<TITLE>03. Par 13-19</TITLE>L-13 We're not very much on church buildings in these days, because we truly believe, with all our heart, the Lord Jesus is coming soon. And when missionaries are on the field preaching the Gospel with no shoes on, eating one meal a day, how can we build a million-dollar church in the face of that? I--I just can't see it, and then saying the Lord's coming soon. Let's get into the field and do what we can in this generation. If there is another one, let... They'll answer for theirs; we'll have to answer for this one. Just can't go those million-dollar buildings, and so forth, after being on the field and seeing it.
Now, it's nice that... I think the house of the Lord should be nice. And it should be a--a sacred little spot. Make it as comfortable and nice as possible, but not anything to extremes, because we don't understand that.

L-15 Now, before we pray and read the Scriptures, I wanted to give a--not preach this morning, but give a lecture on the Scriptures. And usually coming... I only do this in my own church. And we are... In our church we're not a denomination. We are interdenominational by nature, and are not affiliated with any churches in the lines of denomination, but are associated with all believers of all denominations and all peoples throughout all the world. Our little church, this morning, is known all over the world. The tapes that you--these Messages, just as chopped up as they are, yet we are supporting on mission fields (how many different foreign nations?), nineteen foreign nations, just on tapes alone.

L-16 Nineteen different nations are taking the messages and translating them. Someone as I am preaching, someone stand there preaching right with it. And they're going into the huts and the places out where God's not even known, and preaching to the heathen, and into the natives of Africa and South America, and all around the world, and hundreds times hundreds are coming to the Lord. Many are being healed. And that's the reason that we feel that it is all important to press the Message, not in big buildings and so forth.

L-17 And then when I'm here, I just have lectures on the Scripture. But out in the field I don't preach any church doctrines, because, doing so, it makes it hard. The peoples will say my doctrine is not right, or something like that. And if you preach one... If I preach the Methodist doctrine, the Baptist will disagree with me. If I preach the Baptist's, then the Lutheran will disagree. If I preach the Pentecostal, then the Nazarenes will disagree. If I preach the Nazarene, then the Church of God will disagree. So, you see, you have to take a stand for something, but in the scope of the field of service, we just welcome every believer, no matter what your creed or denomination is. As long as you are borned again of the Spirit of God, you are our brother and sister. And we intend to always keep it thus.

L-18 And then, if the Lord willing, today I want to preach in our church: our church stand on Bible doctrine (See?), what the church stands for, and why we do this. And doing so, we are bound to create or--we do not mean to, but we might create questions in someone's mind, say, "Well, I never was taught to such, or to believe it in such-and-such a way." (Thank you.)

L-19 And if it so happens that you, your church doesn't believe, or you do not believe just the things that we speak of as our church Doctrine, we trust that it will by no means bring an offense. Because the very first step to successful Christianity, and to show that man has received the Holy Spirit, is humility, real God-given humility, that It must be given humbly. But, yet, a church without a doctrine is just like a jellyfish; it has no backbone. So, we've got to have backbone in it. And not also backbone, but teeth also, because the Church of God must eat the Bread of Life. And we...


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