Welcome back.
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Before the break, I was talking
or sharing from Spurgeon,
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the Prince of
Preachers as he was called.
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Talking about how
different Christians should be
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from
non-prophesying people of faith.
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And, you know, this is a program
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for religious liberty,
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I'm not excluding other
faiths from religious liberty.
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We as Christians should
defend everybody's right
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to be wrong.
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I think that's a
good way to put it.
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We're all
creatures of a Creator.
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And He gave us
the power of choice
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and who are we
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to block that
off from someone else
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or if they make what we
think is a wrong choice,
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we can communicate to them,
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but it's before
between them and God.
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But certainly as a
Christian lives in this world,
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we need to see that
there is a difference
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if we are truly born again,
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dedicated
Christians who are convinced
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that the kingdom
of God is coming.
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And that whatever
kingdoms exist here,
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they're secondary
because we're moving toward
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that great and
eternal kingdom of God.
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I did quote a statement
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by Ellen White
to early Adventist
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that far too many
are inclined to think
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too positively or too
well of this present time.
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With religious liberty,
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we're talking
often about persecution.
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It troubled me a little bit,
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very often we
defined it in the negative
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looking at the problems.
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The restrictions in
one country and another
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and even in the United States,
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which has a
constitutional guarantee of...
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Well, it doesn't
say religious freedom
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but a mechanism in
the first amendment
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that would clearly
give a hands-off approach
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from any government
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and full freedom to
practice your faith.
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But we have some problems,
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some legal
problems in the workplace,
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some assumptions
of government control,
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some blurring
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of the distinction
between church and state
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through state
monies and state control.
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But we generally don't
have overt persecution.
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But think about this, unless...
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In the case of Christian,
unless you are a dedicated,
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born again, fixated
on eternity Christian,
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you're not likely
to have persecution.
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Because if there's
not much distinction
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between you and
the run of the mills,
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secular individuals
living within any system,
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particularly in a democracy,
why would there be a conflict?
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So by definition,
persecution in its truest,
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most direct form can only exist
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where there is
spiritual activity,
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spiritual dedication.
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And this has troubled me a lot.
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And I think it's
one of the reasons
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why in the western countries,
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where there is
clear social frown
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over what a
biblical Christian should be
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that in these countries
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we seem not to have persecution.
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But I've become quite convinced
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that if there
were to be an upsurge
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in what Ellen White
speaking to early Adventist
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used to call
primitive godliness.
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In other words, really
active gap Christianity
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and constant public
witness on behalf of Jesus
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and His coming kingdom.
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If that was the case,
there would be persecution.
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It's one of the few
promises that Jesus gave.
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People remember some
other very good ones,
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you know, let not
your hearts be troubled,
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overcome the world,
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you know, and come to me
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all you that are
weary and heavy laden,
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and I'll give you rest.
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You know, these are true.
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But Jesus said,
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"All who live a godly
life will suffer persecution."
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All, He didn't say
most people or you may, All.
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And it's worth remembering
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that even in so called
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free or liberal democracies
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that we can
easily have effectively
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have persecution in response to,
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you know, uncomfortable,
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unwelcome religiosity
or spiritual activity.
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Countries in the
US and Australia,
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where I came
from, England, Canada,
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these countries
are not used to it.
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And certainly in other countries
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where there's a
dominant non-Christian religion,
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there will be conflict.
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It's inevitable.
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Very often Christians
or in a Christian country,
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we can have, you
know, Buddhists or whatever,
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people in those situations
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can sort of go quiet
and nothing will happen.
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But when you're
active about your religion,
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you get a bounce back.
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I want to share a poem
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that my father
used once in a sermon.
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I remember, I think
I was still a teenager,
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and I heard him preach once.
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And he used an old poem
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that maybe some of the viewers
know that it's very telling.
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It's called the Church
Walking With The World.
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In fact, even as I say it,
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it has a little echo
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of a Lewis Carroll poem
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about the Walrus on
the beach with the oysters.
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But that aside,
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the Church
Working With The World.
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It says, "The
Church and the World
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walked far apart."
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Separation of church and state,
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they walked far apart on
the changing shores of time.
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"The World was
singing a giddy song,
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and the church a hymn sublime."
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They're very different.
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"'Come, give me your
hand,' said the merry World,
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'And walk with me this way!'
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But the good
Church hid her snowy hands
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and solemnly and said,
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'No, I will not
give you my hand at all,
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and I will not walk with you.
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Your way is the way
that leads to death.
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Your words are all untrue.'
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'No, walk with me
but a little space,
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' said the World
with a kindly air.
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'The road I walk
is a pleasant road,
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and the sun shines always there.
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Your path is
thorny and rough and rude,
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but mine is broad and plain.
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My way is paved
with flowers and dews,
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and yours with tears and pain.
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The sky to me is always
blue, no want, no toil I know.
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The sky above
you is always dark.
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Your lot is a lot of woe.
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There's room
enough for you and me
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to travel side by side.'
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Half shyly the
Church approached the World
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and gave him her hand of snow.
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And the old World grasped it,
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and walked along
saying in accents low.
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'Your dress is too
simple to please my taste.
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I will give you pearls to wear,
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rich velvets and silks
for your graceful form.
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And diamonds to deck your hair.'
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The Church looked down
at her plain, white robes,
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and then at the dazzling World,
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and blushed as she
saw his handsome lip
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with a smile
contemptuous curled.
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'I will change my
dress for a costlier one,'
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said the Church
with a smile of grace.
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Then her pure white
garments drifted away
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and the World
gave in their place,
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beautiful satins
and shining silks,
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roses and gems
and costly pearls.
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While over her forehead,
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her bright hair fell
crisped in thousand curls.
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'Your house is too plain,'
said the proud old World.
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'I'll build you one like
mine with walls of marble
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and towers of gold and
furniture ever so fine.'
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So he built her a
costly and beautiful house.
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Most splendid it was to behold.
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Her sons and her
beautiful daughters
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dwelt there,
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gleaming in purple and gold.
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Rich fairs and shows
in the halls were held,
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and the World and
his children were there.
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Laughter and music and
feasts were heard in a place
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that was meant for prayers.
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There were cushioned
seats for the rich and the great
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to sit in there pomp and pride,
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but the poor who
were clad in shabby array,
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sat meekly down outside.
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'You give too much to
the poor,' said the World.
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'Far more than you ought to do.
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If they are in need
of shelter and food,
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why need it trouble you?
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Go, take your
money and buy rich robes,
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buy horses and carriages fine,
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buy pearls and
jewels and dainty food,
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buy the rarest
and costliest wine.
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My children, they
dote on all these things.
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And if you their love would win,
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you must do as they do,
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and walk in the ways
that they are walking in.'
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So the poor would
turned from her door in scorn,
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and she heard
not the orphan's cry.
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But she drew her
beautiful robes aside,
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as the widows went weeping by.
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Then the sons of the
World and the sons of the Church
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walked closely hand in hand.
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And only the
Master, who knoweth all,
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could tell the two apart.
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Then the Church sat
down at her ease, and said,
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'I am rich and
my goods increase.
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I have need of
nothing, or ought to do,
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but to laugh, and
dance, and feast.'
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The sly World heard,
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and he laughed in his
sleeve and mockingly said aside,
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'The Church is
fallen, that beautiful Church,
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and her shame is her
boast and her pride.'
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The angel drew
near to the mercy seat,
00:10:02.96\00:10:04.93
and whispered in sighs her name.
00:10:04.97\00:10:07.74
Then the loud anthems
of rapture were hushed,
00:10:07.77\00:10:09.90
and heads were
covered with shame.
00:10:09.94\00:10:12.37
And a voice was heard
at last by the Church.
00:10:12.41\00:10:15.18
From Him who sat on the throne.
00:10:15.21\00:10:16.98
'I know thy works,
and how thou hast said,
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'I am rich and hast not known.
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That thou art
naked and poor and blind,
00:10:22.72\00:10:25.82
and wretched before my face.'
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Therefore from my
presence cast I thee out,
00:10:27.69\00:10:31.76
and blot thy
name from its place.'"
00:10:31.79\00:10:34.30
You know, that's the
message delay at the seat
00:10:34.33\00:10:36.26
that I know as the
Seventh-day Adventist,
00:10:36.30\00:10:38.50
we've often had
shared from the pulpit.
00:10:38.53\00:10:43.20
It's not the only
message in Revelation,
00:10:43.24\00:10:46.31
you know, the
promises he that overcomes
00:10:46.34\00:10:49.61
will sit with
the Lord in heaven,
00:10:49.64\00:10:51.95
but it's a warning to a Church
00:10:51.98\00:10:54.62
that doesn't
know the distinction
00:10:54.65\00:10:56.75
between Church and State,
00:10:56.79\00:10:58.52
doesn't know the distinction
00:10:58.55\00:11:00.06
between the
holy and the profane,
00:11:00.09\00:11:02.86
to a church that
is presently occupied
00:11:02.89\00:11:07.96
with the here and now
building if not barns,
00:11:08.00\00:11:11.27
then maybe great
edifices, great cathedrals,
00:11:11.30\00:11:14.37
great missionary centres,
00:11:14.40\00:11:16.64
even as we don't go out
00:11:16.67\00:11:18.51
to the poor in
our neighbourhoods.
00:11:18.54\00:11:19.87
That's the challenge
that's always been before.
00:11:19.91\00:11:23.35
Those are faith.
00:11:23.38\00:11:24.71
And it's the risk
that we're hesitating now
00:11:24.75\00:11:27.58
in this time of great
technological advance,
00:11:27.62\00:11:32.85
many great
deceptions and diversions,
00:11:32.89\00:11:35.46
but a time has ever before
00:11:35.49\00:11:37.53
when church and
state are melding
00:11:37.56\00:11:39.73
and spirituality is declining.
00:11:39.76\00:11:43.80
I'll be back
after a short break.
00:11:43.83\00:11:45.43