“Like a discussion I had with a preacher, a number of times I’ve run into this, the question arises: If a man has been married twice, can the man minister the gospel? The first thing we say is, absolutely no. “Why, Brother Pike, would you take that stand?” Because the Bible teaches if a man’s got two living companions, he cannot preach the gospel. I mean that’s a clear-cut case, there’s no ifs or ands about it. But the thing is, I’ve had preachers, they would tell me, they’d say, ”This man can’t preach the gospel!” I’d say, “He can’t preach the gospel?” They’d say, “No, he can’t preach the gospel.” I’d say, ”Well why is it? He seemed like a nice fellow to me.” They’d say, “But he’s been married twice!” I‘d say, “But he seemed like such a nice fellow.” They’d say, “Oh he’s a fine brother, a good Christian man.” I’d say, “You mean to tell me he’s a fine brother and a good Christian man, and he’s been married twice? Can a man that’s been married twice with two living wives be a fine brother and a good Christian man?” And then they’d get all mixed up and they’d get all tangled up, and they’d say, “Oh no, no, I don’t mean that.” I’d say, “Well what do you mean?” They’d say, “Well the Lord forgave him.” I’d say, “You mean he’s forgiven?” They’d say, “Yeah he’s forgiven.” “Then he don’t have two living wives?” “Oh no.” “Then what keeps him from preaching?” And then they’d get mixed up again. See, I ask this question again, can a man be a good brother and have two living wives, and be disqualified to preach, and all the time he’s a good brother? You know that don’t make sense. You know that ain’t Bible. How can that be Bible? If God forgave the man he couldn’t have two living wives, and if he’s really got two living wives God hasn’t forgiven him! He certainly can’t preach because he’s got two living wives, but he isn’t a brother, he isn’t a Christian! He’s on his way to Hell. But brother let me tell you something, I don’t care if a man’s been married fifteen times. If that woman committed fornication, if God forgave that man on the basis of His Word for fornication, that man has one wife if he’s been married fifteen times, because the other fourteen wasn’t his wife, and if the fifteenth one commits adultery she’s not his wife either. He can go get the sixteenth one. You say, “Brother Pike you don’t believe that do you?” I absolutely believe that, that is absolutely God’s Word. Which means that a man that had been married ten times, if every wife has committed fornication, that man marries again he’s got one living wife! He can preach the gospel as good as anybody else in the land and the Bible doesn’t condemn him one bit. Now you can’t find one bit of scripture to condemn him, not one. You say, “Well what did Paul mean?” First of all, the thing that Paul meant was polygamy, because in that day they had a half a dozen wives, just like in the days of Solomon and David, and he didn’t think it was very becoming for a man to be living with two or three women at one time, and being an example to the flock. Whereas, it isn’t. And if a man’s been married two or three times and he isn’t forgiven of God and the thing isn’t clean and behind him, he is not an example to the flock, and he cannot preach the gospel. But you bear in mind one thing, when God forgives, God forgives a man that he is free, free, free indeed. Indeed means to preach the gospel, means to marry or do whatever he feels to do that is right, as long as it is not in violation of God’s Word. If that isn’t true then God didn’t forgive him, and God doesn’t operate like that. The blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient. You say, “But then, Brother Pike, why is it that you don’t have people, as a rule, in your pulpit that has been in double marriages?” Simply for one reason. A lot of times I don’t know the case, they may have two living wives. And a lot of times if I do know the case, some of you would pick him apart and pick me apart and pick the church apart because of your spiritual ignorance and not willing to listen, even when you come to the truth. Therefore, to protect God’s interests, your interests, I try to work things out every way that I know how, to protect the Kingdom of God. But folks we’re gonna get in trouble one of these days by messing around with things that we don’t understand. Did you know that? Saying things that we don’t know nothing about, being vainly puffed up by our fleshly mind and tradition of the elders, and listening to things that we’ve heard instead of going to the Word of God. Someday we’re gonna be in a mixed up mess where we stand before God and have to pay for it.”