<TITLE>04. Par 17-21</TITLE>L-17 And today we got into traditions. Now, in our text we find tonight that they said, "Is it lawful for us to put away our wife for any cause?" Well, it's almost that way today. If they just don't want to live with their wife or husband, they just find some reason and put her away. Some preacher comes along or magistrate, marries them to another. See, it's a tradition. Well, they say, "Our church believes it this way." Well, it doesn't make so much difference to what our church says; it's what the Bible says about it that makes the difference. God ought to be the final Word in every decision that we make.

L-18 A few days ago I was tried in a court or was going to be. And they were giving me some very stiff questions. And they said, "Why did you pass the money of the campaigns through your church as a foundation?"
"Well," I said, "it was because that I was told by the Internal Revenue collector that I should do it that way because it was a foundation."
And it kept on going on, and he said, "This man did not tell you the truth."
I said, "Well, he represented the government. If I send a campaign manager into a city to represent me for five nights there in a campaign, and he represents me eight nights, I'm obligated for eight nights because the ambassador has said eight nights. And the government should stick to what their representatives say."
Then he said, "Well, the... That man's not with the government any more."
I said, "And someday you'll not be with the government any more, and the ones that wrote the Constitution's not with them any more. I wonder if that still holds." You see, they try to find a loophole.

L-19 But instead of just being honest and sticking with the principles... That's the way that people get today in all walks of life. And that's the way the churches get, this church, other churches. Instead of coming out and facing the facts of what God said, we try to find a loophole to justify ourselves. And it isn't pleasing to God.

L-20 And someone started that, and we wonder just what is the truth then. I'll ask a challenge a few days ago to a man that was standing and repeating the Apostles' Creed, so called, "I believe in God almighty, God the Father, Creator of the heavens and earth and so forth. And I believe in the communion of saints..."
Now man cannot justly from his heart say that creed and be right with God, and know the Bible. Anything that communes with saints is spiritualism, anything that communes with the dead.
And this man turned back and said, "Well, what do you commune with?"
I said, "Jesus Christ."
He said, "Well, He died."
But I said, "He arose again. And He is not dead, but He lives. But Mary, and all the other apostles, and all the people that you claim to commune with is dead and gone on. And the Bible says there is no mediator between God and man but the Man Christ Jesus."

L-21 Therefore with the tradition of man, you have made the commandments of God of non effect. And we try to please God by building a great big church by padding the seats and by making it pretty. That's all right. There's no objections to that, but that isn't just what God said do.
We try to make our church a little outstanding from the other church by getting the best educated pastor that we can get in our pulpit, who can speak his words so, with such an eloquent speech. That's all right. But that still isn't what God said.
And in the most of the churches, if--of our churches today, if the man hasn't got a seminary experience, the congregation will by no wise bring him in. He has to have a seminary education. But that isn't what the Bible said. That isn't what Jesus did. Jesus took men who didn't even know their ABC's and anointed them with the Holy Spirit. The requirement of God was not to receive an education, but to receive the Holy Spirit. No man should preach the Gospel until receiving the Holy Spirit.


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