Be Not Afraid

Date: 63-0607 | Duration: 2 hours and 6 minutes
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Ramada Inn in Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A.
Sermon translation in Russian: 63-0607 - VGR
Sermon translation in French: 63-0607 - Shp
E-1 Let us remain standing just a moment as we bow our heads before God. With our heads and hearts bowed, I wonder if there is special requests in the building tonight, that you'd require a prayer for. Just let it be known by your uplifted hand. The Lord bless you.
E-2 Our Heavenly Father, we are approaching the great Throne now, in the Name of the Lord Jesus, for we are told that if we come and ask anything in His Name, it'll be granted to us. And we want to first thank You for this marvelous gathering, these four nights of Spirit-filled people that's gathered together here. And we found that the Scripture again proves to be right, that, "Wherever two or more assemble together, I'll be in their midst." And we have seen You heal the sick, pronounce the blessings, tell the people what will be, and we're so grateful for that.
E-3 And we, as brethren here on the platform, Lord, I'm grateful for this group of men that I know that… These Christians, these newborn babes, that just come into Christ this week, Lord, I pray that they'll each find them a comfortable home here, a church home, and live for You, and work until Jesus comes.
E-4 And may this results, of us gathering together, cause an old-fashion revival to come across the complete city, Lord. Many… May it never end, till Jesus comes. May there constantly be revival. May these churches be filled up, everywhere, and the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ be made known throughout the lands.
E-5 Now, Father, we—we pray for these who raise their hands. You know what was beneath the hand. We… You know all about it, so we just commit it to You, and ask that You will grant to them their request.
E-6 And now break the bread of life to us, Lord. We want You to speak to us through the Word, for, "Faith cometh by hearing the Word." And we pray that You'll make it known to us tonight, Your Divine will. Show Yourself again tonight among us, Father. We thank You for all that's been done and said, and looking forward to this, to be a great climaxing time of the service. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
You may be seated.
E-7 I deem this one of my great privileges, to have had this time of fellowship here with you fine people, here in this auditorium in Tucson. And I was here for just a few days, and I—I've been here for a few days, rather, and I thought maybe of coming here and not… Leaving without saying anything, or having a meeting, it would kind of look bad. And I didn't get a chance to visit all these fine brethren, that I've met here since I've been on the platform. And I wish I could stay a week at each church. I would certainly like to do that.
E-8 And, but, I'm so glad that you newborn babes, you that just found Christ this week… If I was in your place, I—I'd find me a good church home among these men here, wherever I was the closest to, or chose to go to. And the churches that I did visit, there is some of the men here, I've been in their churches, real on-fire men for God, zeal burning, trying their best to hold the Light of the Gospel. I—I appreciate men like that. And, remember, these men believe the same Gospel I'm standing here preaching. They're my sponsors. They're the one who stands up here on the platform. They're not ashamed of This. They stand for It. They believe in It. And they're here, backing me up, praying for me, every night. And I think, if you don't go to church, why don't you just go to one of these fine men here, and—and come into their church and fellowship with them. If I was living here, and not a minister myself, that's—that's what I'd do. I'd certainly find me a good church home with some of these men, and—and take my place in Christ.
E-9 And if you've never been baptized yet, you that's gave your heart to Christ, consult one of these men, and you'll receive Christian baptism. And then, and if you haven't received the Holy Spirit, they—they'll know how to instruct you, how you must receive it.
E-10 I'm going to speak on that in the morning at the Business Men's breakfast, the Lord willing, on, about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I've kind of refrained from a little of the Doctrine here, because we're a mixed group in here. But, in the morning, I want to speak an evangelistic Message about the Holy Spirit, if the Lord willing. Now, I think the breakfast starts at nine. Eight o'clock, is it? Eight o'clock, in the morning.
E-11 And now I would like to page somebody that we've tried, since we've been in Tucson, to find. And maybe, some of you brethren here, the lady might belong to your church. I think she would go by the name of Charlotte Raney. Does anybody… You know her? Is she here in the city? Charlotte, are you here? I—I… She's a personal friend of ours, and we couldn't find her. She's a nurse.
E-12 [Someone says, "Her daughter is here."—Ed.] Her daughter. Well, my, my! I wonder how big she is? Stand up, honey, wherever you are. I hope you're not too big that I'd call you honey. ["There she is."] Oh, oh, my! Almost out-growed that "honey" size, haven't you? Thank you. You tell mother, "God bless her; and we love her; and we'd sure like to see her before we leave." And just get a hold of any of the… Billy Paul or any here, and let us know where you live. We tried to find you through the phone directory. We've inquired around, everywhere, and couldn't find you. Thank you, very much. And last time I seen you, you was just a little bitty tot.
This Mrs. Raney, her—her—her sister.
E-13 A very noted nurse, was one of the first cancer cases I seen the Lord heal. She didn't even know where she was at, or anything, burnt up with radium. And the Lord had just called me to this ministry, a night or two before. Oh, it's many, many years ago, maybe twenty years, twenty-five years ago. And she was in Louisville, and on the cancer record, in Louisville, she's been dead, twenty years. And she's nursing now, and just as healthy and strong as she can be.
E-14 And this is her sister that came West here, and her and the little baby, it was then. And since we been here, we been trying to find them. And I told Meda that I'd… my wife… I had looked everywhere, and I—I couldn't recognize her. And I thought maybe that—that she had moved away, or something. And I, each night, I thought I would page her. Then I wrote it, some things down here, I wanted to say, on some paper, so I wouldn't forget. I'm getting old.
E-15 I was telling Brother Moore. How many knows Jack Moore? Sure, you do, you Christian Business Men. A fine minister at Shreveport. Used to be one of my associates in the meeting. I said, "Brother Jack, you know, it's getting hard for me to remember any more like I used to. Used to be, I could just remember anything, right fast."
"Oh," he says, "that all the farther you advanced?"
I said, "That's far enough."
E-16 He said, "My!" Said, "I call a man up, on the telephone, said, 'What do you want?'" [Congregation laughs—Ed.]
E-17 That's a—that's a long ways up the road. He's just about four or five years older than me. I hope I don't get that. He was just saying that, though. He's an Irishman, sense of humor. But, call a man up and ask him what he wanted, that would be bad.
E-18 Now, another thing, I thank you, sister, honey, and be sure to—to get a hold of us. Tell mother we want to see her, and we're going back to see Aunt Margie, right away, Uncle Bill.
E-19 Now, I am grateful, very grateful, to this group of ministers that sponsored this program here. And to the Christian… Full Gospel Christian Business Men here of the city, I am grateful.
E-20 I try to get into every little place that I can, and we can't go to all of them. Here is my manager, setting right here, Brother Borders, that goes with me and makes up the meetings. And I have a book, home, about like that, full of invitations, world around, and they tell me he's got another one he has to give me in the morning.
E-21 But I usually go just where God leads. Then, when I go there, then I can come in the Name of the Lord Jesus, because He sent me as an ambassador. And I did feel led, while I was here in Tucson, to have this meeting. I thought it would be fine, and especially to get to have fellowship.
E-22 And how many ever remember Fred Bosworth, Brother F. F. Bosworth, the great old saint of God? And he just went home to Glory, at eighty-four years old, just recently. And he said, "Brother Branham, you know what fellowship is?"
I said, "I think so, Brother Bosworth."
E-23 He said, "It's two fellows in just one ship." So, I got room for the other, so I'm very grateful.
E-24 And it always reminds me of a little story. I was coming in, outside, one of the ushers met me and shook my hand. He said, "Say, preacher," said, "I'm—I'm your fellow brother."
E-25 I said, "I'm glad to meet you." And told me his name, and he was an Irishman, too.
E-26 And so somebody asked me, one time, said, "What nationality are you, Brother Branham?"
E-27 I said, "I'm Irish." And if there's… And if they can be saved, there's hope for the whole world."
E-28 And so—and so he happened to be an Irishman, also. And he said, "I like that stories about hunting." He said, "I like to hunt too."
E-29 So, well, "You have to be all things, to all men," you know, "that we might win some to Christ."
E-30 And speaking of fellowship, I remember one time, and I was up in northern New Hampshire. I was… That's the home of the white-tailed deer. I was fishing for these little brown brooks and square-tail. And we… and I had a place, packed out, my little tent was way up high, in the mountain. Oh, I seen a place where the water fell over…
E-31 And I know I got plenty of fishermen friends. I ain't found enough water in Arizona to go fishing, yet, since I been here. I drink all mine. But it's just a… That's the only thing. I, I love this country, but I sure wish we had some lakes or ponds, or something around here. And I'm a Baptist, you know, and I kind of like a lot of water. And so they…
E-32 Had this little—little pool I was fishing in. Oh, my! I just catch them, you know, just like to play with them, then turn them loose. And if I kill one, course, I'd eat that one. And back behind my fly line, has been catching a bunch of little moose willow back there.
E-33 So I slept all night in a little tent, been there a couple days. And next morning, I took my little hand axe, went out. I thought I'd cut those bushes loose, and play with those trout a while. Sometime, about tomorrow, I'll be going down again, my little tent on my back.
E-34 And on my road back, there had been a—a mother bear and her two cubs had got in my little old beanie-sack tent. So, and it isn't what they eat, it's what they destroy. Oh, my! They like to make things rattle. They are Pentecostal, to the core, that way. So they—they just—they just like… They just love that. So they get in and knock a stovepipe down, and just mash it up. Now, talking about noise, well, I better leave that alone. See?
E-35 I can prove, anything that hasn't got emotion in it is dead. So if your religion ain't got a little emotion in it, you'd better bury it, and—and get something. You have to have emotion to be alive.
E-36 And so notice, this little old… When I come up, I heard a noise. And looked over, and there was old mammy bear and her two little fellows, had got in there. And they just tore up everything there was. So I knew that was "tear up camp then and go." So then I looked, and the old mother bear, she run off to one side. And she cooed, you know. Was black bear. They're just not very big. And so she run off and cooed to her cub. And one of the cubs come to her, and the other one didn't come. Well, I wondered, "What the world is the matter?"
E-37 And I had an old rusty pistol laying over there in that tent. And, but, I guess it was tore up by that time. And I had the axe in my hand, and—and I… You know, an old mother bear with some cubs, she can get kind of angry, you know. And she can scratch you, too, she wanted to. So I was kind of watching her, you know, keeping a tree in mind all the time. That I could…
E-38 You've heard about the preacher in a persimmon tree, well, any kind of tree will do if a bear is after you. So I watched that tree, and I wondered what was the matter with that little old bear. He was just… wasn't going to go. And his mammy kept cooing to him, and he just kept setting. He all humped up, like this. I thought, "What's the little fellow got?" I thought maybe I could run in and grab that old pistol. I thought, "Oh, I wouldn't kill that old mother bear, if she'd charge after me, because it would leave two orphans in the woods. So I wouldn't do that.
E-39 So I thought, "I'll just watch this tree, and see what the little fellow has got." And now he was all humped up, like this, and I seen him moving. And the old mother was cooing, and walking back and forth, kind of restless. And she was watching me, too. And when she turned her back to look at the other bear, I'd step along sideways, like that, to try to get around, see what the little fellow was… had him so interested. You know what he had? He had my bucket of molasses.
E-40 And you know, I—I like pancakes. I know I got a lot of fellow citizens of that same appetite. So, and—and I know I—I don't believe in sprinkling. I like to really baptize them. I like to pour it on heavy, you know, put plenty of molasses. The last time I eat down here at the Ramada, the other day, we had a finest breakfast. And they had good flapjacks, like that. We call them flapjacks, in the South. But you… If we have them in the morning, tell the waiter just a little more 'lasses, if you please. That, that wasn't enough. I had to put sugar on top of them, you know, to finish out.
E-41 But, however, this little old bear, the little fellow had got his paw, and got this bucket open. He had his… They love sweet stuff, you know. And he got his little paw in this molasses bucket. He didn't know how to eat it with his hands, so he—he just smear them and lick, you know. Then he would smear and lick, after he had got the bucket all sopped out.
E-42 I said, "Get out of there." I kept hollering at him. He wouldn't even turn. And after he got the bucket sopped out, he turned around, looked at me. And he couldn't get his eyes open, you know. From the top of his ears, plumb down his little belly, he was just full of molasses.
E-43 I thought, "That's right. There's no condemnation. That's just like a good old pentecostal meeting. When you get your hand right down in the molasses bucket, or honey jar, up to your elbows, and just shouting, praising God, I don't care what goes on, you don't hear it. See?
E-44 But, you know, the strange thing was, after he got over it, and the rest of them standing out there scolding him; when he got over there, the rest of them had fellowship. They all licked him. Nature holds some strange things, doesn't it, brother? Licking all. Now, them people that didn't attend this meeting, they can just lick your molasses, at the… see, after it's over. All right.
E-45 We're grateful, thankful for this fine bunch of brothers, and for this fine bunch of people. And they… I think that everything come out all right. And we don't… We absolutely… One thing we will not permit is finance, any strain on finances. Brother told me out there, said they had it all but a hundred dollars. I give him a check. I said, "Forget it. See? I'll pay it, myself." So then—then we… Everything is fine and dandy. And we want…
E-46 If any of the staff of this Ramada Inn is here tonight, I want to thank them, for they donated this building to us. I do think… And I wasn't… I know… Only way I knew, is Brother Tony told me about it. I believe that it's… that if somebody was in this city, or looking for a motel, I could certainly advertise and tell them the Ramada is a place to go.
E-47 If people has that much consideration for the… for us, and our religion, and our Christ, I think we ought to have enough audacity to say something good about them, and tell everybody we can. That's right. May the Lord bless this institution. We've always went into their places wherever we go across the country. We've always had such courtesy. And the Business Men uses their halls, Phoenix and everywhere we can, to have meetings and conventions. And I say this, gentlemen, if you're here, Almighty God bless you richly. And at the end of the road, I pray that God will open His doors, and make you welcome into His great Kingdom at that time.
E-48 And then there's one more thing. I got a bunch of stuff with some notes wrote here, and some texts I want to use in a few minutes. But, another thing, that you people are very fortunate here in Tucson. Now, they always told me that Tucson was the closest place to hades there was, 'cause it's so hot. But, I'm telling you, I really enjoy this. Why, at my home if it'd be this hot, why, you—you couldn't stand here with a coat on, the air conditioner on. It'd be… You'd just be sweating. Well, I've never… I've worked pretty hard, and I never got up a sweat yet.
E-49 Well, I like this. What do you go back East for, in the—in the summertime? Here's a place to come. This is fine. It's a lot better than our swamp back there, anyhow. So, I like this. And I hope the good Lord lets me come back, move out here somewhere and stay. And I really like this place.
E-50 And one of the great things, the events, one of the great features of the place, course, is the people, what makes the place. I… Even in your stores, everything, and a tourist city, I have had some of the finest treatment, the nicest people, since I been in Tucson, that I'd ever want to meet.
E-51 And then when I come in, I tuned in on my radio, and I found a station here that constantly broadcasts nothing but Christian music. It's station KAIR. And I just learned today, that their headquarters is here at the Ramada. You know what I done; if some of the staff of KAIR is here. I bought a radio just to keep it turned on all the time, so that my children and my home could hear the right thing.
E-52 For, most all stations that you turn on, it's always some kind of this here boogly-woogly, or ever what that stuff is, and—and rock-and-roll, and all this other kind of nonsense they have today. And—and you don't hear the thing. And I think that you Christians, you ought to do everything you can to keep that station there. That's right. And turn it on in your home, where your children can hear the right thing.
E-53 Now, you'll hear all kinds, of course. It's an interdenomi-national affair, and any kind of preaching, or any. You might disagree with some of the brothers, with their program. My, if we all set down to eat tonight, and we all had pie, I might take cherry pie, and you take apple, but we're all eating pie. Don't you? That's right. So, just, they're brothers. And they have a right to express what they think.
E-54 And so just keep your radio on, and listen at that fine music. And I—I think I—I appreciate. I—I wish I could take it home with me, KAIR, and put it in Louisville somewhere, a station like that, that broadcasts Christian music all the time. I like that. The Lord bless that station, KAIR.
E-55 And then, there's another station out there. I don't remember the—the letters to it, but it also has a fine lot of religious music. And I tell you; I hope I don't embarrass the man by saying I listen to Brother Gilmore all the time. He's on that station some of the time. And I just forget what the station is. But they also have… KAIF? [A brother says "No, KFIF."—Ed.]. KFIF. That's another fine station. We appreciate them, too.
E-56 You know, it's just like the old saying, if we count our blessings, look around, it's kind of surprising to see how many good people is left in the world, and how many nice things we still have. The Lord be praised. I'm glad to be an American. I'm glad, as a missionary, coming from other lands, and so forth, and coming in home.
E-57 Oh, it makes me heartache to see the way, how luxurious we live, and the rest of the world starving. And—and to see the fine places, a big fine church on every corner, and—and those poor people over there, and many of them never even heard the Name of Jesus Christ.
E-58 I had little black boys stand by the thousands, tears running down their cheeks, not even one stitch of clothes on, don't know which is right and left hand, just stay all day and all night, setting there, listen to me talk about the Lord Jesus, see, never heard It before. Tell them that—that there is somebody that loves them. Oh, my. That's what they want to hear, something that… somebody that loves them.
E-59 Who doesn't want to be loved? We all want that. We all need it. And then, the way to get it, is do… love somebody else, then you'll be lovable.
E-60 God bless you all. I hope to see you in the morning at the breakfast, those who can. And I think they'll be selling the tickets at the office in the morning also. And if you come for breakfast, why, I'm sure we'll get a little more molasses if we have pancakes. And then… And maybe some don't always require that many, you know. And so when I…
E-61 One time, I was preaching in a Missionary Baptist church down in Georgia. It was a… I preached way up in the night, and had a big altar call. I… It was late. And I was sleeping on a back porch, and the wind blowing in, an old screened-in porch. And I was—I was tired. They get up, four o'clock, down there. And so the old colored woman come out. She called me, three or four times. And I never forget it. She said, "Parson." That means "preacher," down there. "Parson," said, "honey, why don't you get up?" Said, "I done cooked your flapjacks four times already." Bless her old heart. She was about seventy then. I guess she's gone on to Glory now, and rest. "Cooked your flapjacks four times, already, this morning."
E-62 Now, everybody love the Lord? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] So glad. Aren't you glad to know, just, you can be free, and feel happy, and no condemnation?
E-63 And I want to thank this little quartet here for staying over. I know they were scheduled other places. And they said… I'll be listening at you, on your records. I got some of them, and the tapes, and things. I think you're very fine.
E-64 And this little girl here. My, oh, my! She, she is part mockingbird. She just really can really sing, and the little boys, also. And I told that little fellow, the little fellow wears the glasses. I met him the other night, and I said, "Son, you're going to make a bass, one of these days." He kind of laughed, and looked over those glasses. I said, "You kind of wondered how I said it." I said, "Well, you sound like a bumblebee in a jug now." And He got his kick out of that. And they're fine people. The Lord bless you.
E-65 I think I got the mother right when I said that. All right. I had another lady the other night. And I suppose this is the father out here somewhere. Somebody pointed over here to the father. Yes. All right. The Lord bless him. And I hope our paths cross again somewhere in life. If it don't, we'll get the gate there that morning. That's right. Now, before we…
E-66 After expressing ourselves the way we have, and I believe that happiness goes with Christians. I've never been sad that I was a Christian. I'm always happy I'm a Christian. And, oh, joybells has ring in my heart now for some thirty-five years since Jesus Christ came into my heart. I've never been able to express it. It's joy unspeakable and full of glory. But now, as we approach the Word, let's just lay our little laughter aside, and—and let's look right into the Word now, just for a moment.
E-67 Lord Jesus, now You help us, as we read the Word. And may the great Holy Spirit that was sent to be our Tutor, sent to raise us, and teach us the things and the way of God, may He come now and take the Word, and deliver It to each heart just as we have need. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.
E-68 Now, if you wish to turn to the Scripture that I want to read, it's found in Saint Matthew the 14th chapter, and we're going to begin at the 22nd verse.
And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him to the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the winds were contrary.
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the water. (Or beg your pardon.)… walking on the sea.
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But Jesus straight…
But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of a good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
E-69 Now, if I was going to call this a text… And I try to keep the little messages simple and like drama, so that the little fellows can enjoy it. And I'd call this a text, this: Be Not Afraid.
E-70 Three words, I use them a lot of times: Believest thou this? and, Come, See A Man. And it's a little three-word texts.
E-71 And now I want to use that for a text: Be Not Afraid. And then for a subject, I'm going to use this, "A testimony meeting on the sea."
E-72 It must have been kind of late in the afternoon. The sun was just about gone down; twilight was setting in; and they all tired and worn. Been a great day for the group. The big, brawny muscled, bald-headed fisherman was pushing out the boat into the sea of Galilee. And as he finally got the bow floating, he climbed aboard and set down by the side of his brother, Andrew. It was called, in the Bible, a ship.
E-73 Now, a ship isn't what we call a ship today. The ships then were mostly propelled by an oars. And they had the… The gunwales were high, and 'cause the great waves come on the sea there quite often, and they had to have high sides. And usually two men to each oar, setting at one side of the ship, and one the other, and sometimes, six or eight men pulled in a ship. They were commercial fishermen along the Galilee. And they have it today. It hasn't changed one bit since that day. Still the same, fish the same way, same kind of nets, and everything.
E-74 Now, and as they turned the ship around and started, the bank was full of people. And they would make a couple of strokes with their oars, and wave back good-bye to them. And everybody saying, "Come back and see us again. Be sure to bring your Master when you come back to see us again." They was on the road across the sea, and it was quite a little distance. And they'd have to pull hard to get over there that night.
E-75 So I can imagine in one way how they felt. It had been a great day. They had seen great sights done. Many had been saved and believed on the Lord Jesus. And they had had a very hard day, keeping the people away from their Master, that He could minister to them, to bring Life to the lost. And they were tired and weary.
E-76 But, yet, to leave their friends, there is something about leaving friends, when you have to say good-bye. That's an—that's an awful thing. And I feel that way, can feel that much of the burden they had, because I know how it is with me. About time you get acquainted with a group of people, just they begin to know that you're not some super human, you're a brother. And—and they begin to… Everything begins to feel good. And then you have to say, "Good-bye. I—I'll see you again sometime. I hope to." That's a hard thing to do.
E-77 I'm looking for the time where we'll meet where we'll never say good-bye, over on the other Side. And some of my precious old brothers here and hunting partners, I'll—I'll meet you down along them big game trails back there somewhere, where they never end. I'll be looking for you down along the road there, if I don't get back to see you again before we're taken.
E-78 And how that they must have waved. And they'd pull a few licks, and then wave again. And finally, as the sea calmed, just as the sun is going down, the little boat pushing its way across, with the power of the oars. They would take a few strokes, and then wave their hands, and good-bye. And then—then somebody else would recognize someone else, you wave good-bye to them. And that must have been the way the ship was moving out in the waters. And finally, the last good-bye was said, as far as they can hear.
E-79 And there must have been a long silence. Nobody said nothing, because they had to push the little ship on. And they kind of have a rhythm like, as they oar these ships all together, because you'd twist it if you didn't. And so they was oaring in rhythm, and might have gotten pretty tired.
E-80 It must have been young John who kind of give out first, and wanted to catch his wind, as we call it. He was young and tender yet. And he wasn't strong like those old brawny fishermen had been on the seas, and the storms, had pulled those boats. And he must have got tired first. So he must have said, "Whew, brethren, let's rest just a moment." And as he stopped, and brushed his black hair back out of his eyes, and the little ship was coasting along through the water, going along, I can hear him start and say, "I feel like I'd like to testify."
E-81 I—I like that. I like a good testimony meeting when you got something to testify about. Now, if you haven't got nothing, just stand up and say the same thing you said the night before and last year, that gets wearisome. But when you got a real fresh testimony that you just can't hold it back any longer, the Lord has done something for you, and you just have to break it out, I like that.
E-82 We used to call it, at home, a popcorn testimony. Now, how many knows what popcorn is? I want to tell you what it does. You take a little yellow grain, and lay it on a hot stove, and it jumps way up in the air yellow, turns white, comes back twice its size and half as light, half as heavy, rather, as it was. It's a testimony. See? That's what a testimony does. A little yellow, afraid to do anything, and then, the first thing you know, the power and fire of the Holy Ghost hits you and it turns you white, from yellow. And you feel so light, you just, see, you're not anchored to the earth anymore. So I like the popcorn testimony.
E-83 It must have been little John who wanted to give one. He raised up in the boat and said, "Well, I want to testify first, and say this while we're resting. I'm perfectly satisfied and assure, my brethren. Today settled it in my mind that we're not following some kind of a fanatic, as the rest of the world wants to make us believe we are. We are following Him Who the Scripture spoke of. It settled it today. I want to give my testimony."
E-84 "I was born and raised over by the Jordan. I can remember, many years ago, when I lived on the banks of the Jordan, just close to the ford where Israel crossed with a mighty warrior, Joshua. He took the ark of the covenant, and the Holy Ghost opened up the sea, the… or the Jordan, and they crossed across, all of our people, on dry land, when we come to this land.
E-85 "I remember, in the springtime, how I used to go out and pick little flowers along the—the bank of the Jordan. And along, the afternoon, I can hear my mother call me, yet, and say, 'Now, come on in, John. And you—you must go to bed. You got to take your nap. Little boys must take their little nap in the afternoon.' And she would set out upon the front porch, and rock me in her arms. And I can see her pretty face, yet, as her big, pretty, Jewish brown eyes looked down at me. And she would tell me Bible stories."
E-86 And, you know, it's too bad that our mothers can't keep out of the tavern long enough, today, and out of places they ought not to be, and rock their children again and tell them some Bible stories. That's the trouble with our nation today. They, any, nearly, any kid on the street can tell you more about Davy Crockett than they can about Jesus Christ. That's right. And how the commercial world takes that up! And, my! "Bring up a child in the way it should go." It's true.
E-87 Now, "And she," said, "used to tell me stories. And one of the main stories I liked the best, was… Besides, the little boy that the—the great prophet Elijah raised up from the dead, I used to like that story, and wonder what kind of a man Elijah must have been. And she would say to me, 'You know what, John? That same great Elijah and Elisha, both, walked right down that street there, arm in arm, going down to the river. Just think, not long ago they did that. Them two great prophets walked down to the river, and the river opened up. They passed right by Jericho.'"
E-88 Now, "But the main story that always stuck with me, that she told me, I want her to tell it to me each day, that how that God brought our people out of bondage in Egypt where they were slaves, and brought them into the wilderness, and kept them out there forty years, and fed them out of the Heaven. Why, she told me that, every night, that they'd go out of a morning after Israel got all tucked in bed and was asleep, like she was fixing to put me to bed. You know what? Said Jehovah God came down, and the next morning there was bread laying all over the ground. That would take care of them through the day.
E-89 "And I used to say to Mama, 'Mama, has God got a special chorus of Angels up there, that works at nighttime; and got a big bunch of ovens all through the Heavens, and He would, "Now, hurry up now, these children are hungry; and bake all this bread"? Then another group of Angels take it down and lay it all over the ground'?
E-90 "She would look at me, and say, 'No, John, honey. You're just a little boy. You don't understand. Our great Jehovah is a Creator. He don't have to have special Angels to bake bread. He doesn't need any ovens in Heaven. He just speaks the Word, and the bread falls all over the ground. He's the Creator.' And I couldn't understand how that was. But the story always stuck to me, somehow.
E-91 "And I've watched our Lord in many things, of healing the sick, and so forth. But, today, brethren, when I seen Him pick up those five biscuits and them two fish, from that little boy that was lunch, that was playing truant from school. When I seen Him take those, and said, 'Cause, the people to set down in fifties.' As soon as I got my fifty set down, I climbed up on that rock and watched, to see what He would do. And when He took that piece, a loaf of bread, and tore off half of it, and hand it out into the plate, and by the time He got His hand back again, there was another half of loaf of breaked… baked bread.
E-92 "Now, there is some connection between Him and Jehovah, 'cause He was creating that bread and that fish, right there before me. No one else could do that but Jehovah. And that's the same God that my mother told me about, in the wilderness back there, Who brought bread down, from creation, out of Heaven. We, with our own eyes, seen Him today create bread right before us."
E-93 Did you ever think what kind of an atom He must have let loose? Where did the flour come from? Not only flour, but it was already baked in a loaf and ready to eat. He had fish. He growed the fish at the first place. But now He breaks the fish, half, in two, and another fish could grow on there, but this fish that comes on there is already cooked and baked, and growed, too. What did He do? Oh! He is God. Just speak it, that's all He has to do. He's… It's…
E-94 Now, the little boy, that little lunch he had, wasn't very much in his hands, but when he let what he had go into Jesus' hands, it fed thousands. And maybe what little faith… You say, "Well, I wish I had great faith." But what little faith you have got… You got faith enough to come to church. And then, if you got that much faith, why don't you just give it over into the hands of Jesus, and it'll feed thousands. If you… There's not much in your hands. But once in His hands, then it'll do miracles if you let that faith get in His hands.
E-95 Notice. And John was all excited. I hear Andrew say, "Wait a minute, son! Don't rock that boat like that. Take your time. Don't get too excited about this, you know. After all, we're out here in this sea."
E-96 "Well, it just makes my heart so thrilled," he said, "to see, and know that—that God has revealed Himself to us here, a Man that we can touch. He's—He's the…"
E-97 No wonder, the prophet said He would be Emmanuel, that God would be represented here in Him. And we see Him doing the same works that the Father did. No wonder He could tell those Pharisees, 'If I… Who can condemn Me of sin? Who can accuse Me? If everything the Bible said that I would do, if I haven't done it!'"
E-98 You know, sin is unbelief, you know. Did you know lying is not sin? Committing adultery, that's not sin. Drinking whiskey, smoking cigarettes, cursing, using the Lord's Name, that's not, that not sin. That's the attributes of unbelief. You do that because you're not a believer. There's only one sin.
E-99 I said that one night in a Methodist church. And an old sister standing there, you know, with her collar up high, she said, "Rev. Branham, pray tell me, what is sin?"
I said, "Unbelief." That's right.
E-100 You do that because you're an unbeliever. If you do that, you're still an unbeliever. That's right. There's only two things: you're either a believer, or not a believer. So then the Bible said, "He that believeth not is condemned already." See? So sin is the only thing, that it's the attributes of unbelief.
E-101 And Jesus said, "Who can accuse Me of unbelief? And if I don't do the works of My Father, then don't believe Me. But if I do the works, and yet you can't believe Me, believe the works that I do." So, you see, here He was doing the same thing that God did.
E-102 Now I want to ask you, brethren. If the Life of Jesus Christ is in the Church, then surely the Church should do the same thing He did, because the same Life is in It.
E-103 If here stands a peach tree, and I take all the peach life out of it, and put apple life in it, what kind of a fruit will it bear? Apples. That's the kind of life that's in it.
E-104 Well, then, if the Life that was in Christ is in us, It'll bear the fruits that He bore. It's got to.
E-105 And what a—what a mix-up the people has got in, today, that, think that, that Christianity is one of the softest things. "All they do is put their name on a book, and have somebody to sprinkle them, or something another, and give the minister the right hand of fellowship. And that's all there is to it. Go on out." That's not Christianity.
E-106 Christianity is self-denial. "Take up your cross daily. Follow Him." Die out, to the things of the world. When all condemnation is gone, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." How do you get into Him? By joining? No. Shaking hands? No. By a union? By education? "By one Spirit we are all baptized into one Body." By Holy Spirit baptism we're in Christ. "And there's no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, that walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Amen. Oh, that, that would make anybody shout. Amen. To be in there, anyhow, that's the good part. All right.
E-107 Now we find out here, that, in the next fellow to raise up to testify, must have been Peter. I can hear him say, "Can I give my testimony next?"
E-108 You know, when you got something to testify about, you just almost got to get permission, because there's really a going. And this testimony meeting was going. The old boat just rocking, and them brothers just patting their feet and having a great time out there. Like to have been out there! Wouldn't you have liked to have been out there and listened to that testimony? Little John had to set down. He had said all he could at that time.
E-109 Simon raised up. He said, "You know, when Andrew begin to go down there to that man, that the country thought was some kind of a wild man, that John, the church thought it was a man that went off on the deep end. After all, his daddy was a priest. And he… You know, it's custom among our people, for the son to follow whatever the father did. But, you know, his work was so great. Instead of going down there in all that big school, and getting indocumented with that; his—his mission was too great. God took him out into the wilderness, and at the age of nine years old.
E-110 "And he showed hisself again at thirty years old, because his mission was to introduce the Messiah. And the Messiah was going to have a sign, and he had to know what that sign was. If he got down there and had some of this denominational injection into him, why, somebody, some great bishop would have said, or great high priest would have said, 'Now, looky here, John, we know you're to—you're to introduce the Messiah, as it was told by the—by the Angel. And you're to introduce. Don't you think that Brother So here just meets the—the ticket exactly?' He might have give in to it. But, you see, he separated himself from everything, so he could just listen and see what God said about it."
E-111 And I think that's a good lesson for us tonight. If we'll separate ourselves from all this man-made dogmas and creeds, and things, and look in the Bible and see what God said about it. He ought to know what is right. It's His Word, His Book. That's the reason I like the full Gospel, not half of it; all of It, the full Gospel.
E-112 Now, and then—then he said, "The first thing, you know, here come Andrew running in, and saying that this preacher said he saw the Messiah sign over a Man. It was a—a Light, like a dove coming down, and—and the preacher saw it. And there was many there, and nobody else saw it but the preacher. So I couldn't hardly go for that. I hear all kinds of stuff, so I just forgot about it, you know. And one night he come to me, said, 'You ought to just go down and listen at Him for once. He's going to be down here on the shore the next morning, and you ought to go down.'"
E-113 "Well, I thought, 'Poor old Andrew. He and I have pulled this boat for a long time.'"
E-114 "And I remember one day I had a talk with my daddy. And he was a good, old Pharisee. He just lived in that church; a pillar in it. And his gray hair! One night after fishing…
E-115 "We were poor. We had to just live meager as we could. And many times, when mother and daddy was living, she used to gather us all around of a morning, 'fore we went out to put our nets in the water. We owed debts, and we had to have some fish. And we would pray to Jehovah, to—to fill our nets that day. And how daddy would rejoice when we'd take in a great big catch of fish; and get to the bank, and get out on the bank, and set down and—and thank God for giving us the fish for that day. How we could go pay our debts now, and have something to eat for the night, and expect the next morning!
E-116 "And one night, after we got through thanking the Lord, I remember daddy set down on the side of the brail of the boat. And he called me over there, and he said, 'Simon, you know, I have longed, all my life, to live to see the day when I would see the Messiah. And we been promised Him, for many years. All of our people has looked for Him. Moses told us He was coming. All the prophets has spoke to Him. But, Simon, son, we haven't had a prophet among us for hundreds of years. And when the church has got off in cold, formal condition, but I believe it's nearing the time. If you see my gray hair… I don't suppose I'll live to see it. I'm old now.'"
E-117 "'But, Simon, before the Messiah comes, Satan will send out a lot of false stuff, first, and there'll be false messiahs come. But I want you to always remember, Simon, don't you never leave this Scripture. Our people are told in this Bible, that, "The Word of the Lord comes to a prophet, a prophet only." And then, first, this prophet has to be vindicated by God. He has to tell the Word, and the Word has to come to pass, time after time.'"
E-118 They are born. They're just not just somebody lay hands on them and made them a prophet. They are born. There's a gift of prophecy can come, but a prophet is born a prophet. Jeremiah was. Why, God said, "Before you was even formed in your mother's wombs, I ordained you a prophet over the nations." John the Baptist, seven hundred and twelve years before he was born, Isaiah said, "He's the voice of one crying in the wilderness." Jesus Christ was the Son of God, before the foundation of the world. He was the woman's Seed that was to bruise the serpent's head. Certainly.
E-119 God is. God places these things. "God has set in the Church apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, evangelists." All these things, God placed in the Church. Then there's nine different gifts who operates in that Church. But these are offices that goes in the Church.
E-120 "And you know, he told me, said, 'Son, we've followed Moses and his law. Now, Moses told us that this Messiah, when He come, would be a prophet.'"
E-121 "So I just thought I would go down and see who this young Fellow was, stirring up all this emotion down there." And said, "People is getting healed by Him, so I thought I'd go down. And one day when we got the—the nets all washed and laid out on the bank, He came down to preach. And I got me a chunk, and set down upon a piece of driftwood, up on the bank. And when He begin to speak, I—I knew that there was something different about this Man, because He talked like a Man that knowed what He was talking about.
E-122 "And when I got up close to Him, He looked me right in the face, and He said, 'Your name is Simon, and you are the son of Jonas.'" He said, "That take… That was enough for me. Not only did He prove to be the Prophet, He knew me before He ever saw me. He knew me, and He also knew that godly old father of mine, that told me that would be the sign of the Messiah. That settled it for me." Oh, my! How he was getting all excited, too!
E-123 And must have been Philip jumped up, about that time, said, "Let me testify. Wait a minute. Let me, let me say something." Said, "Now, Brother Nathanael, don't you blush." He said, "I was standing there at that time, brethren, if you all remember. And I seen that done. And I knowed that was what was the—was the sign of Messiah. And you know, it hadn't been too long since Philip and I, there, had been studying that in the Scripture. So I run around the mountain, over there about fifteen miles, and told, found Philip under the tree, praying. And I said, 'Philip, come see Who we have found, the Messiah, and the One that Moses spoke of; and Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph.' And, Nathanael, remember what you said?"
"Yeah, I remember. I sure do."
E-124 "You said, 'Could any good thing come out of Nazareth now?' And I said, 'Come, see.' And when we went around, remember us talking? And I told you about Him telling Simon that, and told you that He might tell you who you were. And you walked up there, said, 'Now, I'll have to see that, to believe it.' And remember how you walked up, with your hands behind you? And as soon as you got into His Presence, you know what happened?"
"I sure do."
"He said, 'Behold an Israelite, in whom there's no guile.'"
E-125 "And I remember how that deflated you. And you said, 'Rabbi, when did You ever know me? And here I am. I just been brought to this meeting. And how did You ever know me? You've never seen me, in Your life. How would You ever know me?' He said, 'Why, before Philip called you, when you were under the tree, I saw you.' Oh, I remember what you said. Run up to Him and said, 'Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of Israel.'"
E-126 Must have been Andrew said, "Now it's my time to testify. Do you remember that time when we—we thought we were going down to Jericho? And we know, down at Jericho, how that old blind man come out there that day. And was… We couldn't even hear him screaming. He was hollering, going on. And—and his faith stopped our Lord, and he got his sight.
E-127 "And you remember up at Samaria, when we stopped up there, to go down and get some food? And—and while we were gone… Wanted Him to go down with us and get something to eat, and He wouldn't do it. He just wouldn't go. He said, 'I have food to eat that you know nothing about.' So when we all slipped back, we seen Him talking to an—an ill-famed woman. She was marked. And we thought, 'What's our Master doing up there at the well, talking to this ill-famed woman?' So you remember, we slipped over, around, behind the bush, listened to what they said. And He said to her, 'Woman, bring Me a drink.' And we was surprised, to think that our Master would talk to a woman like that." See?
E-128 They hadn't yet fully been converted. We still have that type today, that thinks that a Christian oughtn't to talk to the drunk or to the prostitute. That's the person they ought to talk to. That's the person they should. That's the man that's down. That's the person to lift up. That's the one that needs God.
E-129 "So we listened to Him, and—and the conversation went on. And finally He said to her, 'Go, get your husband and come here.' And she said, 'I don't have any husband.'"
E-130 And Andrew said, "You remember how we all looked at one another? 'My, one time He was wrong! There's a slip-up, somewhere, because here He tells her, "Go, get your husband," and she says back, "I don't have any husband." And He tells her, "You've told the truth."' And then we all were surprised. 'What were we going to say now? Now He's told the woman she has a husband; and she turns around, says she hasn't got a husband. And here's our Master, and here's that Messiahic sign that we was to look for, and here it had failed.' And we were astonished, one to another, as we looked.
E-131 "And then He said, 'You have told the truth. Because, you have five husbands. And the one that you have now, and are living with, is not your husband.' And you remember how that woman looked at Him and said, 'Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet'?"
E-132 Now, the—the—the great world council of churches that day, when they looked at it, they said, "This Man is a fortuneteller. This Man has a devil. He is Beelzebub." Would you think that religious leaders could draw such a conception as that, in the face of the time that it was supposed to happen, and according to the Scriptures? But they did it. And they still do it. Now, they said, "It's, oh, it's an evil spirit on the Man. That's what He's doing. He's just—he's just Beelzebub. That's what it is."
E-133 But this little, ill-famed woman said, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet."
E-134 How'd she know He was a prophet? Because He told her something was in her life, said, "You are a prophet."
E-135 And she said, "Now, we know, we Samaritans, we know that when the Messiah cometh, He's to do these things. He tells us all things."
And Jesus looked her in the face and said, "I am He."
E-136 And that settled it. There was no more question. The sign had been given. She had received it. She knew it. She dropped her water pot, and into the city she went.
E-137 Now, according to tradition; and anybody that's traveled, knows this. She wasn't supposed to do that. That's unethical for that famed woman like that, that type of—of woman, to say anything to a man on the street. No, sir.
E-138 But what? She had found something. She was like a house on fire, on a windy day. You couldn't put her out. She had found something real. She run through the street, saying, "Come, see a Man that told me the things I've done. Isn't this the very Messiah Himself?" Amen. God give us some more converts like that. "You know we're looking for a Messiah," said. "We're looking for Him. And there sets a Man right out there at the well now, that told me the things I've done. Isn't that the very Messiahic sign we're supposed to look for?"
E-139 And they brought Him into the city. He never did it one more time. But the Bible said that the men of the city believed on Him because of the testimony of that woman. Amen. How God can do things! They believed it. And this Man had never been in that city before, and stand there and tell that woman she had five husbands. And it was the truth. And it was the hour, and the time, and they believed it.
E-140 Why can't we believe it? Why can't Tucson believe it? Why can't the church world believe it? Why can't America believe it? Why can't the world believe it? Here is the Scripture says it's supposed to be here at this time, and here it is with us.
E-141 You know, I'm afraid the church has pulled their soul through too many old love-story magazines instead of God's Word. That's what's the matter. They can tell you more about who is the next movie star coming up, than tell you about the operation of the Holy Spirit. Amen. That's right. If we put more time to staying on Tuesday night and Wednesday night, and going to church to prayer meeting, instead of staying home watching television on "Who Loves Susie" or something like that, and staying away from church, we'd know more about our Bible and know what we're supposed to have in this day. Right. That's right. But, you see, we—we, we've got away. God has give us churches and—and fine pastors, and Spirit-filled people. And—and we just… We so grossed in our souls, and fattened and fed, till we just don't care for It no more. Oh, my! We need a—we need a shaking. We need something to happen to us. Well, maybe we got ashamed.
E-142 Now, I come into this Pentecostal people kind of late. I'm one born out of season. But I remember of reading the history of it, the Azusa Street. And remember when they used to have these great meetings, they'd pray all night. And your fathers, the—the old-timers in the work, and they would pray all night. And they would fast for days, and they would wait on God until God answered. Today, we can't stay at the altar five minutes. Something is wrong. What's the matter?
E-143 I used to—to go around with an old Methodist circuit rider. He would sing a little song for me.
We let down the bars, we let down the bars,
We compromised with sin.
We let down the bars, the sheep got out,
But how did the goats get in?
E-144 We let down the bars. That's what happened. We compromised. And we—we got to get away from that, the old Azusa Street meeting, the old-fashion, pentecostal religion, backwoods, sky-blue, gun-barrel-straight, sin-killing religion. Brother, they didn't whitewash. It washed white. It done something to people. And, today, when we got away from that, we become loose. We become like the rest of the world. It's too bad.
E-145 And, today, the most of the people don't want a man that'll stand and tell the Truth about it. They want some little Ricky with a Hollywood haircut, and perfume all over, and walk right up here and talk about some theology that he learned off in some cemetery, or—or seminary. Excuse me. It's all the same place, the home of corpses, so then we—we find that everywhere. They want something like that. They don't want the old-fashion Gospel handed out in the power and demonstration of the Holy Ghost anymore. There is something wrong.
E-146 We need a testimony meeting, a great thing to happen. We need a prayer meeting. We need a digging down, tearing up. It's true. We need Christ back in our midst, know the Bible. We're just drifting looser and looser, all the time. We need to come back to the original foundation, come back to the place, the rock that we was hewed from, and start over again.
E-147 Now, this little old woman, she knowed where she was standing. There was nothing going to stop her. Yes, sir. She had the testimony. She had seen it, and she was looking for it. And she knowed the Scripture, and she knowed that was what it was. And as soon as it happened, flashed across her path, her eyes flew open, and she knew it. Nothing going to stop her. Whether it's traditions or anything, not going to stop her. Right. She's going to say it, anyhow.
E-148 Oh, my, for people like that! Give us a half a dozen on fire like that, I'm telling you, Tucson will be a different place in a few days. Each one of you want that in your congregation, don't you? Wouldn't you? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] Yes, sir. Oh, my! Sure, that's what we want, somebody on fire. We kind of got ashamed of it, somehow. We got to a place, we just getting away from the old-fashion, Spirit-filled Life that really kept us clean.
E-149 Now, Andrew got to testifying. The first thing you know, the boat got to rocking again. But they come to find out, this time, you know, the sun had went down.
E-150 You know, and when the sun goes down, it's time that evil starts, somehow. I was reading an article in, I believe it was, Life magazine or something, not long ago. And some movie star made a remark like this, "Night was made to live in. Life begins when the sun goes down." Death begins when the sun goes down. That's when devils prowl. Watch the lizards, snakes, scorpions, roaches, everything else. They got to get in the dark. It's in the darkness.
E-151 You're not of the darkness. You're of the Light. "Walk in the light."
E-152 It reminds me, you can take an old apple core, lay it on the floor. It won't be nothing bother it in the daytime. Let it get night, and then the roaches, everything around the place, will crawl to it. And then if you want to see them scatter, just turn on the light. They sure scatter.
E-153 That reminds me, like preaching the Gospel. Just turn on the Light. It don't take it very long till evil goes to scattering. The church needs a good revival, a real good Holy Spirit, God-sent revival.
E-154 When I was a little boy, my brother and I; the one that's dead; we was out at the creek one day, that run behind the place, and we seen an old turtle. I don't know whether you know a turtle is, tortoise. They got a shell, you know. It's shell outside, and turtle inside. And we noticed him walk, and how funny he walked. And when we got to him, he went "shh," drew up into his…
E-155 Just like a lot of so-called believers when you tell them about the baptism of the Holy Ghost or something. "Oh, them days are past." Shh, "No such a thing."
E-156 Guy said to me, other day, said, "I don't care what you produce." Said, "I don't care how many dead people you can prove was raised, how many, I do not believe in it."
E-157 And I said, "Certainly not. It wasn't for unbelievers. It was only for believers. See? You're an unbeliever." See?
E-158 Now, we wanted to see him walk, because we thought it looked funny to see how he throwing his feet. So I said, "Get away. Get going." He just stayed up in his shell. "Well," I said, "I'll fix him, brother." And I went over and got me a switch. And I really poured it on him. You can't beat it out of them. He just laid there.
E-159 And I said, "Why, I—I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll make him walk." And I took him down to the creek. I said, "I'll… He'll either walk, or I'll—I'll—I'll drown him." So I stuck him down in the water, and held him with my hands. And just a few bubbles come up, and he stayed in the shell.
E-160 Water baptism doesn't do it, brother. You can baptize them any way you want to. That don't do it. No, no. That's right. You might get a few bubbles, but that's about all.
E-161 Then I seen a piece of paper laying over in a corner. I built me a little fire, and set him on that. Brother, he moved then.
E-162 That's what the church needs tonight, needs the Holy Ghost and Fire, to get a church to move for the Kingdom of God. It'll walk then. A revival, accept Christ, the Word! Believe It, let It sink down below the fifth rib on the left side, till It anchors down, the bottom of the heart. Then, floods of joy will spring up, and joy unspeakable, and full of glory. And the Holy Spirit will make you sing, "Fill my way every day with love, as I walk with the Heavenly Dove." It'll do something to you. What we need, it'll—it'll puts energy in there. It'll do something for you.
E-163 About time, these brethren, the sun went down, darkness begin to set in. Satan must have come up out of his tormenting pits and looked over the hill. "Ah!" He had to lay quiet that day, because great things had been taking place. So he… Got dark, and he looked over the hill. And the disciples had gone off without Jesus. That's just what he wanted. He caught them without Jesus.
E-164 And that's just where he wants to catch you. You don't believe that bobbing your hair is wrong, women. You just come back to the Bible and find out whether it's right or not. You don't think these things are wrong. He catches you away from Jesus. That's all. You live a good, godly life, and watch what takes place. Some people says…
E-165 Woman said to me, the other day, she said, "Brother Branham. I want to tell you right now. You was talking about our dresses, the way we were wearing them, so tight the skin is on the outside."
And I said, "Well, I want to tell you something."
She said, "That's the only kind of a dress they make now."
E-166 I said, "That's no excuse. They still got goods and have sewing machines. You can't get… There's no excuse for it, at all. No, sir." I said, "Go ahead, and someday you're going to answer for committing adultery."
E-167 I don't care how clean you are, how pure you are to your husband, your boyfriend. You dress yourself all sexy and start down that street, some sinner looks upon you in the wrong way, and on the Day of Judgment, he'll have to answer for it. And who did it? You. Jesus said, "Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her in his heart already." And you presented yourself that way.
E-168 God, send us a revival before we perish. That's right. We need an old-fashion, God-sent, soul-stirring revival, yes, find Christ back among us, find Christ in the old-fashion altars and meetings that we used to have years ago.
E-169 Now, Satan said, "They've gone off without Him, and I've got them away. I think…"
E-170 Don't you believe, brother, now? We know there's all different denominations here, and—and I belong to all of them. So, but, don't you think that this time of prosperity… We've been building new buildings. We been buying everything new, and all the congregation has got plenty of money, and dresses better. I think we kind of went off on some kind of a tantrum, and we've left Christ somewhere. See?
And now he sees us setting like this out here.
E-171 The revival is over. And we here, not long ago, why, the revival was burning, and now it seems like it's kind of hard to get the church filled up. The pastors tell me that it's—it's hard, now days. And the people won't go to church. They rather stay home and watch television, and, or something. The love has gone out of their heart.
E-172 And Satan has seen us go off on this tantrum, and went off without Jesus, and he thinks it's his opportunity.
E-173 Said, "Now I'll sink them. When I've got them off, I'll sink them. That's just be the thing that I'll do. I caught them now without Christ. They left Him behind."
E-174 And, see, they were so busy, and had so much to do, and waving to the people, and so much social affairs, and everything, till they forgot to take Him along.
E-175 I think that's what we've got, so much of our programs, till we've left out Jesus. The things that our father and mother fought so hard for, laid out on the railroad tracks, and eat corn, and wheat, and whatever they could get, to preach this Gospel. And today we just slop along. See? It isn't right. We should be on fire.
E-176 And Satan sees this, and he's just like it was then. He said, "I'll sink them out there, tonight, because Jesus is away from them." Now, the winds begin to blow. Trouble begin to set in. And seemed like nobody had the answer.
E-177 Now we've got hydrogen bombs and astronauts, and everything else, but seems like nobody has got the answer. They're having all kinds of conferences and meetings, trying to figure out if they can't beating somebody to the moon. I ain't worried about getting to the moon. I want to go past the moon, when I get started up.
E-178 And they've hollered here, Russia did, not long ago, about having a man in space, had the first man in space. Oh, how far they are behind! We've had One in space for two thousand years. My! Glory! We're going up with Him, some of these days, Him. Sure!
E-179 But, you see, it's a rat race, like. And here they begin to carrying on, and then Satan begin to blow his old poison breath upon them, "The days of miracles is past. There's no such a thing as Divine healing. Where is your Master now? Here is somebody in your congregation, that's sick, and look like you can't do nothing for them." See, just rockety-rock. You know what? They had a meeting the other day, and we understand that they're going to take, in our minutes or in our church, they're going to, they're going to cross out Divine healing. Lot of the churches are doing that, don't believe it any more. Many pastors don't do it.
E-180 How fortunate you people are to have pentecostal pastors that will stand for the thing that Christ stood for.
E-181 One of our great Pentecostal denominations just recently made a statement, that, before they can send their missionaries out, they have to go before a psychiatrist, to see if their IQ is high enough yet. Oh, if that ain't Pentecost!
E-182 I wonder how much education Peter would have had if they had tried him there? That wasn't… That even wasn't considered. It wasn't how much IQ they had. It's how much power of the Holy Ghost they had, to demonstrate the power, what kind of a life they were living. Certainly.
Now, we find out that the poison winds has begin to blow. It's got the little ship off on something another.
E-183 And now remember, I do appreciate all God does for us. I appreciate we got new cars. I appreciate we've come out of—out of rags, into good clothes. I appreciate that. But, you see, when we start getting those things… We got great big churches.
E-184 Used to be, your fathers, our fathers, our early fathers, stood out here on the street, and laid the rest of the night in jail, for having a testimony meeting. They had a little old store down there, that the bugs had almost packed away, in a rat-infested den. They let him have it for two dollars a week. Then he'd go down there, start up, and the sheriff would arrest the whole bunch before the night was over. That's the way they had to fight it.
E-185 And now we got the biggest churches in the town, the best-dressed crowds, and everybody else coming. But where is that old-fashion, God-sent, Holy Ghost power that they had back there? Something wrong somewhere. Somewhere, something wrong. We're living too… We're too soft.
E-186 Man is becoming soft. They're becoming hybrids. That's right. You take fifty years ago, the—the game of baseball, you never heard of an accident. Now they kill a dozen a year. Hit one, he's just like a guinea, knocks him out, he's dead.
E-187 Look at Bob Fitzsimmons, and—and Corbett, John L. Sullivan, and those men who fought as many as a hundred and twenty-five rounds in an afternoon. And a round wasn't two or three minutes, it was a knockdown. Knock one another down, twenty-five times in an afternoon, all along. They didn't have a featherbed over their hands like the boxers has today. They was bare-fisted. Could take a four inch punch and bust a two-by-four with their hands. They could stand it. They were men.
E-188 And now these little, so-called, vitamin-fed rickys, they got a featherbed on. And they got, will have to stop the whole boxing thing. It's got soft. Man has got soft. Nothing in him no more. He's a great big giant-looking thing, but what is it? A bunch of blubber. Just exactly what the Bible said, "They grow weaker but wiser." It's true. Hybrid!
E-189 Anything I despise is hybrid. I seen a piece in Reader's Digest. If they keep on feeding women and things, this hybrid food, that in twenty years from now the whole generation of people will be become extinct. The women is getting wide-shouldered, narrow hips. They can't have their babies and things. Hybrid!
E-190 Talk about hybrid corn. There's nothing to it. What is it? A great big fine grain, but nothing in it. Take that hybrid corn and plant it back, you don't get nothing. It's done, crossing up anything.
E-191 And that's exactly what the church has become, a bunch of hybrids. It's the truth. They've crossed up the baptism of the Holy Ghost with church affiliation, and they got a bunch of soft-peddled, so-called, professed Christians that know no more about God than a rabbit knows about snowshoes. You know that's the truth. What we need today is a God-sent, back to a born-again experience of the Bible. Hybrid! They say it looks better. That's what they've got. We got bigger buildings, better-dressed crowds. But what have we got? We got a bigger ear of corn, but there's no life in it. We got a bigger church and a better-educated class of people, but where's the Life at? They can't reproduce themselves again.
E-192 Like a mule. I always felt sorry for a mule. A mule don't even know… He has no pedigree. His mama was a mare, and his daddy was a donkey. He can't even have children, himself. They can't reproduce them, no more. You can't cross it back.
E-193 That knocked science out, said, evolution said that we come from a monkey. How could we? When you cross it up one time, it can't cross back again. That knocks their argument out. That's right. It cannot.
E-194 Notice. And this old mule, he don't know. He don't. He don't know nothing. And all he knows, he's just a mule. He always looks… He set there with his big old ears sticking up, you know. And you go to talk to him, you can't learn him nothing. You can't teach him a thing. He just look at you, go, "Haw! Haw!" That's all he does.
E-195 Puts me in the mind of a bunch of people that set there like some of this mule, hybrid religion we got. "Days of miracles is past. Haw! Haw! Haw!" What does he know about It? That's right. He don't know. He don't know who his papa was. Only thing he knows, they belong to some denomination.
E-196 But I love a genuine thoroughbred, pedigreed horse. He knows who his papa was, who his mama was, who his great-grandpa, great-grandma. He knows who they was, 'cause he's pedigreed.
E-197 And I like a genuine pedigreed Christian. He knows where he come from, for the original baptism of the Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost. Glory to God! He is pedigreed and sealed by the Kingdom of God.
E-198 Say, is Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever? The old mule will holler, "Oh, in a way, in a way."
E-199 But a pedigree will say, "Amen."…?… You believe in Divine healing? "Amen." A genuine experience of God will punctuate every promise with an "amen." Glory!
E-200 I didn't aim to do that. Let's start back. Where was I at? In a testimony meeting. Notice. I'll leave that to your pastors. All right.
E-201 Notice, a great storm begin to take place. Doubt begin to come in. Flusterations begin to come in. That's what's happened, see, hybrid back again. You know what? A genuine original plant, you don't have to spray it. No, sir. Bugs won't even get on it. It's that hothouse plant that you have to spray.
E-202 That's what's the matter. You have to spray, and baby, and pet around with so-called Christians. Tell them, you can't do this. "Oh, well, now, I'll just tell you, I got a right." There you are. See? That's a hothouse plant. They can't stand nothing, in the beginning, you see. What you need is an original, old digging out, and tearing down. As I said last night, clean out the nest and start over again. That's right. You can make deacons out of them and everything else, but it'll never do no good. Pat them on the back and call them brother, but, until they are born again of the Spirit of God, they're just a nest full of rotten eggs. That's all. It'll never hatch. We need the baptism of the Holy Ghost. I don't mean some dry handshake.
And say, "Have you, did you get the Holy Ghost?"
E-203 "Yeah, when I shook hands with the pastor, when I accepted Jesus as my Saviour." Brother, that ain't Bible Doctrine.
E-204 Paul found a bunch of good thoroughbred Baptists up there, and he said, "Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?" Not when you believed. But, "After you believed, have you received the Holy Ghost." It's a personal experience that comes. And when that great unchangeable God sent His Message down, He never changes. Amen.
E-205 Now we find there's trouble. What's the matter? Something has took place. The ship is rocking. The wind is blowing. Satan is buffeting the ship, blow after blow, wave after wave. And all hopes is gone, to have another revival.
E-206 Testimonies is dying out. They'd rather stay home and see television. See? No more Wednesday night testimony meetings and things, no more prayer meeting. See?
E-207 The oars broke. The mast fell, the helm. All is all gone. All the winds has done knocked all the sails down.
E-208 And the cares of this world will soon knock all the testimony out of you, too. You feel ashamed to get up. Why? You know. You know what you're living. You know you're not living up to that. Then, I tell you, what we need is a revival.
E-209 There they was, just like we are today. But you know what? He hadn't really left them. You know, the Bible said that He had climbed up one of the highest hills there was in the country, so He could watch them. And that's what He did when He left us at Calvary. He—He—He… When they crucified Him, He never left us. He didn't climb the highest hill, but He climbed Calvary, and kept on climbing past the moon, stars, plumb on into the heavens of heavens. Higher you go, further you can see. "And He got so high, till He has to look down on Heaven," the Bible says. Yeah. "He way up in the heavens of heavens, ascended on High."
E-210 His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He is watching us tonight. That's right. He's looking down upon this meeting. He sees our trouble. He knows our flusterations. He knows how sick you are. He knows what you been through. He knows what you're trying to do. See? His eye is watching you.
E-211 And He was standing up on top of that mountain, watching, watching. He seen their trouble. He seen the oars broke. He seen the congregation leave, as it was. He seen everything happen. He seen Satan begin to blow them around, twist them around, every way, where they hardly know what to do. And then what happened? When all hopes is gone, that they'd ever, could ever be saved, what happened? Then they seen Him come walking on the water. He come walking up to them.
E-212 Now, if He had been in the ship, with them, and went walking out, they could have accepted it. But, you see, He was away from them, and had to come walking in, on the water. And the Bible said, that, "They were scared. They were frightened." They said, "It's a spirit." And the only thing that could save them, they was afraid of it because it looked spooky. They was afraid of it.
E-213 If that ain't the picture today, I never told it. The only thing that can save the people, they're afraid of It: Jesus Christ. In this hour of tragedy that we're in, when the church is just about ready to go into the federation of churches, and to the World Council of Churches, and—and all these things, and our denominations are coming, drained down, and each one. And you know. We all know that.
E-214 Our Baptists and our Pentecostals, getting the same way. We love our brethren, and everywhere, no matter where they are. But never did a denomination ever denominate, and fall, that ever rose again. Now, you just search history. When they go, they are finished. And our Pentecostal denominations! Now, the system, not the brethren, but the system of denomination has. It's just getting warm. It just… It's got lukewarm, and it's just getting to ice cold. See, it's—it's leaving. And the people is getting cold, and formal, and caring for the things of the world. And we're getting big fine everything, you know, and just getting everything handed to our hand.
E-215 God told Israel, "When you had nothing, I found you in the field bloody and washed you off." He appreciated God. But when you got big, and begin to have plenty, then they forgot God.
E-216 And that's just the way it's begin to get. See? And now, see, when all the things seems to be that our… We're begin to look about, "How many more members we can get? How much more congregation? Can we get a little bigger church than this other brother on the other side of the city? How much Sunday school race can we have? And give them a gold pin for doing certain thing, bringing so many to Sunday school. The Baptists had a little say there, though, in '44, said, "A million more in '44," a slogan. What have you got when you got in there?
E-217 Setting with Billy Graham, not long ago, he put his… stood up there, and held up the Bible. He said, "This is God's Example." I was at his breakfast. He said, "I… Saint Paul took this Word of God, and went into a city, and preached, and had one convert. He went back a year later, and he had a third… thirty from that one. That one convert won thirty." And he said, "He had thirty grandchildren then, see, from that one child." He said, "I go into a city, I'll have thirty thousand confessions. And I come back in a year, I can't find thirty." And he said, "Now, what's the matter?"
E-218 I appreciate that evangelist. I think God is using him out there in that, where he's at. Got to be somebody go to Sodom, you know. All of them can't stay with Abraham and his group, the pulled-out, Elected. But there was one stayed there, showed a certain sign, got them ready for the going. Notice.
E-219 And Billy said, "You know what's the matter?" He never pulled no punches. He said, "It's you lazy bunch of preachers," he said. He said, "I'll give you these decision cards, and you'll set out there, and put your feet up on the desk, and won't even go bother them; and—and maybe write them a letter, and tell them you'd like to have them, a member of your church. You ought to get out there and persuade them, and get them in the church."
E-220 Well, I set and watched, for a while, you know. I thought, "That sounds very good." I thought, "Oh, Brother Graham. I would just sure like to ask you a question right now. But I'm just a little dummy, you know, and you're a great man. So I—I wouldn't do it. But I'd like to say, 'Brother Graham… '" Here is what, if I could have asked him.
E-221 Now, remember, no reflection on him, 'cause I love him. And he's a great man. I pray for him, all the time, and we must do it.
E-222 And now, "I'd like to say, 'Brother Graham, who, what did this fellow, with this one convert that Paul won, what preacher took, went to him?' Cause, he had no pastor to be left with.'" See?
E-223 What was the matter? Paul didn't stop just at confession. He stayed with him till he received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. He was on fire, and he like to burnt the city up. That's what's the matter.
E-224 That's what's the matter today. We just take them in as a confession, instead of taking them on to receive Christ, till they're born of the Spirit of God. That's what we need today, is them all-night meetings. Not just staying… I believe in all of our things we do. I believe in shouting; I believe in speaking in tongues. I believe in interpretation of tongues. I believe in Divine healing. I believe in all those things. But, yet, it's something better than that. It's the Birth, itself. It's the Holy Ghost, Itself, coming in us. These things are fine. But you… That's good. But, is like the colored man eating watermelon, "There's more of it." You've got to go on, until love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, patience, the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ burns into the life, then we could have a testimony meeting about what God is doing in our midst. That's right.
E-225 Jesus come walking to them, on the water, and they got scared. They said, "Oh, it's—it's spooky. We, we better not go to that meeting any more. It's funny."
E-226 They seen Him return again, in His power; just as He promised through the pages of these Bible, of these—these pages in this Bible, rather, that He would do this in the last days. And it walks in, and many of the people say, "Aw, That's just mental telepathy. That's spiritualism. That's some kind of a…" See? That's the same thing. And the only thing that'll save, that'll help us out of this, is to accept Jesus Christ. That's right. Notice. When He was…
E-227 All of them was scared, and they cried out, "Oh, what is This? We don't know." It looked scary. It looked spooky. What happened?
E-228 Right in that crucial moment, there come a Voice, "Fear not. It is I. Be not afraid."
E-229 Tonight, as I would say this, as we close our little testimony here. I got to do it, quickly. And I close their testimony, in closing this portion of the revival. Friends, when you see Jesus Christ do something like He's been doing here, our meeting of four nights is too short. I would like to stand here and take this Bible, from Genesis to Revelations, and prove to you that that's exactly the hour that we're living in. This is supposed to take place. According to the Bible, it's the last hour.
E-230 When Billy and I flew into India, just recently, they had a piece of paper. It's a bilingual country. And said, "The earthquakes must be over. The birds are returning back."
E-231 Now, India, they don't have these fine woven fences like we have. They pick up rocks and make their fences, and build their houses, and most of them. And for a day or two, all the little birds that lived in these rocks flew away, and went out. They wouldn't come back to the rocks, back to their nest. And then what happened? All the cattle that used to come in the—in the evening, when the sun would be hot, and they'd stand in the shadow of these walls, to keep cool; the sheep; they wouldn't do it. They got right out in the middle of the field and stood against one another.
They thought, "That's strange. What's happened to them?"
E-232 And then, all at once, an earthquake swept the country. All the walls fell down. And then it was down for two or three days, the earthquakes. Then, all at once, what was left standing up, the little birds begin to come in again, come back. They said, "The earthquakes must be over."
E-233 Don't you see, friends? The same God in the days of Noah, who could take the birds and the animals, and put them in the ark of safety, away from destruction, that same God still can warn the bird. And the bird only has instinct to go by. If the bird, by instinct, God warning him to get away from the big, falling walls, surely, that by the baptism of the Holy Ghost, that we can get away from these big old walls that's being traditions that's built around us, and get out there, if we have to stand, one against the other, and keep in the shadow of the Bible. That's right. He…
E-234 Don't be afraid. He promised it. He comes riding right into us, and does His works. And let's us not be afraid, tonight. If we could just open up our hearts and say, "Lord Jesus!"
E-235 Look at the nights. Look, just look, just our little nights, when we just never been here before in a meeting. And this is only the—the fourth night. Three nights has passed. And look, the Holy Spirit has not failed one time. I'm getting letters of testimonies coming back from places, and telling what would be when they got home, and so forth. They said it was just exactly that way. Why, certainly. It'll always be that way. See?
E-236 Watch what it says. Just when you hear it talk, see what it tells you. See? I'm saying then what I'm looking at. Then wait and see what He tells you to do. Whatever He tells you do, go, do it. I don't care what it is. Go, do it. It's not your brother here; it's Jesus Christ. See? It's Christ. Jesus said when He was here, "It's not Me; it's the Father," See? The Father was working through Him. Now, the Father is working through His Church, see, the Holy Spirit.
E-237 And when you see It, don't be afraid of It. Embrace it, say, "Lord Jesus, I love You. You're here. Maybe I've never accepted You as my Saviour. Tonight I'm going to do so. I want You for my Saviour. I don't want this meeting to close till I'm saved. I want You to save me tonight, Lord." He'll do it. He'll do it. That just proves He's here. We're in the last days. These things are supposed to be.
E-238 And remember, the last sign that was given to Abraham, which was a type of those who will go in the Rapture. See? They was already out of Sodom. The last sign that was given to him was that very sign: God manifested in human flesh, that told Abraham what Sarah was thinking, in the tent behind Him. And Jesus turns right back around and says, "As it was in the days of Lot, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man."
E-239 I presume that you people are spiritual. Please try to understand. See? This may be your last opportunity. See? Maybe you wasn't taught this in your churches, your big fine churches. Those men, nothing against your pastor now. [Blank.spot.on.tape—Ed.] "… not afraid. It's I. Be not afraid."
E-240 Now, Heavenly Father, this rude, little, tore-up testimony meeting that I was trying to explain, and trying to show the people that we could be having the same testimony in every one of these churches Sunday. These fine churches setting here, who are lighthouses, there could be people standing in there, on Sunday morning, giving testimony of the same thing that they were testifying about that night on the sea. "Oh, did not our hearts burn when we seen Him do this, and we seen Him do that?" God, please, send a great revival, Father. Catch us, Lord. We're—we're needing a great revival. Reveal Yourself to us, in a real way, tonight.
E-241 Maybe, Lord, after this testimony meeting I've talked about, maybe there'll come such a hunger over the people's hearts, if You'll just declare Yourself again tonight among the people. Then they'll go away from here, and Sunday morning they'll pack those churches and testify. They'll leave here, go to their neighbors, and start winning souls, and trying, getting down with their neighbors, and praying with them, and going, visit the hospitals, the sick and afflicted, and telling them that Jesus Christ is alive forevermore. Grant it, Lord. Hear our prayer.
E-242 This is our objective of being here, Lord. And You know the motives in our heart. And so we pray that You'll receive it, Father, as we ask this blessing in Jesus Christ's Name. Amen.
E-243 Now, real quietly. Now, we don't have a clock. Which one of you brothers? I broke my watch. And what time is it? Just tell me. [A brother says, "Seven after ten."—Ed.] Oh, I'm later than ever. Tomorrow is Saturday. I'm sorry. I seen two or three get up, to go out, and I—I know I had stayed too long. That was… My, you're such a nice people! I just hate to think I'm going to have to leave you tonight. That's true, in my heart. I'm… If I'm a hypocrite, I don't know it. But I like people.
E-244 When I was a little old boy, raised up, nobody cared for me. Nobody liked me. And I joined the church, was ordained, the Missionary Baptist church. I always had an idea that God was God. And I was kind of a black sheep, so to say, there.
E-245 Dr. Davis used to tell me, "Billy, you'll turn out to be a holy-roller," and all that.
E-246 But, still, I believed; if God ever was God, He is still God. And I just… My convictions led me that way, 'cause I had seen That when I was a little boy. And many of you has read my book, my life story, and things. And God, Heaven, knows it's true. And I knowed there was something there. I could see It, that Light. It talked to me, and since I was a little baby boy, and I knowed it was true.
And he told me, said, "Oh, you just had a dream."
E-247 I said, "If that's the way it is, I'll just give up my fellowship card."
E-248 He said, "Oh, don't think that way. But," said, "you'll get over it, Billy."
E-249 But I haven't, yet, and I hope I never do. This is it. And Peter said, on the Day of Pentecost, "This is That." If this isn't That, just let me keep this till That comes then, because I love this. And I pray that God will let every person feel like that.
E-250 And, friends, I'm telling you what is the Truth. So far… Here lays this Bible. I've never closed it, yet. So help me, with this Bible on my heart, that I'm telling you the honest Truth.
E-251 And I do believe that it's Jesus Christ, in the form of the Holy Spirit, see, God the Holy Spirit coming down in the Name of Jesus Christ, to vindicate that we're in the last days; and His Spirit is on earth, among His people. And that Light up there, I believe, with all my heart, that that's the same Pillar of Fire that led the children of Israel through the wilderness. I believe It was the same One was upon Jesus Christ, the same when He went away. And that's the same One that put the eyes of Saul out, on the road to Damascus, when he cried "Lord, Who are You?" And He said, "I'm Jesus," See? I believe it's the same thing. It does the same works.
E-252 So, it couldn't be me. Just think, I'm… I don't even have a seventh-grade education. I know nothing about, well, any—any education, no more than just barely can read the Bible. But I know Him.
E-253 Someone said, not long ago, said, "Brother Branham, you don't know your Bible."
E-254 I said, "But I know the Author real well. And He will—He will let me know His Book, as He wants to reveal It to me."
E-255 And not one time has that Angel of the Lord, stand there, has ever one time told me anything but what went right back in the Bible and proved it by the Bible. If it ever told me anything was contrary to the Bible, I would not believe it. This Bible is first. Any kind of an Angel, or anything else, that would testify anything contrary to this Word, don't you listen to it; I don't care how real it seems. This is right. It's always right.
E-256 Joseph Smith saw—saw an angel. Now, I don't—I don't doubt that man's word, at all. But the thing of it was, it was contrary to the Word. See? I—I—I… It must be the Word. I believe the man was a good man, certainly, and sincere. But I…
E-257 The one that talks here, must… It mustn't be anything against this Word. It's got to be right with the Word.
E-258 And so help me, I haven't got time to stay here, to tell you, and night after night. But the things that you see done, I can prove it by the Scriptures. If you take the tapes, you know it, that it's over and over again, from Genesis to Revelations. It points exactly to this Bride tree, this hour, the same Spirit to return back again, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit be manifested, "to restore the Faith of the children back to the Faith of the fathers again." It's just exactly the same thing, all the way through the Bible, predicted to be here. And here we are. Immediately after the baptism falls, and things like that, there is supposed to be a restoration at the last days.
E-259 And, people, don't put it off, look way out here in the future. It usually goes right over top of your head, and you—you miss it. Be ready. If it's Scripture, take a hold of it. If it's not Scripture, leave it alone. See? But, so help me, it's Scripture. See, that's what He did in the other days. If He's the same today, He will do the same.
E-260 Now, I believe Billy Paul give out prayer cards. Did he? What did you give out today? We got the most of that. Huh? B, one to a hundred. Well, let's start. Where was we at? We was on the first and last, of the others, and through there. Wasn't that right. Let's start back at the first, tonight, of the B, B, prayer cards got a B. And let's start from, well, let's just start from number one, 'cause we're going to get them all, anyhow. All right.
E-261 Number one. Who has B, number one, raise up your hand. This lady? Come over here now. If you… it's…
E-262 I see one lady in a wheelchair there. And if she, when her card is called, if she has one, remember, just bring her right up on the platform. See? It's all right.
E-263 B, number one. Number two? Number two? Who has B, number two? Is hers number two? Now, okay, just a minute. Just a minute, we'll get it in line, soon as we call it. All right. Number two, who has it? [A brother says, "Right down here, Brother Branham."—Ed.] Right. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. He's behind the microphone. Over here, lady. Number two.
Number three? All right, lady.
E-264 Number four? Prayer card number four, who has it? Number four. Maybe… What is that in Spanish? [Several persons say, "Cuatro."—Ed.] Cuatro. I know I didn't say it right. There's only one way I… Only one word I can say in Spanish, "Oiga." I remember deaf people used to say, "Oiga," and you say, "Sí." All right.
Number four. Already in, four.
E-265 Five, prayer card number five? [A brother says, "Back."—Ed.] Way in the back. All right, a lady back here.
E-266 The boy brings these cards down now, and gives these out. He brings them up before the congregation, mixes them all up, and just gives you a prayer card. No matter where you're at or who you are, you get it. Then the one might get number one, the other one fifteen. The other one… And then they don't know yet where we're going to call from. See? And so I just come here, and wherever we call.
E-267 That's five, six, seven. Six, hold up your hand if you got it, six. Fine. Seven, number seven? All right. Eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen. Fourteen?
E-268 Now, wait a minute, I seen two. I'm mistaken. It's a man and woman going the other way. I thought it was getting up, to come up.
E-269 Let's see, twelve. Eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. Fifteen? Fifteen? Fifteen.
E-270 Well, let—let's start at these, 'cause we'll get them all. We get every one of them, the Lord willing, just in a little while. But just… Let's just wait a few minutes till we—we can find out whether we—we can get it or not. All right, everybody feeling good.
E-271 Now, how many in here does not have prayer cards? Let's see your hands. All right. Now be reverent. Watch this way. Pray. Now, remember, this is our last meeting. Now let's be real reverent. Watch this way.
E-272 Now, while they're making that prayer line ready over there, let's say this. Let's go back a few years. Let's see the Lord Jesus one time, after He crossed the sea. He landed at the shore on the morning, out of the boat, and He was going up into the country. And a little woman who had a blood issue, she had no prayer card.
E-273 Say, I believe we're… Somebody has turned the lights out. Is that for a certain purpose, or what? Or is it automatically going off? Did they… Is that for us to leave? [A brother says, "No. Something happened over here."—Ed.] Oh, some, some… Oh, they're coming back. Somebody made a mistake, outside, and turned the switch. All right.
E-274 Notice now our Lord Jesus. Now, how many understands this? We're not trying to say that we're the Lord Jesus. Anybody understands that. All right. We are your brothers. See? We are His servants. But, it's just a gift, to submit yourself.
E-275 Now watch this. Here is men that are—are—are—are theologians, trained men in the Word. Now, brethren, when you all start to preach a message, if you just try to make it up, yourself, it doesn't do any good. Does it? But when you get inspired, you—you, It just some way just coming down. You don't know what you're going to say. Is that right? [The ministers say, "Amen."—Ed.] That's preaching by inspiration, you see. That's the Holy Spirit. Now, I, I'm not eloquent enough to do that, in that manner. See?
E-276 But, now, what mine is, is just a gift, to know just how to, like, pull a lever, and just get yourself out of the way. And it's just a complete surrender. I can't explain it. No man can explain God. I can't tell you how, what happens, and what goes on. I just know it's a little gift. And I just have a way of just getting myself out of the way. And then, all at once, I begin to feel something strange, sweet, humble. And, look, I see that Light circling around. Then I know it's all right. That's the reason I wait. And then when someone goes to talking…
E-277 That's the reason I have someone up here, more like a decoy, see, to get one person singled out, so I can talk to them. And then when the Holy Spirit begins to move upon this person, then it begins to catch the audience. And then the audience begins to—to wonder, then they begin to get faith. Then, whoever has faith, then you just begin to feel it here, there, everywhere then. See? Then just… There is, it just proves it.
E-278 Now, remember, it's a very hard, wrecking thing. Jesus would preached all day; it didn't bother Him. But when that little woman touched His garment, and went out and set down, it took virtue out of Him. Is that right? Well, anyone knows virtue is strength. Well, if it would do that to the virgin-born Son of God, what will it do to us as sinners saved by His grace? See? See?
E-279 Preach, you can do that all night, wouldn't bother you. But just let one vision happen, see, it's something, and it's in another world. You see people maybe when they were little bitty children, or something. And you have to talk fast; because, you know you're standing here, but yet you're somewhere else, way back somewhere else, talking. And then when you come out of it, you don't know what you said till you listen to it on the tape. See? And it isn't human. It isn't a person. That's all. It's God. It's always right. And He promised that. See? "Perceiving their thoughts," the Bible said that's what He did. Call it whatever you want to, but the Bible said, "Jesus perceived their thoughts."
E-280 Now, I want you to believe. Now, first, I want you to see that, see, now, like healing. We know the Holy Spirit is here. And I believe in laying on hands.
E-281 Somebody, oh, jumped on me, kind of rough, about that, this morning. Said, "There is no such a thing as people laying hands on one another. It shouldn't be done."
E-282 I said, "You just haven't read the Bible, brother. That's all." I said, "The last commission, that fell from the lips of Jesus Christ, was, 'Lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover,'" the last Words He said, when He left the earth.
E-283 His first commission, He give His disciples, was, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils," the first group He set out, Matthew 10.
E-284 And the last group He set out, "These signs shall follow them, believe. They'll cast out devils; speak with new tongues; take up serpents; drink deadly things. If they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover." That's the last Words He said, and was received up into Glory. Certainly. That's the great commission. What it does, I don't know. It's just carrying out what He said do.
E-285 But here, all, I guess, ninety percent of you, are believers, or more. You are believers, and you have just as much right to lay hands on sick as I do, or your pastors does, everybody: lay hand, the believers. "These signs shall follow" (not, "the ministers") but, "everybody that believes." You have a right: everybody.
E-286 As I said, there's no great men, and holy men. There is not. We're not, any of us, holy. We got a Holy Spirit in us, but we're not holy. It's, He is the One is holy. See? It's His holiness; not mine, not yours. His!
E-287 But, here, let's just close your minds to everything now, for the next fifteen minutes. And now, these men are setting here, looking around.
E-288 Here is a woman standing before me. I never seen her in my life. As far… Are we strangers to one another, lady? You heard her, what she said? She had been in my meetings, several time, but she never even had the opportunity to say, "How do you do?" to me. See? Therefore, I don't know the woman. She is standing there. She is here for some cause. Now, let's just—just think now. Take Saint John, the 4th chapter, when Jesus met a woman.
E-289 Now, remember, He said, "The works that I do shall you do also."
E-290 Now, here is a woman and a man, meeting for the first time in life. Now, that's true. Here we are. Here is God's Bible. There stands a woman. Here I stand. I've never know, ever seen the woman in my life, I know. That's all I know, is, she is standing there. Today she was out here somewhere, and somebody give her a prayer card, and her number was called, and here she stands. That's all.
E-291 There's many out there. Last night we just took those who didn't have prayer cards. How many was here to see that? See, the prayer card don't have nothing to do with it. See? It's your faith that has to do with it.
E-292 Now, you say, "Brother Branham, can you heal the sick?" There's not a man on earth can heal the sick. They're already healed. You just got to make them see it, believe it.
E-293 Now, if Jesus Christ will come on the scene and work through that woman and me! Now, if it works through me and not her, it won't work. It's got to be both of us, together. See?
E-294 It's like you. If you got faith, you believe it, then, see, it'll work between us. See? It's your faith and my faith. I believed it. If you'll just believe it with me, then we'll see the Words and promises of Christ fulfilled.
E-295 Now, if anybody believes it's wrong, and you believe you can do the same thing, I invite you to the platform. See? So, then, don't say nothing about it.
E-296 Now, come here, lady, just stand here. Now, I want to bring you out, because there's quite a bit of faith. And I just want to talk to you a moment, like our Lord talked to that woman. Now, not knowing you, never seen you in my life, and you're a total stranger to me. Now, if the Lord Jesus will just do something here, like He did when He was in the Bible, the Bible day, would it make us feel happy, and—and we could go home?
E-297 Like those who, one day, He was on… After His death, burial, and resurrection, He was on… Some disciples was on the road to Emmaus. You remember it, brother? On the road to Emmaus, and—and they met the Lord Jesus and talked with Him, all day long, and they didn't know Him. But when He got them inside, that night, and closed the doors, He did something just exactly like He done before His crucifixion, and they knowed that was Him. How many remembers the story? Sure. They knew it was, 'cause nobody else did it that way. And their eyes were opened, and He vanished away from them.
E-298 Now, He's alive tonight. Now, if He is alive, then He will do the same today like He did before His crucifixion, proves that He's resurrected. Is that right?
E-299 Now, He don't have no hands tonight but my hands and your hands. He has eyes in mine and yours. That's what He's using. He is the Vine. We are the branches. Is that right brethren? [The ministers say, "Amen."—Ed.] And the Vine doesn't bear fruit. The branch bears fruit, energized by the Vine. Is that right? And if that first branch that come out of that Pentecostal Vine, wrote a book of Acts, if that tree ever puts forth another branch, it'll write another book of Acts. Cause, it—it won't put forth a pumpkin, and then a watermelon, and then a pomegranate. It'll put forth the same fruit, every time, 'cause It's the same Life going through the Vine. Now do you understand? ["Amen."]
E-300 Now, in the Name of Jesus Christ, of this Bible, I take every spirit in here under my control, to the honor and glory of God.
E-301 Now, if you're a critic, don't stay any longer. It's your time to go, 'cause, remember, evil spirits goes from one to another. And many here, that's been in the meetings, knows what's happened. If you are… Just set still. If you're not; if anything happens, I'll be responsible.
E-302 Now, lady, now something has happened. It's His Presence. Now, if the Lord Jesus will reveal to me something that you've done, something that you want to do, something you have or haven't done, or ought to do, or something about you, you'll know.
E-303 Just like He said to Simon, He said, "Your name is Simon. You're the son of Jonas." He told him his name. He believed it. The woman, He told her, "You have a—a blood issue." It stopped. And He had the… or like the… Well, something that He'd tell to somebody, that something was wrong with them, like, the woman had five husbands.
E-304 Something another, just something like that, you know it would be Jesus Christ. Do you believe it? [The sister says, "Amen."—Ed.] It'd have to come from supernatural power. ["Sure. I know it."] You, you know that. ["I know that."] All right.
E-305 Now, now, if anyone can see, the Light is standing between me and the woman. She is just as conscious of it. [The sister says, "Thank You, Jesus."—Ed.] I don't know the woman. But you just ask her this. Listen to this. Just now, something like a real sweet feeling come. If that's right, raise up. See? It's just right around her. Can't you see That? It's another dimension. See? I'm looking right at It. Now, as I watch you, you are a believer. And you're—you're suffering. Yeah. One of your great troubles, is, that, you, you're real nervous. ["Yes."] And through this nervousness, has caused you to have a—a high blood pressure. ["Yes."] That's exactly right. ["Thank You, Jesus."] See? Yeah.
E-306 You believe now? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] Now, just to see now, that it just—just not… See, I can just take that one woman and stand here, just keep on talking about it. But, see, there's others waiting in the line. See? Others has got to come. So, you see, it won't all be on one person. You got to have someone else.
E-307 But, now, would—would you like to see if the Holy Spirit would tell her something else? Would you like? Just raise your hands and say, "It would help me much." [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.]
E-308 Would help you? All right. Let's see. I don't know what He told you. Only thing I know, it'll be on the tape. Now, just a moment.
E-309 You just look to me and believe. Just like Peter and John said, "Look on us," that, other words, "give us your attention." See? "And as He perceived they had faith." And I perceive that you have faith.
E-310 And now, yes, I see it's something around your arm. Oh, it's the high blood pressure. A doctor put something around your arm. That's right. Yes, sir. That's right. Uh-huh. And said, "You have high blood pressure." And there is something else. Oh, I see them. They're going to get something ready, to make… Oh, it's an operation. [The sister says, "Yes."—Ed.] You're fixing for an operation. ["That's right."] And that's on a female trouble. And that's to be in the next couple days from now. That's right. ["This next week."] That's right.
E-311 Now, see what I mean? See? Just keep telling her, keep talking to her, more goes on. You see what I mean? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] See?
E-312 Now, it's not me. Ask the woman whether it's right or not. Question her, anybody that knows her. See?
E-313 Look this way again. You believe God can tell me who you are? [The sister says, "Yes."—Ed.] Would it help you? ["I know He can."] Mrs. Dorns, you can go home now and believe with all your heart. Yeah. See?
E-314 You believe Jesus Christ now? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] Perhaps we just raise up our hands and worship Him then. He is God.
E-315 Heavenly Father, we thank You for this. We pray now, that You'll let the people see, that we can have a testimony, that, the same Jesus. We can testify in the morning, that, we seen Him. He was here with us tonight, in the form of the Holy Spirit. We love You, Lord Jesus. Make all the people to see and believe. We pray, Lord, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Now, just be honorable, reverent, and respect.
E-316 Now, now, this lady standing here. Now, are we… We know… don't know each other, I suppose, do we, lady, the lady standing before me? You don't. You don't know me. I don't know you. [The sister says, "Yes, sir."—Ed.] But never saw me in her life. All right. Now, are…
E-317 Do you still believe, everybody? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] Just be reverent. Just be real reverent. "If thou canst believe, all things are possible." Amen.
E-318 I seen something happen. I'm just going to wait a minute. All right. Now look this way, just a minute, sister, you standing here on the platform. If I don't know you, but God does know you, if He will let me know something about you, that—that you know. If I know nothing about you, you're just a stranger to me. But if He will reveal something to me, that you know whether it's right or not, you can testify to that, if it's right or wrong.
E-319 But, you are, one of your main troubles, and your main trouble is, that's, a nervous condition. You're bothered, which has given you a stomach trouble. You have a stomach trouble and a nervous condition. And the nervous condition gives you the stomach trouble, which causes sourness in—in the bottom of the stomach. It's a peptic ulcer right in the bottom of the stomach. Grease and things makes you belch up stuff. And then I see you turn away from many foods at the table. That's exact.
E-320 And you've had a great shock that's just come to you. You've had a sorrow. It's a death. It's your husband, that just went on. It's made you nervous. That is right. Isn't it? [The sister says, "Yes."—Ed.] I believe you'll be all right now. Go, eat your supper. Jesus Christ has healed you.
E-321 You believe? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] Just have faith in God. That's all. See?
E-322 Now, this lady here, would you look this way just a moment? We're strangers to each other. We don't know each other, but Jesus Christ knows us both. Well, now, if the Lord Jesus will reveal something like He has, say to the woman, "You have five husbands," and you're—you're… or, "You have a tumor, ulcer, cancer; you got domestic troubles," or whatever it is, you know it'd have to come from God, wouldn't you? [The sister says, "Yes."—Ed.] See, He just told that woman one thing, and the whole city repented.
E-323 And here He is, doing more now, for He said, "The works that I do shall you do also, and more than this shall you do." I know the King James says "greater," but the Emphatic Diaglott says "more." Couldn't do any greater; He stopped nature, raised the dead. You could just do more of it, see, quantity instead of quality.
E-324 You are suffering, also, with a nervous condition. You have a lady's trouble, which is female disorder. You also have a stomach trouble that's bothering you. That's right. You believe He can heal you? You believe He will? Got somebody on your heart, haven't you? Your husband. He isn't here. You believe I can tell you what. If Jesus will reveal what's wrong with your husband, will you believe me to be His prophet, or His servant? He's real nervous, and it's caused him to have a prostate trouble. That's right. Isn't it? Have faith. Don't doubt. Just believe, with all your heart.
E-325 Here, just a minute. Something is going on. Yes. Here it is. It's your mother. [The sister says, "Yes."—Ed.] That's her, setting right back there, on the end of the seat. She has Parkinson's disease. And you're praying for her. Isn't that right? Mrs. Harris, that's your name. You believe with all your heart, and go back. Lay your hands on your husband, your mother, and get well, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
E-326 Have faith in God. Do you believe God? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] Now, I think we just ought to worship Him. Don't you think so? ["Amen."] Let's just praise Him, say, "Thank You, dear Lord."
E-327 Heavenly Father, how we thank You, praise You! Blessed be the holy Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We give You glory, honor, thanksgiving, and praise, and might, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
E-328 Have faith. Don't doubt. Just believe what God has said is the Truth. That's all you have to do. Now be real reverent and watch this way.
E-329 Now, here's a man. We're strangers to one another, but Jesus Christ knows us both. Do you believe Him? You believe me as His servant? You will.
E-330 Now, when Jesus met a man, it was, that we find Him doing the miracle on, was Simon. Wasn't it? That was the first man He met. All right. He told Simon what his name was.
E-331 Now, the Lord help me to know something that's wrong with you, that it is. Yes, I see it now. It's an intestinal trouble: colon. It's an inflated colon. You're not from here, either. You come from the West, this way. You're from California.
E-332 There is somebody with you. He's got a prayer card, to be prayed for, tonight. He is setting out there now. He's your friend. And he is suffering with a nervous condition, like a nervous breakdown. You believe he's going to get healed? [The brother says, "Hallelujah!"—Ed.] So do I. You believe now that Jesus can tell me what your name is? Mr. Hamby. Then, return back, lay your hands on your friend. And believe with all your heart, and you can both go back and be well, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
E-333 Do you believe? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] Now pray. It's just weakened me. And it's getting right now, see. Pray. And we'll just start praying for the sick now.
E-334 How do you do? Speak English? [The sister says, "Yes, I do."—Ed.] You do. Do you believe me to be God's servant? ["I do believe."] That's what the Angel said to me, said, "If you can get the people to believe you." Not believe me as Him, but believe He sent me. ["Yes."] It's for your little boy. ["Yes, it is."] That's right. You believe God can tell me what's his trouble? ["Yes."] You'll believe it? ["Yes, I will."] He's nervous. ["Yes."] It's caused from a scare. ["Yes."] A dog scared him. ["Yes."] That's right. He is going to get all right. Take him back. Believe with all your heart, he'll be all right. It's a shock. I'll put my hands on you, in Jesus' Name. Don't fear. Don't fear, and he'll get over it, and be all right. See? Be thankful.
E-335 You believe with all your heart? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] Amen. "If thou canst believe."
E-336 This lady setting here, talking to the other one there, with that sinus trouble. A while ago, that something happened to you, that's your sinus got healed. Amen. You believe it, and go home now and be made well. Uh-huh.
E-337 You believe? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] Out there in the audience, do you believe? ["Amen."]
E-338 What do you think, with your hand up, setting out there? You believe me to be God's prophet? Then that hernia won't bother you any more. Your wife is awful sick. Doctors don't even know what's wrong with them. Just lay your hand over on her, believe with all your heart. He knows what's wrong with her. She'll get well, if you'll believe it.
E-339 You believe God healed your heart trouble, standing there? Then go back home, get be well.
Now, if this ain't Jesus Christ in amongst us!
E-340 What do you think about it, little lady setting there looking right at me, there in the second row? Has got chest trouble. You believe Jesus Christ make you well? Stand up on your feet and accept it then. Amen.
Have faith in God. Don't doubt it.
E-341 The lady there, looked over at her, and kind of had sympathy with her, the red sweater, setting on. Got sinus trouble. You believe the Lord Jesus make you well? Yeah. Stand up on your feet and accept it, and get well. Amen. That's the way to do it. Uh-huh.
E-342 What do you think about it, setting there, brother? You believe me to be His prophet? You believe God can tell me your trouble? Your allergy is gone. Jesus Christ makes it well. Hallelujah!
E-343 Do you believe it, with all your heart? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] Amen.
E-344 Huh? Where we stop at, card fifteen? Was that what it was, prayer card fifteen? How many more has got prayer cards in here? Let's get rid of these prayer cards. Line yourself up down here on the side.
E-345 Let me show you. Just let me show you that healing don't only belong to one man. Let me show you what God can do through His humble servants here. Come here, brethren. I wonder if you brethren walk right down here, right here with me. Walk, come right off the platform, walk right down here a minute. Yeah. All right. We're going to. We'll pray for them right here. I want people to see that, that God uses His servants. Come. Come. You, you ministers, come right down here. I'm going down here with you. See? I'll show you that God heals the sick through your pastors. [A brother says, "Down, off the platform?"—Ed.] Doesn't matter, either way you want to. Amen. That's right.
E-346 All you people that's got your prayer cards, walk up here. Don't you doubt it. You believe it. You believe with all your heart now?
E-347 Now, pastors, some of you down there, I want each and every one of you. While I'm praying, I want you all, some of you get down there, and be sure that your hand touches everybody in that line. See? I can't get to every one of them, but you can. That's it. Get down there, get right among them.
E-348 All you people out there, believe now. We'll get to you just in a moment. Believe with us now.
E-349 Each one of you all here, remember, Jesus Christ knows you. He knows exactly what you're thinking. You know that. There isn't a one of you but what He'd tell you just now. You see that. Then He's here. It's Him. It's not me. I'm just your brother.
E-350 Now you believe, while I'm praying. I'm going to pray for you, and these pastors.
E-351 See, I don't want to leave the town, people think, "Well, the evangelist was in here. He did this." I want you know that your pastor has the same authority. He might not see visions; that maybe come one in a generation. But—but he's got the same authority from God, to lay his hands on you. It's just exactly the same.
E-352 Now let's all pray. Keep your head bowed now. And each one, when you feel that pastor's hands touch you, just remember, drop your prayer card, raise up your hands, and thank God for your healing, and walk back there and see what happens.
E-353 Our Heavenly Father, we are assembled here now in the midst of this people, in the Presence of Almighty God, O great Eternal Jehovah, Who brought forth Jesus Christ, Your Son. I pray now, as these ministers, the hands of God. And as I lay my hands upon our sister here, I pray that You will meet them, Lord, every one. May the power of Jesus Christ come down upon this audience just now, as these pastors are touching these people. And may every one of them be healed, in the Name of Jesus Christ.
E-354 Satan, you've lost the victory. Jesus Christ is present, to anoint these handkerchiefs, to heal the sick, to do the work that He promised to do. And we, as His servants, challenge you, by our own faith in His resurrection, in His Presence now, after two thousand years, working spiritually through His Church. Come out of this people. In the Name of Jesus Christ, leave them go. Come out, through the Name of Jesus Christ.
E-355 Now, while they're laying hands upon the sick, if there's a sinner, or a person that wants to be saved, that wants to come up around the altar now, next, rise right up and come forward now. We're here to minister. If the personal workers come with them, who rise up and come.
E-356 Anybody wants to come up here now for prayer, come right ahead. Whether you have a prayer card or not, you're welcome to come right here now, and have hands laid on you. Come on now, while we're waiting.
E-357 If there's any of you that's needy, needs the Holy Ghost, needs salvation, needs Divine healing, we are here, as ministers of Christ, to serve you in the capacity of laying on of hands, and seeing you filled with the Spirit.
E-358 Everybody that would like to have this Jesus that knows the secret of your heart! You people who doesn't know Him, and you feel that funny little feeling around your heart, I know they're here. The Holy Spirit is telling me so. Come up here now. Come up here. If you will get up out of your seat and walk this way, and say, "Lord Jesus, I come because I need You, and I'm coming to receive You," God will grant you your request if you won't doubt. And believe with all your heart that the things that you see right now is the works of Jesus Christ! If you're Methodist, come on. If you're Baptist, Nazarene, Pilgrim Holiness, Roman Catholic, orthodox Jew, a rank sinner, atheist; I don't care who you are. Walk up here, believing God, and see what happens right now. Come. I want to see you gathered here.
E-359 I believe, the Holy Spirit, on this great crucial moment, this great hour when the… when even past time, but, yet, I believe that right now God is going to meet your request if you just believe me. You seen Him take… Surely I'm telling you the Truth.
All right, sister, you can go right down there, be made well. See?
E-360 Now, surely you'll believe me. There is every one of you here now that has a need for God. Come, stand, or stand up along the side. Somewhere, just raise to your feet, be a witness, say, "I witness, Lord," and then if there is something wrong. Stand where you are. Stand right up if you—if you need God. That's right. If you can't get up… That's it. "I have need of You, Christ."
E-361 Now, please believe me. Do you believe me? You believe that is God speaking to me? If you do, raise up your hands, if you believe. Thank you. Now, because you believe… If I have told you the Truth, God is witness, I've told you the Truth. God is here, witness, I told you the Truth.
E-362 Now, I'm telling you the Truth now. If you will look up to God, and by faith say, "Lord Jesus." If you're a sinner, say, "I confess my sins." If you want the Holy Spirit, say, "Lord, I—I need Your blessings, to carry me through life. I want the Holy Ghost." If you're sick, say, "I need healing, Lord, and I now accept it from You. I believe it." If you'll do it, then you will receive it.
E-363 Now let's just raise up our hands, each one in your own way. It's got to be your confession. And I'm going to pray for you here. Now you believe it, and you pray. I'm going to pray for you, and you pray for your own self. Just pray. Confess your own faults. Confess your weakness. Make your promise to God that you're not weak anymore; you're strong. You're not a coward. You're not going to be sick. You're not going to serve sin any longer. You're going to serve God. Make your confession and believe it. It's your soul. It's your responsibility. That's right.
Somebody struck fire. That's the way to do it. Just believe it.
E-364 Lord Jesus, this great hour is here, the great, crucial moment. The last day of the feast is here, the last time, the last opportunity. These people are in need. Let the Holy Ghost fall, Lord. May the people see It, feel It, know that that's God, Christ in their life, trying to come in at this time, and give them the great deep desires of their heart. Grant it, Lord. Fill the… them with the Holy Ghost. Heal the sick. Get glory to Thy Name.
E-365 Now, Satan, you've lost the battle. You've lost the meeting. You lost the victory. I claim victory, in the Name of Jesus Christ, for every person in here. Come out of here, Satan. You can't hold them any longer. I claim them, trophies, for the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
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