The Nazarenes, the Methodists, the Baptists of past generations understood holiness and preached holiness. Old-time Pentecost was a holiness movement. From our point of view the Charismatic movement, with all its knowledge of spiritual gifts, is lacking in holiness. In fact, holiness is scorned as being "legalism."

Divine grace, however, does not make up for our lack of holiness. We have to be holy if we are to see the Lord. God is a holy God and we have to be holy as He is holy.

The observance of the Sabbath and of circumcision were not matters of righteousness but of holiness. They were not directed toward our dealing with people but with God. They were the property of Israel, the royal priesthood.

The priests of God must be more holy than other people because they stand in the Presence of the Fire of Israel. All the works of the flesh and soul must be burned out of them. Unclean spirits cannot abide in the Presence of the Lord!

Behavior that God may overlook in the people of the world will never be overlooked in His priesthood.

When Christian people refuse to smoke, drink, watch and listen to moral filth at the theater or on television, it is because they are members of Jesus Christ and He does not do these things because He is holy. Neither do those who are seeking to live with Him in God's Presence.

I know modern Charismatic preachers say the Lord doesn't care if we do these things but He does. I know they say all things are clean to us and we can take part in any kind of worldliness but they are wrong.

I know today's preachers say we can swear and use four-letter words if we want to but we cannot and keep the Presence of Christ. When we use gutter language it is because there are demons in our mouth and we need to be delivered from them. I know the teachers of our time say we can watch anything we want to, listen to anything we want to, but we cannot and remain holy.

All that we see, all that we hear, all that we touch becomes a permanent part of our personality whether we like it or not. Until we get down before God and confess our sins and turn away from them they remain in us. They become a permanent part of us and our children. We will receive them in the Day of Resurrection.

If you are called to be a member of the royal priesthood, and you are partaking of today's American culture, you will be chastened until you are free from such spiritual uncleanness and bondage. O God send the fire! Send the fire! Send the fire!

May God develop in each of us such a hunger and thirst for holiness that we are consumed with the thought of dwelling in the everlasting Fire.

To be circumcised in heart is to have the world, sin, and self-will cut away. These three areas of our personality should be renounced at the time we receive Christ so the remainder of our discipleship is a working out of that which we acknowledged from the first.

To be continued.