<TITLE>05. Par -</TITLE>L-7-1 I'd better read some Scripture, hadn't I? and get started.
Now, before we read, let's speak to the One Who wrote It, as we bow our heads. All that has a request tonight, this being a Christmas eve night, might have something like this: "O Lord, I'm grateful in my heart for Christ, and I want to come just a little closer now than ever before. I want to not go back to a manger in a barn, but I want to make my heart a manger, not for an infant Christ, but a Christ Who is God, Emmanuel." Would you just let it be known by your uplifted hand to Christ? The Lord grant your request.

L-7-4 Heavenly Father, now we are assembled in the house that's called the house of prayer, the place where we come together to worship the Lord Jesus in all of His great works, and to teach His Word, and believe that He is the Word. And we thank You for this night and its opportunities that lays before us to bring the Word of the living God to a living people, and especially to those that are living in Christ Jesus, that's been renewed, has been borned anew, become new creations--and the opportunity we have to present the--the facts to those who are not new creations in Christ, that this night they can become new creations in Christ. Give to each of these people the desire of their heart, and may they tonight, if they haven't before, come into this great, universal, catholic Church, this catholic as it is in worldwide, apostolic, borned again saints of the living God. Grant it, Lord. May each person become a member of It, because It's a Body, not a building, but a Body, the Body of Christ. And we are the members of this Body. Grant it, Lord.

L-7-5 May great gifts from the Christ be poured out upon the people tonight that belongs in the Body, not a package sealed up, not with Christmas presents in it, as we earthly beings can give to each other in appreciation of our love to each other; but let it be that seal of the Holy Spirit coming down into the soul of mankind, giving them Immortal Life.
Bless them altogether, Father, while tonight, as far as we know, being healthy and happy, a good warm fire to set by, a roof over our head and thinking of the thousands around the world with no place to go... Heavenly Father, be merciful to us and grant this request.
We ask tonight that You'll bless the Word as It goes forth now. Bless our pastor, and bless the trustees, and the deacons of the church, and every one that's affiliated with it in the membership of the Body, being borned again, for we ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.

L-8-2 As I started a few moments ago to say--in the reading of the saints--Saint Martin come one cold night, and he found a poor old man laying freezing at the gate. And he seen people pass by who was able to give the old man a--a cloak of some sort, but they didn't do it. And him knowing then that it was his duty to do it--yet his father and mother both heathens--but he was a soldier, so he took off his cloak took his sword and cut it half in two, and wrapped the old fellow up in it, and then went on. And the people laughed at him, snubbed him, said, "A funny looking soldier, what a fanatic."

L-8-3 But the following night he was wakened up in the barracks where he was staying, and he was in a vision. And he looked, and he was in a room; and there stood Jesus with a bunch of Angels standing around Him; and Jesus had this piece of robe wrapped around Him; the cloak. And He said to the Angels, "Do you know where I got this?"
And they said, "Nay, my Lord."
He said, "Martin wrapped Me in this."
So Brother Martin knew then that was his call to the ministry, because when he wrapped that old man in that robe, Jesus was in that old man. So if He was in an old man, as we would call, a beggar or a bum laying on the street, Jesus will come to any of us. Then he knows, "What you've done unto the least of these, My little ones, you have did it unto Me." God help us to remember that.


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