In this sermon, the speaker discusses the truth of the word of God and addresses alleged contradictions in the Bible. The speaker mentions three types of men and questions the purpose of life. The sermon also touches on the story of the blind man and the significance of blood in the body. The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding and believing in the power of the word of God.

I don't know if I've ever been to a land where they have so many of these gadgets. Well, let's go to America. I'm very busy today. Let's go. I don't like drawing, and I don't often do. As a matter of fact, my Texas will be almost two or three years since I last did my Texas. Since I've been over in America, every place I've been to there's been people trying to twist my arm to get me to do it. But then, I always tell them, well, the Lord tells you to do it, I'll do it. But if you tell me to do it, I won't do it. And that's it. Now, I often have, but I don't enjoy it. I remind myself of things, but as far as I'm concerned, I'd rather forget. You know, your Pop will pound it all out in the first chapter of Romans 15. When he came in again, he said, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I. Is it 32 times in the seventh chapter? I, I, I. And then he came to an end and said, Oh, wretched man that I am. And I'd much rather speak to you like the Lord Jesus than ever speak to you like myself. But if sharing with you just a little of what the Lord has done and a little of the way the Lord has led me, it'll send you from this place to say, Well, if God could save him, he could save anyone. Then I'll be glad of that. My background has been somewhat different, I suppose, from most of you, although not different at all. I said the other day, I, I wasn't brought up in a Christian house. Now, please, don't misunderstand me. I was brought up in a good house. I was brought up in a home where my mum loved my dad and my dad loved my mum. I was brought up in a home where we learnt, maybe they weren't Christian things, but we learnt the principles of Jesus living anywhere. And it was from those that I turned away. My father was jacked in the First World War. And it was less than a month before he had to go to war. I thought I had a school. Well, I was as thick-headed as anyone could be. I wasn't over-infected. I used to tell mum I'd always meet someone, see if it's true I was a Muslim. I can't keep the rest of them up. And that's just the way I was brought up. I didn't have very much infection there. But we did have a schoolmaster, who was a teach-correspondent, and I suppose he hanged out with many lads that just get on too well in educational things, but sometimes they just find their bend in other things. And this master sort of lost it. Well, I first did school, started to learn the Bible. I entered a sort of British Federation boys' boxing championship, and at my age, we were going to have one of the British titles. And I was the boy captain of the Great Britain. And when I was on the land, at some thirteen at that, I realised that things weren't too good at home. My mother didn't stand any higher than that. She was just a wee dot of a lady. You know, I always think of myself when I see this little lady here. Where is she? Somewhere about this way. Ah, that's it. I know you're a funny girl. That wasn't funny back then. Just about that size. I used to nod at mum, and I used to say, do you know how many years you've known me? But here it was. She was just a wee little dot of a woman. And mum used to say, is it what I want? Is it what I want? And I realised that I had to do that. And I ran away from home. And I didn't run away from home because I didn't like home. I didn't run away from home because, well, I wanted a big, wide road. But I ran away from home because I knew the numbers weren't going to keep me. And I knew this, that if I'd run away, well, maybe the biggest teacher in the family would have gone away. And here I am, away in school, free as a pair of eyes. And I ran away like most boys, thinking, well, you'll get a job there, and I went down to bed. And in my country, I don't know what they do over here, but in my country, most of the fairs, they have a boxing ring. And I'd walk through the fair, put some of his boys beside anyone that wanted to fight them, and, you know, a couple would stand for a few rounds with them, or they'd pick up some money. Well, I went down to the fairground, and I looked around, and finally the poet, who I'd travelled with for about ten years afterwards, was finally the poet in the fair. And he had some of his boys at the front, and he was offering them to the crowd to fight them. And there was just a lad, a big tall number of a lad, I know, but a lad. And I stood in front of the crowd. And I didn't shout at them as loud, but as soon as the show was over, I went up to the crowd and said, look, will you give me a fight? And I remember it was a wow. He looked and said, what can you fight for? Well, I've got a girl in Europe. You like her? You can see. And I jumped up in the ropes, and, well, I said, I'd won a polytechnic here for the country, and, oh, I could run out and start the wee bit. I didn't know very much, but I knew a little. And he said, well, yes, I think I could find you a job. I said, how old are you? He said, oh, I'm 16. I said, what? He said, what? I said, half 16, very young. I said, I don't know. I'll give you a job. And he said, oh, boy, I have to fight? Well, you'll have to fight. And you'll have to earn a job the best you can pay for it. And I started the first work. I've got five films a week now. I've got about 80 films, something like that. Well, another director has cut me out. She's graduating. But there you are. I've got five films, I know, at the end of the week. It was a good job. It was a good time there. I had to walk the whole town out. It was the first time I'd done it in my life. You know. And I said, I'm going to hold them up, and I'll get out. And I found it perfect. Just a fleeting lust for the royal land. Just wanting to make a mark, wanting to earn some money, wanting to enjoy myself. So this went on. And, you know, I had to rejoin the Winterlands, because they were just out all very much. And so the Winterlands came, and I returned home. And I hated it. I just hated it. You know, it was 10 o'clock at night. Do this and do that. And in my home, you did it. I was 21 when the mother brought the last ticket off my back. I'll show you who's head of this place ran. You know I did a take-off. Well, she was a nun. And there it was. I just hated it. And I was glad when the next year came around, and I was off again. I don't want to say very much more about those years. Perhaps you don't live as I do now. But sometimes, huh? Bit by bit, while I was working my way out, I suppose, I was due to fly to an open-air show in Crystal Palace on August 10th, I suppose. And so I stayed off the plane for a month or so, until I was getting proper training. And while I was flying, I got a knock on the door. And it was a knock-knock. I went along to see the dentist, and he pulled out his stuff. And I said, well, I'll be all right. This is the beginning of July. I'll be all right in Christ. I'll be back holiday. Oh, I didn't know that. But just prior to this, what happened the other evening, I spoke up. What happened, uh, happened. I went into a pub one Saturday night to have a drink with some of the boys. And as I went into the pub, I was leaning against the bar and having a drink, when suddenly the door opened, and there was a little Star Wars army landing in. A complete war crime, you know. A fire war crime. She said, hey, do you know anything about a fire war crime? Let's see if you'll sing us a song. I told her the other day, uh, I didn't think she would. If she did, I thought she was some kind of evil elf or something like that. But she said, I'd be very happy to sing a song. Well, you ask the men to pick one. Well, I said then, that was the last thing in the world I wanted to do. I didn't mind the girls singing, but I didn't want to be the chairman of a religious meeting in the pub where I used to drink. So she put me on the bus. And I turned to the client there and said, fellas, will you be quiet? The girls are singing. She jumped up on the table in front of the fire, the five-way hotel in my hometown. She sang the old Red Cross. The boy didn't know it. He couldn't help but think in. But I leaned against the bar, and just as the thing had crossed my mind, I could remember a girl from yesterday. I looked up into the face of that girl. She couldn't have been more than a man 18 and 19. I've never seen her from that day to this. I'll see her in a headlighting one day. And I've never seen her from that day to this. She stood there, and she sang about Jesus. And I said to her, darling, aren't you like the girl who got lost back on the highway? I'd have fought anyone in the bar. Oh, I don't say I was beaten, but I'd have fought the man I would have enjoyed it as well, every minute of it. And I don't want to sit there and sing about Jesus, don't I? It's not before I find her cussing, drinking there, that she was prepared to stand there and sing about Jesus. So I left the client on the bar, and I walked out. And as I went back on the home, I was thinking to myself, man, what a fool I was. What a fool I was. She tried to make that girl look foolish, and she made you look foolish. But I think some of you men will understand that that was the first time in my life that any hip religion ever hit me. Oh, in every English day school, we start the day with prayer. Every day, you have to have an hour of Bible lesson. That's a course in every school in Great Britain. And so through school, I've learned like a parrot. Some of the things of the Bible, I've never taken to it. I've never laughed at any Western funerals and saying, I am compelled to teach this, but I want you to understand, I don't believe it. Oh, the impression that it had, it just meant nothing. It just meant nothing. But I walked out home, and as I went home, I realized that here was a girl for whom it meant everything. I used to think that to be a Christian was to be self-corrupted. You know, the fellow you see at home dying of loneliness. For everyone I knew that was religious, well, they weren't quite men yet. I thought of all the boys that played rugby football with me, and the fellows that ran with us, and the fellows that fought with us, but there wasn't one of them that was perhaps to be a Christian. The only ones I heard ever mention the things of God, well, if you picked up all of them, they were falling over. And I used to think that to be a Christian was to be self-corrupted. But I suddenly realized that wasn't true. I wanted to convert these guys. I wanted to convince them that that was the truth. And there was something else that crossed my pathway. You see, my father was the founder, or one of the co-founders, of the old ILC in Great Britain. The Independent Labour Party, I suppose. Next to the Communists, the most novice socialist movement in England. And we were born out there, and we were red-flagged and internationalists. So if we were born out there for purpose, we could be anything. But I stopped being a Communist. That's what we were. And as a result of this, my father's experience of the war, and the fact that he was gassed, and the fact that his family was left with all those deputies, left him smart. But the people I met there, the people that came to my house, were all people like that. Just like that. And, you know, I have a friend. And this friend said to me one day, Dad, why don't you come with us on Sunday? Well, where are you going? Well, he said I'd go along to a little golf ball. A what? He said I'd go along to a little golf ball. Do you see what they did with it? They'd ask for the Bible class on Sunday afternoon, so you could get some tea. No, not a drink of tea, the tea we eat. No, you're clever. The idea was to keep us all up for the golf ball meeting tonight. So my friend was late for the Bible class, and he went out at the golf ball meeting early, so he could always have a tea. Well, that's nice. So he said, why don't you come with us? Well, I'll tell you what. Not quite going by the law of the pack. No, it was a, well, I won't say typical, but it was kind of a little golf ball. You know, you had to have a little practice right under there. And there we sat. And the leader of the Bible class, a man by the name of George Harper, who is, I suppose, one of the greatest teachers in our country today, he was sitting there with around 30 or 40 young fellows. I sat down. He said, don't cry. These silly fellows with me all had their heads. And I looked around. And he started to pray. And I had enough. And up I got, and out I went. Vroom. And listen, that was the second day. That was the second day. Remember I was reminding you that God shines? That was the second day. Because everyone knew who I was. I'm telling you, I didn't know anything about this. And there, in that little golf ball, they started to pray for me. I never went back again. I didn't even stay to listen to the talk. I was out before the first prayer was made. But I made a contact with some folks who believed in prayer. And for three years, they prayed for me. I am told, I knew nothing about this, but my wife had told me that for three years, my name was mentioned every week at prayer meetings. And I didn't know anything. But they prayed. I don't know how many of us have prayed for three years. But that's the slight of folly of our prayer behind us. The fact we're not praying. So let's go back to where I was before. Now, as far as I'm concerned, I remind you, you get the amount of help on the door. You can do that. As a matter of fact, you can do that on every campus in the world, where you live. So let's go back. I'm not prostitute, by the way. I went to the dentist and the dentist. And I was there not praying for a bit. I went for a walk. I went down to the pub where I used to drink. Right opposite the pub, there was a famous pub in France. It's not there now. They don't have it in France. But there was a famous pub in France right opposite the pub. And a big variety was being collected. And I knew where all the sampling boys were. And I looked. And there were no caravans. There were no five-to-ninety-five shows. I looked. It was weird. I was like, who's this? So I went and leaned over the fence and said to the fellas that were working there, hi, what's going on there? Oh, they said it was off for me. Oh. Oh, if you will excuse us. I'll throw our stuff out. And I went away. But they put this tent right opposite the pub where I drank. And I walked down over the hill. And I didn't think that I'd be able to see. But I did. And they pursued. So it was a tent. So you could hear everything that was going on outside. Well, I don't say it was very beautiful. I don't say it was a very beautiful thingy. But it was a good, lucky thingy. And there I was, a great, raw, tall lad of about twenty-four years of age. And I was leaning on the fence and looking at the thingy. And then I hear the preacher say, we will commence the service with. Because they always had a farm service, a horse service. We will commence the service with. And I was gone. I didn't want to hear that. So one evening, I was walking over the hill and they hadn't started the thingy. So I was going up over the other hill. And coming down the hill, there was a young lady. So this young lady was giving out what eventually turned out to be trash. I didn't know what they were, of course, because it was in five-pound notes. But everyone that came, she stopped and she gave them something. And I said, what about it? And I actually crossed the road. And my friend came and she stood in front of me and she said, oh, would you accept this little drop of water? As a matter of fact, we're just going to have some services. We're just going to have a service in the end of the part of the hill. Would you care to come with me? And I looked at the young woman. I said, no, I don't want to go there. Well, she could be far. Now, I know what I'm talking about. If I didn't marry her, that's very weird. But nevertheless, you know, she could be far. And she said, yes. Well, next time, if I don't, I can't. And we went into the tent. And then, as I slipped in, out of the seat in the back, I found the most interesting truck looking around, seeing who was there. Who was there? Oh, he comes here. You know what he comes here? I'll tell you about him. Oh, hello. Oh, fancy her being here. Oh, I knew most of the folks in the district. I said to E.G., oh, I'm looking around to see who was there. The singing was fine. I can't remember a thing about the sermon, except the melody was all right. One thing I did like was the old collection. And the strange thing was this. I wasn't used to the slight tension about money. Oh, that's right. Now, that was a bit different from anything I'd kept. I used to think that, well, religious things was one sure thing, maybe after your money. Who else was in there? I was. Oh, well, a number of folks certainly got a hand. They never said very much. But that's right. Nothing else in there. Oh, Frank, there I was again. That's it. That was all I had, and I told you halfway up the line. Step by step, oh, I don't know how it happens. Do you know how it happens? I don't know how it happens. Step by step, to the work of God, he began to get his ideas. Step by step, I used to get angrier and angrier and angrier. So I was involved in a lot of nonsense. I'd been listening to a lot of stuff, all like that. You know, I couldn't get away. Step by step, I was down there again. And from one night, I went down, hanging down with a few of the boys around there, a couple of others. I said, go on down to the tent and we'll have a look. We'll have a bit of fun. And I sat there, and I didn't say a word, because I liked it, the boys did. But as soon as the service was over, I was right up the fence, and I went to that great evangelist, Dr. Charles Carrick. He's still alive. He's here in 19 hours, and he can't see me. He's still alive. And I went down to the front, and I looked at him, and I said, yeah, you don't believe that nonsense you've been talking about, do you? Well, he said, as a matter of fact, it's not nonsense, and I didn't believe it. Go on, I said, you've got a jolly good job, I'll pay you five pound a week. Oh, good boy, he said. And he walked straight down to the front. You know what he said? Well, as a matter of fact, I don't get anything. Well, you don't look so bad on that camera. But I suddenly came across the belief that the Bible was true. And when the Lord sent his disciples to that part of my church, he dared to say, but that God's still alive. So he set out troubling the Lord to provide his needs. And there he was. I had nothing to say to him. I just stood all watching the Bible. He said, you know, they've been telling me about you since I knew that. You see, the first night I went to the mass, the man at the door gave me a book, had one look at me, and then trotted up the other aisle and shined the point at me and talked to the preacher. Do you know why? When I walked into that tent, I suddenly found out it was a tent that was being constructed by that little gospel where three years before, for about two minutes, I sat down in the Bible cup where they prayed for me. And one day I suddenly ran out of the cup. And I was wondering when I ran out of the cup. He said, they've been telling me about you. They told me you're reading the Bible today. What Bible? A pack of lies. What? Oh, I can't get it. What? He said, he won't tell me. All right, I'll show you a hundred and one. Oh, come on, sit down here. Sit down in the back. Come on, sit down. What's the first one? Well, you know the first one I was talking about. It's one that every Icarian has got, Matt. Oh, I can't get it. What? It doesn't have a word to say, does that? I don't know. I don't know how to use that. Who? One killed the other. Yeah, and then he said, he went to marry her, but he didn't marry her until he had some time. Well, it's one that every Icarian has got, Matt. Do you read it? Do you know what that rascal did? He looked at me and said, well now, what's got them on? He said, you show me. And he handed me his knife. Oh, that was a different case. I said, cut out the Troy of Adam. I had the faintest idea where it was. He gave me his knife and I jumped out of the backpack and I looked in Revelation for the Troy of Adam. I said, well, it didn't happen. Well, I read it somewhere and I never read it another. A different kind of case. From that day, it seemed like there were many different persons with all sorts of different views. This time, we're going to discuss the truth of the word of God. And I stand to thank that the average person who tells me something beneath the Bible never read it as much. Never read it as much. I could have given you plenty of bloody alleged contradictions in the Bible. I'd have left them from the parlour in our parents' name. That's when they told me they were one of the ones. He said, you said you'd show me. Well, I said, well, then do what you think. He opened the box. And he showed me I didn't have two sons. He showed me some colourful little sack never heard of in his life. Well, he said, there are three sons in this. So, what's your first question on God? He said, he only had two. There are three of them. And he said, look at this. And he'd be back. And he'd talk. And it's all there. Well, there it was. So, he said, there's your first question. How about your next one? Oh, dear. Well, I said, all right. So, I thought about your one about the extra life. And a millionaire. And chose it. I said, here it is. There, why? Chose it was told down the street. And it says one painting was told to the millionaire and one painting was told to the extra life. Who would be told to it? You know what he did? He said, you said you'd show me. Well, I didn't know where it was. If I didn't know where Adam was, I didn't know where Joseph was. You know about this moral problem, don't you? You young man that I'm glad that day I met a man who not only knew his God but knew his Bible. Knew his Bible. Didn't they know just a few selected acts? But he knew his Bible. How did he know he had his Bible? He got his Bible and read the story of Joseph. He read it to him who had one extra life and a millionaire. Well, he said, yes. No, you don't have to worry about that. What are you? What do you mean? Well, what nationality are you? Well, I'm English. Well, you said you were British. Well, of course I'm British. Well, you said you told me you were English, man. Well, I am English. Yeah, that's what it is. Stop that. Here's my life and a millionaire. Well, it's the name for the general country from which they come and then the name of the town. Just like British and English. Well, that one's got nothing of a future. Well, he said, that's true. Now we've got no more to go. What's the next one? Well, the next one I've got it out to you now is the story of Blind Barton. Well, I said I'd written it. You know, there's one in the Bible there. I'm not quite sure where it is. Well, I read it. I read it. Never had it in my life. I read it. But it says that she took another man called Barton before he got to care of her and then she took him and put him in a car three blocks away and they got convicted. Well, that's pretty bad, isn't it? And did you find one that you said was true? Well, I told you I didn't know where. I read it everywhere. You know, it gets warmer I was... I was more wretched and more miserable after I'd asked Christ to save me than I'd ever been in my life, and I didn't feel that bit different. I didn't feel some thread and roll after the fact. I couldn't sigh in the thread and roll away. I was more miserable afterwards than I'd ever been in my life. I was saved. God knows it, but I believed it when I was dead part of a sinner's baby. I didn't understand it, but I noticed it. I dropped one of these. Mother of Pat, there and then, I nearly knocked his head down. Unknown to me, at the far end of the tent... Now, you'll appreciate it if I did like that. Didn't everybody I was after see this? At the far end of the tent, unknown to me, two young men had been on their knees, praying. Cruelly allowed, because I'd heard them. Your friends? When they heard me take part of a sinner's baby, they jumped in there and kicked my hell out of here! I didn't want to do it again. They came running forward, I couldn't stop them then. I said, I don't know what to do with you. I didn't mean to break. Anyway, I said, well... Good night, Bert. And the man that led me to the Lord said, oh, I'll walk up the hill with you then. We walked up over the hill, and do you know what he did? All the way from the tent to my house, he talked to me about you. Well, no, he didn't give me a lecture. He didn't say, no, you've got to do this, and you've got to do that, and you've got to do the other. He didn't say a thing about what I had to do. But he just told me how he proved in his own life that Christ was faithful. Just for Christ's sake! We got to the home, and I offered him a hand and said, well, good night three times, and he didn't say quite. He said, leave me up to the door and walk right in. And my little mother was there, wondering where I'd got to. Well, I certainly had to stay home for a year. Of course, I was only four then, so maybe not. But anyway, he walked in, and he looked at the month. He said, isn't four a big time, Cousin? He didn't know what he was talking about. I looked, and I said, well, my... I've got myself a big relationship tonight. And that's the only way I knew how to do it. I didn't know how. Suddenly, my mother burst into tears. She'd cried many a time over her boy when he broke home drunk at night. She'd wept many a time when she'd seen him come home black and blue with his face. But she'd never wept over me like she'd wept over me now. Because she knew that if it was real, it was going to get changed in our home. And in her way, my mother prayed. In her way, my mother said, oh, don't tell me for my fault. Not even knowing who she was praying to, I begged the Lord to help her. But do you know something? She burst into tears at night because she knew I didn't like it. There'll be a change in our home. Hallelujah for real. Praise God. Oh, I say, I knew it was real. Now, you heard me say the other day, and I will repeat it. I would cross a road and listen to a man say, oh, that's it. Not me. My side would say, well, God could give you a city to get to. And let His mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus. And that's what I want to do. I want to forget it. I only know this. And I haven't lived like Isaac. Relax. Take it in. Take it in. Pray a lot. And there had to be a change. And look, no one needed to tell me there had to be a change. She probably didn't need the preacher to stand up and tell me I've got to stop swearing and stop lying and stop cheating and stop doing the things I was doing. I didn't need a preacher to tell me I didn't know I had a problem. And I knew this. I didn't have the power to stop it without Jesus. I didn't want to be healed. I cut the load. I swear. I thought I wouldn't. But suddenly, I say, I have to leave. I've got to stop doing this. And then someone would turn on the phone and rip out of it. I wouldn't say this, but then God saved my soul. He saved my tongue. On that day, the day that I was born. Not because I said I'm not going to anymore. I'm Jesus. I'm just a little. I'm glad that there's victory in Christ. I'm glad. And God knows that I knew so little. God knows that I meant it when I said that. I knew this. I had a contract that took me up there. That's where I was born. I had to have a son. And I knew it was Sunday. Well, I had a new book. I wrote the contract a couple of months. Every Sunday, I went to the meeting. At 11 o'clock, we both read. I was there. Oh, I didn't receive it. We had a whore. Don't do politics. I didn't come. I sat behind. They wouldn't look at me. After a bit, I joined. That's the thing to do. The only question was, did he backbite me? If I got to the photograph, did he backbite me? He wouldn't backbite me. Oh, of course not. I'll be. If the planning meeting was on, I'd have put the planning. I'll bring an e-mail. It was the standing there. I'll bring an e-mail. Always tell me if you think any parts that I haven't said. And if I wasn't there, he'd come and ask me where you were. I'm going to be fucked up. I was a preacher. I thank God that he gave to me what I need. I thank God that he showed me the holiness of the things of God. Did he hold it to a fight? I asked him, did he? Love not the world, for the things that are in the world. A man loved the world, the love of the Father died. Do you know, there I was kept behind. He had a dear brother by that name. Sent it. Oh! Just vote. If you loved the Lord Jesus, you would fight. I'd be a Christian fighter. I'd have to stand up and I'd say, well how did you get here to me? Because I'm a Catholic, well I get to have another one. And that's all there is to it. I didn't care. That's all right, I understand. Oh come on, what are you both here for? Why not try to justify yourselves? You'll see in a moment. I wonder if someone could figure out how you get here. I see you have a lay of identity. I wonder how many of you do. How many of you would say, well, it doesn't matter. I'll finish that business, I don't mind it. I don't have any wages, I don't care. But I can tell you, I carried on. I got the primary headway. As I went along, I was reading the Bible. I was taking the little Jesus Christ. That's all you have. God's my judge. I was taking the little Lord. And as I went on, we had the Lord coming. Christ is well ahead of the church. And those brethren were doing the right thing, was I saying. Now I couldn't understand a thing. By the way, I'd like to say something to you here. I don't agree those brethren were doing the right thing. There were some things that I said. I said, you know what? There's some of them who were the most vocal of the Lord's Day morning. I knew they counted out Bible banter over the text on it. They were really it. And I saw it under the prayer meeting Monday night. They weren't often there. And I saw it under the conversational Bible reading on a Thursday night. And they weren't often there. And you thought, God, I wasn't that good in telling them, were you? And I asked the baptism. And the father that said, no, he holds my name outside. And I looked at him and said, well, you must have closed your name outside, didn't you? Well, what did he say? I said, yes, and he looked very impressed. You brethren, if you take eldership in a meeting, don't you forget that the first thing required of you is that you should be an example to the flock. An example to the flock. You can't expect what you can't ensure there. But just by the way, as the time went by, and some months went by, and in my own district, we lived on the side west. It's not customary to go away with the boys to camp. Now, I was most interested the other evening to look at the pictures away in the corner there of your tent. I saw no evidence of a camp at all. I saw evidence of a lovely holiday home. Nice pots, beautiful kitchens, and you know, a chance that after you go camping, you put tents up, and the boys do their own cooking, and dig their own latrines, and everything like that. And, you know, every year, well, ours actually goes for a camp off the road, I think. And we have a few camps, I think, during the winter. Even more in the winter. We're having a good camp, I think. And the man that led me to camp was going to take a camp tomorrow. He said, well, I can't see any young men tomorrow, can you? And I said to my partner, who was looking after me, I said, well, you might as well go up. Now, I'm not needed for the spring, I'm afraid. I had no idea I was going to fight a gun. And he said, ah, you'll be all right. So I walked into it. So I went to a position of boy camp. I'd never been to one before. So I went up to this fairly young fellow, maybe not a boy, a young man. The man that led me to the water said there was a camp there. And I said, well, I'm going to go up there. And he said, well, we'll see you tomorrow. So I went to a wonderful weekend. Ah, it was just a great crowd of young fellows and nothing more. And all of a sudden I had a great conversation with the Lord there. And it was a wonderful conversation. It was a little different. But it was a lovely day. And I had to get up to lunch. And I said to my partner, my old man and his girl, I said, I'm on the way, sir. She looked at me and said, oh, is that right? I said, yes. And she said, well, I've never prayed about fighting. So here I am attending to the Lord. And I said, who's that man? Oh, I said, yes. Oh, yes, well, sir, I want to tell you about it. So in a little tent he went and he knelt down and he started to pray. Well, I've heard people pray in all sorts of languages and all sorts of languages. And I've never heard such a bluster as to pray on the lunch. So he knelt down and he started to pray. He jumped on the tray on the lunch. The Lord gave him all the power in his hands. He said he could get the other fellow back to where he was to be taken up. I opened my eyes and looked at him. And he was twirling like an angel. Very stylish. I said, Amen. The Lord knew what to do. And up I got and he shot after me before I could make the curve. And I kept going. And as we left the tent and were making our way down to the road to get in the car, I couldn't hold it back any longer I said. I said, So, do you think we'll look quite sane like that? He said, Well, that's just what he'd say like that. He turned on me and put his hand on my shoulder and said, Simon, you're doing something you can't say about. He said, That's why you gave it up. My heart went down with him. And that was the first time ever anyone had touched me. I was trying to get to him. But I went up to him. And I don't think he was doing any quite either. There were so many random or typical times off when you're in the world. Sometimes you're just waiting to get there. Just wondering how the other fellow's going to be. Wondering what you're going to do. How you're going to tie it off. Well, some of the boys that, I don't know if they're probably in there for the waves in the morning. But some of the lads that were just hiding in the slumbering place. They were being examined before they went in. And the doctor came in. He knew just half a couple of the lads that were just in the slumbering place. The doctor was a man by the name of Samuel. He was a Jewish doctor. And a very nice gentleman. He was a Jew. And an Orthodox Jew. And I was just there with my brother. And I said, You're a boy's dad. My brother was just getting me tripped out. And giving me a hand bandage. And seeing as you're a boy's dad. The only book I had was a Bible. And I had a wheel of Bibles. I used to love to look at a magazine or a paper. Or something like that. Right. And this Jewish doctor came up. And he told me how I am. And then he told me that we were horrible. And he said, Come on. Who is that? He looked at me. And he looked at the Bible. And he said. I say, These two things don't go together very well, do they? A Jew and a Jewish doctor. These two things don't go together very well. And I suddenly realized that the man of the world has a standard a little higher than mine. I didn't think it was going to go very well. But it did. Right. It can't be for one day. It can't be for one day. It started with a man saying that you're doing something that's not fair. And I said, I can't do that. And it continued with a Jewish doctor. And he said, These two things don't go together very well. And I ran into the pipe. I was hiding in the George Marston. And I knocked him down and he ran. And I was coming out of the rain. And as I was coming out of the rain. A fellow put his hand on my brother's shoulder. And said, Will the two of you off the carpool? And he said, Well, I don't suppose there are any other cars we have. But I don't know what the matter is. And we went into the office. And he said, I'm a bit bored. Do you want to do the pipe? And my brother was not part of it. We didn't get that kind of help. And he was arguing about the pipe and all the other things that come with it. And we were getting a bit heated. And I sort of interfered a wee bit. And this fellow turned on me and swore at me. You know, he didn't mean anything by it. So I told him he was a bit grump. And when he said that he swore at me. And I said, I'm not the guy. And he said, Oh, yeah? And I said, well, why not. And I got on the train and rang home. And the Will on the train said, Call your father in. For 110 miles, the Will on the train didn't let me alone. And I was crying to him. Look, God, my God, you are crying to me. And that night I laid down. These two things don't go together very well, and I told you to tell you I'm not going to tell her that, and it looked a little money-less. I came to the court in the morning. She didn't turn out to be that, but it looked like it. I was in torment. Because I honestly didn't see what was wrong with it. So one day, maybe three or four days after, I went away to a public park in our district. And I sat down on the bench, and I had my bike. I was determined that I was going to pass this hearing. And I opened the Bible, and yes, I began to learn a little after this hearing. I started to read in synagogues. I started in the portion that I read to you, and I started to read through synagogues. Suddenly I came to the qualifications of a victim. As you do. Don't you ever do. You have no right to take a person and say to him what he's done to me. God can take his word and use it any way he likes. You can't, anyhow. So I started to read the qualifications of a victim, and this... I was no victim. But I started to read the qualifications of a victim, and this is what I read. A victim must not be a slave. No, that has nothing to do with what's in the book. No, I know that. But I read it. And all I can say is that God took that person and I never saw him again. I don't know if there was anyone else in the park that might not have seen another pole there. He could have been crying. I just don't know. I don't know. I got off that park bench and I sat down on my knees on the fire mat. And I said, God, if you want me to give up fighting, you find me another job today. And I didn't want him to answer the question. I didn't want him to answer the question. I still wanted another job anyway. I don't have money for another job. And I put God to the test. If you want me to give up fighting, you find me another job today. I got up on my knees. Suddenly felt terribly imbalanced. Suddenly conscious. I'd been on my knees in a public park. And I started to walk out of the park. I went down on the sit pad. Coming to a hill. I came down to the top of the road. Hill. And I passed a girl that sounded like Virginia Jack. And as I walked right over the hill, coming down on it, over the fire in front of me. She called me, Sam. Hello, healthy. How are you? What are you doing? Talking. Talking about what? She said we could help. She had a little farm just outside our area. And you've got a load of potatoes there. And it's the same one you used to dig up there to hand you. An old machine gun. And she said I've got a load of potatoes back there. The fox is rearing them. Will you come and pick them up for me? Oh. This was different. You know what? I asked the lawyer. You'll find me another job today. But I just need to get potatoes. You know, I've got a good little job. Before the war in our country, because this was 39 years ago. Before the war in our country, a farm laborer earns $35 a week. $35 a week. True. But I remember I said, God, if you would like. And I went digging. Digging. Oh, dear. And I put God to the test, and God put me to the test. And said, you be careful where you are. That's fine. You be careful where you put your feet in the field. And I put God to the test. I am befuddled. Just a great lump of humanity, and that's a little all or nothing. I stopped my education again, and in my country, you know, you don't go back to school again. It's not like over here. What worked their way through college was us. You didn't apply for examination, you didn't apply for scholarship. I didn't apply, I didn't. I started going on and on like this, sitting with a crowd of little children, learning the ABCs. It shocked my parents phenomenally. I was 26 years of age when I passed through the fifth edition. I owe everything to God. Everything I have and have and ever hope to keep, I owe it all to Him. Sometime after I was converted, I felt a draft of willingness in me that didn't serve me. Now, I hate this expression, full-time worker, because I really have had enough. I can't think of anything more unscriptural than that. But full-time worker is an abomination to me. An abomination! You know something? If every one of you is not a full-time worker, it's about time you were. It's about time you were. You know, isn't it funny how we got the work of God all set up in little synagogues in Turkey, even in London? God forbid. Where were we going? You know, there was a man by the name of Peter. You all remember that, don't you? He was a teacher of us, by the way. Did you know that? He was a teacher of us. And the Lord said to us one day, Peter, go and sit down here next to a glass. The Lord always sits in his pocket. Go and let's hang a net for a glass. And he wasn't going to do it. He said, because you say, Lord, because you told me to do it, I'll do it. He was a worker for the Lord, for the Lord told him to do something. Did you know what he did? He went catching fish. But he did it for the Lord. For the Lord told him. Father, if you're not a father to the Lord, you're not much of a mother. Dad, if you're not a father to the Lord, you're not much of a father. And sir, if you're in business and you're not in business for the Lord, you're not much of a businessman. God doesn't look at some people and say, these are full-time workers and these are not full-time workers. They're all in work for God. You're in work for God brushing the dishes, mother. In work for God at the bench, father. We're serving God. We live our lives out for God every moment of it. Oh, God, you have to realize this. We understand what we've seen and what we've heard. And there's no sense to worry about it. And don't you think it's as easy to be tricked or as untricked? I did it. I did it. But there came a time when one was going to curse over and over. I can't tell you all how it happened. I only know this. My own family was prepared to commend me for the work I was doing. And I think that's the first qualification for anyone, sir. If you haven't got the accommodation of the meeting for which you are in punishment, or for which you are in punishment, and you have no right to ask someone else to do it, you should get away from that. That's as clear in the word of God as anything, sir. And my own publications prepared to commend me for that for a while. And I've had 28 years of service in the war. In this year, in which I do now. With my joy of this and some fairly other countries. I've had the joy over these half years of being, I believe I went in Spain 15 years ago. So we went in and there was nothing. Now there's an offence. So I looked God and praise God for it. And I only know this, sir, because I look back over my own life. I want to forget those early years. I haven't talked about them. I don't want to. I only know this, sir. I went down to the loaves, a holiday, listening to God. Making an air of good heart. Enjoying the air of good heart. And I want to tell you this. Jesus Christ is no mystical person, sir. He's not someone who lives millions of miles away, so I've got to shout at the top of my voice to make him hear. No, no, no. No, no. He's my savior. My Lord. And I want to press on in this passion. And if I look back over my own life, He's a strong, bright angel. He's never failed. Never failed. He's been good. And I've got confidence in him. But tomorrow, I don't know what tomorrow brings for me. I don't know. Maybe tomorrow the Lord would have me go back partly. I don't know. If he does, I'll go partly to him. And it'll be just as good, won't it? Just as good? I don't know what he wants me to do. I only know this. And at the moment, I believe I am doing what God wants me to do. Doing what God wants me to do. I had a great difficulty saying yes when I was invited to come over to your house. As a matter of fact, I kept putting the letters aside until I actually got a good friend and phoned me from America to England. Oh dear. Tell me you're going to come. I don't know. Is it easy? Is it easy to say we're going to do this? I don't want to be here. God wants me to be here. I don't want to be anywhere. And I don't always know. There's nobody part of the year that seems more exploited to have lent a Bible reading to the University of Cambridge every year. Every year, I think, 135 or 140 undergraduates come to England with a pen to write in Cornwall. And I'm here because for many years now, 21 years, every August, I've testified on the beach in Cornwall. We have the children gather around us as many of you probably know as some of you have been over to see how the lives of children are treated in Cornwall Beach. We've got anything under 800 children every day on the beach. And this work, I just want to leave it. How could I come away from July without it? The boys were with me in the pen and I had probably five of these undergraduates with me. One of them, Hugh Williamson, who was a graduate in theology and politics. In theology and politics, he came to me. He's going back now for his postgraduate work. He spent a year with me. And he said, look, Matt, if you want to go, I'll run the shore work if you say I need it. I'm going to get some of the other boys. So suddenly, they stepped me in as a graduate of these undergraduates and they said, well, we'll work. So I'm going to work. I'm a fan. So they gave me that. And then the pet season was quite finished. Well, we were finished with the pet season. What's that done with? I haven't even had to put the tender away yet. Oh! So you've seen what we've been up to now all over again. So you've put the tender away. You've got the garden and everything else in there. Yeah, it's part of it all. But that doesn't mean you can't do it. No, it doesn't mean you can't do it. you can't do it. You just want to be where God wants you to be. Do what God wants you to do. Well, let's pray, won't we? Let's pray, won't we? Dear Lord, we thank You now for the opportunity just to share in the little of what Christ is and what Christ is not. We want the pain to be lost. But have the pain lost, may it never do. You're Christ in Christ They leave hard on that thing.