The Image Conforms To The Nature

...pull of my coat the Clyde family made me. They made it and brought it over today while the different ones were bringing me presents. It's real nice. Real nice. It's real comfortable outside but in here it's a little bit warm in it. Well, like I said, today, of course, is what we call Christmas. I wouldn't think that Christmas would come this time of the year. It would, as it has been said, probably in the spring time. Maybe around the time of April, in that time of season because the shepherds feeding the sheep out on the hillside, it would have been pretty rough during the Judean winters, as to this time of year. It's not likely that they would have been feeding the sheep out there. Could have, but like we were talking the other day. Why would the Lord suffer the celebration of the birth of the Christ Child at this time of the year. Why would it be shifted so? Knowing that it was shifted by the Babylonian thing that came out of Babylon, and as the rest of the days changed to god days, the pagan god days. And Christmas, as I've said before, being called the time of mass, whether it would be your mass, his mass, her mass or Christ's mass. In this case it's called the Christ mass which we refer to as Christmas. So, it is a derivative from the Catholic Church and from old paganistic Babylon. But then the thought comes, Why would the Lord let it be like that? Why would He set it over here so far from the time of the birth, as to what we suppose it would be? I believe the reason that He did is because He knew that they would turn that day into a paganistic time of worship of Santa Claus and frolic and eating and drinking and gluttony, and all these kind of things, of cursing and carousing and He didn't want the birth of His Child, as to the birthday, desecrated. So He set it way over here for the heathens, as to the Gentile people. He didn't have to worry about the Jews, because the Jews didn't believe in the Messiah anyway so they weren't going to celebrate anything about Him. But as a remembrance among the people that there was a day when the Christ Child was born. He wanted that to be kept in their minds. But at the same time wanting to halo the day of the birth, and knowing that the paganistic people would do what they would do, He just set it off and let them go ahead and make their frolic day out of it. But it is a true thing that there was a day when the Christ Child was born. And when it comes to people who really, godly, esteem a day according to the way it should be esteemed we think of it like this. The Bible says that one man esteemeth one day above another. Some men esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded it his own mind for he that regardeth a day regardeth a day unto the Lord and he that doth not regard it unto the Lord he doth not regard it. That is he doesn't keep a day. So, when it comes to Saturday and Sunday as to what is the Sabbath Day and what is not the Sabbath Day, again we have the same problem because it has been in the past in the years gone by that on the Sunday, which is again a paganistic god day that's brought from the old Babylonian way of life, brought over to the Catholic Church to be called mystery Babylon. Mystery Babylon the great, the mother of harlots. And so then, it is a paganistic day also. But for many years the Gentile people have regarded Sunday as the day of worship, esteeming one day above another. Paul said on one occasion, said, I'm afraid of you because you observe signs and seasons and times and seasons, these kind of things, you know, regarding one day above another. But, anyway, we have, as the people in the past, regarded the Sabbath Day that we call Sunday as the day of worship, and some kept it as a sacred day. And years ago they wouldn't sell anything; all the stores would close up. And there was a sect of people that wouldn't cook anything on Sunday. They were very devout, as to their conviction, and they didn't cook anything on Sunday. They would cook on Saturday and then on Sunday you just had to eat left overs or a cold meal. Well, it's really something, you know, when you think about it because all during that time of their devoutness and their conviction, being so strong in their conviction, if you worked, even if you were hungry and you worked on the Sabbath they just didn't like that; that was their Sabbath. You couldn't do anything on Sunday. You couldn't go fishing, you couldn't go hunting, you couldn't do nothing. And then they eventually got to where they worked on Saturday and Sunday, Monday; the whole seven days. And people eventually got away from it, as to regarding it as a Sabbath. But, really and truly, that's not the Sabbath. There's a lot of dispute. Somebody says, Well, you don't really know. Somebody says this is the Sabbath and that is the Sabbath; you don't really know. No. That's not true. We know precisely that Saturday is the Sabbath. Somebody says, Oh, no. Oh, yet it is. There is no doubt about it. If you have any doubt about it go over to Israel, go right there to the Jews and you'll see what day they halo and what their Sabbath is. And salvation is of the Jew, the Bible tells us. So then, we see the Catholic powers again, after the apostles were killed out shifting the days. So that means that if you would say that everybody that has kept Sunday all these many years has kept Sunday in vain, and with their fanatical way of doing things, as it would be said, then all they did was just get their foot in to it and it was fanaticism, as the world would term it. So you see how people can get off base with things when it's better to regard every day the same. One day, two days, three days, Monday, Saturday, Sunday, whatever it is. It all should be a God day. It should be a God worship day. It should be loving the Lord, twenty-four hours around the clock. We should be meditating in the laws day and night, casting down imagination and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ, and not get carried away with regarding day and times and seasons as Paul said, which thing were an allegory as to that that was to come, even the Sabbath as to being an allegoric thing, though it was given to the Jews and they still are very devout with it; beginning like on Friday night and going right on through Saturday right on down until sundown, as we would say. See? But the thing is, all of that was just typical. That was symbolic to the Gentiles who was the spiritual Jew. They weren't to regard days and times and seasons and those kind of things. They were to come into the knowledge of Almighty God and understand what those things represented. It was kind of like Peter when he was on the house top. There he was on the house top and the Lord let down a sheet and said, Peter just rise up, you know, and slay and eat. And he said, Nay, Lord, not so. There has nothing unclean that's ever come into my mouth. And the Lord said, Don't call common and unclean what I've cleansed. So he told him what to do. And he found out that those animals that were unclean back under the law only represented the Gentiles and that the time come that those things would be cleansed in that all things are sanctified by prayer. And now the time was there because the Messiah was there and God was going to received the Gentiles and had chosen Peter to open the door to the Gentile people. And in so doing then that meant that that which had been unclean was now cleansed, as to the Gentiles, which wasn't anything strange or foreign, because it was said unto Abraham that through thy seed all nations shall be blessed. And the Jews stumbling at that thought that Abraham was the father of the Jews and no one else when the prophecy was, when God gave Abraham the promise, as to justification by faith as to the covenant, it was all nations, Which meant the Gentiles as well as the Jews. And Paul brought the revelation when he finally got it saying, And this great wonderful mystery that's been hid, all of a sudden he said, Now it's made known that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs with the Jews; no more foreigners, but fellow heirs. So I said all of that to say this, that when Peter finally came to the recognition of what happened he realized that God was no respecter of person and that the Holy Ghost, which was the Spirit of Christ given by the death of Jesus, it was poured out upon the Gentile people as well as the Jews. And they were all baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin, and that righteousness now consist of the Lamb that was slain in behalf of humanity, like Jesus said to the woman at the well when she said, we worship in this mountain. She was very religious, no doubt, because she just right up and said, We worship in the mountain over here, or this is the place our fathers gave us to worship in. And Jesus could have looked at her and said, Yes, you know, mixed up with about five husbands and still being real religious you don't have anything, but let me tell you the way it's done. And then He said to her, He said, You worship you know not what. Salvation is of the Jews. And said, The time will come and now is that the true worshippers shall worship God in spirit and in truth for God is a spirit and God seeketh such to worship Him. So, it's very evident that with these times and seasons and special days, whether it be Sunday, whether it be holidays, whether it be as to what we call Christmas, it really has nothing to do with salvation. When it comes to meats, when it comes to drinks, or this as to abstaining from food or eating food, or certain kinds of food, all things are sanctified by prayer and to the clean all things are clean. To the pure all things all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving is there nothing pure. Not even their conscience. Even their conscience is defiled. But with us there is no conscience of sin whatsoever. So then, again I said that to try make a point here. And if this is called Christmas, if some esteem this day as Christmas that's fine, that's great. You know they are esteeming it to the Lord as to say a Savior was born and we want to praise the Lord. And that's fine; the Lord accepts it. But if some don't want to do it the Lord accepts that, and if some wants to__ If they are weak and they just eat certain kind of meats and whatever, the Bible said don't dispute with them, receive them. Receive the weaker brother, but not to doubtful disputation. Strengthen them and help them, enlighten them. As it was said with Apollos, and when the Bible speaks of Aquila and those that come along that some of them didn't know the baptism that had been given as to remission in Jesus name, only the baptism of John, but they didn't dispute with them and fight with them, they just indoctrinated them, helped them along because some of those folks were mighty in the Scriptures. Not even knowing baptism in Jesus name. So it was at the nineteenth chapter of Acts when Paul re-baptized some in the name of Jesus, even they did not know. They didn't even know that the Holy Ghost had been given, or the Holy Ghost had come. They didn't know no teaching like that. And when they had somebody that would be tender enough to instruct them then they got right into them and all of them become one. So then, we are here on Christmas night, as to what would be Christmas night. Now, everything is highly significant in typical things, not only as the past, as to that which was symbolic, or that which is in the future, which will be symbolic, but there is what we call a present day truth. See? The present day truth which is Christ doing something in the heart of mankind right now. So there are things that's happening right now. And today is the day of the birth of the babe, as supposed, and gifts are being given. So then, as we say, it really represents to us that Jesus Christ died and resurrected and gave gifts unto men, as to the gifts of the Spirit. And since God does everything on earth as symbolic to that which is in heaven, for everything in the natural, which is symbolic of that which is in the Spirit, so we have gifts; natural gifts to show what's happening in the spiritual world. And then as the Christmas tree; we have the Christmas tree, which is a paganistic thing as to the way that it's misused. But the Christmas tree which is so highly decorated with lights and gold and silver and all of these would be precious things, and the gifts under the tree, you know, we have these and we see these and we think this is the paganistic fulfillment of where the Bible says, And one goeth into the forest and he brings forth a tree and he decks it with silver and gold and the tradition of the people are vain. Well, yes, that's true to an extent, but that really wasn't what he was speaking of even though you can say that a Christmas tree could be a paganistic thing. And it could be a god, but he was speaking__ The prophet was speaking in that day of gods where they took wood and stone and they made gods out of them, and they set them up as the different gods. Whereas they set one up before the ark of the covenant, or whatever it was, and it just__ It went over like that. It couldn't stand in the presence of it. See? So he was speaking of gods. They bowed down to those things. They worshipped those things. And today I know it's a little bit different. It comes down to a Christmas tree, or could be, or it comes down to your gold watch, or your automobile, or it comes down to your home, or your clothing, or whatever it might be that takes your mind, to absorb your mind, and to get your thoughts on that, that is your god. Millions and millions of gods. So, as I said, we can have carnal things but we cannot be carnal minded. God is a jealous God and He demands all of our minds. Ye should love Me with all of your mind. Use those things, you know. Like someone has said one time that you should love God, or rather the terms was used on another occasion, you should love people. Now if I love money and use people I'm wrong, but if I love people and use money then that's good. That's good. And see that's the way it is with God. We love God; we use things. We don't love things and try to use God. So that means that we are not paganistic as to the Christmas tree, or the decoration. You know, it's not a tradition with us. It depends on your approach and your motive behind what you're doing. To the contrary the Christmas tree represents the Lord Jesus Christ and the beautiful adornment of the glorification of that which is the evergreen that ever lives, in that God has so adorned it and glorified the Lord Jesus that all the attraction is to that tree. Jesus used the terms when He went to Calvary, don't weep for Me because if they do this in a green tree what will they do to the dry. Saying that God's trees are full of sap, knowing that He had life abundantly but the others did not have life unless they received Him. Then we have the reference to the tree, and the Bible speaks of the time when the trees of God shall be so few that even a child shall number them. And that is, everybody isn't going to live right. Though they hear it they're not going to incorporate it in their life style. Well, then comes the gifts for the children. The children of the world, as to the natural, the children of God, as to the spiritual, as to the gifts of the spirit the spiritual. And I might say this just before I read, and I won't hold you long tonight since it's what we call Christmas night. But just bringing a few little thoughts to you of what presently is happening. And I can assure you this is just a few little thoughts because it's like over in the evening before service in getting into revelation with some of the brethren down in the basement, very extensive and some of the deep mysteries of Christ that's putting them together. It would take quite a long time to just go down the trail of a few things that we said unto them. Said, I come to you__ Like I told them, I said, when I come to church I more or less take a little simple exhortation to talk to the people because it's almost an impossibility to get into the mind of God and have enough time to get into a revelation and bring it and bring the detail of these things. So I__ Just like little children I just say a few little things and mostly parabolically speaking, unless I can find a special night of hunger or thirst when the people are searching out into the real supernatural and then the Lord will speak and we bring forth a few things. Because I feel a restfulness and a hunger and thirst to where I have time to get into those things. So if you are in question of that just ask some of the brethren that was down there today. They'll be glad to tell you. So, getting back to our thought, you perhaps remember an occasion in California that I spake of. I was holding a revival and that for a woman, a woman preacher. And holding the revival, all of a sudden something happened and I wasn't aware of what took place. Well, I went home. I laid down on my bed; I went to asleep. And then all of a sudden I went into a night vision, or a dream, and I was in a big beautiful mansion with winding stairs coming down. It was like a dream house, you know. Beautiful living room and in the living room was a beautiful Christmas tree and as I was coming down the steps, it was Christmas morning, and I came down the steps and I had on beautiful white socks. I was in my bare feet except for my socks and they were beautifully white. And as I came down the stairway I saw the children all around the Christmas tree, as they were gathered around the Christmas tree because underneath the Christmas tree there was a lot of beautiful packages and gifts. And as I came down my heart was delighted, you know, to see the enthusiasm of the children and I was looking straight at the tree and wasn't noticing the floor. The floor was such a beautiful thing. In this particular part I was looking at it was a high sheen finish of a polished floor, like glass. And I was walking over toward the Christmas tree and all of sudden I became aware of the fact that my feet had stepped into something. And then as I looked down it was where a child's bowels had broken loose and the floor was in a mess and I had stepped into it with my white socks. And all of a sudden the vision went away like that. When I came out of it I was real troubled and I said, Lord, I just don't understand. What is this? There was something so beautiful and then all of a sudden this horrible situation. What is this? And then the Lord spoke to me, said, You're preaching at this church, and said, you're preaching things that are a little too deep and a little too strong, is the way that the Lord gave it, to these babies. Said, These people are just babies, even though they are grown ups and they feel they're preachers and whatever, they are just little babies. And said, What you have given them has torn their system up and there is going to be a lot of talk and gossip and whatever. And sure enough it was. It began to buss. It began to buss, one to another. And He said the Christmas tree had to do with Christ and He explained it the same way I explained it to you, as that was what it was about. And Jesus rose from the dead and gave gifts unto the children of men. So then, Christmas is a beautiful time, and of course it is a time of rejoicing and it is a time that we think about the Lord Jesus and we feel real good and there's kind of what we call the Christmas spirit. Not this drunken, gluttony, as to the demon called Santa Claus that__ I say demon because it is a spiritual thing that has possessed the hearts of the people and it is a lying spirit that has grasped the people and turned this thing into a paganistic day of gluttony, as to something coming down the chimney, so fat, as we would say, it would have got stuck it it had come down the chimney. And all it is is a ha ha and a cake and a pudding and a__ You know, and turn up the beer bottle and whatever the advertisement might be. See? Not that kind of evil thing, but the spirit of Christmas which is a wonderful holy spirit of Christ, as to a babe being born, peace on earth, and good will toward man. For surely by the death of the Lord Jesus we have peace with God the Father, the great eternal father of spirits by the Lord Jesus Christ in that He gave His live to take away our sins. So now, there is from God peace on earth and good will toward men and we should remember this always. Should remember this to this extent, that God hath one outlook. Just one outlook and that is good will toward man. Once eternally and forever to never be altered, to never be changed, or whatever. Just peace on earth. Not war; peace. There is no peace to the wicked no matter how much they fight to obtain it. See? They're ever like the troubled seas that casting up their mire upon the bank. So, peace on earth. God wants you to have peace. All the paths of God are peace. To keep your mind stayed on Christ Jesus is perfect peace. And good will from God. Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. He has a good attitude toward you. He said, I know my thoughts toward you; they're not bad, but they are good. Good will toward you. Good will for health. Good will for prosperity. Good will for salvation. Good will for eternal life. Good will that ye should be happy and filled with the abundance of joy and Christian living, in that the Bible said God hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life so that we can be happy. And sometimes I get into the three-fold blessing of God, as to the thoughts, but I said all of those things just because it is Christmas night, as we would say and the children, of course, have had their christmas and everybody has eaten their turkey and their chicken, or whatever they had, and their cake. And everybody has__ Not everybody, but so many people, I guess it would be, has done got in debt clear up to their ears, as we say, and will take the rest of the year to try to work themselves out of debt and hate themselves by Tuesday or Wednesday of the coming week for being so foolish because of the frivolous things that took their money and put them in bondage to where they really can't serve the Lord. But, nevertheless, it's wonderful to think of others and share with others and give gifts unto others. And try to stay within your means and measures, and to regard it as to the right thing and not to just to give gifts unto friends and unto relatives, but give it unto the crippled and unto the hungry, and unto the poor. Like the ones that have gone down into Mexico. I think they took about fifteen hundred gifts down there that they gave out yesterday. And then they took clothing down there to give out to them. Now that's Christmas, doing that as unto the least you do it as unto Christ. And then the prisoners, all the prisoners that you have ministered to this Christmas. There was quite a number of prisoners that you ministered to this Christmas. And those where Jesus said, I was in prison and you visited me not; you visited them. You do it to them, you do it to Christ. And so then, you visited those prisoners. And numbers of prisoners received things from you at Little Bethlehem that you know. With all that we do we are so short-coming. Wouldn't it be wonderful if every man, every woman, every boy, and every girl would come together and their thoughts would be one thing, and that is, we're all coming together for one purpose, and that is to celebrate what we call the birth of our Savior with the love of God; to show the love of God. He gave gifts unto men. And we want to give gifts. You know, you can give gifts in a perverted way. How many remember when the prophets were suppose to tutor for about three and a half years, as concerning Israel? And the Bible said, And finally in the middle of the week they'll be killed. And people will send gifts one to another rejoicing over the fact that those prophets are dead because they tormented them that dwell on the earth. Remember that? So see, your motives for giving gifts, and to whom you give the gift, and these kind of things, it's of the greatest of importance. All right. Let's read just a little bit here if you will from over in the third chapter of the book of Romans. It's says here in the twenty-first verse of the third chapter, "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all of them that believe, for there is no difference. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." So in saying this we come right back to our thoughts and that is, a justification by faith with a peace on earth and a good will toward mankind. And I'm going to try to talk to you just a few minutes and then after I do this, like I said, I'll try not to hold you very long. But after this we're going to give you a chance to gather around the altar as to those that want to be re-married. That is to a confirmation of their marriage in that some of them, sometimes, they go to Justice of Peace and they have woman to marry them. They have all kind of people to marry them. Whereas, no one really has a right to perform a wedding, according to my understanding, except a minister. The first wedding that was ever performed was God when He performed the wedding for Adam and Eve. And then it says, Whatsoever, the Lord hath bound together let not man put asunder. So then, it's very obvious that when God binds it together it is a marriage. And if God doesn't bind it together then it isn't a marriage. Then one would say, Well, Brother Pike, what makes it a marriage when God binds it together? Because God is a spirit and God is the power of unionization. He can unite. He can unionize. God can unionize your spirit with His Spirit, or two spirits together by placing His Spirit in both hearts and making them one; man and His wife being one. So unless the spirits unionize it's not a marriage. You might say the words. You might go through the vows, but it's the same principle as if I said I'm a Christian. Someone would say, Well, why are you a Christian? I'd say, Well, I heard about it and I believe it. That doesn't make...(Begin tape one, side two.)..But what does mean that I am a Christian? The Bible said, If you have not My Spirit then you are none of mine. So, it's very obvious that again it is a spiritual thing. And when Christ's spirit goes into your spirit then your spirit and Christ's spirit unionizes. When they unionize they are no more twain, but as a man and a wife one. And in this, Christ's spirit the stronger spirit, we the feminine spirit, then our spirit is swallowed up by His spirit into a oneness, as to one body, even the Lord Jesus Christ as members in particular. So we are flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone, and that means we are a Christian because we do have His Spirit, and because we do have His Spirit then we will act Christlike. And they were first called Christians at Antioch because they acted Christlike. And you will act Christlike because, as I was telling the brethren some things today as we got into some real deep things, then we were speaking about the nature, the nature. Now, stop and think for just a minute, as to the nature. Why is it that one little boy will look like his dad and one little girl will look like her mother? Why is that? It is because that they are from the nature of the father and the mother. They are from the nature and the nature is a power of constraint that causes the life to conform to a certain image. If it be the nature of the dog it will conform to a dog image. If it be the nature of a bird it will conform to a bird image. And as to male and female, what causes the difference? Well, we talked about that today. And we'll just take our time and we won't get to say very much as we say these, but we'll just say this few little things in connection with what we've already said. See? It is that which emanates from God. God is the great light. All things emanate from that invisible power and force that's called light, which means understanding. Now. And with this everything that emanates from that makes that invisible life manifest, that whereas God cannot be seen, in that scientist uses the terms that life cannot be seen. There has to be, as we would say, a shadow to make it to be revealed, in the way that we would understand it. Now, and so then, when it comes to the light, God could never have been made known as to a created form of life, as to these that are called creatures. The Bible speaks of the creature, which is the body, which is nothing more that a beast. Even science has proved that. Some brute beast made to be taken and destroyed. But in that God, He hath put forth this act of creation. It is all things that have emanated from the light. And in emanating from the light, taking on form, they have taken on all forms, as to birds, as to beast, as to human beings, or as to lilies, as to roses, or fish, whatever it might be, stars, moon, sun. All these things have emanated from the invisible desire of the Almighty God who by nature of constraint has individualized everything as to a seed reproducing after it's kind to furbish and refurbish the earth, even to the body. And I wish we had time to go into it as we did some of this to the brethren today. It would make you understand, especially if we could get into the individual side of it. But just kind of at random moving across, saying a few things. See? God__ The Bible said all things were created by God and for God and for His pleasure were they made and without Him was nothing made that is made. So, it was made for Him and it was made as to life projecting itself in the conformity of His desire, as per nature. And with this then we know then why that a thing is like it is. But take as to a little girl. She comes along and maybe next time it's a little boy. He comes along, and then we wonder why? How is this? How can that be? Well, it's like this. We know that there's not a drop of a mothers blood within her babe, but yet the baby is fed through the placenta. See? And through that as to the osmosis, as through the interchange the little one is fed. But still at the same time the babe doesn't get any blood from the mother. Why is it that a little girl then is born and she is usually, as to the favor of the mother and the little boy usually is to the favor of the dad? Or on the masculine side? Whereas, sometimes it will be a little different. But if it is a little girl it is like unto the mother. It is obvious that looking way back into the situation, even to the blood genes, back to the chromosomes, or back to the blood genes. Going back in there we see it and as we look at it through the spiritual eyes of God to find out what's going on then we can determine what it is. Where scientist has their little thing of the y and the x, you know, as we were discussing that today, or y and double x, you know. But the thing is, they have these little__ They tag everything with an alphabetical, or a one, two, three order. And as to the x, little girl, as to the y, the little boy. But then, see? We have to look back beyond that. Where did they get the x? Where did the x come from? How did the x get there? What was it before they tagged it as an x? See? There has to be something beyond their little alphabetical practices to tag something. There's got to be something back there that's far, far more important, and greater and more positive than their negative application, as to a definement, an intellectual definement. Like a lot of times I say, Folks, we say in the beginning was God. In the beginning was God and He made Brother Pike, and He made Brother Taylor and He made you. But then I say, Well, what about before the beginning? When we go back before the beginning, if the beginning is the beginning of me, and the beginning of the act of creation, then what about beyond the beginning? There had to be something beyond the beginning or there never would have been a beginning. And a person gets flabbergasted until they stop and think and they say, Well, now wait a minute. That makes more sense than I think. Because Genesis means beginning and the record is of that in the beginning. And the Bible emphatically states that God hath no beginning; He hath no end. So then we know it has to be something beyond the beginning because God is before the beginning. So there is something beyond the beginning. It's God. And there is angels, because the Bible speaks of heaven and the angelic being that God had created before He ever created the earth. So then, we know that there is something beyond the beginning. So it's not as fantastic or fanatical as one would think. So then, we settle it in our hearts. Before the beginning it was God and God started the beginning and the beginning was the creation, or the act of creation, which involves me and you so we have a beginning. And the world has a beginning, therefore it has an end. But as to God, there is no beginning with God so there could be no end with God. And I said that to try to make a point here. So, when we look back into the chromosomes of the body and we look back into this thing that brings about life, we know that the life is in the blood. See? And if there is not a drop of a mothers blood in her baby how is it that all of a sudden this babe becomes, as to her features, her likeness, how is it that the little girl looks that way and the little boy as a rule doesn't look that way. It's because of the nature. God has set a nature. And a nature of a little boy, his spirit is stronger than the female, so the male spirit is stronger than the female spirit. And the female spirit is made to submit to the male spirit. And so it's very obvious as to this thing that God has set forth, as to His program of desire. Then it's very obvious that what happens is that the mother feeding the baby through the navel cord and through the placenta, as to the osmosis, when this food comes down in there this little feminine like chromosome, as we would say, it takes that on and it's very feminine. It's weak like, as to a yielding to whatever, and it conforms to it, which is, of course, the mother feeding it. And it turns out to be a feminine thing. But when it comes to that little boy as to that spirit, or nature of his that's stronger that does not like to submit, but he wants the woman to submit, that little thing that pops his muscles up, you know, and fights against that feminine thing as to the feed. There is a resistance. See? And it holds a masculine__ It holds a masculine disposition as to a stronger, a stronger, or a greater strength than the feminine. And so then, when it takes on it's form it takes it on as to that that came from the father's loin, as to the masculine and it becomes the masculine image. Now, occasionally you'll find a little boy will favor his mother. But almost without fail you'll find that that little boy is feminine. Take a little boy that takes on his mother's image and almost without fail the little guy will be feminine. Now, he will become a weak kind of little fellow, as far as really standing up as to a masculine thing. Now, give him a little time he might change. It might be over a period of years that he might toss to and fro. He might get to where he gets a little strength, you know, and becomes a little more masculine. But in general that's about the way it will be. So, that means that God's nature of desire always rules out, and those scientists are ever intellectually trying to figure it out. They can't understand it, because all they can do is just tag it as to what it is when they look at it through the telescopic view. But, see? There's something beyond that. There is something invisible. There is a desire. There is a nature. See? We are a composition of electrical sparks, as we say. We are atoms, we are molecules, or we are what we call beaters, or electrons, protons, neutrons if we think of it as an atomic composition, as so said. Then we realize that according to the definition of an intellectual defining that there are atoms that repel and that there are atoms that attract. And that these things when we consider it again it goes back to what we said about the little boy and the little girl. It is evident therefore that this, as to the feminine gender, that there is something that is placed there as to a submissiveness to be drawn or to be attracted to a stronger force. And then there are some that are repellent. So, these atoms can repel one another, or they can become attracted to one another, as it would be a magnetic force. Like I take a magnet and I run it over some metal, and as it goes over the metal as I'm trying to determine as what the potential of that metal is, then I run it over the metal. When I run it over the metal if there is anything relative to the magnet in the metal it'll jump up. It will be attracted. But if it is something rather like say, not iron, but maybe it's copper, maybe it's brass; it doesn't become adhesive so it's not attracted. As to say, if the rapture took place and Jesus moved over us, the Holy Spirit, there is something that is relative to the Holy Spirit, which is Christ within us, of course, then automatically we're caught up, just like that. See, as to what we call the rapture. And, of course, I don't have time to get into this. I've gone through this with the little children at school. Some of you think, Well, this is a little deep, this is over my head. I think those little kids was in the__ What? The second, third, or whatever? And they just eat it up and they just listened and they just learned, and it was like honey comb in their mouth and we went through it extensively with them. My! We haven't even scratched the surface. Brother Taylor, am I telling the truth about that? We haven't even scratched the surface with you tonight; we just had a few thoughts here, but we went through it and them little fellows__ Their minds so and their hunger and thirst that they just latched in on that thing. There was no stumbling and staggering just clear through the whole thing, you know, with them. And I just said that to say this. It's real difficult sometimes to teach grown ups, but little ones it's not so too difficult. So, that's why I use the terms a lot of times, I come up here to speak to my babes and I go down to the school to speak to the grown ups, them that are really getting somewhere. That's sounds pathetic, doesn't it? But speaking spiritually now, the little ones, I keep referring back to the little ones through this holiday and I told them today the reason for that is because the Christ Child being born, there is a reference back to the Christ Child. And indeed there is some that within a virgin heart they have conceived and they are bringing forth a Christ Child. It is a true fact that calendar wise everything is just right for the coming, as to the translation, and then of course, as to the change of the church then comes in the tribulation period, and these things that we were going through with some of the brethren early today. So, when I say we, as individuals, I was bringing out to them as to the fact that we are a composition of atomic particles which consist of the elements, or the minerals of the ground. If I'm taken from the earth then I'm a composition of those elements and this is why I have to take as to traces of elements or vitamins or I have to get something from my food that grows out of the ground that picks this up into a greenery, or into some kind of fruit, or whatever as to a tree growing or and a root way down in the water table and picking up the water, and then as I said to you before the other roots are running out around the tree that strengthens the tree in the time of wind these little roots running around and they're picking up all kind of elements and they're bringing it right into the stream of the water to turn the water into sap, and these little elements go up and they go into the fruits, they go into the tree and then from that they come into me through the fluids, as to the orange juice, or to the lettuce, or the cabbage or whatever we eat, you know, as well as when the water as condensed up here in the heavens, like when God picks up the water down here He picks it up, the sun heats it, vaporizes it, catches it up. The cold condenses it, turns it into clouds. When they are turned into clouds then, of course, it's rained back down. When it's rained back down then we get the elements that's been picked up from different places to make the ground fertile, or if it turns into a thunder storm up here and the lightning, which symbolically means the casting out of Lucifer, then out of the lightning there falls certain things. These things fall from up there. All of this stuff falls from up there and it falls into the ground and then it is picked up. As it's picked up through the greenery then it comes up as to the vegetation and we get the fallout, as to that which is vital to our systems and our survival. So man is wonderfully made like David said. But, in that we are just a composition of electrical particles__ And I can see we won't even hardly get to first base as to what I taught the kids the other morning. In that we are made of the dust then we are relative. We are relative to the earth. And by means of the great fire that's in the heart of the earth that's penetrating, as coming up, this fire creates the electrical force of the electronic gravitational power that holds us to the earth. Otherwise we'd just shoot up into space. That is to say, when this gravitational force lays hold on us by means of the heat, fire, whatever is coming through the earth charging those little particles as elements and traces of which we are composed, being relative to the earth, that it draws us to the earth because we're the same as the earth. And so it holds us there, which means spiritually speaking that some are gravitationally held into the confines and into the circumstantial environment, as to their surroundings, and that by a power of sin, a power called Lucifer, an angelic force that has interwoven itself with the body. I wish we had time to just go through it with you as we did the children. But it would take quite a little while here because here it makes it difficult. I'll have to go through something that would probably take me three or four hours just to get over a little. But those children, when I go to talk to them they're in such a way that within forty-five minutes I can say so many multiplied things, or rather the Spirit of God can. And I'm telling you these things because this is what God has revealed to me, showed me how that it worked, and how wonderful it is, and how that these natural things so beautifully when they are unveiled shows the spiritual transitional changes of God, as to the act of creation and as to his desire, or life, being made manifest in human form. So, anyway, as to the composition, we have these atomic characteristics that attract or they fight against one another. So in this we know then male and female has these potentialities, as to what God has put within them, or instilled within them, to bring them together for multiplication, or for replenishing the earth. And as to the desire, it's stimulated as to when the male sees the female, or the female sees the male, or whatever is is as to whatever it is as to these things that are relative when they get close to one another and then the attraction and then the exhilaration, as to the stimulation of union among the man and wife. And then, of course, there comes forth from this inspiration which is a quickening through the exhilaration into the loins that it causes such an exhilaration and state of ecstasy that there is dispensed from the loins the seed, the blood seed, as to the cell of that inspiration and it can be love or it can be lust. I've said there is two great forces; one is love, one is lust. Love is life and lust is death. One represents knowledge, the other understanding, as to the tree of knowledge and as to the tree of life. I'm just compacting a lot of things here because I can see I'm not able to detail this and take it and properly place it with the proper words, because I'm trying to hurry along here and it just kind of gets to where I just have to get in some words as to put it together for you to where you can just get some idea. But this means that we, as individuals, we as individuals are a composition of the atomic particles and the quickening of this atomic particles and saying these things going at length even today with some of these things and especially to the children. It brings us back to why Paul speaks of God being the judge of the quickening and of the dead. We say, God, what do you mean you're the judge of the quickening and of the dead? Well, we've explained those things before. We don't have time to go into the now, but there is such a thing. See? Paul said there is nothing left but the quickening. And when we get back to the quickening then we have to really go into some things, as it was today, going into the sun as to the sun and it's purpose and as to what it consists of as to it's constituted form. And then make an application with that to the spiritual things, as to the application of the spiritual. And of course, when the mind of Christ is speaking and the hearts are hungry everything is just right. We went through this and it's just beautiful like painting a picture, not one bobble. Everything will just fall just like that. Whereas tonight we're just stumbling everywhere trying to condense and say things to get over just a little bit to you, as to what we're trying to say and bring this to a justification by faith, and why it is and how that quickening is involved in this and why that you are a Christian and why another one will do the very same thing that you're doing and will not be a Christian. And why that God has spoken of a justification as to how can I be justified by faith. Where does this come from? What does this consist of? How did this thing get started? What is it with Adam? What was it before Adam fell from the garden? or before Adam was ever even taken to the garden? And what is it as coming to Calvary? And what is it after CAlvary and what does it have to do with the end of the world? or what does it have to do with as to the times and seasons that we're in right now? And what do I mean when I say these things as to Christmas and a child being born? And something is happening now in the spirit that the individual doesn't see? Well, anyway, like I said, I wasn't going to hold you long tonight, and I've said just enough tonight to really stir you up as to, Well, I wonder what in the world he's saying tonight, you know, it doesn't make too much sense to me. And usually I won't leave it like this. I go ahead with an explanation, but I know that this will take an hour or so, and I know that you didn't come here for that tonight. And so, though you listened good we're filled up with turkey and we don't have too much hunger for things as to endurance because we have our plans and purposes, our desires. So then, I say that today, though it's no different from any other day; yet it is a special day, as to the allegorics of some things that's happening in heaven, which means, of course, in the spirit. And being like that I'd just love to get into it, but I know that I can't do it here like that. Though even today we got into it and it was a clear as a bell, it was extensive, it was beautiful, it was so clear just like the fingers on a typewriter, you know, as not to miss a note or a character. And when I got into it with the children the other day it was the same way. And here in church it's my difficult place of presentation, in that I come and my cup runs over. My heart is enlarged to you but because of the condition of the minds, as to perception and to receive, and to the hunger and to the thirst, then it's always difficult, very, very difficult in as much as there is so many different kinds of minds and people here. And some are synchronized, some are not synchronized, some are flowing together, some are not flowing together, and I can pick up one spirit, it's just right in there just like that, and another is just like this. You know, a teacher she's saying two and two makes four and somebody says, I see it. I see it. And formula, I see it. I see it. And another is setting there king of scratching their head. Two and two? What is she talking about two and two? What is two and two? You know, what does she mean two and two? They don't even know what she's talking about, let alone as to understand enough to find the unknown, or to find the answer. So then, all the preaching is for is to bring you a symbolic as to tutoring, as to a formulated expression that you that are for the other world and you that can get these things. The Bible said no man can receive these things except it be given him of God. And you that are made for that other world that all of a sudden this thing will start working out in your mind, you'll be pulled right into it and through that formulated expression the first news you know something is working on the inside of you and that mind of Christ working there and that light of understanding, as to the Day Star dawning within your heart all of a sudden you say, My God! I never saw that before. I know there was a brother said today, it comes to my mind. He said, I wish I had a recorder. I wish I had a recorder. Said, I'd like to record this. Said, If you'll just go over that again and tell these things again. Which, of course, you know the Lord tells those things and you don't just do that. But the brother was sincere about what he was saying. He said it was so beautiful to him. And him being a minister he said, I wish that we could get this. I said, Well, I said, You got it. Scientist say you don't ever forget anything that you hear. And a recorder is only symbolic of you as to recording. I said, And the Lord will bring it back to you in bits and pieces. For the Bible said whatsoever you've been taught the great Holy Spirit will bring it to your mind. The Holy Ghost will give it to you. And I said, He'll give it to you. As your under the anointing, you're speaking inspirationally, and a little bit in pieces. Just in pieces. He'll give you little parts and pieces so that you don't choke the children while you're talking to them. And you'll be going down the trail with something and all of a sudden you'll drop in a little piece or part of that invisible, of that great wonderful unknown. And eventually you'll have it and you'll give it to the people. Well, let's stand together. Tonight I kind of just left you hanging, as we say, because I saw that I was getting into some things that really I wasn't going to mention. I'd rather mention these outside of the church where I have time. I'd rather mention them in the church where I can get them on tape, but in that I can't do that. It's rare for me to find an atmosphere for that, a time for that. I'd rather talk to them outside of the church and that way I can get it in pretty much, as to enough to where they can understand it, and it can become of a benefit to them. And this, of course, is why that the brethren a lot of times are gathered together in little groups for hours, is because there are some hungry hearts. There are some people that they are not satisfied, they are not satisfied with laughing and talking and eating and drinking and just kind of bouncing around from one place to another, you know. They want to amount to something in their life, in the Kingdom of God, and in the wonderful world to come, as the invisible world to come to this wonderful, wonderful knowledge, because like I was telling somebody today, I said, Brethren, always keep in remembrance that when you are tutored by the Spirit of God, and when these things are made known to you, and when the veil is moved away that you haven't just heard another sermon. You haven't just entered into another conversation. You just haven't heard something new, as it was yesterday, so today. I said, you have been transformated in mind, and you have been changed as from point A to point B through a transitional change, as to a conformity of mind and spirit as to a development that you might come to a diplomacy which will bring you eventually to the adoption. Which, of course, has to do with the Jews. That was some of the things that we mentioned today. And to Paul's change where he spoke of a mystery. We shall not all sleep, which we spoke on just a little bit today. See? And I said, you are now a different person. You're no longer what you were, but now you've become a son of God and you are developing as a son of God now. Not as a natural creature as being in bondage to the beggarly elements of this world, as to your human desire, which is your human senses that makes you a bondschild, as to the beggarly elements of the world. But you've left that behind and that body is dead by the body of Jesus at Calvary, now as to the cocoon opening and the dividing asunder, as to the rent veil, as to what we refer to so often as the metamorphosis. The butterfly is free. And now you are a spiritual being. And the Bible teaches that at death the spirit goes back to God who gave it. In that your spirit has been translated into Christ Spirit it has gone to be with God and that body that went down through the fire is now resurrected in a new form setting at the right hand of the Father. And that means that your life is hid in the life of Christ and now you are the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is a great mystery. And some of this be broke down and brought to you. Other than that we just tell you as the Bible tells it here and speak to you because some of you do know something of the Bible, as to a Bible scholar and you understand some what we say. But just the Bible alone, you're not going to understand the Bible. It was said as when Philip went up to the eunuch, said, Understandest thou what thou readest? He said, How can I? I don't have anybody to teach me. So that's the unveiled, and the teachers are there as to the five fold ministry for the perfecting of the faith. And faith cometh by the hearing of the Word. And as to the hearing of the Word, it has to be unveiled. If it's the word of spirit and life it has to be turned into the spirit, as to the revelational truths of God. And God said pray that you might have the spirit of revelation. Speaking through Paul He said this is what you need to do. I'd like to speak unto you as unto spirituals, but seeing that you are babes in Christ, then you know, we just tell a little story, say something about the Scriptures and that's it. So again it's my desire. My heart is enlarged to you, my desire, my hunger, my thirst, to just pick you up, carry you on the wing and bring you into the wonderful mysteries of God. But then again, it can't be like that. So, I speak unto you as unto babes, and the few that can receive things, even as some did receive some things today, then that's wonderful. But let's just love the Lord. Let's have a pure heart. As I told the brethren today, the main thing... ( Begin tape two, side one.)..the depth and the width of it that makes you, not a creature. It delivers you from the bondage of the creature, which is the body, and makes you a son of God or it makes you a God. You are no longer as to a human soul, as unto death, but you are a quickening spirit, as a God that lives to rule and reign forever. And that means that not as to be, but as already you are. You already are the sons of God. And it's because of these words that you have become, through the conception of this seed, to a birth of the son of God or to sonship. So then, you need to understand a lot of things, and I need a lot of time to talk to you. But this is what you call Christmas night. So let's sing a little chorus together. (Singing.) Can you sing that with me? (Singing.) The altars are open. (Singing.) Can you sing that with me? (Singing.) Let's lift our hands up together. Let's close our eyes and let's sing this little chorus. (Singing.) Let's sing this little chorus. (Singing.) Can you sing it once again now? (Singing.) Now while we're standing here tonight the Lord reminds me that we said that if you wanted a confirmation of your marriage, or a re-dedication toward your marriage, or if you feel that you haven't been married as to the proper procedure then we ask you to, while the people are standing where they're at to step up here before the Sacred Desk as to along out here and tonight we'll talk to you just a few minutes, not as to a formality of marriage, going through your usual ritualistics, you know, as to formality, but just what I feel to say to you out of my heart because that's what it's all about anyway. Though I'm familiar with the formalities still what I say I like to just say out of my heart. And that's the way it's suppose to be anyway. So, if you want to step up here you're welcome to do it. We've done this. It's been a long time since we've done this. As a matter of fact, quite a long time. And we have had quite a lot of people come up before. I think the last time we did this there were a lot of people that came up and wanted something done. And of course, there have been quite a number of people that have ask me to do this recently. I told them that I would. And I'm sorry to say I was real negligent. I waited around quite a long while, but then I was reminded tonight of it, and I decided this perhaps would be a good time to talk with you. So if you'd like to take part in this you're welcome to come. We're going to tarry just a minute or two as to see whether you want to come. These things, of course, may not seem important and perhaps they are not. To me they are the greatest of importance, but perhaps it isn't as to your way of thinking. But this one thing that I look at is, marriage is a great wonderful institution and it is a lifetime institution. In the day that we're living in they've made it kind of a plaything, you know. One wife, two wives, three wives, five wives; it doesn't matter. Wife or no wife, but that doesn't change the Bible. It doesn't change the Word of God. It doesn't change what God instigated. Even when Jesus told them, When you do these things to break your marriage vows and go astray and don't follow after these things that are instigated as to a godly institution, then you are not really married. He said it wasn't so from the beginning that you should do these things. And if you do these things then you annul your marriage and you annul your right to marriage, and things just become a sham and it's of no strength at all anymore. Like the Bible speaks of the testament, the New Testament coming in, seeing that a testament is of mo value, or strength less the testator be dead. And marriage is of no strength unless it be according to the regulations. You know, you get a contract and if that contract isn't right it really won't stand up in court; it's of no value. And just having a contract that's not sufficient. See? You've got the right kind of contract if you're going to have the right kind of protection. And this is a divine contract between man and wife as before God and it is not as to a minister tying people together, or bringing people together; it is an instigation of God. If God does not participate then you're not married. And if you don't meet His rules and regulations then it's like going to church. You know, you go to church, you might be in hypocrisy. Because you go to church that doesn't mean you are a Christian, but when you met His rules and regulations then that means you are a Christian. As to faith, that is faith in the Word. That is faith in God. And that's the right way. That's the right way. And God will accept that. So tonight when we gathered together here we come together on the strength of your conviction in Christ, as into the Word. The minister has the power to remit your sins. He hath the power to retain your sins. He hath the power to bless you. He hath the power to curse you. I say this so often; the Bible said, The minister, he beareth not the sword in vain. He is God's revenger. He is set there as a revenger. And he is a blessing to them that do good, and to bless them. He is a revenger and can curse them that do evil. And he is God's revenger. He beareth not the sword in vain. And he's set there for that purpose. But you don't have to be afraid if you do the things that you are told to do. But if you do not honor them then he's set there as a revenger to execute judgment upon them that do evil. So the words of a judge, even in the natural world is powerful. And the Bible said, "Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world." And their judgment shall be eternal, as to whatever they determine, whatever they say that shall be eternal. Upon whatsoever soul that falleth it means that they are bound eternally and forever by the words of the saints of God because the saints of God, that is the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, and not them speaking but Christ speaking from within them. And so it is with the minister. The Bible said it's not him speaking but the Heavenly Father speaking from within him, and in that that is God speaking, then whatever he does, bind or whatever, he remits, that is the way it will be. As my Father sent me so send I you. Whosoever sins you remit shall be remitted, whosoever sins ye retain shall be retained. Whatever you bind on earth I'll bind in heaven and whatever you loose on earth I'll loose in heaven. So, tonight I'm just going to ask you a few questions. First of all, when I join you together I join you on the strength of your confession, as I would baptize you or as I would remit your sins, I would do it on the strength of your confession, as to your conviction in the Word and what you believe in the Word, and according to your true honest confession and faith then you would be a Christian, or you would be accepted as to your sins having been remitted. If there would be anything that you would hide, or anything you would keep back, any condemnation, or without a clear conscience, it would not be effective. So tonight marriage is the same way. If I ask you these questions and you answer me out of the integrity of your heart with all fidelity, all truth, all trust and confidence in God then it will work and His Spirit will unite you, or unionize you. And if you do not do that then His Spirit will not because His Spirit is the spirit of truth. And if your spirit is truthful, as to the male and yours as the female is truthful, if it is so then the spirit of truth will link you together and you will become one and that eternally. That eternally. You are one eternally, as to the spiritual interwovenness of what God does. I know the Bible said that if a man dies then the wife is free from the laws of her husband, but so long as he liveth she is bound to the laws of her husband. So, you know then that all of this adulterous thing that we're having today, that it's not right because she is never free. Never free, until the death of her husband. And when he is dead, Paul brings this out in the spiritual application as to salvation, then when he is dead she is at liberty to marry again. Now someone would say, Well then, Brother Pike, that means that all of these hundreds and thousands, maybe millions of marriages are not valid. Well, yes and no; it just depends. See? Does this hold true as to what we're saying? It definitely does. But then, does Calvary make any changes or alterations? No. It's more in the affirmative than ever that even if you, as to the lust of the eyes violate the marriage vows you're in trouble already because it is a spiritual thing. Now, where does the saint of God have an outlet? He really doesn't accept according to the Scriptures. The Bible does say that if a child of God, a real genuine child of God is married to an unbeliever, if the man is an unbeliever and the woman be married to the unbeliever, and if the unbeliever be pleased to dwell with the woman don't put that man away. And vise versa. If you dwell with a wife if she be an unbeliever and she be pleased to dwell with you don't put her away. If she's willing to conduct herself in a ladylike way and he a gentleman like way, though he's not a believer the Bible said don't put the other one away. For who knows but what maybe the husband might be won over to God while beholding the fear of God in your heart through the chaste conversation as to whether it would be the husband winning the wife or the wife winning the husband. See? But if the unbelieving depart, the Bible said let the unbelieving depart. If the unbelieving depart let them depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. For God does not bind darkness to light and the temples of God have no fellowship with the temples of belial. But if you leave one or the other then if it is the right one and you are separated then remain unmarried until you be reconciled with your companion. Or if it is a brother or sister that is bound to an unbeliever and the unbeliever leave then you are not under bondage. That means you are not bound together and there's nothing between you and if you marry again you are only free to marry in the Lord, which means as to a believer, as to a child of God. So this is basically just a few little things as to the fundamental side of it. But I'm going to ask you a question or two. Let's pray first and then I'm going to ask you a question or two and you can receive it as you will and answer me accordingly. Precious wonderful Heavenly Father, the first thing that's necessitated to life, as to Your pleasure, is faith in Your Word. And without faith it's impossible to please you. And the things that we do in life, Father, this is the proof of our believing, is our faith being shown by our works in that faith without works is dead and works without faith is dead. So then, Lord, the child being known by his doings we ask You to come into our heart to make us holy, not only in spirit as to faith in the righteousness of Your Son, but Heavenly Father, to make us holy in body also, for the body is the Lord's and it's the temple of God. And we know that salvation, Lord, comes by believing in what you did for us, for with the heart man believeth unto the righteousness of Christ. This is what you tell us, Father. And so we do believe in what He did for us and that we're complete in Him. That He is the author and the finisher of our faith. And dear wonderful God you said confession unto salvation is made with the lips. In that you have purified the heart by faith, Your great wonderful Spirit that would bring salvation into our heart, Heavenly Father, would come through our confession, and that with this we would have salvation. That it would come to pass that whosoever calleth upon the name of the Lord should be saved. And, dear God, we know remission of sin is in your name. So then, in receiving you in our heart, knowing that if we have not your spirit we're none of yours, that mere believing is not sufficient. Lord, so then we accept thy faith, real faith, Lord, with our heart in that the heart is the one that manifests faith. We believe in our heart that Jesus Christ is our Savior, Lord, that He died to take away our sins, was buried and resurrected the third day. Father, that the remission of sin was in His name. And dear God, being resurrected for our justification, having been delivered for our offenses, then Lord we're free from the offense, as wherein we offended Thee through the fall of the first man Adam. And in that sin came by one man, Father, now there is righteousness by one man. And as sin upon all and death upon all by that sin, now there's righteousness and life upon all by one man's obedience that we believe in and do our very best to have that nature that will make itself manifest to present within us the Christian spirit, or the Christ like spirit of our everyday thoughts, words, the places we go, the things that we see, the words that we say. And dear God, coming together tonight here on Christmas night, surely there is some reason, as to significance, for this tonight as to having the marriage. And Lord God of Heaven, we ask of Thee that you would bless it, because it's a very sacred time and a sacred moment of consideration, Lord, not only of our soul salvation, but of our companionship as to love the wife as Christ loved the Church, and as to the wife to honor and obey her husband in all things and that her companion should so live as Christ that she might place the confidence and trust as to all things, Lord, and that the wife might live such as to the husband knowing, Lord, that as to that of a virtuous woman being a crown to her husband's head. But she that maketh ashamed is as rotteness in his bones. So then, we ask you to help us tonight. Lord, help us as Christians, Lord as Christians, as the wise virgins, the wise virgins, dear wonderful God, that had the oil in their lamp at the midnight as to Your spirit and not just that as to reflector, Heavenly Father, of a religious conformity. And dear God, that we might be holy in that You said the virtuous woman's price is far beyond that of rubies. And Father, we know that we are the body, as to the Lady, the elect Church. So we ask You to be with us in the name of Jesus. Amen. Now then, you know why we're here and you know why you've come up here so I'm going to ask this question as though you were not married. As to the man I would ask the question, do you as a man, as an individual, actually accept this woman that you desire as to be your companion? Do you really accept her as a true God given mate, as one that you love, that you actually want to cherish? to keep? to look after? to love like you would take a little child and look after it and present it to yourself, Christ said as He would the church, a glorious unspotted thing? Do you have a mind within you to think of this woman as your own body? and to love her as you would love your own body? To love yourself. The Bible said love the wife as Christ loved the church, and no man yet ever tried to do harm to his own body unless it is a possession of some kind of a spirit, or something that has taken a hold of him. Would actually love this woman as Christ loved the church? He loved the church enough that He gave the blood out of His veins for the church. And He loved her so much that He was willing to toil and not expect her to toil at all, but just to say, It's not of works; it's the blessings that's from Me. I give unto you all of this without any effort on your part. I give unto you everything that I am, everything that I can obtain, whatever I am. You're heir and joint heir with me, which doesn't mean that you have some of what I've got, but it means that everything that I am, financially, naturally, spiritually, whatever, then that's what you are, because you're My bone and you're My flesh. Can you actually take the woman to your heart in regards to in this manner? to really love her, to cherish her and accept her as the wife.....(Begin tape two, side two.)...by that let me know that you will honor what I say, or that you accept what I say. Now. Okay. It's a good thing to join hands. Just join hands together. Now. I would say to the woman do you actually want this individual for your mate, as to be your husband and the father of your children? Or you willing to honor him? Do you know what honor is, now? Giving honor unto whom honor is due. Would you think that he would be due honor as the husband? as the head of the family? and as the one that you're going to try to listen to? not dispute with, not argue with, but try to listen to him in a reasonable way? not slam the door and throw the pillow and break the glass and run home? Someone said, Well, that's not part of the ceremony. I told you I wouldn't be formal. We're going to be realistic. Maybe you've never experienced any of those things. But, anyway, are you actually going to accept what he has to say, or jerk the door open and try to jump out on the pavement and commit suicide because you don't like what he said? And you're going to scream out, I can't stand it. I can't stand it. I can't stand it, and just go wild and run off and he's half crazy looking for you in the middle of the night? You wouldn't do that, now, would you? So, do you really want to accept him in a sober, godly, holy like manner, to reverence him, to honor him, to have respect for him? And then the part that the woman sometimes don't like and they want to take this out; to obey him in all things? Are you willing? Willing to do that? Somebody would say, Do you mean that I've got to serve his whiskey and his beer? and buy his cigarettes? No. You sure don't. All things as pertaining to the Word. If it gets beyond the Word or out of the Word be sure you don't ever obey him. You know, don't hurt him. Don't offend him. Honor him to the extent as to a reverence as to being your companion, but don't you dare do those things. Don't you dare do them because whatever you bid godspeed that's what you are partakers of. And if you do that for him God will hold you accountable because two cannot walk together unless they be agreed. And if he gets out of order to the extent that he just absolutely is going to be contrary now, if he's willing to dwell with you if he be an unbeliever you still got to honor the husband. See? But if he gets out of bounds as to these things in a critical manner to violate the Scriptures you don't live with him. Don't you dare live with him. Because if you live with him and walk with him then you are part of his evil. See? And he is not pleased to dwell with you for if he was pleased to dwell with you he wouldn't do those things. See? So you don't do those things. You live for God. Christ first and then the husband. But if the man is willing to try to live right, though he stumble and stagger, he doesn't request of you that which is ungodly then you are to honor him all the days of your life and you're to obey him in all things. And he will give honor unto you as unto the weaker vessel knowing that you do get under strain and that you will break and that he has to be very tender at times to pick you back up. You have to remember that, husband. And if you are willing to do these things as to your companion, or to this person that you desire for companionship, to honor what I'm saying here as to what God is requesting, (I'm only telling you what the Bible teaches.) then would you raise your hands, ladies, by that let me know? All right. Now. On the strength of these things that you are telling me, you are giving your life one to another, not to be twain anymore, but two shall be one flesh. Which is a mystery concerning the church. And just briefly saying these few words, it simple means that the woman's spirit is the weaker spirit. The masculine spirit is the stronger, and God hath made it so, so that two can become one. Because if the woman's spirit is as strong as your spirit or stronger, then she's got a devil. You better leave her alone to start with, because she's made to be a weaker spirit so that your spirit and her spirit will come together and your spirit will be stronger and more forceful in the godly way as your spirit being interwoven with Christ's Spirit. See? To love and to honor her and to, or to love and care for her, to cherish her, to give honor unto her as the weaker vessel, that if she breaks down, she gets frustrated, she gets nervous, she gets tore up, you know, you don't go looking at her saying horrible, evil, ugly things and drive her off, or cause her to take__ Well, like a lady said a few days ago, she said, You do that again and I'm going to blow your brains out. And I think that she meant it. The way she said it I perceived that she meant it, that she wasn't playing. Though she had been subject to the man for quite a long while and he just done her anyway and slapped her around and whatever, and one day she just decided he wasn't going to do it anymore. Now I know a lot of people say, Well, I don't believe a little ole frail woman would do that. Well, I happen to know of a case of a girl that married a cousin of mine, and he was boisterous, he was hard, he was mean to her, and she stayed with him and she tried to love him and she tried to live with him, and he got worse and worse and finally she left him. She didn't do him no harm she just left him. So she married again and the man started to doing the same thing. She just blew his brains out. She killed him, or whatever she done to him, right there, just a young woman. So you don't ever know. But in that the wife is willing to accept you on those basis and you accept her on these basis, or you willing to stand by these things? If so, all of you, would you raise your hands? All of you? All right. On the strength of your confession and what you told me, as to being true, then I pronounce you man and wife. That's wonderful. That's wonderful. Now, let's just lift our hands up and praise the Lord. If you weren't married before you're married now. So the wife can really lay hold on you and straighten you out if it needs be, and you can instruct her some now because everything is in order. We're just going to lift our hands. While their playing a little on the music up here we're just going to lift our hands up and love the Lord. And people back there in the audience, or wherever they would see this, or hear this, or read this, you know, wherever, different parts of the world, if you will accept what we said on the basis that we accepted it and if you would actually, even those that are out in the audience, make a re-consecration to God, and a re-dedication, as to companion each one as to the other then it will be just as effective in your life as it is in the life of these people because my wife and I, we've been married for many years and today I love my wife as much or more than I've ever loved her. I care for her and I haven't been the best husband in the world and I've stumbled and staggered but I've never in my whole life ever remember hitting my companion. I tell you before the living God I don't have any respect for a man that will hit a woman. And I know a woman's going to hit a man. She's just going to do it unless God undertakes, and I just pray God have mercy on her, you know, but a man he's strong and he can hurt a woman. I know a woman can hurt a man, but, ladies, don't fight with our companion. You know, you get upset at him and then you want his love, and he don't feel like loving you. You know, if you had a cat and every time you wanted to love it it'd just scratch you across the face and the arms after awhile you'd want to love it at a distance if you were going to love it at all. So let's just lift our hands up together with there thoughts in mind tonight and let's just praise the Lord, just love the Lord. We'll sing that little chorus that we usually sing when we go to dismiss. (Singing.) One more time together, now. (Singing.) God bless you. You can go back to your seats just before we dismiss. Maybe not tonight. Now that we're back at our seats I wonder if we'd just lift our hands up together and close our eyes and we're going to sing that one more time together in being dismissed and I think once again I'll call Brother Pasdon up tonight to dismiss us and as he comes let's just sing this once again now.

By Rev. George Leon Pike Sr.

Founder and first President of Jesus Christs Eternal Kingdom of Abundant Life, Inc.

Holiness Unto The Lord