January 21 , 2022
The Printer ’ s Pulpit
The printed page is the greatest pulpit that God has given to man :
Its message stirs the heart - strings in every tribe and clan .
It shouts to souls in silence or whispers to a crowd , Gives courage to the humble or flags the monarch proud .
It prompts no false demeanor , upholds no vain display ;
It pleads , persuades and reasons , at night or in the day .
It reaches into every cranny where men and women dwell ,
Goes into unhappy mansions and into prison cell .
And whether book or pamphlet , a leaflet or in tomes .
It speaks in mart and factory , in tenement and homes .
It never shows resentment , though slighted for an age ,
And brings the Light to children , to fools and to the sage .
This preacher has no equal ; this pulpit has no peer . The printed page lives on and on , to comfort and to cheer .
Editor ’ s Notes
■ Continued from p 2■
that are sharp , attractive and true to the Scriptures .
6 . Get a group from your church to attend the National Sword of the Lord Conference ( July 18 – 21 ) and other Sword of the Lord re - gional events . Our conferences are strongly motivating , fire-building conferences .
7 . Bring a group of men to the Sword Men ’ s Conference ( Novem - ber 11 – 12 ). As your men grow strong , their families and your church will grow stronger too .
Dear friends , we are here to serve the Lord and to serve you . So get in touch and let ’ s run the race ( Heb . 12:1 , 2 ) with a full throttle of excitement and energy this year . Amen !
National Sword Conference Plans , July 18 – 21 , Walkertown , North Carolina , Gospel Light Baptist Church
Although this is only January , July will get here very quickly . We are working now to get things in place . A full announcement of the speakers , singers and arrangements will be forthcoming in the Febru - ary 4 issue of the Sword of the Lord .
After the past two years of COVID-related stress , I believe we need this . The burdens we have borne , the confinements , the limi - tations , the sicknesses and the deaths have been so many . Our churches and our pastors have been through a lot . Consequently , we need to get together for a
Borderline Living
During the era of Napoleon , when the frontier between France and Switzerland was constantly being shifted , a crafty Swiss ac - curately predicted the final borderline and built a hotel , now known as the Hotel Franco-Suisse .
“ The schizophrenic hotel is situated on the border between France and Switzerland …. The dividing line cuts across the middle of the hotel and through many bedrooms . A guest often has one foot in France and the other in Switzerland . Climbing the stairs to his room , the guest goes from Switzerland to France . Halfway up the stairs , he is in Switzerland again . The hotel has a dual phone sys - tem — one provided by the Swiss , the other by the French . The cost of a call depends on which phone is used .
“ What happens if a guest begins to leave without paying his bill ? Call the police , of course . But which one depends on whether he left by the front or back door ” ( Calgary Herald ).
Such borderline living surely has its problems , but they are nothing compared to the problems of the Christian who tries to live half for this world and half for Heaven . Our Lord Jesus stated categorically : “ No man can serve two masters .” Likewise , no man can live for two worlds .
It is written concerning the people of Israel that they “ set not their heart aright ” ( Ps . 78:8 ), and we only set our heart aright when we set it fully on the side of the Lord .
Be done , then , with borderline living ! ¤
great gathering where we can be refreshed , encouraged , edified , and strengthened .
This year we will have three speakers each morning ( starting at 9:30 a . m .), the School of the Proph ets ( 1:30 p . m .) and two speakers each evening ( 7:00 p . m .).
Let me invite you to be with us . Bring your family . Get a group together from your church . It will do all of us much good . July 18 – 21 , Gospel Light Baptist Church , Walkertown , North Carolina . I surely hope to see you there .
The Digital Sword
Some of you have been re - ceiving the Sword of the Lord in its digital version for a number of years , but others of you may not be aware that we do have the Sword of the Lord available that way .
So if you prefer to get the Sword of the Lord that way , it is easy to do . Visit mysword . net or give us a call ( 800-247-9673 , Monday – Friday , 7:30 – 3:30 , central time ).) and we will be glad to assisst you with it .
There is also a Sword of the Lord app that you may download and subscribe on your smart phone or tablet .
Many of us prefer the printed copy that we can hold in our hands . Others of us like the electronic way , so you do have a choice .
This and That
At this point in January , we have had two snows here in the Boro . The first one ( January 3 ) brought us five to six inches and the second one ( January 6 ) brought us another
SWORD OF THE LORD 3
Thirty-Seven Stood by the Boy
After a pastor had counseled with an eleven-year-old boy one Sunday during the invitation , happily he told the congregation that the lad had accepted Christ and wanted to follow Him in Bible baptism and church membership .
The pastor then made an unusual request . In addition to the parents and teachers of this boy , every person who had been his superintendent , leader or teacher was asked to come to the front of the auditorium .
Among those who responded to this call were the following :
A nursery worker who recalled singing , “ I like to go to church ,” when the boy was just a toddler ;
A beginner department superinten - dent who remembered the smiling face of a five-year-old as the child saw seed sprouting in their nature center ;
A primary department leader who silently thanked God for the time he helped the little boy construct a picture of Christ ;
The superintendent of the junior department who rejoiced that he had made those extra visits last year to the home of the lad confined with the measles .
For several minutes people moved to the front of the building — thirtyseven adults had gathered around the young lad ! Each obviously had had a share in the child ’ s decision for Christ that day .
Every time a child , or anyone else for that matter , comes down the aisle to receive Christ , think back and see if you have had anything to do in his / her conversion .
Contrariwise , if someone whose life you , as a Christian , have touched does not respond to an invitation to accept Christ , perhaps you should examine your life to see why not .
— Tabernacle Baptist Church
three to five inches . Both times our city was pretty much at a standstill for a day or so . I know it doesn ’ t sound like all that much to some of you , but this is the Midsouth and we rarely get snow in these amounts .
In fact , it was almost like springtime all of December , but when the cold weather arrived we knew it was here . I saw one of my neigh - bors mowing his yard on New Year ’ s Eve . My yard may need it a bit , but we will let it wait until early March .
After Christmas and New Year ’ s , when several of our workers take their vacations , all of them returned safely and got back to work ( just before the snows came ).
During the past few weeks we have had quite an uptick in visitors coming to tour the Sword of the Lord headquarters . When folks are traveling they often stop in , take the 30- to 45-minute tour and see the operations here in action . We are always glad when we have folks come by . Tours are free , walk-ins are welcome ( 7:30 a . m . to 3:30 p . m .) Monday through Frid ay . No appointment is needed .
Remember to pray for us . The work continues strongly , keeping us working at it every day .
We are grateful for the privilege we have to engage with Christian workers around the world .
The churches , the pastors , the evangelists , the missionaries and the families here in America and around the world need the ma - terials we publish . We are privileged to produce so many things that undergird Christian workers in
In respect to the many uniden - tified fallen soldiers , there is a monument to their honor at the Arlington National Cemetery . It is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier . There , twenty-four hours a day , 365 days a year , through all weather conditions , the elite guards of the Third U . S . Infantry watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier .
Many visitors go to watch the precision of the guards , especially at the time of the changing of the lone guard . It is a precision ex - change of the patrol . During one change , the relief commander , who was inspecting the weapon of the Tomb Sentinel , dropped the weap - on for a split second . During that time , the bayonet speared through the sentinel ’ s shoe . Both , trained to be respectful and to finish their task , never let it be known what had happened .
A bystander ’ s filming of the event showed the quick slip and a brief grimace on the soldier ’ s face as his foot was pierced by the sharp blade . As the commander regained control of the weapon , the exercise was continued . Most did not know what had happened as the two soldiers continued .
The soldier ’ s duty was completed , the rhythm was never lost and the two continued their task . They marched on . Except for the blood from the one man ’ s foot injury and a quick grimace , bystanders never knew what had transpired .
The same should be said of faith - ful believers . They may face trials , tribulations and tremendous testing ;
February 6 – 8 ( Sunday – Tuesday am )
Riverland Baptist Church 19455 Southwest 61 st Street Dunnellon , Florida
Rex Carringer , pastor 352-489-6171
February 20 ( Sunday am / pm )
Central Baptist Church 1714 Southeast 36 th Avenue Ocala , Florida
Andy Bloom , pastor 352-694-2212
their labors for the Lord .
All of you who stand by us and support us are a big part of this ministry . We could not do it with - out our friends who help us .
We are “ your missionary to the world ” and are excited , thrilled , and blessed to be in the service of the Lord every day .
God bless you and do stay in touch .
Marching On Bill Brinkworth
but their testimony should still be upheld and their mission con tinued .
They have hope and guidance no matter what befalls them . They have confidence that whatever hap - pens in their lives ; no matter what pain , suffering , stress or discomfort they face , they are on the winning side and will ultimately be victor - ious .
I have been to a funeral where a wife had lost her husband of fifty-plus years . There was peace in her handling such a tremendous loss and her biggest concern that day was more for the hardships of some that gave her their condol - ences than for her loss . She marched on .
In the hospital room of a man suffering the ravages of a dreadful and sometimes painful disease , the godly patient was more con - cerned about the hardships an unsaved hospital roommate was facing than his own . He was more burdened for the soul of the lost person than for his own difficulty . He marched on and his anguish was barely noticeable as he dealt with his trial .
The generosity of the aged woman was tremendous . The one that visited her had a desperate need for her family and out-ofwork husband . The widow saw the need and was burdened for her young visitor .
She loaded the visitor up with goods she had preserved earlier that year and many other necessities she found on her mostly empty shelves . She gave just about all she had and the needy visitor never knew she was being given almost the last that the elderly woman had to eat . The aged widow marched on , knowing that the good Lord had always provided in the past and would do it again .
Some Christians go through trials and testing poorly — kicking , screaming and blaming God . Others have the confidence that their God knows of their situation ; they trust wholly in His control and have peace in their valley of tribulation .
When you face difficulties , do you trust that God ’ s grace through the trial will be enough , or are you a “ kicker and a screamer ”? Are you a good testimony for the cause of Christ ?
Do you march on to complete your task no matter what is going on in your life ?
“ And he said unto me , My grace is sufficient for thee : for my strength is made perfect in weakness . Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities , that the power of Christ may rest upon me .
“ Therefore I take pleasure in in - firmities , in reproaches , in necessities , in persecutions , in distresses for Christ ’ s sake : for when I am weak , then am I strong .”— II Cor . 12:9 , 10 .
“ If ye be reproached for the name of Christ , happy are ye ; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you : on their part he is evil spoken of , but on your part he is glorified .”— I Pet . 4:14 . ¤