(Brother Howard Higashi) Out of the gospel, brothers asked that we would share, be touching two meetings concerning the gospel, this Monday night and Wednesday, and pray that the Lord could all touch our heart. I believe that we are all touched whenever we hear that the Lord has reached us. Of course when He saved us, He saved us to become His continuation. We need to be branches to have His increase to bear fruit. And it is not just a duty that we have, but it is a privilege, that we could be His ambassadors to share such a One to others. I can’t think of anything higher than to bring the Triune God to another human being.

I believe in one of the messages Brother Lee was sharing in Luke concerning the Lord as a man-Savior, that in that book we could see the highest standard of morality. Here’s one that could bring salvation to man. This is the highest. There’s nothing higher in the standard of human morality than to bring God to another human being. And tonight I’d like to open up some of the things I have been touched with from the ministry and from the Lord to unveil to us further the gospel is surely the Lord’s burden. He is surely burdened for mankind. And we know the verses of course, God desires, that what?

(class) All men…

(Brother Howard) All men be saved. Some of you have been born in the church life. How many here? So, this really the Lord’s mercy that you came right into the Lord’s recovery. But there’s millions that do not know the Lord. And here is our burden that’s given to us by the Lord.

First, we must look at the Triune God, Himself, I’d like to go to First Peter chapter one verse two and three. Could we all turn there, please? Chapter one verse two and three. Okay? All together.

(class) Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit unto the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has regenerated us unto a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

(Brother Howard) Here we see the operation of the Triune God bringing us into salvation. We have the Father, we have the Spirit mentioned, and we have the Son, of course the sprinkling of the blood is through the Son. And it is this three—very Triune God, operating together as one to bring salvation to us. And we can see this in the picture of the New Jerusalem that that city has three gates on each side—four sides. That means He is available to anyone. No matter what, what direction we may be from there’s these gates we can come to. And the marvelous thing about it is, because we have fallen we could not hold any standard before we’re saved. There’s no street outside the city. So there was just God’s mercy that there’s no standard you just come. And the very Triune God becomes our entrance into this divine entity—the mingling of God and man. And it also says in Revelation that the gates are never closed. Our gates should never be closed. And you are being trained to be the gates, not only the Triune God is the gates, but you become the gates where mankind can come into this eternal entity. Everything outside there is no blessing. Without, surely there is the lake of fire and no one wants to be there.

So here in First Peter one, two, three, it touches the very Triune God Himself. And of course you also see this in Ephesians chapter two, I believe it says, through Him, which is Christ, in one Spirit, we have access unto the Father. The very Triune God through Christ’s redemption, the Spirit’s sanctification, both objectively before we have, we are regenerated and to and to be prepared for salvation, and eventually access unto the Father Himself. And we see this also in Luke chapter fifteen. The picture of this wonderful Triune God that indwells us today. And the Son shepherding to find the one lost, lost one. That one lost one is you and I. And there’s many more lost ones. The very woman sweeping to find the lost coin. The lost coin surely is we. She had nine but there’s one and she swept and swept and this is the sweeping Spirit.

Then of course you have the receiving father, full of compassion. Man is not only sinful but became dead and lost. So when the prodigal does come back it says, this son of mine was what? Lost. And he is found. And also was dead and is alive. So we come all the way back to the father’s house. The very Triune God, that’s a picture of Him. So we, as His duplication, we the very God-men, could be filled with the very Triune God, will have the same burden. As we’re filled with Him, we become like Him. The more we go on with Him, the more this burden will grow and grow. So every day, you’ll be working with people, praying for them, even weeping, shedding tears for them that salvation will come to them.

First Peter, chapter one, two and three shows the very operation of the Triune God in bringing us into salvation. But first we might see that salvation did not start with us. Salvation started with the Triune God. Firstly, chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. In eternity past God has a burden already for you and I. How much do I appreciate that He chose me according to His foreknowledge before the foundation of the world. Aren’t you glad you were chosen?

So tonight, to preach the gospel, number one, you must appreciate your salvation. If you appreciate your salvation, you will automatically preach. Could you imagine, that before sin, before anything happened, you and I were chosen. Why did He choose you? You were special? He just chose us. I believe certain things we don’t understand. Sometimes I just say, Lord, maybe your discernment is not that good. Whatever it is, I love it. He chose me! Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. There’s some out there, many out there that are chosen. And our job is to enjoy the Lord and find them. I myself realize unless He chose me, I don’t think I could ever be saved. Maybe I’ll share that on Wednesday.

So the first thing is the Father’s selection. Why did He choose you? consider this. This is the gospel. Steven, why did He choose you? Because you are a special person? And also brother, I went to Russia and here you were, Moscow University. We walked all the way up to your room, right up by the clock. Right? I think so. Why did He choose you?

(Brother Steven) He’s crazy.

(Brother Howard) It seems like. So Peter says, look, chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. Could you at least say, thank you for choosing me? How about it sisters? Aren’t you glad you are chosen? Why did He chose you?

(brother) His foreknowledge.

(Brother Howard) But why? There’s billions of people.

(brother) For His expression.

(Brother Howard) You better than somebody else for His expression?

(brother) He thinks so.

(Brother Howard) One day you’ll get on your knees and weep and say, Lord, I don’t know why but you chose me. So let’s all pray this. Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. This is not a doctrine. You were chosen. Okay, pray-read it.

(829-898 Everybody pray-reading)

(Brother Howard) Okay. That would have been easy, chosen, so, just when you’re born just pick you out. That’s easy. But man fell. We begin corrupted, constituted with sin. Even constituted to be serpentine to be His enemies. But God never stopped in His selection. Surely that would have been a good time for Him to say, forget about it. How many here have pencils? What do you have on your pencils? Do you have an eraser? When you make a mistake, what do you do? Wouldn’t it be easy for Him to wipe out everything? Man fell, became disobedient, constituted with sin. Even against God.

John chapter eight, we are of the, our father the, what? Devil. Yet His choosing us never changed. And through the Son’s redemption, right, we can see the Spirit came to brood over us. First I would finish up on the matter of the choosing. Ephesians chapter one, three through five, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with what? Every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. Even as he has chose us, what? Before the foundation of the world. Before the foundation of the world we’re chosen and what? Predestinated us unto sonship. We were predestined to be His sons. And predestination, Nathan, means pre-marked.

Of all the billions of people (?)(1040) I just like Nathan. I’ll put a mark on him. I’m going to mark him out. No matter what he thinks he will do, there’s a mark. We can’t see it, but God can see it. You and I have been pre-marked. So, we’re walking around on this earth looking for those who have the mark. Aren’t you glad that the end of the age, you won’t have the mark of the beast? Huh? But you have the mark that the Triune God, this one is reserved for me. Don’t think we’re here because we’re so great. You could have died on the freeway easily. You could never die because there’s a mark on you before you got saved. Angels were busy protecting you. You think you’re breathing because you’re strong? I should be dead many times. How many feel that you should be dead many times? You had to come to the Full-time Training. You had to be saved. Come into the church. There’s a mark on you. You can’t erase it. And I believe some of you tried to run away, right? Don’t have to raise your hands. (?)(1165), aren’t you glad you have a mark?

Some of you think, oh this is just a (?)(1174) no, it’s not. The day I can’t appreciate this, anyway, I do appreciate. He put a mark on my forehead. Look at each other’s forehead. Look at it. Preach to each other, there’s a mark on you.

(everybody) There’s a mark on you.

(Brother Howard) Predestinated unto sonship. Not predestinated to go to heaven. Unto sonship! To be a son of God! Aren’t you glad you’re a son of God? (?)(1229) were dancing around there. This is something to dance about. You brothers down there, are you glad you’re a son of God?

(brothers) Yes. Amen.

(Brother Howard) Stand up and say it!

(brothers) Yes! Hallelujah!

(Brother Howard) Hallelujah! How about you sisters? Are you excited? Are you a son of God?

(sisters) Yes!

(Brother Howard) If you’re not excited you’re a son of God, how will you ever inspire others to receive the Lord to become a son? I think you will be excited. Nothing wrong with being excited, right? I’m a son of God. Let’s all say that to the whole universe, standing up. I’m a son of God!

(everybody) I’m a son of God!

(Brother Howard) Sisters!

(sisters) I’m a son of God!

(Brother Howard) Brothers!

(brothers) I’m a son of God!

(Brother Howard) Okay, now let’s turn to Galatians. Acts chapter one. I mean, Galatians chapter one, sorry. See, I’m getting crazy already. Galatians chapter one, thirteen through sixteen. Okay, let’s all read that. This is the testimony of Paul.

(everybody) For you have heard of my manner of life formerly in Judaism, that I persecuted the church of God excessively and ravaged it.

(Brother Howard) I what?

(everybody) Ravished it.

(Brother Howard) He persecuted what? The church of God. Was he a good material?

(a few brothers) No.

(Brother Howard) But he had a mark. Satan knew. So he used this one to persecute the church. But Paul had a mark. He saw Steven being stoned and he says, good. But this one had a mark. Okay, fourteen.

(everybody) And I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries in my race, being more abundantly a zealot for the traditions of my fathers.

(Brother Howard) But.

(everybody) when it pleased God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace. To reveal His Son in me that I might announce Him as the gospel among the Gentiles, immediately I did not confer with flesh and blood.

(Brother Howard) Okay, here was one, one of the biggest persecutors of the Lord that God chose. You do not know many times who the Lord chose. Until you start speaking to them, you don’t know. When the word comes, there’s an echo inside and there’s a response. Okay, not only He chose us before the foundation of the world, premarked us, but look at verse fifteen. Again.

(everybody) But when it pleased God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace.

(Brother Howard) But when it pleased God, who set me apart from where?

(everybody) My mother’s womb.

(Brother Howard) And what?

(everybody) Called me through His grace.

(Brother Howard) From the time you separated from your mother’s womb, and even in your mother’s womb, like Jacob, God took care of you. He chose us in eternity. He separated us from our mother’s womb. Everything that we were in, what family we’re born into, what school we would go. Who knows how many things He had to do to protect us. Just look back. Someone would say, why did I end up in that family? How many ever wondered that? (?)(1555) Don’t blame your parents. When you weren’t so hungry for the Lord, you says, oh, I’m forced into this, right? How many felt like that when you were younger? Ahah, I know. But aren’t you glad God put you in that family? Everything, everything, what school you went, what friends you had. Everything was controlled by the Lord.

Not only chose us, but He called us in time. But He took care of all of us. I can just look back, and wow, what a care. (?)(1604) Without His care, I don’t think we would be here today. One wrong turn, not in the car, but many things, we wouldn’t be here. Right? But when it pleased God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace. Oh, wow. Let’s pray-read this. This is marvelous. Pleased God.

(everybody pray-reading 1632-1706)

(Brother Howard) My first realization, even before I was saved, that somebody’s watching over me cause at that time I had no idea who God was, being a Buddhist, but I knew. I was riding with a friend in his car we went to a town and on the way somehow I did not ride back with him. It was just a little thing. Something came up and he drove back and his car toppled over and it just skimmed up the whole top of it and there was just enough room for him to move side ways and if I was there I think I would have been scraped off. But you may say, well, you know. Many things—our sicknesses, why did we come through it? He chose us for His purpose. That doesn’t mean now I say I’m chosen so I can jump off a building, you know? And He chose us to reveal His son in me.

I had no feelings of a gospel concerning going to heaven. To me that’s, even before I was saved, to me, that was silly. I didn’t want a God just go to heaven or go to hell. Meaningless. But to reveal His son in me. It pleased God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb. From the time I was out from my mother’s womb, everything that happened, every situation, environment, all our past has been watched over by the Lord. So not only in eternity He chose us, but in time he set us apart and then He called us, called us through His grace to reveal His son in me. Aren’t you glad His son is revealed in you? Oh, I’m so happy for this gospel—to reveal His son in me.

And here, Paul, in giving his testimony in Galatians, he was really, what? One you would never choose, one you would never call, logically, the biggest enemy, at that time, to God’s move. But God chose him. Even when the Lord chose him, he didn’t know who it was, right? When the Lord appeared to him, in Acts chapter nine, what did Paul say?

(class) Who are you, Lord?

(Brother Howard) He knew it was the Lord, but he didn’t know who the Lord was. Was he a seeker? He was on his way to persecute the saints. Do you meet some persecutors of the gospel? How many meet some? Maybe he may have a mark. Even when Paul got saved and he told Ananias, right, to go, what did Ananias say? No. There’s no other reason why Paul got saved. Then in Romans chapter ten, I like this chapter concerning the gospel. Here’s Paul writing it, he has the full ground to write this. Verse twenty all together.

(class) And Isaiah is very bold and says, “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”

(Brother Howard) Does this make sense? Okay, lets pray-read this and enjoy it.

(class pray-reading Romans chapter ten verse twenty – 2017-2078)

(Brother Howard) I was found by those who was very seeking for God.

(class) No.

(Brother Howard) How many find so many around you are none seekers? They’re qualified. If you are looking for seekers, you’ll never find them. How can you have a seeking heart before you’re saved? I was found by those who did not seek Me. Without that verse I would not be saved today. I love this verse. I’m not saved because I’m a seeker. I became manifest to those who did not ask for me. I never asked for Him, I only cursed Him, but He still manifested Himself to me. Somebody says, “Well, to be saved you need a seeking heart.” I say, “I didn’t have one.” And one day, I looked at this verse, Thank You, Lord. I don’t know how I got saved, except Isaiah said it, and Paul quoted it. I was found by those who did not seek Me. I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me. I never sought Him and never asked for Him. I hated to be a Christian, when I saw Christianity. And the only words I spoke of Christ is when I got angry and cursed Him. So, I fit this. He manifested Himself to one who did not ask for Him. Lord find many more. I remember after I got saved I saw my friends and I thought three or four of my friends right away, you know. One is a doctor, another one this, another one that, oh boy, they going to be saved.

And I got three more or five, three to five more on my right hand, almost impossible cases, not one of them that I thought were good materials got saved. And everyone I almost never even attempt to preached are saved. From that day, I gave up my discernment. Otherwise you go on the campus you look around, “Oh this one is not saved, oh he’ll never get saved. Oh, no, no, no, no.” You don’t know until you speak and even if you speak they may reject you. The sweeping Spirit will sweep as a diligent one carefully in the house, it says, carefully the Spirit sweeping carefully, until she finds it. Until, how long is that? The shepherd went out for the one lost sheep, again the word until he finds it. That until we don’t know how long.

One of my brothers, well my mother got saved right away, and my family was quite open, one brother I preached the gospel, he’s right about me, we always got into babbles, anyway, so he couldn’t take my word. I was saved about a year, visited him and he says it’s for you and it’s not for me. I was young and I said, Well, maybe this one. That’s it. My hands are clean. Forget about him. Praise the Lord my mother never gave up. My mother, he came out of my mother’s womb, not my womb. I told my mother I said, “This is yours—your son. I don’t have time, I’m so busy in the church, all the children you brought up, that’s your responsibility.” She prayed everyone to salvation. Anyway, I’ll touch that Wednesday.

Fifteen years later, the Spirit sweeping, sweeping, sweeping, sweeping, sweeping, I get a call from Hawaii, “I’m a Christian, now.” I almost fell down. The Spirit sweeps until she finds it. You may give up, but the Triune God is sweeping. I’m praying for some—thirty years they’re not saved yet, but I’m still burdened. They’ll get saved. Don’t give up on your relatives. I’ll see how much I can touch Wednesday on it.

Okay. I was found by those who did not seek Me. Let’s all say that. Isn’t this a good gospel? For you, right? I was found by those…

(class) I was found by those who did not seek Me.

(Brother Howard) Do you know some people like that, that qualify, right? And I was manifest to those…

(class) who did not ask for Me.

(Brother Howard) You know, one of my brothers, I, I, I’d like to share his testimony. Of course we were all brought up as Buddhist. He is the brother in the church in Long Beach now, very quiet, and I guess we never heard the gospel, but maybe we heard a little bit about Jesus here and there and songs, Christmas, you know? We never went to Christian assembly; we were brought up as Buddhist. After I got saved he told me what had happened to him. After he graduated from high school he was quite an athlete. They went swimming, diving for fish in the area where we were, and sometimes there are strong currents. And there were five of them or four, four or five of them that went out. And the current began to take them out and they went about a mile out. And he realized he wasn’t gonna to make it. So, he told the others and they tried to help him, and he, hed knew he was gonna drown, but he said, “Go, go, go, go, I’ll, I’ll be alright.” He’ll be all right, yeah. So, the others swam back. There’s no boat, and he said he never could understand his salvation until after I got saved I explained to him. He said while we were in the ocean, He didn’t know who God was. He was a Buddhist; he didn’t call out to Buddha. Thank the Lord. He cried out to God. Help me. And he said he heard something. He says, If you wannna to swim in the ocean all-day, I’ll be with you. And he says he got empowered. And he realized it was Jesus. The strangest case of being saved and baptized at the same time. This one was chosen.

How you gonna explain that? You explain to him. He swam back. He reached the shore before the others. They crawled to shore. He walked to shore. Then he tried to be a Baptist for eight years and was so dead. After I got saved, he was so angry, he tried to find God in being a Baptist. I influenced him more than he influenced me. So after I got saved I shared with him and he was, he says, I, I, I don’t want God. Because he tried to find God in denomination and he couldn’t find it. But he came to the church. How do you explain this? He doesn’t know God. He calls out, why would he call God? Why didn’t he call out to Buddha? He’d been trained to be a Buddhist. When you’re ready to die, you know who God is. I’m pretty sure. You’re going to do your best shot, right? God! I am Jesus. It’s like Paul. Who are you Lord? I am what?

(several trainees) Jesus.

(Brother Howard) Anyway, I thank the Lord my brother’s alive today in the church. But he couldn’t explain it until he came to the church.

Okay, look at the Samaritan woman. Chapter four, John, let’s go there. So, everybody knows this story, right? Everyone knows this story? Huh? There’s a strange verse here. It says, it seems like it, it doesn’t fit here. Read verse three and four.

(everybody reading) He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria.

(Brother Howard) He had to what?

(everybody) Pass through Samaria.

(Brother Howard) Did He really had to pass through? And what did He do there? You mean he had to just go there just to get one drink of water? One cup. And he waited at the well. Verse twenty-three tells us what? Let’s read verse twenty-three.

(everybody) But an hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truthfulness, for the Father also seeks such to worship Him.

(Brother Howard) It’s the Father chose this one. Christ had to go there. He had to pass through Samaria. This one’s chosen by the Father. Would you choose one like that for the topic of worship? Huh? You could pick a better one than that. You’re talking about worship. And what did the Lord say? He goes there just for a cup of water? Give me a drink. You ask me, I, I’m the woman at the well. If I had five husbands and I’m living with a man, not a, and you’re the Holy God, separated from sinners, no sinning, would you go to such a one? He did. He had to go through Samaria. He’s the very God, had to come all the way down, live a perfect life, and He had to go to Samaria, and He waited for her.

And the topic, give me a drink. Oh, wow. Later on, in verse fourteen, the Lord says what? If you knew what? The gift of God and who it is that asked you for water, you would have asked of Me and I would give you what? Living water. And what did she say? Verse fifteen.

(everybody) give me this water so that I will not thirst.

(Brother Howard) Give me this water! God is thirsty! Do you know that He’s thirsty? Not only the sinner is thirsty. She’s thirsty for God. Religion couldn’t give it to her, couldn’t quench her thirst. After this woman drank, found out He’s the Christ, what happened? The disciples went out to town, they got food, right? And then they told the Lord, what? What they told Him? You must know, where’s your response?

(brother) Eat.

(Brother Howard) what?

(brother) Eat.

(Brother Howard) Let’s what? Eat. Louder. So everyone can hear.

(brother) Eat!

(Brother Howard) What did the Lord says?

(Brothers) I have food to eat that you do not know about.

(Brother Howard) You know that our gospel, finding the chosen one, quenches God’s thirst. He’s thirsty for the sinners. The gospel, He chose us, He kept us, He’s calling us in time, but He must go through these places because He’s thirsty. Man is thirsty. That’s why they sin. Man sins because he’s thirsty. He doesn’t have God. Nothing will satisfy him. Oh! Verse thirty-two, let’s all read it.

(everybody) But He said to them, I have food to eat that you do not know about.

(Brother Howard) How many tasted this food? Raise your hand. How many would like to taste more of this food? How do you feel when you feed God and feed a sinner, huh? There’s no experience like that. The highest experience, you want to experience Christ in a high way? Here it is. I have food that you know not of. I remember the first one I got saved. Woooo! The gospel is marvelous. Oh, Jesus says, give me a drink. And the woman says, later. She saw the living water, give me a drink. After she drank she left the water pot. A water pot is what, something to get from the earth. And then He had food. The food is to do the will of the Father. The Father chose this one. Marvelous.

So you have the thirsty sinner and the thirsty Triune God. Okay, in First Peter, the second statement is, after the foreknowledge of God the Father, it says, in sanctification of the Spirit, unto the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. In sanctification, can we all turn back there? First Peter, let’s read verse two again. First God the father chose us according to His foreknowledge. Then in this choosing, and the Son’s redemption, the Sprit begins to sanctify people. Okay, let’s all read it. Two.

(everybody) Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit unto the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. (3375)

(Brother Howard) Grace to you and what?

(everybody) Peace be multiplied.

(Brother Howard) Sanctification of the Spirit is unto, with a goal. And this sanctification is not the subjective sanctification. This is before we were regenerated. It is unto the obedience of the sprinkling of the blood. And this is the work of the Spirit. John sixteen, let’s all turn there. Verse eight through eleven. John sixteen, eight through eleven. The Spirit of reality, the comforter. In resurrection Christ became the very Life-giving Spirit as the second comforter, the Spirit of reality. Okay, let’s read this. Eight through eleven.

(everyone) And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and concerning righteousness and concerning judgement. Concerning sin, because they do not believe into me; And concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you no longer behold Me; And concerning judgement, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

(Brother Howard) It’s marvelous here. When the Spirit comes He will convict the world concerning three things- sin, righteousness, and judgement. And from the footnote and Brother Lee’s writing you can see, it’s a marvelous truth here. Sin, because man, Adam, fell. He became a man of sin. Righteousness, because there’s only one righteous one in the whole universe, which is Christ. And judgement, because judgement is given to the devil. The lake of fire is not created for man. It’s created for the devil and his angels.

So there’s three persons basically in the universe and here we are, the man of sin. We can either choose the Lord, He’s the righteous One, or we can choose Satan. But even in choosing, the Spirit comes to convict us. Before we’re saved, the sanctifying Spirit sanctifies us unto the obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. According to the foreknowledge of God the Father and according to the redemption of Christ the Spirit of reality comes and broods over. So when you are working with someone don’t think you are the one, alone. No. It’s the very Triune God operating upon this one to bring him into salvation.

Then shortly, I hate to say about this but because it’s concerning my experience, I had no idea about the Lord, know the Spirit, I never owned a bible, and two weeks before I really received the Lord, somebody appeared in my bedroom. Later I found out, one brother, a complete stranger in class, prayed for me at least, at that time, two months. And I went home one day, went to that bedroom and something was, somebody was there. I was so, I felt so filthy and out of my word was, oh, I got so scared I just went to sleep. I woke up, I says, what a bad dream. But the word out of my mouth was, that presence was pure and infinite. I knew that it was the infinite God.

The brooding Spirit begins to sweep over all the rubbish of our heart. I never felt so filthy in all my life. The Spirit of reality as some, you would pray for them, will convict man of sin. Our words doesn’t witness that much. The Spirit will witness with what you will say and sweep over their heart. Of course, I didn’t know who to see about this. So I woke up, I says, wooo, what a terrible dream, and went on my merry way. But that was a preparation. Later actually, the brother told me, you go to your bedroom. When he preached the gospel, gave me the bible, I went, there was the presence again. This time I had the word, then I got saved! Hallelujah! Isn’t this good? Aren’t you glad? Aren’t you happy? Wow! You are so sober tonight. Aren’t you happy the Spirit is sanctifying? Sweeping? All over?

Man is under all kinds of rubbish. The Spirit is sweeping. Sweeping over the conscience. He’s a inside fighter. Even though I can say, I don’t believe, through a prayer He swept my heart. I’m so glad that the Sprit swept in my heart to soften me. Let’s turn to Luke fifteen. The Spirit of reality comes to convict us of sin, concerning righteousness Christ and concerning judgement, okay? Luke fifteen, let’s just go to verse eight through ten. All read together.

(everybody) Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one silver coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I lost. In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.

(Brother Howard) Over ten thousand sinners repenting.

(everyone) No. One.

(Brother Howard) It’s to quiet in the heavens. Let’s have some sounds up there. Let’s go find the sinners. We join in with the Triune God. Okay, now let’s pray-read two by two. Enjoy this. This is your partner, the Spirit.

(everybody pray-reading 3904-3978)

(Brother Howard) Amen Lord, what woman having ten silver coins? Wow! You know it says there, the Spirit witnesses with our spirit. And one of that sharing Brother Lee says, your little speaking of witnessing, He will witness more as the Spirit in their spirit. Sweeping all the time. And surely this witnessing Spirit will sweep until that one coin is found. We also see this in Genesis chapter one, verse two. The Spirit in recovering, I mean God in recovering, the whole of creation that was damaged to rebellion and then God judged, there was darkness and the death waters. Darkness and death. (4048)

First the Spirit comes to brood over the whole situation. When we pray for others, the Spirit of God will brood over them. There’s darkness and death, yes. Then, God speaks the word, let there be light. And there was light. The Spirit and the word brings forth light. This lightens the lamp. And I know that how I appreciate a complete stranger in my class, prayed for me, not knowing who I am but the Lord gave him a burden to pray for me for three months. That the Sprit would brood over this dark and dead person to bring forth life. Later Paul picks this verse and said, the God who said out of what? Darkness, light shall shine. The one who says, let there be light, has shined in our hearts to give the knowledge, or to illumine us right? To bring light in our being.

So this brooding Spirit comes in to sweep. We pray and then that person will be swept over and then when we speak the words, the word and the Spirit, light is there. And that was the first day, light divides us from darkness. I never forget the day the light came in. How marvelous salvation is. No more in the death waters. No more in darkness. But the brooding Spirit with His word produced light. How wonderful. Aren’t you glad? How many would like to cooperate with the sweeping Spirit? How many want to speak the words of God?

So, you pray. I will touch this more on Wednesday from another angle. So, again I say I like that word, until she finds it. Lets all read that again—verse eight.

(everyone) Or what woman having ten silver coins if she loses one silver coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek carefully until she finds it? Let’s pray-read that verse again. Until.

(everyone pray-reading Luke fifteen, verse eight. 4272-4312)

(Brother Howard) Until! Until! Until! Until! Until. I love that. Until—won’t give up. You know my mother got saved right away. Of course my father died when he was fifty-two so he never heard the gospel, and right away she saved, but my father-in-law, from the time we got saved he fought us. And he was a big honcho of the family on that side, and he just cut us off from the family. All Buddhist—was cut off. But we tried to maintain contact as much as we can but we knew we were rejected. And he is just stubborn, stubborn, stubborn person. Tomorrow, I’ll explain how the Lord dealt with his stubbornness, and it wasn’t dying that cured his stubbornness. The Lord did something else.

Anyway, in nineteen eighty-seven I was coming back from Taipei and I stopped over Hawaii so I thought I’d go visit the in-laws, my wife’s parents. He was in the hospital and when I went there he was in coma, ready to die. Eighty-nine years old. And I says well, Lord, but you know there’s a verse this until, huh? He’s still breathing so I have to do something. It, it says here I’m giving up, I said well it’s, it’s all over, you know? But the Word says what?

(brother) Until.

(Brother Howard) Circle, circle until, right? Because you’ll give up. You will, I, I’m not kidding you. I mean he got angry at me because after I got saved he told me to come in the house. I came to his house with my wife and you know, and he opened up the shrine where there was the Buddha and he says get on your knees, lets worship this guy. And I says to my wife, never. I’m going on my knees only with a hammer and smash that bald headed man. That offended him. What else can I do? Give me the hammer, huh? So, he was against me, against my wife, and twenty-four years. Praying is mentioned, half-believing, you know just like Rhoda. You know, how many know Rhoda prayed for Peter being released, right? She, she must have prayed, “Lord, release Peter!” knock knock. Open the door and what did Rhoda do? “Oh, it’s Peter’s angel.” We pray many things and we don’t believe when it happens right? Not bad. Pray anyway.

Anyway, he was in coma he doesn’t, can’t, and I was there alone with him. I says Lord, I don’t understand this but I’m going to pray for his physical healing. I laid my hands on him and began to pray. He came back to conscienceness. Scared me to death. Then I realized, this one is predestinated. He cannot die before he receives the Lord. I called my wife, and I says, Honey, you come over quickly. Time to preach the gospel to your dad, and I had a feeling she’s the one. Timid, small, and I had a whole bunch of saints praying for him and my wife read the morning revival and the morning revival in Romans about the gospel says, if you cannot weep for the sinners how will the sinners weep unto repentance? And this touched her, and I mean you know, humanly you can weep. But she said, it’s strange. That word just got into her and she went alone. I went back. She went alone in that hospital to see him and she said as soon as she entered the room she began to weep and weep and weep. It took over the whole place. And then my wife told him, receive the Lord and call on the name of the Lord. And that stubborn man, impossible case called on the Lord. How do you think I felt after that, huh? Bummed out? Then the mother got saved. Until! Then he died. How do you think I feel? I’m gonna see him again, that stubborn old guy. I’m gonna tell him then, you were too stubborn. Maybe I should lay my hands on your head, just let you go. So, I don’t know. I gave up but the Triune God never gives up!

How many have relatives not saved yet? Raise your hands. How many got lot of relatives not saved yet? How many do not have any friends, any neighbors, nobody that you know that needs to be saved? I’ll give you some of my relatives to pray for. We are not short of candidates. The earth got billions of people, but that, that, that, that’s the thing about the Spirit, until she finds it. That just governed me. So, I’m praying for my wife’s sister thirty years now, the husband, I’m waiting. I believe they’ll be saved. Not because of me, but because of the Triune God. The Father is waiting, right? Okay you have the brooding Spirit. Okay, lets all say, until she finds it. Come on lets.

(everyone) Until she finds it.

(Brother Howard) Okay now put some names two by two and pray about it. Until she rinds it. Pray for others, right now.

(class praying. 4825-4897)

(Brother Howard) Am I boring you with this?

(everyone) No.

(Brother Howard) I hope not. Anyway, if you see one that’s kind of turned off on school, that’s me. I was like that. You, ah, people used to preach the gospel to me and I just told them if you were going to heaven you’re so dull and I don’t want to go there. I rather spend my chances in somewhere else. I hated what religion had done. I even cursed the Lord’s name. But God chose me. So, I, I do have some debt to pay, huh? But I get happy when somebody gets saved. Don’t let me get too excited here. I’ll forget my topic. And that’s good too, huh?

Okay lets turn to Acts chapter sixteen. The first fruits, verses eleven to fifteen. Let’s read this together.

(class)And putting out to see from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and on the following day to Neapolis, And from there to Philippi, which is the leading city of that part of Macedonia, a Roman colony; and we spend some days in this city. And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple-dyed goods from the city of Thyatira who worshipped God, was listening, whose heart the Lord opened to give heed to the things being spoken by Paul. And when she was baptized, as well as her household, she entreated us, saying, If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide. And she constrained us.

(Brother Howard) Okay now I want you to pray-read verse fourteen, a certain woman, verse fourteen, two by two. Pray-read this verse.

(class pray-reading, 5072-5165)

(Brother Howard) Look at the footnote on fourteen one. And here pray-read again, two by two.

(class pray-reading, 5176-5259)

(Brother Howard) So, realizing that as we go the Lord will open up certain one’s heart to listen to your words. So whether it’s a woman at the well or a woman at the prayer place, there’s chosen ones. Lydia seems to be a very marvelous person after she received the Lord she was baptized as well as her whole household, right? She entreated us, saying, if you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord come into my house and abide. And she constrained us. It’s amazing phenomenon. It’s not a phenomenon, ah, dynamic salvation.

The closest I have seen this. One time we, a bunch of brothers, went to different campuses where there weren’t any churches, and just go around and start speaking. Well, I was a little younger. And we met this young man. From the time we spoke to him he listened for four hours straight. Can you imagine? Four hours straight, in the U.S.A.! We went all the way from salvation, being sanctified, everything, God’s economy, Amen. And he just looked us right in the eyes. Then he had to go somewhere and we drove him off and he says, you brothers were sent by the Lord. And he asked, do you have time in the morning that you pray together? We says, yes, six o’clock. Next morning six o’clock, knock, knock, knock. Here’s Billy, he’s in the church. Then, when we went down to Louisiana, again, we said well lets go to an all black campus and here I am slant-eyed, and we didn’t know there’s a group there that’s praying for the whole football team. And they couldn’t penetrate them. It’s a rough campus, huge guys. Dick, myself, Paul Hon, Jake, so here we went. We looked like grasshoppers, but nobody dared to say we’re grasshoppers among ourselves. We enjoyed the Lord every morning and prayed. I went into the cafeteria, sat down, I asked the Lord what table, what table, what table? I sat down. And here was a big huge guy in front of me. In two minutes we begin to fellowship. He was our key into the dormitories of all the football players. By the end of two, three weeks we got thirty-eight football players saved. Wouldn’t you like that to happen sometimes? I mean I still can’t believe it, you know? Even sometimes where you sit, when you’re walking, all these divine appointments, he went to the place of prayer. You don’t know. Somebody’s car is broken. I told you one time this guy came knocking at the door, he locked the keys in his car. I got a lot of clothes hangers. He knocks on my door and I says, God sent you here. He just looked at me shocked. He got saved. Take every opportunity. Why would he lock his keys in his car? Because he needs to be saved. I also got a long table for people during the winter time in rainy times. Their batteries run out, here I come with my(?)(5570). I’m gonna charge them all with the Triune God!

Anyway I wish I would do more but maybe Wednesday I will touch more, more on the subjective side, but I thought I’d leave this with you. Isn’t this marvelous? Lydia was listening, whose heart the Lord opened to give heed, to the things spoken by Paul. You are not working alone. The Lord is coordinating with us and we’re coordinating with Him. Okay, then we see that throughout the whole ages from His ascension I, in Revelation, I believe the first four seals, you have the fourth horses race, right? How many know that one? Okay, it went out conquering to conquer. The gospel could never be stopped, and it will run all the way to the end of the age. Then lets turn to the last verse, I think we don’t have much time, you were singing a song, what, drinking? I’ll just a few more minutes and let you go. Twenty-two seventeen, all together. At the end of the bible, all together read it.

(class) And the Spirit and the bride say, Come! And let him who hears say, Come! And let him who is thirsty come; let him who wills take the water of life freely.

(Brother Howard) Okay you see seventeen, three? I want you to read that footnote all together.

(class) The Spirit and the bride, on one hand, desire that the Lord will come, and, on the other hand, yearn that the thirsty sinner also will come to take the water of life for his satisfaction. When we have a sincere desire for the Lord’s coming,

(Brother Howard) Okay, how many have a sincere desire?

(class) Amen!

(Brother Howard) For the Lord’s coming?

(class) Amen!

(Brother Howard) Then, the way to test it, is the next sentence.

(class) We also have an earnest concern for the sinner’s salvation.

(Brother Howard) The first come is for His coming. The second come is for sinner’s salvation. What is the bride doing with the Spirit? This is what they’re doing. Okay, I want you to, right now, even the time I went over a little bit, let’s just praise the Lord and thank the Lord for our salvation. First of all, let’s stand up and praise the Lord for our salvation and then lets pray for the sinners, huh?

(everyone Praising the Lord.)