13:1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

All right, 13: "Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers." The first Bible teachers are in Antioch.

"Certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger." And from that’s your word "nigger." That’s where your word is from. And "nigger" is supposed to be such a terrible word, I mean, "Horrors!" to be called a "nigger." Well, they’re calling them "blacks" now, I’d just as soon be called "nigger" as "black." But the word "nigger" has connotations, it has overtones, racial things attached to it, to make it such a word that just infuriates some people. But it’s simply the word; it’s a Bible word. Verse 1, "Niger" means "black." That’s what it means. That’s your Latin word; and that black country is called "Nigeria" in central Africa. Now, I don’t know who started calling it "nigger" for "Niger," but that’s just an Americanism. That’s some American just who can’t say "Niger," takes too much effort, so he says "nigger."

QUESTIONS: Down here not too long ago they didn’t like being called "nigger." They wanted to be called "nig-ro," not "nigger." I got into to it with a couple of them, and one of them said, "Man, I’ll tell you, it’s like this." He was talking about whites. "There’s white trash, and there’s white men. And when you talk about us, there’s niggers and then there’s nig-roes." {Laughter.}

ANSWER: I like it! Even that to say "Negro." But they get "nig-ro," and then finally, "nigra," Mississippi, "N-I-G-R-A," you know — "nigra." And some of them get downright funny. Brother Clifford, GMAC down here, they had to hire a bunch of Negro women work, you know, work down there, and the government will make you hire them, you know — prejudice. And they got ‘em in there and one of them was trying to phone, find some bill, some car for the country, and she’s phoning up here around Jay, Florida, someplace, out in the country, the country store up there. Well, up there out in the country, you know, they don’t know the NAACP, you know, from the NRA. And she phoned up there, and there was some old man answered the phone, telephone in the store, and this was a colored girl operator down here, trying to talk like a white woman, you know. On GMAC getting this account. And she said, "Is So-and-So there?"

"Well, I don’t know," he said, "he’s around here somewhere."

"Well, is he well out?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, he’s a good nigger, he’s been a good nigger ever since I’d known him."

This woman on the phone: "I beg your pardon?"

"Ah, he’s a good nigger, I’ve known that nigger for about fifty years!"

{Laughter.}

Bad, man!

Now, did you know it’s a terrible thing to call those people that, but they can call a cop an S.O.B. and not get arrested? You call one that, and you’re in for trouble, a fight or a lawsuit or something. You call a cop an S.O.B., nobody’s gonna do nothing.

QUESTION: Out there, they call each other that.

ANSWER: Sure they do! When they get mad at each other, they really call him, you know. "YOU BLACK NIGGAH!"

I like, uh, an old Southern teaching was, there were white niggers and black niggers. That was the old teaching. In the old teaching, you could take a good colored person, they weren’t considered to be a nigger, they were considered to be a colored person. But white trash — some of them are considered niggers; they’re white niggers. And there’s a lot of truth in that. I mean, just ‘cause you’re white, that doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to be good. And you take in all this stuff in the school, some of the best people in the school are colored kids, and especially saved colored kids. You ought to see a saved colored girl pile on a bunch of roughnecks when they try to start trouble in the school. Get her pocketbook and start swinging around, beating heads. "GET OFF, YOU JACK BAIT!" {bam! bam!} They get to it, boy!

All right, let’s see. How’d we get off on that? "Niger." {Laughter.} "And Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul." Now that’s an integrated congregation. In these days, saved people are all the body of Christ and met together, you don’t have as much of a problem. One of the reasons you don’t have much of a problem is because you only have one there for, oh, a hundred, or one for two hundred, or one for three hundred, whatever it is. And, like I said before, the colored people in a minority group are good people — you don’t have any problem. The problem comes when you get them en masse. Now, that’s the same way with the Germans, I was telling you about. You get them Germans, about four hundred get there with the beer stines going, somebody’s going to get killed, as sure as the world.

Now, they come up here, and it’s a shame, for example, that we couldn’t have colored students out here studying the word, and colored kids coming to church. It’s a shame, because some of them are good kids and love the Lord. And up North you find them that love the Lord and really mean business, you know, one or two of them. But you got to remember up North, a lot of the ones that some of you folks have known were in high school, where the white population outnumbers the colored population about twenty to one. And don’t tell me they don’t; I was raised in a northern high school; I know they do. And in the high school I went to, there were two thousand students. Of those two thousand students, I think there were three hundred blacks — in two thousand. You get a thing like that, you have balance there, and you can control the thing.

Now, you get down there, in some towns down here, like out in the country on a Saturday night, you go downtown, you ought to go downtown in Groveville or Thomasville or Soyville or Greensboro, or one of those places on a Saturday night. You won’t see a white person down there walking three blocks sometimes, except inside a store. Now, you get in a situation like that, you know, you have a lethal situation, and it’s going to get more lethal as time goes by.

Before the Civil War, the colored and white folks met together in the same church. They had a section upstairs for colored people. And after the Civil War, that broke; that made them segregated. They didn’t get segregated — the colored and white folks — until the Civil War.

And by the same token, up until the NAACP got their mess going around there in ‘64 in the Civil Rights bill, there was a good relationship between white and colored people down south. Now, generally, there really was. But when the thing came through, no white man could trust his colored help. And then the colored people couldn’t trust the colored people who were friends with the white people. And the colored people who were friends with the white people were looked down upon from the gang who wanted to get away from the white people — it made a bad feeling, brother. It’s been bad ever since. And it’ll get worse.

All right, 2: "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted." Now there’s fasting after the Resurrection in the Gentile church — perfectly proper.

"The Holy Ghost said." Still getting direct revelation from God.

"Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." Now, notice, separation is not from, but to. It is separation from, that’s true, but it’s separation from and to.

QUESTION: Barnabas is called an apostle, right?

ANSWER: Yes.

QUESTION: When did he become an apostle?

ANSWER: I don’t know, but he’s called this in Acts chapter 14, verse 14. So, you have other apostles coming up later, and the general list given, I believe, is something like this. I’d have to check on this. Uhhh...Sosthenes is usually given as one, Barnabas is one, Paul is one, and Timothy and Titus — I’d have to check on this — and Apollos, and I think there’s one or two more. But I’d have to check on it, I’d have to run a reference on it, I don’t have them written right down here.

All right, Acts chapter 13, verse 2; they ministered to the Lord and fasted — but they’re not "the twelve." Now, Bullinger used that to prove it’s just a different dispensation, that you no longer are fooling around with water baptism. But that’s just too funny for words. All the new apostles are all baptized — all of them. All of them. As a matter of fact, there isn’t a major Christian in the New Testament that isn’t baptized in water. Isn’t a single one them.

QUESTION: How do you explain it, when you’ve got these other apostles there, how do you try to explain that the apostleship is out now?

ANSWER: Well, it would have to be "Paul, an apostle not of men, but of God, called of God." It’ll have to be that if a man is an apostle, he’ll have to have the signs and wonders and miracles. And he’ll have to be ministering when God is still dealing with Israel.

QUESTION: Does he classify? Barnabas?

ANSWER: Evidently. Evidently. One of them, you’ve got a case there of Philip doing signs and wonders and stuff, and he’s not even an apostle, he’s a deacon. Because the signs follow them that believe.

All right, "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed,..." New Testament practice "...and laid their hands on them,..." ordination, New Testament practice, "...they sent them away."

Now, that’s the pattern for missions in the Bible. The pattern for missions is a local church ordains their own people, lays hands on them and sends them out for missionary work, and supports them. That’s the New Testament way.

Now, what the Lord has to do is, the Lord has to raise up other things when the New Testament church fails. In the New Testament, the New Testament church takes care of its own widows. They don’t any more, so you have relief and pension programs. In the New Testament church, the church sent out its own missionaries. They don’t any more, so you have mission boards to take care of them. In the New Testament, the New Testament church would do all the witnessing to soldiers and sailors that they could do, and bring them in to the local assembly. They don’t now, so you have to have servicemen’s centers.

So, all those agencies — rescue missions, Youth for Christ, servicemen’s center — all that stuff, all that stuff is stuff set up that the local church should be taking care of itself. But, if the local church fails, the Lord allows that other stuff to come up.

Now, that doesn’t mean that other stuff is of the devil, and that doesn’t mean that other stuff is wrong. But it means that in the Bible, the stuff is originally handled by the local church. And you can’t beat that for practice.

If you have a radio program, the local church ought to put the thing on.

QUESTION: Thieme says that all that stuff is wrong; that it should be given back to the church, whether they can handle it or not. God ordained it to the church.

ANSWER: Well, that might be true in theory, but in practice it wouldn’t work out that way at all, because now the thing has gone so far the local church couldn’t handle it. For example, what local church could handle "Back to the Bible" broadcasts by Theodore Epp? And what local church could handle M.R. DeHaan’s broadcast? There are some men that come pretty close to it. Bob Gray and Harold Sightler come as close to it as any two men I’ve ever known. Bob Gray and Harold Sightler have things worked out where they support the poor people in the church, and they operate youth centers and rescue missions and take care of the serviceman, and put on their broadcast and put out their magazines and newspapers and preach. This fellow from last week, Bob Ware, has a mailing list of 11,000 people he mails to in the local church.

A funny thing down there; I was preaching the other night, and I was preaching on how to pack out Sunday morning, have an old common dinner-on-the-grounds, and fish fry and everything, you know. And had around about 2,000 in Sunday school. And I was preaching on "The 64-Million-Dollar Question." And over at the back on the left corner were a section of Negroes, about thirty of them. And on this side over here in the back were cerebral palsy — about forty of them in wheelchairs and things. And then down this thing over here in left front there was about ten rows of bums, mission bums, and hippies and yippies and junkies and people with their hair down — you could smell them over the whole building, man.

And I was preaching away, and I said, "You know something? If I could just find a sinner, I’d have a good message for him!"

I saw one guy stand up over there, with a thick lip, you know — and they sat him down, and I kept on preaching, and I kept saying, "You know something?" I said, "I wish I could find a sinner." I said, "Is there a sinner in the building?" And that guy stood up again, and he came down and got saved. He went up and got baptized the same morning, man, right after the message — the wildest thing you’ve ever seen in you ever life. He said, "Me! Me! Me!" and came down.

Boy, I tell you, I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be something if you had everybody got up like that? He was a hairy bum, man. I mean, boy, his hair was down to here, crossed to here, mustache and beard — the whole works, boy. I mean, jacket and guitar on a swing — I mean, the whole thing boy.

I said, "Is there a sinner?"

"Me! Me!"

13:4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.

6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus:

7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.

8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.

9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,

10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.

12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

13 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.

All right, 13:4: "So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus." All right, this is the first missionary journey. They depart from here to Seleucia; that’s a seaport town. And from here they sail to Cyprus. This is the first missionary trip. First missionary trip is Antioch to Cyprus — island here. First missionary trip is east to west. East to west.

"And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister." They come to Salamis, the capital, on the eastern side right here. Over awhile they come around this way and work their way around the island preaching, and get around a place called Paphos.

Verse 6: "And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus." "Son of Jesus." And probably not intended to be connected with Christ, for it was a common name.

"Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God." Now, in verse 9, the first time in the Bible "Saul" is called "Paul" — verse 9. Up to here he’s been called "Saul" all the way. And the word "Paul" first occurs in verse 9. And he evidently is called that because his first Gentile convert in verse 7, his name is "Paul." That "Paulus" — that’s Latin. That’s the Latin word for "Paul." It’s also the German word for "Paul." Verse 7, "Paulus." And Paul has evidently received his name from his convert. If he had the name before, nobody ever used it of him until he gets this fellow converted.

"But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith." Now just as soon as you start to lead someone to Christ, you always have some "Bar-Jesus" showing up, trying to mess you up. And if you had any experience in personal work, you’ve seen it. You get out there, and as soon as you try to witness to lead a man to Christ, then there’s some, this Seventh-day Adventist, this Jehovah Witness, this Charismatic flapdoodle pulls him alongside and starts shooting off his mouth. And it’s too bad we don’t have the power that Paul had. Here’s what he does:

"Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand." That’s apostolic power, brother! Power! He can make him blind as a bat.

Back on my tape, running back there somewhere, I have a tape running back in my office, where I got four or five tapes — no, that isn’t right, it’s in the tape room at home now, with the tapes — I’ve got a tape of a missionary in China who told about when the Communists came in. And he told about one of the most wild things you ever heard. This fellow was being tortured and brainwashed, try to get up his faith with the class, and everything the instructor would beat him and make fun of him and mock. And one day he got this guy that he couldn’t do anything with, a Canadian missionary, and made him kneel in front of him, and he said, "Now, you’re always talking about miracles, and your God’s alive, and your God’s a miracle-performing God. You do one right now! Let’s see one! Let’s see your God get you out of the mess you’re in, if you’ve got any God."

And he didn’t know what to do, but he said the Lord led him to pray, so he bowed his head and said, "Dear Lord, if you’ve got to prove to this man that you’re God by making him blind, I want you strike him blind right now so he’ll know you’re God."

And the guy went just as blind as a bat! Right on the spot!

Now, that’s one of those things, see. Now those signs are apostolic, but the Lord sometimes has been known to mess up His dispensations! And that guy went blind, and when he got his eyesight back after about two weeks, he professed Christ. And they killed him by driving chopsticks up his nose. The Red people. And he got saved. The guard got saved.

All right, verse 12: "Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed." I guess he did! "Being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord." That’s a strange doctrine you got there, brother—BLAM!

"Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem." All right, they come across here; they sail to Paphos, and they come to Salamis, walk to Paphos, set sail, and come across here. And this is Perga in Pamphylia. And Pamphylia is like a county along here, and they land here, on this coast here. When they get here, John says, "Goodbye," and sails back to Antioch.

Now, we’re never told why John sailed back. But the next time they get ready to go on a missionary trip, Paul doesn’t trust him. Look at 15:36. And Paul’s afraid to take him with them, because he defected the first time. Acts 15:36: "And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do. And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. And the contention was so sharp between them, that they..." split the church right down the middle, verse 39. One went one way, and one went the other.

You know why that’s so remarkable? Because the Bible says Barnabas was a good man and filled with the Holy Ghost. And he had a falling out with the greatest Christian who ever lived. That shows you something about Christians, see? I mean, you can take two Christians, and they can both be filled with the Holy Ghost — and still not get along with each other. Have to split up; one goes one way, and one goes the other.

Now, come to 2 Timothy, and notice that many years later Mark got right, or at least Paul forgave him. A little hard to tell which. But, I think it’s 2 Timothy — oh, I don’t see it. What is it? 4:11. Here it is, there it is, 4:11: "Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry." So, whatever the problem was, he got fixed up.

13:14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.

15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.

16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.

17 The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.

18 And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.

19 And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.

20 And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

21 And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.

22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

23 Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:

24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

25 And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.

26 Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.

27 For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.

28 And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.

29 And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.

30 But God raised him from the dead:

31 And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.

32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,

33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.

34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.

35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:

37 But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.

38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:

39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

40 Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;

41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.

All right, Acts chapter 13, verse 14: "But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia." Now notice that’s not the Antioch in Syria; that’s another one. So you have Antioch in Syria — that’s over here — and you have Antioch in Pisidia — that’s up in here. Those are two different Antiochs.

All right, then he says, "They..." "...went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel,..." they’re the Jews "...and ye that fear God,..." that’s the Gentiles. Those are Gentile proselytes to Judaism in the synagogue. "Ye that fear God."

"Men of Israel and ye that fear God, give audience." "Audio" — give ear.

"The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it." I talked to you about that "high arm" lesson in Exodus last week.

"And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness." Put up with their bad manners. This is supposed to be a "mistake" in the King James Bible, and it’s supposed to read, "to bear as a nursing father," according to some manuscripts. Does anybody have a note on that, in your margin anywhere?

SOMEONE IN CLASS: It says it’s a Greek word that says, "Bore, or feed them as your child."

That’s it. The Septuagint manuscripts — Vaticanus and Sinaiticus — say, "Et chopta fo resin," and this is "Et chopta fau resin." The difference is in the reduplication of a phi and an omicron. If you make it "Ept rapo pho resin," it’s King James. If you make it "Ept rapa pho rasin," it’s "to bear as a nursing father." So they figure the King James made a mistake.

In fact, I’ve got it here myself. Here it is, right here. "Or better as an earth-bearer feeder child, Deuteronomy 1:31, except according to the Septuagint, and so Chrysostom." Yeah, likely story.

Anybody got Nestle’s on ‘em? How bout popping out Nestle’s, let me just check it. 13:18. 13:18. They took the King James reading for a change. A footnote, 18. Eighteen, yeah, here’s the other reading. The other reading is, "Etra phac," or the two "phis" and the two "omicrons" in P74, second century papyrus, A Alexandrinus, fourth century, C fourth century, E, a few others of no importance, D Old Latin, Latin as a group, and the Syriac.

The vast weight of manuscript evidence, then, is for the King James. Matter of fact, the evidence this time includes Vaticanus and Siniaticus and the Caesarean and Manuscript D and the majority manuscripts.

So, you don’t have to take it seriously.

All right, verse 19: "And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot. And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet." That’s the chronological problem; it’s a wild one.

"And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis." "Kish" in the Old Testament.

"...a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years. And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. Of this man’s seed." David’s seed.

"Hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus: When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose. Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and..." here’s the Gentiles "...whosoever among you feareth God,..." there’s the Gentile proselytes.

He says, "To you is the word of this salvation sent. For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him,...." we’ve covered this many times before.

"They took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. But God raised him from the dead: And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. And we declare unto you glad tidings." That’s the birth promise at Christmastime.

"How that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again." That’s the promise of a resurrection for Israel, prefigured by Christ’s resurrection.

"As it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." Referring to Jesus as God’s Son.

"And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption,..." we’ll close here "...he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David." That you just had in 2 Samuel.

QUESTION: What was the promise referred to?

ANSWER: The promise is the resurrection of a nation. Now, I’ll show you how you know that. Put you a cross reference there, and for a cross reference there write down Acts chapter 24, verse 14 and 15: "But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:..." which is the context of Acts 13. "And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust."

Another cross reference; write down Acts chapter 26 verse 22 and 23: "Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles."

There’s another one that says, "For the hope unto which promise, I wait for the promise of the resurrection, unto which promise I..." something "...day and night." Where’s that? It’s in Acts. 26:7? That’s it. There’s the one. There it is. All right, especially now, 26, verse 6 and 7: "And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise..." that’s what he quoted in Acts 13 ...of the promise made of God unto our fathers: Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come." What’s the promise? Verse 8: a resurrection from the dead.

QUESTION: Isn’t that the verse the Calvinists use to prove the promises of the Old Testament are spiritual, and they’re all fulfilled in Christ’s resurrection?

ANSWER: Yeah, that might be one of them, yep. But, of course, that’s only one promise. That’s only a promise of the resurrection. Calvin’s got to explain the promises from the land grant, and the New Jerusalem, and the measurements of the land, and God knows what. He’s got more to explain than just the resurrection.

QUESTION: In verse 33 it says, "Written in the second psalm." Were the psalms set up in order when they write Acts?

ANSWER: They weren’t supposed to be according to the scholars, but evidently they are. Evidently the Old Testament is all laid out in chapters when he gets up to speak. So, evidently, the scholars are deceiving folks.

All right, we’ll take a break.

Great predictions! "Walter Cronkite will not retire this year!" Da-da-da-dat-de-duh! Tremendous, you know. What competition for Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel! "Mike Douglas will take his popular television show on the road. Merv Griffin’s spotlight will remain bright. Great natural disasters will take place in the springtime and early summer, catastrophes of the earth. Fire and water will touch thousands of lives all at once. In year ahead ships, including passenger liners, will be hijacked. And passenger ships will be held for ransom. Forces of nature. Roselyn Carter will win the heart of America. Richard Burton will bring success touched by sadness. Carol Burnett will have to put herself up because the Queen of England will be inviting her to dinner." What a thing, man! What a thing, man!

"Mick Jagger — his year will be as jarring as his song." Tremendous insight!

"Muhammad Ali will score financial knockouts. Frank Sinatra — good fortune will stay with him. And Jimmy Carter — unexpected changes in top personnel." There isn’t anybody who takes a daily newspaper couldn’t write that trash out. That’s a "prophetess." She has to have a snake give her that. That snake must be drunk.

"Evangelist Billy Graham says the Bible does not teach teetotaling, so it’s all right for the Baptist President-elect Jimmy Carter to drink an occasional highball. Quote: ‘I do not believe the Bible teaches teetotalism. I can’t. Jesus drank wine.’" Chapter and verse? Chapter and verse?

See? There’s the guy who has the ear of a hundred — maybe, perhaps, of folks worldwide — maybe a hundred million people. He doesn’t know enough Bible to teach a Sunday school. I’ll give you a hundred dollars if you can find a verse where Jesus drank wine.

QUESTION: There’s this guy in Tennessee who shows Christians who don’t know how to handle it, he shows them it’s all right to drink, and they’ve asked for some information on it, so I’m getting ready to make a tape to send back to them.

ANSWER: "Jesus drank wine. Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding feast, said Graham. That wasn’t grape juice, as some of them try to claim. I asked how much influence he might have, now that there will be a fellow Baptist in the White House. Graham said, ‘Probably not very much. We’re friends. I’ve spent several nights with him. And he was chairman of two of our crusades. I’m very much for him.’"

Sam Morris, down in San Antonio, Texas, has a station down there called KDRY. K-DRY. And Sam Morris is the last of the old teetotaler liquor fighters in the Billy Sunday. He’s the last of the big three. I mean, he’s older than I am. He’s older than Rice — John R. Rice. Sam Morris is something like 88 or 90, something like that. And he called Billy Graham’s hand on that liquor issue ten years ago. And Billy at that time insisted that he never said anything like that, because he doesn’t believe it. Now he’s saying it and quoting it because the president is a drinker.

All right, Acts chapter 13. Where we at here? Verse 14? 35? Get down that far? All right, Acts 13:35.

Now, Father, we pray for wisdom and understanding expounding the word of God. We pray you might help these students, enlighten their minds, quicken their memories, refresh their intellect, Father, that they might be able to take these things and store them away and produce them at the time needed. May the Holy Spirit store these words in their hearts and call their remembrance in time to meet all things they need, and give them a reason for the hope that is in them, and know how to answer every man. And we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

All right, Acts chapter 13, verse 35: "Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." Referring to the physical body of Christ.

"For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption." That is, his body. And notice it speaks of the body as sleeping.

"But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption." The body didn’t rot.

Then a great passage: "Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins." Not through water baptism! Not Acts 2:38.

"Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe {and are baptized?} are justified from all things." There’s no baptism to it! Paul knows perfectly well, as early as Acts 13, that water baptism has nothing to do with salvation. He baptizes converts from Acts 16 to Acts 18, and he knows perfectly well they’re not connected, as far back as Acts 13. Matter of fact, he doesn’t even bring it up. Paul is teaching salvation by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ in Acts verse 38 and 38. And Acts 13:38 and 39 is as clear as you’ll ever see.

Thirty-nine: "By him all that believe..." PERIOD! "...are justified from all things." There’s justification; that’s the doctrine of Romans. And that’s preached way back there in Acts 13 — first missionary trip.

"And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." So the gospel of the grace of God is not preached after Acts 28 — it’s preached all through the Book of Acts. And the first time it’s preached is in Acts 9, to the Ethiopian eunuch. The next time it’s confirmed is in Acts 10, when Simon Peter preaches. And Paul preaches it regularly ever since the first day he got saved. And coming up in Acts 15, they’re getting ready to confirm.

Thirty-nine: "And by him all that believe are justified —" underline it — "from all things." A clear slate.

"From which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets." And he quotes Habakkuk 1: "Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you." Now, go back to Habakkuk chapter 1 and notice how Paul clearly appropriates Scripture to drive home a point. Now, this thing here in Habakkuk 1:5 had nothing to do with the gospel of the grace of God at all. Absolutely nothing. And Paul takes that thing out and puts that thing down and uses it in an inspirational sense. He’ll quote the Old Testament and apply it to get results. And he pays no attention to the historical context at all. Look at Habakkuk 1:5: "Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you." What is it? Verse 6: "For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land." The context of that statement had nothing to do with getting saved. That had to do with declaring to the people in Judaea that Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans would come in and destroy Jerusalem. Paul takes that thing out and puts it right down into the gospel message.

That shows you something about preaching. Often good preaching is not good doctrine. And often good doctrine is not good preaching. Now, it ought to be sound doctrine. In plainer words, when you preach, you should never say anything that takes false doctrine. But you can make a very free application. For example, you can preach on the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew chapter 25 about being ready for the Lord to come and not ready for the Lord to come, and you can make that a tremendous sermon on the Rapture. But, doctrinally, that thing has nothing to do with the Rapture.

I don’t know how many times I’ve preached Matthew 22 as a picture of the White Throne Judgment, and the guy being unprepared and stepping in before the Lord unprepared in his own righteousness. But there’s no White Throne Judgment in Matthew 22. And if you were unprepared, you couldn’t get in. That wedding feast in Matthew 22, when the guy shows up without a wedding garment — well, you can’t get caught up in the Rapture without a wedding garment! I mean, at the White Throne Judgment, you’re not going to have guests there. There’s no wedding there, see? It makes great preaching, but it makes lousy doctrine. So, you’ve got to remember that good doctrinal preaching is not always good preaching, and good preaching is not always good doctrine.

I heard a guy get up one time, and he preached the whole night on the rich man and Lazarus, and he had the rich man in Heaven and Lazarus in Hell. Some hillbilly down there someplace in south Georgia — just raving away, you know. "And the rich man was up in Heaven, and Lazarus set out, and tormented in his flame," and had the thing all screwed up. And he got through preaching — and had four people saved! Ha! Ha!

Doctrinally, that thing was atrocious, see?

So, now, you want to get this balance between preaching and doctrine. There’s nothing deader than dead orthodoxy. And there’s nothing deader than just sound, straight doctrine, just laid out one, two, three, four, without any inspiration or practicality to it. Nothing any deader.

We got a preacher in this town — he’s gone now — and he’s a good fellow, loving the Lord, he’s a German buddy, and a good man — but that fellow, I’ve let him preach here I guess maybe about eight times, and he’s gone out and taken a church someplace else right now. And that fellow never preaches, but that his sermon is just solid Scripture. Well, I appreciate the Scripture. A man like that has a lot memorized to get that much Scripture together. And the Scripture won’t return void, but will accomplish what God has sent it. But, that fellow, you hear him preach three times, you’ve heard him all you need to hear him. If you heard that guy fifty more times, you’d hear the same message. Every message is Scripture on the Second Coming — that’s all it is. Scripture, Scripture, Scripture, Scripture. Which is all right, but the Lord Jesus didn’t preach that way. And Paul didn’t preach that way. And no great preacher preaches that way.

You not only need to read it — the Scripture — but you need to cause them to understand the reading. And you preach the word of God, give them the word of God, then explain the word of God, then apply the word of God. See? You make application. You do it more than just standing up and saying, "For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son." That’s great, see, that’s Scripture. But the Lord didn’t do it that way. You read the Sermon the Mount. A couple of times, He’ll say, "You’ve heard them say," — snap — Scripture. And, "Moses, said..." — snap — Scripture. And, "Why did David say in the Psalms..." — snap — Scripture. And, "Have ye never read in the scripture..." — snap — and then, He’ll quote Scripture, see? But, you ever read how much of His stuff was just, "Consider the lilies of the field"? "There was a woman who did this." "There was a man that did this." "There was a man that went down to Jericho and fell among the thieves." "Ye shall neither in this mountain worship God." He’s explaining and applying the Scriptures.

Now, that’s an example of extreme sound preaching and sound doctrine. Good preaching is sound doctrinally, but it’s not doctrinal preaching. I mean, real preaching is taking a verse and putting it on a fellow so that he gets tied up with it, and he can’t get loose from it.

All right, Acts chapter 13, verse 40: "Beware..." Then he quotes in verse 41 Habakkuk 1:5 and applies this thing to a fellow rejecting the gospel. And so it’s all right to do. Some of the greatest sermons you’ll ever get are in the Old Testament.

13:42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.

43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.

46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.

48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.

51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.

52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.

Verse 42: "And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes" — that’s the men and brethren. The "brethren" are the Jews and the "men" are "those among you that fear God," Paul said when he started back in verse 26.

"Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God." Now, you see how that could be misapplied. Somebody says, "Well, all right, you can continue in the grace of God; as long as you continue, you’re saved. But if you fall from grace, you lose it," you see? But that term "grace" is quite a word. You have to be careful how you throw that word "grace" around.

Go to 2 Corinthians chapter 6, and look at verse 1. And notice the "grace of God" in both these contexts, he’s persuading them to continue to listen to what he has to say. And those are the gospel privileges mentioned in Romans. Remember that thing in Romans chapter 11 about that olive tree, and the good branch and the bad branch, and all that? The grace of God is not only just, "By grace are ye saved." And, "In grace ye stand." One time, Paul said about a certain donation, he said, "I want also to complete or finish this grace in you also." That was the grace of giving. It said, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." That means the Lord gave him a special break.

Now, look at this one here; 2 Corinthians 6:1: "We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain." That’s supposed to be written to saved people.

But look at chapter 5, verse 20 and 21. Five, 20 and 21; that’s aimed at unsaved people. And he’s telling those unsaved Gentiles in 6:1 that God has been gracious to you in giving you a chance; now don’t let the grace of God come to you in vain; believe the gospel, see. So, in 6:1, he’s not saying, "You Christians were the saved by the grace of God; don’t you fall from grace now and make it to no account." He’s not saying that. He’s saying, "You unsaved people we preached to and begged to be reconciled to God, don’t let our preaching be in vain. Do something about it."

All right, come back to Acts chapter 13 in this context. Verse 43; this is not persuading saved people to keep on getting, you know, keep on hanging on. That’s talking about the people who are hearing what he has to say, putting up with him and hearing some more.

Now, I’ll give you a good example. I walked in San Antonio yesterday or the day before sometime; I don’t know where, I was coming off for awhile. And some fellow came there to the service, he was a fellow about 30 years old, beard, heavy hair, and his father was some accountant in that town, a businessman. He came and sat down and got all tore up in the service and went out to eat afterward. And Brother Bonn said, "That fellow there is under conviction." And he said he’s an engineer, and he doesn’t believe the Bible, and wants some things explained to him. So I let the family go with Brother Bonn, and I got in the truck and went with this fellow down to the next trailer. And I drove down there about thirty minutes with him; the next trailer’s closed. So they went down to the other place, LaFombre, and it was closed. So went to the Hot Tollar, and it was open. And by then we’ve been driving about an hour and a half. And I shelled that boy; I shelled him. Man, if I get in the front seat with a guy in a truck for an hour, we can have us a ball! And I went through it, boy; the devil, and the creation, and sin, and attributes of God, and all this stuff — and he’d, no, he’d come at me one way, and the Scripture’d stop — and finally, he’d laugh, you know, they get embarrassed, they see, you know, how stupid they are. And finally, then, he’d finally admitted that he was in love with a Baptist girl who’ve been witnessing to him. He’s been laughing at her, making fun of it. But he said something had happened the last two weeks that had unnerved him and shook the tar out of him, and maybe he would decide that maybe there was a God — but she couldn’t explain it to him. So he wanted to have it explained, and we went on some more.

Then we sat down and ate at the dinner table. And got on in there about fifteen minutes — then the bottom lands on him. And then, after we started to get up to go to leave, my wife is sitting right across from me, and she said, "Well, now, it’s just real simple." And she laid it out to him again.

And then he said, "Well, I just kind of, you know, it isn’t clear enough to me, you know."

Then we went out the door, and I told him to read Romans. And he went back and read Romans, and came back to church that night. That guy in church that night was sitting back there, and I shelled him again, and gave the invitation. And that time he got up red in the face, and trembling — and didn’t come. When he left the place, he was shaking head to foot.

Now that fellow, if I was going to give out some advice, you know what I’d give that fellow advice? I’d say, "Brother, continue in the grace of God." See what I mean? I mean, God’s being gracious to him, right? I mean, pretty fair! You don’t find people that age, engineers, coming to churches, fundamental churches, two times in a row and letting some hillbilly roar and yell at him and then go home and read Romans and then come back for more — unless God’s dealing with him, see?

All right, that’s what he’s talking about here.

All right, 43: "Who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God." That is, not to go back to their old religious ways and trusting in that law and mess to save them, but to hear what he’s got to say.

"And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God." Now, I’d like to have seen that, boy! You know, it’s been a long since that’s happened, you know — the whole city coming together to hear the word.

I know Billy Graham has a campaign — but it isn’t done like that, you see. When Billy has the whole city come to hear the word of God, he sends out his team two years ahead of time, and they contact all the people in town and find out who’ll cooperate and who won’t cooperate, and then get all the businessmen to rewrite the stuff, and then get all the prayer partners to start holding meetings, and then bring in the Living Bible and Inter-Varsity teams to go around and hit all the kids, you know, and get the thing going, and then rent the place, you know, and all that business, and then get TV coverage, then get the whole city together to hear it.

Do you realize what happened here? The Holy Spirit got that bunch together. Paul just said, "You ought to continue," and the next Sabbath day, 40,000 people down there!

"But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy." There’s that old motive. That’s what undid the devil, and that’s what caused the crucifixion of Christ.

"When the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you." Jew first, Gentile next.

"It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you." Simon Peter says, "The Lord blessed you in sending His Son to you first," Acts chapter 3, Acts chapter 3, verse 26: "Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus." John chapter 1, "He came to His own, and His own received him not."

Acts 13:46: "Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles." Now, it’s sarcasm. It’s a sting. I mean, you know, nobody’s worthy of everlasting life. I mean, he’s rubbing it in. That’s brutal. Saying, "Since you fellows are too good for eternal life, why, we’ll let the Gentiles have it." Or, "Since you fellows don’t think you’re good enough to get it." Oh, it’s hard, man! "You judge yourselves unworthy." He’s saying, "Well, if you don’t think you deserve it, then we’ll find somebody who does deserve it." That’s rough on a Jew, boy!

And, "We turn to the Gentiles." Now put a mark there. That’s the first "turning." Well, there’s Acts 7. In Acts 7, that’s the Lord turning from Jerusalem, on the Jews in Jerusalem. Now, in Acts 13, verse 46, that’s in Asia Minor. That’s in Asia Minor. It’s not in Europe yet. It’s not in Europe yet. That’s in Asia Minor.

And the next turning point is a little bit later, when Paul gets over into Europe, then there’s another turning point. And then, finally, there’s a worldwide turning point in Acts 28. Now, that turning point in Europe will be Acts 18, I think — yeah, 18:6. Eighteen:6. Eighteen:6. Now, those are turning points. In Acts 8:7, the Lord officially slams the door on Jerusalem, in Palestine. In Acts 13, He officially slams the door on Israel in Asia Minor. In Acts 18, He officially slams the door on the Jews in Europe. In Acts 28, He officially slams the door on Jews everywhere.

Now, that doesn’t mean some of them can’t get saved. But that’s God dealing with Israel, showing that God is turning from Israel, and the times of the Gentiles come in, and the Lord puts Israel aside — until the times of the Gentiles be come in, the fullness of the Gentiles.

All right, Acts 13, verse 47: "For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth." Notice again, a free quotation. Now, where is that quotation from? Somebody give me a cross-reference. Isaiah what? Isaiah 42:6. 49:6? Well, I see 42:6, too. It’s 42:6, too. All right, 42:6. And it is in also 49:6; it’s in both of them. And, uh, 49:6 is probably the better of the two. All right, now, I’ll take 49:6; now notice how Paul reaches back in here and takes a verse that applies to Gentiles coming to Jerusalem in the Millennium, and put that thing right down in the Church Age. Right down in the Church Age. Isaiah 49:6: "And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel." There’s your Tribulation. "I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth." Now, verse 7: "Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship." It’s the Millennium. But look at verse 8. Where’d you ever see verse 8 before? Isaiah 49:8? It’s over in Corinthians.

So Paul doesn’t hesitate to take passages that deal with the Millennial salvation of the Gentiles and put it right down in the church. Now here’s his reason for doing it. Look at 49:5; they have a double application. Bullinger had a terrible time finding this. But look at 49:5: "And now, saith the Lord that formed me..." That’s Christ talking about the Father. "And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant,..." That’s Christ talking "...to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious." That isn’t in the Millennium. That’s the Church Age. That’s Israel dispersed. See that thing? So verse 6 can apply to the Church Age. Put that thing right down on it. Ol’ Paul puts it right down on it.

So, when Bullinger said the Church Age is not in the Old Testament, he’s very much in error. It isn’t revealed. But it’s there.

All right, back to Acts chapter 13. Acts chapter 13, verse 48: "And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed." There’s your old Calvinistic shot. And if there’s anything wrong with the Trinitarian Bible Society in London, England, it’s the fact that they’re Calvinists all the way, and they put out their little thing on "ordain," and they go out on the Calvin system, and they have, "Chosen before the foundation of the world."

Now, that passage used to be quite a bother to me. I used to run to the Greek to try to get out of it. But, after awhile, the Lord showed me something. As a matter of fact, He showed it to me about two years ago. And, come to Romans. I was reading along in Romans one day, and I got along here in Romans chapter 2. When I got to Romans chapter 2, I found out that Paul was preaching to Gentiles, and Gentiles coming out of this last age, where they’ve been living under conscience before the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, the Gentiles that are ordained to eternal life are the Gentiles that have been following their consciences! Has nothing to do with the election of God or saved people.

Look at Romans chapter 2, and Romans chapter 2, verse 6. Romans 2:6: "Who will render to every man according to his deeds." It’s a works job. "To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality,..." what? "...eternal life. But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God." So, that bunch back there that are ordained to eternal life are the ones that have been following their consciences, like Cornelius in Acts chapter 10. It had nothing to do with anybody being chosen before Genesis 1:1. And it was based on a works situation on top of that.

All right, Acts 13:48: "And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord." The Gentiles, see?

"And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed." Fellow had been following his conscience, and the Lord was going to give him eternal life — he believes on Christ — and got it!

"And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region. But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women." That’s a peculiar note in there.

QUESTION: Does that word "ordain" mean that before they started, they were going to get eternal life. Is that what that word "ordain" means?

ANSWER: They’re headed toward it. They’re ordained to it. It’s their destination.

QUESTION: But it just has to do with what they do to get it.

ANSWER: Yes. Sure did in Romans. Sure did. And if they didn’t do anything, they’ll believe. But if they believe, they’re saved by grace through faith, see?

QUESTION: So they get eternal life if they didn’t hear Paul?

ANSWER: Well, they’d have eternal life, according to Romans, if they follow their conscience. But in this age, a man’s conscience will lead him to Christ.

QUESTION: Is that the only way to be saved is by conscience, or is that leading to through conscience?

ANSWER: The only way in the Old Testament before Christ came and died on the cross, the only way in the world a Gentile could be saved would be by following his conscience. How else could he be saved?

QUESTION: OK, so if a man was following his conscience, his conscience wouldn’t lead him to Christ?

ANSWER: Their conscience would have to lead them to do what God told them to do, and if they did what God told them to do, they’d be saved.

QUESTION: Even by not accepting Christ?

ANSWER: Noah didn’t accept Christ. Abraham didn’t accept Christ, see? You get in that old thing. The only thing with Noah, he’s told to build a boat. The Lord didn’t tell Noah, "If you want to be saved, accept Christ." He said, "If you want to be saved, build a boat." And the guy built a boat.

The Lord told Abraham, "If you want my righteousness," He didn’t say, "Believe in Christ." He said, "Believe I want to give you a lot of children."

So you don’t know what God told them. The Lord might have told an American Indian, "If you want to be saved, you go out there and cut down that totem pole, and you put me first, and don’t make any images, because I am the Great Spirit, and if you want to worship me, you’ve got to worship me in Spirit and in truth." And probably a lot of them did.

QUESTION: If they didn’t do what God told them to do, would that defile their conscience?

ANSWER: I don’t know how much extent is. I don’t know how many times a guy can defile it and still come out on top. Go back to Romans 2, and let me show it to you. I don’t know the inner workings of that thing. I’m going to find out some day; look at 33. Look at 2:18. No, 2:16. Look at 2:16; see that thing? Now, you want to know what the context of 2:16 is? Look at 2:15. See that business? I mean, only the Lord knows how that thing works.

QUESTION: "Ordained" is a fixed word?

ANSWER: No, that’s something else. Ordained isn’t absolute. I’ll give you some references. If you want, you can approach it that way, too. It’s a little bit harder to explain, but it’s true. Take 1 Corinthians 9, for example. And notice in 1 Corinthians chapter 9, verse 14: "Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." See that? That business there? The Lord hath ordained; I mean, the Lord wants it that way; that’s God’s decree on it. But that can’t be an absolute decree. Did you know that people who preach the gospel don’t make their living of the gospel? For example, Paul — right in the same chapter.

Did you ever stop to think how much Richard Wurmbrandt must have thought about that verse when he was in solitary. "The Lord ordained that they that preach of the gospel should live of the gospel." That boy was preaching the gospel, and instead of making a living, they’re killing him.

So the ordination — the word "ordain" doesn’t always mean "absolutely fixed."

Now, when you say "predestined," that’s pretty fixed. But, when you say "ordained," there’s still some leeway to it.

All right, Acts chapter 13, verse 50: "Acts 13:50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women." Now, not the bad women, but the crust — high society. "Devout and honourable women."

"And the chief men of the city." See, not the pimps and the junkies and prostitutes. "The chief men." The councilmen, mayor, city commissioner, chief of police.

"And raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium."

"And the disciples..." were not filled with envy. The disciples "...were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost."

All right, we’ll stop there, and your exam will cover those 13 chapters.

QUESTION: Asking for a word of exhortation in the synagogue — does that thing still hold true?

ANSWER: It’s a Jewish custom, but they’re doing it under grace, and they’re doing it where you just preach the gospel of grace. So, I imagine it’s still good.

I’ve known a kid who’d do it. I used to witness to a kid at Bob Jones — I forget his name, now.

And, you know, it’s a funny thing just looking around the country. I was down in Orlando a couple weeks back. And I ran into a guy named Jack Turney. He’s doing all our tape duplication for us up there; I went to school with him; used to preach on the street with him. He had a serviceman set in Swanboro.

And we went down there, and I went down — they took me down to a good Mexican restaurant down there too. And we had a good one! And you can get addicted to that stuff, man! Just like liquor.

And we come back from there, and we’re driving along in that car, and I said, "You know something?" I said, "It seemed to me now looking back on it, but every single guy at that school who was doing something for the Lord when we were there is still doing something for the Lord. And the ones that weren’t doing anything for the Lord never got to do anything for the Lord. It’s a strange thing. I don’t know why that is. But, when we were there, the ones like Bob Persons and John Turney and Jack Turney and Phil Shurer and Don Wilson and Glenn Shunk and those guys I went to school with, when we were there, we were nobodies — I mean, I went out there with Parr in the Greek and Hebrew department, and the other guys weren’t that smart enough to make A’s, they were lamebrains, some of them. And then some of them had jobs, and couldn’t back to school in time for class, so would get demerits for missing classes, preaching off 400 miles away. Sometimes they would drive 400 miles in a weekend. I mean, nobody would have us within 300 miles! And we’d come back in these old secondhand cars after driving off — I have gone from Greenville, South Carolina, to Swansboro, North Carolina, to preach, to the Hume Marine Base — and then driven back. And I’ve gone from Greenville to Pensacola in a weekend — and driven back. I mean, leave here, leave Pensacola Sunday night at 10 o’clock, and slam back there and and hit that chapel at 10 o’clock in the morning. And, on the way back, we’d be singing, "Rescue the perishing, care for the dying..." Ha! Ha!

And we weren’t doing anything. I mean, we were just going out preaching on the street, getting one saved here, and one there. And preach in little old fire traps and rat boxes. We’d preach in a little old tool shed in a building eight and nine people, peach sheds, some old farmer, bootlegger up there in the hills, Carolina, would loan us a peach shed, and we’d take the peach trays and put ‘em upside down and sing a few songs, and play a record, you know, and say something.

Stupid, crazy stuff, you know. But I got to looking back at that thing and, you know, the Lord said He’s chosen the poorest things of this world to confound the wise, and the weak things and the base things. And I get looking back across that thing, and here we were driving along in Jack Turney’s car, and he had a brand new Lincoln or something down there, and we’re all in good health, you know, and nationwide ministries, and always doing, Van Impe’s taping for him, and J. Daniels’ taping for him, and Hyles’ taping for him, and he’s got all our tapes, doing for us, putting that stuff out.

And it’s been years and years now, 27 years, 28 years. I thought myself, I was telling him, it seemed like every guy down there that was doing something then of some kind is doing it — he’s out doing it now, and the other one’s weren’t. I don’t understand the word "ordination" or what you call it — they stuck with it.

QUESTION: I’m trying to lead a person to Christ, and he’s talking about God promising a seed, and I’m trying to explain it to him...

ANSWER: Well, there’s a half-truth in that, in that God did promise a seed, and the Jew was taught to look for a Messiah. And probably every Jewish woman hoped that she’d be the mother of the Messiah. But that was only a Jewish thing. There’s nothing in the Gentiles to indicate that. And probably not every Jewish woman thought about it all the time. And they didn’t know He’d be called the Messiah anyway until along after the time of Abraham.

You see, when you read the whole Bible through, and you read it back, you read so much into it. I mean, you know me — I can go back in Genesis 4 and prove that Cain is a type of a Jew or a colored man. But who would have known that? I mean, you think that Seth looked at his brother and said, "Uh-huh. The Jew!" Wow, they didn’t know what the word "Jew" was, see? So, what those fellows are doing, they mean well. But when they’ve studied the whole Bible, then they are going back and trying to say that they’re all looking forward to the coming of Christ, and everybody past are looking back on him — makes nice preaching, but it’s not good doctrine.

All right, now on your memory verses in Acts, there’s not a whole lot of them.

"...are expected to publish a joint statement in conjunction and partnership with their churches, where the Pope in Rome is the overall patriach. They added a statement not binding to either church, and drawn up in a discussion with a 21-member Anglican-Roman Catholic international commission to be issued here Thursday. The Church of England, the sources said, the circulation of a booklet had been severely restricted in advance of publication and news service. The source, said the Commission, was to recognize the Pope as the supreme authority, laying in acceptance of the fact that it is only the Roman Catholic Church in Rome which claims and exercises universal primacy. As Rome is the city where Christ’s disciples Peter and Paul died, the Commission found it right that in any future union the supreme authority should be in Rome, one of the sources said. The source who accepted the statement said by dealing with the crucial issue of primacy, the statement advances an important move toward healing the division between Rome and England which took place in 1534 in the reign of King Henry VIII."

Now, if that bunch gets back together, they get back together for the first time since 1534, King Henry. When they get back again, they’ll take the Pope, Roman Catholic Pope, as the final authority — and then England will be back where she was in the Dark Ages before 1500. That’s where we’re going.

Now, notice how the Roman Catholic Church will join with anybody, anytime, anywhere, as long as they’ll accept the Pope as final authority. If they do that, they don’t care what you are or what you believe, or how you operate. The issue is, will you submit to that authority?

That’s the Church of England.

If that ever happens, what it means in North Ireland is that every Protestant there is going to get murdered or thrown in chains or exiled, and his property confiscated. Every one of them. Be sure to have plenty of ammo, brother!

QUESTION: You had an article last week, where you were reading about Billy Graham. That was in the newspaper someplace?

ANSWER: I don’t know, brother. People are just always throwing papers at me, I don’t have time to file them or put them down, or place them, and I may put them in a book and carry them out. Now, I’ll look for it. I’ll look for it. So, if you ever give me anything and I read it up here, as soon as the thing’s over run right up and get it and take it back.

All right, Mrs. Berlow, lead us in prayer.

{Mrs. Berlow heard in the background leading in prayer.}

Appreciate the prayers for the family. We have it day-to-day, boy. We have it day-to-day. Got up this morning, boy, and the dog went out, and some kid next door is shooting BB gun at the dogs over the fence. Got that fixed today, and laying down, and came back out, and got to cleaning up the trash can, and hit one of the garbage cans, and broke it up, eight dollars galvanized iron, and then we got the thing going, the water pipes were frozen, we couldn’t get any water. Then about that time I tried to get a fire going, and Pete took the sheriff’s car out and had a wreck out there — we’re already paying 450 a day for car insurance. Up she goes again — many of them are paying $200 a month to pay for car insurance. We had a day, boy — we had a goodie today.

Romans 8:28!

Difficulties, problems!