<TITLE>03. Par 19-26</TITLE>L-19 Then we got off on, "Well, he had to feel something; and you had to do something." And, oh, we'll get into all that, after while. One had to shout. The Methodists used to have to shout, 'fore they had it. The Pentecostals had to speak with tongues, before they had it. And, oh, some of them, the Shakers, used to have to shake. Yeah. The old... They'd walk up-and-down, man on one side, women on the other. See? Shakers. Then the Holy Spirit come on them and shook them. "They had It." But it's all just fantastics. There's none of it the Truth.

L-20   God lives in His Word. "Faith cometh by hearing, hearing the Word. "By faith are you saved, through grace." Not by anything, whether you shake, or speak with tongues, or whatever takes place. That has nothing to do into it, at all. Jesus said, "He that heareth My Words and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath Eternal Life. He that heareth My Word and believeth, been made quickened to him, hath Eternal Life." There it is. Doesn't matter what little thing that you do.

L-21 Now, I'm not against shaking, or speaking with tongues, or shaking, oh, that--that shouting. That's all right. That's fine. But that's only attributes. See? I could give you an apple off the tree, and you still wouldn't have the tree. See? You... It's the attributes.

L-22   Lying, stealing, drinking, smoking, gambling, committing adultery, that's not sin, that's the attributes of unbelief. See? That's what you--you... You do that because you are a sinner. See? But first you are a sinner. That's what make you do that, because you do not believe. And if you do believe, then you do not do that. Then you have love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, gentleness, meekness, patience. That's the fruit of the Holy Spirit. See?

L-23 So we got little things, little sensations, is because that man got off of the old, beaten path of the Word. It's the Word. "Faith cometh by hearing."

L-24   So when Paul... God chose Paul. Man chose Matthias. When he... They cast the lots, but he never did nothing. That shows what a power the church has then, to make a choice, to elect their deacons, and send their preachers to different places. That's carnal, many time.

L-25 Let a man go where God leads him to go. I like that. If the people in a conference just say, "Well, here's a nice church. This brother has built up a nice church. And we have a little pet." They'll send him over to this church. They don't realize they're killing theirselves. See? First place, if that man goes in there, he can't fill that man's place. Then they only weaken the church, to try to show favor to some pet. It's always been that way.

L-26 But I believe in the supreme authority of the local assembly. Yes. Let each church be its own, choose its pastors, its deacons, its, whatever it is. And then, that way, the man in there has no bishop over him. The Holy Spirit wants to speak something to that church, they don't have to ask anybody about whether they could do this or do that. It's the individual in contact with the Holy Spirit. Show me by the Bible what's greater, in the Bible, than a local elder to a local church? That's right, yes, sir, the sovereignty of the local church, each church in itself. Now, brotherhood, that's wonderful. All churches ought to be in a brotherhood like that, together. But the sovereignty of local church!


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