SNT 0797 Stones of Witness
Stones of Witness
Shows how Jesus Christ was the stone of witness rejected by the builders, but became the head; we also are the stones of witness as we speak in tongues and worship only the one true God.
SNT – 797
February 22, 1976
Format: audio-transcript-PDF-ePub-Mobi
Publication Date: February 22, 1976
Victor Paul Wierwille was a Bible scholar and teacher for over four decades.
By means of Dr. Wierwille's dynamic teaching of the accuracy and integrity of God's Word, foundational class and advanced class graduates of Power for Abundant Living have learned that the one great requirement for every student of the Bible is to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Thus, his presentation of the Word of God was designed for students who desire the in-depth-accuracy of God’s Word.
In his many years of research, Dr. Wierwille studied with such men as Karl Barth, E. Stanley Jones, Glenn Clark, Bishop K.C. Pillai, and George M. Lamsa. His formal training included Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Theology degrees from Mission House (Lakeland) College and Seminary. He studied at the University of Chicago and at Princeton Theological Seminary from which he received a Master of Theology degree in Practical Theology. Later he completed his work for the Doctor of Theology degree.
Dr. Wierwille taught the first class on Power for Abundant Living in 1953.
Books by Dr. Wierwille include: Are the Dead Alive Now? published in 1971; Receiving the Holy Spirit Today published in 1972; five volumes of Studies in Abundant Living— The Bible Tells Me So (1971), The New, Dynamic Church (1971), The Word's Way (1971), God's Magnified Word (1977), Order My Steps in Thy Word (1985); Jesus Christ Is Not God (1975); Jesus Christ Our Passover (1980); and Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed (1982).
Dr. Wierwille researched God's Word, taught, wrote, and traveled worldwide, holding forth the accuracy of God's "wonderful, matchless" Word.
Act 1:8; (Jos 1:5); Jos 24:1-14
Jos 24:14-25; (Act 19:19, 20)
Jos 24:25-31; Luk 20:1-25
Luk 20:25, 26; Act 4:9-12; 1Pe 2:1-8; (Act 1:8)
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“Stones of Witness”
Victor Paul Wierwille
February 22, 1976
– Sunday Night Teaching 797 Transcript –
New Knoxville, Ohio
I’d like for you to take your Bibles and look at Acts chapter 1, please. Tonight I want to share something along the line, if I were to give it a topic, I would call it “Stones of Witness.” In Acts chapter 1, verse 8 Jesus Christ said to his apostles, before he ascended:
Acts 1:8:
But ye shall [absolute tense] receive [lambanō, receive into manifestation] power [dunamis], after that [or when] the Holy Ghost [pneuma hagion, holy spirit] is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
The “uttermost part of the earth,” that has to include this meeting tonight. It says “ye shall be witnesses unto me.” And the thing that has been burning in my heart is along this line of “Stones of Witness.” I got this title, and the impact of it, from an Old Testament record in the book of Joshua, where I would like for you to turn, please.
You will remember that after the death of Moses, Joshua was called to lead the children of Israel. The re is no man in his right mind who would have wanted to have Joshua’s job. Now you may vie for a lot of jobs that pay $250,000 a year. But Moses’ job didn’t pay that. And nobody was anxious to have Moses’ job. Because, who wanted to lead those two and a half or three million of stubborn, hardheaded, bullheaded, Israelites? – always kicking the traces and so forth.
But God called a man called Joshua. And He promised him that as He was with Moses, so He would be with him. He said, “No man shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life.” And finally Joshua said, “Well, if you feel that way, I’ll do ‘er.” Heh, I don’t really know if he said that. But he did it. And all through the next years, this wonderful man Joshua led those children of Israel. And it came right toward the close of the end of his ministry and of his life, that the record in the twenty-fourth chapter of Joshua comes to pass. And that is what I would like to share with you tonight.
Joshua 24:1:
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
In other words, he called for all the leaders. He got all the Twig leaders, he got all the Branch leaders, he got all the Limb coordinators, he got all the Region men in, all the elders, the president’s staff – he got them all in. It was Joshua, it says, who called them in, right? And they presented themselves, it says, before whom? God. That means they presented themselves before Joshua who represented God upon earth. That’s what it means. God is Spirit, right? They didn’t come in there, and collect around, and God was sitting on a footstool over there, and then moved into a sofa over here. No. Joshua called them in, and they all came because Joshua said, “I want to see you.”
Joshua 24:2, 3:
And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
The reason He split Abraham out, was because Abraham’s father and his uncle were all serving other gods. But He took Abraham out, because Abraham had only One God. That is why He took care of him.
Joshua 24:4, 5:
And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau; and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.
You see, it is Joshua talking, but he is speaking for Who? God. He is speaking for God. Because in Verse 2 it says, “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel...” So he is speaking for God.
Joshua 24:6:
And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea.
The vividness of that experience I cannot picture for you. You must read it in the Old Testament yourself, and get a picture in your mind. The children of Israel did not have any armaments. They didn’t have machine guns, they didn’t have poison gas, they didn’t have any of that. The Egyptians had it all; the children of Israel didn’t have those kind of armaments to fight the Egyptians with. Verse 7 says:
Joshua 24:7:
…they cried unto [whom?] the Lord...
They cried to the Lord. I haven’t checked that word out, but I’ll bet you it’s Jehovah. Anybody have a quick reference on that word Jehovah in Verse 7? It has to be Jehovah. Does Bullinger have it? No, he doesn’t have it. Well, I’ll bet it is. Has to be. Has to be. Else the Bible would fall to pieces. They cried unto Jehovah, and:
Joshua 24:7:
...he [He, He, He. He who? Jehovah – God, The Lord – Jehovah. He, He...] put darkness between you [the children of Israel] and the Egyptians,…
And I want to tell you when the Lord put it there, it was so dark you couldn’t cut it with a knife. You couldn’t even see your hand in front of your nose. It was that dark.
Joshua 24:7-14:
...and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season. [That’s right. Forty years.]
And I brought you [finally] into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might posses their land; and I destroyed them from before you.
Then, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you:
But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.
And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I [Jehovah] delivered them into your hand.
And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.
And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, [That is grace. They did not work for it.] and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.
Now therefore fear [reverence] the Lord [Jehovah], and serve him in sincerity and in truth[truthfully sincere]:...
“Fear” is the word: reverence, respect, have awe, admiration for – Jehovah. “In sincerity and in truth” means: in truthful sincerity, in truth which will be sincere, truthfully sincere. Serve Him in truth. Not in lies, but in what? Truth.
Joshua 24:14 continued:
...and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
Class, that tells you why they were not delivered sooner. God can only deliver when people believe. And He could not deliver them, because they were still serving other gods. They wanted to hold on to their old machinery, their old way of life, their old way of doing things – literally unto other gods.
Joshua 24:15:
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, [In other words, if it is evil on your part to get rid of the gods – to get rid of your reading material, to get rid of your pendants, medal lions – if that seems evil unto you] choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Boy! That’s Joshua! No wonder he was leading the children of Israel. He was not “flippy.” He was not cold for God one minute and hot the next. He had no other gods to worship but the One True God. And before the elders, before the top men, old Joshua had to take a stand.
He said, “Listen president, board; listen Limb leaders, Branch leaders, Twig coordinators, College W.O.W. leaders. What are you going to do about the other gods you are serving? Make up your mind. As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord.”
That threw down the gauntlet. Now they can make up their minds, because the man of God has taken a stand. Now they can say, “Okay Josh, go shove it.” That’s right. Some of them did. But those who did died. Those who stood lived. Joshua said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Joshua 24:16-19:
And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods;
For the Lord our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed;
And the Lord drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the Lord; for he is our God.
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God...
You know why He is jealous? If you have any other god but one God, He is jealous. He is the only God. And anytime you have any other gods – and when you’ve got the trinity you’ve got three, baby – that is why you will never live, you will never move, you will never have God’s blessing, because you are serving other gods.
He said, “If you have any other gods, man: God is a holy God – there is one God – and He is a jealous God.”
You know, it would not have made God one bit of difference if they had all gone out and chopped up their corn fodder and ate it backwards. Chopped up their beets and shoved them up each other’s nostrils. Ate their horseradish from the top of their head with spoons. That wouldn’t have bothered God one bit.
But do you know what shook Him? Do you know what kept the children of Israel in Egypt all those years? Do you know what kept them wandering for forty years in the wilderness? Because they were still trying to serve more than one God. He said He’s a holy God, He’s a jealous God.
Joshua 24:19:
...he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins [as long as you have got these other gods].
You see, in Acts 19, when the Word of God prevailed…and the Word of God moved and it finally prevailed, it moved because the people brought their curious arts and their books, and they burned them, and the price of them was fifty thousand pieces of silver. Then it says the Word of God prevailed.
We are still playing around in the Way Ministry with the Word of God. It is great to hear me teach The Word. It is great to hear Walter teach it. It is great to hear others of our men teach. But it is still a mental assent to you. You have not gotten to the place where you have taken a stand, come hell or high water, to having done all, STAND! And unless The Way Ministry gets there, there is no hope for you, our country, or the world!
It is God who brought the children of Israel with a high hand out. They had no armaments. But they had God. But today “God” is a wishy-washy word. You know, He’s a fine guy, I guess. You know, He has a big, long white beard, smokes a fifty-cent cigar, dangles His feet.
Oh, people! He is the God of light. He is the only God of reality. And we have got to get rid of the junk in our life, if you expect God’s blessing on your life. Well, I didn’t write the book. It is God’s Word, you see, and God’s Word is not something you toy with. You can toy with this building, you can toy with a lot of things. But God, ladies and gentlemen, He stands, and His Word stands. If nobody believes it, it is still God’s Word!
And I hear people say, “Well, you know, I pray. I’m sincere. God doesn’t answer my prayer.” Oh, you old liar! That’s right. The word of God says: be it unto us according to our believing. He is more anxious to answer our prayer than we are to pray it! Who is man that stands up against God and says, “God, you don’t know what you’re doing”?
Joshua 24:20:
If ye forsake the Lord, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
After all He has done for you, then you are going to go and serve other gods?
Joshua 24:21:
And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the Lord.
The people said unto Joshua, “Oh no, Josh. Oh no, Josh. We’ll only serve the Lord.” And Joshua said unto the people, “Okay...”
Joshua 24:22:
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves …
That means, You have said it with your mouth, now you are witnesses against yourself.
Joshua 24:22, 23:
...that ye have chosen you the Lord, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.
[Then he says, Alright...] Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel.
Now ladies and gentlemen, your idols can be a lot more than something of wood or stone. It can be idols you fashion in your mind. It can be idols of power, idols of position. Idols of, “Oh, I want to be a Limb leader.” “Why, I’m gonna get in the Way Corps, ‘cause that’s how you get to be a Limb leader.” Is that right? You try me. I’m not developing Limb leaders in the Way Corps. Do you know what I am trying my best to do? – and I’m not even doing such a good job of that! – I’m trying to make first-class Twig leaders. I’m not building any Limb leaders. I’m building Twig leaders in the Corps. Men and women who should at least be able to run a Twig half- way decently according to God’s Word. I know they can’t run a Limb, that I know. Twig leaders is what I’m building in the Corps. You know why some of you guys are Limb leaders? Nobody else there to do it, so you’ve got to do it for a while – that’s all.
Just sort of clear the air a little bit tonight, okay? I hope they hear this in Kansas before I get back there. Boy! I never had any idea of building Limb leaders. I am not in the business to teach you God’s Word to develop your ego. I am in the business of teaching God’s Word to get you to God, and the greatness of God – and the closer you get to God, the greater servant you are. You are not looking for the presidency of The Way International – though I wish to God you had it sometimes, especially when I come home. I like you, but baby it is the Word, the Word, the Word!
Joshua said “incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel.”
Joshua 24:24, 25:
And the people said unto Joshua, the Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.
So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day,...
Wait a minute. Who made a covenant with the people? The man of God. The man of God made a covenant with the people. He made a covenant with the people. The people said, “We’re going to be witnesses. We’re going to do it.” And he said, “Well you are witnesses against yourself. We’ll make a covenant.”
Joshua 24:25, 26:
...and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, [Joshua did the writing in the book of the law of God – “holy men of God spake as they were moved”.] and [he] took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord.
That means, “you think about it, man.” That is why it is under an oak, because when you really wanted to concentrate, when you wanted to get into the depth of commitment, when you really wanted to think a thing through, they would go and sit under an oak tree. They didn’t lay that stone under a sycamore – they had to have a place for Zacchaeus to climb that one, I guess – no. Or under a dead old elm. He wrote it, and set a big stone, right underneath that oak tree. And he said, “Now all you leaders, you look at that stone. You see that stone?” And he said:
Joshua 24:27:
And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard [the stone hath heard] all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us:...
The stone is the witness. It was there when Joshua made the covenant, when he said “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord;” the stone was there, and they took it, set it under an oak, and he said:
Joshua 24:27, 28:
...it shall be therefore a witness unto you [that stone shall be a witness unto you], lest ye deny [the LORD] your God.
So [after that] Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his [own what?] inheritance.
And Verse 31 says:
Joshua 24:31:
And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua [that lived beyond Joshua’s lifetime], and which had known all the works of the Lord, that he had done for Israel.
The stone of witness, the stone of witness to Israel, was that stone underneath that oak that had heard the commitment; that was there when the commitment was made. He set the stone up and he said, “As long as that stone is there, you – every time you see it underneath that oak tree – you think about it, you elders: the commitment you made. Because if there are any strange gods in the family, it is because the leadership was not on top of the leadership. The Twig coordinator let the little old strange gods get in.”
Joshua said, “Every time you see it, you remind yourself you are a witness against yourself of that stone underneath the oak.” Now let me take you to Luke, please. Listen to this record:
Luke 20:1, 2:
And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he [Jesus] taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests [that’s the high caste, you know] and the scribes came upon him with the elders,
And spake unto him, saying, [Jesus] Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?
“Hey Jesus, who gave you your doctor’s degree? What college did you graduate from? Who ordained you? Who gave you that authority?” Do you see who came after him? – the top brass, the chief priests and the elders. Now I want to remind you, they are talking to God’s only- begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
Luke 20:3-7:
And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?
And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not:
But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us; for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. [They were real sharp politicians.]
And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was.
The liars. Jesus knew, and he said, “Okay fellas, I’m not going to tell you either by what authority I do these things.”
Luke 20:8-20:
And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.
And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.
And again he sent another servant [a more important servant]: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.
And again he sent a third [more important]: and they wounded him also, and cast him out. Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.
But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.
So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?
He shall come and [shall] destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. [God forbid.]
And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?
Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him [Jesus. It wasn’t to bless him I guarantee]; and [but] they feared [or reverenced] the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.
And they watched him, [sent the F.B.I.] and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves [you know, plain clothes men] just men, that they might take hold of his words,...
In other words, that they might listen to what he said, and then twist those words around.
Luke 20:20:
...that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.
In order to put him in jail and have him executed.
Luke 20:21-25:
And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: [Bunch of liars.]
Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?
But he perceived [by revelation] their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Shew me a penny [give me some money]. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said [well that’s] Caesar’s.
And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be [are] Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be [what?] God’s.
That’s right. If only we could believe that today. We don’t render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. Caesar doesn’t even give us the permission to render to him; he comes and takes it away. That’s right. And we Americans haven’t got the guts to stand up, because we have no leader, we don’t know how to go about doing it. Seventy-two percent of the national gross income last year went to run the Federal government, and you know who paid it? The common people of America. The people who are making eight, seven, six, five, ten, twelve, fourteen thousand a year, basically. The Word of God says you render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. It does not say you render to Caesar what Caesar determines you render to him. It says you give Caesar what’s Caesar got coming, and that’s all.
What about God? More people are afraid of Caesar than they ever were of God; you know that. You will allow yourself to be taxed thirty or forty percent of your income, and never say a lousy word. And if I said to you tonight, I’d like to see you share thirty percent of your income with the Way Ministry, it would be written all over the magazines in the country, and all over the newspapers.
But not a one of you squawk; you just talk, but you don’t do anything about it when the government takes thirty percent. They don’t ask you for it. They take it. They don’t even take it after you’ve given your tithe; they take it before. That makes the government God. My Bible says we are not to have any idols, and we have only one God, and we serve God first. Our God comes first. Render to Caesar the things that are what? Caesar’s. And unto God, what? The things which be God’s.
Luke 20:26:
And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.
I want to show you Acts chapter 4. Remember what he said about the stone that the builders rejected?
Acts 4:9-11:
If we this day be examined of the good deed [or the benefit] done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
This is the stone...
This is the what? Stone. Joshua that day – when he made that covenant with the people – Joshua saw the day of Christ. Like all the prophets of the Old Testament. It wasn’t just that he set a stupid stone there and said, “Now fellas, that’s the oak. Every time you look at that stone you think, ‘stone.’” No. Every time you look at that stone you see the future of the coming of the Messiah, and that you made a commitment. That is what Joshua was talking about.
Acts 4:11, 12:
This is the stone [This is the what? Stone.] which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. [verse 12, and you read it carefully:]
Neither is there salvation in any other:...
Men come to me and say Buddha is as good as Jesus; Mohammed is as good as Jesus; somebody else as good as Jesus. Ladies and gentlemen, that is a lie from the pit of hell. That’s right. There is no salvation, and the word “salvation” is sōzō, meaning wholeness – mental, physical, spiritual, financial – complete deliverance. There is no other salvation, because:
Acts 4:12 continued:
...for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved [made whole].
Class, there is no salvation in any other. For there is none other name under heaven, whereby we must – absolute tense – be saved. Now somebody says they don’t believe that. That is perfectly alright with me, but “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” The Word of God is the will of God to me. The Word of God is the will of God. If I want to know the will of God, I read the Word of God. A man says he doesn’t believe it; that’s perfectly okay with me. If he wants to go to hell, he can go. But he doesn’t have to tell me that I have no right to believe The Word.
I believe that the Word of God is the will of God, it means what it says. And I do not believe there is any other name given among men whereby men can be saved, but the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the rock. He is that stone which the builders rejected.
In I Peter, look at chapter 2. Now, I know I Peter is not addressed to the Church of the Body, to which you and I belong. Yet, I know that things which are addressed to other parts of the Body, you can utilize them as illustrations, to the extent that they agree with that which is addressed to the Body.
I Peter 2:1, 2:
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
Grow by what? The Word. Not Readers’ Digest, not Newsweek , not Time, not the Six O’clock News, not the Eleven O’clock Show –with your pretzels and potato chips, and your Coke or Pepsi, or beer, cheese – no, no, no. You do not grow by that. The more time you spend sitting in front of that Idiot Box, the greater idiot you are. And sitting there already indicates we are idiots. Because anybody with an ounce of brains has never gotten one more brain sitting there.
If you want to grow, you grow by The Word. So why don’t you get into The Word? If you haven’t taken a class on Power for Abundant Living, let me introduce you to it. It’s got The Word in it, baby. No private interpretation – not what I think, but what does The Word say, just like I am reading you tonight.
I’m not up here flipping my chips, I’m not up here moving my brain cells, I’m not up here because I need exercise. I just came off of almost six or seven weeks of almost twenty hours a day of hard work. I want to tell you, baby, I’m not here spinning my wheels and wasting my time. I am speaking with all the authority of the Word of God in my soul, that when you walk out of here tonight, and our people hear this around the nations of the world this week, they can make up their mind whether they really want to stand with God, or if they want to get out of the way and pussyfoot. That’s right.
If you are going to grow, you grow by what? The Word. I’d get The Word then. Not what V. P. Wierwille thinks about it, or Henry Bulloco, but, what does The Word say? If V. P. Wierwille reads exactly what The Word says, we’re in business. If he doesn’t, you believe what The Word says. You got it straight? You grow by what? The Word. That is what it says.
I Peter 2:3-5:
If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. [No kidding about that.]
To whom coming, as unto a living stone, [This Lord Jesus Christ is a living stone.] disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
Ye also, as lively [living what?] stones,...
Because you have Christ in you the hope of glory. That stone whom the builders rejected, who is the living stone, is now living within you. That’s why you have power.
I Peter 2:5-8:
...are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by [whom?] Jesus Christ.
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture [it says in the scripture:], Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
Unto you therefore which believe [or, who believe] he is precious: but unto them which be [are] disobedient [the unbelievers], the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
And a stone of stumbling, and a rock [he is that rock] of offence, even to them which stumble at the word [they stumble at the Word], being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
Look once more at Verse 8: “And a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence, even to them which [who] stumble at the Word.” Jesus Christ and anyone who believes in Jesus Christ will be a stone of stumbling. He will be a rock of offence to those who stumble at The Word, who don’t believe God’s Word, who don’t want to come back to God’s Word. What are they going to say about us? Every name in the book. Everything that will degrade. Everything that will – you know, say nice things badly about you, or bad things as nicely as they can about you – just to degrade. Because, they are stumbling at The Word. You know, people, stones are sort of interesting. You can either fall over it, or you can get crushed under it, or you can stand on it. As for me and my house, we stand on it.
Now I started out with Acts 1:8 tonight. The manifestations of the spirit are the witness, it says. The witness of what? Of that stone who the builders rejected, who is a living stone, who now lives within me, for I am born again of God’s spirit. I have Christ in me the hope of glory. Now what proof? The manifestation. The manifestation. “Ye shall be” a witness, witness, witness. Stones of witness! The manifestations set as a witness. Set as a witness. That manifestation – or those manifestations – are set as a witness against those who disbelieve, and it is set as a witness for those who believe. That’s the Word.