<TITLE>05. Par 17-20</TITLE>L-17 Sometime ago I was standing where the great Constantine stood when he was going over into Rome to liberate the church. The church had been under cruel persecutions for many years. And while Constantine on his road over there, one night he was wakened out of his sleep by a dream. And in this dream, something spoke to him and told him to paint a white cross on his shields of his men and by this they would conquer.
And he arose at midnight, and got all of his man up, and painted white crosses on their shields. And by that [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] to become conquerors. And if you are ever going to be a conqueror, you're going to have to come by the cross.

L-18 We are told that the church was progressing all the time under persecution. I crossed the river and went into Rome. And I went down to the San Angelo's catacomb. And while going through the catacombs and seeing the--the tombs where the bodies had been buried of the people's that had died under persecution... And at the corners was little short graves. That were the babies.
And then I went over into the coliseum. There I stood there where the [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] used to make the decision on whether the man was to die or not after they made them fight till death. And when they had decided that the man should die, the gladiators would hang their thumbs out over the walls and would push their thumbs down. That meant that the man must die. One that fought the other one until, Christian fighting Christian, until they would--one would be down and they'd ask for whether his life should be spared or not, they'd thumbs down, and they would kill the Christian.

L-19 As I stood there, my heart was moved. And I raised my hands up to God; I said, "God, be merciful. The gladiator said, 'Thumbs down,' but, I'm saying hands up, raise them up, oh, God in triumph at that last day, for You promised You would do it." That precious faith of the early church that was "Pure gold," said the Bible, "tried in fire."
And how they would open the pits of that great arena, setting like that, only in the bleachers as we call it. And the great massive place down here and they would burn them to the stake. They would open the doors and traps of hungry lions and tigers. And they would rush forth on a praying bunch of Christians and just drag them from bone to bone.
And the faith of those people that stood firm... And in the midst of all that, the church growed mightily all the time.

L-20 And after Constantine, come over and liberated them from under the Roman persecution and united the church and state together... There's where we got Catholic to begin with. And when they did, the church lost more grounds in ten years than it had gained all through the persecution.
If there's anything that makes Christians lazy, it's when they're on a flowered bed of ease. We don't have it persecution enough. We don't have it hard enough. Always at the chain is the strongest at its weakest link.
And a man under pressure is what he is when he's under pressure. His real to--true characteristics will show when he's under pressure. Get him all riled, stirred up, then you'll see the real man come out. If he's got temper, it'll show itself. If he's meek and gentle, it'll show itself. Put him under pressure once. And God puts all His children under tests to see whether there's any flaws in them.


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