<TITLE>03. Par 14-20</TITLE>L-14   Now this morning, I suppose we sit here, thirty, forty, thirty, I guess, or something like that, counting the children. I wouldn't know. I'm not very good on--on--on counting the numbers, just to look over a little group of people, 'cause there's other rooms here, you see, that I don't see the people in them. Now, but when we come together like this, I feel that we get a closeness that we don't get when we're out in a great, huge congregation. We, can express ourselves. That's why, this morning, that I thought, coming down here, that I would speak to the congregation here this morning, and to it's lovely little pastor. So glad to see many of my friends here, Strickers and all those that--that I haven't seen for some time.

L-15   And I would speak this morning to you my new-year's Message that I had planned for speaking next Sunday afternoon at the Phoenix meeting, at the auditorium. Because, in here, I thought maybe they're making tapes out there of it. That I... Maybe the Holy Spirit would give me a--a better thought here amongst just a bunch of believers, than perhaps it would be at Phoenix amongst, you know, where the belief and unbelief, and superstitions and--and everything is mixed together. And then if the brethren had, and letting the tapes out, that it would be--it would be better to do it that way, because you'd have a better tape from here. I asked the boys to check the acoustics first. And when I come in this morning, Brother Terry told me that the acoustics were fine. So, that's--that's good. So now let us first, before we approach this solemn affair, and I know...

L-16   I believe they said some of you are staying for lunch, going to have lunch here on the grounds or at the house, or something, together. That's very fine. I just sure appreciate seeing you all get together.

L-17 And I feel that--that my Message this morning is addressed to the Church of the living God, see, and which I believe this is a portion of it sitting here this morning. And now before we come to that solemn part, let's bow our heads just a moment for prayer.

L-18   Our Heavenly Father, we are so grateful to You, that we can even be privileged to address You as our Father, for Father means that we have been begotten of the great God that created the heavens and earth. And we are so happy for this privilege, that we can think in our hearts, and, then, that we are sons and daughters of Yours. And then to see You strictly identify Yourself in the midst of us, that You are our Father, changing our thoughts from the things of the world, and changing our motives and objectives and attitudes, and every phase of us, to love You and to believe You, and--and know that Your promises are true.

L-19 We have assembled here this morning in this place that we call "the backside of the desert," or I call it that, thinking that. Reason I say that, Lord, is not to reflect anything upon this little group of people, but, of anything that would be of a nature of being small.

L-20 But I am trying to think that it was Moses, Your servant, was at the backside of the desert, maybe just he and his sheep, maybe his wife, Zipporah, and--and--and Gershom, his son, might have been along. I... That I do not know. But it was there that they had an experience that changed that prophet, from a runaway coward, to the service of the God who had ordained him for the job, on the backside of the desert. It was there that--that the Pillar of Fire that was made manifest for the first time in human life, that we know of, that Fire was laying back in a little desert bush, and it burnt not. But--but it was the Glory of God reflecting Itself through that bush; that Moses the prophet taking off his shoes, drawed nigh unto It, and was commissioned by God to deliver a nation of God's people.


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