<TITLE>13. Par 40-43</TITLE>L-40 Notice, this Naaman was a great fellow, but he was a leper. There's so many people today, even I'm sad to say, that even in the pulpit, that's great men, but listens to man's theology instead of staying in the Presence of God, and still a leper, "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." Influential speakers, forceful, but still never knows what it is to be borned again to--or to believe in the supernatural, and cannot understand it, except they come into the Kingdom of God... He will explain it away through reasonings every time. Why, he's never lived in this atmosphere. But a man ever comes in there he has to become a son and daughter of God, then his nature is like God. He believes the supernatural.

L-41 So they had a little girl there. Now, I want to show you the force of a testimony of a child who lived in a nation, or perhaps a family, who was under the influence of God. She loved her master and her mistress. So when she seen Naaman, probably a good hearted, good natured man... As far as we know, according to history, Elijah had never healed a man with leprosy. There'd never been a leper case healed in his day.
But the little girl, being raised and brought up under the influence over in Israel, yet an alien, she was conducting herself as a believer. And that's the way we should do all the time, is conduct ourselves, no matter what our position is, conduct ourselves as believers, ready at all times to give an answer for the hope that lieth within you. You see it?

L-42 Here some time ago, down in the south, the Germans, or the Dutch brought over, the Dutch colonies, brought over to America Negroes out of Africa and sold them in the southern states for slaves. And they become personal property to the slave owner. And they worked at the toils of the day, and their scars over them from whips and sometimes unkind masters. And they were burdened and away from home. Many times they wouldn't want to work, and they would make them and force them to work.
And in a certain plantation there was a great owner who owned many hundred slaves, two or three hundred slaves on this great plantation. He'd buy and swap slaves. And one day a buyer came by. He said, "I would like to buy from you that certain slave." Said, "I've watched him in his conduct." Said, "He walks straight; you never have to whip him." Said, "He's always willing and standing ready to do anything." He said, "He seems to be such a gallant person." Said, "Perhaps you've made him the boss over the rest of them."
He said, "No, he's just a slave."
Said, "Maybe you feed him a little better and what makes him act different."
Said, "No, he eats with the rest of them."
Said, "What makes him act different?" Here it is brethren.
Said, "No, I wondered myself what made him always with his chin up, chest out, ready any time, never droopy, never mopey. Then I learned that he is the son of the king of the tribe. Though he's an alien, though he's away from home, still he conducts himself, knowing this, that he's the son of the king. He keeps the morale of the rest of them high, for he knows he's a son."

L-43 How much that ought to be to the Christian Church this morning, and what a challenge. No matter what other men do and what those who profess Christianity does, we must walk as sons and daughters of the King. Our morale should be wonderful. We should never act as the world or live with the world. We should keep our courage high, knowing this, that we are aliens. We don't care about the world and what they think. We are aliens, pilgrims, and strangers. But someday we're going home. But at this time we're pilgrims.


<A HREF="P14">Next Page</A>