and honor that you are the most important prayer concerning the scripture that we should turn to I've got a very special scripture here this morning Acts chapter one Acts chapter one it's wonderful to be able to smile at this to be able to enjoy Christian fellowship it's also wonderful for real life the things of which we have been speaking and contained in these, the opening cruxes of this very wonderful book that is going to bring before us the foundation of the Christian church. It's important for us to remember this when we realize that each one of us will be leaving this place before long. We will be going back into the sphere of service that God has called us to, the desire of building something for God. Let's make sure that what we build built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ and his work. So we're going to look again at these lovely verses, the former treatise of I made, O Theopolis, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he, to the Holy Ghost, had given commandment unto the apostles whom he had chosen. I wonder if we could turn then please to the closing verses of the Gospel of Matthew. The closing verses of the Gospel of Matthew. After that he, to the Holy Ghost, has given commandments unto the apostles he has chosen. Let's look at those commandments for a moment. Verse sixteen, Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a land where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they watched him, but some doubted. And Jesus came, and they come to them, saying, Oh, our given unto me in heaven and earth, shall ye therefore, and eat of all nations, that I sing then in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching then to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, so I am with you always, even under the end of the world. Amen. It is certainly necessary for me to remind you that in each of the gospels, Jesus Christ is born before us in a different way. But at the first thing I am sure he was told is that in the gospel of Matthew, Christ is born before us as the king. It opens with majestic words, where is Eve and is born, king of the Jews. It finishes with majestic words, all power is given unto thee in heaven and earth. The gospel of Christ is the king. is the gospel of Christ as a servant. He's the only gospel that tells us nothing of his ancestry, of his genealogy. But how consistent this is with a servant? If you employ someone, you don't say who was your great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, It comes to the close. Christ's working with them. The music's right. Christ's working with them. And confirming the word is one following. When we come, of course, to the Gospel of Luke, as you know, he is brought before us here as the Savior. It opens by reminding our hearts that unto us is born in the city of David of Savior. And it finishes with the glory of Satan. That to him is preached. The forgiveness of sins. When we come to the gospel of God, we walk before us as none other than God over all, blessed forever. We're all going to notice in the beginning of the word and the word, which God and the word was God. And what a closing. Come upon the boy, he says, My Lord and my love. And the more we ponder the Christ, put before him, and the God fell. the more we begin to see the tremendous significance of the word that we have read as we remind our heart that this is a christ who has given commandments to his apostles those that he has wrote and it is interesting to note when we come to the close of each of the gospels currently each writer emphasizes something different useful words, but they emphasize something different from quoting the message. Christmas, when we think together of the gospel of Luke, then Dr. Luke emphasizes the preaching of the gospel. And this is what he dares to say in the closing chapter of his wonderful book. It's the whole price of supper. And to rise the third day, that repentance and revision of sins should be preached in his men. And so John Luke emphasizes when Jesus gives the commandment to the apostles, John Luke emphasizes this, that Christ command again to go and preach. And he that gives us the very theme of all preaching is the whole fight to suffer and to rise from the dead to the dead. We have been thinking in our days of the wonder of angels, that we pondered something of his passion, that we saw something of power, that faith of devious, that faith of devious, yet that faith of devious, where many were brought to face the fact that Jesus couldn't make the claim on their life through his passion. people coming from his resurrection, dare I say it again, that no soul or seal or soldier could keep the sovereign within that name of a prophet any hero without mighty triumph or his own. Whether, if there is, I believe, it is important that we shall treat the whole and fools of God. And I am not mindful that the very comes to the preaching of he who died for our sins. He was buried, and the third day rose again. Little man, back to our effective spirit, to share with men and women the truth of the Bible. But would you notice something more? Dr. Luke emphasizes I was going to call him Dr. Mark. But when we come to Mark, the emphasis here, as he brings before, the wonder of this message is not the preaching, but the people. For in the words of Mark, sixteen and fifteen, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, to every creature. He emphasizes the people. This message is a message for men and women. It is not just a message for you and I to avoid it, but it is a message that we shall share with others, that we shall pass on, that we shall go forth to comfort and preach the gospel through every preacher. I look around this little country today, and who knows, maybe someone here, a young man, a young woman with God is beginning to place his hand upon him. Maybe in the days that yet come, if the Lord should carry it from it, you must build land of God off the ocean and go to come on the land. Help men and women of peace. Oh, brethren, sisters, if ever there was a deed, it's the day in the clear. just and culture are hardly wanted in many of the lands today. But there are some of you young men and young women here who have a village. In school and in college, you have come from such places of life with some knowledge. I know not whether you are an engineer. I know not whether you've got the kitchen. I know not whether it's your kid. I know not what you turn to. But there I say the door and the world is open for men and women who are prepared to take their knowledge. And with that knowledge, take Christ, tell men and women of the faith. I dare not only obey, not only obey, but I travel from country to country, and it's been my joy in some third country to have shared Jesus Christ with men and women. If I travel from place to place, I get obey, and I seize my opportunity in those few settings. I was sharing the two and three of you just the other day. Could I do it here publicly? And a little while ago, I received a letter from Benzie. She told, having crossed the Kwanzaa River, into an area which for many years, since nineteen sixty-one, was withheld by courage. And when nobody knew exactly how assembly life was continuing, when even the Portuguese soldier had not been able to drive, Now suddenly we came to quiet and the doors were opening again. And there came a path for the Bible schools we had there in Shalonda that came a path, a proudest man and women who swung the river and walked a hundred and twenty miles to be there. They told wondrous stories of what God would do. Then I received a letter from Ben Cici, a lone girl in an area bigger than England and Wales. And I can't tell you how big that is in your life. But in the area of England, in my whole country, in the whole country of wealth, and one girl, one white girl, one, she goes across the river, goes out to visit some of the little meetings there and gather the women around. I never once saw her step out of law and gather once. She went out there to gather the women around. And in her landing to me, she said to her, We have received application from forty groups of Christians. The Portuguese government said that no one should baptize, no one should gather in church capacity unless they are affiliated to a mission. There are the reports in defiance each hand upon charity. No one should gather in church capacity unless they are affiliated with a new statement. God, would they please, would they please take them under their wing? And that is me. He said, Stand, I command the Lord to visit them once a year. If we do that, and I can't do it, you've got too much to do. I want to visit them even once a year. They're a portion group of Christians who can't gather an empty capacity because they're not a man. So as you say, God, I'll be your man. I'll be your man. The message comes. The message comes. Preach the gospel. To all. To all. If you don't have the preaching. But God can you get the Bible? If the people. As Mark excited. No wonder Mark then he's prided the servant before us. You would expect him to exercise the people, wouldn't you? But then of course he's coming to the end. And we point here, it is not the preaching, it is not the people, but it's the power that exercise. And in the words of verse eight of chapter one, this is that which we read, but he shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and he shall be witness. Witness. Isn't it glorious that God has not given to ourselves? He does not leave us for our own intellect or for our own academic knowledge of the Word of God. It is glorious that there is available for every one of us. He who is none other than the Spirit is found. He shall repeat power. And it is utterly ridiculous for any Christian to go from this place and say, But you know, I can't do it. We may not be able to preach great sermons. We may not have been given the gift that has been given to others, but for every one of us, the Spirit of God is well those that know Christ. For if he has not been the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, then none of it. And that power is available for our witness that we might go forth and witness in our work, in our home, in our school, that we might witness for Jesus Christ. But if Dr. Luke emphasizes the preaching, Christ who survived in Midland, and Mark emphasizes the people, preach the gospel to every preacher. And if Luke, again, as he writes the end, brings before the great emphasis of the power. that lies behind all our Christian, and all our power, and all our desire to reach every Christian. For you remember the glorious words of John twenty and twenty-one. As, as my father has led me, even so, friend, are you? No man more than the poor person in those charge of less than that. Thank God I can present the account to a Christ who always meets that bill. But I am not sent forth, and you are not sent forth at our own charge. And I thank God there is a God in heaven. I thank God there is a risen Christ. I thank God there is a Holy Spirit. And that God in hell, God, we as one brothers pray, that cometh to meet my every need. and the Father have fed me and Christ. Even so, thank I am. These words are impossible. They should, they don't, but they should challenge my heart every day. I should start every day by saying, Count of the blackened Son as the Son was sent Matthew, and it is here, we're going to stay for a while. When we come to Matthew, the emphasis is not upon the preaching, and it is not upon the people, and it is not upon the power, and it is not upon the principle, and the whole emphasis is upon the purpose. The purpose. For what purpose did Jesus Christ stand for us his apostles. So what purpose does he send forth, you and me? Harken again to those lovely words. Make the disciples, Christians, disciples of all things, that point and stand in the name, the name marking up the names, the name of the Father, Father, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. I wonder if I may draw your attention, as I am sure your attention has been drawn on many previous occasions, to the three simple things. First of all, you will notice that the emphasis of the purpose of our being set forth is currently to make the titles of all nations, to make Christians of all nations I pray God that there is in Jesus Christ all that's necessary. There is in the Word of God all I need to pass on to make men and women disciples of all nations. We're all aware of the fact again I do and each day I know that I must apologize for the fact that taking you back your Sunday school class. But we're all aware of the fact that the early church did exactly what I told them. make disciples of all nations. We are aware that the nations of the world have sprung from the three sons of Noah. You know, I haven't yet asked my folks, do you really believe the story of Adam and Eve? Do you really believe there was one man and one woman and God knows all nations of the risen? I said, oh yes, I hear it, I'll tell you something more. I believe God drowned a lot of them by it. And I believe that the nations of the world have originated from the three sons of Noah, and Shem and Jacob, and the father of the colored nations, Shem, the father of the Jewish nations, Jacob, the father of the Gentile nations. Make disciples of all nations. Come with me into the eighth chapter of the Acts. Is it not the story of the twelve hands, the Ethiopian unit? Did he not become a child of God? If thou believeth, all believe. What's the story of the night for man? Not the son of Adam, son of Shed. It's the story of a man called Saul of Tarnus. A man who went out, bitterly opposed to the Christ, met the disciples of all nations. Did he become a child of God? Hallelujah. They sent a man to him, saying, Brother Paul, Paul. It's the story of a Cornelius. It's the story of a Roman centurion. I say, did he not become a child of God, or did not need to dare say, who had received the Holy Ghost such as we? And here make disciples of all nations. Help when we, the early church, wake up, correct you, a theologian, do this, to step on the eternal burnings of Saul's heart. bringing them a blessing of God according to him. I'm not going to spend time to remind you of their different characteristics. How old every class of person is found in these three men? I only know that they did it make disciples of all nations. And they did it in the power of the Spirit. And when it comes to form of salvation, it seems when you first read the story that they did it without any human power. Can you remember a Stephen? The Saul that has stood? You know, I wouldn't have used that. Oh, I mustn't get off on the side of that matter. But you know, it's a tremendous fact. There are some of you here, brethren and sisters, who say, Well, I can't preach. I couldn't do that. But I say you could do what Stephen did, couldn't you? It's remarkable that the whole local school is saturated in prayer, isn't it? The first time Saul is mentioned in the Bible, he's in a prayer meeting. The first time he's mentioned in the Bible, he's in a prayer meeting. There's a peculiar gravity meeting. If you're prepared for him, don't be there. But as Saul stands in the garments of those that are hurling the stones at his feet, he brings a man full to the ground and he hears his prayer. Lay not this sin to their charge. And the moment he saw light, he said, Who art, my Lord? He do go on with me. But the first time he's mentioned in a prayer meeting, the second time he's mentioned me to the prayer meeting, and he's praying, Who art, my Lord? And the first time he's mentioned me to the prayer meeting, Brian and I are going to him, and God says, Behold, he's praying. And then you notice how he starts every missionary journey with a prayer meeting. How did the disciples gather indeed that he was sent forth with their commentation and their prayers? How he called a mission to come over to Macedonia and help us? How he arrived to Philippi under the prayer meeting where women by the riverside are out to pray? Oh, thank God we can make disciples without praying as well as our preaching. I believe Stephen prayed. Some of the results were seen in the construction of Saul's house. All brethren and sisters, can't we go out? Whether it be, whether it be the son of Adam or the son of Jacob, we can tell them of Jesus. So the first thing we aren't supposed to do is to make disciples. The second thing we aren't supposed to do is not make disciples, but mark disciples. Baptizing then... in the name of the Father, God, and the Holy Spirit. Just an emphasis, please, again, the simple truth. Not three names, but one name. One name. Took you years ago, three or four years ago, it will be now, maybe four years ago, I was in Australia, and I was speaking away there in the University of Adelaide. They don't talk on the subject of Christianity, relevant or ridiculous. And of course I took a lovely text from a text, you know. Well, I mean, the proper one for a university is this. Not learning, but take me back. Great take, that one. It's always nice to make them sit up again. But anyway, we spoke a little of the fact that scripture is relevant. And when it was finished, it was open. The question was always, and I could see him now, a young fellow at the back of the large auditorium. He rose to his feet with his hand up. one, whilst one makes three. It is intellectually dishonest to believe that God can leave three and one, or anything from the three and one. He said, that wasn't what said. It was the way he said it, you see. I mean, everyone has the right to say that. That makes sense, that question. But it was the way he said it. And I specialised in taking that sort of fellow down for a long while. And I put my glasses on the end of my nose, and I looked at it. And I said, young man, are you an undergraduate here? Well, yes. However, did you part your examination to get you? It isn't that you got your son wrong. You got your son right. One, top, one, top, one. They trained. not the psalmist never sees the psalmist you're looking at the wrong page the psalmist says one multiplied by one multiplied by one how many is that made for it is not the father and the son it is god who is in christ jesus reconciling the world unto himself and christ was filled with the holy spirit bible never looks upon trinity as one plus one plus one right by one and hallelujah that's still one But I say, you dare you accuse me of intellectual dishonesty, and I won't allow any one of you to accuse me of that. Being in a large auditorium where they lectured, there was a whiteboard on the wall, and I went and had a piece of chalk, and I drew up the old triangle, and I was doing a fancy school plan, and I walked in the middle, and it's too well, and I said to him, tell me, I wonder whether your chemist has been better than your arithmetic. Not the answer feeling a bit embarrassed now. What a quarter. This, you know. I said. I thought it was ice. I thought it was ice. Oh, I know H-U-O is water. An H-U-O is also ice. An H-U-O is also steam, don't you tell me? The belief of three can be one and one three for the whole kingdom of Christ on it. Oh, I don't want to go any further. I just want to say this to you, brethren, that it's compound unity. Compound. And here in the name of, not me, not in the name of. In the name of. I have no difficulty concerning... It passes by full comprehension, but I have no difficulty. For though all around me there is abundant evidence that this is the very facts of nature. And my God makes that which is like unto itself. He makes a man, spirit, soul, body. He makes a world in three kingdoms. Oh, what a God he has. What a God we have, and we think of Him, and we realize that we are the markedly disciples. We mark them like that, hiding them in the dead. You know what? Is it glorious to know the blessed truth of battle? Of course, again, it should go back to the eight times every day. I'm going to go back to eight, nine, and ten. Make the disciples of all nations. I say, the Ethiopian unit will say, what did? If thou believest I believe? I say, before the chapter is over, he's baptized, isn't he? That's an eye. It's all a purpose. Believe, doesn't it? But of course, I say, before the chapter is over, he's baptized. Chapter ten. Oh, I mean, here, it's made of the function. who for kinder that they shall not be baptized as it were. Oh, brethren, children, how careful the early church was, who obeyed the statements, the command of the Lord. Make the disciples all baptized in them. You know when one thinks of baptism, one remembers the mandate of it. Well, it's the command of a king and the mandate. All power has given unto me. Go ye, make disciples, baptize them. It is not the command which comes from a meek and lowly Jesus. It's the command that comes from a conquering risen Christ. It's a mandate. You notice not only the mandate of baptism, but of course you notice the manner of baptism. Where the chapter of Anne, the passage of classics, when they go down, both Philip and the eunuch, both. into the water. Just as one man put him under, so one man brought him up. Oh, I'm glad of that. I'm glad that I died with Christ. Hallelujah. I'm glad that he rose from the dead and he lifted me up. Oh, brethren, you've got to fight someone. Don't leave them down there. Oh, no. Look at what? And it's in the strength of another's arm that you get pulled up. Hallelujah. It's in the strength of the arm of Christ. that I know something of a risen life, but only on the strength of his heart. If you notice indeed the man of Hesco of baptism and the manor of baptism, it's important to remember the message of baptism. Romans six, you know something little, madam. You won't mind me saying this, will you? You won't mind me saying this. I'm not really interested in you coming to me and telling me when you were that time. I am interested, of course I the thing I'm most interested in. Do you know what I'm interested in? Not that you can tell me that on such and such a date you were baptized. The thing I'm interested in is that you're living a baptized right now. That's the thing. But that was the beginning and you're living a baptized like that. Do you know I heard a story about time ago? I was disgusted. I hope none of you preachers tell it. Because if you do, I'll be disgusted with you. But I heard a story some time ago of a good brother, you know, who was baptized. And when they came to clean the factory out, they found his back house in the bottom of the basket. Yes, fellow. But you're leaving someone else to clear your mess up. You ought to have been finished with that before you went up to the water. The baptized life that counts. We shall see ourselves identified with the test and resurrection and Jesus Christ. I know those things are easily talked about. They're not so easily lived out. The Spirit of God is there to give us the power, so it is. But would you notice me, not only are you to make disciples and not only are you to mark disciples, I've got one minute left. Ah, but your watch was wrong with me. What time is it? Three minutes. Oh, bless you. Well, let's get on then. Listen, not only are we told to make disciples and mark disciples, but we are told to mold disciples, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and nowhere with you all way, even until the end of the age, to mold disciples. Passion of men and women, as God will have them be fashioned, teaching them to observe all things. whoever I have commanded you. Is it not wonderful that you and I was given the privilege Lord's day morning to gather around some emblems and to hear him say to us to us the fresh, this too in remembrance of me? Is it glorious that we are molded, that he has forth in his blessed word all that is necessary? You know, I'm glad I gathered with a couple of Christians I do now. I couldn't gather with any others. I brought my love on Oh, yeah, I'm glad I am now. I returned home with books from my locale, and I spent a large amount of my time with some of the so-called great theologians. I returned home. And my first marriage was garrisoned for a white act in the horror of the kind of obsession. Love, love, love. We were having to turn it into a little place called the land, but that road was the foot of the black bandage. Just a wee little township. We'll only have a wee area. There wouldn't be twenty houses and a mile or two around. The end of the Lord's day, there'd be twenty homes. I'm saying, if you take that and make it right, and you put that in any city, you wouldn't have a gospel hook to get up to contain them, would you? You take it right. So now let's decide small gatherings. Sometimes small gatherings come from small gatherings. Go about twenty and be guided around the table. Now we will forgive people saying this, if you don't understand that, I'll still say it. You see, I was brought into a company of Christians where we were told that you were holy priests before the breaking of bread and loyal priests afterwards. Don't let anyone step over the line. We asked them wonderful elders, they could tell you after them, they asked them under the blood. But by the way, elders, they loved it. Jesus today. Well, as I read my Bible, I would not make that great line of demarcation. You know, it's less than mine. And I would count on the fingers of my hand a number of times in thirty years that I minister before the breaking of ground. I remember that we are holy Christians. You offer spiritual tantrum money to God. To God. And I'm not there to give the saints anything. there to offer spiritual maximizes to God. But this Lord's day morning, strangely and amazing, I must work to endlessly move before the breaking of bread, a thing I've never done, or hardly ever done. I felt moved to share with the saints a little of the Word of God. I wrote one of these as I opened to the nineteenth of John, and I read as you have read many a time, seven mentions of his. his cross, his mother, his hand, his garment. You know the seven mentions of his, and I thought to share with a stranger little of the wonder of a price on Calvary, and I sat down, and when I sat down, dear brother rose to his feet. You'd never invite him to preach, and no one would in our country either. As poor or the Napoleon as a man would be, You know, drop it at you's here and put them on there. And, oh, dear, dear, dear. He rose and in a dialect that you would need an interpreter for. He said, I wonder what it would turn together to. You read the epistle to the Ephesians. His will. His purpose. His law. And I sat there and I'm not ashamed. A lump came in my chest and one ear didn't go down my pace. I felt my grief as I listened to a man share with us what Jesus meant to him. I came away from that little tavern and I slipped my arm in the arm of a wife. And I said, Mary, hasn't God been good to allow us to flee with a company of Christians where that brother could share what Christ I thank God that gather with a company of nations. We're those that know the Saviour can share their experience with us. I don't want to be anywhere. But we're all holy priests. We're not all holy priests. We're not all holy priests. But how are we going to have our holy priests? We've got our priests to offer in our sacrifice. We've got our praise. The sacrifice of praise. We've got our... communicate and do good forget not but with such sacrifice God as well please and hallelujah be good enough person to get your throne to living sacrifice and as holy priests we have something to offer to God here this royal priest that woman is loving that royal oh I say as holy priests we offer a sacrifice to God as royal priest we go out from the world to represent him who has orders and Thank God. He wants to mold us. May he mold us this holy and wildness that we may go for him. Give or be a command of him. May I? Could I read it? Just in case. Just in case. I... Warmer preaching. Have I made those theophilus? of all that Jesus began, both to do and preach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he, through the Holy Ghost, had given commandments unto the apostles whom he chosen, to whom also he showed himself alive, after his passion, by many impalible priests, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God, And we have talked together of the things pertaining the kingdom of God. God grant we may go from this place. Make the mark. Bold the mark. For his Lord.