<TITLE>10. Par 64-71</TITLE>L-64 Now, did you notice now, a man that had a ministry greater than any of the rest of them that had been on the field, Paul, the greatest ministry of all of them, that had seen Jesus in a Pillar of Fire, and commissioned him to do what he done, and was a-vindicated by the same God, the same power, by signs and wonders beyond any question; and was so poor he only had one coat, preaching to a bunch of people that would've plucked their eyes out, and some of them millionaires. And yet Paul had one coat. He said, "Bring that coat, getting cold up here." He was in the mountain country. He only had one coat.
And Demas, to a man that was of high standing, high caliber, cultured, educated, and a rich man that had many changes of clothes, "That guy, was something wrong with him. That had so many friends that would pluck their eyes out to give it to him, and yet he's so poor he had one coat. Something was wrong with Paul."

L-66 Oh, you know, that spirit don't leave the world; they still have it that way. Money ain't God. There's only one God. See? But people think because you have a big ministry you ought to own all this and all this, and all these great big things, and big schools, and big so-and-so. God doesn't deal in them things. Or at least, that's been my opinion. God deals with an individual. He never did ordain us to go do such things.
But Paul, with one coat, and he tells Timothy here to bring it to him because it's getting cold up there. See? A man that had a ministry that preached to the tens of thousands that Paul did, and a ministry that could do all kinds of miracles, and seen Jesus in a Pillar of Fire, commissioned him, and yet owned one coat. Demas said, "A fellow like that," he'd turn away from him.

L-68 Now, when he was up here preaching towards Troas, we find out that there's a man up there was a coppersmith. And he was a rascal. And he hated Christianity. And he done everything to Paul that he could do to him, had him throwed in jail, and every... Even Paul warns Timothy of the same thing: "Watch that guy." And here's Demas... O God, let the people hear it. Here stood Demas standing by a man that struck a man blind for disputing with him. Now, you Church of Christ preachers, put on your coats now. I had one tell me one time, said, "Smite me blind. Smite me blind. You got the Holy Ghost, smite me blind."
I said, "You're already blind." See?
Now, why didn't Paul smite the coppersmith blind? The same kind of a spirit that's on people that think that, is the same thing was on Demas. A man that could smite a man blind for disputing with him, and then turn and let a coppersmith spoil his ministry in the city, no doubt Demas said, "He--he--he's washed up; he's lost all of his gifts. He's--he's lost his gifts of smiting blind."
Don't you see how that spirit still lives, say, "You're washed up, brother..." Oh, it--it just goes over the people's head. They just don't get it; that's all there is to it. See? They just can't see it. See? They don't understand.

L-71 Now, Demas didn't smite that man blind because he wanted to. Didn't Jesus say, "I do nothing till the Father shows Me first"? Haven't I told you years ago if my own mother was laying, dying, and would say, "Bill, what's my outcome?" I couldn't say nothing till God said so first. And that's just what happened. Man can't... Man is a failure to begin with. He's only an agent to which God works through, and God works His Own will. But when you see these super-duper people that's always having this and that and the other, you'd better stay away from it. See? Jesus Himself didn't do that. He said, "I only work as the Father works. He shows Me what to do and then I go do it. I can't do other--anything otherwise than that."


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