<TITLE>10. Par 77-83</TITLE>L-77 Now, one of the first things that I'd like to speak to you for these few minutes. After we have found out that the foundation must be original, it must go back to the foundation; it must go back to where it was the Vine. If something's wrong with it, and the Vine's not operating right, let's go back and find out what's wrong.
Now, one of the first things that I'd like to mention, is that something has gone from our church; one of the main things is faith. The people don't have faith today like they had in that day. Some kind of a cankerworm of some sort has got in and eat off the lifeline of faith. They've changed it. Today their faith rests upon some kind of a--of a big church, denomination. But Jude told us, in Jude the 3rd verse, It said:
Beloved,... I gave all diligence to write unto You of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you... (I have It here before me)... and to exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith... (not a faith; the faith)... that was once delivered unto the saints. (That was thirty-three years before this, this faith was delivered.)

L-79 Now, not... The people say, "Well, that's against my faith." There's only one faith, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. You might have a faith, but we want the faith. Earnestly "contend," that's "argue for it, standing--stand up for."
... earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints.
When were they called saints? When they were sanctified. The Holy Spirit sanctified them; they were called saints. Now, Jude says, a brother, foster brother of Jesus, "I want you to earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints." Don't never let that faith drop.
And the faith of the saints was not in creeds, not in denominations, not in church buildings, not in associations, but it was in the Presence of the living God. They had faith to heal the sick, cast out devils, do miracles. All the great promises that Jesus made, that first church held onto that. It was the lifeline.

L-82 Listen here; listen close to what I want to tell you. The ever-Presence of the living God is the lifeline of any church or any bunch of people, the ever-Presence of the living God to perform and to do, and to act and to live with the people as He did at the beginning. If the Presence of the living God brought a Pentecost with power, with signs, with wonders, brought a people so full of the glory of God till they shouted and spoke with other languages, and went and martyrs for the faith, let's earnestly contend for that faith until death shall set us free. Earnestly contend for it. We will not compromise, upon reading books, taking some man-made theology. We'll not compromise upon some creeds or some prayer books, or something somebody else has said.
My faith is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' Blood with righteousness;
All around my soul gives way,
Then He's all my hope and stay.
For on Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other grounds is sinking sand.

L-83 No creed but Christ, no law but love, and no book but the Bible, no creed books... The Bible has to say it. The Bible has to not only say it, but say it every time the same, must say it from Genesis to Revelations. It must go in every little web, and weave into every part of the Word. If it doesn't, then I've got the wrong interpretation of It, 'cause God cannot dispute His Own Word. And if it doesn't say the same thing to every little fiber...
If this shirt here, it's wove throughout with the same fiber, it's what makes it what it is. It's what makes it white.
That's what the Church is. If it's going to be a white Church, borned again, without spot, without wrinkle, it's got to be woven with the same kind of a fiber that it started off with on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Ghost experience burning and weaving. You cannot add a piece of rotten goods; you cannot add a piece of burlap sack to it; it won't work. It'll mar it.


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