<TITLE>23. Par 165-173</TITLE>L-165 Now, the--the call of the day, all that counts amongst the churches today is members. That's all they want is members. Now, we all know the Baptist slogan in 1944, said, "We'll have a million more, '44." We know our precious, gracious Brother Billy Graham, we see his place in the Scripture, where he goes to, what he does. But it's always "decisions, so many made decisions." Just denomination, that's all they want. See?
That's the way it was in the days of Jesus, the same thing. They're not bad men. They were blind. That's all. They were blind to the Truth. Jesus told them so, said, "You blind Pharisees and Sadducees, what all you do..." What did He say you do? "You scribes, Pharisees, you're blind." He didn't say, "You're sinners." They were sinners, but what we call sin...
Now, we call sin, "Committing adultery, smoking, lying, stealing, things like that, that's sin." That isn't sin. That's the attributes of unbelief.
The Bible said, "He that believeth not is condemned already." Unbelief in the Word is sin.

L-169 Look at those men, holy. Why, you couldn't put a finger on them morally. Their grandfather, and great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather, and great-great-great-great-grandfather were all priests. They kept that law and traditions of the elders and the fathers just perfect down through the generation. There wasn't one blemish on them. If they would, they'd be stoned. Good men, and Jesus said, "You are of your father the devil!" Why? Because they didn't see the Message, the Word. He was there.
And they said, "Well, this man's trying to tear up our churches."
He said, "You blind Pharisees and Sadducees..." He said, here's what He said; He said, "You'll compass seas to make one proselyte. What all you'll do for one member, and when you bring him into your denomination, he's a twofold child more of hell than he was when he was out there." That's exactly what Jesus said.

L-172 And if there's anything that's unrighteous and anything that's ungodly, is to take an old mossback church member that thinks they're so good, and they can't see through nothing but their own glasses... I'm not criticizing. But, yes, I am too. And that's just exactly right. And Jesus said, "You're a twofold more child of hell than you was when you started." And when we take churches, that no matter how many members that you get in that church, and see them go to the bookies and horse races, and stand out here, and the women with shorts on, up and down the streets, and singing in the choir, that's the biggest stumbling block the sinner ever had. Exactly. They're expecting them people that call themselves Christians to live a decent life, to be a different person. That's an example. That's a stumbling block. That's a hypocrite. That's ten times worse off than you ever was. You'd be better off to be out there like you were.

L-173 That's when the man comes, say, "Well, they--they don't live any different than I live. Well, certainly not. I'm... I'd be as good as they are." It's a stumbling block. That's exactly right. See them say...
Well, some sinner walk up and say, "Jesus said this here."
"Aw, that wasn't, for that--that don't mean that. That--that, He didn't mean that right there. That was for another age." Why you unbeliever, (See?) what's the matter? You put a stumbling block in that person's way.


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