So we turn over to Acts chapter five. Acts chapter five. You might read a couple of books, but I think you skipped in chapter four, I'd like to mention. Chapter four, twenty-three, and twenty-four. And being let go, they... They may urge that. they lifted up their voice with God with one accord, for that their own company, and with one accord said, Lord, thou art God with that made heaven and earth, and she and all that in them did. Now over to you, chapter five. Verse nine. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that... Verse seventeen. Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, which is the sect of the Sadducees, and were filled with indignation, laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common business. For the angel of the Lord, by night, opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. When they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning and thought that the high priest came and gave up with him and called the council together, all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. when the officers came and found them not in the prison, they returned and told, saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without for the door. But when we had opened, we found no man with him. Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priest heard from the slave, they shouted of them, were unto this to withdraw. Then came one man told them, Say, behold, the men who be put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people. Then went to captain, and the officers, and brought them without violence. For they feared the people with the power of public opinion, lest they should be having stowed. When they had brought them, they set them before the council, and the high-faced Asher, saying, Did not we straightly command you that you should not keep in this name? And behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood on us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered him, He said, We offer obeyed God rather than men. God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom he slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to the afflint and the Savior, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of you, sir. So is also the Holy Ghost whom God hath given to them that obeyed him. When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them. Then stood the Rappuan and the counsel, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little sleep. He said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed. under yourselves, what he intends to do as touching these men. For before these days, O Zacchaeus, boasting himself to be somebody, with whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves. He was slain. All as many as obeyed him were scattered and brought to naught. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him. He also has, and all even as many as obeyed or followed him were dispersed. Now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone. For if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to naught. But if it be of God you cannot overthrow it, lest happily you be found even to fight against God. Then they agreed, when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. They departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy. Suffer came for his name. Daily in the temple, and in every house they cease not to keep and preach. Jesus Christ. There are some points we've just referred to, and you can underline them you will, looking up at the legend. For instance, you have in chapter four, the verse twenty three, you have the peace of the church after that period of persecution given us in chapter three over the lame man. You see the peace of the church in that verse. Seems as though the pressure has been lifted and everything's all right. Then you have the prayer of the church in verse twenty-four to thirty. The church says, Then you have the power of the church in verse thirty-one. The spirit of God is poured out upon the church. Then you have the prosperity of the church. That's remarkable in verse thirty-two and thirty-five, how God blessed them by pouring out his spirit, and many were saved after that time. of persecution. But then you come to the opening verses of chapters five, and we did not read them. We would like to refer to that for a few tonight. And here we have God's punishment of the church. You know what I was thinking just a little while ago. It never dawned on me before. But here you have the church standing up, stiffening it back against persecution that is without. Satan is turning on the heat. Satan is trying his best to exterminate the early church, the infant church. But the Christians, they rejoiced in their work of youth. They stood there, got down, and God and sovereign, matthew, and grace stood with them, and the authority that they were trying to exterminate them were confounded. They couldn't understand these then. unlearned and ignorant men. Yes, they're so knowledgeable. They confound them. Satan tried his best to exterminate the church from their blood, from that to their death. But Satan is so cunning, and so often down the history of the church in the Middle East, the history of seeing time and time again. when Satan cannot do something from without you, you try and do it from within. And so after you have the church rejoicing, as we notice in the last two voice and verses of chapter four, and they depart from the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer chain for his name, and daily in the temple and in every house they cease not with each and each reason. And so all the attempts to persecute and even put to death nearly for sin was not fruitful. But now Satan says, I'll write something about it. I'll get at this risk from this world. And chapter five opens with a man and his wife, actually lying. And they were Christian, they were in the church. and they lied, and both were stricken dead. We'll take that up from the future, but I want to mention this. Here is Satan's attack from within. His attack from without was not successful, but his attack from within was. He got within, and Paul tells us over in, I think at Romans fifteen, and he warns of this possibility. On Paul feared trouble within more than he feared trouble without. A manless wife, stricken dead. How severe God was in his discipline in the early church. Here you find he, this man and this wife, stricken dead. And I tell you that Paul from the heart searching on the part of the system. And evidently they took him. And they were so filled with fear that very few were wanting to identify themselves with this truth because of the severity of the judgment of God upon those who lie. If God dealt with it in the way he dealt them, I wonder how many Christians it was gathered with the name of the Lord Jesus. It meant something in those days that nature stands on that. Today it seems we get by with so much. But at the beginning of almost every era, as God deals with man, something of this nature is right at the beginning of that movement. There's a warning to the scene and generation. And here you have God's severity. connection with sin. He was very punitive. But I'll tell you one thing. He thought about a lot of stretching from heart. And the result of that was that God bless, my the blessing that flew after God disciplined and disciplined this people. Notice for instance after this verse thirteen of chapter five. And of the rest There is no man drawing himself to them, but the people magnify them. That is the early church. And believers, you know I love that word. There's a warmth to that word. And believers, where the more added to the Lord, multitude both of men and women, in so much they brought forth a ship into the streets and made them on beds and couches that at the least shadow of Peter, passing by, might overshadow somewhere. There came also multitudes out of the city round about unto Jerusalem, bringing six folks and then with their backs the wrong thing spirit, and they were healed every one. This Peter on divine healing in the weekday, he was willing, and every afternoon said this in his service on this year, Because a lot of people seem confused on that, there are remarkable things in the Acts, but we expect those things to do. So here you have a time of blessing. God pouring out His Spirit after that experience of discipline in the church. And I tell you, those churches were walking on tiptoe after that. And God gave him and he blessed him. How do you describe that? The high priest of them would have rejoiced over that. My, this is wonderful. See these people, telling the jury, deal, nail, no, it only infuriated them that much or more. But before we get into that, I want to mention these words. They went to their old humble. Well, that's lovely. they went to their old company as the God of the day. You know there's a law of affinity that teaches us a lesson even relative to the chemical field. You have one particle attached to another or drowned to another even the same thing. You know that's true. There should be that atmosphere and that feeling of affinity among the Christians. Throwing them together, it was thrown that day. And you'll find time and time again in the Acts and also throughout church history persecution through God's people together. And I wonder if it'll take a lot of persecution to bring God's people together. here we find them suggesting they went to their own company. Now there are a lot of people who would like to call this company the Baptist group. They went to their own company or the Methodist group or the Presbyterian group. They went to their own company. We don't have any names like that. We do have that they were believers. Now there's a big difference. I said, you should walk up to somebody and say, are you a believer? They wouldn't. They say, are you a believer? Yes, they do. Are you a believer? Yes, they do. You belong to Christ. They say, oh, yes. If you're not a believer, you're an unbeliever, and that departs the world. A believer or a number. Are you a believer? Many a time in my life I've been asked that question, are you a believer? Yes, thank God, I am a believer. And you know, this is what unites us. It's what we believe unites us. We all believe, says the Apostle, right into the Corinthians, that you all speak the same thing. Here is what sin it is I was speaking about. The same idea. The same principle. The same interest. These are the things that are all together. We are believers. Believers in what? Believers in the Bible as the word of God. Everything in the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation. I'm a believer in that. Believing in that salvation is by grace. All believing in that. believing that after your stay you should be baptized by mercy and remember the Lord the first day of the week and live for him of course I passed over some of those very important things such as the virgin birth of Christ on his blood alone that puts away sin and the promise of his soon return is coming back again and you show me a group of people And they all believe the same thing, and I'll tell you, you have got what God wants in this universe. Believers, simply meaning they all believe that there is no conflict, no division, no system, they all believe the same thing. And it's this, that God wants his people to pass. Believers, this affinity, one with another, this agreement. I agree on this. So do I. And then you bring up another principle in the Bible. Well, I believe that's this. My, the more that you believe, the more you're expressing the unity of the body of Christ. So they went through their own people, their own company, wonderful company. You know, everyone belongs to some company, otherwise you're a lone eagle and you're walking a path of solitude. Everyone belongs to some company. Nice to be, as believers, gather for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone ought to belong to the best possible company. In other words, the group that goes the closest to the word of God, that's the company I want to be with. We're not going to be perfect. That's what God is. But as near as we can get to the scripture, that's what God wants. And I think that's improvement down the sentence. that people have gathered simply as true Christians, believers, under the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and rules and say it hasn't worked, it has worked. And my family will say that this thing is of man, it will counten off, but if it is of God, you can't fight against God. And if there's anything that demonstrates that this is of God, the fact that God would be by his service, through the ages, And we today can believe and practice the exact same things that they did in the first century, even though Shakespeare, one without them, didn't try to destroy. It is worth. And it can still be done today. Everyone ought to, then, belong to some company. And here's the word. Here's the word. Here's the word. Everyone... have to also not be hindered from being with that company. It's so easy for someone to not be hindered from being with that company. Everyone gets to his own company. He's getting their own company. He's getting their own company. He's getting to say, bringing to God's grave in chapter twelve, why? Where did he go? He went to the house where they were in prayer at midnight. Imagine the church saying, we can pray at midnight. Peter was a married man. The Bible makes that plain. The Lord healed people's, Peter's wife's mother. When Peter got out of there, the poor happened to the home, he lied why? No, he didn't. He went to his own company. So they were there to pray. Yep. His heart was there. And although I know that God expects men and wives who live happily together and love one another and love their children, that I'm going to tell you, very closely behind that, it's not on a flame, the same flame. It's the fellowship of God's people. The very truth of the word of God, and the fellowship of God... This is something of the word of God in his early play. In fact, the Lord, he even puts this on a higher play than the physical. Does he not say that the man who takes his father, his mother, his brother, his sister, his wife, his sister, his wife, his children, those that also be caught in one play? He's putting the spiritual on a higher play than the physical. showing how important this is, what God's value brought attached to this affinity, the spiritual affinity to this likeness, to be associated with this company, all believers, gathered in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and nothing continued on, coming in and forgetting us from each other and expressing that lovely universe of all these things. And what is the center? What is it that causes them to gather together? Is it the social life? I said to somebody with you. They're the church. Social life, as a some church, is all you have left to be a female father. Firstly, there is God. What is it to bring this thing together in the building? Spirit of man. Above all the magnetism of the person that we are. This is what parses together and enables us to enjoy happy fellowships one with another. So do you have them with their own company? Is it even cold? I do. I'm always happy to meet God's people in my way tonight. I love God. He bears the Lord's feet, shift them in the middle with them, to talk with them, to pray with them, and pray tell them that this is spirit of our community, especially if we get in them. And six times over in Acts, you find those few words, one accord, one accord, one accord. You find it in Acts one, fourteen. with one accord, you see them in prayer and supplication. In chapter two and verse one, just prior to the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost, they were together in the upper room to one accord. During they, in one accord, they continued steadfasting the apostles' doctrine, as we have in chapter two and verse one and two. And after a few of them gone were released from prison, we find the distance together, one accord, one accord. And also you have the conference in fifty chapters. And they came together at that conference. The disciples, the apostles, came together to discuss a point that dropped the relative, the conversion of the Gentiles through the nations, the circumcised people all moved. They were there with one accord after that discipline, behind them again, crucified, one accord. There were certain things that you would accept, that held you there. Thrift the Holy Spirit in each one of us. That's all there is. And then the fruit of God. We believe this fruit. We believe this. This principle of that principle. And we do not. This is the divine sin of it. God wants us to manifest in our lives. The character or the nature of the company is judged by what They've come together for. They'll do at the gym of paper the number of these presidential hopefuls, hungry, musty, and these other men, misery. Now, you wouldn't have to guess more than once what they're going to talk about. You wouldn't say, well, give me three guesses. I'll guess what they're going to talk about these policies. You go right away what they're going to talk about. Part of it. If you saw the number of big athletes, sportsmen were going to have a meeting, you know as well what they're going to talk about. What? If you knew a number of doctors were gathered together, you know what they're going to talk about. Medical! Medical! They're coming together, the characters of their tongue together, indicates what the property is, what is at the moment. Then he tied a group of Christians together, washed on with the dead, still. May that we, the Lord speak often one with another, and the Lord part and then third, in the book of remembrance was written for one that gave the Lord, and taught upon his name. How God would please when the people, both of you came again. God had a book of record. those in us who take not the ascending of yourselves together with the manner of some age, for they taught me one another and much more the so and until not the day they were potent. I must be realized these things and feel responsible about being together and fellowship each other in the things of God. Now we get into this subject of the work. This work. You know, Gamaliel is a doctor of the law, and he gives very wise counsel on his occasion. This fresh out verse, the first epistle, the second one in Acts, the first and chapter three, this is the second one. And this was after the time of discipline and the time of blessing that followed. And how so many were healed, and those who were in the shadow of Jesus got healed, people came from all around and got healed. My little prophet, with a rejoice of heart, all these leaders in Israel were not so. They just aroused their indignation and their hatred. Now they're more bitter than ever toward Jesus and John, and they're going to have them put together. Put together. This one man with some common sense, he will say. Gamaliel, and at his feet the Apostle Paul, often sat on the floor of Paul's house. So this man Gamaliel, set up a doctrine of the law. A man was respected by all the learned men of that day. A man who could be listened to. listening. He said, let's use a little calm and tense. He was going to put these men to death. And then he referred a few integers prior to this, where the man rose up and he gathered some followers around him. And it didn't last the whole thing to stir. It had either at his death or possibly he wasn't able to hold them together. And then he put the seven days where another man, Judith, not the ones with our Lord, but another man with English users, a strong personality, garrisoned people around them, he not told whether it's religious or political, he held them together for a while and all that with integration. Now, says the gentleman, just that week, time will suffer this situation. Think, if this thing's a man, it'll come to mind. If they are gathering in the name of Jesus Christ, it'll come to naught, but if they are not, you say, please, you can not. Just to be found a fight against God. And I'll tell you some serious thing, a fight against God. I don't care who it is. If a man has evidence that God is working with him and his hands upon him, I may not agree with him in one or two forms. I know men, and I don't agree with him in some of their points, but I know one thing, I'll say to them, for God's hands upon them, I'm taking my hands off them. As far as citizens are concerned, What a man does, if he's got evidence that God's hand upon him, that's not worthy to that man, and won't be underneath by them I hadn't thought. We're fish strings of God. We're frightened. Don't you think that I'm going to use that? Why? Why? These people are being saved. These people are being healed with every evidence of something supernatural about this. Just lay off these things. Let them alone. Time will tell. Time will explain. The whistling of man, it will come to naught will be a fraud. You're fighting against fraud. You're fighting against fraud. You're fighting against fraud. the conviction of the Holy Spirit may be avoided by compromise, compromise, but he can be complied with by faith. And in connection with this man, Gamaliel, he manifests good common sense, but he doesn't say he can lead us. There's no indication that he was a child of God. He was just a sensible man. that he's not going to get involved. I don't know whether this thing is absolutely a part or whether it's a man, but I know one thing, I'm not going to stop. If it's not a part, it'll come to mind anyway. If it is his part, then I'm not going to be good at fighting against God. And God. In this chapter you have, what this Sanhedrin sent to the apostles in verse twenty-seven, verse thirty-eight. Then you have what the apostles said to the Sanhedrin in verse twenty-nine and thirty-two. Then you have what Gamaliel said to them all in verse thirty-four and thirty-nine. He had three categories of hostility, neutrality, cooperation. Gamaliel said, I'm not going to be a hostile. You let these men alone. I'm not going to cooperate with him. I'm not going to fight him. I'm going to be an idiot. I'll stand on the side line and walk. Why did Kameneutsh and drop such an attitude down? A brilliant man. You just be calm and fair. Why fight you? They're not doing anything. I'm in fact a lot of good is doing that. I'm not going to cast in my life and vote for everything they do. They believe in strength. They lead from the dead on back to heaven. I don't do all that. At least I don't do all I do. I'm not going to cooperate. I'm not going to faint. I'm just going to do anything. A lot of people are just going to do that. you walking the tent and walking the door. I wonder what you are tonight. Are you hostile to the gospel? Or are you walking the tent with none to look up? Or are you walking the truth? A hundred percent to come to what God wants to do. A hundred percent to walk. If you resist the truth, it'll cut you. If you receive with it, it'll crown you. For the war's in that country. Why, how these men were stung and cut in the heart, with eagerly thrust by the street of God, ye men of Israel, how he charged them with the death of Jesus Christ. Those men did not see the red giving up their necks, and if they did not close enough, their people almost blinded. And Peter, this unlearned, ignorant man, according to Stradivis' plan, swearing that he challenged out. God, oh, why? Peter came out to the sea. Cross what had made. Peter knew where he stood and stood there hurriedly, looking backward. How wonderful it is to be able to swear that you're luring your own solid ground, spiritual ground. And the potential of standing on the way to God, not the God who stands in you. Not very noticeable here, the attitude of the Apostles. in this persecution, there's no resentment nor complacent, neither truth. Some seem to be any resentment, any complaint. In fact, they're rejoicing in. You notice at the end of those verses, verse forty-one, forty-two, you already read them. They're actually rejoicing in these circumstances. Also, they consider them honored. So, They were disloyalty, and they concluded it on it, and it was a struggle for them. And as far as you can see here, they didn't let it in with them from going on and preaching. For as soon as they got out, they got out of preaching. After the first persecution, then they got out of jail. They still got out of the priest. After the second persecution, and their lives were threatened. I didn't leave them there either. The strange thing about this case was this, that after Gamaliel told the men, the high priest of San Miguel, the council of their gathered, after he told them, I was going to leave these men alone. But they were so mad that what did they do? They beat them before the Nebbinger. They didn't let them go without beating them. That was an injustice and certain not afforded the Roman law. Strange is an almost dear Gamaliel who say, well, I don't make any fun of that. Thank you. I told the left these men alone. I'm going to go and take them deep before they left me. That'll essay is the story of how the disciples acted and responded. In the first edition, though it will be no absolutely enough. Some of us have had no practice in the matter of suffering in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have it easy. I trust that we will consider it in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those words are long-time getting to know This Word. This Word. If this Word be a name, it comes in often, it will be a cross, it will entice. Now here's the last of the this Word. This name, this life, this blood, this way, this Word. What was it? the worship of the Holy Spirit, the formation of the church. If this were to be of God, and certainly it was of God, God sent His Holy Spirit down to commit the church, and He had to be, had to, and to be. And today God says, please, after the deal of the word to them, be this company, who gathered to his every Christian, there he hungered and trusted with Jesus. The Spirit of God is here. He's working and he's working for nineteen hundred years. If that's not who's taught it, if this works, he has not. If it were to be terminated long ago as man had died. But the very fact that the church is functioning today, I would be surprised there are more Christians on the earth today than any time in the church itself, because of the population. Say, well, more than fifty years ago. Maybe it's a part of the century. More Christians today. How do you know? The population has almost doubled in the world. The church today all will follow. is rolling on, rolling on. That more literature be given away today by the church than any time in the church. The stresses all over the country are rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling. Yes, God works with rolling on. Neither a devil or a man can stop. Jesus Christ said upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail at all. If I ever have energy to convince me that I am on right ground in the way God has possibly been. And something started on the day of Henry's loss that's still going on, showing that this was not. Jamil, we're here today. He'd be convinced to be a sensible man. This was not started by any man. with God, by your mighty God, by your Holy Spirit. How wonderful that is. Nine times you have the Spirit of God and the various titles given to him. You have the Spirit of Jesus Christ, first of all the Spirit, then the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit of promise, the Holy Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit of life, the Holy Spirit of grace, the Holy Spirit of glory. and the Eternal Spirit, nine things to strike the Holy Spirit from God. This wonderful work, this work. And we mention this why when Jesus Christ was born, the Spirit of God chews me at it and he wants it. So that's what we do. greatest event to be a fraudulent fraud and a death penalty. For a Christian that very shamed spirit who sued in deity and humanity and in violation is fugitive to lead us into the guan of Jesus Christ, Jesus. Excusing the men with the fine choosing and that What is going on that is going on for nineteen hundred years. And here's a church is likened unto a sanctuary God's running place, as you have in the last of Ephesians two, a thrilling place of God's Spirit. It's God's sanctuary. And when we come together on Lord's Day morning, there's a little strength to it. It's a sign here. It's a temple. It's a building. And here are some living stones being added to this building ever since. And there will still be men. There will still be men. Again, the church is a bride. Eventually it will be the city. And we will come to the conclusion. Then the bride will be presented with Christ in all the glory of the Middle Ages. There is a confidence required in her decision in the double level of her hand bearing over the earth. God had a plan of program which promised of a hundred and fifty in the upper league. Those who had this, is that coming, whether it be true or true value, or true name, yes, it is God's number. In this world God has a select number, for he has visited the Gentiles who take other than a lethal weapon, and a local church, but a local church, a small expression of what we hold. God says I'm going to continue my work, gathering out of all nations and peoples in my way. One of these days the last souls can be saved. The last bricks will be put in that way. The shaltings of grace will come, and Jesus Christ will come. The law has been faithful for nineteen hundred years, and the spirit has been doing this work, this work, and all the opposition from state, the union with us, opposition from the ecclesiastical powers, opposition from political powers, yet the church has staggered and smuggled around through the gate, the gate, the gate, and if this taken place over nineteen hundred years. What we even have eaten it out that the rest will be destroyed. For a few years have been there when the church will be once again and for a long time. Tried to the shrine. You see ourselves in our days in the blind. You see ourselves in the gubernatorial pattern. We reign with that. We go to the earth, that the evening of the Spirit began with a hundred of them and a thousand. We talked this morning about that love group that came from this past week. Someone mentioned it after me, and I thought, would it go? Well, I said, you can say you use the globe to the supper born every minute. will be some good yet for us. I don't care who it is. Anything that's plaguing the most weird thing can come to pass. And I'm trying to be it. There are so many ways to be a prophet. For no child of God will be a prophet. Anyone who's saved by the grace of God will not be caught up by something like that. You have to be soundly. And they're going around, they drop into Albany, they're down there in the downtown Old South, and they'll get, maybe a half of them, but leave the emerald and just take their literature and hear them go. And they're starting these little snails, along with my comrades, from all over the country, eventually all over the world. That's how it's just science again. Friends, the search has lasted at nineteen hundred years. with every attack, within and from them. Do you, Holy? For all these other people, what do they have as a foundation of their faith? They admit it, when I read that this morning, that they have no connection with the Bible. Well, if they don't have the Bible for their foundation, they're certainly wrong, simply in church. And the storm eventually everything they have built up for organizing. We can't destroy an organization. We can destroy an organization. The church is an organization. The very same life that was in the hungry, cracking up a roof, and it remained in the church to this day, the various members of that church, In that voice of that body of Christ today, we are living under the action of an angel. And that church is in jinn, in the church in the jinn in the jinn of the jinn of the jinn of the jinn of the jinn of the jinn of the soul. On bitter account, I was not to, but not to again to that organ, that body, being in the jinn, Christ is the head of the church of jinn. wonderful to be in that walk.