<TITLE>03. Par -</TITLE>E-1f      When we built the little church, right in the time, 1932, and I borrowed the money to put it up, and I never took an offering one time. A little box on the back of the church said, "Insomuch As Ye Have Done Unto To The Least Of These My Little Ones, You've Done It To Me." I never told the people that was there, but when my payments come due it was there. That's the life of faith. You trust God for it. See, just what I did. 
And then, I remember that night I went over, and I was going to take an offering. Now, not cause the people wouldn't give to me. Sure, they'd die for me. But they... If it was necessary, they would--they would do that. But I didn't want it. I was young and worked, had a job. Rest them was working, why not I? So didn't interfere with me much in my ministry, so I went ahead.
But I remember that night, I said to the... "Well, friends," I said, "I kinda hate to say this, but I--I kinda hit a snag. I--I--I--I... We'll take up an offering." I said, "Brother Wisehart, would you get my hat?" They didn't have any collection plates. "Will you take my hat?"
Said, "Yes, sir, Billy." And he looked up at me kinda strange, went over and got my hat. I looked down, there's a little lady by the name of Ware setting right close...?... A little old mother had...?... little checkered aprons on, the pocket on the inside of the aprons (You know?), here on the side. You know what I'm talking about, some of you mothers. So I seen her reach down pull this little apron back and get out one of these little pocketbooks that snaps on the top. You know? She undone this little pocketbook and begin to fumble around with them nickels in there. My, I couldn't take that. That would've haunted me the rest of my life, I took that poor old thing's money. I looked at her, and great big lumps swelled up in my throat. And I said, "Now, friends, I was just trying your faith. I didn't mean that." I said...?... My wife setting there looking to see how I was getting along. You know?

E-1g      There's an old man. He's usually at every one of these meetings around here. I don't know whether he's here or not. His name is John Ryan. Not the John Rhyn that he was blind. It's another John Ryan. You'd think he belonged to the House of David; he wears long hair and long beard. And he was at the Hammond meeting and the Zion meetings. He may be here somewhere for all I know.
He come down to see me. So he rode a bicycle down. Bicycle probably cost him three dollars. It was a--it was a real... You know? And here he come down with that long hair blowing, the beard on one side, coming down to see me. Well, I think it backslid while he was down there.
Now, that's a mouthful for a Baptist to say, isn't it? Backslid. But he... The bicycle did anyhow. And he stood up and said, "Brother Bill, you can just have that thing." And he hitchhiked back.
So he give me the bicycle. And after I went home that night, the wife said, "I thought you was going to take up that offering?"
Now, Monday, I thought, "What am I going to do now?" I went and got me a can of paint for about fifteen cents, and I doctored up the old bicycle and painted it, and sold it for ten dollars. Didn't have to have--have the offering after all. So... Now, that...
But just feelings that I couldn't take... I knowed that poor little old woman was going to drop in them pennies and things, maybe she's been saving that for something else. And me a young man and her sixty-five years old, or something, I couldn't do that.
So we try to do the same way. Our services is not to bum people for money. If ever one time I ever hear of one of my managers begging for money, that's the end of the manager. We don't have no more managers like that. 'Cause when God don't supply my needs out here, He wants me to go home. And so we--and wait for another vision.


<A HREF="P4">Next Page</A>