Dedication
62-1111M, Dedication, Full Gospel Apostolic Church, Elizabethtown, KY, 65 min




And its nice pastor, as we all know, Brother Hoover is a very sincere, consecrated boy. His mother, I knew her years ago. She and my family were just like... The children, even they call her Mammy Hoover, because that she just kind of... She stayed with us for a long time when the children were young, and--and they just know her that way: a godly, saintly old mother.
And her fine preacher boy that she prayed so much for has give his life to Christ, and consecrated his life for the services of the Almighty God. And now today stands, and picking up the church, or the building here, where it has laid, probably, dormant for so long, to continue on the Gospel in the full Gospel manner--mea--measure.

I've got a girl setting back here, that's been taking music lessons for about five years or more. And it... I don't know what it's cost me, and a new piano. She couldn't play a hymn that good as that little child was going. So it shows what God-given talents are, and then something you try to manufacture. You see?

Now, many times people think that when they see a congregation... And they think, "Well, this little church won't hold very many people." And--and I believe Brother L. G. told me, or some way, that his congregation is about seventy or eighty people, and something on that order. I may be a little under or a little over, but it's somewhere around there, just starting off.
They'd think, "Well, look at the churches in the--around the country today, that their congregation ranks in the thousands." And may be some at each service day they have thousands.
But to encourage this little group, that isn't exactly what God looks at--numbers. He--He looks at... He doesn't always place Himself on the basis of quantity, but in quality.

But if this church only had twelve, or like that church did, and completely surrendered to God, He can do more with that twelve than He could with the rest of the world. It's the surrender that we have, where the truth of the Gospel not only goes from the platform, but finds its bed in the hearts of the people and reacts back. So I deem this a pleasure this morning. [Acts 19:1, 7]

And now, I've noticed some people setting here, Brother and Sister Bryant and some friends here from the Tabernacle. [Romans 5:1]


Myself, I'm a Kentuckian. I'm just come from down the road here a little ways, from a little city called Burkesville, and I'm ask you people around here as one Kentuckian to another, come hear this boy. Get out among the people here, and scatter the news everywhere, and come in. Bring them in. If necessary, the Bible said, command them, force them to come in. Go into the highways and hedges, and--and compel--that is force. "Come on in." [Luke 14:23]

If you went to a restaurant, ordered a bowl of soup, and in that soup there was a big spider, you certainly would push it back. You would not at all touch it (No, sir.), because it probably would kill you. The poison of this spider cooked up in this soup might cause your death. So if you're very careful about this body, which has to die (See?), what about that soul that don't have to die?
So I like all the Word of God in the form of full Gospel. And so, I know, and believe, and have confidence that Brother Hoover will keep his promise to God to preach it the best of his knowledge, the full Gospel.


Let us bow our heads just a moment, now, as we pray.

Now, we pray, God, for this church, this group of people that's coming to this little building this morning for a dedication of love, and tokens of their hands and heart, to fix the place where that the people can come worship. And we pray, God, that You'll bless their efforts. And we pray that You'll bless the pastor, our gracious brother, and his wife, his family, the deacons, trustees, the board, the members, and all together. [Philippians 4:7]

Father, bless Thy Word and speak to us now through Thy Word while we listen with attentive hearts and open ears, gladly to receive that which You would have us to know. We ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Now, first we'll read from Chronicles, I Chronicles 17, beginning at the 1st verse. And then secondly we'll read at the Book of the Acts of the Apostles at the--at the 7th chapter, we'd like to begin to read at the 44th verse of the 7th chapter of the Acts; all in line with the dedication of the temple. And then, Hebrews 10:5...
Now, it came to pass, as David set in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD remaineth under curtains.
Then said Nathan unto David, Do all that is in thy heart; for God is with thee.
And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,
Go tell David my servant, Thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in:
For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.
[I Chronicles 17:1-5]Then said Nathan unto David, Do all that is in thy heart; for God is with thee.
And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,
Go tell David my servant, Thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in:
For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.

Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.
Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;
Who found favour before God, and was desirous to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
But Solomon built him a house.
Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,
heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will you build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
Hath not my hands made all these things? [Acts 7:44-50]
Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;
Who found favour before God, and was desirous to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
But Solomon built him a house.
Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,
heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will you build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
Hath not my hands made all these things? [Acts 7:44-50]
And in the book of Hebrews, the 10th chapter and the 5th verse...
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he said, Sacrifice and offerings thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
[Hebrews 10:5]
It was a revelation for David to know this, because it wasn't just right for him to have such a--a lovely place, under... the house made of cedar, which was a very expensive place. And said then, "The ark of the covenant of my God, Who gave me all these things, is still out there under the tent."

And that night the Lord came to this seer and, the prophet Nathan, and said, "Go, tell my servant David." See? I like that. Oh, in other words, "I admire his courage, and his thoughts of Me to build Me a place." But He said, "I--I haven't dwelt in a house. I haven't had a place to stay. When I come down to earth to look My people over, I haven't had a place to stay, even since I brought up Israel. I haven't commanded any of the judges to build me a house of cedar. But I've went from tent to tent."
If that isn't just about the form of it today... "I've went from tent to tent and from place to place to meet with My people."
He said, "Go tell David (as the Scripture further reads), I took you from that sheepcote out there, following them few sheep of your father's, and I made you a name like the great men that's in the earth. "I've cut off your enemies from right side to the left side. I love you, David, and I know that your desires is right. I know that your ambitions is loyal, and I know that you love Me." [I Chronicles 17:2, 4-5, 7]

"I know your desires, David, and I want you to know what I've done for you. You was just a little boy, not known by anybody, and your--even your dad give you a few sheep out there to take care of. But I was with you. And I've cut your enemies off from your right hand to your left hand. But your desires are correct.
"But, David, you're a man of war. You're a man that shed blood. I can't let you do this. But I will promise you that through the fruit of your loins, I'll raise up your son, and he will build the temple." [Psalms 37:4], [II Chronicles 6:9]



Now, that's what we must always do to be successful, is to stay in line with God's promises. No matter how it seems best to go this way or that way, stay lined with the Scripture. And Solomon knowed that God had promised his father, David, that he would build the temple. [I Kings 5:5]

What a beautiful application that is: that God don't just cut His materials out of Jews only, or out of the white only, or out of the brown, or red, or black, or whatever colors they may be, or whatever, just out of United States only, or just out of Canada only. But He cuts His materials from all the world. [I Kings 5:7-17]

Now, it might have seemed very strange to the people, passerbys, that seen these odd looking stones being cut. But God in His own way was doing something. I think He's doing the same thing today to--to antitype the type that that was. He's cutting them in the way that He wishes.
Now, we find out, that the materials being cut in their own native land was peculiar to a material cut in another's native land. And we find out that they were all transported from--by ox cart, and so forth. And some of them come by sea, and some come by ox cart, and some floated down to Joppa by raft, and so forth, and then hauled in. All together they were coming to one place for one purpose, and that was to fulfill the command of God. [I Kings 6:7], [I Kings 5:7-17]

That has a spiritual application too. Cold and indifferent, soft and floating. But when it's warm, Spirit-filled, it clings together and becomes useful in the Master's hand. [I Kings 5:6]

And when Solomon built the temple, he made it just exactly the way he had--he seen the pattern, the type. Moses pitched a tent for a--a perpetual type, because it was moved from place to place. But Solomon, he made the--the tabernacle just exactly in the fashion that Moses had seen in heaven. It was all put together, set in order, just exactly.
What a spiritual application we could apply here: that we are never to leave the Scripture. Stay exactly with the pattern. That's the reason, I believe, that the way the first church was patterned, that's the way the next one should be patterned. That's the way every one should be patterned, just the way it was at the beginning. And I believe that God has it that way, I believe, the real church. All right. [I Kings 6:1-38]

Talk about masonry, architectury... Now, that showed that when we are doing anything, and doing it in the pattern that God has set for us... Now, many of those stones looked very odd, but there was a place in the temple for every odd, peculiar stone. God had a place for them.
Our ministries, which is a beautiful type there, or an antitype to it, shows that in our peculiarity, our way of worship... Yet, when the temple, the real temple that we will come to after a few minutes, comes together, there'll be a place for every odd acting person. We may look a little funny to someone else and act a little funny; but remember, it's the place there for us. God is cutting out His church. And every little stone had its place fit exactly to it. [I Kings 6:7], [I Kings 5:7-17]

And many of us would--would try to say, "Now, that's not of God." A good, holy, consecrated soldier of the cross... And we say, "Now, we stood in church the other night, and we heard such-and-such a thing. That can't be of God." But if it's in line with the pattern, if it's in a line with the Scripture, it may be odd but it's going to have its place. See? It'll fit right in, and it won't even need honing or polishing. It'll go to its place, for the great Architect, Christ, is preparing it now: odd one to the other. [I Kings 6:7]

But come to find out, they had built the building so high until they missed the stone, and they didn't know where that stone was. They might've searched all the ships; they might've run through every ox cart; they might've sent messengers up into Joppa and down, and say, "Has another load come in?"; or, "Did you lose one on the road? There's something wrong. We just can't find that stone for this place."
And when they could not find it nowhere else, come to find out it was right on the ground. It was the chief cornerstone that the builders rejected.
Jesus spoke of it and said, "Have not you read of the stone that the builders rejected was the chief cornerstone, the head of all of it, where the rest of the building rested upon it. [Matthew 21:42], [Mark 12:10], [Luke 20:7], [Psalms 118:12]

We've tried to build it out of man-made material, what education could produce, what seminaries could bring out of them, what scholarship... We've tried to build it upon education, upon scholarship, upon denomination. And all these things will not work as long as we have not accepted this odd stone, this peculiar stone. But as the building begin to materialize, they realized that the hole that was left, the odd stone fit it to the dot. That's where the spiritual builders today... And that's why the Bride building of Christ is not ready for the Bridegroom, is because that the builders has rejected the Chief Cornerstone that was laid on the day of Pentecost, which is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. See? [Matthew 21:42], [Mark 12:10], [Luke 20:7], [Psalms 118:12]

Most of it has been through the sight: "Look at our fine people. Look at our best crowd in the city. The mayor comes to our place. The--the chief executives of our city, the chief of police comes to our church."
And then, we find out when it comes down to actual the--the building, all we've got is some mortar and rock. And the building did not go on. They rejected the way. The stone that God had so prepared for it, they rejected it.

Now, we already have the stones, the stones God foreordained. See? And we've got them all the way from Ephesus to Laodicea. We're only waiting for that Headstone that the builders rejected, waiting for His coming, the capping Stone. And when... These great stones are confessions. Now, we know that confession is a stone.

Now, we find out then the Protestant says that it was Christ, the Stone.
But not to be disagreeable, but if you'll just watch the Scripture, it was neither one. It was Peter's confession and revelation of Who Christ was. For He asked the question, and it was a question that was involved, "Who does man say I, the Son of man, am?" Some said Moses, some Elias, and some, oh, you know bones of some prophet that raised up or something. That was him. But He said, "Who do you say that I am?" There's the question.
He said... Peter said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
He said, "Blessed art thou, Simon, the son of Jonas: for flesh and blood never revealed this to you. (You never learned it in a book; you never heard it in a seminary.) But My Father which is in heaven has revealed it to you. And upon this rock (spiritual revelation of the Word of God, which He was the Word.) I'll build My church, and the gates of hell will never prevail against it." [Matthew 16:18], [Matthew 16:13-14, 16-18]

But what... In the day that when Solomon had completed the temple, and the chief cornerstone...
As soon as the builders accepted the rejected, then the building started going up.
May I say this with all reverence and with all respects to every man in every church and every man's idea: when our builders today accept the rejected, instead of pushing them off, and calling them a bunch of holy-rollers, the odd ones that's making confession, that much sooner the building will be completed.

And when the Levites and the priests, with thousands of trumpets blasting the sky, with lamb after lamb dying for sacrifice for sin... And the Levites positionally took their place, went into the corner and got their poles, run them through the rings on the ark where the tables of stone was on the inside: two tables of stone (same stone: these two are one; same commandments, same covenant). When these two tables of stone, with the cherubims and their wings pitched across one to another... [Numbers 7:88]

From its tent they started marching, and the trumpet sounding, the psalteries playing, the smoke going up from the dead animals that was being sacrificed before Jehovah, down through the building of dedication they came, till they brought it to its resting place, where it fit down into the sockets of the great huge place that had been set for it. And when it fit down, and finally come to its resting place, the ark, the Bible said that the Lord descended down upon the place, till it filled the entire temple. The Pillar of Fire came in there with such great glory of God till the ministers could not minister any more, because of the glory of God. [Exodus 33:9]


And we find out that when this taken place, Stephen is speaking of it. He said, "Our fathers found a favor before God, and Solomon built Him a temple. But howbeit, the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands, as the prophet said, 'Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool: and where is the house that you could build Me? Heaven's My throne; earth is My footstool; and how could you build Me a house to dwell in?'"
Then, how beautiful Hebrews 10:5, "But a body hast thou prepared Me," showing that God was going to dwell in a body. [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] "... prepared Me." Oh. [Acts 7:44, 48-49], [Isaiah 66:1], [Hebrews 10:5]



But when God came to His own temple, the church, the--the people... When He came to them, He filled it, the temples that were dedicated, just like He did at Solomon's temple. He filled it not with creeds, not with denominations, but with Himself. He filled the temple with His Shekinah Glory. So did He do on the day of Pentecost. He filled them one hundred and twenty temples that was up there with Hisself, with the Holy Ghost Itself. The Shekinah Glory broke through upon them.
And then, what Nimrod failed to do, built a temple where every man spoke contrary to what he could understand, God came down, and with one Galilean language, made every man understand what He was saying, and what it was. So there's God to His temple: God to His dedicated temple, not to a man-made achievement, not to what man done; but what God did Himself. [Genesis 11:7], [Acts 1:15]

Any persons that will... The temple is not this little building here. The temple is not the one in Salt Lake City. The temple is not the one in Rome. The temple is you. You are the temple that God wants to dwell in and express Hisself through it, that all nations might know Him. You are living images of God that God wants to work through.
And any time that any man, or any woman, will forget all the falsehood that they've heard in the world, and come back to the line of the Scripture, and will keep in line, just like Solomon did to what Moses did, Moses did to what God did, God always respected it... [I Corinthians 3:16-17]

Now, this lovely church, this building that the people with their tokens of their livelihood, with their love for Christ, the worshippers has dedicating today this place of worship, that people could come and worship. Now, my sincere prayer is that every worship will--worshipper will dedicate his own temple to worship in the temple that's being dedicated for worship. That's the real dedication. [I Thessalonians 4:17]

So while you are here today in the dedication of this material here, that worshippers are coming to worship the living God, why not dedicate ourselves to the worship of the living God, and let Him fill us with Himself? And then we shall see the Shekinah Glory return again to the house of the living God, which is the human body, the church of the living God, together in a great revival that would sweep through this country, and around these towns, and all out through here. There'll be such a noise, why, they--they couldn't stop it. There's no way of doing it.

I think the thing for this church to do this morning in respect of all that's been done, as we offer God the building for service, let's offer ourselves also. Let us stand just a minute now.
Each in your own way, in the respective way that you like to pray. I rededicate myself today at the pulpit, to the service of God. I want each of you to do that. As we dedicate the building to God, let's dedicate ourself.

And now, heavenly Father, as a place being dedicated for worship, we as worshippers lay aside everything, every unbelief, every unkind thought, every thing that's not like You, and anything that would act in us contrary to Your Word. Anything, any creed, any denominational thought, or any thought that a neighbor or anyone else, both here or there, or wherever it might be, that would come to us as a thought of this person, though being gone on, though being a holy, sanctified vessel, anything... Any man, or Angel, or being, or a revelation, or whatever it might be that's contrary to Your plan for these days that's spoke of in Your Word (not what someone said, but what You said)... For it is written, "Let every man's word be a lie, and Mine true." If there's anything in us that would keep us from believing the true Word and knowing the revelation of Christ... As He said to Peter, "Upon this rock I build My church." If there's anything contrary to that, take it away from us, Lord. We lay it aside ourselves. We cast it out and accept in its place that Chief Cornerstone, that Holy Spirit that's the foundation of the real church of God. We accept that. [Romans 3:4], [Matthew 16:18]

And may they be so salty, as You have said, "You are the salt of the earth." May their lives be so rich and wholesome in the Holy Spirit, until all the community around about will long to be like them. Grant it, Lord. Make them examples. Grant it, Father.
Now, take each one of us. As we give the church, the building, to You, we give ourselves to You in solemn dedication. And may the Holy Spirit in all of His Divine power, in His Shekinah Glory, come rolling down through the eternities into our hearts, Lord, find His dwelling place for these last days, and call us to the service as messengers: maybe not for the pulpit, but at the filling station, at the washtub, wherever it might be, to testify to the milkman, to the paper boy, or whatever it might be. Make us testimonies and living stones filled with the Shekinah Glory, the Holy Spirit, Himself. Fill our hearts and lives, Father.
And when services are all over here on earth, may we undividedly, hewed in our own ways that God has made us, gather together in that great church called the Bride. She'll be caught up from this earthly tabernacle of habitation here; and she'll be changed in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye; and she'll be raptured together with Him, to meet Him in the air, to the wedding supper of the Lamb. For we give ourselves in this church, holy and consecrated as we can, Father, to Your service in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen. You may be seated. [Matthew 5:13]

Let's just raise our hands now and sing this glorious old hymn of the church as I turn your service to your pastor.
I love Him, I love Him
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
Now, let's hum it. Now, shake hands with somebody by you, say, "God bless you, brother stone in the church, and..." God bless you, brother stone, in the church. God bless you, brother. God bless you, stone. God bless you, stone. God bless you. God bless you. Oh...
He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
Now, let's close our eyes, bow our head, and lift both hands up to Him.
I love Him. I love Him
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary...
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
Now, let's hum it. Now, shake hands with somebody by you, say, "God bless you, brother stone in the church, and..." God bless you, brother stone, in the church. God bless you, brother. God bless you, stone. God bless you, stone. God bless you. God bless you. Oh...
He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
Now, let's close our eyes, bow our head, and lift both hands up to Him.
I love Him. I love Him
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary...