They will Overcome...

How will they by the Holy Ghost overcome this onslaught this flood of persecution and death of the body and stand in life.

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." -- Rev 12:11

They will be able to face physical death because there sin are forgiven and the power of sin ( death) will be conquered and they will word of there testimony. Jesus is Lord.

"The Flood"

By Brother R. G. Stair 

"AND THEN SHALL HE SEND HIS ANGELS, AND SHALL GATHER TOGETHER HIS ELECT FROM THE FOUR WINDS, FROM THE UTTERMOST PART OF THE EARTH TO THE UTTERMOST PART OF HEAVEN." -- MARK 13:27

Gather... I looked at this word in the dictionary, something I hardly ever do. Just felt directed of the Spirit to do so. Here is the dictionary definition of the word gather:

"To hold fast, to bring together, collect, to harvest, to pick up little by little, to accumulate and place in readiness, to assemble, to serve as a center of attraction, to gain by gradual mustering strength, to bring together the parts of, to draw about or close to something or someone, an inference that you are ready to leave, to come together in a body.

I like the last two very much, to come together in a body or the inference that you are ready to leave.

If you had studied and searched the scriptures, you would see that one of the things that Jesus sought so very much was that the church was a body, a unit, and that togetherness was a must if it was to be what the church was to be.

"AND JESUS KNEW THEIR THOUGHTS, AND SAID UNTO THEM, EVERY KINGDOM DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF IS BROUGHT TO DESOLATION; AND EVERY CITY OR HOUSE DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF SHALL NOT STAND:" -- MAT 12:25

From the very beginning of the church after Pentecost, Satan knowing that a divided house would not stand, started bringing division into the church through the evil that was in the heart of man. It has come on down to this very day. We all know that the church is weakened by these divisions and is mocked by the world because of this one major point.

Here is an account of this wickedness of division in the book of Acts.

"AND IT CAME TO PASS IN ICONIUM, THAT THEY WENT BOTH TOGETHER INTO THE SYNAGOGUE OF THE JEWS, AND SO SPAKE, THAT A GREAT MULTITUDE BOTH OF THE JEWS AND ALSO OF THE GREEKS BELIEVED.

BUT THE UNBELIEVING JEWS STIRRED UP THE GENTILES, AND MADE THEIR MINDS EVIL AFFECTED AGAINST THE BRETHREN.

LONG TIME THEREFORE ABODE THEY SPEAKING BOLDLY IN THE LORD, WHICH GAVE TESTIMONY UNTO THE WORD OF HIS GRACE, AND GRANTED SIGNS AND WONDERS TO BE DONE BY THEIR HANDS.

BUT THE MULTITUDE OF THE CITY WAS DIVIDED: AND PART HELD WITH THE JEWS, AND PART WITH THE APOSTLES." -- ACTS 14:1-4

It should be noted that the reason for this division, and still is the same today, was the unbelievers. I will assure you that this unbelieving is going to damn the masses. Turning away from the truth, they will believe a lie. For years now, that has been one of the main problems of the church.

"BUT THE FEARFUL, AND UNBELIEVING, AND THE ABOMINABLE, AND MURDERERS, AND WHOREMONGERS, AND SORCERERS, AND IDOLATERS,)AND ALL LIARS, SHALL HAVE THEIR PART IN THE LAKE WHICH BURNETH WITH FIRE AND BRIMSTONE: WHICH IS THE SECOND DEATH." -- REV 21:8

The elect will not have that problem as they will be believers first. They will not contend with the word of God but will, with joy, obey it.

"TO THEM WHO BY PATIENT CONTINUANCE IN WELL DOING SEEK FOR GLORY AND HONOUR AND IMMORTALITY, ETERNAL LIFE:

BUT UNTO THEM THAT ARE CONTENTIOUS, AND DO NOT OBEY THE TRUTH, BUT OBEY UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, INDIGNATION AND WRATH,

TRIBULATION AND ANGUISH, UPON EVERY SOUL OF MAN THAT DOETH EVIL, OF THE JEW FIRST, AND ALSO OF THE GENTILE;" -- ROM 2:7-9

"AS COALS ARE TO BURNING COALS, AND WOOD TO FIRE; SO IS A CONTENTIOUS MAN TO KINDLE STRIFE." -- PROV 26:21

"BUT IF ANY MAN SEEM TO BE CONTENTIOUS, WE HAVE NO SUCH CUSTOM, NEITHER THE CHURCHES OF GOD." -- 1 COR 11:16

Do you read that? In the church of God there is no contentious spirit. The church yields to truth. They obey, from the heart, the word of God.

It is a scriptural fact; the church was placed by commandment into one place, and in that one place they came into one accord. Unity, the oneness of God, was placed upon them and in them.

Jesus prayed such a prayer.

"AND NOW I AM NO MORE IN THE WORLD, BUT THESE ARE IN THE WORLD, AND I COME TO THEE. HOLY FATHER, KEEP THROUGH THINE OWN NAME THOSE WHOM THOU HAST GIVEN ME, THAT THEY MAY BE ONE, AS WE ARE.

NEITHER PRAY I FOR THESE ALONE, BUT FOR THEM ALSO WHICH SHALL BELIEVE ON ME THROUGH THEIR WORD;

THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE; AS THOU, FATHER, ART IN ME, AND I IN THEE, THAT THEY ALSO MAY BE ONE IN US: THAT THE WORLD MAY BELIEVE THAT THOU HAST SENT ME.

AND THE GLORY WHICH THOU GAVEST ME I HAVE GIVEN THEM; THAT THEY MAY BE ONE, EVEN AS WE ARE ONE:" -- JOHN 17:11,20-22

Gather His elect. There is another word (elect) that I want to cover before I am through with this message.

However, I want to show you how the church began. If you would look at the pattern contained in the book of Acts and then compare this with what we have today, you would see quickly that this seems to describe a different kind of body of believers.

Let us look at the account of the church in its first glory.

"AND THEY, CONTINUING DAILY WITH ONE ACCORD IN THE TEMPLE, AND BREAKING BREAD FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE, DID EAT THEIR MEAT WITH GLADNESS AND SINGLENESS OF HEART," -- ACTS 2:46

They lived and practiced the faith and they walked with the Lord daily in the temple and from house to house. How did they do that? It was because of the way they had come together in a community lifestyle.

"AND ALL THAT BELIEVED WERE TOGETHER, AND HAD ALL THINGS COMMON;

AND SOLD THEIR POSSESSIONS AND GOODS, AND PARTED THEM TO ALL MEN, AS EVERY MAN HAD NEED." -- ACTS 2:44-45

They came and lived together in common unity and oneness.

"AND WITH GREAT POWER GAVE THE APOSTLES WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD JESUS: AND GREAT GRACE WAS UPON THEM ALL.

NEITHER WAS THERE ANY AMONG THEM THAT LACKED: FOR AS MANY AS WERE POSSESSORS OF LANDS OR HOUSES SOLD THEM, AND BROUGHT THE PRICES OF THE THINGS THAT WERE SOLD,

AND LAID THEM DOWN AT THE APOSTLES' FEET: AND DISTRIBUTION WAS MADE UNTO EVERY MAN ACCORDING AS HE HAD NEED." -- ACTS 4:33-35

You see there was committed unto them an urgent commission.

"AND, BEING ASSEMBLED TOGETHER WITH THEM, COMMANDED THEM THAT THEY SHOULD NOT DEPART FROM JERUSALEM, BUT WAIT FOR THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER, WHICH, SAITH HE, YE HAVE HEARD OF ME.

BUT YE SHALL RECEIVE POWER, AFTER THAT THE HOLY GHOST 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." -- ACTS 1:4,8

This went along with the great commission.

"GO YE THEREFORE, AND TEACH ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY GHOST:

TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER I HAVE COMMANDED YOU: AND, LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAY, EVEN UNTO THE END OF THE WORLD. AMEN." -- MAT 28:19,20

As Jesus was lifted up they stood there with a feeling of hopelessness. Is He gone now? Then the two men (two witnesses) stood by and instructed them to stop looking for His coming and get about what He had commanded them to do.

They went into Jerusalem and waited for the promise of the Holy Ghost and when He fell on them, they were about the Father's business. So they gathered into an army of witnesses. They sold all and had nothing to hold them back from doing the will of God and obeying the command of Jesus.

"AND WITH GREAT POWER GAVE THE APOSTLES WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD JESUS: AND GREAT GRACE WAS UPON THEM ALL." -- ACTS 4:33

I have said so many times in the past. The instruction in the first generation church was to stop looking up and to go into all the world. They did it. The zeal that they had brought great persecution and they were then scattered abroad. From the community lifestyle they were driven into all the world.

"AS FOR SAUL, HE MADE HAVOCK OF THE CHURCH, ENTERING INTO EVERY HOUSE, AND HALING MEN AND WOMEN COMMITTED THEM TO PRISON.

THEREFORE THEY THAT WERE SCATTERED ABROAD WENT EVERY WHERE PREACHING THE WORD." -- ACTS 8:3,4

"AND THEY WENT FORTH, AND PREACHED EVERY WHERE, THE LORD WORKING WITH THEM, AND CONFIRMING THE WORD WITH SIGNS FOLLOWING. AMEN." -- MARK 16:20

With holy and godly lives, they were beaten, killed, and thrown into prison and the gospel was spread with much power.

They were scattered and then the unity became less and less; soon division became a part of the church.

Paul cried out against it but it seemed to no avail.

"IS CHRIST DIVIDED? WAS PAUL CRUCIFIED FOR YOU? OR WERE YE BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF PAUL?" -- 1 COR 1:13

"NOW I BESEECH YOU, BRETHREN, BY THE NAME OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THAT YE ALL SPEAK THE SAME THING, AND THAT THERE BE NO DIVISIONS AMONG YOU; BUT THAT YE BE PERFECTLY JOINED TOGETHER IN THE SAME MIND AND IN THE SAME JUDGMENT." -- 1 COR 1:10

Here they had come to constant separation and division.

Paul then reminds them of the way they used to live at first. How they won souls and the Lord added to them daily because they were His sheep in His pasture.

"AND LET US CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER TO PROVOKE UNTO LOVE AND TO GOOD WORKS:

NOT FORSAKING THE ASSEMBLING OF OURSELVES TOGETHER, AS THE MANNER OF SOME IS; BUT EXHORTING ONE ANOTHER: AND SO MUCH THE MORE, AS YE SEE THE DAY APPROACHING." -- HEB 10:25

Let us go back to living together in communities and close to each other so we can watch for each others' souls. So we will be able daily to have fellowship and exhort one another, and provoke each other to love.