SEPTEMBER 23 , 2022
Editor | Dr . Shelton Smith Vol . LXXXVIII , No . 18
God ’ s Work , God ’ s Pay
14
Know and Know That You Know
3
Back to Fundamental Christianity
16
Go Ahead and Ask !
JOHN R . RICE
Shout It From the Housetop !
DR . SHELTON SMITH
I ’ d like some angel to say , “ There comes Old Big Mouth .”
Ask God for whatever you want ? Yes , that is what the Scriptures say !
Can small Christians ask big things ? Yes , the Lord says so .
What about little things that seem too small for His attention ? Oh , yes , He cares about little things ,
DR . CURTIS HUTSON
Every day the Christian is faced with decisions : Should I do that ? Should I not do that ? What does God really expect of me ? What does He want me to do ? Our behavior should not be governed by preferences but by principles : not , What do I prefer , but , What does the Bible say ?
Are you willing to do what God says even if it means losing friends ? Suppose it means losing position or being misunderstood or being counted as a troublemaker . The sincere Christian , with an honest and open heart , should hear what God says regarding separation , then lovingly and submissively set out to please the Lord according to even such trivia as the number of hairs on your head . So go ahead and ask .
God invites us to pray . He commands us to pray . He pleads with us to pray . He almost bribes us to pray !
We ’ re speaking here not about conversation with God , not about
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The Separation Issue
His clear instructions in the Bible .
Now , what does the Bible say about separation ?
The Command for Separation
The Bible contains many explicit commands that , in any kind of Christian work , a Christian should come out from association and fellowship with the unsaved . One clear passage regarding this matter is II Corinthians 6:14 – 18 where God forbids an unequal yoke with un believers :
“ Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers : for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteous - ness ? and what communion hath light with darkness ?
“ What I tell you in darkness , that speak ye in light : and what ye hear in the ear , that preach ye upon the housetops .”— Matt . 10:27 .
Think with me for a little while about this : “ Shout it from the housetops !”
“ And Jesus went about all the cities and villages [ Tiberias , Capernaum , all those cities and villages in between
“ And what concord hath Christ with Belial ? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel ?
“ And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols ? for ye are the temple of the living God ; as God hath said , I will dwell in them , and walk in them ; and I will be their God , and they shall be my people .
“ Wherefore come out from among them , and be ye separate , saith the Lord , and touch not the unclean thing ; and I will receive you ,
“ And will be a Father unto you , and ye shall be my sons and daughters , saith the Lord Almighty .”
Here God gives a clear com - Continued on p 6 ▶ there along the shores of the Sea of Galilee , across to Nazareth , out over through Jezreel and ultimately down to Jerusalem and around ], teaching in their synagogues , and preaching the gospel of the kingdom , and healing every sickness and every disease among the people .”— Matt . 9:35 .
Those three things were the features of His ministry : ( 1 ) teaching , ( 2 ) preaching and ( 3 ) healing .
Right about this period of time , right about the middle of Matthew ,
On September 28 , 1934 , Dr . John R . Rice released the very first issue of the Sword of the Lord . In the midst of the great national Depression with little money and no mailing list , he and his helpers hand delivered five thousand copies of the four-page paper by going door to door in Dallas , Texas .
Mark , Luke and John , the ministry of healing virtually disappears . Jesus utilized that to “ credential ” Himself in the minds of the people ; after that , He began to tell them , “ Go home and don ’ t tell anybody .” He continued to teach in the synagogue .
These were not great ecumenical meetings , not where Jesus preached just because He had opportunity . These were public forums . The Torah was read and anyone could
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The Sword of the Lord ’ s
Eighty-Eighth Anniversary
Blessed , Exciting , Fruitful Years of Ministry Worldwide
DR . SHELTON SMITH
As pastor of the Fundamentalist Baptist Tabernacle , which he or - ganized in 1932 , he stayed in Dallas until 1940 . It was then that he moved to Wheaton , Illinois , where he would publish the Sword , orga - nize another church and continue his revival work .
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SWORD OF THE LORD HEADQUARTERS SINCE 1963