many planes. Fighters seem to be whirling and manuvering to the east of us. Then we can see the large bombers coming from the north. First a group of 16 and then a larger group of 25. As they fly over the city we wonder if they will drop the bombs. They do not and we heave a little sigh of relief, but dread what will happen to their objective for it seems there are not fighter planes to drive them off and the anti-aircraft fire is not reaching them. The first group dropped its load and the ground trembled and rocked under us. We could not tell whether it was Cavite or Nichols Field again. But we learned afterward that it was Nichols Field and the southern edge of Pasay. The second group dropped its load in the same area. The earth rocked and shook again as if it were having the chill and shivers. Fighting planes swooped and zoomed be we could not see the fights. Machine gun bullets spattered around us going through the nipa roofs but not penetrating the tin roofs. None seemed to come near us. The first group swerved toward Corregidor on its return home and the guns there brought down one of the bombers. The second group turned inland and did a little bombing in other places. The all clear signal did not come for some time, so that we did not have the opportunity to go to Pasay to visit our friends there nor to view the damage. We visited Cruz’s and Ocompo’s and arranged a mtg. for Sunday in our house.

Sun. Dec. 14- Had and air-raid warning during the night, one at daybreak and another just as I was getting ready to leave for Pasay. The all-clear came about 9:30 and I arrived at Lerits about 10:15. Willie was there and the Doloreses and the Lerits. The rest had all left for the Provences. The bombing of the day before had come quite close to them. Mrs. Lerit told us that they had crouched under the house and sang hymns so they could not hear the explosions of the bombs. During mtg. Mr. Dupaya came in from Cavite. In his testimony he told us how that during the bombing of Cavite on Wed. he and two companions (workmen) threw them selves down flat on the ground. After the raid he was able to arise but his companions did not move. Dead! We had a nice mtg. but we had a raid and some bombers flew right over the house while Willie and I were speaking. That is a real test to one’s ability to concentrate!

Mon. 15- No raids last night and we got a good rest. Small news dispatches coming from America admit that the damage to the fleet at Hawaii was quite heavy. It is 8:30 A.M. and the sirens are blowing again, Cecil has gone to market. I can hear the bombers coming so will go to the door to see if I can see them. Judging by the sound of the motors they came quite close to Manila but a few clouds screened them from my sight. They swerved to the sea toward Corregidor and the sound of their motors died away. The bombing on Sat. was a complete failure as far as military damage was concerned but the paper said that 75 civilians were killed and perhaps 150 injured! It has been drizzling rain and cool over the week-end. A bit out of season for so much rain. They say the poor visibility on Sat. was the cause of the poor marksmanship of the enemy. During the night we heard tanks rumbling down Herran St. and Mr. Misos told us that he saw eight large guns traveling at great speed on the highway as he came in to town yesterday on the train. At noon today 18 bombers came over. We watched them closely to see if they would pass directly over the house but we saw that they were going to miss us just a little. We heaved a sigh of relief. They dropped their bombs on Nichols Field again. That is it, I should say. They tried to hit the field but hit everything else instead. No military damage. Most of the people from that district have evacuated so there was little loss of life. The raid on Sunday was aimed at the water-front but all the bombs fell into the water. Not a thing hit. What marksmanship!! We walked to Pasay to see the others. All is well. Leo and Ernest are making an air-raid shelter. We went to Dewey Blvd. to see the waterfront. Many guards, soldiers, machine-guns, nests, etc. Very tired when we reached home. No raids that night.

Tues.16- Cecil goes to market and I to Pinagkaisahan to see the folks there. They are to be evacuated by the Red Cross as it is too dangerous so close to the Fort. The barriers look very deserted, houses vacant with the pigs and the chickens that were left behind wandering around looking for something to eat. In the afternoon Cecil and I start an air-raid shelter under the house with the help of Mr. Cruz. Willie came along with some papers to fill out. He was mistaken several times for being and enemy alien. Quite a drive on aliens and fifth-columnists.

Wed.17- Things quiet. Philippino soldier came in yesterday to make sure we were not spies. We went to bed early as it is impossible to do anything in the blackout. Some Volunteer Guards and a policeman came to our door very excited as they thought we had lit a bon fire that was smouldering near our house and that it was a signal to the enemy. They quieted down after a short talk. No raids.

Thurs. 18- I wonder if we will have a raid today. Two days now with none and we are all breathing easier. Life id getting back to normal except that there are not so many people in the streets. We changed out minds re the air-raid shelter and filled the hole back in again and got Mr. Cruz to help us cement in the stones. (Forgot to say that we had a nice Study Mtg. yesterday afternoon with Mr. and Mrs. Cruz, Mr. Misos and Rizalina.) Today about 2 P.M. as we were working at the side of the house, I heard a roaring of motors, but did not pay any attention as no siren had sounded and did not think that enemy planes could be around; all at once we heard a deep thrrrruuuummmmmping of bombs not far away. And once you hear them you will always be able to recognize them. They do not sound like guns. We looked into the sky and sure enough, there they were, 6 bombers had sneaked in and dropped their bomb on Nichols Field and no warning was given. Four more came but were met with a hail of anti-aircraft fire. I do not think they did much damage and one was shot down. Hong Kong is being besieged and we wonder about Tom and Jim. The fighting is quite serious near Penang. The Japanese are headed for Singapore. Ground activity here in the P.I. has been nil. We finished our masonry job. Willie and Leo came over to see us. All is as usual in Pasay. All of Guadalupe and Pinagkaisahan have been evacuated except those who were not families of soldiers. They must care for themselves. This is a nerve wracking life.

Friday 19 Dec.- No raids last night. People are getting used to this life a little and we see a few peddlers around in the mornings and a few more caratelas taking people to the market. Cecil and I went to town this morning. I had business at the P.O. and there we saw Tagumpay Eusebio. Asked about boats going to America. None. And no news. Cecil sent a cablegram to New Zealand saying we are safe. We got home without getting caught in a raid and were just finishing the dishes when the first siren sounded! Ten minutes later the planes came in from the west, dropped a few bombs on Cavite and went away. Started a fire that looks like oil burning. Dark billowing clouds rising into the sky. About a half-hour later 17 more planes came in from the same direction. We neither saw nor heard any bombs but heard later that they had dropped leaflets.

Sat. 20- Had a quiet night. The enemy does not seem to like to bomb at night. Japanese landed on Victoria Island. (Hong Kong) Nothing new from Singapore, but it looks more serious all the time. Air-raid warning came today at 12:30 and the planes appeared at 12:45. They circled and circled sometimes right over our house and we started several times to make a dash for the back room which is the safest. They were very high and due to the bright sun we could not see them. A few clouds kept them from getting their sights on their objective but about the second or third time over they dropped their “eggs”. Then they seemed to circle toward Camp Murphy. No news yet of damage and can see no fires. I need a haircut badly and wish the all-clear would sound so could go down towards San Andres. What a life! Why do men have to fight like this? Leo came to see us this morning on his bicycle. He thinks a convoy will come from America about the 10th of Jan. My guess is about the first. Hard to say. Well, there goes the signal so I will be off. I got my hair cut all right, took a shower and then cooked some hot-cakes for Cecil. To bed about eight.

Sunday 21-Dec. Off to Pinagkaisahan, but find that everyone of our friends have left, returned to Manila in time for the mtg. with Cecil and the others. A raid came during the mtg. but we continue. I guess if a bomb fell on us during mtg. it would be hard for us to be in a better place. The raid continued till after the mtg. so that the folks could not go home immediately. All clear came about 11:30. No report of damage and in fact we heard nothing except the wham wham of anti-aircraft fire. Situation in Hong Kong is getting worse. Japanese have landed in Davao and fighting is fierce.

Mon. 22- Air-raided at 7 A.M. but it was short. Go to town to send a radiogram to Jack. Leo comes over and eats dinner with us and we start to Antipolo to find some of the friends. Air-raid catches us at Paco so we do not go. All to (illegible) to see Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez who are staying with the boys temporarily. News comes that 80 transports are seen off the coast of Ligayen and that three are sunk. Looks like a real attack this time. Got a long letter from Juanita—she is at Dasmarians. Willie and Ernest had a nice time at Santa Rosa yesterday with the Letits and Polpreses. Some folks still quite encouraged and have faith that help will come, others say no hope now. I hope there is a convoy on the way.

Tues. Dec. 23- Leo and I go to town to register at the Consulate’s Office. Got caught in a raid and stayed in the Elk’s Club. Heavy fighting in the north. 

Wed. 24- Cecil and I go to Pasay to talk things over with the other boys, Decide to move back to F. Fernando as no use to pay rent in two places and we better be all together in case of emergency. Volunteer for any kind of work at Manila Sanitarium. We visited old Mr. Funk who is there. He is pretty sick and weak. Had three raids today. Saw one plane hit by anti-aircraft fire. The Port Area was hit at noon and quite a bit of damage was don—many killed and wounded. Forty more transports are supposed to be landing troops on the shore of Tayabas province. Got things ready to move on the morrow. This is Christmas Eve, but what kind of Christmas is this? Very quiet in the P.M. but we saw a dog-fight over Malate and Pasay. We were told that three Japanese planes were shot down, but we could not see. Encouraged to see a number of American fighter planes in the air. Time-bombs kept going off during the night and we could not sleep very well. Large fires burning in vicinity of Nichols Field.

Thurs. 25– Christmas Day. We do not feel like eating much breakfast. News is that the invaders are coming in on two or three sides, but our lines are holding at the present. The defenders are greatly outnumbered, we are told. Our old friend, the cochere, is to move us but first he must go to Tutubon. I took a small load by taxi and Cecil came along later with the caratela. Had dinner with the boys and Mr. and Mrs, Hernandez. Had one alarm but do not think any bombs were dropped, leaflets. Time bombs still going off at Nichols Field, and 3 huge fires out there. Very quiet in the evening and Cecil and I take a walk down to Dewey Blvd. to see the water front. Sunset was very beautiful and seems as though was a thousand miles away. We went to bed very tired as we had worked hard on an air-raid shelter. What a way to spend Christmas.

Fri. 26- Had a quiet night except for the dogs. Cecil thought they were bad over on Rubi St. but I think they are worse here. Air-raids started about 10 AM. Four or five waves of 9 each came over and all seemed to drop bombs on the Port Area. We saw some leaflets dropped this morning. Saw one that was dropped yesterday, it was encouraging the Philippinos to fight against the Americans. More wild rumors going around. Will list a few of the more fantastic ones. Some days ago they said that the water had been poisoned and people went frantic again for a few hours. Then they said that gas had been dropped by the invaders and went frantic again to get gas masks and anti-gas solution. First we heard that 10,000 Chinese troops had landed at Cavite and next we heard that it was 120,000 that had landed. Then we heard 300 fighter planes were to come from Corregidor and later that 1,500 were to come from Australia. And later still that 7,000 Australian troops were coming. Yesterday the rumor got started that Manila was to be evacuated completely but there was no truth to it. Some talk of the Authorities declaring Manila to be an open city but not decided yet. The all-clear signal just blew and the raids are over once again. Guess they did plenty of damage this time at least many bombs were dropped in the Port Area. Walked to San Andre to visit the folks there. All of Miscos home now.

Sat 27- Cecil and I go to town to do a little business and get home before the raids start. Again they bomb the piers. Yesterday most of the bombs fell in the water, but this time they hit some of the piers, a large church building in Intramures and P.I. mint where Mr. Cayabyab works. The church building (Catholic) burned and some other buildings also.

Sun. 28- Leo and I go to the Polo Club at 8:30 to attend a mtg. of all the American men here in Pasay. Discussed a number of things we might do in case of occupation by the enemy. We are supposed to meet at the Manila Sanatorium. We got back to Lerits in time for the Sun. mtg. Had a nice mtg. although few, Mrs. Lerit, Tagumpay, Enrigue, Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez, Cecil, Leo and myself. Most spoke about having confidence in the Lord, whatever might happen we will still have something that even death will not take from us. The Dolores girls are still in the province and Severa is worrying about them as well as her husband, Luis, and the children. We all had dinner at Lerit’s and a big raid came on. They bombed the piers again and started a fire but do not know just where it is. Got home about 3 P.M. Our men are pretty hard pressed according to the news. Willie and Ernest reported a good mtg. in San Andres.

Mon. 29- Manila pronounced an open city but still the Port Area and other places were bombed yesterday. Blackout was done away with last night. The north line is holding well, we hear, but heavy pressure in the south. We are assured that help is coming but of course not told when. NED forces doing good work with their bombing planes. Leo and I visit Misos and Cruzes in the P.M. I also see some of the friends living around our old location on Rubi St. Supper at Misos and walk home. Few street lights.

Tues. 30- Again we are assured that Naval help is coming. But how or when we do not know. Corregidor was bombed for two hours yesterday. No raids on the city today. The Pasay Market pretty slim in food-stuffs so Mr. Hernandez and Cecil went to Paco, found plenty of food and many people. Three of us took a walk out south, saw many bomb holes and part of the remains of Nichols Field.

Wed. 31- Bombing raids on the city have ceased. Baguio is taken, and Americans there are interred. Ernest and I had a nice mtg. at San Andres. All stores of oil and other materials in the city being destroyed. Huge fires. Start a New Year tomorrow but we fear we do not know much about what is in store for us.

1941-1942

Thurs. Jan 1- As Ernest and I were walking to Miscos last evening for the mtg. there, the sky was dark and foreboding with heavy clouds rolling up from the oil fires which had been set on purpose. The flames were extremely high and the soot from the heavy oil left marks on out light clothing. I remarked to Ernest that it looked like the end of the world. (They must have had tons and tons of stores as the fires burned in different places for days and days.) Today we are expecting the Japanese troops to come into the city at any time as the city has been left open by the USAFFE forces and they have returned to the north. We get ready to enter some kind of camp. We have heard of concentration camps and it is not with much joy that we look forward to the experience.

Friday 2- Stay pretty close to home as we do not want to get caught on the street when the army comes in. The looting is terrible! When the American forces left they gave much of their stores to citizens to keep it from falling into the hands of the enemy. After they left the Philippinos started to loot the Chinese stores. The police are powerless (?) to stop them and it continued till the Japanese came in. All stores were gutted, literally cleaned of anything of value. All fixtures were broken and thrown into the streets. Harrison St. and Libertad here in Pasay were shambles. Broken glass, furniture and papers and cloth strewn around. It is a good thing we have a few canned goods in the house, as there are NO stores now and nothing being sold in the market. Rice is at a premium. In the evening we went down to the corner of Taft and Buendia to see the first Japanese soldiers enter the city. Impossible to describe our feelings of apprehension and fear.

Sat. 3- Mr. Misos and Mr. Cruz came over to see us as they know we must stay close to home. They tell us that looting still continues this morning. Fires are still raging.

Sun. 4- We stay home for mtg. as we do not like to get to far away from the house. Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez are still here with us. It is convenient for us too as they can go out and look for a little food to buy. Mr. Cruz come to see us again.

Mon. 5- We stay home. Hear definitely that the Americans and British are being taken into concentration camps. What is in store for us? We pack a few things in our cases, put a few canned goods in bags, etc., as we hear that this was the advice given by the Japanese officers when they took the staff of the Manila Sanatorium.

Tues. 6- I phone several places to try to find out what is expected of us. The city is still in confusion. No one is supposed to be on the streets after dark. We see several cars and trucks with Japanese taking Americans some place, but do not know whether they are going to a camp or going home after being questioned. We are quite restless and wish something would happen. About 6 P.M. Ernest spotted a Japanese care on our street and hailed the man and talked to the officer. He was out after Americans or British, so he came into the house and told us to get ready as soon as possible. He was in a hurry as it was getting dark and he wished to get us registered before to late. Told us we would only be there two or three days and not to take much except a little food. (We believed him.) We snatched a few canned goods, our blankets and went with him to the car. He was quite friendly and kind to us and kept talking to Ernest in Japanese, although he knew some English too. The other folks in the house were much upset when we left. Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez could not keep back tears; and Mr. Cayabyab and his neighbour happened to be there at the house and to too bid us a sad farewell.

    We were taken first to the Rizal Memorial Stadium where we were registered; name, age, business, address, etc. Then we were bundled back into the car and taken to Santo Tomas University grounds. What a crowd! What a noise! What confusion! Actually thousands of people! And all were wandering around not knowing what to do, nor where to go. We were kept in the main building. They told us to look for a place to sleep but all the rooms were full, and real full, I Mean! And the halls were not exactly empty either. We found five chairs that were not occupied and decided to spend the night in them. One of us would guard our little bundles and the others would scout around to see what could be seen or heard. It looked as if we were just thrown in and expected to take care of ourselves.

    I was guarding the things when the boys came back and reported that another building was to be opened up for the overflow. But where was Leo? We could not find him. The Japs lined us up outside and we did not know whether to take Leo’s things or not and could not leave them behind very well. We marched off into the dark but it happened we did not go very far and Leo turned up so all was okay. We were put in the Annex or Elementary Dept. Bldg. There were a number of rooms and we being at the head of the line got into an empty room and had first-choice of location. There were a number of small desks there, very small chairs and a low platform (wooden) about six inches off the floor. I pushed the desks together in such a way that the tops made a bed about 36 inches long. That took four desks. Another such arrangement along side of me was Cecil’s place. And the seat part of the desk being nearly flat when pushed up against the other set made another bed-like contrivance. Leo took that. It was not very comfortable as it was higher in the middle than on the sides. Willie and Ernest slept on the wooden platform by our side. Some beds! But they were better than the cement of which the floor was made. Each one had a blanket but the wood was hard. The mosquitoes were the worst of all as we had no nets. Morning finally came.

Wed. 7- About 20 men in our room and we were told to get organized. That is to appoint a minitor who would be responsible for the behaviour of the occupants and to make a list of names and other information. Ernest was appointed monitor as he knew Japanese and would make a good intercessor for our room, a Mr. McCune was appointed head monitor of the annex. Lots of questions as to why, when and what for, but no answers.

Thurs. 8- Ernest is made interpreter for the main office between the five committee men representing the main body of the camp and the main Japanese officer over the camp. The organization of the camp is left to us. With Ernest gone, I was appointed minitor of our room. Friends of the inmates are bringing things to the front gate and passing them in. The officials do not allow us direct contact, but the parcels must be send back and forth from the fence to our line (about 10 yards away) by messenger or carrier. Lots of beds, nets, food, mattresses, etc., coming in. Tons of stuff! We sent word to Pedro and Peping to come and bring our nets and banigs (mats).

Fri. 9- Pedro and Peping brought our nets and a few other things for which we are very thankful. Now we shall have a little peace from the mosquitoes. They are very bad. We are getting used to the hard beds. The Red Cross has set up a small kitchen and makes coffee for everyone in the morning. But one has to stand in line for an hour. We can make out breakfast and then eat two lunches during the day. Almost living on bread and beans (canned) of which we have a dozen cans.

Sat 10- Just getting nicely settled here in the room when the order came to move to go to the gymnasium. It was recently opened and that will be for us men. The women with children will have this annex. What a confusion! We rush over to the gym and look for the softest place on the floor! Except for the basketball court in the center, the floor is all concrete. Just as we got settled in one place the order came that the British and Americans must keep separated. So Ernest and Cecil moved to the other side of the room. There were about 700 men in the room, more than 500 being Americans. There were about 5,000 on the grounds. Everyone had to feed himself as the Japs made no provision at all. The Red Cross tried to help some who had no food and no friends on the outside. There was no eating in the building so we used to take our few cans, a can opener that I happened to think to put in my pocket and a cup and four saucers that we found in the annex, one spoon, and go out on the grass and eat sparingly. Pedro brought us more cups and spoons and a few things to eat so that we were faring quite well after 4 or 5 days.

Sun. 11- There was too much confusion to try to have a mtg. and we were told that private mtgs. were taboo anyway. I was put on labor battalion No. 1 today and spent two hours pulling and cutting grass and clearing drains. In the afternoon I attended a small Church of England service held in the court of the main building. A Japanese official was there too, taking notes.

Mon. 12- Nothing different today. More people coming in and a very few getting out due to old age, sickness, etc. Mothers with babies less than a year old were released also, we heard. And some children of school age were let out under the care of the Red Cross on the outside.

Tues. 13 Willie has a job helping prepare food in the Red Cross kitchen for the children. Cecil is on the clean-up gang at the annex. Leo is still on the main messenger job at the front gate, and Ernest is still interpreter at the main office and filling a good job. I am to be called when my unit has another job. But also slated to be a cook’s helper when the Red Cross sets up some field kitchens to feed everybody community style. We hear this is to be done soon, and we hope so, as all are tired of this lunching business and some people do not have much to eat. I am looking forward to my cooking job, as it will be something to do. One ought to get enough to eat anyway! And some think we may get pretty thin by the time we get out of here! (How true that turned out to be.) Some of the friends came to see us today—Mr. Miso, Mr. Cruz, Salud, Andresa, Mr. Sarmdento. Pedro and Peping have been here several times.

Wed. 14- There was a notice on the board this afternoon saying that all missionaries are to be packed up by 10 A.M. tomorrow, ready to be moved to a new concentration camp! Well, we do not like that. We are settled here and would like to stay. But orders are orders. Some say we are going to a place about 2 blocks away, in order to make more room here in the main camp. One missionary thought it was an attempt to get all religious influence out of the camp before the “Screws” are applied. I doubt that. Anyway we went to sleep wondering what the next day would bring forth.

Thurs. 15- Bt 10 o’clock there were close to 150 of us in front of the main building ready to go. We waited. We waited. We waited. It was hot. It got hotter. Finally we were told to go across the driveway and wait under the trees. We were very grateful for that. Then Ernest came out and told me something privately. He had been in the main office and heard that we were to be released to go to our own homes. A sort of voluntary confinement. We were finally called into the building and a Japanese officer gave us a nice little talk in his own language. Another official translated it. It was to the effect that our release was being arranged by the religious department of the Japanese forces. We were to go home and continue our work as nearly as possible like we were before; but to bear in mind that no undue moving about the city would be allowed, and our services must be strictly religious and not political. We filled out little papers, appeared before the officer for questioning, one by one, and then given temporary passes which permitted us to go home. Some had transportation, but I went to the main gate to engage a carromata. While there, Leo came and called me as Ernest had finally got one of the soldiers with a truck to take us hope. We arrived about 6:00 with our little luggage, thanked the soldiers and they returned. It would be hard to describe the welcome we received. Yes, there were tears of joy shed by our friends. We had a great time sitting around our own table that evening, eating warm food and trying to tell some of the experiences which befell us in the nine days we spent in the concentration camp. When we looked back on it from a few days later it seemed as nothing. Most of out suffering came from mental anxiety and worry.

Fri. 16 – Fri. 23 We straightened up things at home, visited around among the friends and even went to Miso’s place for Salud’s birthday. Some of the folk came to see us.

Sat. 24- Cecil, Willie and I go to the Pasay Municipal to get our third hypodermic injection for typhoid, dysentery and cholera. We had to take two injections while we were in the camp. Due to the crowded conditions in the camp, lack of sanitation disposal in the city, there is a fear of epidemics of disease. In the P.M. Cecil and I went to the head-quarters of the religious department of the Japanese forces in order to hand in a report I had written out of our activities, work, budget, and staff. It was required. The men were very kind and friendly to us. Had a long talk about the nature of our work, and on our way back to the main street (we were in Intamuros) we saw the effect of the bombings that took place earlier in the war. The corner of Intamuros next to the Post Office in a shambles. We caught a street car and rode a little ways out on Avenida Rizal, then walked over to the Concentration Camp. Saw Ernest at the front gate and gave him some clean clothes. Returned home tired.

Sun. 25- Cecil and I go to Misos for mtg. Home about 6:30.

Mon. 26- As we stay home much of the time and we have no letters to write we are studying the Bible together in the mornings. Taking the book of Mark chapter by chapter and sometimes spend an hour and a half that way. Very nice and refreshing to sit quietly and let Willie talk to us. Helps us to forget our surroundings for the time, and we younger ones are learning much.

Well, well, well. What do you suppose happened tonight? About 9 P.M. I was sitting here at the table playing my piano accordion to pass the time and to amuse the others (if you could call it amusement). All at once a terrific explosion rent the air. It literally made the house shake and the air quivered. The folks upstairs made a dash for the outside and the air-raid shelter, as all thought immediately it was a bomb, and it was a bomb and a large one! What confusion it started in this place. Some had heard the plane before the bomb exploded, but thought nothing of it. I had not heard the plane, as I was playing the instrument. But in a few seconds we could hear the daring aviator gunning his motor for the getaway. Machine guns started stuttering and the deep Boouummppnnoouummpp of the anit-aircraft batteries told us that one of the American planes had sneaked in and dropped a huge bomb somewhere near us. What a wealth of rumor it made. Some of the natives had the whole American airforce arriving in a few minutes. But someone told us it was MacArthur’s birthday and this was just a greeting card from him! We finally got to bed but I happened to be awake about 11:30 and heard the drone of a plane coming in from the bay. It was either 2 fighters or else a two-motored bomber. I could hear the overtones from the two motors. The noise got louder. Folks ran out and saw flares dropped. Again the guns started barking, large and small and then the bombs dropped, several this time, and then the getaway. But they did not leave. They circled and more bombs were dropped. They seemed to be in several different directions from us but we have not found out yet, definitely just where the damage was done. Heard the next day that more were dropped about 4:00 in the morning in the northern part of the city. We were all sleepy the next day. I wonder why!

Tues. 27- Great excitement over what happened last night. Talk about rumors! Some think that the Americans are very close, but we feel that last night’s activities were just a gesture.

Fri. 30- All the enemy nationals outside the camp must report at Army Headquarters, so Cecil and I go down in the morning and Leo and Willie in the afternoon. They just wanted to know how much money we have in the bank! Three Japanese banks have opened and three local banks have been ordered to get ready to open also. Do not know whether they will allow the American and British banks to open or not. May be hard on some if not.

Thurs. Feb. 5- Went to town to shop for flour. Found some for 5 pesos a sack, but it was full of weevils so did not buy. Returned to San Marcelino and bought a sack for 6 pesos that I had seen a few days previous.

Sat. 7- Bought a sample of cracked wheat yesterday to see how it would go for our morning cereal. It was good so I dispatched Leo on his bike today to buy a quantity. He got fifty pounds for five pesos.

Mon. 9 – Fri. 13- I have been sick with a fever, but not very serious. Some of the friends came to visit us because of my illness. They are very good to do that in this country. Japanese still gaining on all fronts.

Sun. 15- On Sat. night Pedro had a bad attack of asthma and we despaired for his life. Had to get a doctor. His heart is weak too. Today I stayed home with him and he is worrying over the fact that he and his wife are an expense to us. But it really makes little difference, as our money is soon going to run out anyway and we are going to have to do something.

Tues. 17- Cecil and I went to Intramuros to ask some questions of the Religious Dept. If we cannot support ourselves we must return to the camp. We can work a little if we find a job. Forgot to mention that Singapore fell and some folks are quite gloomy. I am afraid it will get much worse than that. Three Englishmen escaped from the camp, were caught and executed.

Thurs. Feb. 19- I went job hunting down town. Saw the vice-mayor at the city hall and others, but no luck. Went to the Quiapl Merkt and bought 5 lbs. Margarine and 5 lbs. of baking powder for my flour – to make hotcakes. Canned goods are scarce.

Fri. 20- Studying Acts together these days. Very interesting. We talked about the Cavite folks this morning and soon after lunch time in came Pepe Castro and Elihu Odonez. We were very glad to see them. They were riding their bicycles and went on over to San Andres. They came back about 4 P.M. I gave them a hotcake feed and home they went.

Wed. 25- Ernest came home to spend part of the day with us. He had been instrumental in getting Mr. Gordon released from camp, so those folks had us to their house for tea and a wonderful chicken supper in the evening.

Fri. 27- The Funk girls and Gertrude came over yesterday for a meal of hot-cakes with us. I am getting a kind of reputation, but do not know that I relish it. Today I experimented with an oven to make a cake. It turned out fair so I gave the boys half and took the rest to San Andres as I was going there on business.

Sat. 28- The 5 of us attended a religious mtg. in Manila to hear some instruction given us by some of the leaders of the religious section of the Japanese Army. Our liberties have been curtailed again, and visiting is prohibited during the week. We have to make out reports on our denomination, churches, pastors, missionaries, and all mtgs. and activities. Much red-tape, but I guess it is all necessary. We were told that if the reports were not in regularly our privilege of having services would be cancelled. Much talk of all the protestant churches uniting. Must give our opinion.

Mon. March 2- Left early in the morning to meet a man at the Meralso Offices by 8 o’clock. As we are still using Daylight Saving Time (request of the Japs.) that means that I left the house at 6:30. Waited nearly an hour for my man. People in this country are seldom on time. I transferred the meter that was in the house where Cecil and I had lived on Rubi St. from my name to his. In that way my 5 peso deposit was returned to me. I might add that it was the 5 pesos that I was after, not the transfer. Five pesos is a fortune under these circumstances! The Japanese sentry across the street from where I waited for my man watched me rather suspiciously, as I guess he could tell I was an American. I went on down town after finishing at eh Meralco and in getting on a street car, I went by the sentry on purpose and bowed to him very respectfully as everyone is obliged to do when passing a sentry or guard. He returned my bow. I went to Plaza Lawton and then walked across Intramuros on Anda St. I was able to see all the rubbish left after the fire and bombing at the beginning of the war. In some places the rubble was 6 feet deep in the ruined buildings, with nothing but the stone walls standing. Women and children were scratching around in the ashes and stones picking out the little pieces of burnt wood like charcoal, to cook their rice. Fuel is at a premium now. Sitting on a narrow sidewalk with his feet sticking out so that I nearly fell over them was an old, old man holding out his hat for pennies. Someone had given him a mouthful of something to eat, he was working it around in his toothless jaws, and at the same time giving out a loud moan every time he expelled his breath. I do not know whether he really was in pain or had got into that habit of attracting attention. He was dressed in what looked like pajamas but had not seen soap and water for many a day. I continued to my destination, delivered my reports, asaked a few questions, got extra blanks and walked back to the Plaza Lawton and on to the City Hall. There I made some inquiries regarding finances of foreigners, from the mayor’s office, then walked a half dozen or so blocks back towards home so that my fare would be 3 centavos instead of 5. dinner was ready soon after I got home, and needless to say I was hot, hungry and tired. The street cars have to handle all the traffic now as there are no buses. We have to walk about a mile to the end of the line at Vito Cruz.

    I made two little cakes again this afternoon. This morning when I saw the women picking up little pieces of burnt wood, I thought of the widow in the O.T. who was picking up little sticks to cook her last handful of meal. And when I was baking the little cakes this P.M. I thought of her again.

    Mrs. Lerit stepped in on her way home from Paco. She had had a long walk too. Had bought some articles to take up to the province to sell. I gave her one of the little cakes to take home. This evening Leo is tinkering with an old clock he found under the house: Cecil is out getting a bit of fresh air; Willie is reading Shakespeare and Mr. and Mrs Hernandez are getting ready for bed, then usually retire early as they do not read as much as we do.

Tues. 3- Pedro and Maria pack up a few things and start for home amid tears and sobs. They did not want to leave, but felt that maybe Pedro would be better in Cavite and they knew that they would have to do something when we could feed them no longer.

Mon. 9- Take our weekly report to the Religious Department and go on to Aquinaldos on Juna Luna to see about selling some of our things to realize a little cash. Could not see my man. Maria comes back loaded with wood, mangoes, and chickens to sell in the Market.

Wed. 11- We hear the N.E.I. had capitulated and that the Japs have started for India. Wonder if they will attack Australia. Maria returned to Cavite with a load of vegetables to sell there. Ruth and Liwunag (Dolores) come to bring our clothes which have been laundered. Mr. Cruz came last night bringing bread, fruit and eggs. Our friends have been kind to us.

Sun. 15- Cecil and I to Cinco de Junio for mtgs. Heavy gunfire coming from Corregidor. A fighter plane flying low over Manila, let a few bursts go from its manchine gun and wounded a few people in Paco. Last week I wend to the Red Cross. One of the women there in charge was a fellow student of mine in University of California. We had quite a chat. They could not do much for us, but this friend of mine made arrangements whereby we got some groceries, rice, sugar, cracked wheat and a few canned goods.

April – Thurs. 9 “Bataan fell today.” This little peninsula, the one separating north Manila Bay from the South China Sea has been the scene of terrible fighting the last ten days or more. It has held out ever since the USAFEE forces left the central part of Lison Is. It was greatly outnumbered, at least eight to one, we have been told and therefore surrendered only when they could no longer give the men enough to rest between attacks. Great numbers of wounded came back from the front on this side and the defenders must have suffered much too. Corregidor is still holding out, and there are other guerrilla forces on this Island. Many of our friends are sad because of the fall of Bataan, as they thought there might be hope as long as it held. But we feel that it was expected by those who knew and that it may not materially effect the outcome of the war in the distant future. People are going back to work slowly – prices are becoming stabilized at least on native things. Imported goods may only be had at exorbitant prices.

Sun. April 12- We had a little excitement today. Cecil and I were at Cinco de Junio for mtg. The first testimony was being given when four explosions were heard and felt. I say “felt” because with each blast the house shook and the wall at my back seemed to bulge indefinitely. Immediately there was confusion. One in the mtg. stood up and cried, ”Flying Fortress!” Children in the neighbor’s house began to cry and in a few seconds there were shouts, murmurs, excited talking and laughing as people poured into the streets or the more fearful ran for air-raid shelters and dug-outs. With difficulty we continued our mtg. Learned afterward that American planes had come over all night.

Sat. 16- Last Wed. Leo took sick with the dysentery. We did not think it was serious at the time but it got wores so that we called a doctor on Friday. He was delirious from weakness all night but a little better in the morning. However, a Red Cross nurse happened to come to visit us this morning and upon seeing Leo sick, insisited on taking him to the hospital. So we called a taxi and off they went. The rest of us all went to the camp to re-register. Seems the Japanese are making a check-up on all the ones released from camp. On my return I looked for Leo at the emergency hospital, but learned that he had been taken to San Lazaro. It was too late to go there.

Mon. 20- Yesterday Cecil and I were at Misos for mtg. Right after lunch I went to find Leo. He was better but still weak. Must stay 6 days in order to pass the test for cholera. I returned in time for P.M. mtg. We heard today that five large cities of Japan have been bombed. I went to see Leo again this afternoon. He will most likely be home on Thurs. or Fri. It is hot and I feel tired from its oppressiveness, my running around and lack of sleep caring for Leo.

Sun. May 3- I just finished making out our reports. Have six blanks to fill out. I am getting a bit fed up with so much red tape. Leo got along all right in the hospital and came home on Thurs. the 6th day of his stay. He was very weak and still feels the effect of his experiences. The folks upstairs lost their radio as it was not paid for; and we have not had much news lately. Willie had a birthday last week so we had a few friends to come and I gave them American fudge and hotcakes. Mr. Sariemto made a cake and brought it. We laughed at the lack of things that go to make up a birthday party. One of the girls brought Willie a shirt she had made for him. Very beautiful work and the gift was more than welcome. Willie is having quite a siege of boils at present, but he says they are subsiding some. He must have about thirty on his body now.

    We had good mtgs. again today. Fourteen at Lerits and seventeen at Misos. For their Bible Study in the after noon they are taking Hebrews. Pretty hard for them, but they are learning slowly.

    At present our daily routine is somewhat like the following – Leo gets breakfast and we eat about 7:00. It consists of cracked wheat mush and coffee. Sometimes we have a bit of bread. (given to us) Then I have an hour to get my vegetables for dinner rounded up. If there are things like beans and/or a soup bone to deal with, I start the charcoal fire – wood is to erratic and kerosene is 22 pesos for a five gallon can. We start out home study about 8:30 and usually finish about 10:30. We are in Genesis now. Then Cecil cooks the rice and I finish the fulay and ulam and we eat at about 11:30. Willie takes a siesta after dinner and sometimes we younger ones too, unless we have something special in mind. Our afternoons are free, but we are forbidden to go out much. We sneak out to Cinco de Junio, and once or twice a week I get over to San Andres. Supper is pretty much every man for himself wherever or whenever. Usually consider that two meals a day are fairly sufficient.

Sun. May 10- Seems that I do quite a bit of writing in this on Sunday evening. The reason is that I get out my typewriter to make out the church reports and so I continue with my diary. Last week the Japanese made an all-out attack in Corregidor. With no aerial defense the big guns were put out of action by one and the Japs were able to land. Again the folks here are disappointed.

Sun. May 17- Rice is going up in price and the rice line where the price is controlled by the Japs is getting longer and longer. Some stand in line for hours and then get no rice as it runs out before their turn comes. Some Japanese vessels in the Bay now. Some freighters tied up at Pier No. 7.

Mon. 25- Well, here it is my birthday. For dinner I gave the boys rice, beans with some beef and tomatoes, and a mango each. No change in our condition. We had a heavy rain yesterday and a light rain today. This marks the beginning of the rainy season.

Sun. 32- Had good mtgs. today. Cecil and I being at Misos and Ernest came to be with us in the afternoon mtg. Cecil and I paid our residence tax last Thurs. in order to get a rice ration card – as Leo had already done. We got the tax paid all right but when we went down next morning to get our ration card – what a mess! Pushing, fighting, screaming among the women. As we stood watching the melee a policeman came along and asked me what he could do to help us. He was the one whom Hubert and I had trouble with a year ago. He got us a paper with a number on it and the next morning I was able to get my ration card. One has to go about 4 or 5 in the morning to get either the ration card or the rice.

Tues. June 9- Heard of a big battle going on in the Pacific, but nothing official. Many rumors. See by the paper that we must register our denomination – 5 pesos, if you please! I am thinking about fishing in the bay. Rufino Funk catches a good many. There is a death penalty now for anyone caught listening to radio news from San Francisco, Australia, or England.

Tues. 16- Last Sunday Cecil and I visited some of the men who were interested in the mission that we were having when the war broke out. As a result we had two of them in the afternoon mtg. They promised to come again. We walked down to the bay and talked to some of the fishermen on the breakwater. It was a long walk but I got some good information regarding fishing. Tonight I finished making out the forms for our registration with the P.I. Gov’t. I never saw so much red -tape in all my life. Mr. Miso has a swelling on his neck that the doctor says is cancer. We fear for his life.

Fri. July 3- The Red Cross has had to give up feeding the folks in the Concentration Camp. The Japanese took it over the first of July. We wonder what kind of food they are getting now. We have to go there nest Thursday to report and maybe get new passes. Also hear a rumor that we may be into a camp just for missionaries. News from Europe does not sound so good now. Tagumpay got married last week. Mr. Miso’s neck is a little better. The food situation is about the same. We are getting by, but getting thin as well.

Thurs. 9- We all went to the camp today to get our new permanent releases. They gave us a little talk and then lined us up for our passes. The conditions were explicit this time and perhaps you would like to know what they are.

The holder must obey all the laws promulgated by the Japanese authorities and to say or do anything detrimental to the interests of Japan. 

Unless special permission is granted by the Authorities at the Camp, the holder may not leave his place of residence except (a.) essential shopping – food, clothing, drugs,etc. (b.) Medical treatment (c.) church services, Sundays only (d.) exercise, limited to immediate neighborhood of residence.

The holder must report immediately to the Camp and change of address.

The holder must produce this certificate upon demand by the proper authorities.

 Tues. July 14- I have found a simple and cheap way of making extra good coconut candy, called here “bukayo”. We worked at it several hours today and made a peso or so. On Wed. I made another batch and took to Ernest in the camp where it brings more money.

Fri. 17- I made 150 pieces of bukayo and a man came and bought it all. We made about one peso and 65 centaves profit. That means the bits of carabao meat in the stew will not be quite so few and far between!

Aug. 1 – The heavy rains have started and we look out upon gloomy skies, and try to keep from thinking gloomier thoughts. The bukayo business is thriving and the friends call me “Magbubukayo” which means “the maker of bukayo” in Tagalog. Mr Miso is worse. He is in great pain.

Aug. 6- Doing a little mission work on the sly. A Mr. Jimenez who was interested in out Rubi St. mission is coming to Misos for mtg. And a young woman who I met in the market is coming to Cinco de Junio. Aug 9th Mr. Jimenez has professed and his wife is coming to mtgs. also. They seem very nice people.

    The later part of August Cecil, Leo and I had a round with the fever, but did not damage, except to Leo. He was left very weak and afterwards subject to violent pains in his abdomen which he thought might be appendicitis. But was just gas. He has indigestion now most of the time. The middle of Sept. Cecil and I started a garden in a vacant lot not far from our dwelling. A regular wilderness but it looks like good soil and will be something to do.

Mon. Oct. 19- Oh! Sad Day! I parted with my hand-made fishing rod today. Sold it to a Japanese business man for the sum of 12 pesos. The fish-pole is of no use at the present, although Leo did try fishing in the bay without success, but the 12 pesos look like 12,000. We started mtgs. again out at Pinagkaishan as Mr. Jomok came home sometime in Sept. As far as he knows all the other men out that way died, either in battle or of sickness in the prison camp. We have had much red-tape these days. We have been asked to register our “sect”, our selves as missionaries and Oh, so many questions.

Fri. Nov. 6- Today we moved from 313 F.Fernando to 271 Budndia. Just around the corner but to a nicer place, upstairs, and near our garden, which is thriving. Willie is working it now and it is doing him good. Leo is still bothered with indigestion.

Fri. Dec. 25- I got special permission from the Japanese to have Special mtgs. so we had one mtg. today at Letets. About 50 present. Some from Cavite and some Pinagkaisahan. Very touching.

1943

January, 1943. We started wearing our red arm bands on the 23rd, showing that we are aliens (enemy aliens). Working hard in our garden these days and making a little money selling talinom in the market.

Feb. 8- Willie, Cecil and I work in the garden almost every day. Willie specializes on corn which he likes very much and he has raised us some good ears for the table. Cecil has varouis things and I take care of the upl, which is a native squash that grows on a horizontal trellis and the talinoms. I sell about 30 centavos worth of it is the market everyday. And we have onions, tomatoes, egg-plant, green peppers, pechay and other vegetables for our use, as well as a few extra to give to our friends and sometimes to sell.

Mar. 10- Mr. and Mrs. Jimenez and Salud come to see us. It is a bit risky for them to do so as they may be executed for being pro-American. The last few days some enemy aliens have been picked up and taken to Fort Santiago. We stay pretty close to home. Leo is a bit better, but has to be careful what he eats. He is raising a few chickens. We have dig a well and water our garden mornings and evenings. We are to get a pig from Misos.

June 8- Nearly 3 months since I have written but nothing much to say. The military police have been to the homes where they have the mtgs. several times. After much questioning they went away, apparently satisfied. They came here once. On April 11, a family by the name of Salgado came to live with us. Mrs. Salgado is a sister of the folks who live downstairs. They are nice people and we share expenses on light and gas but eat and cook separately. Mrs. Roncal came in once bringing us eggs, mangoes and rice. On Willie’s birthday some folks came and gave him a surprise. (May 25 – Chicken ‘n Everything!) I enquired at the Red Cross about sending a two word message to the States, but the cost was prohibitive for me – $17.60. I did not have enough to send it. (I got the money later on and sent it.) We study the book of Isaiah these days. On my birthday much the same thing happened as on Willie’s birthday. Friends, both in the fellowship and out have been most kind to us.

    The hot season is very weakening to Americans and like last year, Willie got another case of boils. Several got quite serious becoming like ulcers, so we got him to see his doctor. He was given medicine but it made him ill and in order to have a good examination Cecil and I took him to the Philippe General Hospital. There is a ward there especially for Americans, and is financed b the Internee camp so it will be free. He is there at present. It is hard to see him as same rules apply there as at St. Tomas. No visiting. Last month all enemy aliens were called back to the camp except missionaries. Another camp has been started at Los Banos, but they are having difficulty with water so do not know whether it will be permanent or not. Leo is still having trouble with indigestion, but some better than last year. Ernest, Cecil and I are fine.

Fri. July 9- It is raining hard and has been for some time. The rainy season is on in full swing. We still sell vegetables. Last month I started teaching in the home of Mr. Brady. As a result I have made other contacts and have students some here to the house too. It has eased the financial situation some. Cecil teaches too.

    This last week or two there have been many shootings, murders and hold-ups. Most of it is blamed on the guerrillas but I think most of it is just gangsterism. A number of high Philipinos have been shot, some for spite, some for money, and some because they were pro-Japanese. Also, robberies are taking place right in broad daylight and as I had a little experience with one I will relate it!

    I was in the home of Mr. Brady that I mentioned before, this morning reading to the children. The lady of the house came into the room accompanied by a man who was holding a revolver. I looked surprised, I guess, as the woman said, “It is a hold-up.” I said, “Oh!” The man brandished the gun around a little and I got nervous for fear the things might go off. They hearded us all into the front bedroom (we were on the upper floor) and there I saw the house-boy being guarded by two other thieves, one having a revolver. They seemed to be amateurs and did not know just what they wanted. First they would look through boxes, bags, or the camphor chests and then return to search our persons. Of course the children were frightened. The leader, a short man, called me to the corner where he went through my pockets. He found my watch, but it had a nickel silver case he thought it was a cheap one and returned it to my pocket. He took a few pesos from my pocket book but returned the small change. Then I was told to sit on the bed and my hands were tied behind my back. They tried to get the lady of the house to tell them where the money was, but she told them there was none. They took her to another part of the house and I was afraid they might abuse her in some way. I was gagged then but later in the taller man, the other gunman, took the gag out of my mouth because he wanted to ask me some questions. He thought I might be German and if so, he was going to shoot me on the spot. Most of the threats were a bluff, and if it had not been for the woman and children I might have risked a chance of hitting one of them while the other was out of the room. They returned the gag to my mouth, bound my hands and feet, did the same to the others and gathered all they could into bundles. Most of their loot consisted of clothing, (which is a real item these days) jewelry, and medicines. They skipped out of the house and joined their confederates in the lane. It did not take long for us to get ourselves unloosened from the bonds and the house-boy was dispatched to phone to the husband. I guess the folks lost a quiet a bit of jewelry but the man of the house seemed glad that we were all alive, and tried to pass it off as a light thing. Pretty hard lines, though, especially now. Life is becoming more uncertain all the time.

Sun. Aug. 22- We are still alive; that is something. Food is getting scarce and as the last storm killed most of our garden stuff we are working it back into shape now. Prices in the market are scandalous. Sugar is P 300.00 per sack. It used to be five! I bought some blue denim the other day, cost me 20 pesos in all for a pair of jeans. Shoes are 50 pesos and if made in the U.S. about a hundred pesos.

Sun. Oct. 3- Cecil and I are busy teaching and Leo has taken over the job of cooking. I still do the marketing and the prices are still going up. Meat is 4 pesos a kilo (2.2 lbs.) and calabaw and horse meat are not much cheaper. I had the funeral of an old Swiss man the other day. Grandfather of one of my pupils. A few days later the wife was called by authorities to spend a few days in jail (suspect) and I wondered if I might be called too. But I was not. Had to go to the City Hall last week to give evidence in the case of the robbery over at Brady’s house. Think they will dismiss the case.

“At Los Banos”

Sun. July 23, 1944. I am sure it has been over a year since I wrote last, partly due to the fact that I was very busy and also our life was somewhat monotonous — pretty much the same from week to week. Now I have time to spare and life is different. Over two weeks ago, Fri. the 7th to be exact Willie, Leo, and I were eating our supper about 5:30 and four Japanese came to visit us. We had had several visits before so did not anticipate anything now. However, they lined us up, read a document in Japanese and then one of then translated it into English. It was to the effect that we were to be interned and must be packed – ready to go at 9:00 the following morning. We learned afterward that all the missionaries were notified about the same time. We have not found out why the sudden change. Our baggage is limited to two suitcases, one bed or cot and a roll of bedding. We managed to bring in some sugar, soap and a few cans of meat.

    Cecil was not at home when the officers came, so got a real surprise later. He and I have been doing some private tutoring to help meet expenses so the first thing I did was visit the homes where my pupils lived to tell them and to visit the Saints as well as I could. About 9 P.M. I met Willie at Funks and we continued to Cinco de Junio together. Then we returned home to pack! What a job! What a mess! What to take and what not to take. I got to bed about one-thirty.

    We had breakfast about 6:30 the next morning. The first friend came about 7:00. I went to the market to get mats for Willie, and Leo, also toothbrushes and other necessitates. I paid 90 pesos for 2 tooth brushes! I returned to the house about 8:00 and found 20 or more friends there. I finished packing and then we visited a little. Most were in tears. An Army truck came about 9:20. After checking our baggage a little and looking at our papers, also looking into the different rooms in the house we were told by the officer to get aboard and off we went. Where to? We did not know. I hope I never have to witness such a sad parting again. 

    We were taken to the Santo Tomas camp where others were being assembled too. We were kept separate from the internees who had been there before, but we did manage to have a visit with Ernest. Our baggage was examined and then we were put in the large gymnasium. We were fed – fairly well, too, and all of us, men and women, spent the night on the floor. There were about 450 of us, priests, nuns, single men and women missionaries, and a few families with children. We were awakened about 2 in the morning given a bite to eat and taken to Tutuban railway station in trucks. Our baggage has disappeared. We were crowded into railway coaches and after hours of waiting we finally came here to Los Banos, arriving about 8 A.M., remaining in the cars. After another long wait we were allowed to leave the cars and lined up on the platform. Everyone was dead tired as some had had no rest for two nights. Leo was sick with indigestion and had vomiting spells. We were finally brought here to the camp in trucks and counted and recounted. Then we were assigned to our barrack, given a lunch, rested a bit got our baggage and after supper had a long sleep.

    Our camp is a delightful spot. We have not contact with those who came here before us and we do no know why. We are busy with all kinds of work. We have our own kitchen going and I have worked in it several times. At present I am on wood cutting with Leo. Willie has been cutting grass and brush and Cecil is on the sanitation squad. I have been doing a lot of barbering and may share the job of camp barber with a Mr. Cook.

    Last Sunday, our first full Sunday in camp, we went to the Union Service. The Catholics and the S.D.A.’s have their own of course. But today we four went out to the dining table under the trees and had out own meeting. The peculiar circumstances in no way adversely affected our fellowship with God nor with each other.

Sunday, July 30.- Things go about pretty much the same. Food is not bad, and the few inconveniences are not hard to put up with. Last week a typhoon or rain storm hit this part and we have plenty of mud. One of the Catholic priests caused a little excitement. He has mental trouble at times and one night he wandered out of camp and was taken into custody by the guards. Now the Japanese want us to have a patrol of our own. Two men to be on duty for a two hour watch. As they want single men only, I may be one of the patrol men. We were settled in Barracks No. 17 right across from the kitchen and just about the center of the camp, that is, as far as activity of conveniences are concerned. The upper, or back part of the camp is not used much yet, except that the Catholics and Protestants have their chapels there. So far our fare has been good. For breakfast we have course ground corn meal with coconut milk. We boys have sugar to add, which helps. On Sun. and Wed. we have coffee. For lunch we have rice and either squash or mango beans. The latter go well with rice. For supper we have rice and vegetables. Sometimes we get a banana or a native lime. Mrs. Elizaga gave is some home-cured meat when we left, so we have had a little bacon and we just finished a ham which I boiled in our aluminum kettle. We went to the Union Service again this morning. This time it was conducted by the Episcopalian minister. We had our own mtg. at 1:30. Leo was not there with us as he is bothered with intestinal trouble again.

Sunday Aug. 6- Last Sunday, when I wrote, we were having a rain storm which lasted several days but the middle of the week it cleared up and we had exceptionally nice weather for the rainy season. It has showered twice today.

    The main item of importance this past week was the dysentery scare, and it is not over yet. We have no hospital in our part of the camp yet and we have carried the stricken ones over to the other camp in numbers. One day we took 25. None have died yet but the disease is very weakening, an we feel that we must conserve our strength for what lies ahead of us. The other boys are occupied as usual, but I have been transferred from the woodpile to helping Prof. Eaton. He is the camp mechanic and at present we are fixing the stoves and flues in the kitchen. News is scarce but rumors rife!

Sund. Aug. 13- During the week I do not feel like writing — to busy. But on Sunday, with not so much to occupy my mind and hands, my thoughts turn to friends and home so I write as if I were talking to you all. It is raining again and the camp is a mess. There is a shortage of water in the pipes and hundreds of pails of water must be carried daily, for use in the kitchen and bathrooms.

    Willie, Leo and I with five other men are to make up a patrol for night duty — just here in the camp. We have been given sawali to enclose our sleeping quarters also a special light. We have not started to patrol yet. It will be mostly to look for fires and to be on duty of anyone is wanted in a hurry! We keep well. The dysentery scare is mostly over but several cases are still in the hospital.

Sun. Sept. 3- Three weeks I wrote last. I am glad time is going so quickly. We had much rain last month which was good for our gardens. Willie has corn, beans, and over-ripe tomatoes in the kitchen. I have two kinds of beans and Cecil has a small garden, too. I still work for Mr. Eaton and we have made everything from frying pans to grind stones. Tomorrow I am to work on the communion rail for the Episcopal chapel!!

    Two weeks ago the Japanese could give us no wood for our kitchen, so we had to have our food cooked in the lower camp. It was slim fare, and it started a flurry of garden making. Once or twice this past week we had slims, too. (Fried rice only) The water situation is a headache too. Sometimes it comes on nicely for a few days and inexplicably it will go off and we have to carry water for everything.

    The night patrol has not yet started but I have a new job in the way of teaching. I have four boys whom I am teaching first year high school composition and literature. We have had to give a report of our finances several times. Now, we hear that all our money will be taken tomorrow and placed in the Taiwan Bank. (Japanese) We may draw fifty pesos per month to spend in the camp canteen. When we learned of this we places several orders through the canteen and paid for them. Yesterday we were more fortunate to receive ten kilos of red beans. They cost us P. 325.00 More than 7 dollars a pound! We heard Bishop Binstead in the service this morning. Willie is to speak in an evening service some time this month. It is raining a little which will be good for the gardens. Cards were passed around yesterday for us to use in sending out messages. We have received a few notes from the States since coming here. I had one from Ardis, one from Iona, and one from D. Hilton. Mighty nice to have them.

Sun. Sept. 10- Just got back from the Church Service. Mr. Sanders, a Presbyterian, spoke to us about unity. He was lamenting the lack of love and harmony among the religious bodies. He hopes that ultimately all will be “one”. I am sure it will ne, but perhaps in a way different from what he has in mind. We turned in our money last week. We have canteen days three times a week. Yesterday they sold eggs, bananas, and native limes. Eggs are four pesos each. Out allowance for food from the kitchen was cut down again last week and this week more so. Today for lunch we are to have fried tomatoes and vegetable soup. One ladle each.

Sun. Sept 17- It is 10 A.M. and raining. Has been raining hard and often for the past 2 or 3 days. Gardens are damaged some, but not too much yet. We have been having black-outs but they were lifted last night. Rumors are to the effedt that Mindanao is being bombed, shelled and attacked. We boys keep quite well, although losing in weight slightly. Food ration was not too bad this past week. Twice we cooked beans to augment the fare. Some say we shall be out of here by Oct. or Nov. Most think about Christmas or New Years. We often think of our friends in Manila, as we hear that conditions are hard there and that many are evacuating. I wonder if they are having their mtgs. this morning. We will go up to the chapel now to hear Dave Martin. We will have our mtg. at one-thirty.

Thurs. Sept. 28- I have been busy and have neglected to write. Much has happened, too. Last Thurs. a week ago, we were surprised to hear the unmistakable sound of bombs exploding in the distance. It started about 9 A.M. and continued for several hours. It was in the direction of Manila and as we looked we could see bursts of anti-aircraft fire, and later on the smoke from fires that were started. There were many planes, but were so far away they looked like a swarm of bees. We were excited!! The guards came to put us back in our barracks but not until we had seen most of the fun! On Fri. the action was repeated and on Sat. there was a disturbance some place, but we could not see. Heard later on that the air-fields had been hot and many boats sunk in the harbour.

    This week has been quiet so far but we are under alert signal and partial blackout. The food situation is worsening. This morning we had corn meal, about three-fourths of an ordinary helping. At noon we had two scoops of soft rice. Nothing else and at night one scoop of rice and a little watery stew. Willie had charge of the prayer mtg. this afternoon. He spoke from John 1, about John the Baptist. It sounded like music to our ears. Cecil and I are to have a service next month. Rains are not quite so frequent now and gardens are looking better. We had one mess of green beans, but mean to keep most of them to dry as dry beans have more protein, we are told, and that is what we lack. I have made a lean-to with a nipa roof, one open fireplace and one enclosed. Again I find my thoughts wandering to Manila, to America. I dreamed about Bernice last night. We were preaching together.

Tues. Oct. 10- Last Sat. the seventh as I was raking and burning some leaves by our quarters the news was passed along that the two camps were to be thrown together, and also that mail was being distributed – some for me. I had two messages from Bernice, nearly a year old, tow messages from Lora Jean and later on a message from Arvilla Turner. They were short, but worth their weight in gold to our hearts and spirits. The reason for putting the two camps together is that the military was the gymnasium where many men were quartered for a hospital and these are now being transferred to our camp along with others. In our barracks we have a variety of new-comers, 18 Dutch priests, 2 families of Italians, and 6 single men. I was appointed on the housing committee with several others and we had quite a difficult time shuffling the different one around so the different families, sects, sexes, and nationalities would fit. Our garden is doing nicely. We have had many messes of string beans and twice we have had green corn. Our tomatoes are doing nicely too. I helped Willie put up a trellis for corn. Cecil and I went up on the hill back of the camp last week to carry wood for fuel for our camp kitchen. Many men went. We had a nice view over the lake. Things are getting tough, food is getting short and tension is increasing. We have only two meals a day now.

Tues. Oct. 17- And it is still rainy. But the garden grows right along and we have string beans and green corn. This garden truck becomes more valuable to us as our food rations are being cut every week. I have a new job now. With a crew of 5 men I am in charge of carrying food from the main kitchen to our barracks, then to ladle it to each person in as even a distribution as possible. Rather a hard task when everyone is desperately hungry and food is lacking. Today we three younger boys had out turn at wood-carrying again. There is a lack of transportation and from 30 to 40 men must go up on the on the mountain each day to carry wood down. It was very wet and muddy today. We have “alerts” and air-raids frequently now. Sunday we saw a large flight of our own planes go over. It was a beautiful sight. It wish the end would come soon. Our conversation often turns to food these days. Actually I never saw so many ribs before in all my life. Willie is very thin and although Leo is not so thin le has much trouble with his stomach. There is absolutely no choice of food now, take the little there is or leave it. Often, after meals, unless we are in a hurry to got to work, we sit and talk about food, good food. Willie will mention he would like some buttered toast! And we have had no bread for about two and a half years! Then that sets us off, and we go through all the various breads, to pies, to cakes, back to the butter and then thru all the milk products – cream, cheese, etc. I would like some beef, mashed potatoes and gravy. We think of spaghetti with cheese and tomato sauce. We run the gamut of salads from raw vegetables to fruit; we think of pancakes and waffles, we yearn for a drink of milk, one bite of an apple! Fried chicken! We ask each other if such things actually exist any longer! Pie a la mode is mentioned, and some one is so far gone that he asks, “What is that?” Our mouths water when we think of peas, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, beets, roast beef, lamb chops… and remember we have not seen any of these things for months, yes, for years. Candy, chocolate, honey would be the food of the gods to us now. One would like a dish of strawberries with cream, another a peach cobbler, how about a Sunkist orange or a Washington Delicious apple. And the humble prune? I would mortgage my life for a mouthful!!

    A few days ago I was reading a story about a boy who lived on a cattle ranch in the U.S. Incidentally it told of his breakfast. He put a large hot-cake on his plate, slid two fired eggs from the platter on to the plate, on the cake, and then put another cake on top. I could not continue the story – it was impossible.

Mon. Oct. 23- One day last week, Wed. I think, we heard a plane coming low over the camp. We looked and saw that smoke was coming from the engines. As it passed over the camp the engine started to splutter, and in a few seconds the pilot winged over and bailed out. The plane landed with a crash not far away. We gave a great sigh of relief as we saw that the pilot was safe. Some said it was Jap plane, others we just as certain it was an American and thought that the pilot escaped and was taken to the mountains by the guerrillas. On Thurs. we saw a large flight of American bombers and their escort of fighters. It was a grand sight. We had “alerts” every day last week. The more planes, the less food. Yesterday was Cecil’s birthday. I forgot to say Leo’s stomach trouble and diarea got steadily worse and he had to go to the hospital where his case was pronounced “amoebic dysentery”. I could not see him yesterday nor today — isolated — but not in serious condition. To return to Cecil’s birthday – we had two duck eggs from the canteen and a scrap of bacon, so I sliced the bacon, fried it with pepper berries (grown in our garden) and garlic. Added some chopped greens and then put in the eggs. I do not know the name of it but the boys though it a swell adjunct to our breakfast of rice gruel. When we left Manila I was given a bottle of condensed caraboa’s milk, sweetened. So we had milk in out coffee at noon. In the afternoon I made a pudding of rice, mouldy chocolate, brown sugar and some of the milk, and Cecil opened a can of salmon. What a meal! It was a feast! We still have a little tea and every Sun. eve. we have a few of our friends in for tea and a chat. Last night the usual ones. Henry Pickens, Dave Martin, and also Christie came in, and an extra one, Henry Bucher. We finished off the milk with our tea and all agreed it was a treat.

Tues. Oct. 31- Last week uneventful. Japanese soldiers leaving these parts, so air-raids siren does not blow do often. For a time there were hundreds of planes in the air but now very few. Rumor had it that there is a landing some place. Leo is home from the hospital. Better but weak.

Sun. NOV. 5- This past week has been very nice and sunny. Willie and I have done a quite a bit of garden work. I planted some corn and talinom and Willie put in more tomatoes and sword beans. The garden is certainly a great help to us. We have seen much plane activity today – in all directions. We heard bombing but saw no dog-fights. We hope this is a prelude to a landing on Luzon.

    The camp is running along about the same, with general weakness seen in all. I notice that I lose my balance very easily and that my hips and thighs are weak. Most are much worse off than we. It is pitiful to see so mant wan, pale faces, emaciated frames, and to notice the lagging steps. A very slow starvation is going on, so we hope it will not be too long. There was one death in the hospital yesterday. We get vitamin pills once a day. I think they came in the Red Cross Kits from U.S. sometime ago, and the doctors are trying to hold in check the beri-beri and pellagra which are growing rampant in the camp. The following extract from the doctor’s report to the Commandant will explain.

    “Sir:

    From the beginning of the camp in May 1943 to Sept. 1944 only twelve cases of clinical beri-beri were diagnosed in the clinic. Seventy seven new cases of beri-beri were diagnosed during October with 113 new cases listed as avitaminois, and 162 as asthenia, both of which conditions are diseases of malnutrition and could be classified as incipient beri-beri. In all, a total of 380 new cases attributable to malnutrition came to the clinic for October. This brings the total to date to 1126… or more than half of the camp has clinical signs of malnutrition… The daily average calorie value of food from the camp kitchen is 881. In Sept. it was 1345 calories or a decrease of 65 percent. This shows the inhuman treatment of the internees by the Japanese. Naturally there is theft of food in camp. It is considered a major crime. We see people (respectable) looking into garbage cans for banana skins, etc. (If you want a delicacy, fry some banana skins in rancid coconut oil) People gong to points in camp several blocks away will sit down to rest. Some have eaten bugs and beetles — so they say. Fights occur in the food lines. We are glad of our canned goods and garden. I weigh about 152 pounds at present. That is 50 pounds less than when I left the U.S. but of course some of that was lost before the war.

    Yesterday we had baggage inspection. The officers are looking for radios, cameras and lethal weapons. They found some old dead batteries out of a hearing aid belonging to a deaf man in camp, the pounced upon them as if they were a real find.

Thurs. Nov. 9- The fore-part of the week was very nice and we saw plenty of air activity. One large group of our planes flew right over the camp. The food situation is getting worse. Supper the last two nights has been the lightest yet. Tues. evening I had some fried garden slugg!! (Believe it or not) This afternoon we have a little of the heart of a papaya plant boiled with our beans.

Wed. NOV. 15- Willie is cooking sward beans and tomatoes for our supper. My food detail job is getting to be a headache. Some complaints were made and today we have a house mtg. All was ironed out. According to the scales I have lost 3 more pounds. Really, it is getting to be quite a desperate situation and we think it will get worse before it can get better.

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I have been suspicious for a week of having beni-beni. Today I can see unmistakable signs, and will go to see the doctors for advice. Most in the camp have it and some at pitiful cases. In the PM I saw the doctor and was given some tablets of Vitamin B. Enough for 25 days. I wonder if that will be sufficient.

Sun Dec. 31- Nothing much happened this past week until today. Did had been a little shorter the past ten days. (We have it issued to us in 10 periods.) But they tell us or may be better the next time. We have learned to have little confidence in their words. Today we had ring-side seats for a new spectacle. Some P-38s were strafing the highway, railway and station just below the damp. Never before have they come so close, but this time we could see plainly the markings on the wings. I was serving out the mush at the time, for once people left the chow-line and I had no customers for several minutes. My beni-beni is no worse. I am going now to check my weight again. We are very languid due to shortage of protein and vitamins in our diet. Some young people are on the verge of T. B. We have a nice mtg. this A. M. and thought of all of friends who were probably having Special Mtgs. Tomorrow, New Year’s Day, we expect to have an extra quantity of mush and in the P. M. thin pork and beans with some camote hash.

Wed Jan 3- On new Years day we saw some more P-38’s. Then on Tues, yesterday, we saw our first 4 motored bombers. There were 22 of them and what a beautiful sight! I cannot describe our feelings and it would be hard for you who have never been prisoners, to understand. The Japanese tell us that a crisis is at hand. Excitement and hope running high in camp.

Sun. Jan 7- It has happened! WE ARE FREE! For the past few days heavy bombers have been going over and fighters and dive bombers have been strafing the roads. It is now 5 AM. The Japanese garrison has left and the guards told our Central Commander that the camp would be turned over to them in an hour or so. Excitement reigning! The Star Spangled Banner is to be sung soon and the flag – our Flag- is to be raised at 6;30 

At seven PM – What a day! I was to busy to continue writing this morning. The sudden departure of the Japanses was unexpected although we know our forces were nearing the shores of Luzon. Last eve. we attended an open-air concert of recorded music and went to bed at 9:30 – “black-Out”. I was awakened about 4:30 AM by shooting in the distance and by some of our neighbors going to the front of the barracks. Leo woke, and said it must be nothing as the Japanese soldiers had been noisy all night. ( a custom of theirs) But as we listened we heard Americans talking and were soon told that the whole garrison was leaving and that we were to take care of ourselves. We had a hot meal of mush at 6:00 and went to the flag raising at 6:30. There were many wet eyes as Old Glory was raised on an improvised flag-pole. We sang “The Star Spangled Banner” and “God Save The King” and again the handkerchiefs came out. Let me say that you who have never been deprived of seeing Old Glory and all “She” stands for – for three long years – cannot understand what that sight would means! The Southern Cross was just disappearing from a southern tropical sky as the sun made the east red with its first rays. 2000 people were grouped in front of Barracks No. 15, the Administration Bldg, Many were weak and sick from lack of food and unbalanced diet Some in worn-out and patched clothing, some barefooted, some in wooden bakya. But all eyes were anxiously fixed on the slender bamboo. After the bugle sounded for the ceremony.

Herman Beaber-USA

Willie Jamison- USA

Leo Stancliff-USA

Cecil Barrett -British

”In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to His Grace.” The purpose for which the Redeemer shed His blood on Calvary is that we might be a redeemed, ransomed, purchased people. Very shallow, superficial ideas have been sown in the minds of men and women in the religious world in regard to this all important matter. Without shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins and apart from that which was accomplished on Calvary – there is no forgiveness and no possibility of securing a home in heaven, It is equally true that unless we are willing to have the purpose of God, when He gave His Son, fulfilled in our lives, Calvary can have no real meaning.

The story of Redemption is the story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, in all the books. Abel’s lamb that was accepted pointed to the Lamb of God. This reminds us of at least three things; he felt his need, he was convinced of his sin, and he saw he must make an absolute, unconditional surrender to God. When he laid the lamb on the altar, it symbolized his own surrender and submission – to the way and will of God. Abel being dead yet speaketh.

Cain’s offering was more pleasing to look at, he reasoned things out but erred. “Woe unto them! For they have gone in the way of Cain.”

Abraham’s lamb, the passover lamb, the lamb of the morning and evening sacrifice, the Lamb in Isaiah 53: all foreshadowed the Lamb of God, and in the New Testament, we see that Lamb in flesh and blood, the fulfillment of all that had been foreshadowed. John said, “Behold the Lamb of God.” He never forgot his introduction to the Lamb of God. The story of the Lamb is the story of Redemption and there is no hope apart from that which was accomplished on Calvary over 1900 years ago. We are reminded of this on the very first day of the week when we partake of the emblems. We miss a great deal by not having clear in our minds, when we partake, just what the purpose of God was in giving Jesus, and Jesus in giving Himself.

I am speaking of Redemption, not from a theoretical or doctrinal standpoint, but from a practical view. “In whom we have Redemption.” Paul uses three words in this connection to make clear the purpose of Redemption “that He might,” Romans 14:9, “Christ died and rose and revived that he might be Lord, both of the dead and of the living.” On each occasion, when we read these words, Paul was writing regarding the meaning and purpose of Redemption. “When Jesus gave Himself on that middle cross that He might be Lord of the dead (those who are dead in trespasses and in sin) and of the living (those who have been quickened and made alive), I want to emphasize that He died, rose and revived that he might be your Lord, my Lord, the Lord of your heart life, Lord of your home life, Lord of your business life, Lord of all, and if He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all. It is not possible for Jesus to be our Savior, unless we are willing for Jesus, the only Savior, to be our Lord.

The Lordship of Jesus was the kernel of the gospel in apostolic days. Emphasis today is placed on Jesus as Savior. That is not the gospel. It appeals to the selfishness of the human heart, as all want Jesus for a Savior when they look into eternity. The real difference between the false and the true gospel is that emphasis is placed on the word Lord. Who has the first claim on all you are and all you have? Who do you consult most often in regard to your plans? If it is the Lord – the purpose of Calvary is being fulfilled in your life. It is easy to confess Jesus as teacher, example, even as Redeemer, but not quite as easy to confess Him as Lord. “Christ both died, rose and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.” How selfish to accept from His hands forgiveness of sin and not be willing for Him to be Lord. Every truly redeemed soul can sing from their hearts, “Reign over me, Lord Jesus, oh make my heart Thy home, It shall be Thine forever, it shall be thine alone.” Titus 2:12-14, “Who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

There is a negative and a positive side to every Christian life; there are things to say “No” to and things to encourage others to do. We should read these four verses often. He gave Himself, He couldn’t give anymore or any less: not merely that we might go to heaven when we die and have an easy way of forgiveness, but to Redeem a people for His possession. What is iniquity? Jesus loved righteousness and hated iniquity. I know of nothing so dangerous as to allow a spirit of iniquity to possess us. It is the thing that says in you, “I want my own way, my own plans, to indulge my own whims and fancies. I don’t want a master, I don’t want a Lord, I can guide my own life, my own plans are just as pleasing as the way He marked out.” There is no room in the Kingdom on earth or in heaven for anyone governed by such thoughts, no room for any who reject Him as master and as Lord. “He gave Himself to redeem us from all iniquity.” From lawlessness – anarchy. There is a law in this land that one entering this country cannot be an anarchist. No room in His Kingdom for lawless men and women.

Matthew 7 speaks of two kinds of ways, a narrow way and a broad way. Two kinds of preachers, false and true. Read verses 21-23. Jesus said, “I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” What was wrong with their profession? A great name among themselves, took His word and His name and claimed His precious blood, but would not take His way. Taking His way is the test. Are you then willing to have His purpose fulfilled in your life? Why do you not go here and there, indulge in this and that, associate with other company? Because Christ is your Lord. “Purify unto Himself a peculiar people,” a people for His own possession – “who were not a people but are now the people of God, a royal priest hood, an holy nation, a peculiar people.” To whom do you belong? Whose property are you? If you are a redeemed soul and submitted to His Lordship – “you are not your own.” There was a time when you were your own, but you have been bought with a price. It is possible to own property but never succeed in getting possession of it. We are the property of Him who bought us, His creatures and one day we are to give an account. We are His by creation and His by redemption. He tasted death for every man. John 3:16, “whosoever” regardless of race, color, or nationality. We are His by creation, by redemption, whether we recognize it or not. I am speaking mainly to those who are His by choice.

Galatians 1:4, “Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world.” No other could settle the question of our sins that have piled up against us and for which he will one day have to give account. “That He might deliver us.” Are you afraid of this present evil world? I wish the purpose of redemption was more fully fulfilled in our lives. Corruption rules and reigns on every hand, but the purpose of Redemption is that we might be delivered from the corruption in the social, political, and business world. Are the daughters of Zion more worldly this year than last? Is the world, its habits, customs, and fashions more attractive, or are you governed by modesty, economy, and neatness? Read Hebrews 11, and it will help us to understand the difference between the ones we read about there and others that lived at that time. There men and women were not influenced in their thoughts, words and actions by what they saw with their outward eye, but by the things which were unseen and eternal.

Abraham obeyed when be didn’t understand, and went forward when he couldn’t see, turned his back on all the ways that the Chaldees offered, he saw another city whose builder and maker is God.

Moses, heir to the throne of Egypt, at forty years of age, with the world at his feet, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter – had strength of will and character enough to refuse. He chose rather to suffer with the people of God. This matter of Redemption is a matter of choice. Moses looked ahead, he was a far-seeing man, he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. It would be a happy ending to this convention if we would purpose to have the purpose of Redemption fulfilled in our lives. Jesus gave Himself that He might be Lord, that He might redeem us – that He might deliver us from this present evil world.

Two chapters to read; one verse to memorize. I am going to speak mainly to the workers in this meeting. The rest of you can listen in if you wish. The chapters are Luke 11 and 12. The verse is Luke 12:32. With the exception of one interruption, chapter 12 has to do with the New Testament Ministry. “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” “Fear not” occurs about 80 times in the Bible; five times in Luke’s gospel. “Fear not, Zacharias;” “Fear not, Mary;” “Fear not, Peter;” “Fear not; Jairus;” and “Fear not, apostles.” There are two kinds of “Fears:”

1) Imaginary Fears – there are some people whose whole lives are eaten up with imaginary fears. A man of 75 had inscribed on his mantelpiece, “I am an old man now. I have had many troubles during my life and most of them never happened.”  

2) Fears that are real – difficulties, problems, dangers that are inevitable in the path of life that must be faced and conquered.

God promises grace and strength to overcome those fears in the minds and hearts of His disciples. There were reasons for fears at this time. Luke 11 marks a definite crisis in the life and ministry of Jesus. It records an open break with the religious and political leaders of the nation. The three temptations of Luke 4 were designed to induce Him to line up with religious and political leaders of the nation, secure their support, and found the kind of kingdom they wanted. He resisted these temptations and these leaders were for over two years arrayed against Him. He now could hold back no longer, and in the 11th chapter He openly and publicly denounces them for what they were. These men had the power of life and death, and knew it. He also knew it, the multitudes knew it, and it was now becoming apparent to His disciples.

A. Note the effect on these professional religious leaders – Luke 11:53-54.

B. On the Multitude – Luke 12:1 – excited, curious.

C) On the Disciples. They were frightened and He read their thoughts, and analyzed their fears. What were those fears?

a. Luke 12:4, “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.”  

b. Religious, Civil, Military courts. Luke 12:11 – “And when they bring you unto the synagogues and unto magistrates, and powers, take no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say”   

3. Die from lack of food – Luke 12:22, 23:4, perish with cold; from lack of clothing. “And He said unto His disciples, ‘Therefore, I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.’” When these fears take possession of a worker’s heart, they weaken the purpose, shatter faith, blur the vision – Judas, Peter, John Mark, Demas. Note the importance of the phrases suggested by this verse, Luke 12:32, the fold, the family; the Kingdom of God. The phrase, Fold of God, emphasizes the under-shepherd’s responsibility. The phrase family of God is the bondservant’s responsibility. The phrase Kingdom of God is the responsibility of the individual desiring to become a citizen. These phrases suggest different aspects of the same experience. They are synonymous and interchangeable. Jesus was anxious on this occasion to emphasize the importance of the New Testament ministry. He cannot do His work in the world apart from this ministry. His ministers are necessary to the fold as under-shepherds – Luke 15:1-7; John 21:15-20; Ephesians 4:11. His ministers are necessary to the family as bondservants – I Peter 1:22-25; I Corinthians 3:6-7; etc. His ministers are necessary to the Kingdom as ambassadors – II Corinthians 5:18-21; Ephesians 6:20; etc. We say reverently that He cannot do without His under-shepherds, bondservants, and the ambassadors.

From the viewpoint of the Kingdom of God in time and eternity, the most important men and women in the world are those who have made themselves poor and homeless for His sake and who have gone forth to preach the Gospel in His Name and Way. We could not go on, we could not continue, if we did not believe we are necessary to Him in doing His work in the world. Is it worthwhile, then, to keep on losing our lives as “the corn of wheat which falls into the ground and dies?” John 12:24-25, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, ‘Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.’” Some have said, “No,” and have given up the ministry and are now saving their lives. We wish them well and pray that they may aim at true usefulness in the lesser sphere of service. Jesus’ answer to this question is given in the words of Luke 12:32, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.”

What does this promise mean? What does it include? Matthew 19:27-30 may give some light on this. Peter said unto Him, “Behold we have left all and followed Thee. What shall we have therefore?” The rich young ruler had refused to forsake all and enter the New Testament Ministry, had gone away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Peter and others had done what this young man refused to do and Peter very naturally voices the question that was in his and their minds at this time. Jesus answers Peter’s question and gives him and the others the promise of future and present reward:

1. Future – “And Jesus said unto them, ‘Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’”

2. Present – “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.”

In Mark 10:30, the promise for the present has “persecutions” added, and “in the world to come eternal life.” There is a very close connection between Matthew 19:27-30 and Matthew 25:31-46, and these two passages should always be read and studied together.

In Matthew 25, we read that sitting with Him “upon the throne of His glory” (25:31) are “these my brethren” of verse 40, who had made themselves, as His under-shepherds, bondservants, ambassadors, as described in verses 35 and 36, “For I was an hungered, and ye gave Me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took Me in; naked and ye clothed Me; I was sick and ye visited Me; I was in prison, and ye came unto Me.” The words of Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46 describe one phase of the Judgment. The attitude towards and treatment given to His brethren, His under-shepherds, bondservants, ambassadors, who were losing their lives as His representatives in preaching the Gospel, will determine the destiny of many on that day.

What is your heart’s attitude towards the men and women in this meeting who, while others are saving their lives, are losing their lives for Christ’s sake and the Gospel’s? Will you be numbered among the sheep or the goats on that Day? Will you be placed on the right hand side or the left? There is a letter in the New Testament that tells us of two men – one of whom we may be sure will be numbered among the sheep or the right hand side, and the other we may be equally sure will be numbered among the goats on the left hand side. Let us read over together the first ten verses of John’s third epistle.

“The elder unto the well beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren and to strangers; which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well, because that for His name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellow helpers to the truth. I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content there-with, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.”

These verses tell us of two different attitudes of heart towards the Lord’s under-shepherds, bondservants, ambassadors. Will you be on the right hand side with Gaius on the great day of reckoning, or will you be placed on the left hand with Diotrephes on that day? If you are playing the part of Gaius now in the fold, family, Kingdom of God, you will hear the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:34:

“Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, ‘Come ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’”

But if you are playing the part of Diotrephes, you will hear the words of Jesus in verse 41:

“Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.’”

The Lord, as the Chief Shepherd, tenderly watches over all who have made themselves poor and homeless for His sake and the Gospel’s, and it was to them He said in Luke 12:32, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” The men and women I honour most today are those who throughout the years, in spite of temptations arising from within, or coming from without, have kept their lives upon the altar and are still giving themselves unhindered and unfettered in service true to God and man. To them I would apply these words and promise of Jesus today, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” The words of Jesus in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19 – “Go ye and teach all nations,” and in Mark 16:15 – “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” still stand.

We in this our day are responsible for hastening His coming by a fuller and more sacrificial obedience to His commands so that this Gospel of the Kingdom may be preached as a witness to all nations. Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come.” The Harvest is plenteous; the labourers few; the need is greater than ever to pray the Lord of the Harvest to thrust more labourers into His harvest field. The two-fold promise of Luke 12:31-32 will be literally fulfilled as we seek first the Kingdom’s interest and go forward unashamed and unafraid. The Lord still reigns, His purpose is unchanged. “He willeth not that any should perish.” The only remedy for a weary sin-sick world is the Gospel of His Son. 

I am not pessimistic as I look into the future. Visions of open doors, hearts, homes in many lands among many peoples, when this war is over, thrill me through and through, and my earnest prayer is that when the hour of our greatest opportunity comes, we will not be found wanting as under-shepherds, bondservants, ambassadors in the fold, family, and Kingdom of God.

We would advise all here in this meeting to read over Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-3; Titus 3:1-2; 1 Peter 2:13-17 often.

These passages emphasize three things which should characterize the lives and walk of Christians in the United States at this present time: Submission to the United States Government officials as “ministers of God;” obedience to the laws of the United States; and loyalty to the Government of the United States and the flag under which we live. We would like all to remember these three words–Submission, Obedience, Loyalty–and to be guided by them in their relationship with and attitude towards the Government. There is no room in our fellowship as assemblies of Christians for disloyal men or women.

We encourage all, young and old, to loyally serve their country and Government in some way at this time. All are individually responsible for deciding the form of service they will render. Liberty of conscience is given to each and all. The form of service rendered is a personal and individual matter, and whether called to serve in a non-combatant or combatant capacity, no difference is made in our relationship or fellowship as brethren in Christ. Some of our brethren are serving in the Navy, some in different branches of the Army and Air Forces, and in the Medical Corps.

Certificates of membership, when necessary, will be given to those whose sincerity and integrity are beyond question, and who are willing to serve their country regardless of difficulties or danger.

All should assist the President and the Government of the United States in preventing inflation. One way this can be done is by lending the Government your surplus earnings by purchasing War Savings Bonds. To spend your surplus earnings on things you can do without or in selfish pleasure is most unworthy and borders on disloyalty. Whatever measures are taken by the Government to prevent inflation, no matter how drastic, should have the cheerful support and cooperation of all in this fellowship.

We hope all here are regular contributors to the American Red Cross. This organization is the only channel by which we can establish contact with our brethren and relatives now in the hands of the enemy, and as President Roosevelt has declared, it “has played a vital role in binding up the wounds of the injured, in sheltering and providing food and clothing for the homeless, in succoring the distressed, in rebuilding broken lives, and in rehabilitating the victims of catastrophes of nature and of war” in many lands. This organization should be liberally supported by all.

Two chapters to read. One verse to memorize. I am going to speak mainly to the workers in this meeting. The rest of you can listen in if you wish. The chapters are Luke 11 and 12. The verse, Luke 12:32. With the exception of one interruption, chapter 12 has to do with the New Testament Ministry.

“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

“Fear not” occurs about 80 times in the Bible; 5 times in Luke’s gospel.

“Fear not, Zacharias;” “Fear not, Mary;” “Fear not, Peter;” “Fear not, Jairus;” and “Fear not, apostles.”

There are two kinds of “Fears:”

1. Imaginary fears: There are some people whose whole lives are eaten up with imaginary fears. A man of 75 had inscribed on his mantelpiece, “I am an old man now. I have had many troubles during my life and most of them never happened.”

2. Fears that are real. Difficulties, problems, dangers that are inevitable in the path of life that must be faced and conquered. God promises grace and strength to overcome those fears in the minds and hearts of His disciples.

There were reasons for fears at this time. Luke 11 marks a definite crisis in the life and ministry of Jesus. It records an open break with the religious and poli­tical leaders of the nation. The three temptations of Luke 4 were designed to induce Him to line up with religious and political leaders of the nation, secure their support, and found the kind of kingdom they wanted. He resisted these temptations and these leaders were for over two years arrayed against Him. He now could hold back no longer, and in this 11th chapter He openly and publicly denounces them for what they were. These men had the power of life and death, and knew it . He also knew it, the multitudes knew it, and it was now becoming apparent to His disciples.

1. Note the effect on these:

2. Professional religious leaders. Luke 11:53,54.

3. Multitude. Luke 12:1 – excited, curious.

4. Disciples. They were frightened. He read their thoughts, He analyzed their fears.

What were those fears?

1. Luke 12:4, “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.”

2. Religious, Civil Military courts Luke 12:11, “And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:–“

3. Die from lack of food. Luke 12:22-23

4. Perish with cold; from lack of clothing) Luke 12:22-23, “And He said unto His disciples, ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.’” When these fears take possession of a worker’s heart, they weaken the purpose, shatter faith, blur the vision. Judas, Peter, John Mark, Demas.

Note the importance of the phrases suggested by this verse. Luke 12:32: “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

The Fold, The Family, The Kingdom of God.

The phrase “Fold of God” emphasises the Undershepherd’s responsibility.

The phrase “Family of God” the Bond Servant’s responsibility.

The phrase “Kingdom of God”, the responsibility of the individual desiring to become a citizen.

These phrases suggest different aspects of the same experience. They are synonymous and interchangeable.

Jesus was anxious on this occasion to emphasize the importance of the New Testament Ministry. He cannot do His work in the world apart from this ministry. His Ministers are necessary to the Fold as Undershepherds, Luke 15:1-7; John 21:15-20; Ephesians 4:11.

His Ministers are necessary to the Family as Bond Servants. I Peter 1:22-25, I Corinthians 3:6-7, etc. His Ministers are necessary to the Kingdom as Ambassadors. II Corinthians 5:18-21; Ephesians 6:20; etc. We say reverently, He cannot do without His Undershepherds, Bond servants, Ambassadors. From the viewpoint of the Kingdom of God in time and eternity, the most important men and women in the world are those who have made themselves poor and homeless for His sake and who have gone forth to preach the Gospel in His Name and Way. We could not go on, we could not continue, if we did not believe we are necessary to Him in doing His work in the world.

Is it worth while, then to keep on losing our lives as “the corn of wheat which falls into the ground and dies?” John 12:24-25, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” Some have said “No,” and have given up the Ministry and are now saving their lives. We wish them well and pray that they may aim at true usefulness in the lesser sphere of service. Jesus’ answer to this question is given in the words of Luke 14 12:32, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.”

What does this promise mean? What does it include? Matthew 19:27-30 may give some light on this. Peter said unto Him, “Behold we have left all and followed Thee. What shall we have therefore?” The rich young ruler had refused to forsake all and enter the New Testament Ministry, and gone away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Peter and others had done what this young man refused to do and Peter very naturally voices the question that was in his and their minds at this time.Jesus answers Peter’s question and gives him and the others the promise of future and present reward:

1. Future: “And Jesus said unto them, ‘Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of His glory, ye also hall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’”

2. Present: “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or fathers or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.”

In Mark 10:30 the promise for the present has “persecutions” added, and “in the world to come eternal life.”

There is a very close connection between Matthew 19:27-30 and Matthew 25:31-46, and these two passages should always be read and studied together. In Matthew 25 we read that sitting with Him “upon the throne of His glory” (25:31) are “these my brethren” of verse 40, who had made themselves, as His Undershepherds, Bond Servants, Ambassadors, as described in verses 35 and 36, “For I was an hungered, and ye gave Me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took Me in; naked, and ye clothed Me; I was sink and ye visited Me; I was in prison, and ye came unto Me.”

The words of Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46 described one phase of the Judgment. The attitude towards and treatment given to His brethren, His Undershepherds, Bond Servants, Ambas­sadors, who were losing their lives as His representatives in preaching the Gospel, will determine the destiny of many on that day.

What is your heart’s attitude towards the men and women in this meeting who, while others are saving their lives, are losing theirs for Christ’s sake and the Gospel’s? Will you be numbered among the sheep or the goats on that Day? Will you be placed on the right hand side or the left?

There is a letter in the New Testament that tells us of two men, one of whom we may be sure will be numbered among the sheep on the right hand side and the other we may be equally sure will be numbered among the goats on the left hand side. Let us read over together first ten verses of John’s third epistle:

“The elder unto the well beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers; which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well: because that for His name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellow helpers to the truth. I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to, have the preeminence among them receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content there­with, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.”

These verses tell us of two different attitudes of heart towards the Lord’s Undershepherds, Bond Servants, Ambassadors.

Will you be on the right hand side with Gaius on the great day of reckoning, or will you be placed on the left hand with Diotrephes on that day? If you are playing the part of Gaius now in the Fold, Family, Kingdom of God, you will hear the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:34, “Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, ‘Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’” But if you are playing the part of Diotrephes, you will hear the words of Jesus in verse 41, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.’”

The Lord, as the Chief Shepherd, tenderly watches over all who have made themselves poor and homeless for His sake and the Gospel’s, and it was to them He said in Luke 12:32, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.”

The men and women I honor most today are those who throughout the years, in spite of temptations arising from within, or coming from without, have kept their lives upon the altar and are still giving themselves unhindered and unfettered in service true to God and man. To them I would apply these words and promise of Jesus today “Fear not little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.”

The words of Jesus in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19, “Go ye and teach all nations”, and in Mark 12 16:15, “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” still stand. We in this our day are responsible for hastening His coming by a fuller and more sacrificial obedience to His commands so that this Gospel of the Kingdom may be preached as a witness to all nations. Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

The Harvest is plenteous; the laborers few; the need is greater than ever to pray the Lord of the Harvest to thrust more laborers into His Harvest field. The two fold promise of Luke 12:31-32 will be literally fulfilled as we seek first the Kingdom’s in­terest and go forward unashamed and unafraid. The Lord still reigns. His purpose is un­changed. “He willeth not that any should perish.” The only remedy for a weary sin-sick world is the Gospel of His Son. I am not pessimistic as I look into the future. Visions of open doors, hearts, homes in many lands among many peoples, when this war is over, thrill me through and through, and my earnest prayer is that when the hour of our great­est opportunity comes, we will not be found wanting as Undershepherds, Bond Servants, Ambassadors in the Fold, Family, and Kingdom of God.

Un poco de mis experiencias en Stuttgart – Segunda Guerra Mundial

Pauline Schnitzer

(Fecha desconocida)

Nota: Gestapo = Policía Secreta alemana

Ya que algunos de nuestros hermanos nos lo han pedido, daré algunos detalles de mis experiencias durante la guerra, cuando fui encarcelada.

El día en que estábamos paradas en las ruinas y los muros rotos de la prisión de la Gestapo en Stuttgart, todas esas experiencias horribles se sintieron otra vez tan reales en mi mente. Sabíamos muy bien cuando nuestro hermano, Fritz Schwille, fue llamado a tomar armas y se negó a convertirse en un soldado y tuvo que comparecer ante un tribunal de guerra, y sabíamos que su sentencia nos traería problemas y sufrimiento a todos. Fue condenado a muerte.

Su hermana, Frieda Schwille, y yo lo visitamos dos veces en Berlín, y fue una experiencia conmovedora cuando pasamos la Puerta de Hierro, que se cerró detrás de nosotras. Dos veces obtuvimos permiso para hablar con él durante 10 minutos, en presencia de 3 funcionarios. Fritz habló con labios temblorosos, pero a pesar de las tristes circunstancias, trató de consolarnos y animarnos a mantenernos fieles y nuestros corazones estaban profundamente conmovidos. Los funcionarios observaron y escucharon, se asombraron de las palabras y el espíritu de Fritz y pasaron por alto que los 10 minutos habían pasado hace mucho tiempo, por lo que en ambas ocasiones estuvimos como 20 minutos con él. Fritz era considerado un criminal peligroso y pasó 3 meses en la celda de los candidatos a muerte. Durante este tiempo, él escribió algunas cartas conmovedoras y útiles para nosotras. Más tarde, fue liberado y enviado al frente ruso a luchar y desapareció, nunca más supimos de él y no sabemos qué sucedió. Esto fue en el verano de 1942 y luego, en el otoño, se prohibió a toda nuestra Iglesia más reuniones, no escribir cartas, no visitar entregados y obligaron a los siervos a trabajar en fábricas, etc.

En junio de 1944, la Gestapo arrestó a Frieda Schwille, hermana de Fritz, y una semana más tarde, a las niñas Laderer y a mí. La tía de Fritz, de 72 años de edad, Fritz y su primo y algunos otros también fueron arrestados y encarcelados. Nos llevaron a Stuttgart a una celda llena de camas con una multitud de otras personas. No sabíamos por qué estábamos allí. Muchas personas inocentes estaban allí y vimos la miseria, el dolor, las lágrimas y el sufrimiento y el hambre también.

Después de unos 10 días, nos llevaron a otro lugar para el juicio y el interrogatorio. En el auto de la prisión, íbamos junto con Frieda, pero no se nos permitió hablar. Frieda me mostró temerosamente sus brazos vendados causados por esposas y malos tratos. Más tarde, durante el juicio, nos pusimos cara a cara con Frieda y vimos su sufrimiento. Fue la última vez que la vimos. La Gestapo la asesinó el 30 de noviembre de 1944. Unos días antes, Luise Laderer le había dicho ‘adiós’ a ella, ya que estaban juntas todo el tiempo en prisión.

Luise y su hermana, Sofie, que estaba en otra prisión, fueron liberadas. Después del juicio, nos llevaron de vuelta a nuestra celda en la prisión de la Gestapo, que era un antiguo convento en el centro de Stuttgart. Durante la noche, a menudo escuchábamos gritos de hombres y mujeres que fueron golpeados y maltratados y, a menudo, también escuchamos disparos, por lo que sabíamos lo que estaba sucediendo. Fue en pequeña medida, la misma experiencia que tuvo nuestro hermano Werner Gebhard durante sus 2 años en un campo de concentración. Werner fue el último compañero de Fritz, y yo fui la compañera de Frieda durante mis primeros dos años en la obra.

Durante las dos semanas en prisión, tuvimos que pasar casi todas las noches en la bodega. Los ataques aéreos se hicieron más fuertes, especialmente en las últimas dos noches allí; Pensamos que seríamos enterrados vivos.

Había cientos de personas en esa bodega, tendidas en el suelo sin luz. Escuchamos las explosiones de las bombas y el edificio resultó gravemente dañado. Una gran mina de aire yacía en el patio del edificio y no sabíamos cuándo o si estallaría. La noche siguiente fue aún más peligrosa. Durante más de una hora, escuchamos el estallido de las bombas, así que pensamos que nuestra última hora había llegado.

De repente, la puerta se abrió y el fuego y el humo entraron en nuestro sótano y dos de nuestros compañeros de prisión, que simpatizaron y siempre fueron amables con nosotros con la distribución de comida y mostraron interés en nuestro bienestar, nos gritaron y nos ayudaron a salir fuera de ese lugar. Los guardias se habían ido, así que podíamos salir, pero había fuego por todas partes en las casas alrededor y todo el distrito estaba ardiendo, por lo que era difícil escapar, porque había ruinas y escombros y llamas por todas partes. No había camino, solo montones de escombros y vigas ardientes, hasta que llegamos a la amplia King Street. A nuestro alrededor, sentimos una corriente de aire horrible, como una tormenta de un calor intolerable, de modo que casi nos sentíamos sofocados.

Luego llegamos a la plaza grande, llamada “Plaza del Palacio de los Reyes”, donde ardían los palacios nuevos y antiguos y todas las casas grandes en llamas de diferentes colores. Tropezamos con escombros y árboles, y de vez en cuando explotaban minas. Finalmente, llegamos a un lugar con ruinas de casas que se habían quemado un tiempo antes. Cientos de personas estaban allí, llorando y gritando y buscando a sus familiares. Fue como un milagro que hayamos superado y salvado nuestras vidas, pero a menudo había estado en mi mente: “El Señor todavía vive”, y me sentí reconfortada, pero ¿adónde ir ahora? Nos dimos cuenta de que no podíamos escapar de la Gestapo, así que por la mañana fuimos voluntariamente a la siguiente estación de policía, donde se sorprendieron al descubrir que éramos prisioneros. Un hombre fue amable con nosotros y nos ofreció una bebida, ya que casi nos moríamos de sed. El aire estaba lleno de humo, por lo que apenas podíamos respirar. El día estaba oscuro y no fue hasta la tarde cuando el sol apareció como una bola ardiente. Tuvimos que quedarnos en ese lugar y pasamos algunas noches más terribles. Luego, como no había más prisiones para mantenernos prisioneros, nos liberaron y nos enviaron a casa, y seguimos siendo considerados prisioneros en custodia hasta enero de 1945.

A lo largo de esos días oscuros y difíciles, estaba firmemente convencida y confiada de que nuestro Dios anulará y reinará por sobre todo esto. Incluso cuando la Gestapo gritaba en voz alta y parecía tan poderosa, sentí en mi corazón que hay Uno más grande que ellos, quien pronunciará la última palabra y Su decisión final y sentí una profunda gratitud por el hecho de que el Señor me haya salvado la vida. Después de todas estas experiencias, pudimos cantar con más comprensión el himno: “Te agradecemos, Señor, por los días cansados” (En el himnario 2016 es el #192), y los Salmos 71:20- 24 y también el Salmo 66:8-15.

Siempre estaré agradecida por el interés de ustedes en nuestro bienestar y por lo que han hecho por nosotros en el lugar secreto. Así como en los días y años pasados, cuando nuestras necesidades eran variadas y ustedes ayudando a proteger y salvar nuestras vidas, lo cual es muy apreciado y nunca será olvidado.

Sinceramente suya y a Su servicio,

Pauline Schnitzer

Fritz Schwille fue un siervo alemán que fue arrestado porque se negó a tomar armas para luchar apoyando a los Nazis durante la segunda guerra mundial.

Mientras se encontraba preso en la ciudad de Brandemburgo, Alemania. Él escribió este poema, el cual fue el último que pudo escribir a su familia junto con una carta. A Fritz se le dieron dos opciones, una era la pena de muerte, la otra era ir al frente ruso a luchar. Fue allí donde Friz, sin ganas de luchar una guerra del mundo, murió a manos del hombre.

El sufrimiento no puede ser separado del Amor en esta tierra.
Si practicas el amar, entonces aprenderás lo que es el sufrir.
El amor y el sufrimiento deben caminar juntos en esta tierra.
Una vida de sacrificio es la verdadera esencia del amor.
Quien no da de sí, nunca puede liberar a otro.
El amor es sentir el dolor del sufrimiento ajeno.
El amor no puede separar de su corazón la aflicción de los otros.
Durante su viaje, el amor debe soportar la carga de los hermanos.
Es paciente con los demás y está preparado para ser lastimado por otros.
Con profunda agonía, ve la corrupción en todo derredor.
El amor muere muchas veces, cada vez que ve a otros morir.

Y que mi pobre vida, sangrando por las heridas de extraños
Siga buscando a los perdidos – para rescatarlos de las inundaciones.
¿Qué es lo que importa?
Si solo el Amor puede seguir amando hasta la muerte…
Cuando uno se ha mantenido fiel al santo llamado a la obra
Así que es mejor sufrir en el corazón que estar sin amor.
Algún día, aquella hora se llegará…
¡El amor entonces, del dolor se separará!
Y cuando hayamos escapado de todo dolor,
En gloria eterna habremos de Amar.

Letter from Fritz Schwille (a worker in Germany before World War 2)

September 22, 1941

Berlin NW 40 Alt Moabit 12a

My dear sister Frida! My dear brother Wilhelm! All dear ones!

It is my turn to write a few lines. Many thanks, Frida, for your letter which I received the week before last. You worried about my health, but that was not necessary, because I am well. The information that Hilde received, did not happen. The mother of Werner (Gebhard) and Susi (Werner’s sister) will have written to you, too; I rejoiced to be able to see them briefly. I submitted (asked permission) for Marie S and Hilde this week; I will be glad to hear about you through them. It is better, if you, Frida, don’t make such a great journey, because of your health. Pauline (Schnitzer) looked very poorly, you must not worry so much about me. You will see Marie sooner than these lines reach you.

In my case, there was only one step forward. Thursday, September 18, I was at the Federal Military Court of Justice to stand trial. The verdict was no surprise for me, I could not expect differently, and I was prepared for it. Earlier, I thought that another way would open up, yet it happened differently. The sentence is pronounced, but not yet confirmed. Still weeks will pass until it becomes legal by law. The last word has not been spoken yet. When the verdict is confirmed, I shall go to a prison in Brandenburg, I was informed, where also some more time may pass. So this may not be my last letter yet.

Now I have only this one wish, that you be calm and trusting for my sake. Although it may be painful, all can be overcome. I myself have struggled, and with His help I have overcome. I am now resigned for what is yet to come. For a little while I felt forsaken, although the weeks and months were not all without joy.

Even now, at this point, I could have the opportunity to turn back, but: “I Cannot Now Go Back!” (Hymn 346 in the present English Hymnbook). I have put my house in order, I don’t worry too much when it gets closer to Jordan, it will be only like a moment when I dive under its waves, and then, all pain and sorrow will be over. Sometimes in my life, I have thought about this hour, and longed for that rest. Father, mother, Karl and Hans went ahead of us, and I would not wish them back from the land where the faithful ones are at rest.

I would have gladly stood by you both and other dear ones in life’s struggle; but the Lord will not abandon you. Just be brave and strong, you still have work to do, and with the mercy of God, life shall bring yet more joyful days than the present ones.

I look back over my life which has brought me enough sorrow, but also, not few of the greatest joys. In some occasions, one has learned in life, about dying, and it gives a power that is stronger than death. Before men I leave this world without honor. You will overcome this, my disgrace, it will not be in vain in your life.

I wonder, if you, dear Wilhelm, are far away? I hope you return in health, and that you are able to rejoice in many good things in life.

Salute Lina for me, dear Frida, may more joys return for you. I believe that the friends stand by you gladly. Be strong and composed. I was glad that Ricketante showed so much interest for me. Many greetings to her, too. Pauline will be staying with you for a while. Julie and the other friends are nearby, too. Maybe you can recuperate some, at the friends, and on the mountain, greet them all from me, from all my heart. I hope to write to you again later on.

To you both, and to all the dear ones in the Lord, many greetings from your brother, Fritz

Greetings to the relatives.

Fritz was sentenced to death because of too much love for humanity. Frida and Pauline were imprisoned and Frida was shot to death because of her brother, Fritz.

Fritz Schwille was the German worker who was arrested because he refused to take up arms for Hitler. This poem was with the last letter he sent to his family before being sent to the Russian front and his death.

Suffering cannot be separated from Loving on this earth.
If you practice Loving, then you will learn suffering.
Loving and suffering must walk together on earth.
A life of sacrifice is the true substance of Love.
Who gives not of himself, can never free another.
Love is feeling the pain of another’s suffering
Love cannot separate from her heart another’s grief.
Love must, while travelling along, bear the burden of brethren
She is patient with others and is prepared to be hurt by others
With deep agony, she sees corruption all around her.
She dies many deaths as she watches others die.

And may my poor life– bleeding from the wounds of strangers
Keep seeking the lost — to rescue from the floods.
What matters?
If only Love can keep loving until death..
When one has stayed true to the holy calling
So it is better to suffer in the heart than to be without Love.
Someday the hour will come…
Then Love is separated from sorrow!
And when we have escaped from all pain
We will Love in eternal Joy.

All you dear Ones!

You were worried about my state of health. That is not necessary for I was always well. You should not worry so much about me.

My case has come up. On Thursday Sept 18, 1941, I was tried before the Reich’s Court Martial. The sentence was no surprise to me. I could not expect anything else and I was prepared for it. At one time, I thought some another way would open up, but it was not to be. The sentence is only verbal and not yet binding. It may take weeks before it is legal. I may be in Brandenburg prison for some time yet, so this will hardly be my last letter to you.

Now I have one wish: That you, for my sake, be quite resigned and at rest. Even if it is sad, all sadness can be overcome. I have struggled with His help – and I have overcome. I have rest of heart in what now is and what is yet to come. For a little while I felt forsaken, but the weeks and months were not all without joy. Even now, I wish I had the opportunity to get out. But: “I cannot now go back” I have put my house in order. I am not very afraid if it takes me nearer Jordan. It will only be a moment when I go down into it’s waves. Then the sorrow and pain is past.

Sometimes in my life, I have thought about that hour and longed for that rest. Father, Mother, Karl, and Hans went before and I did not wish them back from the place where the faithful are resting.

Gladly, I would have liked to have stood by you dear ones in the years ahead in the battle of life. The Lord will not forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, because you still have work to do – and through God’s goodness, you will have happier days in life than what you experience right now.

I look back over my life. It brought me enough sorrow, but also not a little of the most beautiful JOY!

Many times in life one has learned to die and it imparts strength which is stronger than death.

Before men, I leave this world without honor. You will be able to bear this, my disgrace. It will not be in vain for you.

I believe the friends will gladly stand by you. Be strong and prepared. I hope later to write to you again.

Many greetings to both of you and all the Loved Ones in the Lord. Greetings to the relatives!

From your brother,
Fritz

There is a question that is asked over and over again, and is often left unanswered. Where are the dead, from death until the resurrection? There are lots of tracts, lots of literature, lots of theories abroad in the world along this line. Millions if Catholics think of souls in purgatory. Millions of people think they are in Hell. Others say the dead are annihilated. Others say the dead don’t know the resurrection. It is a great effort to confuse the minds of people, even God’s children might be confused.

Let us get to the question from the Bible’s standpoint. It makes clear about the unsaved and the saved and leaves no doubt in the mind as to where they are. It is a big help to understand these things, because of the conflicting influences that are in the world. It is what the Bible says that counts; we will all have to come to this eventually; we will all have to believe the teachings of God some day. Why not believe it now? What God has said will stand whether believed by men and women or not. God answers the question definitely and in no uncertain sound, if we get down to it and believe it. Let us look at Ecclesiastes 12. This chapter deals with death. It deals with people who pass from time into Eternity. All these speak of the end of human life: Man goes to his long home; Mourners go about the streets; Silver cord is loosed; Golden bowl is broken at the fountain; Wheel is broken at the cistern;

It is a day that we all have to face. There is nothing certain about life, but there is a tremendous certainty about death. V.7—Read what happens at death, the body goes back to dust, the spirit goes back to the God who gave it. The reason that there is so much confusion as to what happens after death, until the resurrection, is that people don’t keep in their minds these two sides. What part goes to the dust,? The natural body. What part goes to God? The spirit. Keep these two sides clearly in your mind.

Now look at Ecclesiastes 9:10, “There is no work or device nor knowledge, nor wisdom where thou goest.” It wouldn’t take a lot of human intelligence to convey to our minds what is meant by that verse. Connect it with the one in Ecclesiastes 12:7 that we have been speaking of and remember the body, is in the dust, where there is no work, etc. This deals with the physical body. Now look at 3:19-20, “For that which befalleth beasts, as one dieth, so dieth the other, all are of the dust and all go to dust again. Verse 21, “spirit of man goeth upward, spirit of beast goeth downward to the earth.” This draws a tremendous line of distinction between man and beast. Keep this in mind–no work no device, etc. in the grave where thou goest. In mine no work, no device, etc, in the grave where thou goest. Now, let us read Revelations 6:9, “I saw under the altar, the souls of those who were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.” See here what people are doing in in connection with the Spirit going back to God, “Father into Thy hands do I commit My Spirit.” Acts 8:2, we read that devout men carried his body to burial, Jesus and Stephen saw the the truth clearly, that we have been talking about. Now what did Paul say. Philemon 1:23, “I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better.” Where does he tell us the spirit of man goes when he dies—a place far better than on the earth–“to be with Christ.” But he felt it needful to remain, for the sake of helping others. In the light of these three testimonies – Jesus, Stephen and Paul – isn’t it in perfect harmony with what the Old Testament spoke about death in the grave, where the body is, there is no work, etc. It is an awful contradictory teaching that body and spirit are both in the grave until the resurrection.

Let us look again at Revelations 6:9. The souls of those who were slain. What kind of a testimony did they hold? What did John say in Revelations 1:27, the testimony at Jesus Christ. They held the testimony that Jesus Christ bore in this world and bore to all His people. They were slain for the word of God and the testimony which they held. They were dead in Christ and they were resting. Chapter 14:13 tells us “to the blessed dead who die in the Lord.” What are they doing? “Resting from their labors and their works do follow them.” Do you think that when you and I die, that is the end of it all? No, think of what it says in Hebrews 11, “Abel being dead yet speaketh.” You and I might be dead for years, but if we have that testimony, it will still live. The question may be asked.” Is it necessary to have the Judgement?” “Would it be possible for people to get their full reward at death?” No! Abel’s life still speaks, could Paul have his full reward? Could John have his full reward? No! Their lives are still speaking and their lives and testimonies are still influencing others, Remember we are speaking of the dead in Christ. In Revelations 6:9, where were the souls? Under the altar. There had been a day and a time when they bad been on that altar. If their lives hadn’t been consumed on that altar they wouldn’t be under it. This natural sacrifice would make it clear in our minds how these souls got under the altar. I would like to leave this life on that altar, until there was nothing left but the ashes. My body given as a living sacrifice, found under the altar, because I stayed on the altar.

The souls in Revelations 6:9 were given white robes. They were clothed in righteousness, and they were resting for a season, until other lives were sacrificed. These died in Christ, and their spirit had gone back to God, and they were resting from their labor. Remember Matthew 10:28,-“Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell.” Don’t fear those who would kill the body, that is the worst they can do. The Spirit would go back to God to rest. Fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in Hell.

Now let us read Jude 6v, “the angels which kept not their first estate He hath reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness unto the Judgment of that great day.” Also II Peter 2:4-9, “To reserve the unjust until the day of Judgment, to be Punished.” In these two verses the same language is used in connection with men and angels, that do not do the will of God. What are the unsaved doing? Reserved in chains, suffering a great deal while awaiting Judgment. Does a prisoner that is guilty suffer waiting his sentence? Yes, he does indeed if he is honest. Unsaved people suffer in eternity a lot of remorse of conscience for the way in which they have lived out of Christ. This tells about the unsaved dead. They don’t rest from their labors, their works follow them too. Do you think you would have any difficulty in understanding Luke 16:19? There are two sides – this side we read of the condition before death. If Jesus was telling the same story today, He would speak of the man who clothed in broadcloth and fine linen – the clothing of the priesthood…Exodus 28.. Anna and Caiaphas, the high priests, in Jesus day, were clothed like this. Then what happened? The beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. What part went to the grave? The body. We ought to have no confusion in our minds about this. We have no evidence other than the Bible. Now where are the dead in Christ? We read of a great gulf being fixed in Luke l6-26. What was the gulf? The gulf of nature. There is a gulf between plant and animal life, and there is a gulf between the human and the divine. The rich man missed it in time, and he missed it in eternity. The sacrifice of Christ on Calvary has bridged that gulf, that is fixed in eternity. “If we accept Him now, the Sacrifice avails for us and we will be found on the right side of the gulf.” Remember this in line with Jude and Peter. The unsaved dead are reserved until the day of judgement. Reserved in everlasting chains to be punished, isn’t that what the rich man is experiencing.

Matthew 25, Jude 9, Peter, Luke 12, All these scriptures that we have been talking about speak of everlasting punishment. That man in Christ stayed on the altar sacrificing; he is on Christ’s bosom; a type of resting from his labors and his works will follow him.

Now let us read John 5:25. This is not talking about physical death, but “spiritual death.” The dead in trespass and sins, who can hear the gospel now. It deals with physical death farther on in the chapter. I think of things being alive or dead relative to other things.

We look at a tree and say it is living, but if we brought an animal along, full of animal life. We say the tree is dead to that life activity. An animal may be full of life, we say it is living, but put it along side of a human being, and it is dead, to that human life. Let us go further. People mentally, morally, physically, alive to business propositions, social contacts, but you bring a child of God and put him alongside of them and they are dead to all that know and lives for, dead to all that is in the Kingdom above. An unsaved person may have intelligence, they may have everything that human nature can endow them ,but friend, they are dead in their relationship to God, if they are out of Christ, without a Savior.

Paul in writing to the Ephesians said, “You were dead in trespasses sins.” They were dead in their relationship to God. Isn’t that true today? But God has given power to His Son Jesus, to give life to us so we can be in the right relationship to God. John 5:28, this is entirely in the future. At that time the Christians living in the world will be changed, in a moment of time, so shall they ever be with the Lord.

Then it speaks of the resurrection of damnation: Of those who are “out of Christ.” There is a space of 1,000 years between these two resurrections. The resurrection of life, first resurrection, all the dead in Christ rise to be with the lord, with Him, when He comes to reign. Revelations 5:9, “A people out of every kindred, and tongue, people and nation, and we shall reign upon the earth.”

God does not lie. He is not confused. Those who have done good will rise at the resurrection of the just. The dead “out of Christ” do not rise for 1,000 years, until the resurrection of Damnation. Now see II Corinthians 15:22, “In Adam all die,” in “Christ all are alive” there is no other way, only in Christ. Verse 23, they that are in Christ at His coming . Verse 24, then cometh the end. When He shall have delivered up the Kingdom of God the Father, when He shall have put down all the rule and authority and power, 1,000 years will be necessary for Christ to put all things right, to put down all power and authority. It will be a big work and it will take some power to do it.

Verse 26, “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” What will Christians be doing during the Millenium? It says that all things are going to be subdued unto Christ. It won’t be a day or a year. Then Christ will hand over the Kingdom to the Father. Verse 29, when you and I and Paul were baptized we were baptized for One that had died. If Jesus had never died, there would be no symbol. Because He died and rose again, we believe we too die to the old life and rise again in newness of life.

That is the Truth He is bringing out in verses 26-52. This corruptible must put on incorruption. Death is swallowed up in victory, what victory? The victory of Christ. Only through the lordship of Christ can we be victors, Isaiah 9:6. We are to take these lives of ours and lay them on the shoulder of another as in Luke 15. When the government of life was on the shoulders of another, it was brought back to the fold. “Of the increase of this government there is no end.” No end, when Christ gets control of our lives in time or in Eternity. Let us put the government of our lives on the shoulders of our Lord Jesus Christ

The Lord often draws contrasts, like in the Songs of Solomon. There are some chapters in the Bible that if you hand them to a carnal-minded person, they will give you a carnal interpretation. In that 2nd chapter of the Songs of Solomon, it shows us the kind of affection the bridegroom has for the bride. Some say Solomon wrote the Songs of Solomon when he was young, Ecclesiastes when he was middle-aged, and Proverbs when he was an old man.

Romans 8, the condition for proper prayer is to be submitted to His will and mind, but we are not always submitted to God’s mind and will as we should be. Verse 26 says, “…but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Many a time we can think or pretend we are serving God, but there are other things that creep in that prove that our hearts are deceitful and not to be trusted. Solomon proved his wisdom by asking God for wisdom, “In all thy getting, get understanding above all things.” When Solomon prayed for the wisdom of God, he got it. We are told by Paul that knowledge puffeth up. I like to put education where it belongs and salvation where it belongs. You can take a child and educate it, then what do you have? In one graveyard we saw the inscription on the tombstone of a young girl:

“Could beauty, culture, virtue save

From the dark confines the cruel grave,

Then she who lies beneath the sod

Would not have known this dark abode.”

The very thing people pride themselves in can be a snare to them, like beauty – like the horns of an animal up north which is proud of its horns. These very horns often get caught in the trees and you see the skeleton of the animal there, its horns caught in the tree. So, the very thing that was beautiful became a snare to them. A woman came to some meetings and she was proud and did not want to do what she should do. She spoke of her son, 15 years of age, who was an infidel. An infidel is someone who goes as far as to accept some points of the scripture but not all of it, like the Pharisees. They read the parts that suited them and the parts that didn’t, they jumped over them like frogs. That boy had said at breakfast, “There is no God,” and his mother asked him where he got that idea. In many of our school books, theories are taught with regard to evolution that puts infidel thoughts in the minds of the children. One boy said, “I have to either believe my Bible or turn a deaf ear to my professors, or the other way around.” I talked with that 15-year-old boy one day and he said, “I don’t believe there is a God. I don’t believe there is one because I never saw one, and neither have you.” I asked him if he had a stomach. He said, “Yes.” Then I asked him, “Did you ever see it, John? Did you ever see your brains? Have you got any?” There are two things you and I should pay attention to and that is, while you and I may have a lot of knowledge, even of the Bible, there is a possibility that even with all that knowledge, we may perish. Solomon, when he was asked what he wanted, did not say, “O Lord, give me knowledge,” but he said, “Give me wisdom.” Someone said that knowledge knows what to do next, but wisdom is doing it. God made Solomon wise on account of his request.

This second chapter of the Songs of Solomon gives the relationship between the church and the bridegroom. “I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.” Verse 2 is the kind of treatment Jesus got in this world, “As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.” A lily among thorns would be out of place naturally. It would be a stranger. Wouldn’t it be a sad case that when the winds would blow, it would be blown from side to side and be pierced by the thorns.

Verse 3, “As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons.” Taking a walk through the woods one day with my companion, we came upon an apple tree. The proper place for an apple tree is in an orchard but here it was in the woods. It was a stranger there. So was the life of Christ in this world a stranger, too. That verse in Peter says, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” Although that song puts it “pilgrims and strangers”, the Bible says strangers and pilgrims. If you are not a stranger here in this worldly atmosphere, then you are no pilgrim for the heavenly country. Some seem perfectly at home in convention, but when they go back to the city, they feel perfectly at home in the world, too. Some people even go as far as to have one kind of dress for the fellowship meeting and for convention, and another kind for the street. I want to ask you, “Are there any like that here?” If so, you are still in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity.

“I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.” We sit down under His shadow in these meetings and we can almost feel the difference in the atmosphere as He draws near. When His presence is felt, it isn’t just all nice things, but as it says, “It is a fearful thing to be in His presence.” The nearer we are to God, the more we abhor ourselves in sackcloth and ashes. “He brought me to his banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.” There is an awful contrast between love and hatred. The love of God controlling the hearts of people makes it possible for them to meet together as one. The power of love reigns when we are under the control of God; the love of power when we are out from under His control. Love for power is where strife is. “Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples.” Wine makes the heart glad and God makes us glad here with the wine of the kingdom. Jesus, talking to those two going to Emmaus gave them flagons of wine, for He talked to them about the scriptures all the way. We may die and never see the fruit of our lives and testimony. Stephen bore a good testimony and died bearing it, “…to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord.” When I die, I expect a quick transition to heaven. When Moses and Elias came down to the Mount of Transfiguration, they weren’t asleep as the Advents would tell us–they were wide awake. “His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.” This speaks of support. Did you ever feel conscious of God trying to hold you up? Woe betides the child of God who has not His right hand protecting him.

“I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love till he please.” I sometimes think that the thought in this verse is that of trifling with your affections. Do you think you can trifle with the Lord’s affections and He not feel it? You say, “I love you Lord; but I love the world, too.” This is what the Bible says about it, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship with the world is enmity with God.” James 4:4, James believed in firing a shot straight there, not whitewashing, but washing white. Marble, when it is rained on, gets whiter. Whitewash washes off. People with marble qualities, the world can wash against them and they only shine better and brighter. We read in the Psalms that when David began to mistrust God’s care, he went down and hid among the Philistines. But in Psalm 120:5, he said, “Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!” If we think we can leave the Lord for a while, we trifle with the Lord. “The voice of my beloved! Behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.” We sometimes imagine that God will never get anybody saved until He has sinless people in this world. The word “perfect” means “perfect in heart” – look up Genesis 6:9 (“These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God”), Genesis 17:1 (“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, ‘I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be thou perfect’”), and Job 1:1 (“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil”). Upright is the interpretation of perfect – a perfect love for God. Perfect love casts out fear: there are not two motives, just a single purpose to love and serve God. He showed Himself through the latticework of our imperfection. Verses 10-13, “My beloved spake, and said unto me, ‘Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.’” Verse 11 is like the Christian who had done wrong in the sight of God – it is like wintertime to him, but now it is gone and past. In all the rush of the world, there is danger of the people of God becoming contaminated with the spirit of rush, for there is no time for the secret place to talk and walk with God.

Verse 14, “O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.” Put forth the effort to get into the secret place and climb the stairs. Verse 15, “Take up the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.” There is a story in a school book about a man in India who was a hunter. He found a baby tiger and made a pet of it but that little tiger didn’t stay young – it grew to be a big tiger. One day it was licking his hand and he suddenly noticed it had drawn blood. The taste of blood brought back, or aroused, his old savage nature. The hunter knew that if he moved, that tiger would kill him, so he called to his servant to shoot straight at the tiger’s heart and kill it. Some of you are trifling with little things, nice little things. Look up in your Bible when you get home, and find out the little things that cause trouble. God’s purpose is to make us fruitful grapes.

It is not the trees that block the trail,

It is not the ash or pine;

But if you fail and fall, my friend,

It was some hidden vine

That tripped you up and threw you down

And caught you unawares.

The big things we can walk around

But watch the path for snares.

Verse 16, “My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.” We can feed the heart of God today just by keeping our hearts in purity.

Verse 17, “Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a rose or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.” Bether means division – people that are not destroying the young foxes will get into difficulties. Hebrews 12:15, “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled.” Strife in the little church is because of failure in some heart to have the grace of God.

I Peter 2:5; Exodus 26:15-30; Ephesians 2: 19-11; Ephesians 4:1-16; John 17:20-33; Psalm 133.

In the pages of the Old Testament, we have the record of two buildings, one erected by Moses and the other by Solomon — the Tabernacle and the Temple. These two buildings were typical of the Son of God, the sons of God, and the family of God as a whole. Jesus said in connection with the temple, “Destroy this house and in three days, I will build it up.” That outward temple at Jerusalem was typical of the true house of God that was present in their midst in the person of His Son. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he said, “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.” He used the temple also in order to make clear that God’s people as a whole are His house — His home on earth. When we turn to I Peter 2:5, we read, “Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifice, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” Peter is giving us the spiritual meaning in this our day of the temple that was built by Solomon in Jerusalem. He says each child of God is a living stone in God’s great spiritual house. Each stone, small or great, was necessary in the building of this house — each of them filling a place God planned. Every stone in the temple was typical of the individual child of God. In order to hold these stones in their right and proper place, it was necessary to have the right kind of mortar. This is what Peter had in mind when he wrote this fifth verse.

A few weeks ago, I happened to be in a home in England on the evening of the first day of the week. It was customary in this home for a few of God’s children to meet together on Sunday to study His word, and it happened on this particular Sunday that the study was the 26th of Exodus. I read over this chapter and when I came to verses 15-30, I was reminded of some things said here at Bakersfield a great many years ago and this morning, I will venture to say them again. We said that in connection with the temple that each stone was typical of the individual child of God, and we might say that the mortar was typical of the graces that unite these stones together in God’s spiritual house. What I wish to say to you in connection with the tabernacle this morning is this — that the 48 boards that were used in its construction were typical of the individual children of God, and the five bars that were used to hold the 48 boards together as one were typical of the graces that are in your life and mine in holding the boards together. These boards were made of a certain kind of wood not easily affected by moisture or heat and were covered with gold. Wood speaks of human nature and gold of divine nature. In other words, they had to be born again. It was not a very easy process to get boards for the tabernacle. This particular wood was not easy to find. The trees had to be cut down; they had to be sawn into logs and then into boards and hewn into shape. Each board had to be covered with gold and when 48 boards were all ready we are told they were placed in silver sockets standing up. These boards were not laid one over the other as is usual in erecting a structure today. Might I say that silver in the Bible always speaks of redemption and this is a picture of the individual child of God — no longer his own, bought with a price, redeemed by blood, the purchased property of another. You can watch the priests put these boards together into their sockets, but you know very well that in spite of the fact that these boards were standing in silver sockets and apparently able to stand there alone, a puff of wind would cause the whole structure to go down with a crash. What was necessary in order that these 48 boards of the tabernacle, typical of the individual children of God, should hold together as one in the spiritual House of God? The bars were necessary. These bars were made of the same wood as the boards and there were just five. Four of these bars were to pass through rings on the outside. The fifth bar was the key to the whole situation — it locked the whole structure together as one building. To me, this is a wonderful picture of God’s great purpose for His own people. It seems to me that when the Psalmist wrote the 133rd Psalm that he had in mind what was typified by the tabernacle erected by Moses in the wilderness, “Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.” This Psalm helps me to understand the message of the boards and bars of the tabernacle, for when the boards and bars are in their proper place, then this Psalm is fulfilled.

I turn over to John 17, where we get a look into the heart of Jesus and the great anxiety that was in His heart as He looked into the future and thought of the difficulties and problems that His servants and people would have to face on down through the ages until He came again. In this 17th chapter, He poured out His heart unto His Father and He prayed for that which would be most vital to His people until He returned. Might I say this morning, as our great High Priest, He is still praying for you and for me and the burden of His prayer is given to us in the 17th chapter. He knew better than His disciples the difficulties and problems that they would have to face as they went out into the world to represent Him. He knew that if they obeyed the commission which He gave them later, that they would meet men and women of every race, every nationality and of every religion, and that the message He gave to them to live and to preach, if accepted, would bring about the most wonderful fellowship and friendship among men that the world had ever known. When men and women are delivered from the kingdom of this world and brought into the Kingdom of God, they enjoy a fellowship and friendship that is found nowhere else in the world. Paul was thinking of this when writing to the Colossians “In Christ there is neither…etc.” This message that He gave His bondservants and handmaidens is a message that will enable men and women who receive it to forget their race, their nationality and religion, and take their place in the family of God as brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of God, as fellow-citizens responsible to strive together to maintain that unity of the spirit in the bond of peace that the Lord Jesus prayed for so earnestly on that last night of His life on earth.

I will read you part of this prayer in verses 11-19:

“And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to Thee Holy Father, keep through Thine own Name those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, as We are.

While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Thy Name – those that Thou gavest Me, I have kept and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

And now come I to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have My joy fulfilled in themselves.

I have given them Thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil

They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth.

As Thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.”

The prince and god of this world from the very moment that our Lord Jesus unburdened His heart to His Father and prayed that His sheep might be united and be one people until He returned, has sought to hinder, to make this difficult, to make this impossible. Sometimes he attacks the people from the outside and sometimes he attacks them from the inside. We can easily recognize His hand…bringing about in this our day an answer to the prayer of the Lord Jesus. I don’t know of any more serious responsibility than this for each of us in the family and Kingdom of God. It is not a responsibility that rests on the bondservants and handmaidens of the Lord alone — it is a responsibility that rests upon every child of God, every citizen of His Kingdom, every man and woman that claims to have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus. More than once, in this here place have we asked the children of God, and especially the servants of God, to read over Ephesians 4, for in this chapter it is brought home to our hearts, as His servants, our responsibility. It is made clear that God’s gift to His people is His servants. You may say we do not need the servants of God. Those who imagine that they can get along just as well without the friendship and fellowship of the servants are making a big mistake, a very serious mistake. We all know that the most helpless of all animals is a sheep that has no shepherd. We know the difficulties that they get into, and we know the tendency is ever to wander farther and farther away from the fold. The sheep that are most happy and comfortable in the fold are those that keep nearest to the shepherd. Don’t forget it! If you have been weak in your love and loyalty to the bondservants and handmaidens of the Lord, you are getting out near the edge and it will only be a little while until you are outside altogether. God’s gift to His people is His servants, His bondservants and handmaidens. He has placed upon them a great responsibility for which they have to give an account. If you read over this 4th chapter of Ephesians, you will be brought face to face with this fact that the object and purpose of all true ministry is two-fold: First of all, to bring about in the lives of the individual children of God more likeness to the Son of God, and secondly, to bring about in the family of God more unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Any ministry, whether it is that of the youngest or the oldest worker in this field or other fields, that has not this objective in his or her ministry cannot be a blessing and we would like you to measure the ministry of those who are on this platform and those who have spoken in past days from this platform by their standard. Paul tells us here that God’s gift to His people are His servants, that the saints might come some day to the fullness and stature of Christ, and that they might have that blessed happy unity and harmony, where God can give the blessings we read in Psalm 133.

I suspect when Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians, he had in mind what the tabernacle in the wilderness typified. I think he must have been thinking about the tabernacle, those 48 boards standing in silver sockets. He used this little expression “fitly framed together” — Ephesians 2:21. What was necessary? Some of you builders could answer — these boards could not stand together secure, solid, until the bars were in their right and proper place, then the tabernacle stood as one structure, solid, and secure.

Now, what I want to give to you this morning in particular is the message of the bars. Those bars are typical of the graces that are necessary in our lives as the children of God to enable us to hold together as one. If I were to ask you this morning what are the special graces which, when manifested by the people of God, will enable them to stand together as one family and one kingdom, I think you would reply those mentioned in Ephesians 4:1-7. We might read these verses:

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love:

Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”

Here are the five graces typified by the five bars which hold the 48 boards of the tabernacle together as one: lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, and then that grace typified by that middle bar that puts the responsibility on you and on me in this manner of keeping the unity in the bond of peace. I have lived now in the family of God over forty years. I have been for 34 or 35 years in His service as a worker. I have been to many different parts of the world. I have watched very closely the servants and people of God in many countries and I have never yet known any single servant or saint of God’s family that possessed the marks that you read about here — lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Each passing year we value more those children of God in the little churches everywhere who deliberately and purposefully cultivate in their lives these graces so that wherever you may be placed your influence will tend toward promoting that unity of spirit that is so dear to the heart of God, and for which our Lord prayed so earnestly on that last night of His life.

Lowliness is the opposite of pride. Pride comes from the pit. It may be pride of face, of race or grace, but the most dangerous form of pride is spiritual pride — that pride that places you on a pedestal and causes you to imagine you can look down on others and gather your skirts around you and take the position that “I am holier than thou.” There is a story told of that old philosopher, Diogenes, paying a visit to Socrates. Diogenes lived in a tub and dressed in rags in order to parade his humility and lowliness. After the visit to Socrates when about to leave, standing on a rug in Socrates home, he said, “I trample upon your pride, oh, Socrates!” Socrates replied calmly, “With greater pride, oh Diogenes.” That man or woman who is continually advertising his or her lowliness and humility is guilty of the worst kind and the most deadly pride. Those who are truly lowly do not need to advertise it. If they are lowly, they forget all about it.

Meekness, as we have already said, is not the product of human nature, never was, and never will be. Human nature will give back word for word, blow for blow, insult for insult, but the meekness of Jesus Christ will enable a man when reviled to revile not again, when caused to suffer will not threaten, when struck on one side of the cheek will turn the other side also. Meekness is the grace, the fruit of the Spirit which enables you or me to act right toward those who have treated us wrong.

Longsuffering — do you find it hard to put up with some people? We all do. I think that Jesus Himself must have found it difficult again and again during His three and a half years of His ministry to put up with those disciples. They disappointed Him often, they were selfish, ambitious, high and mighty, and many a time He must have felt “I will let them go,” but He did not. More than once, yes, a thousand times, I have been ashamed of my impatience with some of the lambs and sheep of the flock. I have said in my heart, “What is the use of trying to help that man or woman? They are selfish, ambitious, and stubborn. For years they have not shown a single mark that they have really begun to partake of the divine nature and that the very best thing that could happen would be to cut them off,” — but sometimes we have the joy of seeing those who have tested our longsuffering so severely come to the time and place where a change is manifested and graces of our Lord Jesus Christ were being produced. Don’t give up too soon.

This grace is forbearance. You know those four — the first is near the ground, the next is a little higher up — meekness. Here is the third — longsuffering and, near the top — forbearance. These bars passed through the rings and helped to hold the structure together as one. As long as we live in these tabernacles of clay, as long as we have this human nature in common with one another, there will be a need for the grace of forbearance. You have got to bear with me and I have to bear with you. There are none of us in this meeting that have not little oddities, little peculiarities and little idiosyncrasies that make it very difficult for our brethren to keep on loving us. You find it easy to find fault with your brother and sister but you forget yourself. The best thing you can do is to go to the looking glass and take a good look at yourself. You will more than likely be surprised that your brothers and sisters have kept on loving such an ugly creature throughout the years. I know how difficult some of the brothers and sisters have found it to keep on loving me. I am no fool to think I have not many of these oddities, etc., and that is the reason I tell you this morning, I owe them a great deal for manifesting throughout the years this grace of forbearance. But I will tell you something else — they owe me something, too. I know a little more than most of you about their oddities, etc., and how difficult they have made it sometimes for me to keep on loving them. If you think my brothers and sisters that you do not owe a great deal to your brothers and sisters in the church for this grace which they have manifested towards you, in spite of all things that made it difficult, you are making an awful mistake. Can you see those boards going up — these bars in their places?

Then the fifth bar endeavoring. Do you think you can manifest the grace of lowliness without effort? Not as long as you have human nature. It will never be easy for anyone to be lowly; it will never be easy for any of us to have meekness or longsuffering or forbearance. It will necessitate effort. Some people expect these graces to kind of spring up. They will spring up from a yielded heart, a yielded life, and surrendered will. They are the natural fruit of living wholly yielded to God. They were seen in all their beauty in Him who blazed the trail. They are seen in us as we surrender. Yielded-ness to God is after this pattern. It will take an effort to say, “No,” to nature that seeks to hinder you. If any of these graces are to be manifested by you or me, there is a necessity feeling towards your brethren inside the kingdom and a new responsibility towards those who are without, or outside. If we do this, this convention has not been in vain as far as you are concerned, and the testimony of the Psalmist will be fulfilled in coming days. “How good and pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”

I cannot close without a word of warning — that warning is to be found in this chapter, too. We have gone over together the graces necessary in the lives of God’s people to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. I will now mention some of the vices, which manifested in a child of God through yielding to our human nature and ceasing to yield to the divine nature, will disturb the “unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.” I will name them. Paul says, “Put away” lying, bad temper, lack of self control, anger, and wrath. Wrath is anger boiling over. Malice is what is left after wrath has cooled down. Malice is that thing which a man or a woman is guilty of when in cold blood they seek to injure one another. Corrupt communications: beware of that in men or women whose conversation is not clean, whose jokes are unclean. You can very easily see, my brother, my sister, that if these vices are in evidence, how disturbing they would be to the people of God and how destructive to that unity and harmony that is so pleasing to the heart of God. Evil speaking: do you find it easy to speak evil of another? I told you the story some years ago of the peasant that had been guilty of speaking evil about a brother and whose conscience bothered him. He went to the priest and confessed his sin. The priest shook his head and then gave him the necessary penance — at least what he thought was necessary — “You go and get a sack of feathers and when you have filled the sack, go and put one on the doorstep of every house in the city, then come back to me.” This man got the sack and filled it with feathers, went to every doorstop and then went back to the priest. He felt, “Now I am alright, now my conscience will not bother me or be troubled.” Then the priest said, “Not yet! Take the sack and go gather up the feathers from the doorstep of every house and then come back to me.” This man said to the old priest, “Oh, I cannot do that; the wind has blown the feathers away.” The priest said, “That is so. That word of slander you spoke against your brother is gone — you cannot recall it.”

I say to you brother or sister, think twice, think a dozen times before you speak a word to another that would hurt or hinder the weakest child or servant of God. There is a way if you have a difficulty about your brethren, if you have offended in any way — there is a way to straighten it out. You can read it in Matthew 18, or if you are guilty, before you go to the altar with your gift — Matthew 5. But when you disregard the clear teaching of Jesus in this, or any other matter, then you are guilty of one or more of these vices that are mentioned in Ephesians 4:30. What will you do when you leave this convention? Are you going to put these bars in their proper places? Are you going to keep them there? Are you going to pull out the middle bar that speaks of the responsibility we have, then the other bars will go down also. Your influence will only tend to disturb the redeemed people of God. Supposing I were to ask for a show of hands of this, supposing I were to ask the question how many honestly and truly purposed in their hearts as they have listened to His word these days and today, that unreservedly they are going to put a little more effort into keeping these bars in their proper place? You have your part to do — so have I. I have purposed to do mine. What are you going to do about it? May God help us for His name’s sake.

Hymn 172 or 131

One letter that helped me lately, it was in reading the last chapter of the First Epistle of Peter – a verse very familiar there, this thought impressed on my mind, 7th verse, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you.” In the Revised Version, “Casting all your anxiety upon Him, for He careth for you.” Notice the little letter ‘c’ before the word casting – look up that word casting. I put the references down in the order that appealed to me. These verses about cover everything that we most worry about and the foolishness of worrying about them, – 1 Peter 5:7, Matthew 6:25, Luke 12:11, Psalm 37:5, Psalm 55:22, Philippians 4:6, and Hebrews 13:5. Look up those in Luke and Matthew – these verses show that the disciples didn’t need to worry about their clothes or food, etc., not much need to talk about that. Plenty people who ask you where will you get your clothes from, your food, etc., – those verses in the Gospels spoken by Jesus Himself – we don’t need to have cause to worry a single bit about the needs of our body. The Lord has provided that those who go forth in His Name needn’t give a bit of worry to that. We who are older in the Way can encourage you younger ones that we don’t have to worry about our clothes, about our food, our temporal needs, all that I need for my body as long as I am in this world, God will provide.

Psalm 37:5, “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.” In the Revised Version, “Roll your way unto the Lord.” Two thoughts in that – all of us look into the future, what steps will I take, etc., where will I go today, where will I go for an opening, etc. Nice thought that I can roll the whole future unto the Lord. Next week – I can roll that unto the Lord, where I’ll go, etc. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” We can leave the future with the Lord – the hours, the days, the weeks, the years. Doesn’t mean that we wouldn’t make plans, but they would be of that sort that if the Lord shuts the door so that we couldn’t carry them out, that we would be satisfied. “He shall bring it to pass” – another thought some things I have tried hard to see come to pass, but seems I can’t bring it about – then I just get to the end of myself and just leave it over to the Lord and see if He can’t bring it to pass.

Then the next reference, Psalm 55 – one of the darkest Psalms, written by David at nearly the very darkest time in his life, when Absalom rose up against him. “For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: but it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.” I believe he referred to Ahithophel. Is there anything harder than to realize I have been betrayed by the one I trusted most. David put his confidence in God, that He would defeat the counsel of Ahithophel. There is a great thing that ought to be for all of us, that when you are terribly disappointed, etc. you could roll that upon the Lord, “cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” When you and I might suffer, worries, disappointments, etc., in those who we had sought most to help, ones we loved most, roll it on the Lord. We can be sure to get disappointments, and we must protect ourselves against that. You will see that David felt there was something going wrong even before Absalom rose up, but then he wasn’t crushed. Now I think we might connect that up with what we were speaking about Paul when he was in the prison about those that were adding affliction to his bonds, but he said I can rejoice, I can bear that. We might wonder who that might be that would be preaching strife – we can see that there rose up a kind of party of Jewish people that had professed, but didn’t see that the Lord was doing away with the old Jewish way. The Lord made it clear to Paul that it wasn’t necessary to conform to the old Jewish law. That was an awful shock to these Jews. They were anxious to get proselytes, went among the Gentiles making them. Then, although James and Peter didn’t understand at first, they were willing to hear Paul. Paul said of these Jews that they were the enemies of the cross of Christ. They would be preaching Christ alright, but would be mixing in the Jewish way too.

Paul said to the Galatians that they were just trying to take away the reproach and offense of the cross. Suppose Paul had weakened then and given in, been untrue then? But God had made it clear to Paul. I suppose saints have said to you, “I wouldn’t mind the persecution that comes from the outside, but oh!, when it comes from the inside, I can’t stand that at all.” Who caused the most suffering in both the Old and New Testament, wasn’t it those on the inside? Wasn’t it one on the inside that caused Jesus to suffer most – Judas? Our old human nature would make us a Judas. Paul was very practical – told them that of your own selves, some will just rise up and let their old human nature control them, and lead disciples after them. We ought to be glad we are counted worthy to suffer a little of it, knowing that God will work it out for his own purpose.

The last one I thought about was this one we read first in Peter. Do you suppose that it is going too far to say this care is the care for God’s people? He had been speaking here about or to the elders. The care you have for God’s people – casting all that upon Him because he careth for you. It would be a sad thing if any of our workers wouldn’t have a burden on their hearts for others – the care of God’s people. Every true servant of God ought to bear a part of it – burden on your heart. It would be an awful thing if we wouldn’t be caring for the souls of God’s people, of each other, of older saints, younger saints. A person could let it be such a great care or burden trying to carry it themselves instead of casting it upon the Lord. I thought about this rolling – impressed me that this was like a burden that was tied on you, tied with knots, but a pleasant experience – when anything is burdening you down a great deal, and even though it does take a great deal to get there with the Lord, and you could have a little rest – I have left everything with the Lord, just taking it bit by bit, as He guides. I remember the first year we were out, near Nicol’s home, 60 or 70 professed, but they terribly disappointed us, only one left. For a year or more after that mission, what a terrible burden that was on our shoulders, etc. So we could roll the burden – when you are greatly disappointed in someone who has professed through you – just roll all that on the Lord.

We have been mentioning in worker’s meetings four different things that have meant much to us. Whether old or young in the way, if we would observe them, it would help us a great deal:

1. Watch our relationship with the Lord – keep right with the Lord. This means I will be one with Him, I have no plans outside of Him, no plans or ambitions for my own life outside of the Lord. I believe it was what Jesus meant when He said “Abide in Me.” Study the life of Jesus with this one thought in mind – the relationship Jesus maintained with the Father. Jesus away consulting the Father, before He chose the twelve, etc. When everything was going against Him, He was away with the Father there. Keeping right with the Lord suggests to me that I will only be thinking of His glory. Wouldn’t think of converts as my converts, etc. Not my converts, not my friends, not my work, but it is the Lord, the Lord’s converts, the Lord’s work, etc. This will give us wonderful strength – that I went out to preach, not to please any man or woman, but I went out to please the Lord, to be a worker with the Lord because I believe He called me out. We sing, “Not unto men I labour, my service is unto thee.” You see when you do it unto the Lord it means you are not leaning on others. The thought came to me, if I don’t keep right with the Lord, nothing my best friends could do for me would be of any value to me. I want nothing from anybody, from any man, that God doesn’t move them to give. I have got to keep right with the Lord.

2. Be sure you keep right with your companion. We don’t say this is just as easy a thing as keeping right with the Lord, but it will be easier if you keep right with the Lord. Begin the year saying, I am going to purpose to keep right with my companion this year, not provoke my companion, etc. If we can’t love the companion we are living with, how could we profess to love the sinner? Make up your mind I will be to them what I ought to be. The two old horses, turned loose, eating grass, so close together, etc. Great thing to be like that. Some saints have told about an awful pull between those two workers, saw it at the table, etc. Asked where is your companion today? One going away ten minutes before the other, don’t walk together, don’t come in together, etc. Suppose you do get a companion that isn’t all he ought to be, might not even be saved, but couldn’t you keep right with him for that time, for a year? Married together for a year. Could there be any excuse for not keeping right with our companion? The first concern – I am not responsible for my companion, because he is younger than me – if I see him not getting victory in prayer, I am going to pray for him, etc. Then keep right with all the workers in that field. Co-operate when you are meeting at Special Meetings, at Conventions, with the one who is responsible for making plans in your field. Many things you and I might see that should be dealt with, but then we might go about it in a way that would do more harm than good – better to talk it over with the one who is responsible in that field, etc.

Another difficulty has risen up – we see the possibility of troubles springing up amongst us and unnecessary suffering caused by a difference between young workers and older workers. Possibility of older workers being somewhat to blame, possible for younger ones being to blame. Sometimes when we get old, we get cranky. Sometimes it’s our nerves that make us like that. Possible for an older worker forgetting what they were like when they were young workers. I made up my mind I would take all slurs, etc., from the younger ones. One old saint said to me this year – Oh! You don’t know how it cuts deep when you get slurs from the younger ones growing up. I realize now as well as the older ones that we weren’t all we could have been to our natural parents, etc. I just remind myself how many in the human family do it, and the older ones have to take it. Why shouldn’t I take this in the spiritual family? Even John and Paul and others weren’t highly respected by others. Diotrephes shut the door on him. But now to the younger ones – it is an awful bad thing for a young person to be despising others who have gone on years, etc. One sister cried all night over what a young brother worker had said to her in the presence of saints. Her sister told her, what would you be crying about what he says for? Nevertheless, it didn’t save her the suffering. In new countries like America – the country for youth, sometimes that bad point goes with it – youth despises age. Look at the Bible, characters like Ruth, Esther, Timothy, – evidence they had great respect for those older. You are hurting yourselves terribly, friends, if you don’t remember that I ought to have respect for those that have spent years in His service. Couldn’t say it was real Christ like if younger ones don’t have a true respect and appreciation of those who have borne the heat and burden of the day.

Another thing – even when you see older ones fail, drop out of it – not a good thing to talk about them, etc. Remind yourself – I haven’t come to the place where they failed at yet, I don’t know what temptations come at that time, etc. Look at that verse in Peter, “Likewise, ye younger…” I have been told lately about younger workers getting together and talking about all the failures and weaknesses of older ones – that wouldn’t help yourselves any, feeding upon their mistakes, etc. You have heard about that curse God put on Ham – if I take pleasure in looking on the failures of others and getting others to look at it, I will get the curse of Ham. Young workers should appreciate what older ones have put into it. Have a willingness to be guided by them. Don’t talk to saints or other workers about your companions. Much harm has been done by workers talking to saints about their companions

3. Keep right with the saints – especially in the part where you are laboring. A lot in saints that might encourage you to get wrong toward them, make you feel hard toward them, have no sympathy or compassion. Possible to be expecting too much of the saints. Expect them to go to too many meetings. Like to have them come to too many gospel meetings, – expect them to drive 20, 30, or 40 miles every night, not the best thing, possibly they wouldn’t have time to pray, etc., even though their presence in the meetings would be helpful. Then in another state some who couldn’t afford to buy the gas, and yet the workers got angry at them for not coming to the gospel meetings.

4. Keep right toward the sinners. Not so easy, either. Sometimes you feel how much you need to cry in your heart toward God to help you to have compassion for the sinners even like Jesus when they were going to crucify Him.

(Question asked about eating together after union meetings and visiting together) Better to go home after the fellowship meeting and meditate on what was heard. Danger of too much sociability. Good thing if you could encourage people to go home and spend the Sunday. Quite a discussing about spending the Sunday. Some say that Sunday means nothing, that every day is the same. We don’t believe that Sunday is that the Sabbath, but we surely do believe that if you spent that day profitable, it will help you to spend the other six profitably, it will help you to spend the other six days right. Rest for the body and using that day for spiritual things. Have respect for the Sunday, keep it as free as possible, do as little of this world’s work as we possibly can. Don’t do business if possible – not even legal. Use the day for spiritual things – writing letters, quietness – would be a great thing to teach God’s people that. . .

There are chapters in the New Testament that ought to be read over often by every child of God. They are: Matthew 18, Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 17, Colossians 3, James 3, and 1 Peter 2. Some of these chapters are best read on our knees. Read them quietly calmly in the presence of God, as His own message to our hearts. We have often said that there are three ways by which the Lord speaks to His people: (1) Through His people; (2) By His “still, small voice” in our hearts; (3) Through His word as we read it. The real value of the written Word to the children of God is that God will speak to us as we honestly seek to read it. It is His own message to us individually and collectively.

There is, however, another chapter that I wish to speak to you about this morning. I am not only going to ask you to read it once in a while during the year, as you will these other chapters, but that you will read it once every week until we come back again. I refer to the 4th chapter of Ephesians. I am going to suggest that the workers here, the youngest and the oldest, read it over twice every week. There is much in this chapter that has to do with our ministry as the ambassadors of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In this chapter verse 30 is the key: “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” If you read over this letter carefully, you will find at least eleven references to the Holy Spirit of God.

In the meetings already we have said that we are wholly dependent upon the work of the Holy Spirit. This is not only for our salvation but also for our growth and progress in the Way of Life. We have mentioned a number of terms which are used in connection with what takes place when we become God’s children. In chapter 1:13-14 we read that the Ephesians were “sealed with the Holy Spirit.” They received a small portion of this New Life and New Nature, the earnest of more to follow. It is possible for men and women to resist the Holy Spirit. In Genesis 6:3, the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man.” When Stephen was giving his testimony in Acts 7:51 he said, “Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost, as your fathers did, so do ye.” The most dangerous thing a man or woman ever did is to resist the Spirit of God. The wisest thing you can ever do, my brother, my sister, is to obey His pleading and follow His leading. That same Holy Spirit that brings you to the feet of Jesus will impart unto you the Spirit and Life of Jesus and seal you as His own. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God;” Romans 8:16.

The Spirit of God can be ”resisted,” can be “quenched.” Here in this 4th chapter of Ephesians it is suggested that it is possible for the children of God to “grieve” the Holy Spirit of God, whereby they have been sealed unto the day of redemption. I have sometimes thought that after days such as we have spent here, it would be a very wonderful thing if we separated from this convention purposing in our hearts to truly obey this admonition.

The reason that I suggested that it would be very helpful for the workers here, myself included, to read this chapter over twice every week until next convention, is because Paul, in this chapter, makes very clear and plain the purpose of all true ministry. There are in this meeting about thirty workers giving their lives in preaching the Gospel. Our life’s ministry must have a definite objective. We must be aiming at something. We must realize that an aimless ministry is a useless ministry. In this chapter Paul states very clearly what he recognized to be the real purpose that should govern the ministry of the bondservants and handmaidens of the Lord. He is not dealing with their responsibility toward those who are outside, but with their responsibility toward those who are inside. He says that His servants who bear in their lives the true marks of being called and sent of God, are God’s gift to His people. We have sometimes feared that the Lord’s people do not value the true ministry as they should. They do not realize that to be in the ministry means blighted prospects, turning one’s back on the possibility of a home and family of their own. His gift to His People, then, is His bondservants and handmaidens and upon them He has placed a very serious responsibility. This is clearly defined in some of the verses which you will read in this chapter. If I were asked this morning, What is the purpose of all true ministry? I would reply: To bring about, first of all, a little more likeness to Christ in the individual child of God. Secondly, to bring about more unity in the family of God. Wherever the ministry fails to have these marks, whether it is that of the youngest or oldest professed servant of God, it is a ministry that the Lord cannot bless or seal. I can imagine nothing more dreadful, no crime more serious, against the body of Christ than for any man or woman knowingly and deliberately to sow discord or division among God’s people. Romans 16:17-20; Acts 20:28-31; Proverbs 6:16-19. I sometimes read the 17th chapter of John and seem to catch the burden that was in the heart of Jesus when He poured out His heart to His Father that last night of His life. I turn over to that Psalm which says: “How good it is for brethren to dwell together in unity; for there the Lord commanded the blessing.” I recognize the wisdom of Jesus in sending out His servants two and two. He was seeking to bring about in the lives of His bondservants and handmaidens the same conditions and discipline, that were in His own life, as they work together throughout the year. This unity in the Kingdom of God is vital to the growth of His people. This is not merely the responsibility of the servants of God, but of every individual child of God. All are responsible for contributing their share to the world-wide unity of God’s people.

There are two lists in this chapter that are worthy of very careful study. First of all, a list of sins that grieve the Holy Spirit, hinder conformity to the image of Jesus and unity in the family of God. The sins mentioned in this letter can be classified under four heads:

1. The gross sins of the flesh. Chapter 5:3-5.

2. The sins of the tongue. That is “lying,” “corrupt communications,” “evil speaking,” “clamour,” Chapter 4:25, 29, 31.

3. The sins of the “spirit;” “anger, wrath, malice, bitterness,” Chapter 4:26, 31, 2 Corinthians 7:1 also emphasizes this.

4. The sin of dishonesty. Chapter 4:28.

I will not take time to comment on these, but we are not left in ignorance of these sins which, if permitted, will “grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” The sins enumerated were the common sins of Paul’s day. They are also in our day wrecking and ruining the lives and homes of men and women on every hand.

In the second list there are the graces enumerated which will always be seen in the lives of those who live and walk in the Spirit, who are being conformed to the image of Jesus and are contributing their share to the unity of God’s people, where they live and labor, and to the unity of God’s people in a world-wide sense. What are these graces? “Lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit, kindness, tenderheartedness, forgiveness;” Chapter 4:2, 3, 32. These marks were seen in all their beauty and perfection in Jesus. As we behold His beauty, and honestly desire to be like Him, “we shall be changed into the same image, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18.

So, we are going to ask you to read over this chapter during the year at least once every week. You may have memorized it by the end of the year. You will then have a clearer understanding of what we have been trying to say during the meetings here. We have been speaking about the importance of starving the old life and feeding the New Life; of “putting off” the things that belong to the “old man.” On the other hand, deliberately and purposefully “putting on” the things that belong to the “New Man” that will bring about the fulfillment of Romans 8:28, 29, and the prayer of Jesus in John 17.

I do not exercise myself very much with the meaning of these names that we have in the Bible, but some of them do have a great meaning for us. After Saul had received God’s Son, his name was altered to Paul, the meaning of which is little. He was brought up by a great man. Education often makes a man big. Knowledge puffeth up but love buildeth up others. If God’s love is going to fill our hearts, it is going to teach us how we can help others. God’s love is filling our hearts and it teaches us to think of others. If God’s love is able to fill our hearts, it will teach us how to be helpers of others. Paul says that knowledge will always have the effect of puffing us up, make us feel that we are something great because we have a bit of knowledge.

We do not require a great deal of knowledge to walk in the way of God. God has prepared everything to keep us humble and small. When God revealed His love in Jesus, to Paul, Paul came down, he humbled himself. Paul came down so low and humble that he prayed unto God, and so God sent one to comfort him that he might recover his sight to see the truth as it is in Jesus.

It is only the work that God does in our hearts that can help us. God draws people to Jesus. God makes people His messengers. He creates in them a love for men and women who are perishing. God beginning His work is the only thing that is ever going to produce anything in our lives. Paul came down to the place where he was willing for anything. We must be willing, as little children, to receive God’s Kingdom. As Saul prayed, God sent His messenger along to help him. This man Saul, who had been great, had come down to be small. The great and mighty God had got the first place in that man’s life.

God is very anxious to bring us all down to be small. There is no greater guarantee that our lives are going to be used, than that we have been brought down. Although God had worked to bring Paul down to that place where he was small, yet God was afraid lest he should again be exalted, therefore God sent him a thorn in the flesh, something to keep him down, and something to keep him small. Paul prayed that it may be taken away from him, but God said, “No. My strength is made perfect in weakness.” When Paul heard that, he said he would therefore much rather remain small.

He had the same old inclination to rise up, but he said, “I beat about my body, I seek to bring it down. I resist this inclination that is to my human body to become great.” That was the secret of God being able to bless that man’s life. We know that in our own bodies there will always be some inclination, and as we seek to fight the battle, God will enable us to keep our bodies under and therefore these things will not get the better of us. Paul only desired to be a servant unto others.

We know how easy it would be, especially when God gives us privileges, for us to be spoiled. It is good if we have a gladness of heart to do what would fall to our part. It is a terrible thing if we are foolish enough to get exalted because a little more is entrusted to us. It is very easy to be spoiled because of privileges given to us. Perhaps we may think we are something more than another person is. It means disaster if we become exalted in our own eyes. We should be willing to fit into any place, at any time that God will have us do. God wants to bring us down and keep us small, though the enemy would like to put something into our hearts that would spoil us. There is room in God’s family for all who are willing to fill the humble place.

In Psalm 131:1, David gives testimony that is very weighty and powerful, “My heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty, neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.” His eyes were not lofty. He did not look down on others. There would have been many things that perhaps David’s human nature desired to have, but he said, “I am willing to be anything that God wants me to be.” He was willing to exercise himself in the little things that God was revealing to him.

Paul an apostle according to the will of God. God gave him a work to carry out, commanded him to go and preach the Gospel. He wanted to do more than carry out the commandment that God had given him, he wanted to put all that he could into the work that was given him. He wanted to endure all ends that others might be partakers to the eternal life. He wanted to be a partaker in the sufferings of Christ that, through him, others might be blessed. Paul just wanted to be what God wanted him to be. He was in the will of God, and that can be a great comfort to us that we are willing to live a faithful life wherever we are, willing to carry out the responsibility that has been entrusted to us. It is a very comforting thing when we are conscious that we are in the will of God. There may be temptations for us to get away from the will of God. We are only happy in life so long as we are willing to do what God has called us to do. Perhaps there is sometimes a temptation for us to get away from what God has called us to do, but if we do not give way to do temptation, we will, in time to come, be glad.

Seek to abide in the will of God and be faithful to that which has been committed to us. This will bring eternal gain to us. Paul said, “I am what I am, by the will of God.” He wanted to continue in the will of God unto the end of the chapter.

Jesus Christ our hope. That may be a strange way to put it, but I believe that Jesus Christ is the door of hope to us. Immanuel means God with us, one of the names of Jesus. Men saw the way to victory because they saw that God was with His Son. Jesus appeared to be the same as others until people were able to look on His life, and then they saw a man who able to overcome all the temptations of this world. The temptations of the world were not able to have any power over Jesus, God was with Him. He gave men the hope that when they received His message, that God would give them victory, too. Jesus did not leave them in ignorance, God was continually with them. Jesus always did the things that pleased God. No matter what sacrifice it meant to Jesus, He always did what God wanted Him to do. He said that of Himself He could do nothing. It was by the connection that He had with His Father that He was able to overcome. He was therefore able to give the bread of life to men because God was with Him.

God has shown us how we can submit to Him, how we can obey His voice, that our lives may be a blessing to men and women in the world. Jesus Christ our hope of glory, and we are very thankful to Him for the hope that we have in God. God is not a disappointment to us. He gives us grace to do things which otherwise we would never be able to do. Paul speaks about the glorious gospel that God had committed to his trust. The law of Moses was not able to give life, but the glorious gospel committed to Paul was able to give life.

There was not one amongst the apostles who thought that God’s gospel would ever work so wonderfully that a man like Paul should be brought down to his knees and his hard, cruel heart changed, another heart given him that he might preach the glorious gospel which at one time he hated so much. God united Paul in His great family with His people. He was able to declare God’s gospel to others. The gospel of God can work wonders in our lives today. It is not the greatness of preaching that helps, but the fact that we, who were in bondage at one time, are now set free and God has raised us up to be overcomers. That is the thing that will speak hope to men and women who have been trying to free themselves from the weak and beggarly elements of the world, and yet are unable to do so without the glorious gospel of God.

The grace of God was wonderful to Paul, filled his heart with love for his fellow creatures. God delivers His people from bondage. This also helps to give us sympathy for others. Remember the stranger that comes amongst you, remember that we were once strangers, we were once where others are. It is because of God’s strong arm that we are brought to the place where we are no longer strangers. We should have extra tender care when people come to us, we should remember that we were once strangers. Now we are no more strangers to His love and grace.

God showed wonderful mercy to a man who was so far from Him, when He dealt with Paul, the man who was so far removed from Him. He had shown His mercy to Paul that we might see how great is the mercy of God, how wonderful in its working is God’s salvation. No matter how difficult our position, there is that wonderful salvation of God that is working in mankind, that we can remember this that there is the word of God that is living and powerful. The message of God is wonderful and powerful, something that is able to appeal to the hearts of people who are seeking God. God would like to have His people offer prayers and supplications for all men, for kings, and so on. God wants His people to have a sympathy for the rulers of this world.

Paul was accused of being against the ruler of the land. He said he wanted to show that such things were not true at all, that they had the welfare of the land at heart. I would like to encourage men and women to be a people who would be loyal in their country, seek to strengthen the hands of those who are ruling the country. With well-doing, we can put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. We should be a people who want to be loyal to our country. God wants us to live a quiet and peaceable life. He is not interested in us making a fuss of any sort. God is not anxious to see us make a row with others, perhaps trying to show them that they are going to hell, but we should be trying to live a life that will appeal to them. God wants us to so live, that in the darkness our lives might be a light to others, that we may so live that they may desire that which we have in our lives.

John 15, thought of the Life of Saul. Through disobedience, he was cut off. Saul was one that the Lord removed.

David was a man after God’s own heart. Need of obedience in our lives. Every branch that beareth forth no fruit is cut away. Fear lest we should not bear fruit and we should be cut off the vine. We should bear fruitful lives down here. He purged the branch that it might bring forth more fruit.

Conscious of rod of correction. Hope God will deal with our hearts. Hope God will not be silent. He takes away what would be impure so that the living Branch may be more fruitful. Are we bearing fruit for Jesus or just a cumberer of the ground? Put something worthwhile into our lives.

Nehemiah 2, Abraham was a friend of God. God often calls us to be His friends. The enemy began to hinder when they first started to build the city. They said, from the first, that there was to be a separation from the World and the People of God. They built up the Wall first thing.

Nehemiah 4, we all have the privilege of building a building for God. No matter how far apart we are, we can remember each other in prayer. Our prayers are ascending to God and He remembers the needy. Need of taking time to pray and let God impress upon our hearts the need of others.

How much do we help those that are failing to keep up the wall of separation? Others will see this Wall and it, too, will discourage the enemy. God gives us the provision to build, no matter what corner we are placed in. But we know that the enemy will try to hinder. There is rubbish in all our lives and the enemy likes to hide behind it. The enemy couldn’t scare these people by laughing at them.

So, they asked them to come down on the plain and meet with them. But Nehemiah would not come down. He stayed on the level that God put them on. And then they wanted Nehemiah to go and meet in the temple and he would not go. But the enemy got one person and nearly got some others at end of chapter. This person was hindered by a friend. He was giving one chamber to the enemy. It was the chamber that the Sacrament was kept in. He was one that God could not depend upon.

We can either hinder or enable the Work of God. They were all building with a pure heart.

Romans 12, if we didn’t have any other chapter but this one in the Bible, we would almost know what way to go and be able to follow by it. Conformed to Jesus means made more like Him. When our race here is done, we go and get what is laid up for us.

This world has no need of preachers in the World. There are preachers all over standing preaching in the Church. They talk of Paul and his great Saviour, but are not able to experience it themselves. Paul felt here that he was talking to a brotherhood in a Family.

First experience we have, we realize that we are only human. We step into a new experience and are born again. Not many understand this born again nature…cross our human Nature. This cross is not made of wood or gold, but is the spiritual cross. We have to crucify the natural desires each day.

When I made up my mind to preach the gospel, I sold all that I had and scattered it abroad. The word of God has stood and will stand. We have to strive every inch of the way. Present our bodies a living Sacrifice. We all have a selfish nature, but should try and get more of the Divine Nature. It is a serious battle. Does the Living Sacrifice that Paul spoke of mean anything to us?

Reverend is only mentioned once in the Bible, Psalm 111:9.

Romans 8, conformed to His image. Transformed means changed from what we used to be. The Devil will try to make us think that we are the important ones, and if he can’t puff us up he will make us think that we are no good and can’t be of any help in His Family.

Hebrews 2, God often speaks to us when we do not realize that He is. Writer was making it plain that it was a High Calling that we had been brought into. Every step is a step of Sacrifice. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a Salvation?

It is possible for us to let the things of God slip. It is a high price to be able to call God Our Father. There are many things in our lives that cause us to undervalue the things of God. Would like to put the right value on the things of God. Should not be ones that just hear the word of God, but try to live it out in our lives.

Hymns 190, 326, 298, 162

Conscious of God speaking to his heart. When we come to Meeting, we come before the Lord. He spoke of Holiness and Purity of God. We come far short.

Psalm 116, conscious that the Lord will hear our needy prayers. David loved the Lord because He heard his prayers. Cries from needy hearts often give us strength and Grace. Desire in his heart to never part from the Lord.

God has great mercy. It is the mercy of God that keeps us in the Way. We need to be brought low so we will fall at His feet. No matter how long we live, we cannot pay back the debt we owe to God. Psalmist said he would pay back his vows in the presence of all the people.

There is great need for us to go through the grinding. There is cutting down in our lives and we are willing for the cutting down.

Then comes the Harvest. God was like the Wave Offering when he was dying on the Cross. He was willing. He was willing to die and then in 50 days there was the Feast of the Tabernacle.

We do not know the possibility of these Meetings today. God’s people can help a great deal with the missions in prayer. As thinking of Meeting, the thought of Abraham in Genesis 12 chapter. God called…out of the confusion so that we could serve Him.

Sykim means shoulder blade. When we get to know God there is a change of government in our lives, and God is governing our lives now, not Satan. We are not satisfied with the government in our lives when we change it.

Moreh means teaching. Abraham had come to the place where he was willing to be a scholar. We all begin in the Way of God by a scholar or child. Children are submissive and obedient. This is the way we continue with God. A child is easily led and easily taught. Abraham was willing to be led and taught by God.

The Canaanite and the Perizzite were in the land too. These are the enemies of God. As we go on, we see more enemies to fight against. Canaanite means low dwellers. God wants us to set the standard High and fight up to it.

May we be one that the Lord can depend on. The Devil is always busy after Special Meetings. No need for any to fall. God’s mercy is sufficient. Keep on the altar of Sacrifice. Keep our lives upon God’s altar of Sacrifice and help. If we make progress, we will have to make new Sacrifice because there is just the ashes left from the old ones. There is little Sacrifice in our own lives.

Bethel – House of God. Hai – heap of ruins. These two are possible in our own lives today also. We could still finish in a heap of ruins. This should put a fear in all our hearts. Abraham took all the warnings. Abraham went South and he came into a famine. He didn’t think he could go west and be a house for God and he didn’t want to go east to a heap of ruins and when he went south he had no dealings with God. He had a famine in His heart. When Egypt was first mentioned he went down to Egypt and now this time he went up. He came back to the place between Bethel and Hai.

Keep heading for the House of God. There was a strife between Abraham, Lot and Canaanite and the Perizzites. There were more enemies creeping in. Do not cause strife.

At Rochedale, 12 miles or so out of Brisbane, and just out of sight of the Pacific Highway, is the chief gathering place of a little band of preachers and ‘saints,’ who strongly repudiate every name but that of Christian, though their teachings have won for them the sobriquet of ‘Go-preachers.’

They go out two by two to preach, leaving home and relatives, and giving all their property to needy preachers and the poor. They discourage the reading of all other books, than the Bible, and will not put their doctrines into print. Theirs, they declare, is the only highroad to God.

They claim that the word of God comes to man only through their preachers and, in support of their dogma, quote the text: “How shall they hear without a preacher?”

Others call them the Cooneyites, but they indignantly deny the name, and declare that an Irishman named Cooney, who was one of their foremost preachers 30 odd years ago, now has nothing whatever to do with them. The true “preachers” hold no communication with him.

These people have no church buildings, but meet for worship in the homes of the ‘saints,’ their lay members. Their wandering preachers, about 12 of whom are at work in each of the Australian States and New Zealand, hold missions in tents and hired halls. Usually two men or two women go out together, one an experienced missioner and other a young trainee. Sometimes a man and his wife go together. Because of the difficulties of a life of itinerant preaching, however, the preachers rarely marry. The head of each house in which the ‘saints’ meet for family worship, in which several surrounding households join, is called a bishop, overseer, or elder.

Rochedale is the main centre of their work in Queensland. There they have buildings which form the nucleus of a big annual camp convention. I went as a stranger to the family worship in the home of a Rochedale bishop.

The old farmhouse, built on high stumps, hid its bare poles with crimson skirts of bougainvillea. As I walked up the track from the gate, I heard in the distance singing, and over the paddocks, a magpie fluted gloriously. Bird song and hymn and still sunny morning called to worship. The hymn stopped before I came near the house. I went in through a gate that made a gap in the bank of crimson and heard a voice in the deep tones of prayer.

Creepers hid the battening around the house stumps. A battened door stood open. A congregation of about 20 knelt on matting strips beside the long low stools to be found in most old farm homes. I stood near the door, waiting for the prayer to end. When the young man who was praying had finished, a young woman near him followed, and then a boy and an old woman.

The prayers were glad thanks to God for His great goodness to men, for His gifts of sunny mornings and hearts happy in His service, and before all other gifts for Jesus Christ, who showed men God and the love of God. They asked of Him grace, strength, and guidance, that they might follow Him worthily. They sought His blessing on themselves and on their preachers, that all men might learn of His simple way, and be won to walk in it. There were prayers of consecration, prayers of devotion and adoration, and humble petitions for mercy and forgiveness. Almost everyone in the little meeting offered a prayer, some only a sentence or two.

While I stood outside, undecided whether to wait or to go away, the head of the house, who was the bishop or elder of the church meeting there, came out to me. When I told him I was a stranger wishing to attend worship at his church, he said I was welcome.

A Setting of Nature

He was an hospitable, genial old farmer, with a friendly smile and handshake. He took me in among the kneeling people, left me at a gap in the family circle, and went back to his place beside a little table on which were bread and unfermented wine.

When the prayers were ended, and we got up from our knees, I was able to look around me. The stumps of the house were the pillars of this holy place; the altar was the simple table with its plate of bread and glass of wine. The door was open to the sunny farm outside red soil, plots of pineapples, and rows of symmetrical orange trees, a cultivation paddock with the heat haze trembling over it, and the bush, behind, like a mirage.

“Will someone suggest a hymn?” the bishop asked. A young woman gave a number, and the congregation, sitting, sang:

I listen to the Master’s word, And all my waking heart is stirred. ‘Midst sin and strife I hear Him say: ‘I will return; keep watch and pray.’

Though most despise God’s lowly way, Reject His love, and go astray, Within my heart, one purpose burns: To stand approved when He returns.

His love can full satisfy, And needed grace He will supply To keep me in the heavenly race Until I see Him face to face;

His Way is best; I follow on, Just where His bleeding feet have gone, My one desire to worthy be And fill the place prepared for me.

Members of the circle one by one, now an old man, now a girl, now a youth, gave short devotional talks, most of them only two or three minutes long, some even less. In their own figure of speech, each placed on the family table a loaf, a thought from the week’s meditation and experience of the Christian way, that all might share the spiritual food God had provided.

Most of the messages were of quiet devotion. There were gaps of silence, in one of which a magpie came up to the door and peered in, his inquisitive head on one side. House swallows came in and out, circling over the heads of the worshippers as if they had not been there. Neither speaking nor singing disturbed them.

Simple Communion

When a longer silence showed that no one else wished to speak, the bishop took a piece of bread, and reminded the family of One who in a house in Jerusalem 2000 years ago took bread and brake it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, “This is My body which is given to you; this do in remembrance of Me.”

The bread was passed from hand to hand around the circle; and each ate a fragment and bowed in prayer. So, too, the wine was passed around, and all drank of it. I have not seen anywhere more simple or more reverent Communion than I saw in the family gathering beneath the farm house that sunny Sunday morning. A hymn of consecration was sung at the end, and the bishop’s benediction sent the people out into the glorious day.

When later I took a photographer to get pictures of the ‘family’ church, I had to content myself with pictures of the farm house in which the church had met. The bishop and his flock were doubtful whether even these might be used without the authority of the preachers, an authority the preachers readily gave, though they refused to be photographed themselves.

Preacher at Work

The kindly bishop of Rochedale made me curious to hear the preachers of his faith, whom he and the flock esteemed so highly. Only through hearing them expound the Word of God, he told me, could mankind attain salvation. When I asked him what were the distinctive teachings of his Church, he referred me to the preachers for a fuller explanation.

So that night I went to a ‘gospel meeting’ in the preachers’ tent at Wooloowin. Several cars were standing in the street outside. In the tent, which was about 25 feet in diameter, was the beginning of the congregation, a score or so of people, old and young, who increased to about 50, comfortably filling nearly all the seats, before the service started. A smoking kerosene heater near the centre pole took the chill out of the air. A fizzing petrol lantern hanging on a rope across the tent lit the place with white glare.

A venerable preacher with a close clipped pointed white beard, a Bible under one arm, and a hymn book in one hand, came through the tent entrance and went to a front seat facing the congregation. Despite 30 years of itinerant preaching, he still looked, and when he spoke, sounded, the school master he used to be.

“Well, I feel sure you will enjoy the meeting a lot better by helping it,” he said, “The way you can help is by joining in the hymns heartily.” He announced the first hymn in a voice that had a strong Irish flavour, despite almost pedantically careful English enunciation.

Stones on the Roof

A second hymn was sung, a young man, having announced, “We will just wait upon God in a little time of prayer,” prayed for Divine blessing on “Thy preachers, who have given up all.”

Another hymn was sung to the tune of ‘Juanita.’ The old preacher then said, “Young brother will speak to us, and after that a brother in the meeting who wants to sing will sing.” The young brother preached on a passage from the Book of Isaiah.

For punctuation, stones fell on the tent roof, and the preacher went out to investigate. As he put his head out the door there was a scatter, and the sound of boys’ running feet. It was soon over, and the volunteer singer sang in a pleasant tenor:

Your life is one short season here: Be careful what you sow. Sow wheat, and you will reap the same; Sow tares, and they will grow.

God’s harvest time will surely come, With sheaves for you and me. O, ask yourself the question friend, ‘What shall the reaping be?’

Your days, though blooming like the rose, Will reach the yellow leaf, And seeds you sow, you’ll one day reap In sheaves of joy or grief.

In his sermon, on spiritual influence, the preacher said those called to be preachers of the way must not let any earthly ties hinder them, to the destruction of their souls; nor should any one shrink from entering God’s way because of fear that someone near and dear might be called to leave home on service as a preacher.

Scorn of Buildings

In this way he preached the renunciation which is the central feature of the ‘Go-preachers’ way of life. ‘Give God what He asks of you and He will see that you have all that is necessary for you.’ From among those who are converted in their missions and from the families of the saints, the preachers select promising young volunteers, men and women, to send out preaching. They must leave their homes and families, and give up everything they possess. They must apply literally Christ’s words to the rich young ruler: ‘Sell all thou hast, and give to the poor,’ and go out penniless and homeless.

Although in principle the new preacher is free to distribute his goods to the poor as he pleases, in practice he usually gives it to the poor preacher who has been the means of his conversion. The preacher passes on to other needy preachers what he himself does not need, and, with the balance, helps needy lay members.

Voluntary contributions from the lay members are also left in the hands of the preachers to carry on the work.

The preachers had to account to no one but God for the administration of these funds, I was informed. They held the money in trust, and passed it on to others in need, often sending money across the world to poor preachers in other countries.

The rest of the world, including the other churches, was in such deadly peril of damnation, the preacher declared in his sermon, that the preachers sometimes were rough in their methods, like the two preachers who dragged Lot and his family from doomed Sodom.

The early Quakers’ contempt for ‘steeple houses’ was nothing to this people’s scorn of church buildings for the worship of God. They will preach the Gospel anywhere, in a tent or hall, or under gum trees; but, for their private meetings for Communion, ‘the breaking of bread,’ nothing but the home of a ‘saint’ of their way will serve. They interpret, literally ‘The Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands,’ from Stephen’s defence before the Sanhedrin.

The gospel meeting ended, almost two hours from its commencement, with a hymn and a prayer by the old preacher. He prayed simply and fervently for blessing on God’s glorious family, and for grace and strength for the preachers, that they might be a meditative, thoughtful, and consecrated people to lead the family in His way.

Despite their exclusive dogma, I liked the zeal of these nameless people, their simple family worship, and their unbounded confidence.

Ezekiel had the vision over and over again, like the vision I got of Jesus when I first decided. It’s nice to have that vision come back. It makes it dear to us. We didn’t have that vision when we were living for the world. When we make our choice, we get a vision of a despised Jesus; reproached; not popular; a picture of Jesus lowly; suffering.

When I went to preach, I got that same vision. They tell us that Peter was crucified with his head down. Proverbs 3, Solomon had a nice vision of the things his father taught him. Paul could remind Timothy how valuable his Mother’s and Grandmother’s testimony was to him. David was with sheep and what he was in natural he was in spiritual. He was one of God’s sheep.

When we get saved, we have the sheep nature. Do we value this nature? Quiet of the land. A sheep is quiet, even when its life is being taken. We shouldn’t fight, even although they would fleece us. We should be careful to protect Christ life even in business.

David had made a mistake and went and numbered the people, but he said, “Let us fall into the hands of God.” Everything David got he had to fight for it. It’s a continual fighting the battle or else we fail. The house of Saul stood for everything bigger and important. The house of David is the contrite, broken spirit.

Gold is a type of God. Brass is a type of the human.

Proverbs 3, let not mercy and truth forsake thee. Don’t get unmerciful, or don’t mind helping others. Try and help them. Mercy and truth joined together. It’s only when we are willing for the truth that God has mercy on us. Write the things of God upon our hearts. If we have mercy and truth, we’ll have favour and understanding. Be not wise in our own eyes. In the New Testament, we give ourselves and when we give ourselves, we give all that we have.

The Lord should have the first part of our day. Honor God with our substance. Despise not the chastening of the Lord. The wise son or wise woman or bride of Christ is building up others in God’s Kingdom; the foolish woman was just discouraged. Read James. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and comes down from above. We can’t take this wisdom home from convention. We must get it by living in fellowship with God.

Luke 8, I used to wonder when I was listening to the preachers, that they were not the kind of preacher the Bible taught.

The centurion ministers to him of his substance.

There won’t be any distinction between people in God’s Way.

Parable of Sower, Casting out a demon; Jairus’ daughter. The woman with the infirmity 12 years.

Closed, Hymn 281.

Invitations: Matthew 11, “Come unto me all ye that labour and I will give you rest.” Isaiah, “Come, let us reason together.” God gives us an invitation to come.

Why has God an interest in our lives? 2 Samuel 14:14, God loves to reason it out with us. We must all stand before the judgment seat. We won’t be able to pass with the crowd. Every promise has a condition. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the fat of the land, but if ye be rebellious, ye shall be devoured. We must be willing to suffer if we expect to get the good things.

Luke 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, I’ve decided to speak to you this morning about something Jesus spoke to His disciples about and we won’t make any mistake if we follow in Jesus’ example. Jesus never wrote a book, but He tried to put something into His disciples, “I pray not for the world. I pray for My Own and they will be able to pray for those who believe on My Name through them.” John said, “We beheld His glory, a man full of grace and truth.” He didn’t appeal to the world much. Peter said, “Jesus went about doing good.” The gospel is not a cunningly devised fable. There never was a man who had as much love for the people, but He spoke hard things to sift them out. A farmer has to sift out his seed. He sifts out the chaff and the small grain, because he wants only the best. Jesus’ object was not to get a big crowd or get honor. Things that help me when I go to a Doctor are things that help me after. We are not here for a picnic. You don’t belong in God’s Way till you know it’s no picnic. Narrow is the Way. Beware of hypocrisy. Jesus referred to the best Pharisees, but He said, “Except your righteousness exceed that of the scribe and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” They were not born again. It isn’t human nature to love God. It’s only the Holy Spirit that enables us to do so. Manifestations of Pharisee religion: The Pharisee religion starts on the outside. The True religion begins within and works to the outside…dress, manner of living, etc. God’s way of growing an apple is to start from within. It starts at the heart, or bud and gradually grows. There are some artificial religions that may look better than the real things. Sometimes we see a nice picture of an animal that really looks better than the real animal. God knows the scent and savor. What kind of a spirit have we? Don’t be satisfied unless God is working in our hearts. The biggest trouble God’s servants have is keeping their hearts right. We can’t have God working in our hearts when we have a grudge against anyone. There is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed means that what is inside is bound to work out. Don’t fear him who can kill the body. Don’t fear what your neighbor can say or do. Take heed and beware of covetousness. That is wanting something we don’t really need. God will take care of us. Even the hairs of your head are numbered. Some keep faithful in the first and second watch, but go to sleep in the third watch. We would have a harder battle near morning to keep awake or true. God’s servants have to guard against fearing what men will say, getting sleepy, or careless. The Fig Tree: Some said, “Cut it down,” but Jesus said, “Get to the roots.” Roots are our purposes. If we have no fellowship, we won’t be feeding the roots. Read the 14th, 16th and 17th chapters. A faithful steward is a saint that keeps their home free for God. Chapter 18, “Nevertheless when the Son of Man cometh, will He find faith on the earth?”

Ruth, it takes a battle to prove what a soldier can do. This warfare we are engaged in brings out the best that is in us. Naomi and her husband could have lived in Israel, but they wanted to live in Moab. They had great prospects when they went to Moab to get away from the famine. They had everything painted nicely. Before we take a step, we should think what will be the consequences.

Lot didn’t think of what the consequences would be when he went down to live in Sodom. The first ten years Naomi and her husband got along fine, but then the two boys died and her husband died and she began to think the Lord’s hand is against me. The Lord often tries to make the best of a bad job we have made. Then she began to think of her people in Israel, so she went back. Don’t play at being a Christian.

We should mean our testimony. We should take advantage of all we can at convention. It’s only those whose faces are set will win in the race. Nice to have a heart to listen to all that is said. Do we value the things of God as much as we used to? As long as this world goes on there will be selfishness. Liberty is not that which lets us do as we please, but it puts us under control of someone. I never saw a child of God that didn’t listen to God’s servants have anything else but disaster. Naomi’s life wasn’t all it might have been. Did you ever hear of those little white washed lies we sometimes tell? It helps us get a better price for the things we sell. Sometimes we try and cover up something. What are those qualities it says we should have: True, Honest, Pure, Lovely, Honorable, Virtuous. If we don’t get a little time in the morning, we can’t face the day without failure. Ruth tarried a little while before she went out. Then she fell on her face. Humble yourself. It’s better to do this than to let God have to. God humbled Saul and he died a failure.

Job 33: God speaks once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. All the animals fulfill the purpose God had for them. But man does not do this until he is touched by the gospel. When you think of the mercy of God, how foolish man is to rebel. God has to call people to get them near enough to hear what He has to say. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. No one will enter into Heaven unless they are clothed in the right garment.

Jesus never forces himself on anyone, but he stands at the door and knocks. He was invited to the marriage of the King’s son. His mother said, “They have no wine.” They brought Him empty vessels. That is the only kind of a person Jesus can help and use. One who is empty and feels their need of Jesus filling their hearts with His presence. In one place where we were looking for an opening, we were in conversation with a man and he didn’t think their was any need of any more preachers there. His name was Barrel and he was a full barrel…didn’t feel his need. When visiting a factory where dishes or vessels were being made, I noticed after the vessels had been finished, some were discarded and I was told the reason that these had cracked when they had been put in the oven was they didn’t have enough sand in the clay. We need a good deal of sand, or grit, to get along in God’s Way. Sometime it is just a very small thing that keeps people from getting saved. If we are willing for a little hard time now, we will have the best at the last. I tried the world and its religion, but found it just empty.

Hymn 330

Psalm 30, this Psalm was written at the dedication of the house of God. This Psalm was David’s thoughts. Sometimes we wouldn’t like people to know our thoughts. What secret have some people in getting victory, the greatest secret is secret fellowship with God. This Psalm may be a pattern to show what each child is passing through. God has not intended that we should get glory in his Way. David had a craving for the fellowship of God. If we don’t have this, we have just the empty shell. Jesus prayed on the mountain where he could be alone with God. Life eternal is fellowship with God. There is something in human nature which seems to long for a higher fellowship. Animals even feel the need of a higher fellowship. They long for the fellowship of man. A dog or horse love their masters. The true people of God’s family are the ones who crave his touch and won’t be satisfied without it. David was a king with much on his mind; many duties to attend to. Yet he had time to spend with God and got victory in his life. He was a man after God’s own heart.

Material things: Don’t think too much of these things. David wasn’t selfish. We should think of what we could do to help others to enjoy. A true child of God not only thinks of what God has prepared for us, but he also thinks of trying to have a fit dwelling place in our hearts for God. Make Him feel at home. God doesn’t beg any of us. He wants us to have a willing heart. David could not build the temple himself, but he made it possible for his son Solomon to do so. Sometimes we can’t do things ourselves, but we can perhaps help our children to do it. Prayer first, then praise. Disease in body is not as dangerous as disease of the soul. The best doctors in a natural way are the ones who remove the cause…same in spiritual way. Some diseases of soul are doubts, fears, unbelief, hatred, selfishness, envy. The cure is getting to the fountain of life. David felt he was nearly overcome at times and he praised God he was saved from this. Every child will know of the night or dark experience. He tests us in this Way. This is the time that means more to me to be true. It means more to God to have us true then. If we could get a glimpse of the morning we would be more willing for the suffering. We have to pay the price before we get anything for the meeting. Don’t go to extremes in God’s Way. Don’t think some are perfect and don’t think because some have failed that God’s Way is all wrong.

Psalm 31, sometimes when a person is sick in body, the doctor will say, “If the heart will hold out, they will be all right.” The same is true in the Spiritual. How can we strengthen our hearts spiritually? Wait on the Lord. Truly pray alone.

Psalms 31, 56, 57, 142, 34. Psalm 34, this is a testimony. They were written after he killed the Philistine and he ran away. He was just about going to join in with the Philistines after killing the giant, but God knew it was just a weakness of the moment and he saved him from doing this because his purpose was true.

Psalm 35, we can give evil for evil. We can give good for evil, or we can give evil for good. This is devilish. Verse 20, don’t interfere in things. Be the quiet of the land. Study to be quiet. Have the meek and quiet spirit. Don’t say too much to unsaved people.

Psalm 37 is a great tonic when the devil tries to tell you the wicked are the most prosperous. Anyone who reads this Psalm carefully and prayerfully can’t help but be comforted.

Many of you have been asked questions during the past year about your preachers and a number have found it difficult to give satisfactory answers to these questions. Some have conveyed the impression that there are things about the ministry that they are not prepared to tell others, and possibly have left the impression in the minds of the friends that this is some kind of a secret or semi-secret fellowship that they have been brought into. I would like to dispel once and for all any such impressions, so that you will feel absolutely free to answer any questions your friends may ask about God’s people or about His servants, for we hold nothing in secret that we are not prepared to preach openly. We hold nothing that we are not prepared to tell you from this platform, and are quite indifferent as to whether or not what we say is listened to by those who are not yet numbered among us, for everything that we hold and everything that we teach is to be found within the pages of God’s own Book, which is open to all men.

I want to talk to you very frankly, and freely, to make you feel we are anxious to take you into our fullest confidence and tell you all that is in our hearts for as I grow older, I recognize more clearly and fully that our fellowship with and confidence in each other depends to a very large extent upon us being absolutely frank and open so that there is no room for any misunderstanding.

I propose to answer four questions that have been asked at different times during the year. They may not have occurred to you or they may have, so I am going to anticipate this possibility and endeavor to answer these four questions this afternoon. They are perhaps more practical than spiritual, but it is important that we be clear in our minds with regard to each and all of them.

1. What is the fundamental difference between the New Testament Ministry and all other kinds of ministry?

2. Why do New Testament ministers travel so much?

3. Why is it necessary for those New Testament ministers who have gone to foreign countries to return again on furlough to their home countries?

4. Where does the money come from which enables workers to live, to travel and go to foreign countries and return again on furlough to their home countries?

You can see that these four questions are very practical, and I will try to answer all of them just as simply and clearly as I can.

First – what is the fundamental difference between the New Testament Ministry and all other kinds of ministry with which we are familiar?

During the year, some of you received a questionnaire dealing with the New Testament Ministry. A number sent in answers, many of which indicated that there were a good many things in connection with the ministry that you are not exactly clear about, so when questioned by your friends, you were embarrassed and instead of clearing their minds and satisfying them, your answers tended rather toward irritating them and cause them to feel, “I don’t want to have anything to do with your ministers or with the fellowship into which you have been brought.” The impressions given, to a very large extent, were that there are certain little secrets connected with the ministry that we wanted to keep to ourselves. There is nothing so irritating to the average man or woman as to feel that they are being deliberately left out of the matter, and if they feel that there are things in connection with your religion that you are afraid to talk about, they don’t want to have anything to do with it at all.

What I wish to say is intended to encourage you to be absolutely open and frank in speaking to your friends and to answer their questions, and to encourage you to do so more helpfully and spiritually that in the past.

The physical needs of the true ministry and false are exactly the same. The true ministers need food, clothing, shelter, and as a means of exchange, they need money. False ministers need food, clothing, shelter, and money. When the question is asked, “What is the difference between your ministers and ours?” The reply that is usually given is, “Well their needs are the same, we admit, but the difference lies in how their needs are supplied. Your preachers preach for a salary – ours don’t; your preachers appeal for money – ours don’t; your preachers have homes of their own – ours don’t.” While these differences are true and help to distinguish the false from the true ministry, yet none of them, not all of them together, give us the actual fundamental differences between the true ministry and the false.

When some of you are asked the question by your friends, “How do your preachers live?” The answer you give is, “Our preachers live by faith.” While this answer is true, it needs a lot of explaining to some people. Or some of you may say, “The Lord takes care of our ministers,” Both answers are, in a sense, true, but they do not give any light to those who question you. You leave them just as much in the dark as they were before.

Some have answered the question with, “I don’t know.” I heard of one of our brothers having a discussion with the preacher with whom he had previously been in fellowship. He was telling them of the wrongness of taking up collections and of having a salary and a home of his own. The preacher turned to this brother and said, “How then do your preachers live?” The brother answered, “I really don’t know.” That wasn’t really true; he did know but he didn’t know how exactly to answer that question.

I was discussing the subject last year before quite a company of people and asking questions dealing with the New Testament ministry such as, “How do New Testament ministers live, etc.” A brother sitting in the front seat said, “I have been in the Way for seven years, and I haven’t found that out yet.” I was back East a few weeks ago and was told there of a man who approached one of the workers and asked him this question, “I would like to know just how the workers get their clothes and money to travel with?” The man had been professing for fifteen years.

I have been glad to hear of people asking these questions, because it proves that workers everywhere are very slow to discuss the subject. They would rather leave people absolutely in the dark and to convey the impression that they are selfish in their motives or in their ministry or that by discussing these things they wanted anything for themselves.

The Old Testament is very clear with regard to how in Old Testament days the priests and Levites were cared for, and the New Testament is equally clear with regard to how God servants are taken care of today. I want to emphasise in answering this first question what to me is the actual and fundamental difference between the New Testament Ministry and every other ministry. Jesus taught that the laborer is worthy of his hire. That is often quoted to us, and Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:14 said, “The Lord has ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live by the Gospel.” And the reason we “live by the Gospel” and are justified in so doing is because we have fulfilled the conditions which Jesus laid down in the Gospels. No man is justified in living “by the Gospel” apart from fulfilling those conditions.

When your friends ask you a question, “How do your preachers live?”, the proper answer to give is, “Our preachers live by the Gospel.” But they say, “Our preachers do that, also.” And then gently and with grace you should go on to explain to them that the reason why our preachers “live by the Gospel,” and we love to make it possible for them to do so, is because they have fulfilled the conditions that Jesus laid down in the Gospels for the New Testament ministry, and it is a pleasure to minister to them food, clothing, shelter, and as a means of exchange, money in His name.

When you answer the questions with regard to the New Testament simply, frankly, and without unnecessarily reflecting upon those who your friends support, in nine cases out of ten, instead of irritating, you will have enlightened them and awakened in them a desire to hear a little of this for themselves.

Jesus labored as a carpenter and lived by the work of His hands as a carpenter for eight years, but for 3 1/2 years He lived “by the Gospel” and got His bread as a preacher of the Gospel just as honorably as He did as a carpenter. Jesus did not live on charity. Those that live on charity find nothing in return; Jesus always gave more than He received. If He received hospitality from Matthew the Publican, from Simon the Pharisee, or from Lazarus the brother of Mary and Martha, He always gave more than He received, and in this He left for us an example that we should follow in his steps.

We do not live on charity. If any of God’s professed people came to us and offered us food, clothing, shelter as an act of charity, we would refuse it, for we are not living on charity. But if they came to us in His name and as an expression of their love and interest in the furtherance of the Gospel, recognizing that we have fulfilled the conditions that justified us in living by the Gospel, it is our duty to accept, knowing that a cup of cold water given to one of the least of God’s servants will in no wise lose its reward on that day.

Only those who have fulfilled the conditions laid down by Jesus for the New Testament ministry are justified in living by the Gospel.

This is the fundamental difference between the minister that God uses to bring you into the family and kingdom of God and all other kinds of ministers we know in the world.

What then are the conditions that Jesus laid down in the New Testament which He expects those to fulfill who want to have a part in this ministry? I should like to think that we are very clear on what it costs our brothers and sisters to go forth into God’s great harvest field; there are no people on the earth that demand more sacrifice on the part of those who minister to them. This is scriptural and in line with God’s plan. An article appeared last year in one issue of “Good Housekeeping” written by professor of a university, entitled, “The Cruel Promises of Jesus.” It rather surprised me to find this man of the world recognizing a large portion of the teaching of Jesus was applicable only to the ministry; and that was very difficult to face, and because of this difficulty, it had been more or less explained away and watered down until it became absolutely meaningless.

We do not wish to hide from anyone what Jesus taught with regard to the initial steps into the ministry. Not all are called into the ministry, not all are called to become bondservants and handmaidens of the Lord; but none can have a part in the ministry, without fulfilling the conditions that would justify them afterwards, and which alone could justify them in living “by the Gospel,” for any man who claims to be living by the Gospel (without fulfilling the conditions) is receiving money under false pretense and will one day come under the just condemnation of God.

What are these conditions? I will present them in the form of questions. The first is: Are you prepared to sell all? Are you prepared to make yourself poor? Are you willing, as the very first condition, to have fellowship with Jesus in His poverty?

In connection with the New Testament ministry, there is a real equality. No one of us makes a greater sacrifice than the other. We each make equally and the same sacrifice. We sacrifice all, and it would be very dishonorable for any of us in after years to suggest that our sacrifice was greater than the sacrifice of the brother or sister laboring by our side. In this matter of fulfilling the very first condition, there is an absolute equality among us, so that we are all placed on the same level. In order to illustrate this point, a few years ago three young men who had volunteered for the work came to see us, all three boys sitting in a row and we questioning them with regard to their purpose. We asked them if they were willing to fulfill the very first condition, to sell everything, making themselves poor and to have fellowship with Jesus in His poverty, and of course they said, “Yes.” The first boy said he did not have much to sell. We asked what he had to sell and he told us it was an old Model T Ford. We asked him what it was worth and he said only about $25. We asked the next boy how he stood, and he said that he had about $150 in the bank. We told him that it had to be so scattered that it could never be gathered again. The third boy said, “All I have is one hog.” He was the youngest of the three and had put everything he had earned into helping his mother at home. Now she felt that she was able to get along without him and was delighted that her boy was going forth to preach the Gospel. It didn’t matter whether the first boy had a Pierce-Arrow or a Model T, whether the second had $150,000 or $150 in the bank, it all had to be scattered so that they would have nothing to go back to. The first condition laid down by Jesus had to be faced and fulfilled by all.

The second condition has to do with being homeless. Are you willing to be homeless for life? That is a very serious proposition. Some of us have been preaching for a good many years and are still homeless. On one occasion, a man came to Jesus and said, “I will follow Thee.” He volunteered for the work and Jesus looking at him just applied the second condition. He said, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.” We never hear of that young man going out into the work. To be homeless for Jesus’ sake is a very real thing. It is just as well for those who are thinking about fulfilling a place in the ministry to recognize this. For six months after you have left home you may suffer from a very common disease – homesickness. Those who have been in the ministry must be prepared to be homeless as He was and to be able to say as a minister of the Gospel, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have their nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.”

The third condition is, are you willing to put the preaching of the Gospel before the claims of your own flesh and blood, living or dead? Sometimes when I think upon this it seems to me to be the most stern of all the conditions that Jesus put before candidates for the ministry. When one man said to Jesus, “Suffer me to go in very my father.” Jesus said, “Let the dead bury their dead,” What he meant by this was that no man is fit to preach the Gospel if the claims of his own flesh and blood, living or dead, were more important to him than bringing the message of Christ to those who are dead in trespasses and sin. Another man said, “Lord, I’ll go but suffer me first to go home and say goodbye to my friends.” And Jesus turned to him and said, “No man having put his hand to the plough and turns back is fit for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Instead of His bribing men into the ministry, it would almost seem as though He were trying to prevent them. Instead of promising them a nice living, good prospects, and lots of time for reading and fellowship with others, or encouraging them to believe that in the ministry they would climb up the social scale, He did the exact opposite. Instead of making it easy for them, He made it hard. Instead of making it pleasant thing He made it the very opposite, for He wanted to test the depth and sincerity of the purpose of those who expressed a wish to have a part in the ministry. Do you appreciate that?

The fourth question is, “Are you willing to go forth without having an individual or group of individuals pledged to take care of you, and preach the Gospel without money and without price, wherever you have the opportunity?” If we knew that anyone of us ever lifted a collection, or asked for money, we would immediately see to it that that one would be excluded from our fellowship as a preacher of the Gospel. We are glad to know that throughout the world God’s servants have been able to go forth in His name and are preaching the Gospel in many different lands and making that Gospel as it was in the New Testament days, without money and without price. The men and women who are preaching the Gospel would scorn the very thought, would rather die in their tracks, then to leave it to anyone to suggest that they are selfish or mercenary in their motives or in the Ministry.

The fifth question that we would like to ask is in connection with that verse dealing with a corn of wheat. “Are you willing to be as a corn of wheat which falls into the ground and dies?” Are you willing to let death work so that life may be wrought and others? Are you willing to be dead to what is honorable and legitimate for others?

The sixth question we ask is, “How far are you willing to go in preaching the Gospel?” It would be nice if we could remain in California forever, where the sun is always shining, but when Jesus called men into His harvest field, He would accept none who would set any limits to their ministry. Whenever we become settled or rooted in any field, sooner or later, death begins to work. There was no such thing as a fixed or settled ministry in New Testament days. None of us are in any state for life. There must be a willingness to accept and obey the commission Jesus gave to His disciples, “Go forth into all the world, teaching all nations and baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”

There is another question which we sometimes ask those who are desirous of going forth, “Are you willing to go with any one of your brethren?” Those who have the responsibility for arranging this matter look upon it very seriously and do not lightly undertake the arranging year after year of those who are to labor together. When the Lord sent out the first twelve, He did not do it lightly, and when He sent the seventy out later, He did not do that lightly. When others later went out, this was not looked upon as a light matter, and we would like to say that it is a custom of those who have this responsibility to seek for the wisdom of God and His guidance, so that during the year the labors of God’s servants may “turn out into the furtherance of the Gospel.”

Only those who have fulfilled the conditions which I have enumerated it are justified in living by the Gospel.

But those who have fulfilled these conditions and are preaching the Gospel earn their bread just as honorably as when they worked with their hands at their different trades, for no servant of God lives on charity. They will be worthy of their hire and it comes to them in God’s appointed way.

We are not ashamed of that fact that Jesus lived by the Gospel and we are not ashamed to teach others to live by the Gospel, and the reason we are justified in living by the Gospel is that we have fulfilled the conditions laid down in the Gospel. Some of us were having a little discussion some time ago and the question was raised by one of the workers, “How much should we tell in Gospel meetings about how we ministers live or live as ministers of the Gospel?” Someone answered, “We shouldn’t tell anything.” I took the opposite view and said, “I am prepared to tell them everything.” If a man asks me any questions regarding the ministry and desires an answer, I am prepared to give them that answer and to prove from the Scripture that my answer is according to the teaching and example of Jesus.

The second question I would like to answer is: Why do these New Testament ministers travel so much? They seem always to be going somewhere.

When Jesus was preaching in a certain city in Galilee, the people of that city wanted Him to settle down and remain in their midst, but He said, “I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also, for therefore am I sent.”

The reason the workers travel so much is because they could not be New Testament ministers if they did not. Jesus did not stay and preach, but went and preached. His commission was, “Go ye into all the world, and teach all nations.” The New Testament ministry is essentially a travelling ministry. There are those in the church who assume a little responsibility whom we speak of as elders, men who live in their own homes and are settled there. But the ministry I am speaking of is a moving ministry and it could not be a New Testament ministry apart from this.

The third question I would like to answer is: Why is it necessary for the workers who have gone to foreign fields to return home again after a period abroad?

I heard of a man who some time ago, after a meeting, went to a friend and said, “I am very glad that Jack explained that to us this afternoon, for I used to think upon it as an unnecessary expense for workers to go abroad and spend several years there and then come back again.” He was looking upon it from purely a viewpoint of dollars and cents. It is just as necessary for workers to return to us as it was for them to go from us.

No workers now in the regions beyond were sent there by any other worker or by any group of workers, There is no troop of workers that I know of that would assume that responsibility. Those who are in different fields in China, Japan, India, all over Europe, and all over Africa are not there because any of us sent them there. They are because God moved upon their own hearts and caused them to lift up their eyes to behold the fields white unto harvest. He awakened an interest in their hearts in people in other lands, and so moved upon them that they expressed the desire of their hearts to launch out a little farther into the deep, and if we had any part in the going, it was in deciding the qualifications.

Many have volunteered to go whose health would not justify them in going. Men have expressed a wish to go whom we would never think of encouraging to go, and those who have gone are there by their own choice. They can have the glad assurance that God sent them there, and when the devil discourages them, they can fall back on this thought, “I am here not because any individual sent me but I am here because God moved upon my heart, and by my own choice I am seeking to carry out his work in every land.” We would not like any servant of God to lay hands upon any brother or presume to say, “You go here,” or “You go there.” It would indicate that we were out of God’s plan if we presume so to do.

Why is it just as necessary for workers to come back to us as it is for them to go from us? First, for the sake of their health. That in itself ought to be sufficient. Some live under conditions which are not conducive toward health and longevity, and it would be a cruel thing if we were satisfied to leave them there to live or die. So for the sake of their health, it is necessary for them to come back for a change.

The second reason is that most of them have fathers and mothers whom they love and who like to see them and whom then would like to see. This is not a human fellowship, it is a spiritual fellowship, but it has a human side as well as its spiritual side. There are fathers and mothers who have boys and girls in foreign lands laying down their lives for Christ’s sake and these children are interested in their parents and look forward, after spending a reasonable time in these foreign lands, to returning home again to tell the story of the labors to those whom they love.

The third reason is that all of them were tried and tested before they left. They have friends in the Gospel for whom they are still responsible whom they would like to see and who would like to see them.

The fourth reason and the most important is that it is necessary for unity of the people of God. This fellowship that is ours is more wonderful to me the older I get. Here we are, a body of people absolutely unorganized, and a puzzle and mystery to the world. They are prepared to leave us alone and we are content to be left alone. We are satisfied to be as the mustard tree, and shrub in a man’s back yard to which no one will get much attention.

God’s method of uniting and holding His people together in one is by the coming and going of His bondservants and handmaidens. The constant coming and going, their traveling from one state to another, from country to country, and from continent to continent contributes to the fulfillment of the purpose of God in uniting his people into the family, one fold, one fellowship, one kingdom, so that we can truly say that we are one in Christ.

Our brethren in South America have asked me to come down to visit them. I don’t think that it is going to be a pleasure trip by any means, and I don’t intend to make it a pleasure trip. My purpose in going is to help to link our brethren and South America to the brethren in North America, and to endeavor to add a little to the foundation that has been laid down by others, and to build upon that foundation not hay and stubble, but gold, silver, and precious stones.

Those who have read the book of Acts will note will have noticed how little groups of God’s servants were continually on the move, going from one country to another – from Europe to Asia. It seems to me that this was God’s simple and wonderfully nice way of uniting His people so that regardless of their race or nationality, color or language, they would be one people and that in a measure at least, there would be answered the prayer of Jesus on the last night of His life, that “they might all be one in Him.” So that when we welcome some of our brothers from China, Japan and other countries, their coming will awaken in us a new interest in those countries. Those who have gone to other countries and have returned to us bring those countries a little nearer to us and make us feel that we are indeed one family, one fellowship, striving together for the extension of the same Kingdom.

The fourth question I would like to answer is: “Where does the money come from that enables the preachers to live, to travel to foreign countries, and to return?

When you talk about the workers coming and going, your friends will tell you that all of this takes money, and it does. When they ask you where the money comes from you say, “Oh, the Lord provides it.” Why not tell them plainly just where it comes from? It just comes from you.

Money as a means of exchange is used to enable workers to live, to travel to foreign lands, and it comes as a spontaneous, unsolicited, freewill offering of God’s children. If you don’t love to do it, the law doesn’t accept it.

When workers go forth, they get rid of everything they possess. Money thus surrendered is scattered so that it can never be theirs again. It is gone for good, and it is used to minister to our brethren abroad, or to bring them back from foreign fields, or to send others there. Occasionally God’s children who set their affairs in order and whom the Lord takes home remember an individual worker with gifts of money, or sometimes they leave them a piece of property. But that money is scattered in the furtherance of the Gospel and that property is sold and the money it brings us scattered in the same way, so that no gift can ever enrich any individual worker.

When you are asked this by friends, “What is the fundamental difference between our ministry and every other? Why do workers travel so much? Why is it necessary for those who go from us to return again? Where does the money come from?” I hope you will feel free to be frank and candid with them, so that you won’t convey the impression that this is some kind of a great secret society you are in. We teach nothing in private that we are not prepared to proclaim from the house tops to all men, for anything we teach can be read by all men in the pages of God’s own book.

We have been hearing already in the meetings many things pertaining to the Kingdom of God and I hope that there is in the minds and hearts of all a deepened interest in this Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is founded in the world by the mutual sacrifice of God’s servants and of God’s saints. The progress and growth of this Kingdom depends upon our continued willingness, as the servants and saints of God, to sacrifice. Earthly kingdom’s are founded by selfishness; God’s heavenly Kingdom here upon earth is founded by sacrifice.

Two weeks ago today, I went up to Vancouver, British Columbia, with two of our brothers, Alfred McLeod and James Pascoe, and saw them on board the “Empress of Canada.” They left us for China with the fullest confidence and hearty fellowship of all God’s servants and saints that knew them. I believe I understood a little better than some just exactly what it meant for them to go to China. I knew better than they the difficulties they would have to face during the years that lay ahead and, because of that, I could appreciate perhaps a little more than others their sacrifice.

It always seems to me a very real thing when young men and young women, in the first instance, go forth in the Work. The pathway of service is a path of sacrifice and every man and woman that has a part in this ministry must be willing to sacrifice. In taking this first initial step out into God’s great Harvest Field, they know and others know that as far as their earthly prospects are concerned these are forever blighted, that henceforth, as far is this world is concerned and in the eyes of their fellows, their lives are being worse than wasted. I have often wondered if the saints of God really appreciate or understand the cost of this ministry, what it really means to young men and young women to go forth into the great Harvest Field. The people of God demand greater sacrifice from their preachers than any other body of religious people in the world. They insist upon this and it is right that they should, for the Scriptures teach clearly and unmistakable that the pathway of service is a pathway of sacrifice. I am inclined to think that there are many of God’s people that do not appreciate this fact and because of this, they do not value this ministry as they should. This is a very important thing in our reading and understanding of the Scriptures to be clear in our minds with regard to what this Book teaches about the ministry. It is just as important that you should know what to expect from those that are in the ministry as it is for us to know what we have a right to expect from you who are not. The Scriptures make very clear and plain the difference in sphere, in ministry also, between those who have gone out into the Harvest Field and those who, for various reasons, are denied this privilege. I have told you in this building more than once of asking a question way back there in Manitoba many years ago, of “What is the New Testament difference between servants and saints?” One man replied, “The difference is this: the saints live it and the servants preach it.” A little later, at another convention, I asked the same question and another brother said, “The difference is this: the servants work for Christ and the saints work for themselves.” I don’t know how true this is but I suspect it is true in some cases at least. At another convention, I asked the same question and a brother replied, “The difference is: the servants of God have many homes and the saints have only one.” He was a little bit mixed up, too. A brother who is not here, who was one of the first to profess in the state of Washington, but whose understanding of this difference has appealed to me and seems to me to be structurally right, he said, “The difference is that the servants of God sacrifice all for the Kingdom’s sake and the saints use all for the extension of the Kingdom.” This man lived up to his understanding of what the Scriptures teach with regard to the servants and saints of God. The servants of God sacrifice all; there is an equality of sacrifice amongst us as ministers of Christ; none of us make a greater sacrifice than the other; each of us sacrifice all. It would be a wicked and dishonorable thing for any of us, as servants of God, to ever give the impression that our sacrifice was greater than that of our fellow servant who labors by our side. In this matter of going forth into God’s great Harvest Field, there is an equality of sacrifice and each worker makes the same sacrifice, all of them sacrifice everything actually and literally for the Gospel’s sake and apart from this willingness to make this supreme sacrifice, none could have a part or lot in this ministry. I hope you get this, I hope this is clear to your minds, I hope you understand the conditions that those have fulfilled who are in your midst today as the handmaidens and bondservants of the Lord. Surely it is not too much to say that if the bondservants and handmaidens of the Lord are willing to make this sacrifice, the sacrifice of all, that those who claim to be in this Kingdom of God, claim to have some little interest in the extension of this Kingdom, should be willing just as gladly and heartily to use all they have and are in the extension of the Kingdom of God and the furtherance of His Gospel in the world. This is not a one sided affair, it would hardly be right or reasonable to say in our hearts, “The workers have to do all the self denial, they have to do all the sacrificing, they work for Christ and we work for ourselves.” I don’t think that would have a very happy result in any of our lives and I don’t think it would bring into our lives the blessing and seal of God. I would like to think that the saints in Washington, Idaho, etc. are like the saints of Philippi 1900 years ago, who from the first day were just as much interested in the spread of the Gospel as the servants of God who brought the message to them in the first place.

Now, it is a very real step for young men and young women in the prime of life, when prospects are brightest, when they have visions of possibilities in their lives, to deliberately turn their back upon it all, sacrifice everything and go forth into God’s great Harvest Field to preach the Gospel. But, it is to me a greater sacrifice when those who have labored for years in the Gospel lift up their eyes afresh to “behold the fields white unto harvest,” leave their own field of labor, the fellow servants whom they learned to love and those who God gave them in the Gospel and go to a foreign land to master a foreign language and spend years in the doing of this in order that they might be fitted to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to men of another race and of another tongue. When I saw that boat leave Vancouver two weeks ago for China with our two brothers on board, I understood and I think I appreciated all that meant for them to say, “Good-bye” to all that they had learned to love in order that they might master that new language and be fitted to preach the Gospel to the Chinese.

Sometimes, when workers go abroad, a question arises in the hearts and minds of some as to how are the workers taken care of in the foreign field? Have they been promised a stated salary? Is there some secretary or treasurer that they can confer with or consult with? Is there a central fund from which they can draw in any time of need? Is there some headquarters to which they can make an appeal? It is difficult for the people of God to grasp this simple fundamental fact that those who go to foreign fields are taken care of and go forth in exactly the same way as the workers go forth from this convention. They ask for no pledge and are given none, they have no stated salary, there is no central fund, there is no secretary or treasurer to whom they can make appeal, we have no earthly headquarters, our headquarters are in heaven. Can you then understand or appreciate the faith, the courage that young men and young women have to put thousands of miles between them and their fellow servants and the saints of God whom they have learned to love whom God gave them in the Gospel? Can you picture yourself away in some foreign land, among some strange people, nobody to sympathize with you, nobody to encourage you, nobody to minister to your needs, with no understanding or pledge given by any in the homeland? Did you ever try to picture yourself thus and ask yourself how you would feel? Ask yourself if you left under those conditions, with you be really willing to “fight the good fight of faith?” The faith, the courage, the boldness of these our fellow servants does not relieve us, who are in the homeland, of our responsibility, and I hope that we will not be unmindful of them in our prayers, unmindful of them in writing occasionally to let them know that we love them still and are interested in their labors and their conflicts and will be willing to share with them a little true self denial and sacrifice for the Gospel’s sake. I say again, that this Kingdom of God is founded and can only be extended by the mutual sacrifice of the servants and saints of God.

There may be here in our midst today some young people who in the past weeks and months, perhaps for years, have been thinking about the Harvest Field, thinking about the “fields that are white unto harvest” and hoping that someday they might be numbered among the reapers and it might not be out of place in this meeting this afternoon to mention a few things with regard to, shall we say, the qualifications? that are necessary in order to have a place in this ministry. We have been approached a good many times by different ones and they have expressed the desire to launch out into the Harvest Field, and perhaps one of the first things we consider is their health, their physical health. Unless they are reasonably healthy in the beginning, we know they will not be able to continue long. We have known some who in the very first year, have broken down and we have advised them to take their place among the saints. There is no dishonor to doing this – they were willing to sacrifice even unto the end but the condition of their health made plain that it was not wise to continue. They were one ahead of the best of the saints in that they faced the difficulties, trials, and hardships of a worker’s life and because of their health were forced to take the second place.

Then the second qualification is the ability to hold down a job and to support, if the necessity has arisen, those who are dependent upon them. We wouldn’t like any of you to think that the Lord calls men and women into His Harvest Field who do not know of anything better to do. I remember, some years ago, two men said that they wanted to go forth and told us they were out of work. The Lord never called anyone into His great Harvest Field who was out of a job. He only called those who were able to hold down a job and make good. He didn’t call Peter when he had “toiled to all night and caught nothing.” It was after Peter had made a real success out of the fishing business that Jesus said, “Follow Me and I will make you to become a fisher of men.” We would like to think that those who will someday fill a place in this ministry have given evidence of having a real love for their parents and have honestly sought to share the responsibility of the home with them and have won the respect and confidence of the saints who met with them in their own little church. We wouldn’t like to encourage any out into the Work in whom the church had not confidence. Timothy, when he was encouraged to go forth into God’s great Harvest Field, had the respect and confidence of all who met in the church where he, his grandmother and mother gathered in the Lord’s Name.

We also would consider for the ministry only those who have been diligent in searching the Scriptures, in seeking to get to know for themselves the mind and will of God, who can express themselves simply and clearly in the little church meeting and who have sought to do their utmost in filling a useful place in the Kingdom.

And then, we could not and would not encourage any out into the ministry who are unwilling to fulfill the conditions that Jesus Himself laid down, who would be unwilling to have fellowship with Him, first of all in His poverty, first of all, sell all, literally and forever, and have fellowship with Him in His homelessness. We have often said in our meetings that there are two things fundamental to the faith of Jesus: the “homelessness of the preacher and the church in the home and only in the home.” Whenever we depart from these two fundamentals we have departed from the faith, we have become apostate. We must contend to the very end of the chapter for the homelessness of the preacher and the church in the home and only in the home. The longer I live, the better satisfied I have become with the wisdom of God’s plan and its simplicity.

I have been encouraged as I have visited our brethren in different parts of the world, by seeing that this plan of Jesus works perfectly in every land and among every race, and I hope the day will never come when we will, in any sense, weaken with regard to these two simple fundamentals of the faith: the church in the home and the preacher without the home. Those whom Jesus called out into the Harvest Field had to be willing to have fellowship with Him in putting the claims of the Kingdom first and keeping the claims of his own flesh and blood in the second place. Sometimes those who love you best will seek to hinder you and discourage you from having fellowship with Jesus in this ministry. Parents would not like to think of their boys and girls poor, homeless, and would sometimes press their claims unduly. Jesus had to make clear and plain in the latter part of the ninth chapter of Luke that none could have any part in this ministry unless they were prepared to put the claims of their own flesh and blood in the second place. Lastly, they must be willing “having freely received to freely give.” When I think this afternoon of our fellow servants scattered all over the world, I look at this map here and I think of them over there in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Africa, India, China, Japan, South America, and remember that all of them have gone forth in exactly the same way as those who are in your midst this afternoon will go from this convention, everyone having taken the same steps, no pledge asked or given, nothing promised, their hope and confidence in Him who said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you.”

I hope it is not with some of us a case of “out of sight, out of mind.” I remember a few years ago, a sister told us her experience in one of these countries and I remember well how I felt when she described how more than once during the years she was gone, going to the Post Office, walking sometimes many weary miles, expecting to hear from some of those whom she had known and loved, only to be disappointed again and again and she said the hardest experience that she had to go through during those years was to feel that “I have been forgotten.” Some of us get used to being forgotten, there are others who suffer a great deal when they feel in their hearts it is just a case of “out of sight, out of mind, I am forgotten.”

I turned over today to the back of my Bible and I found there a few verses written by one of our brothers who is now over in Italy. I think he must have been suffering a little when he wrote these verses, that he was experiencing what this sister said was one of the hardest things to endure:

Forget them not, the faithful band Who kindred leave behind, To bear the truth to every land As debtors to mankind.

Forget them not, in solitude, When breathing ernest prayer, That God may think on them for good And bless them everywhere.

Forget them not, the toilers brave, Who scatter forth the seed; To Jesus they are willing slaves Touched by a world in need.

Forget them not, for Jesus’ sake, No selfish quest have they, The daily cross they humbly take, Forget them not, I pray.

I hope there will never come a day in my life and I hope there will never come a day in your life when you will forget our beloved fellow servants, bondservants and handmaidens, who are today scattered over the globe, loyally and heartily laying down their lives for Christ’s sake and for the Gospel’s. If, when you leave this convention you form the habit of going daily to the secret place, then think kindly and prayer earnestly for those bondservants and handmaidens of the Lord whom you know and love and who are today seeking to extend the Kingdom of God in other lands, facing difficulties and problems and hardships which we, in this country, know nothing about. So, “forget them not.” I am not going to say this afternoon that you should limit your correspondence or prayers to those who are laboring in foreign lands, I would like to think that everyone here would take in interest in those who are in their own province and state and who seek in every way possible to be a help and comfort to them. We have only a few brief years to live, a few brief years of service, and it would be wise for us to “redeem the time,” to buy up the opportunities that are at hand, to endeavor to “lay up treasure in heaven where moth and rust do not corrupt.”

The question may have arisen in the minds of some, you may have asked, “Is it worthwhile to live for the furtherance of the Gospel and the extension of God’s Kingdom?” If this Book teaches anything it is that there is nothing more worthwhile. I turn sometimes over to that Parable of the Pounds and that Parable of the Talents and surely if these two parables teach us anything, it is this: that the pathway of service is the pathway that leads to sure and certain reward. The best thing that these parables teach is that the life of service, which begins here, continues beyond the grave. Here is the place and now is the time that we are qualified for greater service in that “everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

I hope that one result of this convention will be that all of us will live more gladly and heartily with eternity’s values in view and lay up a little “treasure where moth and rust doth not corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal.”

I Kings 22, the finish of Ahab’s life. Three years without war between Israel and Syria. How long would we go on without fighting against the enemies of our soul?

When God could no longer use Saul’s life, He left him to be a tool to shape the life of David.

Joseph schooled in difficulties. Three years with­out a war and such is disastrous to any soul. The two kings talked about the part of the inheritance that was in the enemy’s hands, and they both decided to fight for it, for that was the only way to regain the lost possession. Zedikiah made him two horns of iron and said that with these they would prevail, but this was only an outward power against the enemy.

Ahab made a good out­ward show of reigning, when all the time he was slipping. No man can prevail over his enemies when there is hatred in his heart towards the prophet of God. God does not stop people from taking their own way when they are bent on it.

King Jehoshaphat seemed bent on going with the king of Israel. The Lord’s prophet said to them he saw Israel scattered like sheep without a shepherd. They had no master. It is easy for the enemy to spoil us when we are divided.

God had a plan to lay Ahab aside. The Lord’s prophet had a vision of the Lord reigning on high with the host of heaven to encourage and strengthen him. It is the fight that proves what we are. Ahab was only disguised, but the battle made it known; he tried to appear a king but all the inward part was weakened, and so he fell in the battle.

Matthew 13, there are in the four Gospels twenty-nine parables spoken by the Lord Jesus. Seventeen out of the twenty-nine were spoken in connection with the Kingdom of Heaven, and seven out of the seventeen are recorded in this 13th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. The number seven in itself is suggestive. It is the perfect number. So the fact that we have in this chapter seven parables, all of them about the Kingdom of Heaven, suggests that we have here a complete representation of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. This expression “Kingdom of Heaven” has probably suggested to many of us that place to which the children of God go when they leave this scene, but in these seven parables, we have not to do with the Kingdom of Heaven in the eternal sense but rather with the Heavenly Kingdom on earth here and now. There are portions of scripture that have to do entirely with the future, eternal, everlasting, and Heavenly Kingdom but these seven parables in Matthew 13 have to do with the Kingdom of Heaven here upon the earth.

One of the thoughts I would like to pass on this morning is this: that it is possible to enter the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, and if we do not enter the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, there is no possibility of ever entering that Kingdom when we leave this earth. That is one of the reasons why these parables spoken by the Lord Jesus should be of great interest to all of us. These seven parables spoken by the Lord Jesus should be of great interest to all of us. These seven parables in Matthew 13 answer very important questions, and answer these questions in the words of the Lord Jesus Himself, who “spake as never man spake.” Many times, perhaps there has arisen in our minds and hearts questions such as, “What is this Kingdom of Heaven like?” “What are we to understand by this expression ‘Kingdom of Heaven?’” “Has it got to do with some future state or has it to do with our present lives in this world?” I would like to encourage you after this meeting to read over the 13th chapter of Matthew with this thought firmly fixed in your minds, that this parable has to do particularly with the present, not the future, and that it explains to us in the words of the Lord Jesus Himself just exactly what the Kingdom of Heaven is like here and now in this world.

I might say this morning that, in reading over the Gospels, some of us have probably noticed that expression “Kingdom of Heaven” is peculiar to Matthew’s Gospel. It does not occur in Mark, Luke, or John. The expression “Kingdom of Heaven” occurs only in Matthew’s Gospel. That very naturally causes a question to arise in our minds, “Why does Matthew over thirty times in twenty-eight chapters of his Gospel use the expression ‘Kingdom of Heaven?’” “Why does he seem to insist that this Kingdom which Jesus established was a Kingdom of Heaven?” I think the answer to this question lies on the very surface if we read over the Gospel carefully.

Matthew wrote for those who were familiar with Old Testament Scriptures. That is the reason there are so many Old Testament prophecies quoted in this Gospel. He wrote for those who had been brought up in the Jewish faith and way and who had been taught from earliest infancy by the rabbis of the Jewish church to expect very soon the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven, but their conception of that Kingdom of Heaven was an outward, material Kingdom, a Kingdom that was for the Jews particularly, if not only, and that would lift up and exalt the Jewish nation and Jewish people and make them the greatest people and nation in the whole world. When Jesus came, the minds of people everywhere were filled with this utterly false conception of the Kingdom. They were looking for, expecting, praying for, and desired an earthly Kingdom, a kingdom like the kingdoms of this world, a kingdom that would result in the power of the Roman government being destroyed and the Romans expelled from Palestine, a kingdom that would lift up the Jewish people and nation and make them the greatest people and nation in the whole world, with Jerusalem as its capital and with the leaders of the nation not merely leaders of the Jewish nation, but recognized leaders of the whole world. In reading over Matthew’s Gospel, and, in fact, the four Gospels, it is well for us to keep clear in our minds that when Jesus came, men and women were expecting a kingdom, but they were expecting an earthly kingdom, an outward kingdom, a material kingdom, a kingdom which was to satisfy their carnal desires, to feed their own selfish human natures and lift them up and exalt them and make them a great people and a great nation. When Matthew was writing this Gospel, right from the very beginning to the end, he put the emphasis upon this fact, that the Kingdom Jesus came to establish was not to be an earthly kingdom. It was an Heavenly Kingdom, a Kingdom from Heaven, and that is the reason why in the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6 we read, “Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven.” So Jesus came to establish a Kingdom on earth where the will of God would be done by men even as that will is being done in Heaven. In other words, the Kingdom He came to establish was not to be an outward, material kingdom, but was to be an inward and spiritual Kingdom, the rule and reign of God in the hearts of men. So that from the very beginning of His ministry to the close, the establishing of this Kingdom was the one passion of His life, was the theme of every sermon. Wherever He went, He had just one desire and purpose, “To seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness,” and He sought to put this same passion and purpose into the minds and hearts of others so that they, too, would seek first the Kingdom of God and make the extension of that Kingdom the one all absorbing and consuming passion of their lives. I feel perhaps that there are some of us (if not all of us) who have not had that real love, purpose, and passion in our hearts that would move us under all circumstances and conditions to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. So that here in this Gospel of Matthew, the first book of the New Testament, it is made clear and plain to our minds and hearts that this Kingdom of God is not something that will exalt us but will humble us; not something that will satisfy our selfishness, but will encourage us to live for Him to be unselfish; not something that will feed the natural pride of our hearts, but will move us to true humility and lowliness. It will not encourage us to live for ourselves, but to live for others so that we may “lay up treasure in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.”

In reading over this 13th chapter of Matthew, we note the question that was asked by the disciples, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” It would seem there came a turning point in the ministry of Jesus. He didn’t speak in parables at the beginning of His ministry. It seems He only began to speak in parables at the end of two years. Jesus got into a boat, pushed out a little from shore, and spoke first the parable of the sower, and afterwards the disciples asked Him, “Why do you speak in parables?” A parable is what we might call a story with two meanings; a meaning on the surface, and a meaning below the surface; a meaning that some of those who were listening could only understand from a purely human standpoint or natural viewpoint, but which others who were listening could understand its spiritual meaning and spiritual significance, and Jesus said in answer to this question, “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given.” There were numbers of people who listened to Jesus and all they heard was the story, and all they could understand was the surface meaning; they could not understand the real spiritual meaning that Jesus was seeking to convey to their minds, the lesson He was anxious for them to learn. But there were others of that company who not only understood the surface meaning, but they could understand the real spiritual meaning that Jesus was seeking to convey to their minds, the lesson He was anxious for them to learn. At the close of this chapter, after He had spoken all the parables, He asked those disciples, “Have you understood all these things?” They said, “Yes, Lord, we have understood,” and then He said, “Therefore, every scribe which is instructed unto the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.” “Now that ye have understood these things, now that the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven have been made clear to your minds, you are responsible, having been instructed, to bring out of this treasure house things that are new and things that are old.” I think what He meant to convey was this: now that they had been helped to a clearer understanding of the Kingdom of Heaven, that was like a treasure which was now enriching them, and they were henceforth responsible for taking out of that treasure things that were new and things that were old, things fresh to their minds, and things the Holy Spirit might bring to their remembrance that God had taught them in other days.

I would like this morning, if I could, to fasten upon every child of God, every saint and servant of God, the serious responsibility that rests upon them after they have been instructed in the things of the Kingdom of Heaven, to see to it that they pass these things on to others, and if we do that, instead of impoverishing ourselves. By passing on to others treasures out of God’s truth, we will be enriching ourselves, for Jesus said, “To everyone that hath shall be given, and from him that hath not shall be taken away.” I wish this morning I could help you to understand these parables a little better, and that I myself could get help to understand them a little better. As I have said, they give to us in the very words of Jesus, a complete representation of the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, the Heavenly Kingdom in this present evil world.

There are seven of these parables. There is the parable of the sower, the parable of the tares, of the mustard seed, the parable of the leaven, hid treasure, pearl of great price, and then the parable of the dragnet. It would seem that the first six are joined together. The parables of the sower and tares seem to go together, also the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven, and the hid treasure and pearl of great price. I have written opposite these different parables in my Bible a word or two which when I turn over to this chapter suggest to me at once the main lesson which these parables were intended to teach. I have sometimes thought we make a mistake in trying to read too much into any parable. There is usually but one little thought, one main lesson, which Jesus was anxious to teach in His parables; so when we begin to read our own thoughts into every little detail of these different parables, we often miss the mark altogether. Speculation is not interpretation, reading our own thoughts into the Scriptures is not interpreting them. I have written thus:

The parable of the sower – “Beginning”

The parable of the tares – “Opposition”

The parable of the mustard seed – “Outward growth”

The parable of the leaven – “Inward working”

The parable of the hid treasure – “Finding”

The parable of the pearl of great price – “Seeking”

The parable of the dragnet – “Separation”

These will help us to understand the real meaning of every parable and to grasp more clearly the real purpose in the mind of Jesus when He spoke these seven parables – beginning, opposition, outward growth, inward working, finding, seeking, separation – ultimate and eternal.

How does the Kingdom of God begin in the human heart, in the human life? Jesus tells in this first parable that it begins by the sowing of seed. He says that seed is “the Word of the Kingdom.” He Himself was the Sower, the Pattern Sower, and the seed which He sowed was “the Word of the Kingdom.” The soil was the hearts of men. There were four different kinds of soil, but only one kind producing a harvest; three parts of the seed seemingly was wasted, one part only produced a harvest, and that a harvest was in proportion to the depth of the soil, thirty, sixty, and one hundred fold.

When I look in the faces of my fellow servants at a time like this, I am reminded of a verse in the Psalms where we read, “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” (Psalm 126:6) It would seem that in the Old Testament, as well as the New, the servant of God was a sower of seed, a farmer. I like in a Gospel Meeting to look into the faces of those who have gathered there and say in my heart, “here is the soil.” It may be divided into these four different kinds of soil, but it is not for me to worry so much about the soil. My business is having the “Word of the Kingdom”–the seed to sow, for I know if that seed falls into the right kind of soil, it will produce thirty, sixty, or one hundred fold.

Jesus was the Pattern Sower. He called out and separated unto Himself others who would be willing to follow Him in the sowing, and would just as gladly and heartily give their lives in service true to God and man as He was giving His. The seed was the “Word of the Kingdom.” I was meditating a little on this and asked myself the question, “What were these Words of the Kingdom which Jesus spoke?” We can rightly think about them being “the Word of the Kingdom,” the seed of God which, sown in the hearts of men and women, boys and girls, would produce a like harvest. What He said to Nicodemus in John 3 and what He spoke to different individuals was “the Word of the Kingdom,” and those who heard these words and gave them serious thought and consideration were not ashamed of them, and were willing to let them sink down into their hearts and germinate, were those who became, “new creatures in Christ Jesus.” Their lives were changed and they were delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son. So the preaching of the Gospel is the sowing of the seed. That is what we are trying to do today. This company of men and women is to me what a field is to the farmer. He goes out and scatters seed. Much may be wasted, but there is a hope that some will fall into hearts ready and prepared, responsive hearts, with one desire and purpose, to know God’s mind and will and willing to do it whatever it means or costs. When “the Word of the Kingdom” falls into such hearts, whether inside or outside, that seed will spring up and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and an hundred fold.

The next parable suggests opposition of the enemy, the adversary of God and of man. It is true that opposition is suggested in the first parable – wayside – hardness of heart, permitting birds of the air to pick up the seed and take it away, opposition from our own flesh in the parable of the stony ground– unwilling to suffer and be reproached, and in the thorny ground where the thorns are springing up and choking the word–the cares of this life, etc. While there is some growth for a little while, there is deep down in the hearts of such men and women an unwillingness to be broken, to have the thorns removed, and even though they may stagger on for a while, in the hour of testing and trial, it will become manifest that the seed did not take root.

In this parable of the tares, we read of the Son of man sowing good seed in His field, and while men slept, the enemy came and sowed evil seed. Both sprang up and seemingly there was little difference for a while, but later on it became manifest. It was suggested that it might be well to dig the tares up, but the owner said, “No, lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let them both grow together until the harvest, etc” (verses 29 and 30). The first two of these parables were interpreted by Jesus Himself, so that there can be no doubt in any mind about the meaning of them. The sower is the Son of man. The good seed are “the children of the Kingdom,” but the evil seed are “the children of the wicked one.” The evil seed are the tares. It was a kind of seed that was much like the wheat. One would almost need to be an expert to know the difference. When these two seeds were sown, one by the Son of Man, the other by the adversary, the devil, they were very much like each other; it was very difficult sometimes to distinguish between the two. To some it would seem to be altogether impossible, and that difference was not in evidence until the harvest was approaching. What Jesus meant to say here was that the devil’s purpose all through the ages has been to counterfeit the work of God in order that he might deceive men. This explains to me all the different false systems of religion in the world. This explains to me the many different kinds of false professors of religion that are in the world. Sometimes it is very difficult to distinguish between what is true and what is false, but the difference will be made manifest sooner or later, and that difference leads to ultimate and eternal separation.

Some of us spent a little while in Los Angeles this winter, and I think if there is any city in the world where Satan has his seat, it is in that city in Southern California. I think it is the city where the word “Babylon” suggests the actual religious condition that exists there. I think every known religion is represented in Los Angeles, both heathen and Christian, and I have run across some people who were very like the Truth, but their very likeness to God’s true Way made them all the more deceptive.

I ran across some people who were very busy in seeking to form a New Testament church. They had left a number of other churches and had united together, and now they were busy, exceedingly busy and exceedingly aggressive, in seeking to found a New Testament church right there in the city of Los Angeles. One of their leaders came across one of our brothers, an elder of a church, and this elder had a very interesting conversation with him. They talked together for quite awhile, and this brother convinced him the early Christians never spent a dollar in erecting a building for the worship of God, but met together in small groups in consecrated homes and there sought to worship God in Spirit and in Truth. These people got so stirred up that they rushed to their New Testaments and discovered to their surprise that what this brother said was true, that there were no church buildings erected by the true people of God; there were buildings, but the people of God were put out of them and did not worship in them. They met in homes consecrated to God in small groups. When they saw according to the letter of the word that the proper course was for God’s children not to meet in public buildings on the first day of the week, but in homes, they said, “We will do that too; we will sell our tabernacle.” Previous to this, they had gotten their members to invest their money in a lot and buildings. Now they got to see that this was wrong and they were going to sell this tabernacle and give back the money. They said, “Now we are going to have a New Testament church and meet in homes.”

I also spent a while with one of their leaders, and I was trying to bring home to him this fact: You can’t have a New Testament church without the New Testament ministry. The New Testament ministry was the foundation of the New Testament church, and this leader was asked this question, “Have you one single individual in your fellowship who has obeyed the teaching of Jesus, ‘Sell all ye have, etc.’ and has made himself poor, homeless for His sake, and preaches the Gospel without money and without price?” This man had to say, “No, we have not.” They had what they thought to be a New Testament church. It was just another branch of these tares which the adversary of God and man was seeking to sow in the world so that men and women might be deceived and that God’s true children might sometimes be discouraged. When they were brought face to face with the very foundation of the New Testament church, they said, “No, we don’t have it; we don’t want it.”

I wonder, do you value the ministry? Do you value having a ministry that has the true marks of Christ? Do you value having in your fellowship men and women who have actually fulfilled these conditions, sold all, made themselves poor, homeless for His sake, preaching the Gospel without money and without price, who would scorn the very thought of making merchandise of the word of God, and are just as gladly and heartily giving their lives in true service as those we read of in the New Testament? Don’t be discouraged if some of the tares are very like the wheat; see to it that you are true and loyal to the ambassadors of the King, the sowers of the seed, and do your little part in seeking to promote that unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace which gladdens the heart of God and brings blessing to men.

The next parables are the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven. In this parable of the mustard seed, Jesus said that a man took it and sowed it in his garden. It grew and became a great shrub; it never became a cedar, a redwood, or an oak–just a shrub. It might be noticed in a garden, but it would be absolutely unnoticed in the forest. Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is like that. It was one of the smallest seeds. If you had a grain of mustard seed in your hand, you would find it hard to see it. It was a very small seed and away back in those days when they wanted to suggest or talk about something very insignificant they used the expression, “As small as a mustard seed.” This mustard seed sown in the garden would spring up, not into a mighty tree of the forest, but into a shrub that we might take notice of in the garden; but it would be unnoticed in the forest. What does it mean? I remember a couple of years ago, I got some of this Palestine mustard seed and I gave it to a few of the friends and encouraged them to sow it in hope some of them would be able later on to produce a real mustard tree or shrub. Some of them tried very hard, and most of them failed altogether. This mustard seed was very small and when it was sown, it was a long time coming up. Some thought it would never come up, but finally they noticed it was just beginning to show over the soil, a tiny hair, and it remained like that for weeks. They kept nursing it along and it began to grow, and later they had a fair plant. One sister got this plant growing so well that it got a little too big for the inside of the home and she thought she would take it out and plant it in the yard, so very carefully she put it into the ground. It grew into a shrub and she wrote me, “Why, the Scriptures are being fulfilled right in my yard. The birds of the air have come and lodged in the branches of the mustard tree.” I was very anxious to see one of these mustard trees. I expected to see something really worth looking at, something I would admire. I was hoping the blossoms would be very nice to look at, but when I saw that mustard tree, I was disappointed and almost ashamed of it. It wasn’t worth looking at; the blossom was anything but pleasing.

What Jesus meant to convey that day to those disciples was that they need never expect this Kingdom of Heaven in the world to be very much to look at. There are some of us who are disappointed that we are not being recognized as a great people. Sometimes, perhaps, you feel like saying, “Why don’t we put a little advertisement in the paper and tell what we are and how wonderful we are, and get the world to look at us?” Jesus said that when we look at Babylon, the mother of harlots, we are filled with a “great admiration,” “how great.” Then we think of a little mustard shrub that there is nothing to it at all, and yet that is what the Kingdom of Heaven is like in the world, according to the teaching of Jesus. How easy it is to be identified with the great trees of the forest. Sometimes we are ashamed to say that instead of being associated with these, we are associated with the little mustard shrub that there is nothing to it at all, and yet that is what the Kingdom of Heaven is like in the world, according to the teaching of Jesus. How easy it is to be identified with the great trees of the forest. Sometimes we are ashamed to say that instead of being associated with these, we are associated with the little mustard shrub which, as far as the world is concerned, is “meek, unnoticed, and unknown.” Is there not something in this to make you rejoice–you are meek, unnoticed and unknown? The world does not recognize us and best of all, we do not desire it. We are glad to be “outside the camp,” bearing His reproach, and wish to remain there unnoticed and unknown. The mustard tree will grow in spite of the opposition of Satan, but will never become a mighty tree of the forest. It will ever remain just a mustard tree. The world knows us not. If we were recognized by the world, if the world was making room for us, it would bring home to our hearts that we had departed from the faith and that the Lord had forsaken His people.

The next parable is that of the leaven. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven.” If there are any religious cranks in this meeting, I am going to get into trouble right now, because there has been more discussion and argument and disagreement about this parable than about any other. But I am not going to worry about it. Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven,” and that’s enough for me. (Leaven does not always mean evil. See Leviticus 7:13; 23:17). The mustard tree had to do with the Kingdom as a whole and the “children of the Kingdom” as a whole, and it makes clear that their growth in the world would never be much or bring any recognition from the world. Jesus said, “The Kingdom is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till the whole was leavened.” Some people say that the three measures of meal means the whole world, but Jesus didn’t have this in mind. If the parable of the mustard seed has to do with the Kingdom as a whole, this parable has to do with the individual child of God. It has to do with the individual man or woman who was willing for “the Word of the Kingdom” through the Gospel to be sown in their hearts, and as they gave the word the place in their hearts it should have, it would affect their whole lives; see 1 Thessalonians 5:23. I think Paul had this leaven in his mind when he wrote this particular verse. Do you believe in being wholly sanctified? “Oh,” you say, “I don’t believe in sanctification at all.” If you don’t, you are not in the Kingdom, are not yet a child in the Kingdom, and if you don’t believe in being wholly sanctified, it is doubtful if you have entered the Kingdom at all.

I remember some years ago in Michigan we were having meetings in mid-winter. Before going to the meetings, the woman where we stayed would get some flour, water and yeast and mix the lot together, cover it and place it in a warm spot away from draughts. Then when we came back from the meeting, she would have a look at it, and before she went to bed, she would put it on the oven door and put some blankets over it. In the morning, if everything went alright, the dough was to be made into loaves and put into the oven to be baked. What is it that discourages leaven from working? (Sometimes it would be down flat in the morning). What would encourage it to work?–a little warmth. Sometimes it would get too hot and spread all over the floor. That is fanaticism. When it works normally, it brings practical results. I wonder, as an individual child of God, if you are willing for “this Word of the Kingdom,” this truth as it is in Jesus, to work in your hearts and in your life, to affect your whole body, soul, and spirit so that you will be more fully separated unto God, affecting your home and business life, your religious life, every detail of your life? This is what Jesus had in mind. The woman is typical of the Holy Spirit. The leaven is typical of the word of the kingdom, the truth as it is in Jesus. The three measures of meal are typical of what we are as individuals, body, soul, and spirit. The leaven is the truth of God hidden in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which, little by little noiselessly and ceaselessly will affect every part of our lives until the whole is leavened. I wonder if you know anything about this. I have grasped this thought: God is anxious to “work in you to will and to do of His own good pleasure, that the purpose of His working is to bring into our life and experience that which enables you to bear in your life a likeness to Him so that others can see the life of Christ lived over again in you,” Galatians 2:2. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His own pleasure,” Philippians 2:12-13. There is no suggestion that the leaven is like the true doctrine or false doctrine, or anything else working in the world until the whole world is converted or corrupted. That is not the thought in the mind of Jesus. I don’t hesitate to say this morning that the children of God in this meeting who will get the most out of life and have the deep peace and rest of heart and the truest joy, are the men and women who are most willing to let God work in their hearts, are the men and women who most heartily make the will of God the rule of their lives, who can truly say, “I delight to do Thy will, O God.” The devil fools and deceives men and women into thinking that by doing their own will and going their own way, carrying out their own plans and purposes that they are going to get the most out of life. It may be the will of God is sometimes hard and goes against our own human nature and brings reproach and a sense of shame, but the man or woman who has a true purpose, the man or woman who is willing to make the will of God the rule of their lives will know the peace that passeth understanding, and in a world of sin, misery, sorrow, and suffering there will be that in their hearts that will make them continually rejoice in God, their Saviour. The word of the kingdom never loses its interest. Their truest joy and satisfaction is found in seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

The next is the parable of the hid treasure. There are two kinds of people in the kingdom: those who, one might say, almost stumbled into it, and those who may have been seeking the pearl of great price for years; but whether it is the case of the man or woman who finds, you might say accidentally, or the one who was seeking for years, it became to them precious, for which they are willing to make any sacrifice in order to make it their own. It says he went and hid it and made arrangement to buy the field and make the treasure his very own. Have you ever found something you weren’t looking for that was of real value? In San Diego, I was getting out of a car and saw a dirty piece of paper on the ground. I picked it up, and lo and behold, it was a ten dollar bill! A worker told of an experience in Scotland. He and his companion were having some meetings in a certain village and had a room rented from a woman. They had her stove to cook on–when they had anything to cook. After a short time, there was nothing in their pantry but a few grains of tea and at dinner time, in order to suggest to the woman that they were invited out, they would go for a walk. When supper time came, they would go out for another walk. This went on for several days until those two boys were awfully hungry. They had meetings every night and perhaps had thoughts like these: “Are we in the way of God at all?” And perhaps they got a little encouragement from the fact that at the beginning of His ministry Jesus was hungry forty days. One Sunday morning, they went out for a walk instead of having breakfast. They went up a road leading to a mountain and as they walked saw a big brown parcel in the middle of the road. They picked it up and opened the package and lo and behold, there were twenty of the finest ham sandwiches you ever saw! They wrapped them up again and hurried back to where they were lodging, got those few grains of tea, sat down, and oh, how they enjoyed those ham sandwiches!–the joy of finding something you didn’t expect.

I was invited to meeting over thirty years ago. I went, not because I had interest, but because I promised a young fellow I would go. I said this is going to be like any other meeting; I will go and that will be the end of it. I sat in the back seat next to the door. I listened, and when the meeting was over, I was the first out and down the street, but I was a different man. As I sat in that meeting that night, I was careless, hopeless, Godless, and Christ-less, didn’t care if there was a God in Heaven or a devil in hell; but I felt I had run into something I had never heard before and I said, “If there is a God in Heaven, I am going to find Him and make Him my own.” I stumbled on the hid treasure. Supposing I hadn’t gone, hadn’t listened to the “Word of the Kingdom”, where would I be? But I listened and in those weeks I paid the price and made that “hid treasure” my very own. There are others whom I have met who, from their earliest years, have had the conviction that there was some purpose in life, who say, “I don’t know and don’t understand.” They go here and there seeking after goodly pearls, and again and again are disappointed in their search. They don’t find what they had hoped, and last of all, in God’s own time, He brings them into touch with the “pearl of great price,” and when they hear about the pearl of great price from the lips of His bondservants and handmaidens, they are willing for any sacrifice and are willing to make that pearl their own, and to them it becomes their most precious possession. Is this “hid treasure” precious to you? Is this pearl of great price your most valued, your most treasured possession, or have you been weakening? Has your love been getting cold? Have you been feeling, “I wish I had never professed, had never met those bondservants and handmaidens of the Lord? It is not bringing to me what I had expected.” O, my brother, my sister, what has happened? In the city of Laodicea there were men and women, neither hot nor cold; they were lukewarm, had lost their sense of value, had ceased to look upon this great treasure as the pearl of great price and were losing out. They had the husk but the kernel was gone. They had the form and the ritual but the king was dethroned. O, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. He might have turned them down. He would have been justified in treating them as they had treated Him, but instead of that, He is knocking with His nail-pierced hand at the door of their hearts saying, “May I come in?” “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with Me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, etc,” Revelation 3:20-21. When Peter was an old man, he used the word “precious” often. The trial of your faith is precious, the blood is precious, the promises are precious. I wonder, my brother, my sister, with the years, does this heavenly treasure, this pearl of great price become more exceedingly precious, and are you more anxious to walk worthy of your high calling and be in some little measure a manifestation of God’s rule in the hearts and lives of men?

The next is the parable of the dragnet. The net is spread carefully. It is let down and drawn in but once. One kind of fish is taken carefully, put to one side, and of the other, many kinds are taken. Jesus said this latter is a picture of men and women for whom nothing awaits but weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. There is going to be a day of separation.

In these seven parables we have a full, complete picture of the heavenly kingdom, not on the other side of the grave but on this side, God’s heavenly kingdom here and now, the rule and reign of God in the hearts of men established in this world, the children of the kingdom, sown by the Son of man, producing fruit, some 30, 60, and 100 fold.

May God grant that what has been said this morning from this chapter may give us a new picture of the Kingdom, may cause us to seek a little more clearly the wonderful possibilities in the lives of those who are true children of the kingdom, laying up treasure, “where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal.”

God’s children as stewards: This word “stewards” is applied to every child of God, servant or saint. I Corinthians 4:1, “Let a man so account of us, as ministers (or stewards) of the mysteries of God.” In the previous chapter, he speaks of the people of God being His husbandry and building (verse 9). Paul speaks of himself as being a steward over God’s heritage or husbandry. He seemed to be giving a reason why he dealt with these people in a way that made them conscious of the chastening hand of God. Sometimes we feel it is not the most pleasant experience for those who speak or for those who listen to be made conscious of God’s chastening. I do not know of anything that has a more sobering effect upon those of us who profess to be God’s servants than to realize that we are stewards of God and that someday we will have to give an account. In Nehemiah, it talks of the priests that after they read the law they gave the right sense to it. No occupation is more responsible in all the world than those who are appointed stewards of the mysteries of God and who are responsible to rightly divide the word of truth and to declare the whole counsel of God to those who bear His name. Paul wanted those people to understand that in ministering to them he was a steward of the mysteries of God. It is required of stewards that they be found faithful. One is glad that the qualifications for being a steward in another sense of the word is not ability or cleverness but in every place it is mentioned it is faithfulness and loyalty that is spoken of.

In Paul’s letter to Titus, he mentions that the elders over the flock of God were stewards and he wanted them to understand and have that feeling regarding their position in the church. He wanted them to know that it was not a place for honor or for getting place for themselves but as stewards, they were to feed the flock of God. Sometimes we feel that, in God’s kingdom, there is just as much need of stewards in the sense of those who would learn to oversee or act as the elder brother among the flock of God, to guide and help them, as there is even of those who go forth to preach. We sometimes have difficulty with those who occupy the place of an elder. Some are God appointed, some are man appointed and some are self-appointed. Some think that because the meeting is in their home that they are elders and they take that position. One elder that we knew so magnified his office and took it so seriously and importantly that even when some of the older sisters came around, he would not let go his office to even let those who labored in the Gospel take that place. Any man occupying the place of being an elder should recognize that those who have given their lives to be stewards of the mysteries of God are more fitted to take the place of feeding and ministering to God’s people. It is strange that persons who have not separated themselves to the ministry should ever magnify their office to such an extent that they would crowd out and push aside those who have given their lives and those whom God has appointed stewards over the mysteries of God. An elder must be blameless. He referred to them as being blameless in their manner of life and in their business. There is a lot spoken concerning elders that it would be very good for those who occupy that place to think about. The difficulty in some places is that the elders take too much or part. There is no one next to those who have given their lives in God’s service that is more valued than those who are elders indeed. The meeting that is most God controlled is the one where there is the least human interference. Some might be inclined to take the Convention meetings as an example of how the church meetings should be run but there is very little parallel between them. When I get into a church meeting, I like to interfere as little as possible and let God control, guide and speak; and that is more like what God has intended it should be.

I Peter 4:10, Peter speaks of those saints of God as being stewards ministering one to another of the manifold grace of God as good stewards. Perhaps Peter had in his mind the temporal things as well as the spiritual things but I feel that as we today partake of the grace of God and God ministers to us the things of His kingdom that He will hold us responsible as stewards to minister these things to others and one to another. A person that gets the blessing in meetings like these would surely feel that responsibility in their lives, that they are stewards and should minister these things to one another. It would be a good thing if we could get it fixed in our minds that all true blessing must necessarily mean us becoming a blessing to others. Recently I enjoyed the prayer of Hannah. She recognized God’s conditions and said, “If Thou wilt give unto me, I will give unto Thee.” She recognized the need that existed in the kingdom of God that day and she said that if God would bless her, she would give unto God and the people of God. That is the condition upon which God will hear our prayers and answer those prayers.

Luke 16, in many parts of the Scripture, this word steward is used to suggest what our true relationship should be towards God. In the beginning of the Bible, it tells that God committed all He had made on earth into the hands of Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, but some time after that as God looked down on the earth, He saw humanity, instead of acting as stewards, they had appropriated these things to their own use and despised the One who had created them. In Luke 16, Jesus used this illustration of stewardship to try and get these people to understand what their relationship towards God should be. The steward was called to give an account of his stewardship. The purpose of every Convention meeting is that it makes us feel as we look back over the past that we as God’s stewards have wasted our Master’s goods. The thing that Jesus commended was not the way this steward acted but He commended him for his foresight, for the fact that he looked ahead and made provision for the future, and as He taught the disciples He said, “The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.” He told them to make to themselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness that when you shall fail, you may be received into everlasting habitation. The only way I can understand this is that as that steward took his master’s goods and used that over which his master had made him steward in such a way that when he was dispossessed, he had friends to receive him into their habitation. So the saints of God are stewards over their farms, their businesses and all the things God has committed to their care. God would have you use them to make friends so that when they shall fail you would have so used your stewardship that you would be received into everlasting habitation, that you would have friends in eternity. Matthew 25 may have a connection here. Jesus on the Day of Judgment speaks of those who ministered of their goods to those who were hungry and strangers in the world. It is embarrassing sometimes to talk along these lines but there could be no happier relationship than the children of God recognizing that the things that God has committed to their care, they are only stewards of them. “He that is faithful in that which is least….or faithful in a very little….is faithful also in much.” If you have not been faithful in the natural temporal things, if you have not been faithful in your home and business, who will commit unto you that which is your own? That is the way Jesus talks of the eternal things which God has given us in Christ. They are our own but it is only as we are faithful that He will commit unto us the true riches.

God has made us who are servants, stewards over the mysteries of the Kingdom, and He has relieved us of the responsibility of temporal things. Jesus implied to those who went forth to preach the Gospel that they would get just what they needed. He speaks of the rich young man coming to Him and Peter as he saw the young man go away sorrowfully asked, “Lord, what shall we have?” Jesus told them of a certain man who had a vineyard and he went out one day and hired laborers. At the end of the day, he paid them each a penny, both those who had worked all day and those who had worked only part of the day. When I tried to think of how this could be rightly applied and thinking of the previous chapters, I feel I got a little light. Sometimes people forget to take into consideration who these parables are spoken to, and why and when. In this chapter, Jesus continues to illustrate by the parable of the vineyard and the husbandman, the condition He set forth before the rich young man and Peter’s question. As He sent them forth into the vineyard at the 3rd, 4th, and 9th hours, he paid each a penny at the end of the day. Jesus was laying down the principle for those who were laborers in the vineyard that however long they labored they were each just entitled to have his need supplied and the youngest was equally privileged to have that as well as the oldest. The reward for laboring in the Gospel is equality and we cannot claim more than our needs supplied. As I thought of those who had borne the heat of the day, I was glad they were fitted with the same portion as the youngest in the field. As laborers, Jesus laid down the principle that the earthly reward or what we were to receive for preaching now can only be that penny a day. The mother of two sons, James and John, came to Jesus and asked that when He would come into His kingdom they might have a place, one at His right hand and the other at His left. The Holy Ghost leaves here the record of the eternal reward and Jesus does not say that it’s equality but He says, “Are ye willing to drink of the cup that I drink of and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” He tells them that it is not His to give them that place but that it is reserved by His Father in Heaven. Paul says there is one glory of the sun and another of the moon and there are terrestrial bodies and heavenly bodies. The reward in eternity is measured by our willingness to drink the cup that Jesus would have us drink. God has protected us against being accused of wanting anything for ourselves. We are responsible to be faithful and not appropriate things to our own use but recognize that we are ministers and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Eliezer was called a steward or bondservant of Abraham, Genesis 15:2. Genesis 24 speaks of the relationship that existed between that man and his master. In reading it over, I felt helped by some of the marks that were seen in his life. As he went forth to seek a bride for his master’s son, he was willing for all the self-denial, willing to efface himself and do violence to his own interests. That is one of the most important qualifications of a servant of God, that they be willing to do violence to their own interests. When Abraham spoke to him concerning going to that far-off land to seek a bride for his son, Eliezer did not hesitate. What is spoken of here of Abraham, Isaac and Eliezer is typical of God as the Father, Isaac as the Son and Eliezer as the servant of God. One of the first things that Abraham said was, “Go not into the way of the Canaanites.” He was zealous lest his son should be united to a Canaanite. That is one of the things we should feel responsible for as God’s children that we are not guilty of bringing a Canaanite into the family of God. Sometimes parents might be guilty of bringing their children into God’s family and not recognizing that God would never welcome a Canaanite. Eliezer swore to his master that he would go to the country of his kin and seek a bride there and as he went all his master’s goods were in his hand. There is no greater responsibility resting on the people of God than the recollection that all that God has, He has committed into their hands, and especially as the servants of God, to feel that God has committed to us all that He has. In the parable of the prodigal son, the father said, “All that I have is thine,” even though that man was not saved. God has put humanity in the position where all that He has is theirs, and to us as the servants of God “All his Master’s goods were in his hands.” When I think of first starting in the service of God, it seems that God is satisfied like a Master would be, in handing over His goods to an apprentice to learn the trade. The thought of using our Master’s goods or rather abusing them is the most responsible thing that ever comes into the lives of the servants of God. As Eliezer went on his journey, he came to the well side and there prayed that God would guide him by His Spirit and that he would make choice of the right person. I have enjoyed the thought that Eliezer left room for God to decide who should be the bride. As God’s people, we might make the mistake of thinking that God is working together with us instead of being workers together with God. Eliezer left room for God to make the choice there. The more you read, the more confidence you have in the Spirit of God to guide people to the right place. After Eliezer prayed to God to lead him, it talks next of him giving his master’s message. He talks so much of his master and never once mentions his own name. I would covet to learn how to do the work of God so that I would make people conscious that I have a Master, and be able to efface myself and not to impress people with my own personality, but that “I am just my Master’s servant.” Twenty times Eliezer talks of Abraham as “my master” and he mentions himself repeatedly as “I am my master’s servant.” There was provision made for Eliezer and all that were with him. The provision in the Gospel does not merely lie behind but it is before us and even if the people of God were unfaithful in ministering the things God has made clear to them as stewards there is still provender and every provision made. When Eliezer had entered the house, he would not eat until he had declared his master’s business and after this as he was about to go away and they constrained him to abide, he said, “Let me return to my master.” That is a mark of a true servant of God. He was not there to indulge in his own pleasure and when he had declared his master’s business he would not stay there. Sometimes people in their kindness or in their ignorance would try to constrain us to remain with them and to take a holiday but Eliezer said he could not do that. I enjoyed first of all the marks of self-denial and the willingness to do violence to everything in his own life that was seen in this man. No true servants of God have any claim as to where they are going but they have to go where the Lord guides them. As Eliezer went, he could bow his head and praise and worship the Lord who had led him continually. This word “worship” has a far deeper meaning than any of us conceive and though I have been a number of years in God’s way, I am only beginning to learn what it really means to worship God in Spirit and in truth. Eliezer, as he was conscious of God guiding, controlling, and leading him, could bow his head and worship the Lord. In all the places where it talks of worship, there is something definite that has happened between those who worship and the Lord. This matter of gathering together on Sunday morning and going through the set form and no definite yielding or consciousness of some transaction between ourselves and God is not true worship. Paul said, “I beseech you to present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy, acceptable unto God.” I long to know something of that experience in my own life, so that when I gather together on the first day of the week, there would be those inward conditions in my life that I would know how to worship God in Spirit and in truth.

If we are faithful as stewards, whether as saint, elder or servant, as God finds us faithful in the little things, He will commit to us the greater things and the things which are our own.

If the children of God could only grasp all that is unfolded in this letter, it would greatly enrich their souls. It embraces every possible need that could be represented here today. Reminds us of Paul’s first visit there, and afterwards visiting them and gathering the elders together, and urging them to feed the flock of God amongst them; and apparently about 10 years after Paul writes this letter. 30 years after again we have the message written in Revelations. It appeals to me, the relationship that existed between Paul and those to whom the letter was written. Had just as a lively interest in them as at the beginning. Some do not see the difference between a man who is paid and those who are given their sustenance. Paul was writing here to people for whom he had poured out his life, and whom he was seeking to lead on to the fullness of God.

The latter part of chapter 2 speaks of the foundation on which the church at Ephesus had been built. How can a building be erected on one cornerstone? Paul says, “Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.” Some find fault with Paul putting himself before Jesus. Find great comfort that we can fit ourselves in, and come in contact with those whom God has sent, and built into a spiritual Temple that God is building in the world today. Built on the foundation of those whom God had sent, and those whom God has appointed as prophets to be His mouthpieces. Verse 2: “Wherein, in the time past ye walked according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” Paul told them of what they used to be, then points out the God-ward side. Sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Anyone can get people to profess and follow them and go through the formality of worship. I do not attach much importance on getting people to profess, one longs to see some evidence in their lives that God has sealed them with His spirit. God puts His mark on us when we become His and the world begin to realize that we are His purchased property.

Spirit of wisdom. Sometimes one feels the awful danger of being inside God’s family and dragging out some kind of an existence, and no relationship or understanding of God. When I pass into eternity what I know will be of no more value to me than the sand on the shore, but only what I have worked into my life and character. It puts fear into my heart when I have to stand before others, and am expected to have something to help them. People’s eternal destiny depends on how they hear the word of God. It makes impressions on their lives and influences them in days to come. A great many things I have had to adjust in my own life. Nothing ever altered the first relationship I got of God. God is depending on us to give a true impression.

Paul wrote to Timothy of “Longsuffering as a pattern to those who would afterwards believe.” Nothing God values more in the world than people who are patterns. I feel glad of those who put God’s interests first and His kingdom first. God’s way is so unassuming that we are often guilty of abusing the privilege that is ours, and not knowing the anointing and quickening and revelation of God in our hearts. I can remember the place and the circumstances of almost every revelation I ever received, because it was written on my soul with an indelible pen. When Jesus gather the disciples together it was God’s true way of worship. Some gather together and come far short of what it really means to worship in spirit and in truth; praying vain repetition and knowing nothing of God’s anointing. One of the things we ought to guard against.

Chapter 3 “For this cause” connected with the previous verses. Just as they had been built on the true foundation Paul said, “I will go to the Gentiles” so that they may be built on that foundation. No greater inspiration than the consciousness that if I do not sacrifice my life, and give others the same opportunity of listening to His message, they will perish. We wonder sometimes how it is that people whose lives are free to do not have the same sacrifice and self-denial. Some might never be called. Most serious thing in the entire world is to be separated to go with the gospel. God chosen, God appointed, and God anointed.

Chapter 1 verse 19: “And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe according to the working of His mighty power.” Exceeding greatness of His power. Vision dim and go on in a lukewarm fashion without knowing the greatness of His power. The measure we put on God’s power was what raised Jesus from the dead. The thing which made it possible to raise Jesus was his willingness to die. Our unwillingness to die to all self-interest and human ambitions hinders us from knowing the exceeding greatness of His power. Submit yourselves unto God that he may manifest the power of His resurrection.

Chapter 4: “Walk worthy with lowliness and meekness.” Possible to spend our life and preach to others and miss the mark. Paul must have foreseen the difficulties that these people would have in their relationship with one another. We could get help at convention and be better than ever, and yet soon spoil it all by the friction with some member of the little church. When the disciples came to Jesus about who should be the greatest in the kingdom, and when Jesus sent out the disciples He said, “He that receiveth Me.” It is as we really become like a little child that we represent Jesus. Serious thing to get wrong with one of His little children. There is something in every nature that will submit to those who have the childlike marks; and that is why Jesus took a little child and set him in the midst. He knew the greatest correction was the development of these marks of meekness and long-suffering, etc. I feel afraid when I see people coveting worldly marks; not adorned with the marks given here. Nothing more becoming and beautiful than to see lowliness and long-suffering, etc.

Paul said, “That in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering as a pattern, etc.” 1 Timothy 1 verse 16: “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit.” The greatest miracle in the world is that God can gather the people of different natures and spirits and preserve the unity of the spirit in the Church. Revelations 1: John 60 or 70 years in God’s family got a revelation of God’s glory. He says, “I John am your brother and companion in tribulation.” After 24 years in God’s family I have come to the conclusion that all professed spiritually that doesn’t mean a person more brotherly or sisterly is very questionable to me, no matter how holy. Measure your progress by the standards God has given. If we do not become more companionable there is something sadly wrong, and there will be a rude awakening someday. If we hate our brother the love of the truth is not in us. So much imagination in our minds and difficult to analyze ourselves. Measured by our attitude towards the weakest. We are responsible to love and value and preserve the unity of the spirit with everyone who has the nature of Christ. How much it cost Abraham as a farmer to denying himself of well watered plain, in order to preserve the unity of the spirit between him and Lot.

I do not know anything so beautiful than “To be kind.” Verse 32: “And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” God saw right from the beginning that He would have to exercise forgiveness. David said, “Is there any left of the house of Saul that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Matthew 18: “If thy brother trespass against thee, etc. go to him.” How often when trouble comes we do the opposite. God puts the responsibility not only on the one who has committed the fault, but also on the one who has been trespassed against. Awful hypocrisy if we profess to get blessing in our hearts and have something against someone. Forgive one another and be kind. An awful lot of things we know and preach about and an awful lot of things left undone. How many times can we honestly say our hearts have been moved with kindness and compassion? I know of no higher attainment than to forgive those who have trespassed against us.

Jesus’ last words were, “Father forgive them.” And the centurion heard and said, “Surely this was the Son of God.” Stephen prayed, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” And Saul of Tarsus, the Pharisee, heard and was impressed. How truly John said, “I am your brother and companion.” ,True revelation makes a man more brotherly and a sister more sisterly. I cannot always judge the measure of my love to God, but I judge it is the same as the measure of my love to my brethren. “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven.” “Except ye forgive from your hearts never will your father forgive you.” It is not a small matter of dictating, getting to know ourselves that we can sympathize and help and bear with one another.

Matthew 18. If you read over this chapter once every week between now and next Convention, and purpose in your heart that you will practice in your life what this chapter teaches, you will be blest by God, your future will be more pleasing to Him, you will be more of a blessing to your brothers and sisters, and a blessing in the world. This chapter deals with two things mainly. The first part deals with entering the kingdom of heaven, and the latter part (right to the last word) has to do with being great in the kingdom of heaven. I do not think it is at all wrong for a child of God, saint or servant, to have an ambition to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. This is a Godly ambition and one that all of us should possess. There ought to be a deep true purpose in our hearts, “I want to have the marks of true greatness in my life, as God’s Child.” Greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven is very different from greatness in the kingdoms of this world. It was difficult in the days of Jesus, during His ministry, to get into the minds and hearts of his own disciples a true conception of His Kingdom. They were so leavened with the leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees, the interpretation of the Scriptures that they gave, that it caused them to have in their minds an entirely wrong conception of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus was hated, persecuted and crucified because He dared to contradict the interpretation of the Scriptures which was given by the recognized preachers and teachers in Palestine. It is a very serious offence to openly contradict a preacher. All preachers are sensitive about their preaching. I am beginning to understand a little better why the lowly, peasant, carpenter preacher, born in Bethlehem, and brought up in Nazareth, was hated by the great theologians of that day. These men were very proud of their interpretations of the Old Testament Scriptures, but that interpretation was given to them, not by the God of Heaven, but by the God of this world. Any anointing that they had received to enable them to interpret the Scriptures came from Satan and not from God. Jesus contradicted their teaching; He made clear by His life and ministry that the Kingdom He came to establish was an inward and spiritual Kingdom. In every act of His life, and every word that He spoke, He made clear that the outward and material Kingdom that they were hoping for, and in which they expected to fill the high places, was a kingdom that had no Scriptural foundation and was not the purpose of God to establish. The root reason for the crucifixion of Jesus was that He came to establish not a kingdom according to the popular conception, but according to the mind, purpose, and plan of His Father in Heaven–an inward and spiritual Kingdom–the rule and reign of God over His own people.

The Gospel of Matthew has been called the “Gospel of the Kingdom.” The expression “Kingdom of Heaven” occurs thirty-two times in this Gospel; also the expressions “The Kingdom of God, “My Father’s Kingdom,” and “The Kingdom of the Father.” The theme of Matthew’s Gospel is the King and His Kingdom. The first chapter gives the story of the genealogy and birth of the King. The second chapter tells of those that came with the question, “Where is He that is born King of the Jew?” They had followed the star, and when they were nearing the great city of Jerusalem, they began to reason, “If this King has been born we must go to the great city, and we will find Him in some great palace.” How disturbed Herod, the world king, was when the question was raised, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” But those wise men turned their backs on King Herod and went down to Bethlehem, and there they found God’s King, the One who had been born in a stable and cradled in a manger. They presented unto Him gifts. I have been amazed at the simplicity of the faith of these wise men. They did not stumble because of the lowly circumstances in which the King was born, but they worshipped Him and henceforth acknowledged and proclaimed Him as their Prophet, Priest, and King.

In chapter three, we are told of the forerunner of the King. In those days whenever a king traveled from one country to another, he was preceded by a herald. The pomp and glory of the herald suggested to the minds of the people the power and greatness of the king who was coming to visit them. God sent His forerunner to prepare the way for His King. There is nothing great or grand about him–nothing to suggest that there was going to be a great outward kingdom established, and that the Jewish nation would be lifted up and exalted above other nations. John the Baptist could have been a priest, but he renounced the priesthood. As a layman, unordained and unrecognized, he was taught of God and sent by Him to prepare the way for his King.

The next chapter tells the story of the temptations that Satan presented to the King. Satan sought to induce him to establish an outward and material Kingdom, but definitely and deliberately the Son of God rejected Satan’s proposal. The latter part gives us the story of the calling of His first ambassadors–calling them from the fishing boats to be followers of Him.

Chapters 5, 6 and 7 give us the Sermon on the Mount–the law of the Kingdom. In chapter 10 we read of the first twelve ambassadors being sent forth. Chapter 13 tells us in seven parables what “the Kingdom of Heaven is like.” This should grip our minds and influence our lives. Chapter 16 tells us about Peter’s confession of Jesus as King and the wonderful revelation God gave to him.

Chapter 18 deals with just two things: (1) How to enter the Kingdom; (2) How to become great in the Kingdom. There is the greatness of those who fill high places in the kingdoms of this world, and then there is the greatness of those who are desirous of filling the place in the Kingdom of Heaven that God desires them to fill. Chapter 20–The mother of Zebedee’s children was an ambitious mother, and anxious that her boys should fill high places in the Kingdom. The leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees was still in her mind.

Every true mother is ambitious for her children. James and John were glad that their mother was putting in a word for them, because they were human; but when the other ten heard that she was trying to put one over on them they were mad. Some of God’s children get mad. Here ten of the best men in the world were filled with indignation. They all wanted to enjoy the right hand place. Envy is the strongest of all human passions and the easiest to arouse. Any one of us can be stirred to be envious of our brethren. “Love is strong as death, envy is cruel as the grave.” Cain killed his brother Abel because he was envious of him. Joseph was sold as a slave and later put in prison because his brethren envied him, etc.

We can understand how those men felt when they saw the mother of Zebedee’s children seeking to get the high places for her children in the Kingdom. Jesus called them unto Him and said, “Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant, etc.” In the Kingdom of God there is no room for rulers, or men and women who desire to reign over their fellows. The truly great in the Kingdom of Heaven are among their brethren, not those that rule but those that serve. Jesus said to His disciples once, “I am among you as One that serveth.” He, the Master,the King Himself, amongst His own disciples was one who served. John 13 speaks of those same disciples going into that upper room that last night, and sitting down to supper with, their feet unwashed. It was customary in those days, when a company traveled together, at the close of-day for the youngest or least to wash the feet of the others. On this occasion none of them were willing. Jesus sat down also, giving them plenty of time to profit by His teaching, but not one of them got the victory, so He arose and He took the basin and washed the dirty feet of His own disciples. He, the Master, manifested His greatness by taking the place of a slave, and being amongst His brethren as one that serveth. The great man or woman in a little church, or among workers, is not always the elder, but the one who manifests toward all the Spirit of the Master, and lives to serve.

What is the pathway to true greatness in the Kingdom of God? I used to think it was all given in the first part of this chapter, but it takes all of it to make clear to us what true greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven really is. Some of us might be foolish enough to think that greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven depends upon the years we have been in the testimony, but that is not so. Neither does greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven depend upon our great preaching, because great preaching is a very empty thing. It does not depend upon our seeming success as saints or servants. It is one thing to appear great, and another thing to be really great. Greatness, even in the world, is a costly thing. Greatness in the Kingdom of heaven is a very costly thing. Perhaps we would like to have the appearance of greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven, and yet in our hearts would be unwilling to pay the price.

True greatness here is associated with three things: (1) The man or woman that serves best in the church is, in the Kingdom, the great man or woman. The men and women who desire to rule are not great, but small, only pygmies in the Kingdom of Heaven. They fill a very small place in God’s eyes. It is not the place our brethren gives us that counts, but the place our God gives us–the place that we have bought.

(2) True greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven is associated with our treatment and attitude toward our brethren when they are right, but especially when they are wrong. It does not take very much of this greatness to treat our brothers and sisters right when they are right, but it does take a good deal of true greatness to treat them right when they are wrong. Jesus tells us that there are three ways in which we may treat our brethren. We may “receive” them, we may “offend” them, or we may “despise them. In verses 10 to 14, He had in His mind “little ones” that go astray like lost sheep. Most of us know that some of His true “little ones” go astray. They may be overcome by world, flesh, or devil. They may falter and fall, but Jesus associates true greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven with how we treat the “little ones” when they fall. The tendency with most of us is to push our brother or sister a little deeper down rather than to lift them up. It takes a truly great man or woman in the Kingdom of Heaven to manifest toward their weak, slipping, falling brother or sister, the Spirit of the Good Shepherd, who left the ninety-nine in the wilderness and went after that one that was lost. “It is not the Father’s good pleasure that one of His little ones should perish.” There has been a great deal of unnecessary suffering among us because of the lack of true greatness in this respect. The longer we live, the more compassionate we ought to be, and the more understanding and anxious to meet the need of the weakest, as well as the strongest, and to do our best to feed the lambs and sheep of God’s flock.

(3) “If thy brother trespass against thee,” what are you going to do about it? How many of us have failed here because of ignoring the way of Jesus in helping your brother to get right and be restored to fellowship and usefulness in God’s Kingdom. When tempted to repeat anything about a brother or sister that might be injurious to them, the first question we should ask is, “Is it true?” When satisfied that it is true, the next question should be, “Is it needful to repeat it?” And the next, “Would it be hurtful or injurious to my brother or sister to repeat it?”

I am more satisfied than ever with the wisdom of God revealed in the life, ministry, and teaching of Jesus, and I see here in Matthew 18 a manifestation of that wisdom which, if carried out in the Name and Spirit of Jesus, the aggrieved brother or sister will be won, and the case ends there. Go to your brother in the Name and in the Spirit of Jesus, not to add to his condemnation, but with a desire and purpose to help toward his restoration. Between you and him alone, talk it over; and “if he will hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.” Oh, how wicked some of us have been. Instead of following this advice and counsel we have gone to somebody else or written some letter, needlessly advertising our brother’s failure, and in so doing injured our brother, sinning against God. Jesus was the friend of publicans and sinners. Even though that man or woman may, by his or her own attitude and hardness of heart, cut themselves off from fellowship, you must still manifest toward them the Spirit of Christ, and have a deep anxiety that your brother or sister may yet be restored. What you do thus is recognized by God.

When Peter heard this he got all worked up and said, “Lord, how often should a man forgive his brother? Seven times?” I don’t know who Peter had been quarreling with when he asked that question. The Pharisees taught that a man should be forgiven three times. Peter had gone further and had done so seven times, and he expected Jesus to pat him on the back, but instead Jesus said, “Peter, not seven times, but seventy times seven,” which means times without end. Then Peter, or some of the others, said, “Lord, increase our faith.”

In order to emphasize the need of forgiveness, Jesus said that there was a great king who took account of his servants.. One owed him $10,000,000, but he admitted his debt and said, “Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.” The lord of that servant was moved with compassion and forgave him that debt. I am glad for the compassion of the lord and his amazing forgiveness. This man went out and demanded of one of his fellow servants to pay him a small debt he owed him. He would not have patience or compassion on him, but had him arrested and cast into prison.

When the other servants heard about it, they were very sorry and went and told their lord. The lord called that unforgiving servant and said, “I forgave you ten million dollars, why did you not forgive that fellow-servant who only owed you one hundred dollars?” Then his Lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, “0 thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all thy debt because thou desirest me: shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee?” And the lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all unto him. So likewise shall My Heavenly Father do unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. How many of you will admit in your hearts, “It is true–I am in the hands of the tormentors. I am not enjoying the fellowship of God or His people. I am nursing a spirit of unforgiveness toward some brother or sister.” Don’t be like that, don’t remain there. Remember the ten million dollars that you owed, remember the mercy, compassion and forgiveness of your Lord, and let that memory soften and break your heart and move you to forgive from your heart every man his trespasses. Honor the King who has forgiven and set you free, and forgive from your heart your brother and sister. True greatness in the Kingdom of God then, depends upon three things: (1)Lowly service; (2) Treating your brother and sister right, but especially when they are wrong; (3) Forgiving from your heart every man and woman their trespasses.

Read Matthew 18 once a week until next Convention, practice what it teaches, and you will be truly great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

A new day is dawning…

The people of North West (South Africa), were very religious, but unfortunately they were still a people dwelling in the darkness. It’s a pity that very few eventually saw the light, when the gospel arrived. They might have seen the light, as was the case with Paul, but never heard the Voice. It was an episode in their lives, in which only one person gained; the one who heard that Voice. “A sound mind, is a mind that knows the Will of God and is willing to have it fulfilled, even though through suffering.”

The North West was an isolated region, because of the draughts, it’s wide open spaces, no decent roads, no telephones service, no rail roads and no water supply for our little town; Loeriesfontein.

The farms were very large, with an enormous amount of sheep, but nobody to buy it. Sheep sold for as little as 5/ (50c), if a buyer could be found at all. The wool sold for a trippens (2 and 1/2c) per pound. After a long battle with Government, we eventually go telephone- and rail- services. A railway bus were implemented, running from Klawer Railway Station, 100 miles far. This bus delivered post, passengers, groceries and other things for the local store as well wool and skins. This put the North West on the map and improved the economy to such a degree that the chariot disappeared from the scene.

1933 was a devastating year, not only for our region, but for the whole country. An extensive draught hit the country. This was the worse draught we have ever seen and after it followed the depression. Farmers, depending on their livestock, were affected the worse. Everywhere you looked, there were dead sheep lying around. The people of the North West, are taught from young to watch out for any little cloud, which might indicate some rain. That year, the clouds gathered and looked very promising every afternoon. But this, to no avail. The West wind would come and blow away every little promise and only the red dust remained in the sky. This left everybody depressed and sad. The Government tried to help by implementing standby jobs. The building of dams, bridges and roads, at a reimbursement that could hardly help a family survive. The Pension Fund were insufficient and the only ones that were considered for this, were people that did not own any property. This not regarding the fact, that a house could not put food on your table. My father was suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. My mother supported the family, by doing sowing work for other people on her sowing machine. I was a teacher in Oudtshoorn, earning Nine Pound (R18) per month. With this I had to pay, board and lodging as well as travelling costs. My father were a very quiet man, who seldom spoke. He were gone for long times, when working from home. In 1920, he left farming (being unprofitable) and started trading cattle, supplying the Abattoirs in the Cape Province with meat. This bought bitter disappointments and prepared him for receiving the gospel. (Later more about this).

He went to Calvinia, to the only Car Dealer, to buy a Buick for 300 pounds (R600). My father drove his car until 1933 and never got a Driver’s Licence. Nobody was interested in that. When the Truth came to Loeriesfontein, he was the first to acknowledge it, without attending one meeting. He could even help the workers to start their mission. (Later more about this…..)

The previous year, a rumour came to us from Nieuwoudtville, which annoyed us. We did not have a minister and fell under the Dutch Reformed Church in Nieuwoudtville. The minister of this church, came to us twice a year to baptise, introduce members, marry couples and to serve bread and wine. This were two occasions, everybody looked forward too. Something happening in for a change. There were no Bioscope’s and only one person owned a radio. Political gatherings afforded some excitement, especially when it lead to a good old fist fight. The community had their regular dances, without drinking of alcohol and other irregularities. I think it was uncle Fred Alder, who decided to dig deeper and spread the nets wider. Most of the Christians were in the big cities and Coastal towns. There were a meeting in Uniondale and Prince Albert before 1932, but the North West were still untouched. The thing that upset us, was that in Nieuwoudtville a strange religion was being preached. Something we have never heard of before. One morning uncle Eddie Duckett and John Olivier arrived in Nieuwoudtville and started a mission there. This is a small little town, situated on the Bokveldsberg. Halfway between Van Rhynsdorp en Loeriesfontein. They got Board and Lodging at Mr and Mrs Louw. Before the day was over, the minister of the Dutch Reformed Church, was informed about the new visitors. He instructed the Louw’s to cancel the Board and Lodging. When I made my choice, my eyes were opened to the iniquity that was done by the churches, especially in countryside towns. Here the minister, was acknowledged as the only Educated and was made Head over all Committees and Councils. All grave yards fell under the church. People did not know where to bury their deceased relatives. Eventually the Municipality gave permission that the velt belonging to the town may be used as cemetery. The body of uncle Fred Eloff, of Prince Albert, had to be transported to the Cape, to be acquire a grave. There lived a family Faull in Nieuwoudtville, in a small little house on the outskirts of the town. They had a workshop close by. They belonged to the Plymouth Brethren. The family included; Uncle Willie, ant Sienie, two unmarried brothers, who helped in the workshop and a couple of children. They had a natural ability to work with machinery. The workers were encouraged to knock on their door, because of the friendliness. Here they could board and these were also the only people that attended the meetings. Later uncle Toppie Louw, his wife and daughter Joey, were added. It was a very difficult time for him, as the minister threatened to have him dismissed from his job. He was the Caretaker at the local School and got a small salary from the Department. Joey later, got married to one of the Faull brothers. Later on uncle Toppie’s son Klasie and his wife Sophie were also added. It’s a pity that he did not continue, maybe out of fear of losing his job in the difficult times. He passed away, not long after that. A couple of miles outside the town, is a small waterfall and there this small congregation were baptised. Only later it was changed, to having the baptism at convention. These times were marked by poverty, but a rich harvest was yielded on the labour of the workers – the firstlings of the North West. Joey lived in Malmesbury and Sophie with her children.