Questions And Answers – Pastors Series #05

Shall we pray.

Gracious, heavenly Father, we know that You exist. We know You’re real. We know by nature.

We know by many ways that You are real, O God, but we would not know the truth of Your reality outside of some identification You presented to us, which, Lord, we believe has come through the Word. And that Word, Lord, vindicated by a prophet.

So, we pray, Lord, that as we study Your Word, service by service, that we’ll really recognize that truth that this is what it’s all about as far as worship is concerned and life and all these things, Lord, which You granted us. There has to be a Word for it.

So, we pray You’ll help us now in the study of Your Word that we’ll be careful to know what Your Word does say.

That we will not pervert It any way, Lord, nor allow others to pervert It to us, but that we will follow It, Lord, in our minds, in our hearts and in our outward actions, hopefully, Lord, will line completely with It.

And we’ll give You the praise in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Now, we’re on number 5 of what we actually term “Questions and Answers”, which is a study in Church order, or Church government, particularly dealing with some of the things that Brother Branham said concerning pastors.

And in our studies concerning those statements that Brother Branham set forth relative to the pastor, physician, and authority in the church, we found, if the pastor is the spiritual husband who is ordained to see the local assembly through, there must be certain prerequisites incumbent upon both the pastor and the people.

Now, that’s just logical. If the ‘pastor’, which really means ‘shepherd’, and he is, can be designated, and is designated as a spiritual husband, it would signify that both the pastor and the people must have certain prerequisites, or he could never fill the bill, and they would never receive the bill filled. I mean it’s just that simple.

Now, when you deal with the thought of shepherd and husband, you can see by bringing the two together, that that would actually work.

In other words, the word ‘husband’ is like this word ‘husbandry’, the husband husband’s the wife. The shepherd also would husband the sheep.

So, you can take the two and put them together quite beautifully, but then you must never extend them to the place where they would be illegitimate to the Word of Almighty God.

So, looking at this statement that Brother Branham made, we know that the pastor must have qualifications, and the people also must have qualifications.

So, to begin, both pastor and people must be ordained and equipped by God to the end that the pastor has got both gifts and authority and prolonged strength, or the strength to carry out the ministry that will see the people through.

And the people themselves must have the desire and the ability to receive what the pastor has for them, and also, how it is to be done for them.

So, I’ll go over that again if you like, because I write these down to make sure I know that I’m going to say it as well as I can.

Both pastor and people must be ordained. Now, the word ‘ordained’, there’s a command involved there, plus there’s the understanding of predestination.

Both pastor and people must be ordained and equipped by God to the end, that the pastor has both gifts and authority, and the strength, to see them through.

In other words, he could be ordained. He could have what it takes. But not within himself what it takes. In other words, he might not have that strength, that fortitude, and he could fall by the wayside.

Now, that’s possible, so don’t sell it short. But a true minister will have gifts and authority and the strength to see the people through.

And the people will have the desire and ability to receive what the pastor has for them.

And they will be not just tolerant and lenient, but there’ll be an empathy between the people and the pastors, so that they will receive, in the manner in which he gives them, the fruit of the gift ministry that he has.

So, this is understood by reading any of the gospels, but particularly John, where we see Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd, dealing with the people of His day.

Now, I made these statements here, so let’s see if I’m correct in what I’m saying.

So, we start with,

So, there is a division here in the economy of God, between Jesus the Redeemer, and the two types of people at least that He will be dealing with.

He said, “I am from above and you’re from beneath.” That signifies a totalitarian authority from one realm to the other realm.

And there is a difference between them. And I’m not hitting the pastor on this. I’m hitting the subject of what we’re looking at, so we can base it for the pastor.

All right. You go to verses 30-32, the same chapter.

Now, He said, “You’re starting well, and you are accepting what I’m telling you, but down the road is a different corner, and you might not just want to go on.” See?

“But if you really are my disciples, you will start with me, and you will finish with me concerning what I am telling you.”

And notice:

Now, let’s go to verse 37. Jesus says:

Now, these people didn’t believe. They couldn’t take it. And the fact of the matter is, they weren’t meant to take It. But there was a group of people that were meant to take It.

So, let’s read 45-47.

All right. Let’s go to John 10: There are many verses we could read, but look; that’s all right. Let’s take the first four verses in chapter 14 [10]

And 26-30.

Now, we’re talking about a shepherd, and this is the Chief Shepherd, and the pastors are sub-shepherds.

So, for anyone to doubt there is a tremendous authority, gift, and ministry in a true five-fold minister pastor… to doubt that is sacrilegious; it’s foolish.

So, we see then the Chief Shepherd. All right.

One cannot help but notice that the Chief Shepherd was at a complete loss to be effective in His power and authority wherein He could save from the uttermost to the uttermost, except they believed His Word. They had to believe the Word.

In other words, God Himself is bound by His Own Word, and He is powerless to act apart from His Word.

In other words, God has a definition. And the definition always signifies limits. Nothing can be defined except by setting limits.

Are you letting it sink in? You people are scientists, not me. You show me something that has definition without limits. You can’t define it. It’s no way.

You say, “What about a piece of coal that’s amorphous?”

No problem. Throw it in a tub of water. Pick the water out and see what the weight and everything else is.

There’s nothing that doesn’t have definition. Gas that you can’t see or smell has definition. Everything has valence weight; everything else is involved in there. All right.

He was utterly ineffective to those who were not a part of the efficacious plan and the benefits thereof. Right? All right.

Let’s read,

Let’s go back to John 8:37.

Again, and It says:

So, what is the definition of ‘seed’? The definition of the seed of God, and those of the Kingdom of God, is ‘those who have a definite susceptibility, and not just a susceptibility, but a craving and an allocation of a place, for the Word of God’. All right.

Let’s go to,

He’s telling you right there the manifestation of the grace that He showed the people through the miracle signs and wonders was to be what?

The platform for the Word. The launching pad for the Word; their faith.

Okay. With this, we want to go back again to John 3:16. You may be tired of me repeating and repeating, but I’ll tell you one thing: It’ll finally sink in. See? That’s the name of the game.

Now, that is the thesis. That is what God did. But there’s strings attached to it.

Now, the strings are not churchianity, joining a church, or listening to any certain person, that is to say as though you have somebody elected to an office.

Now, It tells you right there, the ‘strings attached’ is the believing. And no matter what Jesus did, without believing, it’s not going to do you good.

Now, listen; watch what is the condemnation.

All right. Now, what is the one thing we know that illuminates God? In nature can only tell you that there is a God, but the Word of God is the only thing that defines God.

God, to be defined, you must come to what He says about Himself. No man of his own can figure what God is like. He must be told, because the best man will do is completely pervert it.

So, what we’re looking at here now is also John 7:37-39. Let us look at that carefully.

Notice, “as the Scripture has said.” So, there is a definition that we go by. No matter what is said, no matter what is thought, we have a definition. And the definition is positively the Word of God.

Let’s keep reading.

Now, this is when Jesus was thirty-three years old. Thirty-three years previously the slaughter of the innocents had been not only contemplated, but had been carried out.

Now, how long do you think it would take you to forget the slaughter of innocents? You can never forget it.

Then the question is: Why were they slaughtered? Because the wise men came.

That would be about thirty years ago. They came about three years after, roughly. They came and they said, “Where is he that is born king of the Jews?”

And they brought in the Scribes, and the Scribes said, “There is only one place he could be born, and that is Bethlehem.” But everybody forgot about it. Why didn’t they check it out?

Now, we can sit here as Monday morning generals, arm chair generals, and we can say, “Well, I’m going to tell you something, I simply cannot understand their folly, because I can tell you, I certainly would be aware.”

You are a liar. I’ll be honest with you. I’m trying to smile when I’m saying it, because you know that’s not the truth.

The very fact that you and I would say, “I would see that,” proves we wouldn’t see it. That’s not how it works.

Only the very few will ever, ever see it… the very elected few. The world will never see it. There’s going to be just a tiny few ever, ever see it.

Now, once it’s been pointed out there isn’t one person who reads the Bible, there isn’t one denomination, one organization, no person, Christian, sitting in a pew, or out of a pew, just staying home, but couldn’t say, “Well, hey, that’s easy. I can see that.”

That’s what they should have done. “And I know that by my seeing it now, I’ve been smart enough to see it.” No way. It doesn’t work that way.

How many were smart enough to see the ark? Eight in one family. How many are going to make the Rapture that are standing here living? Don’t ask. It’s a very, very tiny number.

That’s why you should be very happy if you should die. Again, it’s no laughing matter, but it’s the truth. Think it over.

Out of the millions of Israel, seven thousand had not bowed the knee in the time of Elijah. It’s always been a tiny, tiny number.

So, there was a division among the people because of Him. And that’s what you’re looking at.

You’re looking at the fact that no matter what God Almighty’s done, and what He is doing today, there has to be the ordained who will take it to the people.

There has to be the ordained people who will receive It. The rest will not receive It.

Now, every sub-pastor, or sub-shepherd is in the same place as the Chief Shepherd. He has been ordained of God according to Ephesians 4.

Now, let’s take a look at Ephesians 4 because there’s where Paul enumerates what God has done. And you’ll notice that these people are gifts to the Church.

So It says here in verse 4:

So, the same one that went down in the earth, into Hades, preached to the souls in prison, went up there and brought his Spirit back upon us.

All right. Now, watch what He did.

Now, remember; you don’t get to the invulnerable position as a group of people outside of this ministry and outside of the last day.

So, all you that have been sold a bill of goods: “My church is right. We have authority,” you are perfectly deluded. I’m sorry, but you’re deluded.

And the very men that tell you that they are teaching you the Word of God are liars, because there’s no Word of God.

Now, you can read It. It’s not forbidden. I’ve read It. You read It. Pick up any version. I’ve got about twenty three. I’ve got about thirty-three different versions in my home.

For all the Greek students have studied, everybody looked at them, and there’s certain Scripture no matter how you try to turn It to make your church right, you cannot turn It.

Now, one Scripture nobody can possibly change is this: that only those ordained to eternal Life get It. So, the ministry is ordained, and the people are ordained.

This is why a pastor can be the shepherd and the husband of the church local and see you through. It’s not some pipe-dream. It’s not something that’s farfetched. It’s the truth.

Now, we see here the pastor is ordained. Now, let’s look at Ephesians 1 and see the congregation ordained, because here is the head pastor of his hour, the apostle and prophet, Paul, and he says in verse 3:

And It tells you get the baptism of the Holy Ghost and that seals you in.

Now, that tells you the congregation is predestinated. The entire body of the Lord Jesus Christ is predestinated.

But remember this: in God’s predestination He has not left us without a way of getting it done.

Now, there’s where the hard-shells get wrong… the hard-shell Baptist. And I’m pretty close to a hard-shell, believe me.

They say, “Well, look; you’re going to get saved anyway, so there’s no special means.”

There is a special means, and the means is: “You must be born again and filled with the Holy Ghost,” because It says:

In other words, there’s a Rapture coming up. Then Paul tells you what happens before the Rapture. What does he do?

Now, It tells you right there that God is going to send the Spirit into the Church, in the midst of the Church, to bring a revelation which is going to guarantee a Resurrection, which is going to guarantee a genuine Bride will be seen all the way through and shall be standing right here and take of the Tree of Life and be caught up out of the earth, immortal to God.

Now, how is it going to be done?

You say, “Well, it’s going to be done by the Spirit of God.”

Thank you. Your answer is correct.

Now, let’s go back to Ephesians 4 again and see how correct your answer is now. Verse 7.

What are those gifts? He gave men as gifts: apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, evangelists. Brother Branham is one hundred percent correct.

All right. Let’s go to 2 Thessalonians 2. This is just before the Rapture. Right after the Rapture this is… and before, too… and here’s the antichrist.

All right. This wicked one is to be revealed. And he’s going to come in verse 9.

Now, notice: “The love of the truth that they might be saved.”

You say, “Well, I thought Jesus died that I could be saved.”

That’s exactly right. And that’s the Gospel. But, if you don’t receive the truth, you’re not going to get it.

The fact that he died, the fact that he shed His Blood, the fact that he rose again, what does that mean to you? There’s definition required here. You’ve got to follow through.

Now, listen:

See, It tells you there, everything that God provided for you has strings attached to it. It has definition. See?

So, our original statement of predestinated, ordained pastor is what Brother Branham was talking of, to a predestinated, ordained people.

Now, I’m not going to carry this too far, or the next thing you’ll have me saying is, “Well, you were ordained to a certain pastor, and a certain pastor ordained to you, and you’ve got to know, and he’s got to know.”

We’ll talk about that. I’m just going to leave it right where the Bible leaves it. And I think that’s the way to go.

Every pastor as a husband must be in the same mold as Jesus. We’re talking about the Husband, the Head of the Church the whole bit. It’s the Bible.

And that’s in,

Now, let me tell you something: if the pastor is the husband of the church, spiritually speaking, and I’ll read what Brother Branham said on that, then the pastor is obligated to show a love for the church, as the husbands to the wives, even as Christ loved the Church.

And remember; ‘love’ in the Greek, the number one root word is ‘respect’ …the number one sentiment. Never will you find Doctor. Weiss ever leave it out. It’s always called, ‘self-sacrificial love’.

You know, actually, this is a pretty muggy thing I’m going to say right now. It’s really a… It’s just bad.

But when you go into a home and the little children are lacking food and care because they don’t have enough of this world’s goods, who is it that usually starves to give the children food? It’s the mothers.

I’ve got to shake my head, brother/sister. Mother church is not it. Mother church is of the devil, pure and simple. Positively, the wife does not control the husband.

The Bible speaks of the father pitying his children, though mothers do it, too, but there’s something wrong with us, and I’m going to lay it on the table.

There’s something wrong with me; there’s something wrong with you. And you know why it’s wrong? We’ve been taught wrong. Holy mother church: burn your candles. Holy Protestant church: support the Unicef.

They’ve made the church the repository of the grace of God. And that’s a lie from the pit of hell. There are no holy ones amongst us.

You know what I’m talking about this morning, my brother/sister, because you know in your own homes that it’s your wives that sacrifice more than the husbands ever thought of.

So, it’s about time the church got back to type. It’s time the pastor sacrificed. It’s time that the husbands sacrifice. It’s time the men went out on a limb.

There won’t be many men left anymore. They’ve been entirely emasculated by the women’s lib. Women today in minority groups now outnumber men in occupations.

You know something? We’ve got a rugged row to hoe and a rough life ahead. We ought to draw near to Christ and each other as you’ve never done before, my brother/sister. And you can only do it by the Word of God.

I still preach to you people sitting here this morning… Listen to me: if you’re building on anything outside of this Word, if you’re building on Lee Vayle, let me tell you: I will let you down so fast and so bad as to scatter your brains and your limbs on a sidewalk.

We all need to get to God through His Word, because there’s a conduit. We haven’t got time to indulge in personalities, little bits of hogwash.

Ephesians 5:

What did Christ give Himself for? He gave Himself for this Word.

Then, do you think He’ll accept you and me taking anything less than saying, “Well, now, Lord, thank You Jesus, You’re lovely. You died upon the Cross. And we thank You for this and that.”

And then bypass the Word?

The Bible said, ‘He that bypasses the Word of God, or ignores It, I’ll ignore. That man is an abomination.’ He said, ‘His prayers are an abomination unto me.’ You can’t bypass the Word.

Then, now listen. What is this Word going to do?

But listen. Isn’t this what Ephesians 4 says, that the five-fold ministry is to do, is to bring It to this tremendous place right up to the Presence of Christ? So then, when the Church rises, it’ll fit exactly to the Head-Stone which is Christ.

God manifest once more in a human body, which has been immortalized and glorified. So, that’s what you’re looking at. You cannot change the Word of Almighty God, my brother/sister.

And what am I telling you? I’m telling you this: that when God gave men to the Church, he gave number one, the Word prophet. God was in the prophets, and God is in the prophets, because God has not left prophets.

We have seen the last one for the Gentile Church Age in William Branham. I believe that with all my heart.

There was a prophet of God manifested to be so because he had every identification, and, when you see the thing identified, what more do you want?

“Well, I’ll talk to my priest. I’ll talk to my pastor. I’ll talk to my elder. I’ll talk to the council.”

Go ahead and talk all you want. Why don’t you go to the Word of God and find out. Are they somehow so spiritual and educated?

When did education bring on spirituality? Ha! Education is lining up for everybody to get AIDS and die with it. Now they’ve got HIV two.

Now, it will be three, four, five, six, seven. And they’re so happy, they we’re going to get it cured. And you’re going to get a bigger one they can’t cure. There’s your education.

They’re going to tell you how to engage in illicit acts and come out on top. You’re already dead. Who are you trying to kid?

I like what I read yesterday, or the day before, in the paper. How many little kids in school are being tested for AIDS? None. Why shouldn’t they be? They’re afraid to test.

The wrath of God is upon the people. You know why? Because they turned down the Word. Brother/sister, you only know God by a Word. You only know anything defined by a word.

There is nothing that you do that you know really outside a word because that is the medium to convey and to understand.

Now, I can look at piano, and if I’m an ignorant person and never saw one, I say, “What is that?”

“That’s an organ.”

“What is that?”

They say, “They tell me that’s an organ.”

I say, “Well, what do you mean an organ?”

“Well, an organ is… Well, here it is. Come and look at it, and I’ll tell you. That’s just a name, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

You’ve got teaching, brother/sister. All was in clues: the precept as well as the example. You can’t get away from it see?

Now, Jesus taught this to Peter. What I’m saying now, and that is, this position the pastor holds in the church, and every minister holds in the church, is to bring the unmitigated, unadulterated, simple Word of God to a simple people who can be led, because sheep are simple and shepherds are not too complex.

If the shepherd or the teacher is too complex you’re never going to get off the ground.

Now, listen to what Peter was taught by Jesus as Jesus was preparing to go away and leave Peter and the apostles to themselves and the Holy Ghost to minister to the Church.

John 21:15, we read It again.

Jesus said, “You didn’t follow me to come and see the Word and to hear the Word. You followed me because you wanted more loaves and fishes.” See?

“Now, Peter, are you with the loaves and fishes crowd?”

Unless we come to where Peter came, and the five-fold ministry comes there, and I’m going to say this: I see by my own life and the lives of others, we are a million miles from it.

This is the requisite right here: the constant feeding; the constant ruling; the constant sacrifice that’s incumbent upon the pastors, the five-fold ministry, which is also incumbent upon the Church in its own degree, in its own way. You cannot leave it alone.

Now, Peter acknowledged this. Now, watch what Peter did when passed on the very same information to the pastors that he knew in the First Church Age.

And it’s 1 Peter 5:1-4. We’ve read It before; read It again.

Now, remember; he was there on Mount Transfiguration, and he was there at the same time that they fed them at the Sea of Galilee.

Now, watch what he said:

Now, no man truly called of God will want to do it. He won’t want to be in that position. But he will be, because he knows God wants him.

Paul set the Church in order.

In 2 Corinthians 11, which we read many, many times, and watch what he warned them about beginning at verse 2-4.

Now, look; I’m out of the picture. If I present to you the Word of God that is true and real, is vindicated by a vindicated messenger, there’s no doubt that you who are ordained are virgins to the Word of Almighty God and be virgins to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, watch. What happens? The devil comes around and attempts to steal the virginity to the Word by seduction.

Now, listen:

Now, everybody likes to throw at you: “Well, don’t commit adultery.” Nor should you commit adultery. Don’t lie. No, you shouldn’t lie.

And they throw that at you, and they throw it at you. But they don’t throw ‘this’ at you.

How come they don’t? Because this is a feeding, and it’s a feeding of the mind. This is a mind age.

Why do you think everybody is exploring the mind from Freud on? Everything is mind, mind, mind, mind, mind.

Do you know that… just diverting a bit here, and I’ll get back to it. Do you know that, I think it was at the White House, or near the White House, there was some well-trained mentalists that come from the Guru teaching, which would be eastern philosophy, and they rolled out a carpet a hundred feet long, and they sat there with their legs crossed, sitting down, their arms folded and meditated.

Suddenly, all three rose in the air and went forward, dropped, went the entire length. There wasn’t a muscle twitching anything else. It was pure meditation. I’ve known of this for years.

The Guru that taught them says, “That’s levitation.”

You know, it was used back in the days of the apostle Paul, that great sorcerer back there.

He could actually go… You could close every door and lock it and barricade it, and he would float out that open window into the other open window, two or three stories above the sidewalk. History.

Now, their looking for people, “Pretty soon now,” [he said,] “we will be able to fly.” In other words, we’ll be able to go a distance.

You say, “Do you believe it happened?”

Nothing to stop it as far as I know. Mind. It’s not that mind’s over matter. It’s not what we’re talking about.

We’re talking about: this is the mind age, and every place scripturally, physically, I don’t care where you go, there is the study of the mind, until the Russians are looking into it way ahead of the other nations… way, way ahead of us.

Some of our smart scientists are looking into it. They’re learning, teaching you how now to use the right side of your brain as well as the left side, because everybody uses the left side almost continuously. And now you can learn to use the right.

What I’m trying to show you is this: this Scripture here is for this hour as never before, because you’ve got to get back to a virgin of the Word, or you’re not going to be in the Bride. I’m sorry, but that’s the Bible.

And I’m not going to try to change It, because I like It. I like It on the grounds I believe that we’ve got a vindicated Message for the first time since the apostle Paul left.

Somebody came with ‘THUS SAITH THE LORD’ and stood there and challenged the people [recording tape being turned over.] …in India, the man that worshipped the sun until his eyes were burnt out.

And he told them before hundreds of thousands of people… The Jannes were there, and the Buddhists were there, and the Taoists were there. They were all there.

And he said, “All right, you pray in the name of your God and see that man healed.” They just stood mighty mum.

“Well,” he said, “what if I pray in the name of my God and the man gets healed? Would you then believe God?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.”

Because they thought it wasn’t going to be done. But it was. He prayed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then they thought that Brother Branham was some kind of a god and wanted to rip his clothes off, or just touch him.

They missed the point entirely. It didn’t do a thing hardly for India. It wasn’t meant to.

It’s meant for you. And how can some of you sit here and go the way you’re going? I’m asking you a question.

You kids are not too old to know the truth. You’re not too old to make your decisions and follow God. Put the things out of your life that shouldn’t be there.

Listen; your minds must not be corrupted from that simplicity in Christ, the original Word of God.

What was the Jesus that Paul preached? The One that he met on the Damascus Road, and said, “Who are You, Lord.”

And He said, “I am Jesus.”

That was not a man sitting on a throne. That was the Lord Jesus Christ, God Himself, Jehovah, in the form of the Holy Ghost in a Pillar of Fire. There is one God. There aren’t two gods. There aren’t three gods. There’s one God!

And that God made a body through the virgin womb of Mary, by creating the sperm and the egg and letting her become the incubator, so to speak, with the legitimate chemical factory, and brought forth a super human being that God indwelt.

So therefore, Jesus was total man and total God. Because He was a total man of His birth, and He was total God by the fact that He was sired by God through a creative act, and God Himself indwelt the man. Where do you get two gods out of that?

What do you do about Jesus’ baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Show me one place in Scripture where anybody is baptized any other way but Lord Jesus Christ. Father, Son and Holy Ghost are titles.

2 Corinthians 11:

It says right there, you can have another Jesus, another spirit, another gospel. And that’s exactly what the churches have.

“How do you know?”

Because this man said so.

“Oh, what our great glorious tradition…”

Hogwash, for your tradition. Every preacher you ever knew and read in history has died; he never came back. Not one of them had ‘Thus Saith the Lord’. It’s absolutely the truth.

Every religious author will tell you, for the first time in two thousand years, in that man was a ministry duplicating the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, of course, they blaspheme him and everything else about him. Let them do it. It’s their privilege.

Let’s go to Galatians 1. Let’s see what Galatians has to say. Here’s what Paul the apostle says. Galatians 1:6-9. I love It.

How many times you heard the great churches, the holy churches cursing people, everything else? They’re the ones that are cursed. Deceived and deceiving.

There’s only one curse, brother/sister, that lets you get off the Word. And that curse can go two ways, which we’ll talk about, maybe not this morning, but later down the road. One will end in the second death. The other curse you’ll be punished on earth here.

Let’s go to Hebrews 13 again. And remember; take these strong verses, memorize them in the sense that you know exactly where they are.

Take verse 17 again.

And how am I going to give account to Almighty God in the day of judgment for you people? Let’s find out.

Now, watch verse 7.

What’s the man do? He brings the Word of God. And if he doesn’t, he leads you astray. He will answer to God for you. And he will receive far greater punishment in the Lake of Fire than you would receive.

Let’s go to Acts 20, and that’s the last verse I’ll use. But let’s just find out if I’m telling you the truth or not, because people say, “I believe the Bible.”

Then believe the Bible. What does It say here in Acts 20, when Paul called all the elders?

The same as Peter said, “You elders,…” Paul says in verse 26.

Who are those grievous wolves? According to Matthew 7, they’re false preachers and false teachers.

Listen:

It tells you right there, they’re going to take what Paul said and mess with it. Just the same as the serpent did in the Garden of Eden.

So, what are we trying to bring to you this morning? We’re trying to bring to you this thought: that this man is a pastor. He is a husband.

He’s the shepherd on one condition: that he has the Word of God to give It to you, and you are sheep that you can eat It, that you are a proper wife, that you’ll listen and you will follow It. The same with the shepherd.

All right. Now, at this point we must be very careful. We have set forth an unchangeable principle.

It is this: the Word of God both feeds and corrects, and Its reception and assimilation determine our whole relationship to the Kingdom of God.

Now, come on. What you do isn’t worth a plug nickel outside of this Word. I’m sorry.

Now, I can amend that by saying, “Sure, at the White Throne Judgment you can get off a little easier, because you didn’t know this and you didn’t know that, and you only knew this and only knew that.”

But we are talking, now, of a Bride Church. We are talking, now, about the things of the Kingdom of God.

Let me assure you, brother/sister, that I’m telling you the truth: the Word of God both feeds and corrects, and Its reception and assimilation determine our whole relationship to the Kingdom of God. You reject It, you’ve shot your wad. No more Kingdom.

Now, all right. Let’s find out what the Bible said. This is a categorical statement based upon Matthew 13, the parable of the sower and the seed.

So, let’s take a look and see if I’m right. We read first of all verses 1-9.

Now, He tells you what this means:

Now, the seed was good seed. The guy couldn’t take it. Satan grabs it.

Now, watch:

Now, listen. We’re not naive here, are we? No, we’re not. You and I both know, we all know, there’s some of this Word that we just don’t pay attention to. We don’t want It to bother us.

Now, some of you sitting here know what I’m talking about. Yeah, you know, and I know. And you’d be awfully dumb if you didn’t think I didn’t know.

And I’d be awfully dumb if I didn’t think for one minute that certain things aren’t going on. Oh, you know, I wouldn’t say you’re going to go to hell for it.

I would just say that there’s some things should be more carefully looked into and followed even though we don’t like it.

Let me illustrate: The Roman Catholics are refused birth control. You know what? They’re right.

But they say, “Popey, old boy, we’re going to do it anyway. We’ll tell you what you do; you tell us it’s okay.”

Now, except in extreme cases where it could be the death of the mother, birth control, except by natural means… And there are natural means that are very good if you study.

In fact Yugoslavia claims they’ve got it down complete hundred percent proof. It’s all very natural. The Word of God is against those things. See?

You’d be surprised how many people, especially women, walk off because… “You can’t cut your hair.” The Bible’s against it. Won’t make you spiritual. Won’t make you a Christian.

The Bible just says there’s certain things in there you can’t do, or you’re supposed to do.

How many walked off? How many walked off when slacks came on the scene? What about men? How many have left? Right here, the group is.

“Hallelujah, great prophet. Signs and wonders… Oh, we believe.”

But soon as the Word came, the cares of the world became just too many. They couldn’t pay a price.

Now, we’ll talk about that later on. It can be rectified.

But let’s watch verse 23.

Now, listen. Let me tell you something: many times you have to receive the Word of God and not truly understand It. But you follow It.

There’ll come a time when your understanding will become more fruitful, and you’ll be more amenable and compatible and one with the Word.

Now I’ve told you many times when Brother Branham would preach against short hair, and I literally laughed at it.

You know, I’m an awful tough nut to crack when it comes to certain things. And my terrible sense of humor doesn’t help either.

And I’d say, “Aw come on Bill, I’ve seen those mean old gals with long hair. They could lick the jam off of a door knob, and they’re as mean as my old cow when she got mad and hauled me across the prairie, me digging my heels and cussing every inch of the way.

He said, “Lee I didn’t say it made her spiritual. It’s just that the Word of God demands it, and that’s all there is to it.”

Well, I couldn’t see it for quite a number of years afterwards. So finally, one day some of my buddies and I were studying with Brother Branham’s message, talking it as you should do, talk the Word of the Lord, get together and do it, and I said, “Boys and gentlemen, I’m going to tell you something,” I said, “Brother Branham’s got me over a barrel here.”

I said, “This man doesn’t deal with tiddlywinks, and he would never tell us to tell our wives not to cut their hair, unless there’s something to it.”

And I said, “I don’t what it is, but I know one thing: that man does not fool with little things that don’t mean anything. It’s got to mean something; it’s got to be important in my books. So, I’m going to tell my wife. Now, look; it’s up to you.”

And one guy said, “Well, I’m going to tell my wife.”

And the third guy said, “I’m going to tell mine.”

All right. I talked to my wife, and I said, “Look, I don’t understand this and get this: we both know Brother Branham though, and we know that he doesn’t deal with inconsequential, foolish things. So, if I were you, I’d let my hair grow, but it’s up to you. I’m not going to make you do it.”

And she said, “Well, from this time on, it’ll grow.”

The next friend said to his wife, and she had real pretty hair, she let hers grow, and it’s been, you know, real attractive.

The other guy said to his wife, and she said, “Nuts to you, boy.”

And that was the end of that. She kept her hair short, and I would not want to be… I’m afraid one person might have already gone.

He’ll have to sit in some kind of judgment because he left the understanding of Brother Branham there. The wife never did take it. She was strictly with Pentecostal.

Now, these things can be rectified here. But you notice what It says, “An understanding.”

Now, this is one reason we teach Brother Branham’s sermons, most the time, word by word in order to get a real understanding of what the prophet was saying, because according to that, it is not what you do about the Word per se, as the basis of trying to make a mark.

It is you receiving the Word, believing It, so that the Life begins to take over and you produce what the Word says. And you’ll have battles. Sure you’ll have battles.

Come on, you can’t go out there and not face battles. Fap! You can’t get up in the morning and not face battles, and go to bed at night and not face battles.

But the true understanding of the Word and the acquiescence to It will give you the power to produce, because the Word is a conduit to the Holy Ghost, and we are a conduit to the Holy Ghost.

And the Holy Ghost cannot operate and work unless the Word is in us. Then we become those epistles, read and known of all men.

And I say, I believe that I am convinced today that my stand is one hundred percent right in this church what I’m teaching and preaching, but we have not yet consecrated ourselves to the depth of the revelation of this Word.

And I’m afraid that’s just the way it is. We’ve got eight hours to work, this and that, and the other thing, but we simply don’t put enough of our thinking and our time on this Word.

And I think God had the answer back in the days of Israel, and He said, “Make phylacteries and bind them upon your forehead” …a little box, a little tiny box right here between the eyelids. It was a frontlet, and every time it would go bobb, bobb, bobb. The box would go boing, boing, boing, boing, reminding you of the Word of God in that box.

“And also, upon the wrist, so every time you did something” …chatter, chatter, rattle, rattle, or bang, bang on you, letting you know the Word is what you’re dealing with. See?

Now, Rahab left the little, scarlet thread out the window, because she had a Word. That scarlet thread would end in nothing, except for the Word.

So with the blood of Jesus Christ, my brother/sister, can bring condemnation and not life without the Word.

So, the pastor is obligated to teach the Word of God all the way through.

And you’ll notice in here, “bring forth thirty, sixty, and a hundred.”

Now, let’s just take a look at this Word of God here in 3 John, verse 2, It says:

Now, you tell me, what more physically could you want than to have good health, plenty of money… not a lot of money, just, you know, what I mean, your necessities and these things, because, “give us this day our daily bread”, doesn’t say, “help me lay up treasures for six hundred and forty years, and four million bucks for the kids.” It says, “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Listen, what could you ask more totally than that? And It’s based upon the prospered soul.

Now, how does a soul prosper? There’s only one way, brother/sister: that’s by the Word of God. It tells you: “some hundred, some sixty, some thirty.”

In other words, the application of the living Word to your life and mine, based upon the constant seeking to understand and, thereby, apprehend the truth and the meat of it, has a power released in us to do the things we’re looking at.

And it’s going to come to the day, and we’ll speak on it, where Brother Branham talks, and God told him, “Pick up your pen and write,” and told him what the Bride would be and how she would conduct herself.

I’m afraid many people are looking at that in a Pentecostal way. In this church, we do not. We look at it in a complete, holistic approach.

Dealing from the soul to the outer part, and then out in this way.

And I know, before the Bride gets out of here, there is going to be a Bride on this earth that fulfills that entire prescription. She will be a Word Bride.

And I say, “Why not us?” I don’t see why we should look down the road and look for some other church. I don’t have to worry about anybody’s church. I just worry about this church.

Now, we read Matthew 13, and I’m going to show you chapter 13 followed chapter 12.

You say, “Sure it does. Thirteen always follows twelve.”

Exactly right. But I want to draw your attention to It. And what’s in chapter 12?

So, let’s go back to Matthew 12, and now we’ve got your attention, we’re going to start reading verse 22 to start with.

All right, now. What did He say awhile ago concerning the Kingdom? I mentioned awhile ago that this Word that corrects and feeds determines our relationship to the Kingdom of God by our assimilating It.

I proved that in the chapter 13 parable. Right? Absolutely does. What you bring forth depends on assimilation. All right.

Now, notice. He said, “The Kingdom is divided, and the house is divided.”

Now, He said, “Look, you can’t have it both ways.” He said, “Your children are doing it, and I’m doing it.”

He said, “They’re wrong, I’m wrong. I’m wrong, they’re wrong. Now, make up your mind.”

That’s where the Church of Christ is. They say Satan can heal. They blaspheme the Holy Ghost right there. I don’t care who they are. Satan cannot heal.

God said, “I am the Lord that healeth thee.” Now, when you don’t have divine healing, you can get natural healing. And the devil didn’t do that. God created. See?

Now, the devil can fool a lot of people in séances and things, but let’s get with the Word of God.

Now, He said:

Now, that tells you right there that Satan cannot touch you if you let your faith in God, which God is defined by the words, ‘stand there’, you are a free, unbounded person that can face the devil any day of the week in any minute.

Now, this is the Word of God I am talking about, and Brother Branham explained this. So now, you’ve got your pick.

Listen: if we can get this this morning, how are we going to do it?

You say, “God come and hit me with a bolt of lightning? I don’t know how we’re going to get this.”

But you realize what I’m talking about in relationship to the Kingdom means this: that all those things that I know and you know we are not doing right, or we are wrong, gives us the victory over them. See?

I’ve got to preach that this church, in my books, has got to be built on it. See?

What made Brother Branham the man that he was? It wasn’t just a visitation from God. That would have left him completely dried up, erratic, and insane.

It was God revealing Himself by the Word. The revelation was so great, he could take any Word and stand there and say, “I defy the world and the kingdom of darkness.” And knew that millions could challenge, and not the millions stand up against him.

You’re dealing with God, brother/sister. Like Moses, one man went down and led out Israel. One man army. And look at the handicap: a wife and two kids on a mule. Bad enough to go down himself with just a stick.

Now, you’ve got to look out for somebody.

Now:

In other words, if you let Satan trick you on this Word, and if I let him, faith goes out the window. Our strength is gone. We can become pawns to Satan. But if we stand with this Word…

Now, look; I am enunciating simple principles that are so deep and so rugged and so tough, and yet so gentle and so sweet and so mild, that I’m utterly confused with you, because I’ve lived seventy-three years now, and how many of us are getting here?

I want to tell you something: somebody’s going to get here. We’re getting here. I believe there’s growth. I believe there’s growth.

But I want you to see what the people in the five-fold ministry are obligated to you to you, and what you’re going to get.

Now, if you want a bunch of gifts you’re looking at the wrong guy. I have ceased to be charismatic. I’m sorry, I’m not a spell-binder, and I’m no longer fluent in the charismatic order and all those nice things. I cannot weave you around myself, this way, that way.

I’m only telling you one thing: my God people, let us get together on the Word. And it starts with a revelation. It starts with a doctrine. Sure it does.

The first doctrine in the Bible that came against the Word was, “Eve, now let me tell you; let’s sit down here and talk. I’m going to explain the doctrine. You’re not going to die.” And she died flat. And we’ve all been dying since.

You cannot get away from the doctrine, brother/sister. The minute you do, your action will be corrupt.

As Eve was barricaded behind the Word, there was nothing would go wrong, and the minute she stepped up from behind the Word, she got clobbered.

So, let’s understand what the prophet said.

Now, listen. He said:

In other words, he that does not take the same Word that I give is working against me. See? Let’s read on.

Now, listen. Now, watch the conclusion.

Now, watch. Now, watch. Keep going:

Now, you tell me, what Word will justify you in the sight of God? God’s Word, not yours.

So, what do you need above everything in the world? Not to simply know this Message by rote, that I can quote this quote and that quote, but to take It into our hearts as living doctrine, that this is what is going to give me Life.

Listen; I’m banking on it. I don’t know what you people are doing, but in my own feeble way, and it’s a feeble way, I must admit, I’m banking on it, or I’m not getting out of here. I’m not going to be healed. I’m not going to have anything.

This is not just my last resort, brother/sister. This is my resort. See, if you start talking about the last resort, the devil will come right along and trick you and say, “Well, here’s another one you’ve overlooked.” Hogwash. Phfft!

Oh, I’m not stupid. To a degree I am, but I’m not stupid in this thing. This is not a last resort. This is the last end-time Message. This is my resort! I’m going to get out of here because of the Word of Almighty God. See?

Now, no man can blaspheme the Holy Ghost without first rejecting the Word manifested, which is interpretation. Listen: let me read this to you, and I’ll explain it to you.

No man can blaspheme the Holy Ghost without first rejecting the Word manifested in interpretation, and then explained, so the sheep can follow It.

In other words, as Brother Branham said, “God interprets His Word by manifesting It.” This is peculiar in our day as in the day of Jesus.

The Word manifested Christ, the Logos. “He that has seen me, has seen the Father.” No doubt about it.

They said, “Forget it. This man’s not of God; he’s of the devil.” See? He did the miracles in signs to prove Who He was to vindicate that He had the right as the Word fulfilled to be the Messiah, to tell the people the truth.

And they said, “We won’t have It.”

Listen. What happened…? When the Word is interpreted by manifestation, you’re at your tail end of It. You are right up against it, where you got to make a decision, and your decision will be an eternal one.

Now, how do you judge this, and what this man did and spoke, according to Deuteronomy 18, and John 14:12, and right down the road, fulfilled again, John 15:25, Scripture after Scripture.

How do you interpret that? What do you say about It?

“Well, I know that that’s God.”

Now, you’re on the right track. Out of that will come an understanding, because he must follow with a dissertation to explain, because that’s the job of a prophet. Then the five-fold come after it.

If you say, “That is absolutely not of God; it is the devil.” Then what happens? The words that come out of your mouth have shown exactly where you stand, because “by your words you’re condemned, or you’re justified.”

These people that believe him will absolutely have to go to the Word of Almighty God, and base every one of their… Now, listen to the Word, because I’m going to use It very wrong, you base every one of your ‘prejudices’ for it. It’s not too bad a word.

The word ‘prejudice’ is kind of a word that means, ‘hey, I’m against it’. But ‘I’m prejudiced to the Word of God’ means ‘I’m against everything else’.

So, no matter what anybody tries to tell about this man and the ministry, I’m not interested. Now, look; they reply and say, “Just a minute.”

I say, “No, no, just a minute, you are not interested. I am. Why should I leave my interest for your interest?” I’ve been all through it. There’s no vindication there, none at all.

And I’m going to tell you something, brother/sister. You may believe this, and I hope you do. I stand with John the apostle.

And I’m going to have to close with this because our time’s gone.

If I am telling you the truth the way John spoke of Jesus Christ, and he said:

Now, that tells you… John said, “Look, I’m going to tell you about me and Jesus. If you listen you’ve got the same things that I’ve got.”

Now, according to God’s Word, he said, “I’m praying not only for those that believe me and my word, but those who believe me and my word because of them”—sanctified by the truth.

I say the same thing. I was with William Branham. For years I knew the man well. I saw the mighty works of God. I saw his life; I saw it all.

And I’m going to tell you something: I wouldn’t be in this pulpit teaching what I’m teaching, except I’ve got the hundred percent utmost confidence that what I’m telling you from my own experiences and my own understanding of the Word that, if I believe that I’ve got something real, there’s no doubt that you’ve got something real. And that’s how a pastor in the church functions.

Moses ate the same Manna that he called upon God to bring down from heaven. And the people were healthy and blessed and didn’t know it. Then, the people forced Moses to call for the fowl—the quail. From that time on they had trouble.

Depends on what a congregation is being fed by what pastors, what teachers, what elders, what deacons, what evangelists, what prophet, if there is one around… there are some, or what apostle. See?

No man can blaspheme the Holy Ghost without first rejecting the Word, manifested, interpreted, and explained so the sheep can follow.

As our God prophet and Paul and William Branham manifested the life and doctrine of God, proving the Word that they said was correct, so every charismatic believer, even though he could be like Judas, the devil, and use a real gift of God…

Now, let’s face it, that’s the truth of the Bible, because Judas did it. You can’t say, “Well, all the rest but Judas did it.”

You cannot pervert the Word of God. Judas did it. It says, “All the twelve came back rejoicing.” He did it.

They signify the truth, not of Heb 13:8, but Mark 16. “Go into all the world with signs following.”

I’m going to ask you this morning, which were you following? Are you taking part of it… the peripheral? Or are you taking all of it?

All right. Listen; I’m going to close with this. Brother Branham… Here’s,

‘How Can I Overcome’ 08-25-63

He said this concerning Lot’s wife…

[81]  So he set out to leave Sodom, leave denomination, leave the things that bind you to creeds and follow Christ by the Holy Spirit, vindicating Himself by the written Word of God. In other words, you took the Bible instead of the creed you set out to follow.

[82]  Well, Lot’s wife did the same thing, you know. She set out to go with Lot, follow her husband, her children, her loved ones, but it wasn’t in her heart. She still loved the world. So it’s possible you can make a start and still be in the world… See, [That’s what It says in Matthew there.] she never overcome.

And even though she was well on the road, it finally overthrew her. She had to take that one big, long, last look. There’s where she got caught. Don’t even look back. Don’t have no desires. Keep going. [Israel did the same thing, see? That’s why that only two got in over twenty.] Put your mind on Calvary [In other words, you’ve got to sacrifice.] keep moving towards Christ.

[83]  See, she started out as an overcomer, but she never did overcome. Oh, she left the denomination; sure she did. She walked out of Sodom with Lot, she wanted to go back and have her hair cut. [You know,] she had to go back. She just couldn’t stand the test. She had to look back again to see what the rest of them were doing.

“Oh, you know, I have some good friends down there after all. [That’s right. Now, no doubt about that. There’s good people, brother/sister. Don’t misunderstand.] And after all, this might be just a little move; I don’t know whether it could be right or not.

I’ve only got this man’s word for it. Though he’s my husband, but yet (Your pastor is your husband spiritually speaking. You see?) now, whether it could be right or not. [She didn’t know.]

Now, there’s the thing that you’ve got to settle on. If you have no confidence in the preaching of the Word in that pulpit, you have no confidence the way the preacher uses the Word in order to build you up and to benefit you and keep you secured to see you get there, get away from that man; get yourself another one.

Now, I’ll be in the dog house for that statement, wherever the tape goes, and I care less. I’m ready for a confrontation with swords, cannons, guns, or throw sulfuric acid if that’s what you want, so to speak, with the Word.

All holds are barred when it comes to what I preached this morning. I believe what I say. Whether I deliver It or not is another thing, and that’s up to you to decide.

As I said, before this series is over, you could say, “Well, Brother Vayle, we’ve had enough of you.”

I’d say, “Well fine, thanks.” I’d just go someplace else.

You’ve got the choice. You’ve got to understand that I am not fooling here. I may be superficial in many ways. I may not be talented according to the Scriptures in many ways. I may be a failure.

But I’m not going to stay here and tell you something that I believe off the Word of God. I’m going to tell you that Word. And I could qualify as knowing all the mysteries and still not have the Holy Ghost. But I’ll not lead you astray by the grace of Almighty God if I’ve got it.

There’s one thing that you must understand: it is this Word that counts and not the turning and the fiddling of It, but the constant application through the entire Bible. It’s got to be in every age and every single part of the Word.

And we’ll deal with the very things that I know cause some of your heartaches, I’ve not got there yet… just a tiny bit. I said “a tiny bit.”

But we’ll deal with some of those things to show you, you are not obligated to any person anymore than I am. I have nobody over me… none whatever. I’m obligated to the Word.

And there’s no big-shots amongst us. There’s no holy men amongst us. There’s just the Holy Ghost.

And in the Bride is the presence of Jesus Christ Himself in the form of the Holy Ghost in a Pillar of Fire. And He will lead us into the Millennium.

And if we’re not there, somebody is going to be there. And if I’m not preaching this Word right, some pastor, some teacher, is preaching this Word right.

But I’ve got news for you: I’m not preaching It wrong. So, I’m willing to carry the responsibility.

Let’s rise and be dismissed.

Gracious, heavenly Father, again we want to thank You for Your love to us, Your goodness, Your mercy, O God. We know some things are hard maybe to follow concerning this Word, but, Lord, we know the hardness is only in our own thinking.

We are not properly counting the cost, which is based in truth, that, when we follow Your Word, we are walking in the sunlight of Your love.

And though trials may constantly beset us, there is not one that can overcome us. There is not one that will cause us to err and lose our eternal Life.

There is nothing, Lord, that’s falling upon us, but is common to all men, just the ordinary trials of life. And at this age, Lord, we are no different from any other age.

In fact, we are highly privileged to know that there was a manifested evidence of truth as there hasn’t been for two thousand years.

Lord, I know that this makes us more responsible than ever, but that’s fine. I don’t believe, Lord, any of us are too grieved to be responsible for something that is really true, and we’re a part of It.

In fact, Lord, I would think that we’re all very happy, and we’re very glad and secure in such a thing as that. So, Lord, as far as we know this morning we can honestly say that our failures have been of ourselves.

That there is nothing, Lord, You’ve put upon us, and there’s nothing You’ve given us, there’s nothing that You’ve asked of us that isn’t really perfectly wonderful, and marvelous in the Light of this hour.

We just need to really smarten up to It. To see how blessed a people we are, and how privileged we are at this hour to come to this place.

Now, Father, I don’t believe that I’ve said anything wrong to the people in any way, shape or form. If I have, Lord, some little thing here or there, I pray that by this weekend You’ll help me to know, and it’s absolutely corrected to the people, so that, even if I’ve expressed something that may have been taken wrong, I pray, Lord, You’ll bring my thoughts to it, so that I can express it right to the people so they’re not going to get off track, because, Lord, I’m depending and believing with all my heart in this hour that what I have from You here to give to the people is the truth, Lord, is what is right for them, the ruling and the feeding by the Word of God.

Now, unto You I commend them, Lord, and myself, and unto Thee we give the praise in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

“Take the Name of Jesus with You.”