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Turning Northward (61-0129) |
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E-1
…?… a cold–Satan handed it over to me, and I handed it back to
him. He handed it back to me, and I handed it to him. So just kept on
that way until time to go to dedicate a church, and then finally I got
away from him and went on to dedicate the church.
Standing upon this box this afternoon… That takes me back to the time
Mama used to put me on a box to wash the dishes. Well, I hope we do the
same thing this afternoon, so the Lord bless.
E-2
A few announcements, announcement I had to make in Houston the other
day. I was give a little paper here that said that "Please announce
that Brother Van Heuf… Van Heus, and W. P. Hinse, will be in Phoenix,
Arizona, February the 27th through March the 5th." Keep that in mind.
And now, I think tomorrow night that Brother Oral Roberts is to speak
here. From perhaps this same auditorium? The banquet. And Brother Oral
is certainly a masterpiece of God's in the pulpit. Wonderful man of
God, a man of faith. And I'm sure it'll do you good to come out and
hear Brother Roberts tomorrow night.
And then the breakfast in the morning, and so forth, there's many…
many has… Already I've seen many behind the curtain has got their
tickets, and so forth. That's fine. So, we're always glad to be in
these conventions.
E-3
I know you have something coming off in a few minutes, or just
immediately after I get through speaking–some kind of a meeting. I'll
cut my words as short as possible. One thing, being a little hoarse,
and the next thing squeezed for time, and you've already been here over
two hours. I know you're tired.
Now, tomorrow or next Sunday, the Lord willing (next Sunday being
February the 5th), next Sunday evening at the Assemblies of God in
Tucson, we'll be praying for the sick. Next Sunday evening, beginning
at seven-thirty at Tucson, Arizona. And then we travel from there on to
the West Coast to the… and to down to below Los Angeles–Long Beach,
I believe it is; then up around Bakersfield for the next service, then
going on east. I hope that if it's God's will that I be in Zurich the
same time these men are there, and also in Jerusalem. I'd like to go to
Jerusalem once and see the land where our Lord has been.
I want to greet so many of my fine friends here this afternoon. I see
Brother Magnason and Brother Rhodes, so many around here. It'd take
quite a time to call their names. And standing here a few moments ago
and see little Brother Smith come up and throwed his arms around
me–what a wonderful time of fellowship.
E-4
Now, as we read the Scriptures I'd like to take for a text, if it be
called that, out of the 3rd verse of the 2nd chapter of Deuteronomy:
I'd like to speak on the subject of "Turning Northward."
It would be hard for Israel to think that the promised land was forty
years away when they were standing on the other side of the Red Sea,
dancing, shouting, rejoicing, when they were only merely just a few
days from it. It isn't but just a very short time. I think with an
automobile you could probably drive it in an hour and a half. By
walking you could make it in two days, three or four something like
that, easy. You could go on to the promised land.
And they were thinking that they were almost there, and they were
having a great jubilee of shouting and praising God, and seeing what
God had did for them, and how that… It'd been hard to make them
believe that they was forty years away from that promise, to the full
promise of God that He promised them.
E-5
Grace had provided them a great thing. Grace had provided them a
Passover lamb. Grace had provided them a prophet. And grace had
provided them an Angel. The Passover lamb was for their sins. Their
prophet was their instructor. The Angel was their guide. Grace had
provided everything for them. But in spite of all of that, they wanted
a law.
And this grace had provided them an escape out of Egypt before they had
any law. Then grace had provided them one of the greatest revivals that
they'd ever had. In this revival they had seen great powers of God. In
this revival they had seen sunshine while the rest of the world was in
darkness. In this revival they'd seen the mighty hand of God deliver
the innocent people, bringing them from bondage in deliverance. And in
this revival, after they'd crossed over the Red Sea, they found all
their enemies dead in the Red Sea behind them. Why would they want to
add anything to that?
E-6
They stand just about like our Pentecostal fathers did about forty
years ago or a little better, after we had seen the same things that
they had seen, one of the mightiest revivals that the church ever had:
Seen divine healing, the people brought out of bondage, being bound by
fetters of denominations and so forth, been brought out into a freedom.
Grace had provided them everything they had need of: an Angel of God to
lead them, prophets, great men.
E-7
I heard them say the other day that Azusa Street meetings, when they
had it over here in California, that they thought it was a disgrace
when they ever entered the song books in the church. They sang in the
Spirit. Just as the Spirit gave them utterance, they sang. They danced
in the Spirit. They had a great time. And they expected the Word of God
in sanctification to separate them from their sins, and they knowed
they'd passed from death unto life. What a revival they were having of
some forty years ago!
But as Israel did, so did our fathers make a fatal mistake–one thing
that's held them in the wilderness another forty years. We find out
that instead of being satisfied with what they had, and what God had
done for them, and seeing the works of His hands, the fruit of grace
providing everything they had need of–even to so much as they didn't
have to have a song book. I wish I could've seen that in them days.
E-8
But Israel, after all those things, Israel in the natural… This is
Israel in the spiritual. Just as God was taking His people to a
promised land in the natural, He's taking His church to a promised land
in the spiritual. And they was on their road having a great time, but
yet they… After grace had provided everything that they had need of,
yet they wanted something to do themselves, something that they could
show God they had something to do into it.
And that's what… The church, when it gets in that condition, it's
always when they lose out. And when you try, or I try, or any man
tries, to put his hand on the work of God, to add something to it, or
take something away from it… We must leave it just the way that God
provided it for us. Just let the revival move on as the Spirit moves
on.
E-9
These people was only eight or ten days away from the full promise of
God, if they would've followed the leading of the Holy Spirit. These
people in this day, our fathers, was just a few days away from the
fullness of God's promise, if they'd just went ahead and followed the
leading of the Holy Spirit. But we had to do something like they did.
The most fatal mistake that Israel ever made was Exodus 19. After grace
had provided them all these things and had given the revival, they
still required a law. Though they could have schools, theological
trained ministers, and well, just be like the rest of the people-
something that they could fuss about, something they could separate one
another, break up a fellowship or brotherhood. "We believe this," and
"We believe that." If they'd just let it go on the way God had it
going, it would have been all right.
E-10
But we always try to put our ideas in it; that when we inject our
ideas, when we inject our theology into God's Spirit, it takes God's
Spirit away. That's the way it was in that day. They were on the road,
but they wanted something they could do themselves.
Through their fussing, and through their carrying on, they found out
then that they drove the Spirit of God away from them. It was a great
mistake. It was a great mistake when we did the same thing, our
fathers. When the Holy Spirit first fell on Azusa Street, and many of
the parts of the world, if we would just let it go on, leading of the
Spirit–keep the world out, go on, and let the Holy Spirit lead–we'd
have done been in the promised land. But we've been forty-something
years away from it. Just as they did, so have we.
Something came into the church, another issue, and we wanted to
denominate ourselves, instead of just going ahead and loving the
brethren, going on. Now, why not leave it alone. "Every plant that My
heavenly Father hasn't planted will be rooted up anyhow." So what good
does it do for us to draw some denominational barriers to keep the
other fellow out. We only fence up something.
E-11
Now, there's a little story goes something like this, that… Maybe it
isn't appropriate to say in the pulpit over a Spirit-filled bunch of
people as I have the privilege of speaking to. But said, Two monkeys
was setting in the tree, looking at each other. And they looked down
and seen the poor human beings, and they said, "Men, aren't they
miserable? and they say that they came from us. That's mistaken. Never
would I ever fence up my coconut tree to keep my brother monkeys from
not eating the same coconuts that I eat." See? That's human beings. The
church has always been that way.
E-12
One time, when Israel wanted to act like the rest the nations, they
wanted a king. They wanted Samuel to give them a king. Well, Samuel
told them, said, "This won't work. God is your King. Just let God be
your King."
But they wanted a king, because they wanted to act like the rest of the
nations. They wanted to act like the Philistines and the rest of the
nations–pattern after the world, instead of letting God be their King.
Samuel told them… God said to Samuel… Samuel, their faithful old
prophet, called Israel up and said, "Have I ever told you anything in
the name of the Lord but what come to pass? Have I ever told you
anything in the name of the Lord that did not come to pass? Have I ever
begged you for your money, or taken anything away from you?"
"No, you have not begged our money," said Israel. "Neither have you
told us anything in the name of the Lord that did not come to pass. But
still, we want a king anyhow."
E-13
See, man wants to do something himself. He wants to show his authority.
He wants to show how big he is, or how much different he can be from
somebody else, from the rest of the people. That's when God goes out of
the picture, just exactly.
Now, as Israel was, always has been, just as it was then, there was a
mixed multitude. Some of them wanted one thing, some wanted another.
That's the way we get it today; and usually the one on the other side
is the one that wins, when…
It's the same way at the Nicene Council, when our churches was set up.
One wanted one thing, and one another. The little Pentecostal group was
pushed on the outside. the organization take it over.
E-14
And the deeds of the Nicolaitanes became a doctrine after the Nicene
council. They formed their own faith, put up their own men, taken all
the… "Nico," as I said the other day, means "conquer." "Nicolaitanes"
means to "conquer the laity," and put all the holiness in a man: do as
you want to and pay the money into the church; and let the man do the
forgiveness of sins; and let him do your praying, and so forth.
That's not God's will. God's Word gets out amongst the laity,
everybody. You're an individual. God dealt with Israel as a nation, you
and I as individuals. We each one has to answer before God for our
sins.
E-15
And we see that that mixed multitude… Well… This is… Two sons of
Isaac and Rebekah represents the world over. Every time there's a
revival there's twins born. Every time we have a revival, twins are
born. Esau and Jacob were twins. One of them was a man after the world,
and the other was spiritual.
Now, Esau was just as good a man as Jacob was, if you looked at him. He
liked to take care of his old blind father, which was a prophet. He was
a good boy –morally, I guess, all right. But… and he helped work.
And perhaps Jacob was just a Mama's boy, hung around Mama and just, we
call, a little sissy. And so Esau was loved, a man of the world,
natural, never cared nothing about the birthright.
E-16
But to Jacob it didn't make any difference how he got it, there was
only one thing he had in his mind: and that was the birthright! No
matter what… anything else, or how he got it… That's the way it is
with a spiritual-born churches. When the Catholic church had a revival,
when Luther had a revival, when Wesley had a revival, Knox, Calvin, and
all down through the ages, it produced twins. And when Pentecost had a
revival, it produced twins. When Moses had a revival down in Egypt, it
produced twins, a mixed multitude: one to… one to the world, that
wants to act like the world, be like the world, and pattern their
message with the world. The others don't care about what the world
says, how classic it looks, or how unclassic it looks, they got one
thing in common, that's hold onto the birthright, keep a hold of God.
Just the way it's always been. That's the way it is yet today, my
friends. Hold onto the birthright.
Jacob, he… didn't make any difference how much they called him a
sissy, how much… what… how he got it, just so he got it. That's the
way it is today. Makes no difference to people who's spiritual. Now
the… many times the churches are compromising. It gets so they just
shake hands with the preacher.
E-17
As David duPlessis well placed it not long ago, that God don't have any
grandchildren. That is true. Our Pentecostal churches are bringing in
their young ones, placing them upon the seat, and putting them members
of the church. They never come through the process of being born again,
and filled with the Holy Ghost, and upon their own. We just take them
into the church.
What have they got? A bunch of flat-top hair cuts, Rickeys, run right
on the street here just like the rest of the world; women with
bobbed-hair, wearing make-up and everything else– it's a
disgrace–trying to pattern after the world instead of going after the
spiritual standpoint.
E-18
We've had a lot of great moves in our great big churches, and try to be
bigger than the other fellow, mowing the other fellow over, and working
for our organizations, denominations. What have we got? We're hatching
out a bunch of hybrid people, instead of borned again children of God.
That's right.
Hybrid–one of the ruinations of the world. A hybrid can never cross
himself again. When a mule is ever born… A mule cannot be nothing
else but a mule. That's all he is. He's born, he's a mule. He's a
half-breed. He's between a horse and mule. He don't know who his papa
is, and who his mama is, where he come from, or where he's going. He's
just ignorant as he can be. He hasn't got no, no gentleness to him. You
can talk to him, he will just stick his ears out and nicker, "haw,
haw," with his big ears out.
Sometimes I get around and preach to a lot of them mules, that knows no
more about God than a Hottentot knows about a Egyptian knight. Stick
their ears out and say, "The days of miracles is past. There's no such
a thing." It's a hybrid. He might belong to a Pentecostal organization
that… Might belong to any other organization, but a borned again man
and woman…
E-19
Anything I love is a hybrid horse… or not a hybrid horse, a real
gentle pedigreed horse. What I like is a pedigreed Pentecostal
experience: one who knows were they come from, knows what's got a hold
of them, and knows where they're going, with a spirit of gentleness,
sweetness, and Holy Spirit, some with tolerance and fellowship, reach
across the line, and shake hands with any brother, take him in–he's a
brother citizen of the same kingdom.
No matter how he was baptized, or sprinkled, or poured, or what he did,
or throwing his head, or jump up and down, or whatever he done, he's a
brother anyhow. As long as he's got the Holy Ghost, he's your brother.
And a real pedigreed, borned again Pentecostal man and woman believe
that with all your heart, and that's…?… Certainly…?…
E-20
These twin revivals, one brings forth a man that's supposed to be
intellectual; most most have been schooled. They're trying to dodge
that issue of new birth. The church is trying to dodge it. Today we
take people in by water baptisms, put them in the church by water
baptism. You might put them in the church by water baptism, but you'll
never put them into Christ by water baptism. You got to be borned in
there by the Spirit. That's right.
As I've often said, I say again. I don't care what kind of a birth it
is, any birth is a mess. If it's in a pig pen, or if it's in a corn
shock, or if it's is a pink decorated hospital room, it's a mess. And
so is the new birth a mess. It'll make you do things that you never
thought you'd do. It'll make you weep, bawl, cry, and raise up your
hands, and turn all kinds of shines, and everything else. And you'll
act disgraceful before a starchy, self-styled group. But you don't
care, as long as you get birth out of it.
E-21
You've got to be born…?… It's being borned again, coming to the new
birth. Coming to a place to where they're trying to dodge the issue by
taking in members, trying to beat this other fellow, "Our
organization's going higher than the other." This don't amount to
nothing, not a thing!
It's the kingdom of God is what counts. We're all working for one
place. I belong to the Baptist church, to the Assemblies, or the
Oneness, or the Threeness, or the Fiveness, or whatever it was. We want
to be working for one principle: That's for our heavenly Father, to get
born-again children into that kingdom up there. Outside of that, we're
working in vain. We're trying to do something for a man-made
institution that'll fall, as sure a two two's is four. It's got to
fall, it's of man. Has to fall. Only God's thing stands.
I have nothing against them. That's fine and dandy: but when you draw
those barriers that we cannot fellowship with the other fellow, that's
when it gets bad. I been given out and told that I didn't like
organizations. I like the people in the organizations, but not… The
organizations is fine as long as they don't draw a spot, and say, "We
believe this, and you… the rest of you, stay away from it. And we'll
not cooperate with that Businessmen's group or anything as long as they
do like the way the other organization…"
E-22
When they get to be an organization, I'm getting away from them. That's
exactly right. I don't believe in the stuff. I believe that we're
brother, have fellowship and following the leading of the Spirit.
That's exactly what I like about it.
A mixed multitude. They had a law. They went to Mount Sinai, got a law,
so they could all have doctor's degrees, Ph.D., and LL.D., Q.S.D's and
all kinds of D's. And so, the first thing you know, it's got them in
trouble.
E-23
Now, the law served its purpose. It was all right in its day. The law
did all right; in its day it served its purpose. So has the
denominations done all right. It's all right in its purpose. But
remember, the law never took them to the promised land. Joshua took
them over, grace, not the law.
And neither will the denomination, any denomination ever take the
church of God over. It'll be the grace of God that's shed abroad in our
hearts by the baptism of the Holy Ghost that'll take us to the promised
land, into the fullness of God's blessings. Certainly it is. They make
a fatal mistake when they do those things.
It served its purpose, was very well, but the time come when it wasn't
no good no more. God let it die out, so He could take grace and take
them across, and positionally place them into their places in the
promised land. So will the grace of God put every member, prophets,
teachers, so forth. Not… A denomination can't do that. You have a
bunch of presbyters to lay hands on. It won't mean no more than
throwing water on. It's got to take the Holy Ghost to "separate Me,
Paul and Barnabas." It took the Holy Ghost just to separate a man and
woman and place them where they… their position…?… in Christ.
That's true.
E-24
Now, we find out they journeyed from there then to Kadesh-barnea.
Kadesh-barnea, they made their most fatal mistake they ever did make.
Israel made a real mistake when she come to Kadesh-barnea.
Well, they had… then they had their twelve different heads, twelve
different groups of them. And they sent the up to the promised land to
spy out, to see what they could get… any information from the inside.
When they come back, we find out that ten of the group said, "It's
impossible to take it. We just can't do it. It's too much of a job.
We're little bitty fellows up the side of them. We look like
grasshoppers."
But there was two that had evidence. They'd been somewhere. When they
come back, they had the fruits of the land. They come back to know that
they'd been over, and brought back the evidence that it was a good
land. Well, that's about the way we get it out of a revival–about two
in a setting. It's just about like setting a hen's egg, about two out
of a good setting.
E-25
And the first thing you know, Joshua and Caleb come back with the
evidence that it was a good land. They had a evidence. A evidence. But
that wasn't all the evidence. They just had one evidence. That's what
the Pentecostals got when they crossed over the land, into the
wilderness, over the Red Sea, and found their enemy dead. They begin
speaking in tongues as an evidence that they'd been over there. They
knowed there was something good. They knowed there was a land somewhere
that was beyond anything that we've reached yet. That's right.
But that's not all the things. We settled down on that, went to seed on
that. Right. God said, "If there be one among you to come in and speak
with tongues, the unlearned comes in, he will say, 'Well, they're all
mad.' But if one will prophesy and reveal the secrets of the heart,
then they'll fall down and say surely God is with you." Paul said that.
E-26
Now, when we stop on one evidence of speaking in tongues being the Holy
Ghost, which is all right. That's true. That's the evidence of the Holy
Ghost, but just look at the other things goes in there.
But as soon as we did it, we have to denominate ourselves to keep the
others out, build up a fence around our coconut tree that nobody else
glean off of this but us. That's the reason the rest of us couldn't get
anywhere. It's our own selfish ideas instead of letting the Holy Spirit
lead us all out. And we've waited for forty years, and nothing's
happening. You're still staying in the same place, same old thing. Oh,
my.
E-27
We find out that they made a fatal mistake. And they raise up a bunch
of fighters. That's what we have, a big bunch of fighters. One saying,
"Bless God, I'm the Assemblies. You are Oneness. Don't you have
anything to do into it, You old Church of God, we got it." Church of
God: "Bless God, we are the ones that's got it. We got the prophesied
name."
The Oneness says, "We got it because we baptize right. Hallelujah!" You
bunch of fighters. God just let you set right here till you die. That's
exactly right.
The Bible said they stayed there till all the old fighters died out.
Amen. That's exactly right. He let them stay right there till all the
old fighters died out. The Bible said so. Those fighters, fighting over
their organization boundaries, and "Don't you have no fellowship with
that group. That's buzzard roost, and this is so-and-so." As long as
you got that in you head, you'll just set right there on the mountain
and starve to death.
E-28
Did you ever think of what those people done for forty years? Not even
forty days away, and God kept them there forty years. That's what it
was a long time ago.
"Well, I believe that…" Someone speaking of the coming of the Lord
Jesus, I believe it's past due. I believe it's because of the church,
the reason it's past due. Jesus said so. "As it was in the days of
Noah, so will it be in the coming of the Son on man." In the days of
Noah, God was long-suffering not willing that any should perish. He
waited for the people to come in, and today He's waiting for the church
to get together.
I know it's not popular. It's not popular amongst people. But, brother,
it's the message of the hour to come together. The souls have to move
together. We are to be one church of the living God–Methodists,
Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Oneness, Threeness, Fiveness, all
of us together. We are one group. We are God's children by birth.
That's exactly right.
E-29
"All the Father has give to Me will come to Me," and how are you going
to come, when you got a fence built so high you can't touch the
coconuts. See? "You have to do this, and do that." Oh, so many people…
Like the Philippian jailer that night, when he said, "What must I do to be saved?"
What will we do? We tell him what not to do. "You got to quit doing
this, you got to quit going over there. You got to quit doing this." He
never asked what he had to quit doing, doing. He asked what could he do
to be saved? Right!
Paul told in no misunderstanding words, he said, "Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." That's all. Get the faith of God
back in the people, so that they'll know what to do and how to act. Not
say, "Come over and join our group. Come over and join that group."
Just get them back to God, God will do the rest of it. Get them into
the kingdom. Old fighters…
E-30
The Bible said that because they disbelieved the two men… Caleb and
Joshua quietened the crowd. Now, ten years ago, they wanted to know…
introduce Pentecostal, and all different ones, and so forth, and
they… One say, "Well, now we will go down at these big groups, and
things like that, and we're going to let the Holy Ghost lead us on."
Some of them said, "Let the Holy Spirit lead."
Well, some new issues and the different kinds come in. If it's not of
God it'll fall anyhow. So why… Just let them go ahead and let's love
one another. Don't fight one another. As long as the devil's got you
fighting one another, he don't have to fight at all. He will set back
and has a picnic, watching you fight one another, and laugh at you
professing to have the Holy Ghost, and fighting one another.
E-31
Love one another. Jesus said, "… this will all men know that you're
My disciples, when you got love one for the other." This is when all
men will know that you're My disciples: got love one for the other.
That's the greatest evidence of the Holy Ghost that I know of, when you
can love one another. Yes, sir. That's the great commandment. Great
thing. Though you speak with tongues of men and angels, and have not
love, it profits you nothing.
See, don't organize off on your evidence of the Holy Ghost–which is
all right, I believe it, too. But wait. There's more than that. (Excuse
me, my colored friends.) Like the colored man down in the South was
eating watermelon. They give him a little bitty slice about like that.
That boy could eat more watermelon than that.
Said. "How did you like it, Sambo?"
He said, "That's good. But there's more of it."
E-32
That's just the way it is when I get a taste of God, when the Holy
Ghost comes into the meeting. That's good, but I want more of it.
There's more of it, because He promised every redemptive blessings is
ours. Yes, sir!
They stayed on a mountain forty years. We stayed in our denominations
forty years, fussing this way, and that way, and… Do you ever think
what them people done out there forty years? Well, sure God was with
them. He's been with us. They'd been out there forty years, and they
raised children. God prospered them, had good crops. They done a lot of
good out there. God blessed them and healed their sickness. There
wasn't a feeble one among them when they come out of the wilderness.
But He let them stay right there till that old bunch of fighters
left–all died out.
E-33
That's just exactly what He's done today, set us right down, joined the
Assemblies, and join the Church of God, and join this, and join that,
and join, join, join, oh, until we set here; and raised children and
bought Cadillacs and prospered in business and everything else.
But the end of the forty years is up, brother. There's a new
generation's been raised up. That's right. There was a Joshua raised up
one day. He absolutely believed God's Word, every bit of the promise-
not only to take care of you, and bless your business and so forth, but
there's more of it than that. God's done the same thing today. And I
believe that this Full Gospel Businessmen's organization is part of
God's program. I'm not saying that because I'm standing here before
them. If I did, I'd be a hypocrite.
E-34
But I mean it, because they have not drove down a stake, and say "this
organization," or "that organization." They stretched their lines far
enough till they take in all. And that's the reason I'm part of them
today, because they're in the very program that I believe is right. It
was stretched to the Assemblies of God, to the Church of God, to the
Foursquare, to the P. A. J. C., P. A. of W., United, everybody,
whosoever will, let him come that he might drink of the water from the
fountain of the waters of God freely.
Don't matter if you're riding a one hump camel, two humps, three humps
or how many humps he's got–even if he's on a donkey. No. Don't make
any difference…?… There's food for all of us here at this house.
That's when they come together. That's the reason I've followed the
Businessmen around, because in there I can speak to all the groups and
get my message over to them, to let them know that this is the thing I
believe in.
E-35
I believe this day's the same thing through all of it." They got to be
a part of it. They can be an example of what God can do when men can
come together, and break their denominational barriers. I believe that
these men here that you see now, these younger fellows, what are these
groups here? It's the group of sons of the old fighters.
But these fellows are not fighters. The new group wasn't fighters. He
let all the old fighters die off. When the old fighters died off, He
took their sons, and raised up among them Joshua, and sent them over to
the full promise.
I believe that that's what we're seeing today. I believe that's what
this Christian Businessmen's organization is doing. God is using it
mightily, and He will continue to do it as long as they keep that
denominational barriers broke down. They don't tell you what church to
belong to. Belong to anything you want to.
But they're trying to get you… getting away from the old fighter's
disposition, back to where there's room, we can put our arms around any
brother. If it's Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Oneness, Threeness,
or whatever it is, put their arms around him. He's a brother. Don't
fight him; love him. Amen. As long as we keep that attitude, God going
to reap one of these days. And I believe we lay at His feet now…
E-36
You've been on this mountain of organization forty years. Let's move
upward. Let's move out of here. Ministers, my ministering brother out
there; don't you think we've been on this mountain long enough? Don't
you think we've fussed, and fought, and carried on, and stewed over our
organization boundaries long enough?
Let's get off of this mountain and move up to the promised land. Let's
start going up, and possess the land. God told them, "Go up and possess
the land. All the old fighters is gone now. Put your sword back in its
sheath. Don't fight."
E-37
Listen, men, don't you make the same mistake your fathers did, or
you'll be here forty years, too. See where the Christian men's
organizations, and so forth, or Christian men's…?… If you ever
organize it, you'll stick right here another forty years.
But it's time that God is calling His church to move up. I believe
that. And notice, He said, "Now, as you go by Mount Seir… "Now,
there's your denominational brother Esau's setting up there (a good
Presbyterian, Methodist or Baptist). Now, don't bother him. Don't fuss
at him. Just pass by, and say, 'How do you do, brother?'" Walk right
on. But you been wanting to get him and shake him and tell him he
hasn't got nothing. That's right! Remember, he's got just what God give
him. He come out of the same revival you did. Right.
E-38
He's got… He's told… told Joshua, "See that you don't go over on
Mount Seir, now, 'cause I've give that to Esau." That's all the farther
he's supposed to go. That's all he knows about. That's the only thing
he knows, is his denomination. "Oh, we are so-and-so: we are…" That's
all he knows. That's all God give him. "Just pass on by now. Don't go
to fussing and fighting with him. Just pass by quietly. But looky here,
Jacob, you Pentecostal Jacob–you really born again, that's got the
experience, and led by the Holy Ghost–don't go to fussing with him."
But the Pentecostal Jacob has the full promise down in the land, the
thing that's going to happen. God said He'd just…?… the whole
thing, and put you in the promised land, with the fullness of the
Spirit, with every operation.
E-39
As I stood the other morning in that meeting and seen that myself, that
my ministry is a spiritual ministry, as I'm not much of a preacher. But
notice, in those lines when they talked about Charles Price and him
dying there, and Brother Shakarian prophesying that these things come
to pass, oh, my spirit rose up within me, said, "That's it, that's it,
that's it. If they could only see it, that's it."
We're ready to go up and take the land. Remember what I say about
hospitals and so forth, we're ready to do it when you sons of the old
fighters gets together.
Oh, you ministers here, you brethren here in Phoenix, break down your
denominational barriers. Repent and get a Pentecostal revival! We can
all join in…?… want a revival, the Holy Spirit falling back in the
church, and being led by the Holy Ghost. God willing to do it. Go up
and possess the land.
Pass on by them. Don't, don't fuss with them. If they don't want to
come, that's all right. That's all right. Go ahead. "How you do,
brother?" Pass on by. He's a borderline believer. That's all he knows,
is stay on the borderline. That's the way a lot of people are today.
All they know is their denomination, "I belong to this. I belong to
that."
E-40
I asked a woman one time was she a Christian. She said, "I'll give you
to understand I burn a candle every night," like that had anything to
do with anything that's Christianity.
I heard a man say, said, "I'm an American. Sure I am." That's no more
to do with it than a hog needs a sidesaddle; that's no, no more to do
with it than put a sidesaddle on a hog. Why? America don't mean
Christianity. Christianity is a borned again experience, the baptism of
the Holy Ghost it'll…?… for fellowship and love and tolerance. And
the Holy Spirit takes over the church, and does great things. Oh, sure.
Yes, sir.
I thought I felt something moving me around. I didn't know what it was.
I wasn't sure I wasn't gone up already… said, "Somebody's moving the
box around now. Thought, "Here I go…?…" Yes, sir.
E-41
Possess the promises. The promise is unto you and your children, to
them that's far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Christians, brother, sisters, we've been on this land long enough.
We've been around here on this mountain. We've been on this
denominational mountain too long now.
We've been out here forty years using this for evidence, speaking in
tongues. Oh, my! When there's powers that's unknown, when the resources
is untapped: "Whatever you ask in My name, that I'll do. Ask the Father
anything in My name and I'll do it." Amen. Just divine healing,
speaking in tongues, well, that's, that's just a few grapes that was
brought back from across the land. The land is ours! It all belongs to
us. Don't be afraid that the other fellow's going to beat you over
there. Just join up with him and go on over. That's the way to do it.
And we've been on this mountain for forty years. Let's get off of it,
and go towards the promised land.
E-42
My prayer is that God will help these Businessmen to keep their hearts
as one. That's right. And if the ministers won't do it, God will raise
up businessmen to do it, or something else, to get them together…
Because the church cannot go with an arm in one place, and a head
another, and a foot another. He's got to have a prophesying and a noise
of coming together (That's all I can tell you), till the whole body of
the Lord Jesus Christ stands up as one great unit of God, then we'll
leave this mountain, and go over and possess the promised land. Until
then, I'm your brother, and I'm only fighting for that one purpose: to
unite the church of the living God together, as one heart and one
accord. God bless you. Brother Shakarian…
[Blank.spot.on.tape–Ed.]
E-43 [Remaining portion of tape may be part of another service. It starts with another brother's comments–Ed.]
Think that maybe in our worship, as sincere as we are, yet sometimes we
fail to see the real power of God as great as it is among us. Now, when
this vision came, which… Many of you–perhaps all here has been in
the meetings, and see visions to see what takes place. And the reason I
made that remark, to say here this morning, is just… If you could
just know the Presence of the Lord. They've taken a picture of it many
times, that Light. That–that is God, friends, because it brings forth
the same nature.
E-44
Just like if a–if a–if a tree… I was here in Arizona some time ago
and found a citrus fruit tree that I think had several different kinds
of–of fruit on it. Maybe it was an orange tree, and had, maybe, say, a
lemon and grapefruit growing on it. It'll–it'll grow in that tree. But
Jesus said in Saint John 5–15, I believe, "I'm the Vine, ye are the
branches." Well, now, if that branch brought forth… or this–this
Vine brought forth its first branch, and they wrote a book of Acts
behind that–that–that branch, if that true vine brings forth another
branch, it'll write another book of facts behind it. See, because now,
there's a grafted… You can graft these other citrus fruit, and it'll
live of the life of that tree.
E-45
And I think today that many times in our–not belittling our
organizations now, but we–we end it with a period. You see, "We
believe this and that's all." If we will end it with a comma, "We
believe this, plus what God will show us," see, it'll be different,
your organization. But when you end it with a comma, there's nothing
else to He added. And as the tree is growing on, I think that the
church, really, any church organization, thrives off the life of
Christ. I believe that. Because it's something that's been grafted or
added in there. It's taken the power out of the laity and putting it
upon a minister, or a bishop, or whatever it might be. Like in
Revelation there, said, "The deeds of the Nicolaitanes–"Nico," is "to
overcome," and laity. I think in a meeting like this it gives God a
chance to work through laity. See, the power of God work through the
laity.
E-46
Now this was in 1933. I was still a missionary Baptist minister. And
I'm fifty-one years old now, and I've seen thousands of those visions,
and many of you here has been in the meetings. Now, just call anyone to
ask if one ever failed. It's never failed. It can't fail. It's Him.
Now, we find out that's new to the church today, and like the power of
the Holy Spirit is new in the church the way we see it here. (I hear
Baptists, and any brethren, and so forth, testifying.) We find that
this is new to the church.
But what it is: it's–it's another branch coming forth out of that
Vine. And if you'll watch it, it acts just like it did in Acts, how the
Holy Spirit will rise up among the people and speak different things.
E-47
This morning I was going down to my church. I didn't know what to call
a vision. But I–I saw these things. That was many years before the
world went to war, and said, "There's a dictator now by the name of
Mussolini. And his first invasion will be at Ethiopia, and he will
overcome Ethiopia, but he will come to a disgrace. And everything that
it spoke of, seven outstanding things… Maybe tomorrow I might just
bring that old piece of paper and let you look at it. And show that how
it come to pass–five things perfectly, and the seventh was predicted.
Now, it spoke in there that when they grieve to the women rights to
vote, that in… So I have nothing against… I've been called…
[Blank.spot.on.tape–Ed.]
E-48
Over the nation it looked just like where rocks was blowed out and
stumps was smoldering, and–and so forth. And immediately after that,
Mr. Roosevelt–truly in the time of his administration here–the world
went to war. And Mussolini did just exactly, and Maginot line, and
everything that we spoke of. And the electing, and it was women, we
know, that elected our president now.
I'm… just like it is in the south land, being a southerner, they ask
a lot about, "What about segregation and so forth?" I just…
The…?… As an American, I–I believe…?… Whatever it takes, all
right. So now, if it be our president, we have to respect it.
E-49
Now, a few days ago something came to me, and I wrote it down. And
someone said (I think it was a gentleman set here, had dark glasses,
this morning, and I think it was he.), "he will make a real president
for the first four years." Exactly right.
But you just watch. We've sinned away our day of grace. It's later than
you think…?… See? The hour is getting close. And remember, it will
be the flatteries that it's taken. And we're–we're near the end time
now. I'm–I'm positive of that. I'm just as positive… Yet I…
E-50
Many of you, has said nice compliments about the ministry, and so
forth. Let that be what it may be. But if you believe that we're
speaking in the Name of the Lord, America is finished. That's right.
And if there's ever any time to work, we're going to have to do it now,
right now. And "all that the Father has given me will come." And we've
got to start seining real hard and fast.
And I appreciate… And I say this morning, to finish out–not taking
somebody else's time, the second time up here… Forgive me for it? I
think tomorrow afternoon I'm supposed to speak, and I wish you would
come. I want to speak on "We've been on this mountain forty years."
E-51
So I believe, that as many chapters as our Lord has used me in helping
to organize, and everywhere in my ministry… I've never tried to
make–let my ministry become a show. There's one thing Jesus Christ
lacked; it was showmanship. Someone said not long ago, said, "Brother
Branham, you ought to get with the big So-and-sos," as the brothers
that's been speaking. Now, as my position in the body of Christ is
watch the spiritual ends and see where they're at, that's what I'm
ordained for. That's my purpose of–of–of being here–Christ put me
here to watch the spiritual part. As these, what we call big shots…
See, that man (ever who it was speaking, I believe the brother was
sitting here)… We can't be a big shot and be a Christian. The way up
is down. He that humbles himself shall be exalted.
E-52
And many have said… Someone called me not long ago–very outstanding
man of a great organization–said, "Brother Branham, we will do
so-and-so and so-and-so if you'll just quit saying this and that." Quit
saying this and that? That's my ministry; that's my life; that's what I
thrive on is that. Never could I compromise on the Word of God for
something. I must stand exactly. We are… Said, "…?… Thing is,
you've been fooling around with a bunch of just a… oh, some of the
smaller people, the little groups, and so forth like that. Come out."
See, the man not knowing what he was saying.
If he only knew, that's the same thing was said to the Master of our
life, Jesus Christ. His own brethren said, "…?… go up here and make
a big show of something, hit the big nerve centers."…?…
Said, "Your hour is always; mine's not yet." He deals with them
fishermen and illiterate and men who could not read or write. See, what
the world calls good, God calls foolish.
E-53
Wonder what some kind of interpretation they gave to the Scripture of
Isaiah 40, the clergymen of that day? Perhaps God would open up the
heavens and send down the corridors, and John the Baptist would come
marching down with an Angelic band. What was it when all the high
places was made low and the low places made high; and the mountains
skipped like little rams, and the leaves all clapped their hands? An
old (Excuse this expression. I don't mean it like this, but just to
make a point.), an old fuzzy-looking fellow come out of the wilderness,
standing in mud, probably ankle deep, and maybe a bath every three or
four months, a piece of sheepskin wrapped around him. That's when the
high places was made low, the low places was made high. Not some great
big fellow with some big flowery something behind him. That's a stuffed
shirt. God wants men. That's right. Be humble.
E-54
And–and, brethren, I–I like that in these people. As the man made the
statement awhile ago, that these business men like this… Why,
sometimes there are ditch diggers wouldn't make himself known in a
crowd like this. But these men who've got (the business men here) the
faith and things like that, it shows me humility; that'll come right
down and confess this Pentecostal blessing, and what God has done
through them. They are great men in the world, but if you'll notice it,
they pay their own expenses and go everywhere across the world just to
try to–to do something to help some other brethren get into this
group, let light shine.
E-55
And I think this morning, of all the meetings that I've ever been in,
this has been my opinion. I've had people… Hear them shout and praise
the Lord, and I like that too. But I've seen people shout and praise
the Lord, and not enough faith to heal a toothache. See? But
that's–that's some of the blessings of God, but when it comes to the
power of God is when they settle down, the Holy Spirit… Watch in the
meetings when the discernment comes. Everything's quiet, reverently
approaching God with–with–with sacredness, and the fear of God
moving, and watch real conviction change the expressions of faces and
things, like I've been watching this morning over the building.
E-56
To me this is the greatest breakfast I've ever eat anywhere in the
Christian Businessmen's group since I've been with them. They're the
only group that I belong to, right here. I don't even belong to an
organization, but this is the only one I belong to. I appreciate this
group of people, because, one thing, it's the thing I'm standing for.
And in here sits the Assemblies, the Church of God, Foursquare,
Baptist, Presbyterian, Oneness, Twoness, Threeness, oh…
I have spoke of it as the well to. shake itself. I don't think I
express this just right, or call the right words, but I will say it so
that you'll understand. He dug one well and the Philistines run away
from him–run him away from it. And he called it "malice." He dug
another one, and he called it "strife." Then he dug the net well, said,
"There's room for us all." So I–I think that's what it is here;
there's room for us all (Yes, sir.), where we can come together and set
together in heavenly places, no denominational barriers bother us;
we're just one group in Christ.
E-57
If I could see all the great churches, spiritual churches, that's
striving, the real true vine that's coming out of Christ Jesus, the
groups of Pentecost alone, could come together and be brothers… I
don't care about their organizations. They can keep them if they wish
to. That's all right. But don't just end that with a period. Put a hand
out and get the other fellow. See? Let's all come together. See? If I
could see that happen (I say this as reverently as I know how),I–if I
could see it happen this morning, I'd be willing to say, like Simeon of
old, "Lord, let Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy Word, for
mine eyes have seen Thy Salvation."…?… And the time will have to
come soon, brethren, because we're going to be forced together. You
just remember that. God bless you. Thank you, brother.
