[Spoken]

We take a lot of things lightly in America. Like the bible, like baptism. Did you know that people in communist countries treasure their bibles? The bibles are so rare. They rip out pages and memorize them and exchange them with other believers. Memorize as much as they can. They put it in their hearts, God's words, because they can't always go to the shop an’ pick up God’s word.

And baptism really means something to them. Even in countries that aren't communist, like in India. To be baptized really means something. Over here we may accept Jesus and take two or three years to get baptized, but over there, when a person believes he wants to be baptized, it means something to him, and it really costs him too. Once a person is baptized in India, his family denounces him and will not have anything to do with him. The family considers him dead.

It's going to happen in the United States, the same thing that's happening in oppressed countries. A lot of our churches are going to be closed down and a lot of us are going to be arrested and killed. I know you can't believe it, but it's true.

There's a man named Watchman Nee, in China. You've read his books, haven't you? Some of you? Well, they put him in prison because he was con, you know, his work was converting so many people. And his books continued to come out although he was under lock and key, and they didn't know how he was still writing books. But it turned out that he had converted the guards and they were smuggling out his, his books. And so they killed the guards, and his books continued to come. He had converted the other guards. So they killed those guards. While not wishing to oppress christianity because that would make it grow up stronger. I mean you take a seed and lay it on top of upon the ground with no oppression and it’ll just lay there dormant, but you plant it in the ground and cover it up with dirt, you try to bury it, and it’ll grow. And the holy spirit's sure to water it.

Well not wishing to oppress christianity but not wishing to encourage it either, they didn’t kill Watchman Nee. But they cut off his arms. And his books still continued to come. You can't oppress God’s spirit. You can't lock it up. It will not stay locked up.

And I'm, I'm not particularly afraid of, of, of what's going to happen in the United States. I'm glad in a way because it's going to force a lot of people to make a choice and not be so casual. And when you don't have the church to go to, you’re going to wish you had fellowship. And those of you who are christians are really going to treasure your christianity more and it's going to mean something to you and it's going to work more for you because you’re going to commit yourself to it more. And you'll start tearing out pages from your bible. It's already happening here. It's already happening in very polite forms. Our money may say "In God we trust." It's already against the law to pray in school. And it's happening already right here. And maybe some of you have been persecuted in very polite ways. I have, and my sister has and her husband has. And my friends have been put in jail for preaching on the streets.

An' maybe it hasn't happened to you. You can, you cannot hold church in un-zoned area. And some of my friends have had their bible studies busted. And in some neighborhoods, the neighbors have gotten together and signed a paper saying they don't want those meetings in their neighborhood. I'm really glad there’s bible studies in houses. I'm really glad that every day is Sunday to a lot of kids now.

I'm not afraid of the Russians coming or the Chinese or the world council of churches if that's gonna be our enemies too. Let them come. I'm not afraid of the lions. Let ‘em eat me. They can't swallow my soul. They can't touch us. They can't get us. We've been bought with a price and nobody's got enough money or enough force to buy us back. They can't touch you. And when they come you just pray for them, and when they lead you away you just sing glory to God. And when they shoot you you just smile.