Thank you very much, Mr. McCrae, for the words of welcome. It's good to be here this evening. Although coming up the road, I was driving through blizzards, you folk here got it easy. And I was praying, Lord, turn that snow off and we'll be able to get to the meeting tonight. This man's singing about it all the time. It's nice to be with you this evening. Nice to be here. And we're going to read tonight from 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. And we'll commence our reading at the verse 1. I was finding it hard keeping the car between the hedges at night with the heavy snow. And of course, some of my brethren think I have problems all the time doing that. But I do that to make them pray the more. It helps their prayer life. And when they're with me, the prayer, the harder. Some of them don't pray as much, so when I'm driving to pray, it helps them. But it's good to be here. Glad to be with you this evening. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 1. Furthermore, then, we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as you have received of us how you ought to walk and to please God, so you would abide more and more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus, for this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication. Every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor. Not on the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God, that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter, because of the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us on to uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit. But as touching brotherly love, you need not that I write unto you, for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed, you do it toward all the brethren, which are in all Macedonia. We beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more, and that ye study to be quiet, to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. We know the Lord will bless His word to our hearts this evening. Let's just look to the Lord again, please, in prayer. Our dear Father, we do thank You for this meeting tonight. And thank You for those who have gathered in this evening. And we ask, Lord, that Thou will gather with us and bless us. And Lord, make Your presence known in the preaching of the Word. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You this is the divine revelation of the infinite mind of the eternal God. And our puny minds and our depraved hearts need grace. to understand Your Word, and to obey Your Word. So come among us tonight and bless us. And bless the meeting throughout this week, Lord, and this conference. May they watch the blessing of the Lord each night. May God come down and work mightily amongst us. So bless us tonight, we pray. We ask it for Jesus' sake. Amen. When I was speaking to Mr. McKee on the phone, he gave me the subject for this evening. the marks of a Spirit-filled church. And when I got those, well, I realized what is set before us is the responsibility of every believer who's a member of the church to be such a person. The child of God is exhorted in Ephesians 5 and 18 to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And the contrast in that text is set before us against the person who is drunk with wine. We are told not to be drunk with wine when it is excess, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. The person who is drunk is not under control regarding their speech, regarding their thoughts, regarding their walk, regarding everything about them. Whereas the contrast for the believer who's filled with the Holy Spirit is a man under the control of the Spirit. His thoughts, his words, his walk is all led by the Spirit. We're told again in the book of Galatians 5 and 16, we're to walk in the Spirit. And only the child of God can do so. For the children of God alone have the Spirit of God. They belong to Christ. John McNeill said, you cannot live a Spirit-filled life and be content with a shallow, meager acquaintance with the divine Word. And I would add to that with the written Word. They both go together. If you're going to know Christ and walk with Christ, beyond the control of the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, It all comes down to your relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ, day by day. So we need not look to any people, although they may be church people or religious people, to show forth these marks. The potential of showing forth such marks belong to those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. When I look at this subject, I am thinking mainly of the local congregation, that people who meet a particular place in the name of the Lord. The word for the church, New Testament, was mainly used in this manner. If you want some numbers, the word ecclesia is the word we use for church. It's used some 115 times in New Testament. 112 times it's translated a church, three times it's referred to as a ratus assembly, the word assembly. And why the word church was used, one of the 12 principles laid down by King James, when the authorized version was being written. was to have this give the church a sort of a good name, a big name. For in those days, no bishop, no church. And one of those was also the bishop, was to be a diocesan bishop, not what the Scripture talks about, the bishop and the elder, the same office. But he wanted so on. And so you have the church used in that respect. But the church is also a wider use. It's used of a church universal. the Lord, Ephesians 5, the Lord gave himself for the church, that he would present to himself a glorious church that hath not spot or wrinkle or any such thing. And there is also the church triumphant in glory. And that's the only perfect church, by the way, when the spirits of just men are made perfect in heaven. You'll not get a perfect church on earth while you're in alignment with it, because we're not perfect, and you'll not be perfect. So we needn't look for a perfect church. But you'll look for a blameless church, and you'll look for a Spirit-filled church. And this word, ecclesia, was used in a general sense for a meeting of any sort. But the New Testament writers took it and applied it to a congregation of called-out ones meeting together around the Word of God in the Word of God. Old Archbishop Bancroft, who was one of the initiators of it, died in 1610. The authorized version came in 1611. Following him was George Abbott, the next see of Canterbury. And he died in 1633. And then following him was our old reprobate Lord, Archbishop Lord, who the killed was a great job. And he sought to bring Romanism in the game and apply the church in a very high way. and give it a very high church, Anglo-Catholic church, with what he wanted and what he brought in. But the church usually is used of a people of God, gathering together around the Word of God and seeking to live for Christ. In this chapter I read to you, you can see the potential of that church. being a good church, a church that pleases the Lord. That's where Paul starts here. He says, furthermore, then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus. By the way, those two words, beseech and exhort, are from the same word. And one is the Lord, Paul is exhorting them in the name of the brethren. The next is the name of the Lord, he's beseeching them. That as you received of us how you ought to walk and to please God, so you'll abound more and more. So we're talking here of a church with potential. is to please the Lord. And surely, brethren and sisters, that's what it's all about. Foremost among all things, our whole business as a people of God is to please the Lord. And such a church will show forth the marks of the Spirit-filled life. And you would abound more and more. Those words are used twice in that chapter, if you notice, in verse 1. You would abound more and more. And then again in verse 10, you would abound and increase more and more. And what it means is that you would abound more than what you've experienced so far. That you wouldn't become stagnant and dead and have a testament of the past. but you'll go on and go on after the Lord and go on seeking Him. And that's what it's all about. And you know, more of the Lord's power, more of the Lord's presence, more of the Lord's grace in your life. That's what he's saying here. You're abiding more and more. No matter what your experience has been of the Lord up to now, there's still more there as you walk with Christ and fellowship with Christ day by day. That's what he's saying. So the marks of a spirit-filled church all depends on our relationship day by day with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I could go home now if you take that and say, that's it. But that's not my subject. The subject is to show the marks. Well, I would suggest that there are some things that will produce, maybe you better say reveal, the Spirit-filled church. And I have some things to say. Firstly, unity. There's a sense, you know, brethren and sisters, if the people of God in a particular church were walking every day with the Lord, that that congregation should have a foretaste of heaven. Ever experienced it? It should be a place, something which the psalmist said in the hundred and twenty-second Psalm, He said, I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord. Do you look forward to the house of the Lord? Is this a place where you look forward to come to? You enjoy the blessing of the Lord? It's those, the people in it, that place, are living as they ought to live. You see, it's a place where the psalmist find pleasure in the things of God. It's a place where God's presence was known. It's a place where God's power was experienced. He said again, the 133rd Psalm, behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. William Bridge, in his commentary, says this word pleasant, it's like a wonderful stringed orchestra reaching its highest note in sweetness. It's like the corn in a feline's full ear swaying in the wind on a sunny day. It's like the sweetness of honey used in opposition to bitter things. This is what the church should be. This is what it will be if you have a spirit-filled people. It'll be like that, a foretaste of heaven. Remember how in Acts 2, they were all one accord. Doesn't mean they all agreed on everything. It doesn't mean they all agreed, maybe if there was politics in those days, or if there was sport, if there was anything or something else. It doesn't mean they agreed on everything together. But what they were in one accord on was regarding Christ and the gospel. And that's the most important thing for the believer. And we should be together in that wholeheartedly for Christ and the gospel. That we worship God in spirit and in truth. the house of God will be such a place. Our unity is not that of the false unity of the ecumenical unity. It is never at the expense of truth. Our fellowship is never at the expense of truth. Never. That's why we don't have any fellowship with the Roman Catholic Church or Protestant modernism or the false cults. We have nothing in common with them. Also, we need to note that God hates those who seek to disturb or destroy the unity of the work of God. If you read the Proverbs chapter 6, you'll find seven things the Lord hates. The last one is this, those who sow discord among brethren. The Corinthian church knew nothing of this unity that I'm speaking about among the people of God. For they're one another's throats, They're full of argument and debate. Read 2 Corinthians 12 and see how Paul described them. I have said it before and I will say it again. Spiritual men and spiritual women do not cause trouble in churches. Carnal men, unsaved men do. Sphingle, the great Swiss reformer says, when a man has true religion, self-love is set aside for the love for Christ and his people. Preacher and people alike need to remember that the church of God is God's flock. And the chief shepherd and the great shepherd is watching over his flock. And one day, you and I will stand before him. And before the world as well to give an account of how we behaved ourselves, or how you behaved yourself, among the people of God. Look what Paul says here. Look at verse 9. But as touching brotherly love, you need not that I write unto you, for yourselves are taught of God to love one another. See, only the believer can do this. Look at chapter 5 and verse 12 and 13. We beseech you. There's the same word used in verse 1. Brethren, to know them which labor among you. and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly, and love for their work's sake, and be at peace among yourselves." Not fighting and getting on. Let the world fight. But let us, who love the Lord, seek to honor Him. In that old book of Titus, you see in chapter 2 how Paul speaks here to these Cretans. And notice to whom he speaks. The aged men, not the young people, but the aged men, be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, that is God's love, in patience, and the aged women, not the young women. Likewise, they'd be in behaviors become with holiness, not false accusers. That word accuser is one of the words that describes the devil, Diabolus. I was reading an old Bible, and there's one little English word in it called mickbite. Did you ever hear of a mickbite? Well, it has to do with a breeder of strife. So the old deers and the old men were breeders of strife, and they should have known better. If they'd been spiritual people, it wouldn't have happened. And this is why it's so important to walk with the Lord day by day, and fellowship with him day by day. You'll find this church at Thessalonica. One of Paul's prayers for them is in chapter 3. And he says there from verse 9 downward, but look at verse 12. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another and toward all men, even as we do toward you. If you turn to the second epistle in chapter 1 and verse 3, you'll find that prayer was answered. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward another aboundeth. So they were abounding more and more. They weren't stuck. They weren't stagnant in their love, in their worship. They were going on with the Lord. They were abounding in love, one for another, and in faith. So this was a good church. They were going forward in the work of God. I'll tell you something else, brethren. It's so important for your testimony. Listen to what the Lord Jesus said. In John 13, in verse 34 and 35, A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. Listen to it. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have loved one for another. The Corinthians sat in that testimony. The people at Corinth wouldn't have known what sort of crowd there were in that church at Corinth. And this is how you know those who love the Lord. And if you're going to be used of the Lord, there must be this unity, one of another. Spurgeon said this. He said, "'A church united for years in earnest service for the Lord is a well of goodness and joy to all those who dwell round about it.'" So unity is a very important thing regarding the work of the Lord. Secondly, there is integrity, or speaking about a testimony. And here we're dealing with the matter of a testimony, for it's not only to be before the world, but also before the Lord. And this is what Paul is saying here. He says, as we have taught you how you ought to walk and to please God, So testimony is a very important thing. Holiness, sanctification. Sanctification is a dying of self and living unto Christ. It's setting ourselves apart unto Christ, day by day. And they were taught how to possess the vessel, he says there in verse 4. And the vessel is speaking of your body, of your way of life, the person himself. How you possess yourself in your testimony. This is what he's saying here regarding this people of God. It was not to be by the world standard, but above the world standard. It must be what God had commanded and revealed in His Word. Look at the verses 3, 4, and 5. This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication. That word fornication is a wide use in Scripture. Here it's speaking of immorality. And he says that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel or his life or his body in sanctification and honor, not in the lust of concupiscence or inward passions and lusts, even the Gentiles, which know not God. You see, the Christians' lives would be different than the ungodly and how they live. Our manner of life should be completely opposite from those that know not God. There should be purity. This sanctification will be evident when we walk with the Lord and walk in the Spirit. Listen, verse 7, for God hath not called us onto uncleanness. So if you're working in uncleanness, you're out of the will of God, and you're not showing the marks of the Spirit. That's simple, isn't it? God hath not called us onto uncleanness, but onto holiness. Not only has he called us to salvation, he has called us to holiness. That we will live a life that's glorifying to the Lord. And only this mark will be evident when we walk with the Lord day by day. I suppose Ephesians 4 would make it very clear. Look at verse 17. This I say therefore and testify in the Lord that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk. And the Gentile was looked upon, New Testament, as a barbarian, as a heathen. And it was set in contrast to the Jew. You're not to walk as the Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, alienated from the life of God. So there's no life of God in them, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart. Who, being past feeling, have given themselves over onto lasciviousness, uncleanness, but work on uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ." So there's a difference here. If so be you have heard him, that you've been taught by him as the truth is from Jesus, and you put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt, according to Cephalus, brethren, the old man is still there when you're saved. The old man is not eradicated, as some would teach. The old man's still there, there's a battle going on. And it depends how you walk with Christ, how you'll overcome the old man. It's like Amalek. He worked with Israel all his days. And you will war with the old man all your days till you get to heaven. So every day, you need to learn to walk with Christ. If you don't, the old man will be predominant. If the other way, then Christ will be saved. Christ will be glorified. Put off concerning the former conversation, the former manner of living. The old man will corrupt according to deceitful lusts and be renewed. The word there means reformed, remolded. In the spirit of your man, you put on your new man, which after God has created in righteousness and through holiness. See the difference? The contrast between the ungodly and the godly. putting on the new man. This is your responsibility to have done the sin as much as you possibly can and live for Christ. And also to be honest in our dealings with others. Look at verse 6. that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such as we have forewarned you and testified." Look at verse 12, that you walk honestly toward them that are without tour before the ungodly, he's saying, that you may have lack of nothing. So you walk honestly. Your word should be your bond. You should not be known as a liar. You should be honest, upright, in all you do and all you say. I was talking to a lady just the other week, and she goes, we're talking general things about family and so on. I go, what about your brother? Oh, he's not saved. And you needn't talk to him because a neighbor, the farmer near to him, bought hay off him but won't pay him. Christian. You needn't talk to him about Christianity. He'll just cast your mom up in front of you. And that's the important thing. When I was in business, before I went to the ministry to study, I was buying big money things. I was spending a lot of money. I was a buyer for a big company. I could have got what I wanted. All the boys used to come to me and say, you look after us, we look after you. I said, oh, no. We'll do the thing honest and upright, and that's it. My test was more important than getting some quick deal with somebody and then being tied to them boys all my days. It wasn't that big a bug. I used to keep my father and my uncles going. You see, when I used to get these big encased champagne and wine caskets all sent to me, I used to pour them all down the sink. Then go tell my uncle. My uncles and my father poured the sink. They were ripping it because they were fond of the booze. And they weren't too pleased when I was throwing this very expensive champagne and whiskey down the drain. But I used to laugh at them. But you know, when I was in business, the only man I was ever warned against was a professing believer. of all the crowd of boys I dealt with from all over the United Kingdom, I was warned against a Christian to watch him. I thought it was a shame. And brethren, we have to be honest and do the thing that's right. It's no use going preaching and telling others of the Savior if you have no testimony. You see, this is to be your honor. Look what he says, that everyone should know how to possess his vessel and sanctification and honor. That word honor is something of intrinsic value is what it means. And the greatest honor you can have is of a good testimony, a godly life. It's a greater honor than what the queen could give you or some other great man could give you. The greatest honor you have That's a good testimony. That's a godly life. That's the greatest honor you have. I was reading the other morning through the book of Deuteronomy, and I came across these words. Deuteronomy 26, and the verse 17. Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, this is Israel. to keep his statutes and his commandments, his judgment, and to hearken on to his voice. The Hebrew word that Jews want to use in these two verses here, 17 and 18. It means, the word of vows means to openly profess. It's not just some mean mind decision you've made, but you openly testify that for as far as you're concerned, the Lord's word and the Lord's ways are going to be your ways. That's what they testified. And the Lord responded and said this, verse 18, "'The Lord hath avowed thee this day "'to be his peculiar people, peculiarly loved, "'as he hath promised thee, "'and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments, "'listen to it, and to make thee high above all nations, "'which he hath made in praise and in name and in honor, "'and that thou mayest be a holy people "'unto the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken, And those that live godly in Christ will have the Lord's favor, and the Lord's blessing, and the Lord's honor in their lives, and be above the rest of the nations. I was reading the other morning in the book of Philippians, and I came across this word, 3 in 17 of Philippians. Brethren, be followers together with me, and mark them which walk so as you have us for an ensample." The word used, the original for ensample, is also translated in other places, example. But the word used here, ensample, it was a word that means something marked with force. When I was a young fellow serving in an engineering apprenticeship, if there was different parts of the machine, and you had to number them, well, you got a hammer, and you got this thing a number, and you hammered it, and the number was there, so you knew that part was there. That was the number of it. That's the meaning of this. You're to be someone of the divine mark of the Lord upon you. Divine mark. It's there. It's been seen. Are you a good example, tell me? Do you know anyone in your church, or anyone among your Christian friends, and you would say, I'd like to be like them? I'd like to live like they live? They're an example, or an ensemble, of how to live for the Lord Jesus Christ. Rather, brethren, this should be the desire of all of us. to live in such a way. If the marks of a spiritual church are to be seen, then believers need to show and need to be seen in awe. Remember, one day, we're all going to give an account. And a remarkable thing, we're going to do it before the world. Ever realize that? Listen to 1 Peter. Chapter two, verse 11. Dearly beloved, I beseech you with strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul, having your conversation honest. The same word can be translated beauty. So you're looking at the beauty of a godly life. among the Gentiles, among the ungodly, that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they shall behold, glorify God on the day of visitation." That word, visitation, and the word used for bishop in verse 25 is the same word. Speaking of the day of God's overseeing. And your ungodly family and friends are going to be called that day, the day of judgment. They're going to be there. And they're going to be asked what sort of a testimony you had among them. I wonder how you'll fare. How will you fare on that day? You know, it only takes one worldly, disobedient Christian to ruin the testimony of the church. It only takes one. And that's why the church should discipline those who step out of line. to maintain its testimony, for testimony's sake. Now, I know it's not a nice thing. I used to hate it. When I had to deal with discipline, and when I sat in commission dealing with church problems, I used to hate it. But it had to be done for the good of the testimony. Remember Achan. In the day, as Jeremiah 2 talked about Israel and announced the spousal is going to possess the land, when it was the godliest generation, And all the old boys that died, the Lord held them back until the old generation left. Each of them died on their own belief. This was the new generation going in. And among those, there was a naked. And Joshua says, thou hast troubled Israel. Not only had they stolen, they had troubled Israel. Brethren, if you're not living right, you can trouble the church, ruin its testimony. That's what's important. Thirdly, entreating. I'm just going to move on. Here we're looking at an essential spiritual life in any church. If you like, believers, lives, prayer. Now, I know one of our brethren is going to deal with this subject, so I'm just going to merely touch upon it. But I couldn't look at the marks of a spiritual church and ignore this matter of prayer. I'll just quote you one verse, verse 20 of Jude. praying in the Holy Ghost. We will not pray in the Holy Ghost if we're not obedient to the Lord and his Word, and as such, our praying will have no sway with the Lord. There's plenty of people who pray today and make long, long prayers. They're like the far of sea, their prayers go no higher than the length of their voice. Listen to what the psalmist said. He said in Psalm 24, who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord, or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity and are sworn deceitfully, he shall receive the blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. And Jacob, of course, was the covenant name, mean twister. But the Lord loved Jacob, changed him. And that's why that name was used. It refers to the covenant people of God who are saved in Christ. In 1 Timothy chapter 2, under verse 8, it says this, I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting or disputations. So the twisters, their prayers are not heard. The carnal people, their prayers are not heard. Praying in the Holy Ghost and treating, pleading with God. Brethren, this church is known for its praying. Don't lose it. Don't lose it. Fourthly, fidelity. And here we're considering our faithfulness to the Lord and his word. A congregation is not a church of Jesus Christ who turns away from the Word of God, nor will they show any marks of spirituality among that congregation. I was noticing recently in the Church of England, when they were ordaining the woman bishop in York Minster, someone shouted from the crowd, it's not in the Bible, or it's not according to the Bible. Of course, that's true. But that does not matter to these archbishops and bishops and ministers of this people. It is what the people want, and they're like those in the Scriptures who, because of their tradition, have made the Word of God of none effect. And when you turn away from the Word of God, you're no longer a church. Or like those in the Church of Scotland by their press release voted 1,300 to 1,100 to accept sodomites as ministers. This is something which is abomination in the sight of God. So that denomination, those who stay with it, will not show the marks of a spiritual church. How can you show the marks of a spiritual church if you're sanctioning something that's abomination in the sight of God? That's why some of us still believe in separation from the great apostasy. I know it's not popular in our day, and it's violently preached in our day, but that's one of the reasons why this church was formed. Can you remember that? It was formed to stand, and we seem to have lost the distinctiveness of our stand. We have nothing in common with the apostasy. Our worship, our fellowship must be the worship of Christ, the Christ of the Bible, on the authority of the Word of God and the company of those that love the Lord. This book is our final rule in all matters of faith and practice. If it's not, thus saith the Lord, it's not of God. It doesn't care what tradition you have or what you believe. It's not according to the Scriptures. It's of no value. Can I just show you some things? Turn to chapter 2 of 1 Thessalonians there. Look at verse 2. But even after we had suffered before and were shamefully entreated, as you know, with Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile, but as we were allowed of God, we put in trust with the gospel. Even so we speak not as pleasing men, but God bestrieth our hearts." This church has been put in trust with the gospel. And what are you going to do? Please the world? Please the old devil by turning from the word? Brethren, If the faith is lost in this land, it's your fault and my fault. For the faith is given to the saints, not to the preachers, not to the theologians, but to the saints. And you and I, as chapter 5 says, are to prove all things and hold fast that which is good. Don't be gullible. There are some Christians, and they're not after anybody who mentions the name of God, or who would sing a hymn or something like that. And they're not after them. They never consider what they believe. They don't ask what they believe. And they're gullible. The Bible says, prove all things, and hold fast that which is good. That's the important thing, brethren, down to the work of God. Let me turn to a popular portion, 2 Corinthians chapter 6. We're told today, you see, if we're going to have influence in our society, we all have to get together, all the churches. Well, this book says different. It says in verse 13, now for a recompense in the same I speak as unto my children, be ye also enlarged. The Lord enlarged me to open your heart to receive me. So, it's Christ you want. That's the important thing. And you have several things here which we're not. We're not being unequally yoked together with unbelievers. What fellowship with righteousness, with unrighteousness? What communion with light, with darkness? And so on, right down. Do you come to verse 17? Wherefore come out from among them, be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and I'll be a father unto you, and you'll be my sons and my daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Now, what does that mean? The word there, Lord Almighty, in the Greek is theopantokrator. It's the same as the El Shaddai of the Old Testament. The El Shaddai, we believe, came from the breast, from the heart. When the high priest wore the breastplate over the heart, why? Because that's where Israel lay as far as the Lord concerned. They lay in his heart. They were precious to him. And what the Lord is saying here Those that love me and love my ways and walk according to my word, they'll be sons and daughters of esteem. They'll be loved by me, cared for by me, looked after by me. That's what he said. Let the worldly churches go wherever they want to go. You and I will go according to the book, according to the word. Look at Revelation chapter two. Here's the first church. And the Lord's in the midst, walking in the midst. He walks in the midst of this church. He says, I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil, and how hast thou tried them, which say they are apostles, and are not, and has found them liars, and is born, and has patience, for mine name's sake has labored, has not fainted. Nevertheless, I'm somewhat against thee, because I've left thy first love. When they loved the Lord, they stood against the enemy. They stood for the Word. Leaving your first love is not backsliding here. The Word is far stronger than that. They turned away from the book they once loved, the faith they once loved. That's what it means. That's how far they've gone. Read church history. You'll see churches once stood true to the Lord, faithful to the Lord. And they're away today. They've left that first love. When a man loves the Lord, he'll love his book. When a man loves the Lord, he loves the Christ of the book. He'll not want the Christ of any other book. It's the Christ of the book you and I love, you and I serve. In 2 Timothy, in chapter 1, It says there in the verse 13, hold fast the form or the pattern of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee, keep by the Holy Ghost. So spiritual men, love the Lord and keep his word. Carnal, ungodly men, turn away. They haven't got the Holy Ghost. They haven't got him. not the Holy Ghost, but dwelleth in us." You see that word form? A good word by you would be template. Do you know what a template is? If you're going to make something, you're going to continue to make a lot of things, you make this template exactly what you want. And then you put it in the machine, and everything else is brought out of that template, exactly what you want. This word is our template. This is our pattern. This is what God has given. And that's what we go by. That's what we love. That's what we preach and stand for. It's the Word of God. And you know what the sad thing is? Brethren and sisters, they that don't love the Lord will not love His Word. And remember, brethren and sisters, not every believer is going to hear the well done when they meet the Lord. Remember that. There are some that will be ashamed. There will be some saved, that's by fire. They've lost everything, only their soul is saved. So fidelity, faithfulness, it's required of a steward, he be found faithful. And if you love the Lord, you want to be faithful. Fifthly, and quickly, I'll finish, anxiety. Burden for souls. Some may say this is not right, for we are not to be anxious for anything. Yes, that's right, regarding the terrible things of life, for your heavenly Father knoweth you have need of these things. But when it comes to caring for a world dying in sin, we need to be burdened for such. Some of our own loved ones and friends are still walking the broad road. Our neighbors are walking the broad road. The people in our town and villages are walking the broad road to destruction. David cried in despair when he was in the cave running away from King Saul. He said, no man cares for my soul. But that should never be said of this church or any of our churches. I know it's not said of this church. I've known it all over these years. And I know this church is a burden for souls. And brethren, never lose it. Never lose it. This church of Thessalonica was such a church. Look what it says in chapter 1. Look at verse five. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as ye know what manner of men were among you for your sakes. And ye became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word, in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost. So that ye were in samples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God were to spread abroad, so that we need not speak anything." He was a church that didn't need the apostle to come to have a gospel mission. This church did it. This church evangelized its area. This church lived and preached the gospel. The whole area around them heard about Christ, knew about Christ. they spread the gospel. And that's our great business still, brethren. A Spirit-filled church will be a church that's a burden for souls. John Calvin said this, it is the purpose of the visible church to make the invisible kingdom visible to the world. Brethren, never lose that burden for sinners and their condition and their danger, and never cease to preach the gospel. Well, brethren, are any of these five points seen among you? Unity, integrity, entreaty, fidelity, anxiety? You know, they all need to be seen in us. If they are, then these things will go a long way to please the Lord and testify to the world whose we are and whom we serve. And that is a great reason why we're here in this world at this time. Have we not been called to the kingdom for such a time as this? The Reformers have had their day. The great preachers of the past have had their day. This is our day. This is our responsibility. You only get one chance at it, to serve the Lord. How are we doing? How are we serving the Lord? I trust you live the gospel. you will preach the gospel. Remember, brethren and sisters, if you study Matthew 4 and Matthew 5, you'll find the Lord gave the condition and the character of the disciple before he gave the charter for evangelism. You must live to become of the gospel if you're going to preach the gospel. So how we live, the testimony of prayer is of great importance to the testimony of the church And I trust it will be, of Mark Raphelt, a glowing testimony. An honorable one. Because of your love for the Lord, and most of all, for the glory of God, for the honor of His great name, ever seek to please the Lord. The possibility is there. The potential is there for the believer. But every believer needs to make that real in their lives. Walking with Christ. day by day. If you do so, you'll have the blessing and the favor of the Lord. The Lord bless His Word.