The Bible and Life

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

The Gifts Are Not Perfect

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

The Gifts are not perfect.

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The gifts are not always perfect in manifestation, because they are manifested through an imperfect channel: men and women. The Spirit of God flows through us as water flows through a pipe. Sometimes as the Spirit of God flows through us something from our own personality gets mixed in with the divine flow. (After all, God uses personalities.).

God doesn't put a premium on ignorance or education, but He has to use the vessel as it is. I have seen the anointing of the Spirit of God upon one who is educated, cultured, and refined, and I was greatly blessed. On the other hand, I have heard interpretations of messages which included such words as "hain't," "ain't," "you'uns," and "we'uns." Those giving the interpretations could not go beyond their capacity. They used the best vocabulary they had. It was the Spirit of God in manifestation, but it was not a perfect manifestation.

A minister tells that in one of his services the interpretation of a message in tongues was: "My little children, don't be scared. But if you are scared, I don't blame you, because sometimes I get scared myself." Although this was not a manifestation of the Spirit of God, it does not mean that the dear one who gave it was not a Christian.

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It does not even mean that she wasn't filled with the Holy Spirit, She wanted God to use her, but she was just speaking out of her own mind. Many times we let such manifestations scare a lot of good people off instead of giving people the right teaching. We need the operation of the gifts in our congregations. We need everything God has provided, but we need to follow God's instructions for the proper use of these gifts so that "all things be done unto edifying" (1 Cor. 14:26).

Some excuse their spiritual excesses by saying, "I couldn't help that. The Holy Spirit made me do it." They blame the Holy Spirit for their being out of order. But the Holy Spirit, through Paul, has given us instructions so we know how to be in order.

Although we may be inspired to speak—we may have a message in tongues and interpretation, or even a word of prophecy—it is not always wise to jump up at any time. If our inspiration comes at an inopportune moment when it would not be edifying, then we should hold our peace. At the right time we can give what we have.

Many times when attending fellowship meetings and camp meetings where I was not the speaker, I could have spoken with tongues but didn't. The leaders of the meetings were men who knew God, who were filled with the Spirit, and they could give the message themselves. There was no need of my butting in from out in the congregation. In a large gathering if someone speaks in tongues or prophesies from the congregation, few hear it. If it comes from the platform, however, everyone hears it, and it is edifying.

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The inspirational and the revelation gifts are a product of both God and man. It isn't all God and it isn't all man. This is where many have missed the blessing of being filled with the Spirit. They could have spoken in tongues many years ago.

Some have said to me, "If I had known that I had a part to play in it, I could have talked in tongues 25 years ago. I had an urge to say something that wasn't English, but I thought if I spoke that out, it would just be me doing it. I have been waiting for the Holy Spirit to talk with tongues all these years."

However, He doesn't really talk with tongues. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that the Holy Spirit ever talked with tongues. Instead, we read that the Holy Spirit gives you utterance, and you do the talking. That is what happened on the Day of Pentecost: "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and [they] began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4). He gave them the utterance; they did the talking.

After hearing this preached, some people have asked me, “Why didn't someone tell me? I have been afraid to talk in tongues—afraid it would just be the flesh.” But when you talk in tongues, it will be you in the flesh. God said He would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. Everyone who ever talked with tongues was in the flesh, but he was inspired by the Spirit.

- Kenneth E Hagin ( The Gift Of Prophecy )

The same thing is true with the inspirational and revelation gifts of God. They are a product of both man and God.

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Friday, September 26, 2025

I Abandoned Myself To The Preaching Of Jesus

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Here is the testimony of one of the great evangelists

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I ABANDONED MYSELF TO THE PREACHING OF JESUS.

The desire to proclaim the message of Christ and to demonstrate His power to save and bless grew in my soul, until my life was swayed by this overwhelming passion.

However, my heart was divided. I could not follow successfully the ordinary pursuits of life and business. When a man came into my office, though I knew that twenty or thirty minutes of concentration on the business at hand would possibly net me thousands of dollars, I could not discuss business with him.

By a new power of discernment I could see his soul and understand his inner life and motives. I recognized him as one of these wandering sheep and longed with an overwhelming desire to help him find God and find himself.

This division in my soul between business interests and the desire to help men find God became intense. In many instances what should have been a successful business interview and the closing of a great business transaction ended in a prayer meeting. I would invite the individual to kneel with me while I poured out my heart to God on his behalf.

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I determined to discuss the matter with the president of my company and frankly told him the condition of soul I found myself in and its cause. He kindly replied: "You have worked hard, Lake. You need a change. Take a vacation for three months. If you want to preach, preach. But at the end of the three months, $50,000 a year will look like a lot of money to you, and you will have little desire to sacrifice it for dreams of religious possibilities."

I thanked him, accepted an invitation to join a brother in evangelistic work, and left the office, never to return. During those three months I preached every day to large congregations, saw a multitude of people saved from their sins and healed of their diseases, and hundreds of them baptized in the Holy Ghost.

At the end of the three months, I said to God: "I am through forever with everything in life but the proclamation and demonstration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ." I disposed of my estate, distributed my funds in it manner I believed to be for the best interests of the Kingdom of God, made myself wholly dependent upon God for the support of myself and family, and abandoned myself to the preaching of Jesus.

- John G Lake ( Adventures in God )

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Friday, September 19, 2025

Refiner Of Silver

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Here is an article from an unknown source.

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There was once a group of women studying the book of Malachi in the Old Testament. As they were studying chapter three, they came across verse three, which says: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

This verse puzzled the women, and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study.

That week this woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot – then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

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The man answered, “Yes” and explained that he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be damaged.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?” He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy. When I see my image in it.”

If today you are feeling the heat of this world’s fire, just remember that God is refining you. "You are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ!" Hallelujah.

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Women Are Not Weak

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Women are not weak!

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During the Civil War, Maria met P. H. Woodworth, who had returned home from the conflict after being discharged with a head injury. She had a whirlwind courtship with the former soldier and soon married him. They took up farming, but nothing ever came of their labors. It seemed as if everything was failing.

Over the years, Maria became the mother of six children. So she tried to settle into a normal family home life while the Lord continued to call her. But Maria, exasperated in her role as a wife and mother, couldn’t answer the call. She was married to a man with no desire for ministry, she had six children to raise, and she was sickly herself.

Then real tragedy struck their home. The Woodworths lost five of their six children to disease. Maria was able to pull herself together after this horrible episode, but her husband never recovered from the loss. She did her best to help him while raising their only daughter. Through all these situations she never grew bitter against God, nor did she harden her heart as a result of the loss.

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But Maria needed answers for the nagging heartache that oppressed her because of the calamity that struck her family. Refusing to give up, she began to search the Word of God. And as she read, she saw how women were repeatedly used by God throughout the Bible. She read Joel’s prophecy predicting that the Spirit of God would be poured out upon men and women. But Maria would look to heaven and say, “Lord, I can’t preach. I don’t know what to say and I don’t have any education.”

Still, she continued to read and find truth in the Word of God while she struggled with her call. She would later write, “The more I investigated, the more I found to condemn me.”

Then Maria had a great vision. Angels came into her room. They took her to the West, over prairies, lakes, forests, and rivers where she saw a long, wide field of waving golden grain. As the view unfolded she began to preach and saw the grains begin to fall like sheaves. Then Jesus told her that, “just as the grain fell, so people would fall” as she preached. Finally Maria realized that she would never be happy until she yielded to the call. In response to this great vision from God, she humbly answered, "yes" to His call upon her life and asked Him to anoint her with great power.

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. If Maria had answered from her youth, possibly her children wouldn’t have died. I’m not saying that God killed her children. But I am saying that when we directly disobey God, our actions open the door to the works of the devil. His work is to destroy. God’s work is to bring life. So learn to obey God with boldness. Boldness brings the power of God and will leave your accusers speechless in your presence. Also find some strong women with solid ministries from whom you can learn. And allow these words of Sister Etter to stir you in your heart:

“My dear sister in Christ, as you hear these words may the Spirit of Christ come upon you, and make you willing to do the work the Lord has assigned to you. It is high time for women to let their lights shine; to bring out their talents that have been hidden away rusting; and use them for the glory of God, and do with their might what their hands find to do, trusting God for strength, Who has said, ‘I will never leave you.’ Let us not plead weakness; God will use the weak things of the world to confound the wise. We are sons and daughters of the Most High God. Should we not honor our high calling and do all we can to save those who sit in the valley and shadow of death? Did He not send Moses, Aaron— Miriam to be your leaders? Barak dared not meet the enemy unless Deborah led the van. The Lord raised up men, women, and children of His own choosing— Hannah, Hulda, Ana, Phoebe, Narcissus, Tryphena, Persis, Julia, the Marys and the sisters who co- labored with Paul. Is it less becoming for women to labor in Christ’s kingdom and vineyard now than it was then?”

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Seek the Spirit of God for yourself. If you are called, you will have to answer for it. Obey God without question. He will handle the details.

- God’s Generals ( Maria Etter Woodworth)

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Friday, September 12, 2025

Pray Militancy

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Here is a short article by one of the giants of faith!

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Pray against the evil in our land.

Many abortion clinics in Ohio went bankrupt because of a young minister's militancy against them. So much damage was done that they sued him for $11.5 million dollars. Then they saw that Rod Parsley was happy about the suit as he went Pray Militantly around gathering lawyers to fight them.

So they said, "Well, just forget it. We have decided not to sue you." His church prayed militantly. When they went out on the street corners, they prayed with strength and vigor and power and will. They went out in the whole armor of God.

Prayer is one of our main weapons in these spiritual battles, but unless we pray militantly, our prayers are not effective. Prayer also allows us to learn God's strategy in every situation. Get alone with the Lord, and pray militantly. You will receive inspiration and creative ideas from the Holy Spirit which will bring victory.

- Lester Sumrall ( The Militant Church )

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

A Burning Desire

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

A Burning Desire.

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Many people just pray casually, “God, answer my prayer,” and before walking out of the church have forgotten all the things they prayed for. That kind of attitude will never bring the faith and touch of God. You need to have a burning desire.

Proverbs 10:24 reads, “The desire of the righteous shall be granted.” Psalms 37:4 says, “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” You should have a burning desire for a goal, and you must keep on seeing that goal accomplished.

When I started my ministry, I had a burning desire in my soul, a burning goal to build the largest church in Korea. That desire was burning in me so much that I was living with it, sleeping with it, and walking with it. Now after twenty years it has been said that my church is the largest church in the world.

You have to have a burning desire in your heart. If you do not have a burning desire, then wait and ask God to impart His desire to your heart. God does not like the lukewarm, for He specializes only in the red-hot; if you have that red-hot burning desire, then you are going to have results.

- Dr. Yongi Cho ( The Fourth Dimension)

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Friday, September 5, 2025

The Old-Timers Holy Spirit

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Here is a short article by an old time Holy Ghost evangelist.

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Why does it seem the old timers operated in such Holy Ghost power generations ago? But, today there seems to be a famine of the power of God in operation and the miracles?

Because, they were connected more to another realm then they were to earth. These days so many people are connected to the things of this world, temporal things! Woodworth-Etter, Lake and Wigglesworth operated in such power, because the world didn't have its hooks them! That's a key that has been lost for generations, being connected to a place called heaven.

The problem with a lot of churches is they got so modern and polished, they don’t give place for the Holy Ghost to move in a service. They’ll make sure they’ll get their sermon done, but they won’t give the Holy Ghost no extra time for ministry. That’s what the old timers did and that’s why they saw all the miracles they saw.

- B.E. Taylor

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Tuesday, September 2, 2025

312 Azusa Street

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

312 AZUSA STREET

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Everyone knew another meeting place had to be found quickly. The Asbery home could no longer accommodate the crowds. So on April 14, 1906, Seymour and his elders set out to find the perfect place. They wandered around the city near their area until they came upon a dead-end street that was about a half a mile long. It was there, in the industrial business section of Los Angeles, that Seymour found what had once been an old Methodist church.

After its use by the Methodists, the building had been remodeled for a different purpose. It had been divided in half, the top section having been turned into apartments. But a fire had destroyed the floor, and the cathedral-shaped roof had been flattened and covered with tar.

When Seymour acquired the building, the top floor was being used for storage, while the bottom floor had been converted into a horse stable. The windows were broken, and bare electric light bulbs hung from the ceiling. Seymour was offered the building for eight dollars a month.

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As the word got out, people came from everywhere to help restore the building. A. G. Osterburg, the pastor of the local Full Gospel Church, paid several men to help renovate the building. Volunteers swept the floors and whitewashed the walls. J. V. McNeil, a devout Catholic and owner of the largest lumber company in Los Angeles, donated lumber for the cause. Sawdust was placed on the floor, and planks were nailed to wooden barrels for use as pews. Two empty crates were nailed on top of each other to act as Seymour’s pulpit.

It was in this humble, skidrow-like setting that Azusa Street prepared themselves for international revival.

- God’s Generals ( William J. Seymour )

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William James Roop

Friday, August 29, 2025

Undine Utley

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Here is a short article about a girl evangelist from an unknown source.

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One phenomenon now long forgotten to most in the 1920s, was the girl evangelist. Hundreds, if not thousands, of girls, some as young as three, and some criss crossing the North American continent many times, took to the revivalist platform and preached nightly, sometimes to crowds of thousands, and conducted long crusades, averaging three weeks in length, in revival after revival.

One that stood out from all the rest was Uldine Utley, impacted by Sister McPherson. Uldine had just turned eleven. Within months her name would be spread across the United States. Within a year she would be one of the featured speakers, along with Smith Wigglesworth, at the “Great International Pentecostal Camp Meeting" in Berkeley, California 1924.

Tuesday, August 26, 2025

John Wesley's Devine Healing

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

This is from John Wesley's Journal.

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DIVINE HEALING

John Wesley also recorded that he was miraculously healed on more than one occasion. In one such instance, he was so sick he couldn’t even raise his head.

He wrote:

Friday, 8.—I found myself much out of order. However, I made shift to preach in the evening; but on Saturday my bodily strength quite failed so that for several hours I could scarcely lift up my head. Sunday, 10. I was obliged to lie down most part of the day, being easy only in that posture. Yet in the evening my weakness was suspended while I was calling sinners to repentance. But at our love-feast which followed, beside the pain in my back and head and the fever which still continued upon me, just as I began to pray I was seized with such a cough that I could hardly speak. At the same time came strongly into my mind, “These signs shall follow them that believe” [Mark 16:17]. I called on Jesus aloud to “increase my faith” and to “confirm the word of his grace.” While I was speaking my pain vanished away; the fever left me; my bodily strength returned; and for many weeks I felt neither weakness nor pain. “Unto thee, O Lord, do I give thanks.”

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Of another occasion, he wrote,

When Mr. Shepherd and I left Smeton, my horse was so exceedingly lame that I was afraid I must have lain by too. We could not discern what it was that was amiss; and yet he would scarcely set his foot to the ground. By riding thus seven miles, I was thoroughly tired, and my headache more than it had done for some months. (What I here aver is the naked fact: let every man account for it as he sees good.) I then thought, “Cannot God heal either man or beast, by any means, or without any?” Immediately my weariness and headache ceased, and my horse’s lameness in the same instant. Nor did he halt any more either that day or the next.

The Wesley brother sometimes covered sixty miles a day in order to get to a prearranged destination on time. They traveled tirelessly, meeting the people wherever they were, learning about their needs and how best they could help them spiritually, mentally, and physically.

Roberts Liardon

God’s Generals ( The Revivalists )

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Friday, August 22, 2025

The Ark As A Symbol Of Salvation

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Here is an article about the Ark and its importance from an unknown source.

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1. The Ark as a Symbol of Salvation

Noah’s Ark represents God’s provision for salvation during a time of judgment. Just as the Ark physically saved Noah and his family from the flood, it symbolically points to the ultimate salvation found in Christ.

• 1 Peter 3:20-21 explicitly connects the Ark to baptism and salvation: “In the days of Noah… eight persons were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you.”

• The Ark was one way of escape, just as Jesus is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). This highlights the exclusivity of God’s salvation plan through Christ.

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2. The Animals on the Ark Representing Gentiles

The inclusion of animals in the Ark is more than practical—it carries profound symbolic meaning. Let’s break this down:

A. Clean and Unclean Animals: Gentiles Foreshadowed

• Noah was commanded to bring clean animals in pairs of seven and unclean animals in pairs of two (Genesis 7:2-3).

• The distinction between clean and unclean animals (later detailed in Leviticus 11) signifies the separation between Israel (clean) and Gentile nations (unclean).

However, both clean and unclean animals entered the Ark, signifying that God’s plan for salvation was never limited to Israel but included the Gentiles:

• Isaiah 49:6: “I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

• The unclean animals being preserved alongside the clean foreshadows the Gentiles being grafted into God’s covenant people through Christ (Romans 11:17-19).

B. A Global Picture of Salvation

The animals came “from all flesh” (Genesis 6:19), representing every tribe, tongue, and nation. This points to the global scope of God’s plan:

• Revelation 7:9 describes a multitude “from every nation, tribe, people, and language” standing before God’s throne, made possible through Christ.

The animals’ journey to the Ark mirrors the nations being drawn to Christ, the Ark of salvation.

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3. The Ark and Christ: A Foreshadowing

The Ark serves as a type of Christ in many ways, each detail pointing to His redemptive work.

A. One Door for Entry

The Ark had a single door (Genesis 6:16), through which all had to enter to be saved. This reflects Jesus’ declaration:

• John 10:9: “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved.”

• Just as there was one door to the Ark, there is only one way to salvation through Christ.

B. Covered with Pitch (Atonement)

The Ark was covered inside and out with pitch (Genesis 6:14). The Hebrew word for “pitch” (כָּפַר, kaphar) is the same word used for “atonement” in the Old Testament.

• This signifies that the Ark was a vessel of atonement, shielding its occupants from judgment, just as Christ’s sacrifice covers and protects believers from God’s wrath (Romans 5:9).

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4. The Ark as the Gathering of Nations

A. The Animals Represent All Nations

The animals coming from different regions of the earth to enter the Ark reflects the nations coming to Christ for salvation. This echoes the promise to Abraham:

• Genesis 12:3: “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

B. The New Beginning: Unity in Christ

After the flood, Noah’s family and the animals emerged from the Ark to repopulate the earth. This points to the unity of all people in Christ:

• Ephesians 2:14-16: Christ has broken down the dividing wall, uniting Jews and Gentiles into one new humanity.

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5. Judgment and Mercy: A Message for All

The Ark reminds us of both God’s judgment and His mercy.

A. The Flood and the Cross

• The flood was a righteous judgment on a corrupt world (Genesis 6:5-7). Similarly, sin demands judgment (Romans 6:23).

• The Ark, like the cross, demonstrates God’s mercy, providing a way of escape for those who believe.

B. Inclusion in Salvation

The Ark’s inclusion of both clean and unclean animals highlights the Gospel’s power to save both Jew and Gentile:

• Romans 1:16: “The Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile.”

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6. Connections to the Scapegoat

Returning to the theme of Barabbas and Jesus, the Ark and the Day of Atonement rituals converge in the imagery of salvation:

• Barabbas (humanity’s sin) was set free, just as the unclean animals (Gentiles) were preserved in the Ark despite their unclean status.

• Jesus (the sacrificial Lamb) bore the penalty for sin, just as the clean animals foreshadowed the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Conclusion: The Ark’s Symbolism Today

Noah’s Ark encapsulates the Gospel message. It reveals God’s heart for all humanity—Jews and Gentiles alike. Just as the Ark preserved life during the flood, Jesus is the ultimate Ark of salvation, drawing people from all nations into eternal life. The clean and unclean animals remind us that God’s plan was always to reconcile the world to Himself, uniting all in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

This study deepens our understanding of how God’s redemptive plan is woven through the entirety of Scripture, culminating in the invitation to enter the Ark of Christ, where salvation is found for both Jew and Gentile.

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William James Roop