<TITLE>04. Par 32-44</TITLE>L-32 And I was just given a new Bible. And the strange thing... I am not superstitious; I hope you people don't think that it would be superstitious. When this Bible was given to me, they had a little... two little markers in it, little ribbons. It's a Bible like I had.

L-33   Brother Kidson gave me one was a Scofield Bible, now, not because that I agree with Mr. Scofield in his notes. Now, probably some of you do, some of you don't, but I just let you know that I just don't take Scofield Bible because I believe that. Because he has got it so paragraphed off. That was one of my first Bibles, and I just learned to read it like that. And I just keep the same Bible. Which, if I would have had the Thompson Chain, it would have been much better. I could have found my text much faster on a Thompson Chain Reference.

L-34 But when I opened the Bible, the first little ribbon in the Bible was a very strange thing, where it was. Was when Solomon dedicated the temple of God, and the Glory of God was so great, the Shekinah glory in the building, till the priests couldn't even minister.

L-35 And then the next string was laying where Ezra returned and dedicated the temple.

L-36 And the third little marker, that my wife had gotten me and put in the Bible, not knowing, with my name on it, and so forth, was laying to Mark 11:22. She just stuck it in the Bible, and that's where it was at. And that's, "If you say to this mountain, 'be moved.'" And all of you know when that Scripture was in my mind, you tape people, that's when those squirrels come right in, into that exactly.

L-37   And then the strange thing of it was, my favorite bird, robin, picture was on the marker, the little bird with the red breast. As the legend goes, that one time he was a brown bird; but there was a Man dying, one day, on a cross, and he felt so sorry for the Man till he flew in to try to pull the nails out himself, and he got Blood all over his little chest, and since then he's been a red breast. That's the way I--I want to meet my Saviour, too, with His Blood on my... inside my chest, on my heart.

L-38 And then my first meeting, Message I'm to preach in here, is at Phoenix, Arizona. Phoenix is something that can raise up out of nothing. That's what God does. He takes nothing, raises up something out of it.

L-39 And my Message this afternoon, is titled, for the next thirty or forty minutes, "paradox." And I want to read from a Scripture that...

L-40   Few years ago, that, I would take a Bible, and let you hand me the Bible, when I first started my ministry; and just take your Bible, and many of you have seen me do it, just hold it open like that, and say, "Lord, where is the Message to me?" It opened to Joshua, the 1st chapter, any Bible that you would hand me.

L-41 Until one night a vision came, which you are familiar, and I seen that Bible come down from Heaven, and a hand with a collar on a cuff, like this went down the first nine verses of Joshua.

L-42 That's where I'm reading from, this afternoon, for my reading, or my Scripture reading. My text is found in the 10th verse and the--the... I mean the 10th chapter and the 12th verse.

L-43 Before we open the Bible, let's bow our heads just a moment. Now with our heads and our hearts bowed, let's think this. Let's not just this be an ordinary meeting; we have those all the time. But let's pray God, each one of us, for this to be an extraordinary, insomuch that the Presence of God will be with us continually through the meeting.

L-44   Heavenly Father, we are thankful for this grand and noble privilege to be here in Phoenix this afternoon, assembled in this great auditorium here, among these people. And now we are just about to approach the Word. "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." And may it be again, Lord, that the Word will become flesh, It'll pour through Thy church and Thy people, to fulfill the promises of the hour.


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