<TITLE>05. Par 18-21</TITLE>L-18 Must've been around about the time the sun was going down, and it'd been an awful day. There would been much activity in the services that day. They'd seen some terrific things happening. You know, along when you're in the Presence of Christ, you always see miraculous things taking place. That's the reason I love to live in His Presence, is to see His great tender hand going out to minister. I would've loved to have walked with Him in those days.
But I think today it's maybe a greater privilege, because He's walking inside of us. Then He was on the outside pointing; now He is on the inside, pointing to Himself what He's doing. And I'm so glad for the privilege.
Now, the--I would think, maybe, it was one of the larger men of the group. We'd call him Simon, maybe, that'd been one of the converts to the Lord Jesus, was pushing the boat off of the bank, where they'd pulled it up after they'd been journeying and preaching along the coast. And--and the day would been hot. He was tired, and he pushed the boat out into the water, and climbed in, set down by the side of his brother, Andrew, and picked up the oars in the little ship.

L-19 Now, the ships of those days wasn't like the ships of today. They wasn't propelled by jet or--or by electrical power. They were pulled by hand, many of them kinda like a fisherman's boat today. They had long oars, and there would be a man on one side with a oar; right across from him would be another man. Then they had a sail. When the wind was right, they'd hoist up this sail, and catch the wind, and--and it would blow them to their places, destination where they were determined to go. And then if the wind wasn't very good, they'd pick up the oars. And there'd be two men in each seat pulling on the oars.
And I can see Simon as he climbs into the boat: great strong-looking fellow, perhaps bald-headed, and sets down by the side of a--his brother Andrew, picked up the oar. They'd make a couple of strokes, and then wave back; and the people standing on the bank waving at them. Quite a dramatic sight, because they were bidding them come back.

L-20 There's something, you know, when you meet up with people that you have things in common, your talk is common. Your fellowship then becomes wonderful, when you can have things in common. That's why we are here tonight, because we've got things in common. We like to talk with each other. We talk about the same things.
And that's the way they were. They had been talking that day and--about God, and about His great power, and seeing His power working among them. And the meeting was over, and they were going home, or across the other side of the lake for the next campaign. And I can imagine how their hearts felt as they waved good-bye to those precious people of that day, after they had fellowshipped around the great works of Christ.
Now, what a blessed time it is, how you hate to leave one another. It's a love that--it happens in the heart. It is too bad that much of that is missing today in our gatherings, is that real love that the church should have one for another.

L-21 In the early days of my ministry, I pastored a church. And we used to get together at night in a little homemade way, and put our hands together, and we'd sing that song:
Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.
When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.


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