<TITLE>04. Par 10-12</TITLE>L-10 I'm so glad that we have a shelter. "The Name of the LORD is a mighty tower: the righteous run into it, and are safe." No matter how many bombs, or how many anything else, we're safe there. So the world and the sinner not having this shelter, or this safety place, it's a shaking time. I believe if I wasn't a Christian, I'd go crazy, to thinking of what might happen at any time. And with a house full of little kiddies and everything, I wouldn't know what to do. But I'm so glad that I can stand in my house and introduce to them a shelter that no bomb could ever touch, or nothing else. Under the protecting wings of the Lord Jesus. "Not by power, not by might, but by My Spirit, saith the LORD." See? That is our protection.
And what a great, glorious time it is to know that all sin and struggles and trials of life will soon be over. It'll all finish one of these days, and we'll go home to be with the Lord. Now, what's left is a time to preach the Gospel and to bring in to this great tower as much, as many as we can.

L-11 And then, as we see the pattern of our lesson today, of Elijah during his reign, he--or his pilgrimage on earth, why, he was a great, mighty man. God was using him in mighty ways, with mighty power. And we find out that during this time, there was a group of impersonators who tried to impersonate Elijah, who tried to do the same things Elijah done. And so we find the same thing today: impersonation of Christianity, people who try to act like Christians, who try to make themselves Christians. You can't do that. God has to do that. See? He's the only One Who can do it.
So they formed a school and called it the school of the prophets. And they all went up to the school of the prophets and they educated them. And I could imagine all those preachers up there wearing the same kind of coat that Elijah wore. I can imagine trying to impersonate him on his voice, the way he spoke, and--and way he presented himself, everyone trying to do the same thing, because Elijah was a great man used of God.
And we find the same thing today. I was listening to the radio broadcast not long ago; they got Billy Grahams all over this country since Billy was in Louisville, everybody trying to impersonate the same thing almost: comb their hair the same way, and--and wear the same thing, and same kind of voice and so forth. But you can't do that. You just got to be who you are and what God made you to be. That's right. And so we find how that perhaps in them days the same things took place.

L-12 Now, God seeing, foreseeing that Elijah's days were numbered, that he had so long he could stay here on earth (as everyone has), so He was going to have a successor to Elijah. And when He did, God called this man. He wasn't in no seminary when He called him. He was plowing in a field with a yoke of ox, doing the service, or taking care of his mother and father. And God called him to be the successor of Elisha, or Elijah. Perhaps many up at the school thought they was sure to do, going to be his successor, they was going to wear his robe as soon as he was finished with it. But God does the calling. God does the choosing. God does the electing. God does the setting in order.
God has set in the church, some apostles, some prophets, some teachers, some evangelists, and pastors. God does that Himself. We cannot make one hair black or white; neither can we add one thing to our statue by taking thought. God in His infinite grace, and by His election, and His foreknowledge sets these things in order, and every wheel works just right. I like that. I would be a discouraged man this morning if I didn't believe in the election and calling of God.


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