<TITLE>19. Par 136-142</TITLE>L-136 I seen a tree the other day with nine different citrus fruits on it, and it had pomegranate, and it had, I believe it was grapefruit, lemon, and all on it, but it really was an orange tree. And I said to the man, Mr. Sharritt, my friend; I said, "Well, how is that, being an orange tree?"
He said, "Well, you just split the tree and put this grafted in there."
I said, "Well, when it brings forth fruit, will it bring forth the orange?"
He said, "No, it brings forth after its kind."
There you are. Brother, when I tell you, when churches are grafted into Christ, such, or try, supposed to be, just slit in there by name, calling themselves the churches of Christ, when they do, what do they bring? Denominational fruits. But if that branch ever brings forth another limb, it'll be like the first one was. But let me tell you, brother, if the Holy Ghost is real in the Church today, the kind of Church it had that wrote the Book of Acts behind it... If the Church of the living God, the Church of Jesus Christ become again alive by the same Holy Spirit that fell on the day of Pentecost, it'll write a Book of Acts behind it. Right. It'll be persistent, perseverant until that thing comes to pass. O God, have mercy on us. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

L-140 Samson, Samson, he was very perseverant as long as he could feel those seven locks around him. He knowed that was a promise that God give him. And every man and woman could be as persistent as Samson was, as long as you can feel that power of promise around you of God. Here is the Word; the Word said so. And you can be perseverant as long as you know that you've got that promise in your heart, that faith that told you, while you're setting here now, that faith says, "I am healed. I'm healed." See? You feel that, just keep walking on. Brother, God will take care of the Philistines; don't you worry.

L-141 Did you ever think how Samson, with that old jawbone of the mule... You know how thick those helmets was? Some of them about an inch, or an inch and a half of solid brass. Could take a two-handed sword and hit him on the head with it, it wouldn't hurt him. And Samson took an old rotten, excuse me, that old dried jawbone of the mule, and picked it up, and beat down a thousand of them. Why, the first lick on top of one of them heads, that jawbone would've went to a million pieces. But, see, the miracle was in the jawbone the same as in Samson. He felt, "If I can feel that promise there," he said, "bring them on." Brother, he begin to knock Philistines right and left. Why? He was persistent till the last Philistine was laying on the ground. Amen. What did he have? Not very much. He had a mule's jaw to fight against swords and spears and trained men. But he had the power of God on him. You notice, the power of God came upon him first.

L-142 Oh, brother, fight till every symptom's gone. Hallelujah. Fight till every--every doubt is gone.
Say, "Well, my case is different." Take that jawbone and knock it out of there.
This one said, "But, you know, I'm just a little different; I'm getting too old." Knock it out. Abraham was a hundred. Go on.
"Well, but my case is very bad." Jonah was in the belly of the whale, hands tied behind him, laying down in the whale's vomit. Everywhere he looked was whale's belly. He had plenty of symptoms, but he turned over and said, "Once more will I look to Your holy temple, Lord." Can't hide Him. That's it, persistence, perseverance, stay right with the Word of God.
Why did Jonah stay like that? Because he knew that since Solomon dedicated the temple, he prayed and said, "Lord, if Thy people be in trouble anywhere and look towards this holy place, then hear from heaven, answer their prayer." And he knew this one thing, that God would hear that prayer.


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