<TITLE>18. Par 69-72</TITLE>L-69 That's what the church today, you got a hidden power (Oh, my.), something that fortifies them. What is it? It's the Word, the manifestation of God's grace with His people...?... Yes, sir. Yes, if you don't have the hidden power... Today we study in schools. We send our children to Bible school. That's all right (uh-huh), nothing against it, not a thing. But that's not what counts.
You know, Peter that night, oh, how he had... When the high priest come up (his servant), he pulled out his sword. He could duel. He pulled out his sword and chopped his ear off. Yeah, he had a lot of--of strength in his arms; but when he come to spiritual courage, he didn't have it. He denied the Lord's Word; because Christ was God's Word made manifest. So he denied it.

L-70 Oh, how I'd like to linger on that a few minutes, how that that Word... He said, "If I do not the works of My Father, then don't believe Me. But if I do the works of My Father, then believe the works." He said, "You hypocrites, you can see the signs in the skies (about, you know, rain coming and so forth)." but said, "The signs of the time you can't discern. For you... If you'd have knowed Me, you'd have knowed My day." You find it?
And Peter seen all that, and heard all that. And with an arm that could cut off that priest's servant... He must have been a real swordsman, because he was a servant to the priest, and he was a guard. He came out there, could use his spear. But Satan was so, or--or Peter was so much better with the spear, or with his sword than he was with his spear, he chopped his ears off.

L-71 But when it come to real down-inside-of-him courage, he didn't have it. No, he didn't have it. When he had seen that Word... Now, I'm going to get religious. When he had seen that Word made manifest, and knowed that that was the day for it to be there, and seen it proved exactly what God said it would do, and then with all of his intellectual strength, with all of his physical being...
That's the way it is today. Men who just walk up and put their name on a book, those who shake hands with a minister... And when it comes to standing in the office and the boss passes a drink, they'll take it. They're afraid of their job.
It comes to paying your tithes into your church, you're afraid to do it, because you're afraid you'll starve to death, even though, God's made the promise that He would take care of you. All these things...
And when you come to the church, and the Holy Spirit falls amongst the people, and something in your heart tells you, "This is it. That's the Word." When you see the baptism and everything else brought out in the Word, you're afraid to take it. What's the matter? You're lacking courage, spiritual courage to stand up.

L-72 So he didn't have it. He could duel. He could say, "Now, I belong to So-and-so; I give you to understand." But that wasn't what it was. But when he seen the Word manifested and then denied It, oh, what a horrible thing that was.
But, brother, after Pentecost he went up and put on the whole armor of God. He sure had courage then. Look at that same guy: a believer on Christ, followed Him hour by hour; but he'd only had seen the Word by letter; he'd only seen it manifested. But now it was in him. Glory. Hallelujah. The Word of... God's fiery Word was burning in his own flesh. What was it? God in him. Amen. God, Christ, the hope of glory made manifest in a man in flesh... God knowed what He was doing. Yes, sir. It wasn't no more trust to this, or that, or the other, but God Himself. Amen.


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