This sermon emphasizes the contrast between the comfort and ease of modern Christianity and the sacrificial dedication of early believers, challenging listeners to consider their commitment to Christ in the face of potential persecution. It highlights the need to love Jesus personally rather than just adhere to a creed, and to be willing to endure affliction and suffering for the sake of following Him faithfully.

You know the last 600 servants that Mr. Westley preached? He preached in the streets, the only town of 600 servants. A friend of mine has a beautiful little flat with an old, old roof that I like very much. And he told the man with a bunch of seabirds standing in the doorway, so he got a stick in his head. He told the man with a pitchfork behind him, he told the man with a tree on the ground, his father's come to preach. You know, the worst thing that's ever stood a gentleman's heart is when he becomes rich. I said to him the other day that I like that definition by Dr. J.B. Phillips, who does his English at his super-hood. He sees a hole in the head, turns around, makes his way to the washroom, comes back and has dinner with him. And he said he'd just been in a church, he told me. It was a cold, wintry night. You know, pretty cold winter that winter. At least not present now. And he got up and stood up and said, my dear friend, this Wednesday night I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for coming to church. It is a terrible night, the wind is blowing and it's most uncomfortable, and you've come to church. Oh, you're so wonderful. He was prepared to clap to them and give them all a crowd right on the spot. They were so marvelous that they'd come to church. And he said, I want to thank you from the depths of my heart. Oh, he laid it on. The old boy there would like this all the time. When he got up he said, I'm glad to be here tonight. And I would like to add my personal gratitude that you people left your central heated homes and got in your beautiful heated cars and came to this heated church to sit on these nice soft pews. Whereas when I am in Africa, a man will walk 15 miles to church and often have to stop to get porns out of his teeth. And often has it his life because there are lions there. And often has danger of crossing a river because of that hippopotamuses. Hippopotamus, oh God, anyhow, you know what they are? They're about crocodiles. And he said, you know what? They walk 15 miles home at night and they haven't got a bite of food when they get there. And you, us people, we let you walk, you make me sick. Now maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, that actually happens. But you see, the softer you get, the softer you get. Ah, aren't we wonderful? I sometimes wonder what will happen when persecution really does come. How many of us will stand for death? And we've got what it takes. You can't love theology, you can't love a creed, you can only love a living person like Jesus Christ. And bear it back to us. In weariness, in fastings, in faithfulness, in tribulation, in disgrace, in famine, in peril, in nakedness, in sword, in terror, in suffering, in terror, through my own countrymen. Go on. The exalts they bring. I say, treat us. I won't break a finger. Because the love of God again is shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Ghost. Choosing rather to suffer affliction. Come on, you idiot. Sit down and count the cards. Choosing rather to suffer affliction. With the children of God and to enjoy the pleasures of sin. Come on. I remember the first time I was in an alliance meeting. And they sang a hymn. To be like Jesus. Oh, I want to be like Jesus. And immediately I thought, do you? Do you really? You want forty days in the wilderness with the devil? You want to be considered mad by your relatives? Would you really like a Judas in your life? Would you rather like a Thomas in your life that would doubt you? Do you want to be like him? He was the master of a situation like this. His strength is made perfect in weakness. Somebody slapped him on the jaw. He could have breathed on him and shrunk him like a fly dying. He never exercised his authority for his own defense or his own success. You men that have beards. Somebody plucked your jaw and grabbed that and pulled the flesh out. You'd jump. They did that to him. Somebody got a mouth full of phlegm and spit in his face and in his eye. Doesn't do a thing. Come on, you idiot. Sit down and count the cars.