THE STORY OF HOW AMAZING DISCOVERIES IN THE WORDS OF JESUS CAME TO BE PUBLISHED

These discoveries showing design, pattern. and a super-natural order in the words of Jesus, are a thrilling evidence of their Divine character. In the words of what other man could such an amazing order or design be found? Truly "no man spake like this man." The phenomena which we herein present, we submit as positive and infallible evidence that the words of Jesus are of supernatural origin.

The circumstances under which the unique phenomena of the words of Jesus have been brought to light may be briefly told. It was through a series of coincidences. or rather we are inclined to believe providences, that the writer entered into the labor of the preparation of this work. For a number of years we have been engaged in the organization of, and the participation in. great revivals which have been attended daily by thousands of people. Constantly we have been confronted with the overwhelming need of the sick and the suffering. Every-where we met the agonizing appeal for help for physical and spiritual deliverance. But another circumstance also was evident. Many people in their desperation to find an alleviation of their illnesses, were doing so in a manner that revealed an ignorance of the fundamental laws governing healing and health, as taught in the Scriptures. In general. people who came for healing did not have adequate understanding of the relation between sin and sickness, nor did they have a true appreciation of the sinister character of evil that has root in the life of the natural man. To the uninstructed. it was a matter of getting delivered so that they could go back into their old nay of life again. Yet. the truth is that there is but one way to effect a permanent cure of a person's ills, and that is to help the individual to an intelligent understanding of the word of God. that his life might be brought into harmony with its teachings.

In the thousands of letters that regularly flow to our office, and from the multitudes of people who attend our campaigns, there has come to us constantly, the petitions of sick and suffering people, and also of others whose lives had been filled with tragedy, heartbreak, and various misfortunes. Many were vexed with problems and troubles from which they seemed to find no way to extricate themselves. These people implored our prayers, and requested us to solicit others to intercede to God for them. As far as it has been possible, we have been glad to do this, but it has long been obvious that the prayers of others cannot be the full answer to the need of these people. Prayer is indeed the great force of the universe, but to be effective, it must be directed intelligently along Scriptural lines. The Lord observed that the Pharisees prayed long prayers but because the lives of these men were not in harmony with the will of God, their prayers were more or less futile. It is doubtful that even the prayers of Jesus could have helped these people much. As we enter this dark hour of world tragedy, there is an urgent need for men who can pray, and when people get into desperate need. they often are driven to prayer. But the vital need of this present time is for men not only to pray. but also to know how to pray.

While being confronted with the distresses and problems of so many people, our mind was constantly exercised concerning the finding of a means of adequately meeting this great problem. There always has been an obvious solution—one so simple in fact that its very simplicity seemed an obstacle in getting people to accept the solution. The remedy for all the ills of man may be found in the words of Jesus. Our thoughts involuntarily turned net and anon to those wonderful words—words that potentially are able to bring deliverance and soothing balm to meet all the needs of the human race, whether physical or spiritual. But how could we stimulate the interest of the people to the point that they might diligently study these words and apply them to their life? And, if possible, how could we find a way to make them more easily accessible to the specific need of each individual? To us it seemed that the words of Jesus were of such supreme importance, and so amazingly comprehensive that they ought to become, as it were, the constitution and by-laws of the conduct of every Christian. But what seemed to be needed was some method by which a person at a moment's notice, might be able to locate that very word of Christ which would meet his particular need in the hour the need arose.

It was then that we recalled a remarkable vision that some years ago had been given to an evangelist by the name of John McConnel. while he was engaged in intensive evangelization in new and difficult fields. In this vision, Brother McConnel received a significant revelation, concerning the COMMANDMENTS OF JESUS. He was made to see the extreme importance of Christians obeying these commandments. But the most remarkable circumstance of the vision was the sedation that the COMMANDMENTS OF JESUS were numerically arranged in sets of sevens. and there were just twenty-one of these sets! Reverend McConnel afterwards compiled the COMMANDMENTS OF JESUS in this order and had them published. Apparently however, he did not realize that he merely touched the surface of an amazing phenomenon, which indeed appears throughout the whole of the words of Jesus.

The possibility occurred to us at this time that other subjects of which Jesus spoke might be arranged in a similar design such as for example, the PROMISES OF JESUS. We made a tentative examination of all the Scriptures in which Jesus made distinct promises to believers. And wonder of wonders we soon found in the course of our investigation, the same emerging pattern! We discovered. as in THE COMMANDMENTS OF JESUS, so in THE PROMISES OF JESUS, there were twenty-one sets of sevens. no more. no less.

We then chose another distinct theme of the words of Jesus, and lo we found that the same pattern of sevens appeared there also. By this time, the possibility began to form in our mind that perhaps all the words of Jesus might follow this same pattern. To make the story short, we were to discover that this was the case! When the work was completed. we found no less than twenty-one sets of sevens.

With each saying of Christ. therefore, there are six other corresponding savings, which he spoke and which are recorded somewhere in the Gospels. Needless to say. the work of arranging 3,087 texts (21 x 21 x 7) and fitting each one into it proper place was no small task. The actual research was not a work that could be shared with another. However. during this period of research we were conscious of a special anointing of the Spirit. and we believe that this had more to do with the rapid facilitation of this labor, than anything else. Ultimately when we had completed our task we found that we had arranged in order 411 (21 x 21) sets of the words of Jesus with each Scripture, set, and major division, haying a harmonious and distinctive relation and position to all the others.

THE VALUE OF THIS DISCOVERY

The value of such a work as this is obvious. It makes immediately available to the Bible reader all the words which Jesus spoke on arts subject. Thus for example if one wished to know what Jesus had to sat concerning prayer. he mar find under the major division 'Chapter 104 PRAYER-FAITH-HEALING: seven sets of subjects on prayer, as follows:

1. How to pray

2. Encouragement to importunate prayer

3. Promises to those who ask in the name of Jesus

4. What to pray for

5. The worship of prayer

6. Model prayer given by Jesus

7. The prayers of Jesus

Suppose he is particularly interested in the subject, WHAT TO PRAY FOR. He then notices in the sub-topics over each text the following:

1. Ask for the Holy Spirit

2. Pray for them which despitefully use you

3. Pray lest ye enter into temptation

4. Pray that labourers be sent into the honest

5. Pray for the brethren

6. Pray that the Father's will be done

7. Pray that se be accounted worthy to stand before the Son of man

Thus in a brief moment, it is possible for the individual to have all the words of Jesus before him on any given subject. The pattern of these words, in effect gives one, as it were, a divinely inspired concordance, a systematic theology, or a chain reference, of all the wards of Jesus on any given subject. Moreover we might note that the range of the subjects compassed by the Lord is indeed amazing. No man spoke like Jesus spoke! His words are simple and dear, and for the most part may he understood by a child. Yet they hose a sublimity that may never be fully plumbed by the most profound student.

UNITY OF THE BODY OF CHRIST

One other objective the writer has greatly desired to see attained among the people of God. is the recognition of the essential units of the members of the Body of Christ. The greatest hindrance to the achievement of this goal has been the numerous age-long doctrinal controversy that have always exercised the minds of men of different temperaments While it does not appear that the spiritual unity of believers in this age will ever be attained through perfect doctrinal agreement (which was not achieved in Apostolic days nor at any time sinc)'. yet it is evident that the closer this agreement can come. the more easily the unity of the Body may be attained. It is believed that if men will give a careful study to the words of Jesus. as they appear in their harmonious relation to each other, it may assist materially in a more rounded out view of the whole body of truth. This should result in a substantial advance in the direction of spiritual unity.

As a personal testimony, we may say that this study of the words of Jesus as they appear in their harmonious relationship with each other has resulted in a spiritual quickening of the writer and it has been of no little practical benefit in his own life. Surely these words of Jesus are altogether wonderful, charming in simplicity, marvelous in sublimity, terrible in forthrightness, reassuring in promise, and thrilling in their revelation of the glory that is to be revealed.

Here, we would quote the classic words of Colonel Charles W. Lamed. who a number of years ago, made a topical classification of the words of Jesus:

"In nothing else have I realized so fully the sublime conciseness of this delivery of truth to man the holy grandeur of its reticence and completeness. The great silences are no less imposing and overwhelming than the terrible directness and simplicity of its rhetoric. In both, the soul of man stands naked before its Maker, abashed and conscience-smitten as in the first day of sin, but to receive, instead of a curse, the absolution: instead of rejection. reconciliation; instead of forfeiture, a promise."

Needless to say, we would he the last to infer that the work of this compilation is perfect. Actually. we should have had several months more to have gone over the whole body of the material, to eliminate possible errors of judgment. Such time, however, was not available for this purpose. Nevertheless we believe that for practical purposes, our object has been attained. The pattern in most cases is obvious enough to have presented a serious mistake, though in some instances, prayerful and careful consideration was required in the proper classification of certain texts.

It should be understood also that a considerable number of the statements of Jesus bear important significance to more than one subject, and these will be found in their respective places. Generally speaking, a Scripture found in any of the twenty-one major subjects, is not found elsewhere in this same grouping; but there are exceptions.

The sub-headings carried above each scripture have not been placed there to help interpret the Scripture. Indeed most of the statements of Christ are self-interpreting. The sub-headings have been included only for the purpose of assisting the reader to quickly identify the most obvious truth of the Scripture. A few, who saw the original manuscript, upon learning that we hesitated in using the sub-headings, strongly recommended that we should by all means retain them.

As a last word, the writer is persuaded to believe that the Lord in His Divine Providence, as this day of skepticism draws to a close, has designed that this remarkable pattern be brought to light as a fitting and ultimate proof of the verbal inspiration of the words of Jesus—a proof that may at once be equally obvious to the beginner and to the advanced Bible scholar.

Now our prayer is that God will bless this effort to make more accessible to the sons of men, the truth and life-giving power of the words of Jesus, of which He Himself said. "they are spirit. and they are life." John 6:63.